Re: air traffic control software

[Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-dejanews.com>]

In article <7fjucn$k4p$1@trog.dera.gov.uk>,
  "Kevin Rigotti" <rigotti@atc.dera.gov.uk> wrote:

> ATC software is rather expensive to produce, so you are
> not likely to find too much of it for free,

First, this is not what he asked, he asked whether there
was GPL'ed code available. This has nothing to do with
being free of cost. There is GPL code that costs money,
and non-GPL'ed code that you can get without paying
anything. These two factors (license used for distribution,
and cost charged) are not linked in the manner you assume.

Second, whether software is available under the GPL is
not necessarily a function of the cost of producing the
software. There is expensive software available under the
GPL, and there is software that must have cost almost
nothing to make sold as proprietary software under very
restrictive licenses.

For example, I am sure that the Netscape browser was quite
an expensive piece of software to build, yet it is released
under the NPL, which is quite similar to the GPL.

There are many different business models for the
distribution of software.

The old assumptions that you cannot afford to distribute
"expensive" software under the GPL or similar licenses are
being questioned by new announcements every day!

So you may laugh now, but we will see, perhaps the last
laugh will be in the other direction ...




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