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

[Chris Cannam]

On Monday 20 Feb 2006 23:27, Mike Taht wrote:
> Back from digression. The core analogy that I make regarding free or
> open source software is not the one "would you buy a car with the
> hood nailed shut?", but "Would you buy a house without the plans
> provided by the architect?".

I don't think either of these is very helpful.  In both cases, for many 
people the answer is "yes, of course I would".  Probably these people 
are equally happy with proprietary software, so your analogy may still 
hold, but that won't get you far as a persuasive bit of rhetoric.  
Analogy is often useful to describe, seldom to convince.

(I have tried the car analogy on a few people not familiar with open 
source software, and the general response is that the question itself 
is perplexing.  It would make no sense to sell a car that could not be 
serviced at all, while many people would indeed choose to buy a car 
that could not be serviced by users "at home".  For example, the Audi 
A2 is sold with no user-serviceable parts except for fluid topups; it 
almost literally has the hood nailed shut.  Nice car, I'd buy one.  
Meanwhile, I bet most people who own property here in London will never 
have seen the original plans for it.)


Chris