[KLUG Members] Re: Why does "Software Morality" differ from the rest?

[Rusty Yonkers]

Well I think that anyone has the right, if they want,
to create software and charge or not charge for it.  I
also think that if a person or company decides to
charge for software that they should be able to
enforce thier copyright on the software.  Also, anyone
that is using commercial software that they have not
paid for then may the software kgb find them and exact
full retribution.  I have made a decision to support
and use free software.  I do not duel boot nor do I
use all those commercial packages that people have
hacked into warez.  If it is a commercial package that
I like I will purchase a copy (I am currently making
plans to buy some Loki games for my Linux system). 
Since I can get a number of things free I can actually
afford to purchase my games.  And StarOffice is good
enough now that I would not even have a problem paying
$50-$100 for the software if Sun decided to start
charging for it (don't send this to Sun though - they
may get some ideas ;-) hmmmmm ).

I also make sure that I only give out free software to
my students even though most everyone else that I work
with both uses warez and distributes it to their
students.  And with the quality of freeware and
shareware stuff there is no need for it at all.....

People may look at me as a freak but Tux and I can
both sleep well at night.  

If people want to create commercial software then good
for them ... just as long as they do not try to muscle
out those that also decide to make and distribute free
software.  That is what freedom of choice is about.  


Support open standards and freedom.  Now where is that
Ogg Vorbis encoder again .... time to encode some more
of my cd's.....


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