neat story

[Rui Miguel Silva Seabra]

On Wed, 2002-03-20 at 09:58, Giovanni Biscuolo wrote:
> Il mer, 2002-03-20 alle 01:56, Rui Miguel Silva Seabra ha scritto:
> > His doubpts are if it is fair to have so much work, and then some smart
> > ass company makes a lot of money and not pay the developer for
> > anything...
> Hey, hey, please: don't be offensive.

lol, a company that qualifies as 'smart ass' probably deserves it.
Microsoft would be one (as you noticed). Anyway, this wasn't being
offensive. It is a common term for "smartness with lesser than good
intentions".

> It is definitely fair as far as the developer is free to reuse other's
> free sofware code ;-)
> 
> At the end of the story, succesfull companies will be those who sell
> their competence, not program licenses. If you are not competent in (at
> least) using and supporting a free sofware application, your customer
> will turn to your competitors.

If there is free competition yes. When there isn't you actually hold
hostage costumers untill they realize they are being victims.

> On the other hand, succesful developers are those who use their
> competence: you cannot just shake a bounch of free software code and
> obtain "The Perfect Application" for a particular need. Also, the world
> is full of developers who doesn't consider money "the matter", there are
> a lot of *other* motivations to develop (and in general to do other
> things in life like Xavi Drudis Ferran excellently pointed out in this
> thread)

Of course, we all know that, we all agree on that. Great. That's beside
the point however, since he doesn't. :)

> Last but not least, it should be definitely good if conscious companies
> and individuals helps free software development the way they can afford:
> by founding[1], developing[2], advocating[3] and so on; so that free
> sofwware developers can... breathe.

It's always hard to start a market!

> > that's where he considers it unfair -- I couldn't demove him
> > from that point of view :(
> 
> Lets try first to convince him that seldom developers earns money by
> selling software licensens; indeed, "The Lords of Money" (would you call
> them smart ass companies???) makes a lot of money and don't pay the
> developers the same way they get paid. Also, seldom developers becomes
> "Lords of Money" ;-)

Remember, I didn't say it explicitly, but it's quite obvious that this
is a software house, of some sort. You must think like him to understand
that: If we had made nessus [as GPL'ed software], other comeptitors
would be able to make a lot of money without paying us.

In this way of thinking, how can you argue properly?

Well I have to go. tata.

Hugs, rui

-- 
+ No matter how much you do, you never do enough -- unknown
+ Whatever you do will be insignificant,
| but it is very important that you do it -- Ghandi
+ So let's do it...?
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