From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII X-Google-Thread: 103376,88b676af04f3073d X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1025b4,74b2c28810483a9c X-Google-Attributes: gid1025b4,public From: David Kastrup Subject: Re: future of proprietry source code (was: Ada generics are bad) Date: 1998/04/17 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 344823584 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit References: <6gm6jc$fbp@newshub.atmnet.net> <6gs5qa$s46@newshub.atmnet.net> <6gt05f$rt8@drn.newsguy.com> <6gthdp$bje$1@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> <3533DD6A.B2EB8D16@kla-tencor.com> <35366E1D.51EB6CF2@kla-tencor.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (generated by tm-edit 7.106) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Organization: Institut fuer Neuroinformatik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Germany Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,gnu.misc.discuss Date: 1998-04-17T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: David Masterson writes: > David Kastrup wrote: > > > > David Masterson writes: > > > > > The current interest in "free" software is largely due to a backlash > > > against Microsoft. If Microsoft succeeds in quelling this backlash, > > > then the fervor for "free" software will die down (it won't go away) > > > and so will the progress that GPL'd software is making. > > > > The problem is that the "backlash" is not a mere temporary greed > > symptom but is caused by the exact business practices that make > > Microsoft successful at the inconvenience of their users and the > > global market. > > > > If it is going to stop, the business practices have to change to the > > better. But actual developments seem to go openly into the other > > direction. > > Which suggests... what? That this "backlash" effect of interest in free software is probably going to stay with us for quite a while. As any technology advance of properly free software is permanent, this interest and corresponding developments will have lasting effects on the availability of free alternatives to cut-throat business products. Meaning that the longer Microsoft and consorts play rough, the worse they'll damage their business. And getting reasonable does not merely mean a campaign with faked letters to editors, testimonials and other stuff Microsoft is planning currently (see current press coverings). -- David Kastrup Phone: +49-234-700-5570 Email: dak@neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de Fax: +49-234-709-4209 Institut f�r Neuroinformatik, Universit�tsstr. 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany