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Re: price of software [was Re: [ox-en] Book project]



Graham Seaman <graham seul.org> wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jan 2003, MJ Ray wrote:
Indeed, if you wish to be accurate in that way, all software is gratis and
the copyright licensing is not.  That just means that saying "free software
is gratis" as if it is something different is a little sly, I think.  No?
Why is it sly? [...]

Well, qualifying "software" as "free software" when it is a truth applying
to all "software" is almost misrepresentation, isn't it?  It makes it sound
like this is something different and unique to "free software".  I don't
think that was what was meant by the text.

[...]
Rights over a work can be sold.

This isn't generally true, either.  In a lot of Europe, certain "moral
rights" of an author over the work seem not to be transferrable.  IANAL.

[...]
Free software by definition has a license that doesn't restrict your
rights, including the right to copy it without charge. So free software as
embodiment doesn't even have a license cost - for end users it must be
completely gratis.

Maybe it is better to say that free software cost tends to zero as the
number of licensees increases?  (in a Smith-capitalist market, that is) Then
again, this would encourage rational users (are there any?) to delay buying
for as long as they can, which probably isn't what we want to happen, as
then innovation will die.

How much do people think they are paying for related services when they buy,
despite what the transaction says?  Is there past work on that?
[...] And maybe if people read 'gratis' as 'no price' it helps to
reinforce people's mistaken idea that they 'buy' software. [...]

How do you read it?

Generally, this discussion isn't really the one that I wanted to start, but
it has been interesting and covered a lot of ground.  Thank you.  May I have
your permission to summarise it somewhere, including your wording?

-- 
MJR   http://mjr.towers.org.uk/   IM: slef jabber.at
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