Re: Does it do that?

[mike3]

On Apr 29, 4:32 am, "Alfred M. Szmidt" <a...@gnu.org> wrote:
>    Does free software make it more difficult for people to make a
>    profit (even an *honest* one, not Microsoft-style) from their
>    computer programming skills and talents?
>
> It doesn't.
>
>    People should deserve to be able to make honest money, and to use
>    their talents to do that. Computer programming, for one, does not
>    require very much starting capital compared to other forms of
>    business.
>
> People should also have the freedom to use, study, improve and
> distribute the software they have.  Earning a living by subjugating
> the rights of ones users is not a honest one.
>

So you can get reasonably rich then without subjugating? Why, then,
do the Software Corps like to take away as much freedom as
possible then? The toy companies get along quite well (and some are
HUGE, multi-BILLION dollar businesses -- how much more
"successful" can you get?) without prohibiting people from modifying
or sharing the toys bought from them!

>    If not, then does the reluctance to accept free software indicate a
>    want to be as greedy (as opposed to honest) as possible on the part
>    of the software industry?
>
> Seeing the many attempts of companies to pass through laws like
> IPRED2, Software patents, DMCA/EUCD, one should be quite convinced
> that part of the software industry is blinded by greed.

What if you want to make a huge amount of money to use for _good_,
world-benefitting purposes? Like say I wanted to make $400 mill.
to fund developing, say, renewable energy technologies or pursuing
unorthodox lines of scientific research into, say, curing disease,
that
other scientists may not be interested in funding. Would using
proprietary
software for that purpose still be too greedy? Could "free" software
get one said world-benefitting money? That's what money SHOULD
be used for, by the way -- to do something positive for others instead
of hoarding it all to indulge oneself.