Let's not forget that there is also commercial software that is FOSS.
In this case copying it is not stealing.


----- Original message -----
From: "Larry R. Pint" <Larry.Pint at ntuminc.com>
To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:37:31 -0500
Subject: Re: [tclug-list] Poll topic- I use linux because...

On the other side of the coin ...

/soapbox on

I'm a software developer.  I used to have a vertical app that I was
trying to sell.  It was a small marketplace and people copying my
package would have made it very hard on me.  I spent considerable time
and effort combating people's efforts to use my package without paying
for it.

Another developer I know went out of business because every time he sold
one copy, ten other people in the area would suddenly have his program.
And this was for churches!

Copying commercial software is stealing!  Just because it can be easily
copied, doesn't give everybody (or anybody) the right to do so.

While you may not think it is "taking anything away" from them, it is
depriving them of the income they should get for your usage of their
product.

If you want free software, stay with the FOSS packages.  If you want to
use commercial software, pay for it.

That said, have I ever used a commercial package without purchasing it?
Yes, I have.  But I try to restrict it to trying software to see if it
will do what I want or using it for a small one time need that doesn't
justify purchasing an expensive package.  (But that still doesn't make
it right.)

/soapbox off

Larry R. Pint


> -----Original Message-----
> From: tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org [mailto:tclug-list-bounces at mn-
> linux.org] On Behalf Of Mike Miller
> Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 5:04 PM
> To: John J. Trammell
> Cc: tclug-list at mn-linux.org
> Subject: Re: [tclug-list] Poll topic- I use linux because...
> 
> On Mon, 28 Aug 2006, John J. Trammell wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, Aug 28, 2006 at 10:07:22AM -0500, Mike Miller wrote:
> >> On Sun, 27 Aug 2006, Bob Hartmann wrote:
> >>
> >>> 3.  Stealing from Microsoft and Adobe is wrong.
> >>
> >> (A) It isn't "stealing" because you are not taking anything away
from
> >> them when you make a copy of something.  It's not like taking
someone's
> >> purse.  It's more like taking a photo of someone's purse.
> >
> > Utter nonsense.  In today's legal climate, regardless of your
opinion of
> > the matter, it is a prosecutable offense, and it is irresponsible of
you
> > to say otherwise.
> 
> It might be hard for you to accept this, but a law that equates
copying a
> file with stealing a purse is a very bad law.
> 
> Mike
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> tclug-list at mn-linux.org
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