-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
The Saturday 2006-03-25 at 18:44 +0100, houghi wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 25, 2006 at 04:47:26PM +0100, Carlos E. R. wrote:
> > Disregarding users opinions, even in this respect, may lead to the point
> > that users dislike the distro or whatever and make it useless. The most
> > important part of any software is users, not developers. It is users
> > using a software who make it a success or a failure, regardless of how
> > good the software is intrinsically.
>
> It is however the developer who puts the licence on it and that has to be
> respected. Ignoring that licence is not an option, unfortunatly. Otherwise
> MPlayer could easily be included and libdvdcss.
True.
Look at it this other way, then:
In closed source software, the developers, or their companies, are the
sole owners of the software. They can do what they like. We, users, merely
have the right to use it, and a limited right as that.
In open source software, the developer, in an unprecedented unselfish act,
gives the power to the user to do with the software as they please,
ceasing to be the owner of the software. It is freedom. The users, if they
want, can modify the work of the original developer even beyond
recognition (I'd use a rather colourful expression if writing in my first
language :-P )
Thus, in OSS, it is the users who are the "boss".
In the opensuse case, it seems to me that we are classifying software to be
either totally OSS, or if not, be "relegated" to the last cd, putting
together privative software and those middle-land software. As a user, I
might not want to use closed source software (like acrobat, for instance),
but might want to use Pine, which is somewhat open. I'd like a more broad
classification. I don't like the implication that saying Pine is not OSS,
it is then closed source software. Life is not so black and white, there
are grays, reds, blues, yellows and infinite colours.
- --
Cheers,
Carlos Robinson
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.0 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Made with pgp4pine 1.76
iD8DBQFEJaBYtTMYHG2NR9URAkLUAJ9H1Hb2KMbdSIy6B5VPfR6jYe45gwCdHah6
CTAONGEhx/vpAnefmLmwFpU=
=uzK0
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
