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From: markv@gauss.Princeton.EDU (Mark VandeWettering)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: M.B.A's versus Dyed in the Wool Hackers
Message-ID: <13014@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 17 Jan 90 19:34:11 GMT
References: <2930@netxcom.DHL.COM> <15530@well.UUCP> <1162@utoday.UUCP>
Sender: news@phoenix.Princeton.EDU
Reply-To: markv@gauss.Princeton.EDU (Mark VandeWettering)
Organization: Princeton University
Lines: 55


All this talk about shareware has gotten me thinking a bit about the 
reasons why people write software.  

During my education and now my professional career, I have seen a large
number of people enter the field whose main motivation was to make money.
Let's face it.  There are bucks to be made here.  There are many ways
a guy can turn a good living, even people who have relatively little 
talent.

There are also those who are the "hackers".  The guys and gals who love 
to make a program hum, who like to push computers in new ways.  Inventing
better mousetraps.  Improving the way that people can use computers.  Having
fun.   LEARNING.  

I like people to use the programs I write.  I now get paid to develop programs,
and have a relatively liberal understanding with my employers so that I 
can distribute what I write.  Even before that however, I was glad to release
any/all programs that I wrote that I thought might be of interest.  As a 
result, I have managed to get numerous people interested in computer graphics.

Jef P.'s excellent image manipulation stuff is a great tool, and I use 
it often.   Larry Wall's perl, rn, warp, patch.... phenomenal software.
What motivated these people to write?  They saw a need, and they must 
LIKE to do it.  They had the motivation and the opportunity, and created 
something that we all benefit from.  I think they are swell guys.

The FSF foundation is another example.  I have been a vehement critic of 
their copyright, because I believe that placing any restrictions on usage
results in a form of intellectual blackmail, but they are certainly 
deserving of praise for creating software that everyone can use.

There are also commercial software houses, which develop programs for money.
Unlike the FSF, I perfectly acknowledge their right to exist.  Its a matter
of supply and demand.  If the program is needed, people will pay.  And people
will pay for support as well.  I have no problems with paying for software,
it is merely an exchange of services.

Shareware seems to be a different animal.  It is typically written by the
same sort of people as myself, or Jef, or Larry, but these people seem to
believe that they should be compensated for their time and effort.  Hence
the copyrights, and wierd license agreements, most of which are home brewed
and not enforceable, and are only morally and ethically defendable if you 
accept the same subjective judgements as the person who wrote it.

If you want to publish software and make money, take the time to do it.
Get your software copyrighted and registered, and SELL IT.  Advertise.
Give copies away to reviewer's of magazines.  Make it the best thing since
sliced bread.  Support it.  After all, it is your creation, take some 
effort to see that it is distributed in a way that you like.

If however, programming is a labor of love, a form of creativity, then just
do it, and don't gripe too much.  

Mark VandeWettering