[ANNOUNCE] Umbra role-playing game 0.2 pre-alpha

[Brandon J. Van Every]

"Chris Watson" <chris at voodooland.net> wrote in message
news:mailman.987793672.23550.python-list at python.org...
>
> Actually they couldnt do that in their world. The GPL puts programmers out
> of a job. You cant make any money on GPL software.

Wrong.  The GPL model of how to get the customer over the barrel is via
expertise in labyrinthine architectures and customization billed by the
hour.  If you can fix it yourself, fine, the code is there for you to do it.
If you can't, or you don't want to, you hire a programmer to do it for you.
In their ideal world, the programmers who know the most about much-needed
labyrinthine software systems will hold the most power.

Of course in a real world, businesses invent any and all possible business
models to gain leverage over customers and force payment.  Therefore,
neither the idealized world of the GPL or some kind of complete proprietary
ownership paradigm could ever exist.  People will bleed you and keep their
secrets from you, people will give stuff away with strings attached.  That's
life, get over it.

> Hence the ammount of linux companies going T*TS up.

Linux companies go belly up in the real world because it's a real world.
You changed your argument from an ideal world to a real world in mid-stream.

> You simply cannot sustain a viable income
> from giving away your R&D code. But that is exactly what stallman and the
> FSF want. To destroy IP, and kill the software industry. And looking at
> the ammoung of linux companies who have failed, the rest are not far
> behind. It clearly shows what the GPL is designed to do.

You aren't stupid enough to say that the GPL and the LGPL are the same
thing, are you?  Sure, guys like RMS would prefer that only the GPL exist,
and they push for people to go GPL rather than LGPL, but the fact is, the
LGPL exists too.

Anyways, I get really tired of reactionaries who say everything is all one
way and it's all gloom and doom.  That's called fanaticism or extremism.
Reality is that there's a whole spectrum of ways that people license stuff.
You could put them on an axis 0.0..1.0 and pick values along that range if
you like.  A real engineer gets impatient with people who yell about
religion when it's all about some engineering choices.

> Linus hasnt written probably 10% of the Linux OS. Ill bet 90% of it work
> of others. So Linus hasnt dont a whole heck of a lot for anyone either.

If that's meant to indicate that Linus didn't do the world a favor by doing
a lot of work and getting people organized once upon a time back in the day,
then that's the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard.  Go be a whole world
of Microsoft sheep, BAAA!  BAAA!  BAAA! and do what IBM tells you while
you're at it, goddamnit!

If that's meant to indicate that RMS' contribution to the world is about as
valid as any other notable figure, I agree.  RMS did something for someone
once upon a time.  Sure, ask what he's done lately, but don't begrudge him
what he actually did.

> Sure yet again this is not freedom. "Play by our rules or go reinvent the
> wheel and play in another sandbox." There is no freedom in the GPL.

With freedom comes responsibility.  That's the Existential quandry.  If you
don't want to face that quandry, shoot yourself in the head now and depart
this nihilistic universe for the greener pasture of your preferred religious
choice.

I'm curious what kind of freedom you're expecting in the real world?  I'm
just going to code up stuff and give it to you?  No strings attached?
That's only going to happen if it suits *my* purposes to make it so.
Doesn't matter what your bloody purposes are, quit whining and go write your
own code if a GPL is so onerous for you.

Or hey, here's a radical concept: go talk to the OWNER of the code, use some
diplomatic words, and see if they'll amend their license to incorporate your
own concerns.  Maybe if you argue persuasively and offer a reciporocal value
add, instead of demonizing the freeware pundits with your reactionary
hogwash, you'll get something productive accomplished.

Actually this whole charade does re-emphasize one thing for me, that I
recognized about the various freeware communities a long time ago.  It
doesn't matter what price you put on stuff.  People *STILL* bitch and
complain about their slice of the pie.

--
Cheers,                                     www.3DProgrammer.com
Brandon Van Every                           Seattle, WA

For plot and pace, writers use words; game designers use numbers.
Anything understood over time has plot and pace.