[BadVista Advocate] Free software and Vista

[Russ Karlberg]

"This process works under the assumption that people are mostly honest and
good, as compared with Vista who assumes everyone is a criminal. We're not
condoning piracy.  The right to distribute doesn't take away the value of
the item from the author. It just means that anybody has the right to
distribute it (and ensure that the original author gets paid his/her due)
with modifications and enhancements and such. Again, the idea is that you
are not being treated as a criminal before you've even thought about it."

This I can agree on.  One of the reasons Windows spread so rapidly is that
it was easy to copy.  I'm sure a lot of college kids used unpaid copies of
Windows, and when they became executives they recommended Windows throughout
the company.  For the same reason, the RIAA should not be trying to crack
down so hard on piracy.  These people should want to see widespread use of
their creations.

In addition, Windows used to be very open.  I used to know all the APIs, and
was able to create powerful programs easily.  When Windows 3.0 launched,
there were over 50 other companies launching applications on the same day.
MSFT used to work closely with developers, and tried hard to get along with
everyone.

Today, things have really fallen apart.  Windows Genuine Advantage is
horrible.  MSFT is spending money and time on that joke when they should be
fixing bugs and improving security.  Clearly this is a case of a de facto
monopoly taking unfair advantage of their status.  Now I am not in favor of
government interference, I believe that free markets will eventually destroy
an unfair monopoly.  If a company maintains monopoly status simply by doing
a great job, they should be allowed to continue.  But the best way to deal
with MSFT is groups like this one.  We can spread the word about
alternatives and create positive change.  MSFT cannot force anyone to buy
Vista.  In fact, consumer pressure is already taking a toll, with Dell
offering XP again in response to complaints about Vista.  They also offer
Linux.  

People need to know about bad things like WGA and DRM.  When Sony tried to
put that spyware/rootkit DRM into place, there was a huge backlash.
Movements like BadVista can really have an effect if they are handled well.


"That's true. That's why most people who develop free (as in freedom)
software commercially usually primarily use other methods of making money
from it, such as selling support services and making paid-for
customisations."

Well, OK, I can see that business model working for some types of software.
But for things like games and packaged software, I'm not sure most people
really care about support or customizations.


"you can modify it if you wish, resell it or give it away for free, you can
contract other people to modify it if you don't have the time or the
experience.. is your choice.. but there is still a market and an economy
inside free software just not monopolized by one single vendor... people
will always be willing to pay for quality... just because is free as in
freedom don't means corporations will not buy it."

To me this seems to contradict the previous business model, if you can
modify that software, give it away, hire someone else to maintain it, then
you don't need a support contract and the company that spent years
developing the software does not get compensated for their efforts.