[Linux-aus] Young Aussies say pirated software is OK

[Jon 'maddog' Hall]

[This email may seem harsh, but please take it with the spirit in which
it was written, in the "Quick Bubble Laundramat" in Nashua, New
Hampshire, USA.....]

Your message was perfectly clear.

But relating freeware with Free Software is not what this group is
about.  We are about Free Software (which some people call "Open
Source").

And quite frankly, it is not about whether the software is "gratis" or
not.  No software is without "cost".  There is the cost of installing
it, integrating it, learning to use it, upgrading it...and this happens
whether it is freeware, Free Software or Proprietary Closed Source
Software.

The main difference between the three groups of software is with the
first two you do not pay up front to find out if the software is good or
not, which was my point.   And with Free Software you (or someone else
close to you) has half a chance of fixing it).

I am sorry that your friend had a problem with one piece of free
software (notice that I use the lower case "f" and "s"), which some
people call "freeware".  I am sorry that he relates Free Software with
"poor quality" because of this experience with freeware.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of people on this list who would
testify that Free Software is, for the most part, good quality.

You gave your friend the proper response, and he refused to take your
council.

Thank you for telling us about him, but what is this mailing list
supposed to do about it?

Warmest regards,

maddog
-- 
Jon "maddog" Hall
Executive Director           Linux International(R)
email: maddog at li.org         80 Amherst St. 
Voice: +1.603.672.4557       Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.li.org

Board Member: Uniforum Association
Board Member Emeritus: USENIX Association (2000-2006)

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