RE: [TCLUG:150] RE: X11Amp version 0.7

[Ben Kochie <ben@intexp.com>]

the reason i have been so harsh with them is because of the way they worded
thier statement that they would not release source (first annoucement)

i belive the reason for no open source in the dos word is, what's the point?
dos only runs on one platform, and if you want a compiler, it cost a fair
ammount of money.  not to mention the lack of compiler standards.  I saw many
apps that said.. "hey, if you want the source.. email me"

linux/unix on the other hand, is lost without the gcc compiler, every app you
have has been at one time compiled with the gcc compiler,  it's free, and is
default installed by many distributions.  I have said many times "oh my god,
you don't have gcc"  it's standard, just about every platform uses gcc, or has
it as an option, and the best way to distribute cross-platform apps is to use
gcc.

On 08-May-98 James Hall wrote:
> SuperQ: god of geek wrote:
>> 
>> have those people finally come to their senses, and relased the source? or
>> do we still have to deal with their bad attitude
> 
> Why does not wanting to release their source create a "bad attitude"?
> 
>> 1: they don't understand what the GNU public license really does.
> 
> This is certainly an obstacle.  Anyone who considers releasing source
> code should, IMO, consider using the GPL.  With other projects, I have
> seen the GPL "in action", and it really does protect your work.  (case
> in point: one company tried to blatantly steal and release as their own
> a DOS app that was GPL'd.  Not much was done to change the UI, probably
> because that would have taken additional time to get it to market.  The
> company was bombarded with email, and threatened with legal action from
> different sides.  The result: the company "backed off" before they even
> made a sale!)
> 
>> 2: their code must be really poor, that would be one of the only reasons
>> that they would not release the source.
> 
> Or, they just don't feel like releasing the source.  :)
> 
>> I, and a few others do not use X11amp, simply because of their anti-GNU
>> attitutde, why bother writing software for linux, if you don't make the
>> source available.. I would love to be able to compile X11amp for my DEC
>> alpha, or port it to work on sparc stations.  [..]
> 
> If you don't want to use their [free] software just because they do not
> release the code, that's certainly your opinion, and you are entitled to
> it.
> 
> However, I don't understand your reasoning: how does this differ from
> when Netscape initially released Navigator for Linux.  At the time, the
> code was not available, but did this mean it wasn't a good app and that
> you shouldn't use it just because the source code wasn't posted also?
> 
> Or, how does it differ from DOS freeware (not "open source" software)
> that was so often posted on Simtel?  Many of those programs (many of
> them were quite good) did not post the source code.
> 
> Just because someone writes an app for Linux doesn't *require* them to
> release the source code.  I don't know where this mind-set got started. 
> For example, take commercial software: commercial apps will really lend
> to the flexibility and visibility of Linux.  I would love to see more
> commercial apps run on Linux.  Yet you'll never see a commercial app
> that will also release its source code.  Applixware, for one, will
> probably never release its source code, yet it is a fine office package.
> 
> 
> 
> --Jim Hall
> -- 
> Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly.
>               -- Henry Spencer
> 
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TTYL,
        Ben Kochie (ben@intexp.com)

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