Re: Internet Info CDROM (fwd)

Eric S. Raymond (esr@locke.ccil.org)
Tue, 13 Dec 1994 15:46:40 -0500 (EST)

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> Writing FAQs takes time and effort, so does good software (free
> or otherwise). FAQs can change fairly often, but so can software
> - the Linux kernel gets new patches more often than I update my
> FAQ. So where's the difference?

Speaking as a person who writes a lot of free software, and has in fact
had his stuff CD-ROMed (on the Prime Time Freeware disk):

In a narrow sense, the difference is that most freeware is written under
some variant of copyleft that *encourages* free redistribution.

In a broader sense, free-software writers tend to think of distribution as a
detail and focus on getting compensated for or prohibiting commercial *use*;
whereas, for FAQ authors, use *is* communication.

Both communities want to regulate (or at least get a slice of) resale for
profit. The difference in attitudes reflects different theories of what the
value in the product is.

-- 
					Eric S. Raymond <esr@locke.ccil.org>
Temporary, we're having DNS trouble ->  WWW: //www.ccil.org/~esr/home.html

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