The OSD and commercial use

[Steve Mallett]

On Saturday, November 23, 2002, at 07:11  AM, Robin 'Roblimo' Miller 
wrote:

>>
>>
>> But the user still wants to be able to treat all products the same. 
>> It may be irrational, but that's the way it is. One of the attributes 
>> of Free and Open Source Software is that the user can ideed treat 
>> software like a chair, and not get sued for doing so.
>>
>
> It is totally rational from the user's viewpoint. My neighbor Mac 
> spent his working years as a soldier and a policeman. "Mr. Law and 
> Order," you could call him, but he's also a generous guy. Mac gives a 
> fair amount of (Windows)  software to other senior citizens around 
> here. Tell him he's doing something wrong and he'll laugh at you. He 
> bought that software and paid for it, so it's his to do with as he 
> likes. Sharing it is just... neighborly.
>
> Mac has been playing with Linux out of curiosity, but so far he sees 
> no reason to switch from Windows. He has a large collection of Windows 
> software (bought or traded for) he hates to give up.

Further comment:
Despite laws (or licensing) to the contrary people have an innate 
feeling in their guts of what right and wrong are.  Better than anyone 
Mr. Law and Order might simply have the best 'spider sense' for 
perfectly ignorable laws in the interest of public good.  Being 
neighborly in this case.

Mine is paying tradesmen in cash.

I've personally always hated the argument that "you have a choice about 
what you agree to use."  Of course I do.  I also have the choice to 
tell you I agree with it to get it and then do as I damn well wish with 
it.  This isn't lying so much as it has become a game.  This is why 
ultimately the license is utterly forgettable (unless you fear being 
held to it as a contract, which it is)  The spirit in which it is given 
is everything.  Forget the fine print.  Everyone else does anyway.

Steve Mallett
http://OSDir.com on the O'Reilly Network | steve at osdir.com
http://opensource.org | webmaster at opensource.org
http://open5ource.net/steve <personal>

Tax me, I'm Canadian!

--
license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3