hmmm i think one needs to consider the "free, as in beer" concept...
commercial software can be both free and open source.
On Sep 14, 2011 8:40 AM, "Michael Gogins" <
michael.gogins@gmail.com> wrote:
> There is a difference between open source and free software, on the
> one hand, and commercial software, on the other hand.
>
> Commercial software is a capitalist enterprise. The usual contract
> between buyer and seller is that the buyer pays, the seller provides
> something that works more or less out of the box.
>
> Open source and free software are co-operative enterprises - they are
> socialist, in a way. This is true whether they are given away, funded
> publicly (a lot of government software is available this way), or
> funded privately (as at least some of LuaJIT seems to be). For many
> reasons, the commercial contract does not apply in open source and
> free software.
>
> Sometimes (usually?) the software is a pure gift. So then, you really
> have no right to demand of the giver more than you are already
> receiving, since you are not paying anything for it at all, although
> of course you are free to make requests or offer advice.
>
> In other cases, the open source or free software is part of an
> implicit co-operative exchange. I make Apache for you, and you make
> GCC for me. Like that. I can see LuaJIT being a part of this kind of
> co-operative economy.
>
> Then also, the open source/free software world grew out of the world
> of Unix hackers where the ability to write, compile, and install C
> programs was pretty much an entry level requirement.
>
> This is just by way of providing context...
>
> Mike Gogins
>
> In
>
> On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 10:30 AM, Axel Kittenberger <
axkibe@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Ah, but that's the point: 'product' is not the right word here.
>>
>> I disagree, 'product' is a good word for FreeSoftware* 'Products'. One
>> doesn't have to understand it too commercially due to the commercial
>> world we live in. I refer constantly to my FreeSoftware Project
>> 'Lsyncd' as 'product', albeit I didn't get yet a cent for it (except I
>> originally wrote it to do my job I'm paid for). In the software world
>> I see 'a product' in contrast to 'a hack'. The second one is some code
>> trimmed down to exactly your use case on your system, configuration
>> likely directly in the source code and likely no documentation. A
>> FreeSoftware product comes with a configure script / or configurable
>> makefile, documentation and runs on a varity of systems, configuration
>> and a span of different use cases.
>>
>> On the topic on hand, I just consider it insolent to ask Mark to do it
>> all. As I said, being Free Project noting stops you to step forward an
>> do it. Then maybe ask Mark to link or maybe host the files.
>>
>> *Having listened to a Stallman talk I also now refer rather to
>> FreeSoftware than to OpenSource since the major feature is that it
>> does not take your freedom from you and gives somebody the power to
>> dicatate over you, cause you cannot help it without source and proper
>> license.
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Michael Gogins
> Irreducible Productions
>
http://www.michael-gogins.com> Michael dot Gogins at gmail dot com
>
