Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site looking.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: The GNU Manifesto - let the people decide
Message-ID: <258@looking.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Mar-85 00:00:00 EST
Article-I.D.: looking.258
Posted: Fri Mar 29 00:00:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Mar-85 02:38:32 EST
References: <4536@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Organization: Looking Glass Software, Waterloo, Ont
Lines: 42

Indeed, let the people decide about GNU.  I don't say it's certain
that GNU will not do good.  It could very well.  But I made my statements
in the light of some important facts. 

The most important is that most people, unlike Richard Stallman, want
good rewards for what they do.  While it may be very nice of Mr. Stallman
and his friends to give us all this software, they certainly can't handle
everything.

Sadly, in a market where there is a high quality, high priced product and
an inferior free product, many will use the free product not because it
is the BEST but because it is free.  And thus you get the advancement of
inferior products at the expense of superior ones.  Of course, this is
from a purely technical viewpoint, as you might argue that the free product
is "superior" in the long run due to the low cost.  I know the above rule
from personal experience.  I have a $50 programming utility on the market.
There is a free one, modeled after mine, which the author admits is clearly
inferior.  Yet I lose many sales to it and piracy, the result being that
I've moved on to other things.

Perhaps RMS can make a superior product, and still keep it free.  Good
luck, It's never been done before although it has often been tried.
The reason for this is simple.  Designing and bringing up neat new software
is fun, and lots of people are willing to do it for free.  Debugging,
maintaining, enhancing and supporting it is NOT, and few will do this
at the same bargain price.  Unfortunately, in a quality product, the first
part takes up 90% of the time, and the other part takes up the other 90% of
the time, to bring out the old cliche.  But who knows, perhaps they can do
it, and time will tell.

I am not opposed to any quality product, free or not.  What I don't like
is inferior products that displace superior products because they were
written by fanatical communists like RMS.  (I'm not name calling, I use
these terms as an accurate description based on my mail conversations with
the man.)

And remember, the "quality" of a product must be judged over a period of
time.  It may be good to start, but will it stand up?  Does it adapt and
suit your needs for a long time?  Will people hang onto it long after it
is obsolete just because it is free?
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473