On Mi, 01 aug 12, 00:59:29, Yaro Kasear wrote: > On 07/31/2012 01:42 PM, Celejar wrote: > >On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:30:50 +0300 > >Andrei POPESCU<andreimpopescu@gmail.com> wrote: > > > >>On Jo, 19 iul 12, 22:50:25, Celejar wrote: > >>>Quite true - and completely irrelevant to my point. I don't deny that > >>>money can be made with FLOSS, just that it's pointless to try to sell > >>>copies of one's software if it's freely copyable. The examples you give > >>>are all of models other than the straightforward sale of licenses or > >>>copies. > >>IMO a business model that relies on the possibility to sell copies that > >>basically cost nothing to produce is broken. > >Is this a moral claim, a business one, a legal one, or just plain dogma? None of the above. I just think that such a business model will collapse as soon as the consumers: - realize the stupidity (they are starting to, probably that's why not many people care so much about illegal copies of music and movies - have comparable alternatives > Ironically, selling GPL software you had absolutely no hand in > developing or contributing to is an actual right the GPL guarantees. > This might not be the best example of how "advantageous" open source > can be. And probably not one of those cases in the GPL that > guarantees "morality" as the FSF might see it. > > Theoretically, I can buy a 500 stack of DVDs, burn Debian to all of > them, and sell them for $50 a pop because the GPL says I can. There > is a difference, though, between having the right to do so and > actually have even a small sampling of success. Worse, I come off as > a leech from the community, especially if I don't give a nickel of > that money back to the Debian project. > > I forget the point I'm making. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the GPL allowing to sell software[1]. But the fact that you can't rely on any kind of exclusivity[2] businesses add value to their offering, like additional support, etc. [1] Technically you're not selling the software, but the media, but it doesn't matter for this discussion. [2] each one of your customers would be able to compete with you, since he is allowed to distribute the software as well. Kind regards, Andrei -- Offtopic discussions among Debian users and developers: http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/d-community-offtopic
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