Comments on: Why I write Free Software http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/ Stay curious! Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:48:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Derianto Kusuma http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-14092 Derianto Kusuma Tue, 18 Dec 2007 07:17:42 +0000 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-14092 One thing that we must know: there has been a miscommunication just because the English language cannot distinguish free from free. 1. free = gratis 2. free = having freedom Commercial free software = software that gives the users freedom to distribute it, modify it, etc. but NOT necessarily gratis. Gratis proprietary software = software that does NOT give the user freedom to distribute, modify, etc. but is gratis. Which do you choose? I choose to write commercial free software over gratis proprietary software, because I believe in freedom, but I also believe that hard work deserves pay. One thing that we must know: there has been a miscommunication just because the English language cannot distinguish free from free.

1. free = gratis
2. free = having freedom

Commercial free software = software that gives the users freedom to distribute it, modify it, etc. but NOT necessarily gratis.

Gratis proprietary software = software that does NOT give the user freedom to distribute, modify, etc. but is gratis.

Which do you choose?
I choose to write commercial free software over gratis proprietary software, because I believe in freedom, but I also believe that hard work deserves pay.

]]> By: Wybo Wiersma http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11840 Wybo Wiersma Sat, 23 Jun 2007 20:52:15 +0000 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11840 You would be very welcome at http://www.OgOg.org , the Free Software bloggers meritocracy. Your feed is already on there: http://www.ogog.org/do/feed/66 You would be very welcome at http://www.OgOg.org , the Free Software bloggers meritocracy.

Your feed is already on there:
http://www.ogog.org/do/feed/66

]]> By: CL http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11817 CL Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:32:01 +0000 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11817 The bounties are good however keep in mind you can still sell the software, as it will simply fall under the category of ``commercial free software''. The important thing is to keep it under the GPL or similar license that keeps it free software, preferably the GPLv3 which is due for release at the end of the month. The bounties are good however keep in mind you can still sell the software, as it will simply fall under the category of “commercial free software”. The important thing is to keep it under the GPL or similar license that keeps it free software, preferably the GPLv3 which is due for release at the end of the month.

]]> By: John Reese http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11810 John Reese Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:12:06 +0000 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11810 What I want to know is where do you work at? It must be nice to have an employer that not only cares about you, but is willing to allow projects worked on during company time to be released under your own name. I have enough troubles where I work simply getting management to accept the ideas of using modern open source tools, and modifying them as necessary to fit the needs, rather than succumbing to NIH syndrome and building the entire toolset from scratch... But congrats for what you're doing. I enjoy those tools, and I'm glad for people like you who can take the time to maintain them. Cheers. What I want to know is where do you work at? It must be nice to have an employer that not only cares about you, but is willing to allow projects worked on during company time to be released under your own name. I have enough troubles where I work simply getting management to accept the ideas of using modern open source tools, and modifying them as necessary to fit the needs, rather than succumbing to NIH syndrome and building the entire toolset from scratch…

But congrats for what you’re doing. I enjoy those tools, and I’m glad for people like you who can take the time to maintain them. Cheers.

]]> By: John Connors http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11808 John Connors Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:07:04 +0000 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11808 George Mallory said it best (in a completely different context); "Because it's *there*". ;-) George Mallory said it best (in a completely different context); “Because it’s *there*”. ;-)

]]> By: The Programming and Management Blog » Developer Links for 21/06/2007 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11788 The Programming and Management Blog » Developer Links for 21/06/2007 Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:09:47 +0000 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11788 [...] Why I write Free Software Brian Aker was a recent guest on the LinuxCast podcast with Don Marti. Brian has some interesting thoughts in this podcast and elsewhere on his blog, on motivations for writing Free and/or Open Source software. Here’s why I do it myself. [...] […] Why I write Free Software Brian Aker was a recent guest on the LinuxCast podcast with Don Marti. Brian has some interesting thoughts in this podcast and elsewhere on his blog, on motivations for writing Free and/or Open Source software. Here’s why I do it myself. […]

]]> By: Stan http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11765 Stan Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:49:26 +0000 http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2007/06/19/why-i-write-free-software/#comment-11765 When I first started coding for a living every team had a different account code for the source libraries. Nobody else could even see your code. I wrote some community tools in this mode until a consultant who had befriended me asked why. I was unable to explain any bad thing that would happen if somebody else saw my tool code, so I turned around and published it all. It's just a lot more fun that way! BTW: My production work code is still protected this way. It must make some kind of sense in a financial company with SarbOx and all that stuff to worry about. For some very small fraction of the code. When I first started coding for a living every team had a different account code for the source libraries. Nobody else could even see your code. I wrote some community tools in this mode until a consultant who had befriended me asked why. I was unable to explain any bad thing that would happen if somebody else saw my tool code, so I turned around and published it all. It’s just a lot more fun that way!

BTW: My production work code is still protected this way. It must make some kind of sense in a financial company with SarbOx and all that stuff to worry about. For some very small fraction of the code.

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