Re: Free Software Company

["Gurunandan R. Bhat" <grbhat@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 14 Sep 2000, Harveer S wrote:

> At 08:02 PM 9/13/00 +0530, Gurunandan wrote:

> >On Wed, 13 Sep 2000, Raju Mathur wrote:
> >
> > > If I have 2 rotis and I give you one, I have one roti less.  If I have
> > > 2000 lines of code and I give them to you, both of us have 2000 lines
> > > of code.  See the difference?
> >
> >No. I agree with your conclusions, but not the logic that got you there.
> >Software gets me 2 rotis. If I give the software to you, I worry that I
> >might get only one roti. Of course I assume that there are only a fixed
> >number of buyers who will convert my software to rotis for me.
> 
> So, there has to be
> [1] either a commercial incentive for developing the "free" software (but 
> with this, is the "free software" really "free")
> [2] or you can have a well paying job, and contribute to the free software 
> movement as a hobby (or whatever you call it)

Ooops. Thas not what I meant at all. My point is simple: I dont need
analytic economic arguments to justify the superiority of Free Software. I
need no "Commercial incentive" to write Free Software. Ego boo is good
enough for me. When the opening bars of Beethoven's "Emperor" start, my
hair stands on end. I dont care to justify it with explanations about
bio-chemical changes in the lower epidermata. It is politics in the truest
sense of the word.

> Yeah, that is the real point. And it explains the fact that without having 
> a fixed source of income that will be there even while you are developing 
> the software for free, you (most of the Indians incl. me) cannot even think 
> of joining the Free Software Movement.

As for why Indians have not joined the Free Software Movement, here are
two possible reasons:

1) Indians (in India)  have not joined the Commercial Software Movement
   either. Dont quote Software export figures resulting from IT sweatshops
   to counter this. Code written to design/specs laid down outside India
   and shipped back does not count for "Software" in *my* book.

2) True Free Software was written in the Universities and academic
   institutions where the Internet catalysed rapid progress. In the United
   States and Europe, the Universities got connected first, then
   commercial organisations. In India, it is the other way round,
   Commercial organisations got connected first and then (some)
   Universities. Even today, the proverbial Joe Swaminathan has more
   bandwith at home, than a CS grad student in an average Indian
   University.

> If I were to develop a software for my own use, and I feel that the
> thing can be of use to other people, then I can put it out for them.
> But this, [does not mean Free Software]. What is means is that you are
> sharing your knowledge with the community.

Same thing! Sharing with a view to improve the product, not generate
profit.