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From: peltz@cerl.uiuc.edu (Steve Peltz)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Payment in Kind
Message-ID: <1990Mar15.050353.28@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 15 Mar 90 05:03:53 GMT
References: <637262620.10497@myrias.com>
Sender: news@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (News)
Organization: UIUC Computer-based Education Research Lab
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In article <637262620.10497@myrias.com> mj@myrias.com (Michal Jaegermann) writes
for uunet!dunike!onecom!wldrdg!hans:
>
>Another way of looking at this proposal is "Payment according to you
>philosopy".  If you believe in freeware (and all your programs are free),
>Sozobon C is free.  If you believe in shareware (and always ask for a
>fee), we ask you for a fee.  If you believe in commertial software (and
>ask $50 or more for your product), you owe us $50.  Alternatively, we
>are willing to trade our software for yours.

I like it, but what would someone with the same policy as yours do (I'd
guess "trade" would be the reasonable thing).

I'm uncomfortable with the whole shareware idea, mostly because it is such
a gray area within the copyright laws. I either sell my program outright,
retaining full copyright, or allow it to be distributed with no strings
attached. The only thing I might ask on a "free" distribution would be that
if someone wanted to encourage me to write something else, they could send
me something.

Most of my benefit from my independent programming has been to generate
inquiries from companies interested in me adapting something for their
specific needs.

I am, in general, supportive of the FSF and their goals, but I am also in
general agreement with Peter (if I understand him correctly) that the GPL
is too coercive, and I feel that they'd be more effective in carrying out
their mission if they'd allow people the option of not subjecting their
code to the GPL even if they use some code that is covered, as long as
the GPL code is attributed and freely distributed. Of course, I fully
acknowledge their right to do whatever they want within the rules we
happen to live under.
--
Steve Peltz (almost) CFI-G    Just say "NO" to drug testing.
---"Monticello traffic, Glider 949 landing 18, full stop"---