Re: Why DRM exists [was Re: Flame Linus to a crisp!]

Helge Hafting
2003-04-29T21:30:17Z

On Tue, Apr 29, 2003 at 12:40:48PM -0400, Scott Robert Ladd wrote:
[...]
> The coherency you seek lies in seeing a common thread of wanting
> something for nothing. Free software developers often clone products
> developed by commercial companies; this is taking a free ride (something
> for nothing) on the R&D budget of the corporation. The effort that goes
> into designing quality software isn't just coding -- it's also research,
> design, focus groups, testing, and QA. I think it is quite reasonable
> for commercial entities to protect their investment in time, effort, and
> personnel.
>
Except that this isn't "something for nothing". The free clone
is the price paid - it is available for everybody, including that
company. Companies are free to use free linux distributions, and
get a lot that way.

Helge Hafting