[LINK] GPL .. good or bad?

[Kim Holburn]

On the other hand there is an interesting article "Why (desktop) Linux  
sucks" here:
http://lunduke.com/?p=429

and he talks about how funding for linux is a real problem.

On 2009/Apr/30, at 9:27 AM, Tom Koltai wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au
>> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman1.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of
>> stephen at melbpc.org.au
>> Sent: Thursday, 30 April 2009 4:15 PM
>> To: link at anu.edu.au
>> Subject: [LINK] GPL .. good or bad?
>>
>>
>> GPL: why Eric Raymond is wrong
>>
>> by Sam Varghese, Thursday, 30 April 2009
>> http://www.itwire.com/content/view/24739/1231
>>
>>
>> Snip>
>>
>>
>> The Economic Case Against the GPL  http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=928
>>
>>
>> In all worlds, markets seek efficiency, because investors are
>> constantly
>> seeking the best return on capital. Thus guarantees the most
>> efficient
>> system will win, eventually. The flip side of this is that
>> markets will
>> punish those who adopt the less efficient mode. They'll be
>> outcompeted.
>> Capital will flow away from them.
>> <snip>
>> If we live in "Type A" a universe where closed source is more
>> efficient,
>> markets will eventually punish people who take closed source
>> code open.
>> Markets will correspondingly reward people who take open
>> source closed.
>> In this kind of universe, open source is doomed; the GPL will be
>> subverted or routed around by efficiency-seeking investors as
>> surely as
>> water flows downhill.
>> <snnip>
>
>
> Unfortunately - this is the problem.
>
> For open source to be successful - unfortunately it needs to be closed
> before investors will consider it to be capable of providing them a
> return.
>
> GPL release programmers havent yet learnt that the Akamai's and  
> Junipers
> of the world started with open source and raised their capital by
> closing the GPL - and then tuning it.
>
> When young programmers learn that their efforts at purely open source
> will doom them to an old age that has lots of kudos, but few shekels
> they are usually already old programmers.
>
> But that is the way of the world, that we call capitalism.
>
> Wisdom comes from the realisation of mortality - what I call the  
> creaky
> bone sydneome - at about .... 45.
>
> For those of you thinking on how I could say somehting as wise as
> this...... Pretend I didn't.
>
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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