Quake or Wolfenstein? Jim
> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Will Lowe > Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2003 9:22 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [brlug-general] free, closed and practical software. > > > Dustin, > It's interesting that you mention Quake. As I understand it > Quake started out as a game written by the Carmack brothers > because they liked it. In other words for their own and their > friends use. Others liked it so they offered it as shareware > for a while before it exploded and they started Id software > to sell it. But I don't think that their original focus in > writing it was to make money. At some point that obviously > became a thought. > > I think that a lot of software starts out as a labor of love > then suddenly they or someone else says "hey we could sell > this!" Also obviously just as many others go the philanthropic route. > > Will Lowe > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dustin Puryear" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2003 9:03 AM > Subject: Re: [brlug-general] free, closed and practical software. > > > > At 01:46 PM 7/9/2003 -0500, you wrote: > > >OK, now I'm warmed up to the subject. > > > > > >Free software developers support themselves. They might > do this by > > >working directly for a company that wants an application, > they might > need > > >the software to help with unrelated tasks or they might > cut grass and > > >develop for fun. People who are not in a stable financial > situation > > >can not commit to projects of any sort. The vast > quantities of free > > >software available shows that many people are being > supported one way > > >or another. None of us is going to join the NBA but some > of us play > > >basketball and public parks have courts anyway. > > > > This is all well and good, but it doesn't address my question. :) > > > > >Free software does a better job of making software. > Dustin divided > > >software into two groups, one that everyone wants and > another that's > > >specific to a single company or individual. GDB is an > example of a > > >program that everyone can use. It has > > > > This is incorrect. My question pertains to software that is not > > available but has a market. For example, let's assume that > no game of > > Quake's > caliber > > had been created yet. Next, Joe User wants to play the > game. Here are > > his > > options: > > > > 1. He can develop the game himself. > > 2. He can wait for someone else to do it. > > 3. He can pay a developer to do it. > > > > If he waits on someone else to do it then he is waiting on > one of two > groups: > > > > 1. Open source developers that feel like doing it. > > 2. Commercial developers that will make money from doing it. > > > > Of the two, capitalism tells us that the commercial > developer is more > > likely to jump on the ball. Capitalism has this great way > of finding > > solutions for a market need. It's simple history, and I > have a lot of > > respect for it. Of course, I like the first option of the > open source > > developer doing it, but what if nobody feels like doing it? Or more > likely, > > what if nobody that *has the skills* feels like doing it? > > > > If this is the case then let's assume that Joe User, who > prefers open > > source, pays an open source developer for this. Joe User then bears > > the total cost even though the open source developer might > know there > > is a market for the software. The developer has to pay rent, and he > > can't > resell > > his program to spread out the cost. > > > > Is there a solution to this dilemma? > > > > >more than sixty developers and the result is an excellent piece of > > >software. Is there any commercial company that can devote those > > >kinds or resources to a debugger? In the other case, of specific > > >application, commercial software falls down again. > > > > Are you suggesting that there isn't an existing commercial > market for > > debuggers? > > > > > > --- > > Dustin Puryear <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Puryear Information Technology, LLC <http://www.puryear-it.com> > > Providing expertise in the management, integration, and security of > > Windows and UNIX systems, networks, and applications. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > General mailing list > > [email protected] > http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlu> g.net > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > General mailing list > [email protected] http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >
