Re: developer vs user wants

[Michael Cardenas <michael.cardenas@lindows.com>]

On Mon, Jul 29, 2002 at 08:36:34AM +1000, Craig Small wrote:
> On Sat, Jul 27, 2002 at 03:18:09AM -0700, Michael Cardenas wrote:
> > I'm working on the limewire deb package, and the developer has asked
> > me to do something that I'm sure users are not going to want. 
> > 
> > Limewire displays small banner ads in the bottom of the application
> > window, and there's a boolean which turns this on. When you get the
> > code from cvs, it's off, but when they make a release, they turn it
> > on. 
> > 
> > The developer at limewire that I spoke to asked me to turn them on, so
> > I guess that I should, although that's not what users are going to
> > want. 
> 
> I'd ship it as I got it.  If you're using CVS it's off, if you're using
> the released code it's on.  So the solution is simple if it is the
> release code you're using.
> 

I'm going this route for now at least, because some of the files
required to run the ads are actually missing from cvs. I've asked
upstream about this and once they get back to me, I'll come up with a
way to make it optional and release another version. 

I might discuss with them what another poster said with upstream, which is that
under the license they've chosen, someone will just get the source and
turn the ads off. The problem is that I don't want to deter them from
making gpl'ed software. I think that their main concern is that it be
enabled by default, so I'm sure an option to turn it off would be no
big deal.  

And they do accept paypal donations, but as I've worked for another
company which did the same, I can say that paypal donations don't pay
4 programmers' salaries. Even for software like limewire, which gets
hundreds of thousands of downloads a week from their website. 

thanks for the direction, everyone.

  michael


-- 
michael cardenas
lead software engineer
lindows.com
.
hyperpoem.net
.
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi



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