On 21/06/2008, Michelle Konzack <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > [a long point-by-point reponse to something I wrote]
Michelle, I'm not sure how worthwhile it will be to repeat to you arguments that I'm sure you have heard endless times before. I could repeat those arguments, but I doubt you would be interested. You seem to already be convinced those arguments are daft; that's fine. For what I do, mathematics, the importance of source is evident: this is how we do mathematics, sharing proof, method, and internals, this is what mathematics *is*. Engineers don't think this way, which is troubling, because engineers often do mathematics too, and then I have to interface with their habits that make my own job that much more difficult. My job is to understand things, to improve them, and to explain to others how and why things work. This is what a mathematician does. Lack of source and legal hurdles to sharing knowledge are all obstacles for my job. Money is not the issue. You keep alluding about how I want everything gratis; this was never my claim. Source could very well be distributed with money and you know that many companies do this now, just as many other companies always did this before when computers were first created. I am unconvinced that it's impossible to do so now. NIH is a Mexican standoff[1]. All these companies holding lawsuits to each other like double-barreled guns, reimplementing the same thing over and over again, guarding their precious "intellectual property" because they spent money on developing, and even if they're going to make money using it internally, god forbid that another company should have access to the same code that wouldn't cost them anything to share. I don't feel compelled to continue this argument... You seem to see everything in terms of immediate results and money, both of which I insist are nearsighted. As a whole, as a society, we would all be better off in the long run without these obstacles to dissemination of knowledge. Best, - Jordi G. H. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_standoff -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]