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Proprietary software vendors have a choice ...
1) They can refuse to work with the free software community and the free software community will simply code their way around their products. It will take time but it will eventually happen.

2) They can cooperate with the free software community and risk it eventually being cloned.

Life is tough. Software is basically priced at the cost of the labor and investment needed to create it plus a profit. In the case of free software, the labor and investment are provided free of charge, in other words donated. Thus the resulting product is provided free of charge. In the past competition has destroyed many companies and created opportunities for others. Just look all the companies that are no longer in business due to competition from Microsoft. This has occured in an environment of corporate espionage and reverse engineering, and their is a history of numerous lawsuits to lend credence to that assertion. Do we shed tears over these failed companies? Or do we simply conclude that MS was a tougher competitor with a better business model and thus deserved to triumph? In the future many companies will be put out of business by intense competition free software. So why is that any different? Why is it that you guys want to be able to make all the rules as to who is allowed to win and who is allowed to lose. Why is it that you guys think that copyrights and copyright licenses are fine and dandy, but not certain copyright licenses like the GPL. Richard Stallman did not create the copyright law on which the GPL is based. He simply exercised his rights by building on the existing legal framework. What's wrong with that? When I don't like the EULA and think its demands are unreasonable, I don't use the product. If you don't like the GPL, simply don't use the product. Its as simple as that. But some in corporate America think that its their right to be able to buy anything they like for money. They don't like that fact that some things aren't for sale. Tough!
Posted by: George Mitchell   Posted on: 04/09/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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You know what they say...  NonZealot | 04/08/05
Oh heck Linus is having a midlife crisis  Squawkbox | 04/08/05
Let the work start on an open source replacement for BK.  DonnieBoy | 04/08/05
BitKeeper is a key tool for the kernel developers ...  George Mitchell | 04/08/05
Yes, with what BK did, this will attract some of the best.  DonnieBoy | 04/08/05
BK will be gone within a year.  Xunil_Sierutuf | 04/08/05
How do I convert to CVS?  spritzydog | 04/08/05
Not surprising  NonZealot | 04/08/05
I totally agree with u..  Kamakazii | 04/08/05
No, it is just that we can not have one company holding us hostage.  DonnieBoy | 04/08/05
I think you are missing something here ...  George Mitchell | 04/09/05
No, sounds more like...  doe_z | 04/08/05
Bite the hand that feeds you  osreinstall | 04/08/05
No, it is that Linux trusted him and was betrayed.  DonnieBoy | 04/09/05
Your logic is flawed  osreinstall | 04/09/05
Really, so many benifit from Linux, this is cooperation at its best.  DonnieBoy | 04/10/05
Not really.  B.O.F.H. | 04/09/05
Yes really  osreinstall | 04/09/05
I get the impression you have little experience in systems (or Unix).  B.O.F.H. | 04/09/05
Gratitude escapes you guys  osreinstall | 04/09/05
You are a history revisionist now?  B.O.F.H. | 04/09/05
I can tell by your post that your a know it all. - NOT!  osreinstall | 04/09/05
it's a source code revision system, that's all  hipparchus2001 | 04/10/05
Your analogy is wrong  osreinstall | 04/10/05
copy?  hipparchus2000 | 04/10/05
Another one with convient vision  osreinstall | 04/10/05
osreinstall, you really need to get a clue!  B.O.F.H. | 04/10/05
The process has to benefit all or I am against it.  osreinstall | 04/10/05
You are welcome to give up your freedoms!  B.O.F.H. | 04/10/05
And another salvo  osreinstall | 04/10/05
Corporations are interesting entities!  B.O.F.H. | 04/10/05
And so are you  osreinstall | 04/10/05
Proprietary software vendors have a choice ...  George Mitchell | 04/09/05
Everyone has a choice  osreinstall | 04/09/05
Choice when it comes to operating systems is a new innovation ...  George Mitchell | 04/09/05
Some choice  osreinstall | 04/09/05
Re: Some choice  George Mitchell | 04/11/05
There were choices that you didn't like was more like it  osreinstall | 04/11/05
You seem confused  hipparchus2001 | 04/10/05
You seem dishonest  osreinstall | 04/10/05
How GPL software devalue proprietary software if GPL software not as good  hipparchus2000 | 04/10/05
Another one that cant see it.  osreinstall | 04/10/05
Look whatever, you haven't addressed ANY of my points  hipparchus2000 | 04/10/05
Another one that cant see the whole picture only GPL matters  osreinstall | 04/10/05
There's nothing in the Bill of Rights etc called "Intellectual Property"  hipparchus2000 | 04/10/05
Nice try Guy  osreinstall | 04/10/05
source pollution  hipparchus2000 | 04/10/05
Re: Pollution  osreinstall | 04/10/05
Simply the facts ...  George Mitchell | 04/11/05
It's just a source repository  hipparchus2000 | 04/09/05
Breaking free  ManyEyes | 04/09/05
What I still hear here...  Omch'Ar | 04/10/05
I've got to say, I'd never use something like this  hipparchus2000 | 04/10/05
A new alternative to BK  b_rahul | 04/11/05
Come ON!  mork451 | 04/13/05

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