[linux-audio-dev] Re: [linux-audio-user] Re: Free Software vs. Open Source: Where do *you* stand?

[David Kastrup]

Hannu Savolainen <hannu at opensound.com> writes:

> On Mon, 20 Feb 2006, David Kastrup wrote:
>
>> Well, then they might have some expectation to be able to use it, no?
>> Without the ability to adapt the software to different devices or
>> applications, or fix errors (or pay someone to do that), the software
>> is crippled in its usefulness.
> Usually software companies take care of fixing the errors themselves. If 
> they fail to fix them then you have the right to get your money back.

Oh nonsense.  Time to read those license agreements again, I guess.

> Yes. If you don't want to pay anything for software your only choice
> is to get some morally clean free sofware with no other
> documentation than the source code. This works well if you are a
> programmer and have enough spare time to find out how the source
> code works.

Who is talking about not paying?

> However for large majority of computer users this free model doesn't
> work at all. They simply don't have any capability to modify or even
> understand the source code. In fact they don't even know what source
> code means.

Like the average consumer who has a circuit diagram in his appliance.
The point is that this makes it possible to get it serviced by
somebody knowledgable in the trade.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum