From: sourada@iastate.edu (Steven D Ourada) Subject: Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: Alpha release Linux/GNU/X unix clone on CDROM for PCs Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1992 20:38:40 GMT
In <1992Nov28.183309.29477@u.washington.edu> tzs@carson.u.washington.edu (Tim Smith) writes:
>[Scenario:What FSF would be if it had $5G]
>So, why didn't something like this happen? A lot of people reading this
>now were quite capable of writing a BASIC interpreter for an 808x back in
>the late 70's. Why was it Bill Gates? I'm also pretty sure that there
>are a lot of people reading this who could have written something comparable
>to the first version of DOS in about a week.
The basic reason this didn't happen is that those who make $5 billion in
the software market and those who give away free software must have very
different attitudes towards the sale of software. Someone like Bill Gates
is not likely to suddenly decide that all software should be free and devote
all his money to making that happen. And someone like Richard Stallman is
not likely to temporarily decide that it's O.K. to sell software so he can
make a quick billion to support free software.
It boils down a simple maxim: "There's no money in free software." :-)
(I know there are exceptions, but this is supposed to be a _simple_ maxim)
Later,
Steven Ourada
-- ================= Steven Ourada Member of the Students for Electronic Freedom Ask me how Iowa State University is censoring my Usenet access! sourada@iastate.edu "can't casts no shadow" -- cummings