Subj : Re: GNU Public Licences Revisited (again) To : comp.programming From : Joe Butler Date : Mon Sep 26 2005 04:17 pm There's a effect where chimpanzies will make a "I've found food!" exclamation when they find food - nearby chimps will hear this and come to the location of the food. Now, for the _individual_ chimp that found the food, it is invariably better if that chimp could eat as much of the food as it wanted before calling out - but it's an inbuilt behaviour that the chimp cannot control. Naturalists have observed chimps putting their hands over their mouths when they cry out. I.e. there is a conflict in the chimps brain when it finds food: inbuilt behaviours that have evolved naturally and have given the chimp species a particular advantage, over the wants of an individual from that species. So, to consider what is better for the buyer alone is to ignore a bigger picture. "Willem" wrote in message news:slrndjfh3o.28f1.willem@toad.stack.nl... > Gerry wrote: > ) In article , willem@stack.nl > ) says... > )> My argument is roughly: if you use any piece of software that is closed > )> source, if would have been better if the vendor had decided to release > )> it under some open source license. > ) > ) That's like saying it would be better if the vendor had decided to make > ) it free, or to give you money for using it. > > I can't argue with that. > > ) You are ignoring the effect on the vendor. > > By the same token, you could say that it is better for a vendor > to produce software that locks in the users most effectively. > > The two reasons I can think of off-hand for a venduh to keep his software > closed-source would be to make it more difficult for others to copy what > you've done, and to lock in your buyers to your support only. > > Anyway, it comes to a tradeoff between better-for-the-vendor and > better-for-the-buyer. So yes, I ignore the effect on the vendor > when arguing what's best for the buyer. > > > SaSW, Willem > -- > Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for any of the statements > made in the above text. For all I know I might be > drugged or something.. > No I'm not paranoid. You all think I'm paranoid, don't you ! > #EOT .