Picking a license
in [Python]
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From: Ethan Furman on 18 May 2010 15:28 Ben Finney wrote: > aahz(a)pythoncraft.com (Aahz) writes: > >> Ben Finney <ben+python(a)benfinney.id.au> wrote: >>> [It is impractical to] sell free software like selling loaves of >>> bread, but that's a much more limited case and a far cry from your >>> claim [that it's impractical to sell free software]. Selling free >>> software is quite practical and a good way to fund development of >>> software that otherwise wouldn't be written as free software. >> From my POV, if you're not selling COTS, you're really selling support >> and consulting services, because that's what keeps your competitors >> from just picking up your software and reselling it for cheaper. BTDT. > > This thread has revealed some staggering gulfs in concepts as held by > different people. For example, I don't think it's at all germane to the > definition of “sell FOO” that “your competitors can pick up the FOO and > resell it cheaper”. Whether they can or not, that doesn't change that > fact that one is selling FOO. > > Moreover, I don't try to prevent my competitors from reselling the > software (so long as they don't misrepresent who holds copyright or > further restrict the terms). That's part and parcel of the freedoms in > the software. Indeed, I find that helps the customers trust me more and > tend to come back when they want something else new; and my customers > are free to show others the solutions I've already implemented. > > Thus is an ongoing business relationship crafted, including return > customers and referrals for new work. It really is practical to sell > free software. > This doesn't make sense to me, but I'm willing to learn -- how do you do this in practice? Are you really selling the software, or rather selling things like setup, support, new code (or time to code), etc? ~Ethan~
From: Ben Finney on 18 May 2010 22:54 This thread is already off-topic and too long. I'm conflicted about my role in that; I have endeavoured only to address falsehoods that IMO were not otherwise being addressed. So I'll try to keep this brief. Ethan Furman <ethan(a)stoneleaf.us> writes: > This doesn't make sense to me, but I'm willing to learn -- how do you > do this in practice? Are you really selling the software Perhaps in private email we can discuss what you mean by “really selling the software”; it's too off-topic here. By my understanding of that term, yes, I am selling software. > or rather selling things like setup, support, new code (or time to > code), etc? All of the above, depending on the project. -- \ “If you don't know what your program is supposed to do, you'd | `\ better not start writing it.” —Edsger W. Dijkstra | _o__) | Ben Finney
From: Delaney, Timothy (Tim) on 20 May 2010 18:42
From: Ben Finney > This thread is already off-topic and too long. I'm conflicted about my role in that; > I have endeavoured only to address falsehoods that IMO were not otherwise being addressed. > > So I'll try to keep this brief. > > Ethan Furman <ethan(a)stoneleaf.us> writes: > >> This doesn't make sense to me, but I'm willing to learn -- how do you >> do this in practice? Are you really selling the software > > Perhaps in private email we can discuss what you mean by "really selling the software"; > it's too off-topic here. By my understanding of that term, yes, I am selling software. > >> or rather selling things like setup, support, new code (or time to >> code), etc? > >All of the above, depending on the project. Considering that's one of the only two interesting things that have come out of this discussion, if you're willing to discuss that in public (in another thread) I'd be very interested in reading it. BTW, the other interesting thing is the inadvertent license violations where I tend to think Pat has the right interpretation, but am not sure. For the record, I tend to be in favour of permissive licenses both for releasing my own code and using others' (not least because I am employed by a company and it makes my work easier), but there are good reasons for using any license so long as you understand the consequences of your decision. Tim Delaney |