Re: Microsoft needs a help strategy

[amicus_curious]

"David Kastrup" <dak@gnu.org> wrote in message 
85skn3klh8.fsf@lola.goethe.zz">news:85skn3klh8.fsf@lola.goethe.zz...
> "amicus_curious" <ACDC@sti.net> writes:
>
> > "Hyman Rosen" <hyrosen@mail.com> wrote
> > > It's just like when you buy a car. You are told that you may drive
> > > away with the car in return for a sum of money, and you accept the
> > > "drive away with the car part" and do so, but say that you do not
> > > need to honor the "in return for a sum of money" part. It's unlikely
> > > that the forces of the law will be amused by the argument in the case
> > > of the car or the GPL.
> >
> > Well, silly, that is indeed the situation.  If you don't send in the
> > money, you are sued for it.  The car is the collateral for the loan,
> > so it can be reposessed if the payments are not made as contractually
> > agreed.
>
> Huh, what loan?  A loan implies a contractual agreement.
so does the sale of a car for money.  Strike "loan" and substitute "debt" if 
you are wont to split hairs.

> > In the case of th GPL, the deal is more like you are told that you can
> > drive away with the car for free and, if you are asked by someone, you
> > have to tell them where you got it.  Then sometime later, they find
> > out that you didn't tell someone who had asked.  Do you think the law
> > will go after you with the same vigor?
>
> No, the deal is more like you get the keys to the car in order to test
> drive it, along with a contractual promise that you may buy the car for
> a certain amount of money if you like it.
>
> You then choose to just make away with the car, making use of the
> promise but without paying.
>
> The car is not collateral that can be repossessed.  It is stolen good
> that can be reclaimed.  It never changed ownership.
If it left the lot, you can be sure that it did.  I guess you don't have a 
car.