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Software is a little different. It generally comes with a license specifying what can or can't be done with it.
by rollypolly 14y ago
Software is a little different. It generally comes with a license specifying what can or can't be done with it.
- coryl 14y agoBut you don't need a license to copy a software's design or concept.
- chii 14y agoso this is the real crux of the question - should someone who come up with an idea be protected (with the goal of encouraging people to come up with more/better ideas).
- wdewind 14y agoSorry I should've been clearer. If as software developers you are under the impression that you are not stealing other people's jobs (aka tricks) by packaging them, making them more efficient, and selling them more cheaply, you are wrong. I love Penn and Teller but I was pretty bummed to read this story, it's so anti-competitive, and Penn's comments smacked of elitism, especially about how "elegant" the "real" way Teller did the trick was.
- GigabyteCoin 14y agoThere is a difference between public common knowledge on "what is good programming practice" and a trick that teller came up with on his own time and made a point telling nobody about.
- wdewind 14y agoStill missing my point. Software industry profits by making things more efficient. This removes jobs. Robotics is a great example. Whats the difference between packaging a magic trick one uses to make their living, and a manufacturing skill?