[LINK] Theft, copyright, larceny...

[Stilgherrian]

On 27/6/07 5:08 PM, "Janet Hawtin" <lucychili at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 6/27/07, Stilgherrian <stil at stilgherrian.com> wrote:
> 
>>> (most shareware is junk, anyway...and isn't worth using, let alone buying)
>> Well, Sturgeon's Law applies to shareware as much as anything else... ;)
> 
> I keep coming across people who choose to define software as closed and
> shared.
> Shareware being closed code projects which are offered on a
> conditional free basis?
> 
> Open source and free software are not 'shareware' they are projects
> based around transparency of code and freedom to participate, they may
> also be cash free.
> 
> Not sure which flavour of word use this is but these days the word
> shareware makes my
> word politics filter beep.

No, it's just me showing my age... or at least in the way I'm using the
word. Since I think I'm using the word the same way Craig is, maybe he's
showing his age too. ;)

This "shareware" is just the old "try before you buy" style of software
distribution -- a time-limited demo, if you like, with or without technical
enforcement of the time limit.

Whether the source code is open or closed is a different axis of
measurement.

However, you have triggered an idea for an article on semantic tagging in
this realm -- stay tunes.

Oh, Janet, and I'll add my voice to those saying "Thank you for adding such
clarity to the debate the last little while."

Stil


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