Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!jb3o+ From: jb3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jon Allen Boone) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Re: Copyleftability Message-ID: Date: 16 Jan 90 08:06:42 GMT References: , <1336@cybaswan.UUCP> Organization: Class of '92, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 50 In-Reply-To: <1336@cybaswan.UUCP> eechris@cybaswan.UUCP (cp.jobling eleceng staff) writes: > From article , by deven@rpi.edu (Deven T. Corzine): > > > > On 23 Dec 89 10:28:41 GMT, jb3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jon Allen Boone) said: > > > > Jon> This seems highly unlikely. Not to cast dispersions on your > > Jon> programming abilities, but even most *commercial* software needs > > Jon> support - and very *few* have good documentation. > > > > Most emphatically, *commercial* software != _professional_ software. > > > > Much commercial software is the most poorly written crap I've seen, > > often worse than PD sw. Documentation? *sigh* Must be a lost art or > > something... > > > > Deven > > -- > > Deven T. Corzine Internet: deven@rpi.edu, shadow@pawl.rpi.edu > > Snail: 2151 12th St. Apt. 4, Troy, NY 12180 Phone: (518) 274-0327 > > Bitnet: deven@rpitsmts, userfxb6@rpitsmts UUCP: uunet!rpi!deven > > Simple things should be simple and complex things should be possible. > -- > ======================================================================== > Chris Jobling, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, > University College, Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ thank you Chris...i didn't see that when it was posted originally (if it ever was! - i don't know...i didn't see it!) Of course, while i realize that professional software and commercial software are not the same, the implication was that commercial software (ie. where someone (managers, publishers, ???) are getting more than their fare share) would be the "better software", given the choice between pd and commercial. So, when someone then claims that they'll be able to write a program that is so well done that they won't even need to support it, yet millions of normal people will be able to use it without naught but the documentation to go by, i have got to laugh. After all, i've seen well done programs, but none that didn't need support or better documentation or both. And i know that if someone did write a program that was that good and put it under the copyleft, then i'd sure as hell send 'em a donation (as much as i think it's worth) to recompense them. Would you? - iain "things to think about, late at night ..."