13 Dec
2005
13 Dec
'05
3:15 p.m.
Jim Leonard wrote:
Chuck Guzis wrote:
Except we're talking about software here which doesn't deteriorate or get
damaged by someone else using it. If the same were true of cars, I'd have *no*
problem in someone else making use of my vehicle if it wasn't inconveniencing
me in any way. It wouldn't make any difference to me whether they used it or not.
That doesn't mean I think people should go around copying software without the
owner's permission - and should also respect their rights if the author thinks
they're going to make money out of it some day. But the car analogy doesn't
stand up...
What annoys me though is companies who drop old software but don't make copies
of the binaries freely available (source code I can understand due to IPR
issues). I mean, when seriously are MS going to go selling copies of MSDOS
again? Providing nobody goes reselling it for their own financial gain,
where's the harm in releasing the binaries? It's not like the binaries can't
still be found in places on floppy...
cheers
Jules
On 12/13/2005 at 4:12 PM Jim Leonard wrote:
I like the above MUCH more than any single-sentence answer you could
have given me. You, sir, are awesome :-) I'm curious, what is it that makes your blood
boil more? The
distribution
of the software itself, or the hypocrasy of not even trying to ask for
permission?
It's honestly hard to say--suppose after a business trip, you arrived
home
to find your car gone. Two hours later, your neighbor shows up with it.
You confront him and get any or all of the following:
"I borrowed it because you weren't using it"
"I called but you didn't answer your phone"
"I didn't ask because I knew you'd say "no""
Which would make you more angry? How angry would you get if your
neighbor
kept borrowing your car without asking? How angry would you get if he
allowed his friends to drive it also?