In a message dated: Thu, 18 May 2000 08:51:22 EDT
"Kenneth E. Lussier" said:
>"David P. Greenberg" wrote:
>
>> Yes, um sure, uh fix it ,right. I don't think I know anybody who has the
>> slightest idea what to do with source code. My car came with a transmission,
>> but if it doesn't work, I doubt I'm gonna be pullin kick down bands and
>> adjusting planetary gears. ("common" user, remember?).
You don't need to know what to do with it yourself. Let me ask this, when you
bought your car, would you have bought the same car from the same manufacturer
if the hood were welded shut and the warranty stated that you could *ONLY* get
your car repaired, tuned up, or oil changed *BY THE MANUFACTURER*?
Probably not. So if you wouldn't buy a car that way, why would you want to
buy software that way. With Open Source/Free software if you don't like the
way something works, you have the *opportunity* to look at the code, make
changes to it, or pay someone *OF YOUR CHOICE* to maintain it for you. Just
like you may have chosen to bring your car down the street to the local garage
to get your repairs or oil changed, or chosen to change your own oil.
You may not change your own oil, or perform your own car repairs, but there
are plenty of people who do. And they would not like being told they must
return to the manufacturer for all repairs, just like I don't want to be told
that I must return to the software vendor for all bug fixes.
Additionally, though you may know nothing about programming, you may choose at
a later date you want to learn (you did say your goal was to learn as much
about computers as possible, didn't you?) What better way to learn about
programming than to look at the actual code of real programs?
--
Seeya,
Paul
----
"I always explain our company via interpretive dance.
I meet lots of interesting people that way."
Niall Kavanagh, 10 April, 2000
If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right!
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