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Re: GPL Bad or Good for the Industry
Like most of the anti-GPL crowd, this person equates the computer industry as a whole with a very small segment of the industry.
First, all authoritative estimates I've seen show that less than 30% of professional software developers (possibly much less) are involved in the development of shrink-wrapped software. The majority of us are involved in the development of custom software for our employers/clients that will never see widespread distribution. For us, OSS sometimes provides us with a basis that we can use to jumpstart our projects (and as long as the result is only used internally, the GPL does not require us to distribute our software if we choose not to, although it may be to our advantage to contribute back to the original developers), and the availability of good OSS tools means that our employers/clients have more money available for salaries, better hardware, or R&D of their core products than is the case when they are using expensive proprietary tools.
As for the hardware/service companies, using OSS and contributing to its development does make sense in both the short and long term. Encouraging its use by their customers frees up the money that would be spent on proprietary software licenses for spending on better hardware and more services. Contributing to the development of OSS shares the cost of software development with other organizations, freeing up R&D funds for other purposes.
Yes, locking customers into proprietary software that must be upgraded every two or three years, and which cannot be upgraded without hardware upgrades is good for the proprietary software companies and hardware makers in at least the short term, but it is bad for customers. And nothing that is bad for customers can be good for the industry in the long term.
So, I agree the GPL is bad for that small segment of the computer industry that relies on locking customers into expensive proprietary software for generating large profits, but it is good for customers and the rest of the industry, which also makes it good for the economy as a whole.
Posted by: criderja   Posted on: 03/02/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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dictate procurement practices that disadvantage proprietary software  NemesisNL | 03/02/04
Commodities  wploger | 03/02/04
Err... Hmm. Cost Savings?  Max Llamaton | 03/02/04
I have three computers....  wploger | 03/02/04
I think the point he was making...  Mark Miller | 03/07/04
Re: Err...Hmm. Cost Savings?  Mack DaNife | 03/09/04
my post...  wploger | 03/02/04
I Agree  coffeenite | 03/03/04
you're right  ryusen | 03/03/04
A bit late to the party...Proprietary == Open Source  Fred Fredrickson | 03/08/04
Let them eat straw?  Robert Crocker | 03/02/04
I *agree* with John's points, I think?!  jim_oflaherty_jr | 03/03/04
I disagree with one aspect  Chad_z | 03/02/04
If Windows was value for money MS wouldnt be giving local discounts  jellyclock | 03/02/04
John doesn't want to admit that  Bobby Sskcat | 03/02/04
Local discounts  Ardian Daka | 03/02/04
yes  Hanover Phist | 03/02/04
No!  CDarklock | 03/04/04
You describe drugs very well  voska | 03/04/04
This is called "capitalism".  CDarklock | 03/03/04
Software has a differnt angel though  voska | 03/03/04
Lock-in  CDarklock | 03/04/04
That's not really the Lock In I'm thinking of  voska | 03/04/04
I don't call that lock-in.  CDarklock | 03/05/04
Is it just me?  Mack DaNife | 03/09/04
Well this article really takes the cake  Aphelion | 03/02/04
The King's taster...  techboy_z | 03/02/04
Fallacy of Four Terms  rp518dan | 03/02/04
Very well done!  John Le'Brecage | 03/02/04
Why it isn't so  OleAndersen | 03/02/04
I couldn't have said it better!!!  nachokb | 03/03/04
The GPL is Just Plain Bad for the Computer Industry  P. Douglas | 03/02/04
But that's exactly the point  rapson | 03/02/04
Wrong industry  Robert Crocker | 03/02/04
Re: GPL Bad or Good for the Industry  criderja | 03/02/04
In the words of Ed McMann.....  Ployd_Farker | 03/02/04
So, I agree the GPL is bad for that small segment of the computer industry  NemesisNL | 03/02/04
Re: GPL Bad or Good for the Industry  P. Douglas | 03/02/04
You answered you own question  voska | 03/03/04
as the innovations just wouldn?t be there  NemesisNL | 03/02/04
Re: Biggest drive for MS to innovate there is  George Jay | 03/02/04
innovation?  mdibergi | 03/02/04
It's one reason I don't use IE  voska | 03/03/04
Odds that this person never used a tabbed browser?  hlampert | 03/05/04
I have.  CDarklock | 03/05/04
This is the reason for my initial interst in Linux  k12linux_z | 03/02/04
Innovation comes from need  voska | 03/03/04
Very insightful  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/04/04
intellectual property...  Not average Joe | 03/02/04
ibm's doing just fine, so's hp  hipparchus | 03/02/04
Myths, Fallacies and innacuracies  k12linux_z | 03/02/04
No competence??  nachokb | 03/03/04
Are you as upset with people posting free recipes on the net?  voska | 03/03/04
Open source is PC Industry's Father  NoDough | 03/03/04
Re: Open source is PC Industry's Father  P. Douglas | 03/04/04
Re: Re: Open source is PC Industry's Father  NoDough | 03/04/04
You don't understand the GPL  Fred Fredrickson | 03/08/04
Re: The GPL is Just Plain Bad for the Computer Industry  Mack DaNife | 03/09/04
Re: Cake analogy  criderja | 03/02/04
Cake is essentially zero  voska | 03/03/04
John, why don't you write a piece on...  ordaj@... | 03/02/04
I'm not a programmer, but I take advantage of source code.  Michael Kelly | 03/02/04
John Carroll - too much money-care to see a bigger picture.  Vily Clay | 03/02/04
Yawn, not this again John  hipparchus | 03/02/04
Extremely boring  zd-spam | 03/02/04
Preaching to the bakers?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/02/04
Not really  Robert Crocker | 03/02/04
Doesn't makes sense  voska | 03/03/04
Hey I used to be a baker  voska | 03/03/04
Newsflash: Carrol allegory ignores history.  John Le'Brecage | 03/02/04
Poor analogy  dcarrera | 03/02/04
A Better Analogy  CT_z | 03/02/04
Even cake is open source  billmason | 03/02/04
Ingredients are not the recipe  voska | 03/04/04
Like it or not  qu1j0t3 | 03/02/04
Excellent  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/03/04
Good luck!  John Le'Brecage | 03/03/04
Yes...  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/03/04
that explains alot  ryusen | 03/03/04
man i bet your dying....  JoeMama_z | 03/03/04
Me too it seems  JoeMama_z | 03/03/04
nog...  ryusen | 03/03/04
Man, that was painful  Eggs Ackley_z | 03/04/04
Analogy applies to RMS only - NOT to open source  Eggs Ackley_z | 03/03/04
What is going on here?  r0ckflite | 03/03/04
A very workable analogy  voska | 03/03/04
couldn't agree more  fosterd42 | 03/03/04
Open Source Vs. Proprietary  JoeMama_z | 03/03/04
More like civil disobedience....  NemesisNL | 03/04/04
Very nearly.  CDarklock | 03/04/04
John Le'Brecage is correct, but John Carroll means well...  awaretek | 03/04/04
The Passion of RMS?  hlampert | 03/05/04
Yes, intersting comments...  awaretek | 03/05/04
To those who care  John Carroll ZDNet Moderator | 03/05/04
Moving the goalposts again?  Robert Crocker | 03/08/04
only from john (NT)  JWatson77 | 03/05/04
Using a bad analogy doesn't prove your point  hlampert | 03/05/04
Good analogy happy  Mark Miller | 03/07/04
Open source radicals  msulli27@... | 03/12/04

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