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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/software-libre-commercial-viability.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/software-libre-commercial-viability.html index b26f198..b61c30c 100644 --- a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/software-libre-commercial-viability.html +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/software-libre-commercial-viability.html @@ -1,29 +1,34 @@ <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> -<!-- Parent-Version: 1.77 --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.96 --> +<!-- This page is derived from /server/standards/boilerplate.html --> +<!--#set var="TAGS" value="thirdparty" --> +<!--#set var="DISABLE_TOP_ADDENDUM" value="yes" --> <title>Software Libre and Commercial Viability - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/software-libre-commercial-viability.translist" --> <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/ph-breadcrumb.html" --> +<!--GNUN: OUT-OF-DATE NOTICE--> +<!--#include virtual="/server/top-addendum.html" --> +<div class="article reduced-width"> <h2>Software Libre and Commercial Viability</h2> -<blockquote> -<p>(Nov 12th 1998, published in February 1999)</p> -</blockquote> +<address class="byline">by Alessandro Rubini +<a href="#rubini"> <sup>[*]</sup></a></address> -<p> -by <strong>Alessandro Rubini</strong></p> +<p><i>Nov 12th 1998, published in February 1999</i></p> <p>Fortunately, Linus' project of world domination is going to come true fairly soon. The trend toward this goal can be verified by checking how the press is behaving towards GNU/Linux solutions, looking at how -several educational entities are going to introduce Free Software in +several educational entities are going to introduce free software in the schools and verifying its usual technical excellence.</p> <p>Today in 1998 (yes, it is still 1998 as I write), the most important job remaining, in my opinion, is propagating the social and -commercial implications of Free Software. While I greatly appreciated +commercial implications of free software. While I greatly appreciated Russell Nelson's article “Open Source Software Model” in -the July issue of <i>LJ</i>, I feel the need to expand on the points +the July issue of <cite>LJ</cite>, I feel the need to expand on the points he briefly touched.</p> <p>Please note that I'm not an expert in economics or politics. I'm @@ -31,20 +36,20 @@ just a build-it-yourself kind of technical guy whose discussion is based on his own experience in the battle for survival, in the hopes of helping someone else adapt to new environmental conditions. Some of these ideas have already been discussed with friends or on the Free -Software Business mailing list -(<a href="mailto:fsb-subscribe@crynwr.com"><fsb-subscribe@crynwr.com></a>), +Software Business mailing list, +<a href="mailto:fsb-subscribe@crynwr.com"><fsb-subscribe@crynwr.com></a>, which I joined after reading Russell's article.</p> <h3 id="sec1">Viability for Individual Consultants</h3> -<p>The best feature of any computer system is flexibility — -allowing users to tailor its behaviour to their own needs. This +<p>The best feature of any computer system is flexibility—allowing +users to tailor its behaviour to their own needs. This flexibility is often completely unknown to the general computer user, because proprietary software solutions tend to hide functionality behind a rigid external interface which denies any divergence from the expected behaviour—a <i>user's</i> behaviour.</p> -<p>When adopting Free Software, users are able to discover the real +<p>When adopting free software, users are able to discover the real power of computer systems. Today I talked with a commercial consultant who never thought that programs could be adapted to one's needs. He confessed his company has always acted the other way around—they @@ -70,18 +75,18 @@ total of all fees they paid during these years reveals the program to be more expensive in the end than some of the commercial alternatives. This fact is not relevant to my clients, as they have exactly what they want and they know they can have more should the -need arise. The program is obviously Free Software and other centers +need arise. The program is obviously free software and other centers expressed interest in getting a copy.</p> -<p>As more and more people are choosing Free Software to address their +<p>As more and more people are choosing free software to address their needs, I'm sure some software companies will try to demonize GNU/Linux -and both the Free Software and the Open Source movements because they +and both the free software and the Open Source movements because they are losing their own market share. Such companies will probably try to demonstrate that IT employment is decreasing and that humankind is -being damaged by the general adoption of Free Software. This whole +being damaged by the general adoption of free software. This whole argument is bogus; computers exist to be programmed, and the more you allow programming them, the more you build employment opportunities. -If you count the number of people who offer Free Software consulting, +If you count the number of people who offer free software consulting, you will greatly exceed any shrinkage of proprietary companies. Sticking to my previous example, the physiology lab hired my company to write the program, and other centers interested in the product are @@ -90,14 +95,14 @@ enhancing our package. Did I say “enhance”? Isn't the program working? Yes, the program is working well, but there <i>is</i> room for enhancement of the product. The local lab decided to stop development “because we must run our experiment rather than -invent new software features”. As anyone knows, every program +invent new software features.” As anyone knows, every program has a bug and a missing feature, and this is where we build our credibility: bugs <i>can</i> be fixed and features <i>can</i> be implemented. As I suggested before, the more you make things programmable, the more they will be programmed.</p> <p>Why should there be more employment opportunities in IT than there -are now? First of all, because Free Software users have more requests +are now? First of all, because free software users have more requests for new features than users of proprietary products do, as explained above. Next, because anyone can build her own professionalism without paying tributes to access the sources of information. I built my own @@ -127,14 +132,14 @@ all knowledge in a few companies (or one of them), open standards leverage technical knowledge to anyone willing to learn. Whereas a proprietary product can be supported only by a limited number of qualified consultants (whose number and quality is centrally managed), -the number of consultants supporting a Free Software solution is +the number of consultants supporting a free software solution is virtually unlimited and the offer can quickly adapt to the request.</p> <p>In a world where computers are just tools to accomplish some other goals, easy customization and quick maintenance are basic requirements -of power users. In my opinion, Free Software will quickly gain the +of power users. In my opinion, free software will quickly gain the trust it needs to be a real market phenomenon. As soon as you start to -trust some Free Software products, you learn that they deserve more. +trust some free software products, you learn that they deserve more. GNU/Linux fans must be ready to offer support in order to fulfill the upcoming need for consultants.</p> @@ -182,8 +187,8 @@ distributions.</p> <h3 id="sec3">Viability for Education Centers</h3> <p>Needless to say, schools and universities have the best interest in -teaching information technologies using Free Software tools. Due to -its technical superiority, Free Software environments have more to +teaching information technologies using free software tools. Due to +its technical superiority, free software environments have more to offer to the students, but also need more technical knowledge to be proficiently administered. I see no money saved here in choosing Free operating systems over proprietary ones, but educational entities @@ -195,7 +200,7 @@ countries are already moving in the right direction—Mexico and France, for example, have announced plans to use GNU/Linux in their public schools.</p> -<p>One more point leads toward Free Software in education: when +<p>One more point leads toward free software in education: when students get jobs, they prefer to use tools they learned at school in order to minimize extra learning efforts. This fact should lead colleges to teach only those tools not owned by anyone—those @@ -212,7 +217,7 @@ another one. Although I mark them as social, they have economic implications as well.</p> <p> -While Free Software may not be cheaper than proprietary software if +While free software may not be cheaper than proprietary software if you bill for your own time, some environments use different rates in converting time to money. Most emerging countries have good intellectual resources but little money, and they usually have many @@ -222,14 +227,14 @@ productive. Actually, the “Halloween” document supports my point by underlining that “Linux” is growing very fast in the Far East. Charity organizations usually have this same environment—little money and a good amount of human -resources. This leads straight to the Free Software model for any IT +resources. This leads straight to the free software model for any IT requirement.</p> <p>These ideas will probably suggest that free availability of information looks fairly leftist in spirit, as “information to the masses” looks quite similar to the old adage “power to -the masses”. What is usually ignored is the strong rightist -flavour of the Free Software movement. The Free Software arena is +the masses.” What is usually ignored is the strong rightist +flavour of the free software movement. The free software arena is fiercely meritocratic and a perfect environment for free competition, where the laws of the market ensure that only the best ideas and the best players survive. Proprietary standards, on the other hand, tend @@ -239,7 +244,7 @@ previous results.</p> <h3 id="sec5">Limits of the Free Software Model</h3> <p>Naturally, I'm aware that not every software package can easily be -turned into Free Software. I'm not talking about office +turned into free software. I'm not talking about office products—I'm confident some good projects will supply this need, sooner or later.</p> @@ -267,19 +272,23 @@ I would really like to see free industrial applications because their technological content is usually worth reusing and adapting to new problems.</p> +<div class="infobox"> <hr /> -<p>Alessandro writes Free Software for a living and advocates Free -Software for a mission. He hopes his upcoming child will keep off +<p id="rubini">[*] +Alessandro writes free software for a living and advocates free +software for a mission. He hopes his upcoming child will keep off computers, recalling the good old times when such beasts where confined to their technical zoos. He reads e-mail -as <a href="mailto:rubini@gnu.org"><rubini@gnu.org></a> trying +at <a href="mailto:rubini@gnu.org"><rubini@gnu.org></a>, trying to reply to everyone.</p> -<p>Reprinted with permission of Linux Journal.</p> +<p>Reprinted with permission of <cite>Linux Journal</cite>.</p> +</div> +</div> </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> -<div id="footer"> +<div id="footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="unprintable"> <p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to @@ -297,34 +306,17 @@ to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> - <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + <p>For information on coordinating and contributing translations of our web pages, see <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations README</a>. --> Please see the <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations -README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this article.</p> </div> -<!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to - files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should - be under CC BY-ND 3.0 US. Please do NOT change or remove this - without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first. - Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the - document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the - document was modified, or published. - - If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too. - Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying - years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable - year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including - being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system). - - There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers - Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. --> - -<p>Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Alessandro Rubini</p> +<p>Copyright © 1998-2001 Alessandro Rubini</p> <p>Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire article are permitted in any medium provided this notice and the copyright notice are preserved. @@ -334,10 +326,10 @@ in any medium provided this notice and the copyright notice are preserved. <p class="unprintable">Updated: <!-- timestamp start --> -$Date: 2014/04/12 12:40:46 $ +$Date: 2021/09/22 09:19:58 $ <!-- timestamp end --> </p> </div> -</div> +</div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include --> </body> </html> |