Re: [directory-discuss] Fwd: Re: Game plan for 'bait and surrender' and 'freedom betrayed' packages in the directory

[Richard Stallman]

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  > # Bait and Surrender

  > The first case is what we're calling 'bait and surrender' - it is where
  > a company offers both a freely licensed version of their work and a
  > proprietary version, but the free version is inferior to the proprietary
  > one. Companies will do this to try and attract users and get them to
  > surrender their freedom by switching to the proprietary version.

That term is fitting for the case where the free version is not very
useful.  The text should say that this free program is mere bait
and that it is not likely to be actually useful.  And it should
suggest alternatives to use instead.

I suggest that we modify the search code so that searches never return
those marked entries, except when the search pattern exactly matches
the name of the program.


However, in cases such as MySQL where the free program is actually
useful, "bait and surrender" is an exaggeration.  Please don't use
"bait and surrender" in cases like that.

  > What do you think about the term crippleware to describe 'bait and 
  > surrender'?

I think we should not use the term "crippleware" in the directory.
For the cases where it would be accurate, "bait and surrender" is
better.





-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation (gnu.org, fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (internethalloffame.org)
Skype: No way! See stallman.org/skype.html.