Has any of these guys read ""Just for Fun"" or ""Rebel Code"" ?
Trying to corner open source is a failed strategy. Dick ----- Original Message ----- From: "Erik Christiansen" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2015 1:57 AM Subject: Re: [Emc-users] PathPilot (what hardware?) > On 18.02.15 14:35, Bruce Layne wrote: >> Early on, I did say that I doubted a lot of that code will be open >> source, and frankly I still do for the user interface and conversational >> wizards. They made a substantial investment to develop some of that >> code and I think they'd probably like to keep some of that user >> interface as a proprietary Tormach look and feel. > > If I sold hardware, used LinuxCNC, and developed a proprietary user > interface, with the purpose of providing the customer a superior > ergonomic and comfortable feel when using my machines, then I would also > refrain from making it OSS. (We have done well. A better TP is a much > bigger prize.) > > If the TP code is linked into LinuxCNC, rather than communicating with > it over an API, then it is a derived work, but when you look at your ini, > and see something like: > > # Name of display program, e.g., tkemc > DISPLAY = axis > > then you realise that the display program is separate, and so a > proprietary > replacement for Axis is not a derived work, and Tormach's generosity has > no need (or good reason) to be greater than it is, AFAICT. > > Incidentally, although I have not stopped to read the latest GPL > version, the earlier one permitted code to be made open source by supply > of relocatable object code in lieu of source code. That still allows the > community to re-use the code, but keeps the source out of the hands of > commercial competitors. To release the source is an act of good faith, I > consider. > > It is easy to want something for nothing, but is it reasonable to want > it all? > > .. > >> I'm curious how much Tormach developed in house not for legal reasons, >> or "ethical" reasons, or because I'm a hater. I'm curious because the >> marketing part of this seems weird to me and I'd like to understand it. > > Tormach did develop it in-house. They did not hire another company to > develop it, they hired a temporary employee - a contractor. It is their > code - they own the copyright, and if they've assigned to us the right > to use it too, then then it would be stupid to call it our code, just to > try to deny their contribution. AIUI, that is not marketing, just simple > reality - not very difficult to understand at all. > >> If I was doing the Tormach marketing, I'd play up the Free Open Source >> Software aspect, brag about giving back to the community, while >> expounding about the NEW & IMPROVED hard realtime reliability, the >> enhanced features, etc. > > A competent marketer understands his market. It is unlikely that the > majority of ready-to-eat machine buyers will have much understanding of > FOSS - or give a damn. It seems a much wiser decision to stamp their > brand on their product, thereby doing nothing to undermine the > customer's feeling that it is fully supported by the vendor. Brand > confidence is vital, I figure - the machines are not an insignificant > investment for a hobbyist or small business. > > Erik > > -- > In the bathtub of history the truth is harder to hold than the soap, > and much more difficult to find." - Terry Pratchett > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Download BIRT iHub F-Type - The Free Enterprise-Grade BIRT Server > from Actuate! Instantly Supercharge Your Business Reports and Dashboards > with Interactivity, Sharing, Native Excel Exports, App Integration & more > Get technology previously reserved for billion-dollar corporations, FREE > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=190641631&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download BIRT iHub F-Type - The Free Enterprise-Grade BIRT Server from Actuate! Instantly Supercharge Your Business Reports and Dashboards with Interactivity, Sharing, Native Excel Exports, App Integration & more Get technology previously reserved for billion-dollar corporations, FREE http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=190641631&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
