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From: Michael Bode <m.g.bode@web.de>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Why is OSS Commercial Software So Expensive?
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2006 22:35:59 +0200
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Date: 2006-10-16T22:35:59+02:00
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Pascal Obry <pascal@obry.net> writes:

> Looks like everybody is working hard to depict the situation as bad as
> possible :(
>
> https://libre2.adacore.com/GtkAda/

GPL-only. So it is not suitable for general commercial use. If one
wants to *buy* OSS software development tools *without* support, it is
probably because he has a problem with the license. Otherwise he would
get the software for media cost and buy the support.

I don't want to criticize anyone, there simply is something I don't
understand:

it is said that the customers of some Ada toolset are glad to pay $$$$
for the excellent support. If they need this kind of support to
maintain their productivity, they would not buy the same toolset
without support even if it would be sold for $$, right? After all it's
the support that they need. 

So selling the same software for $$ would not result in lost revenue,
because existing and new customers in need for support would buy the
$$$$ version anyway. It would not result in additional support cost,
because there is no support. It would not result in additional
development cost, because the software is already there. It would not
result in additional distribution cost, because there is already a
download site for a GPL version. The only additional cost I can see is
the cost of collecting the money from buyers. Assuming $$ is more than
what it costs to cash in $$ there is some (maybe small) net profit and
a chance to get more people interested in commercial development with
said Ada toolset. Where is my error?

-- 
Michael Bode