Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!mephisto!rutgers!texbell!ficc!peter From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) Newsgroups: comp.sources.d Subject: What does "free" mean, eh? (Re: Scareware) Message-ID: Date: 6 Mar 90 18:02:19 GMT References: <14010@s.ms.uky.edu> <125816@midas.UUCP> <635@magnus.Hotline.Com> <34812@watmath.waterloo.edu> <10612@hoptoad.uucp> Reply-To: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) Organization: Xenix Support, FICC Lines: 19 In article <10612@hoptoad.uucp> gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore) writes a bunch of stuff about shareware and FSFware. GNUware and Shareware, while similar, are not directly comparable. Shareware is basically an alternate form of commercial software. The advantages and disadvantages of shareware have been debated at excruciating length. The folks who use scary licences to try to push people to paying for their shareware offerings are, IMO, fooling themselves. There are those of us who distribute shareware with an "if you like it, send some cash" message. No scary copyright notices. FSFware is like the shareware with the scary copyright notices, except that it's also surrounded with an odor of sanctity... because the donations they require are less tightly connected to the almighty dollar. But the bottom line of GNUware is no less coercive than the "scareware" that John is complaining about. Those of us into *really* free software, either voluntary shareware, PD stuff, or freeware would do well to hold both camps in disdain. -- _--_|\ Peter da Silva. +1 713 274 5180. . / \ \_.--._/ Xenix Support -- it's not just a job, it's an adventure! v "Have you hugged your wolf today?" `-_-'