Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gatech!emory!phssra
From: phssra@mathcs.emory.edu (Scott R. Anderson)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: reinventing the wheel (was Re: Software Tax: how and why?)
Message-ID: <4296@emory.mathcs.emory.edu>
Date: 25 Aug 89 13:16:53 GMT
References: <8908241902.AA02325@cheops.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: phssra@emory.UUCP (Scott Robert Anderson)
Organization: Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta
Lines: 31

In article <8908241902.AA02325@cheops.cis.ohio-state.edu> gnu-misc-discuss@cis.ohio-state.edu writes:
>In my opinion, the GNU effort is worthy of receiving
>subsidies from government, universities and industry.  And in various
>forms, mostly through donation or use of equipment, it apparently has
>been receiving such assistance....
>Perhaps, some government subsidized programs are in order, e.g. the
>existing NSF funding FSF, but privately funded development by software
>hoarders out for a profit will always be around, and thank God (or
>human nature) for it.  The more the merrier.

The National Science Foundation already supports software development in
various ways (as do other government agencies such as DARPA).  What they
actually try to fund is *research* in computer science, e.g. development of new
algorithms.  This information is then public domain.  Often, an application of
this research, i.e. software, is concomitant, but otherwise it is left to
software companies to apply the research and produce new software.  This is
a Reagan-inspired emphasis which could be changed.

So, it seems to me, a "government subsidized program" is already in place; it
just needs more money.  I'm sure that some would find its way to FSF if it was
there; after all, Texas Instruments and other non-university organizations have
research branches which receive government grants.  The support in this country
for scientific and engineering research is in general extremely underfunded,
and it's going to take a lot of political effort to get it to rise to a
reasonable level.  

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  *      **                  Scott Robert Anderson      gatech!emoryu1!phssra
   *   *    *    **          phssra@unix.cc.emory.edu   phssra@emoryu1.bitnet
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