Re: Re: [OT] Software Freedom

[Radhakrishnan C V <cvr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 1 Mar 2001, Sandip Bhattacharya wrote:

:  X is a "good guy" who believes in making software and giving it away
:  with  no restrictions other than a "thank you" note. His software
:  after some time comes to the attention of the capitalist "bad guy" Y,
:  who decides to make money out of it. Y takes the sources, makes minor
:  changes to it, packages it well and sells it as Y's own
:  software. 

Two questions:

While selling the modified software (which is respected always), why Y
chooses to close the sources? Dont you think the user is denied the
freedom to modify it further and make a still better product just as Y
has done on X's code. Or is that privelege restricted to Y alone?

If you think that opening the sources of modified software by Y is
immoral, is it not equally immoral to adopt the code of X? Because one
of the purposes of X which is aimed at retaining the freedom of the
user is defeated.


: So tell me, in the larger issue of benefit to the community which
: licence is better? Where am I going wrong with my logic?

In the long run, it will invariably lead to monopolies, underhand
trade practices and the community will be forced to spend its
resources to set right all these problems for its survival as we see
around.



-- 
Radhakrishnan
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