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<blockquote data-quote="Anonymous" data-source="post: 2230">deriox - I always prefer to introduce confusion by using semi-appropriate analogies.&nbsp; :twisted: It's a tough subject. I guess my final comment would be that although open source or free software might impact the sales of commercial software there is absolutely no way that such development can be restricted. It's almost a free speech issue. How could you or any regulatory body justify telling some guy in his basement not to write a cool little program just because it's an alternative ( not a replacement! ) for some commercial software.If the software is original and the content publicly available then how is that developer in the wrong just because somebody else is charging for almost the same program?As much as I hate to say it ( and I really, really do ) Walmart has every right to sell stuff cheaper than the mom and pop store(s) that used to stand where it's parking lot now exists. Either you vote against Walmart by not buying stuff there or you kowtow to them and accept the fact that your neighbour will be out of work because his corner store is no longer competitive.Sorry - another analogy. Well, you get what I mean. There's just no rationale for telling somebody they can't compete with a big corporation. Unless you're Apple of course, and then you own the entire universe. It pisses me off that the guys who made the pPod iPod emulator for PocketPC didn't simply start giving it away when Apple put the screws to them. Boneheads.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Anonymous, post: 2230"] deriox - I always prefer to introduce confusion by using semi-appropriate analogies. :twisted: It's a tough subject. I guess my final comment would be that although open source or free software might impact the sales of commercial software there is absolutely no way that such development can be restricted. It's almost a free speech issue. How could you or any regulatory body justify telling some guy in his basement not to write a cool little program just because it's an alternative ( not a replacement! ) for some commercial software. If the software is original and the content publicly available then how is that developer in the wrong just because somebody else is charging for almost the same program? As much as I hate to say it ( and I really, really do ) Walmart has every right to sell stuff cheaper than the mom and pop store(s) that used to stand where it's parking lot now exists. Either you vote against Walmart by not buying stuff there or you kowtow to them and accept the fact that your neighbour will be out of work because his corner store is no longer competitive. Sorry - another analogy. Well, you get what I mean. There's just no rationale for telling somebody they can't compete with a big corporation. Unless you're Apple of course, and then you own the entire universe. It pisses me off that the guys who made the pPod iPod emulator for PocketPC didn't simply start giving it away when Apple put the screws to them. Boneheads. [/QUOTE]

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