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> Almost all commercial software is proprietary. Not quite. Almost all software people use is proprietary. Almost all software developers write is Free. Thi

> Almost all commercial software is proprietary. Not quite. Almost all software people use is proprietary. Almost all software developers write is Free. This is not contradictory. People mostly use massively distributed software, made by a relatively tiny number of people. Developers generally work on custom software, that has zero or one customer. If we care about how much money can be gained with Free Software, one should look at the production, and see that custom software is a fine way to make a living. If on the other hand we care about freeing people from proprietary software, you want to look at the consumption, and see that there is much too much proprietary software around.

nickpsecurity 10y ago
"This is not contradictory. People mostly use massively distributed software, made by a relatively tiny number of people. Developers generally work on custom software, that has zero or one customer." It's not free until it's unencumbered by copyright or patents. I don't trust that in the least in the U.S.. Maybe in some other places. Here, anything you produce and use might get you in trouble. That doesn't feel Free. ;)
- loup-vaillant 10y ago
  If it's only encumbered by the copyright and patents of the user (which is the case much of the time, because all rights are often waived), then it's free. Surely you wouldn't sue yourself over your own claims?
  - nickpsecurity 10y ago
    "If it's only encumbered by the copyright and patents of the user (which is the case much of the time, because all rights are often waived), then it's free." You can't guarantee that in the us. We're not even legally allowed to show someone a work with a copyright claim. We can't even reproduce a patented thing whether we knew it existed or not. Copyright and patent trolls increasingly sue businesses to the tune of billions of dollars. The risk is there so long as the system works the way it does.

nickpsecurity 10y ago

"This is not contradictory. People mostly use massively distributed software, made by a relatively tiny number of people. Developers generally work on custom software, that has zero or one customer." It's not free until it's unencumbered by copyright or patents. I don't trust that in the least in the U.S.. Maybe in some other places. Here, anything you produce and use might get you in trouble. That doesn't feel Free. ;)

loup-vaillant 10y ago
If it's only encumbered by the copyright and patents of the user (which is the case much of the time, because all rights are often waived), then it's free. Surely you wouldn't sue yourself over your own claims?
- nickpsecurity 10y ago
  "If it's only encumbered by the copyright and patents of the user (which is the case much of the time, because all rights are often waived), then it's free." You can't guarantee that in the us. We're not even legally allowed to show someone a work with a copyright claim. We can't even reproduce a patented thing whether we knew it existed or not. Copyright and patent trolls increasingly sue businesses to the tune of billions of dollars. The risk is there so long as the system works the way it does.