14 Dec
2005
14 Dec
'05
1 a.m.
Jules Richardson wrote:
Problem is in a lot of cases software comes from big
companies, and
big
company mentality gets in the way. Assuming the company even bothers
to reply - which doesn't always happen - the answer's invariably no.
I think this often stems out of a belief that if the software no
longer benefits the company then
Actually, having sometimes seen this from the other side, I think
the answer is often "No. Now what's the question" because of a
simple-minded analysis.
The cost of saying "No" is minimal, with virtually no downside.
The cost of saying "Yes" is (often) likely to be minimal but
could turn out to be the first step into an unexepcted
minefield with no way out.
Given that "Yes" might cost you your job, which would you pick?
So unless there is someone inside the company who understands
what is going on and is willing to invest some time and energy
in making it happen, the easy answer is "No".
Now with Open Source becoming more and more popular, perhaps
you'll start to see a new breed of responder who can see a
potential upside and is willing to do whatever is necessary
in order to say "Yes".
DEC, for example, often made obsolete products available
via DECUS, and now via the Hobbyist program.
At least some old manuals make it clear that if certain
docs are no longer sold, they can be reproduced freely.
Antonio
--
Antonio carlini
arcarlini at iee.org