22 Jun
2000
22 Jun
'00
6:46 p.m.
On Thu, 22 Jun 2000, Tony Duell wrote:
[Software licenses and transfers]
And to thicken the plot a bit further, how about software that came
bundled with the machine, and was not specifically purchased by the
owner? The OEM can give it away as an inducement to purchase his
machine, but the purchaser cannot? Please!!!
- don
Kindly take your free software whine elsewhere.
If you want to write
software and give it away that's your business. If someone else wants to
This has _NOTHING_ to do with free software.
Nobody is denying %computer-company's right to be paid for their
software. And for them to charge what the heck they like for their
software. Or that it should be illegal to make copies of that software
(other than for backups, etc)
But if I go out and buy a book, or a video tape of a movie or a music CD
or similar products, well, no I can't legally make copies of them. That's
reasonable enough. But if I decide I no longer want that book/movie/CD
then I can give it to my friend, I can sell it second-hand, etc.
If I _rent_ a movie from the local video shop then I have it for a
limited time that's agreed before I buy it. And obviously I can't pass it
on to anyone else.
Software licenses, though, are often like neither of those. It appears
that I pay a one-off fee to %computer-company which lets _me_ use that
software for as long as I want, but if I no longer want it, I can't
give/sell it to anyone else (note : I am assuming here that I wouldn't be
keeping a copy myself if I did this). This, I think, is the point that
most people have a problem with. It seems a little silly that if somebody no longer
wants their PDP11 +
software, they can give away the hardware but the new owner can't run the
software, even though the previous owner could have goen on running the
machine if he'd wanted to
write software and sell right to use licenses
that's their business.
It is theire business, but it doesn't mean I have to like it!
-tony