Re: is free, open source software ethical?

In article 
<303cba1b-b991-4b9f-a22c-aaa32634a8ed@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
 mike3 <mike4ty4@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> On Mar 4, 12:25 pm, Ron Garret <rNOSPA...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > In article <QK-dnWj3R9L6BlDanZ2dnUVZ8vKdn...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> >  Richard Heathfield <r...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >
> > > > Is it not the ethical equivalent of dumping?
> >
> > > I don't see why. What you call "dumping" was a medium term strategy
for
> > > profit maximisation. Open Source is generally a "goodness of their
hearts"
> > > phenomenon. People give their software away because they want other
people
> > > to be able to share it. They don't do it to make a profit. (Or at
least,
> > > if they do, they need to have a think about their pricing!)
> >
> > Not that I really want to fan these off-topic flames, but this is just
> > factually incorrect.  People generally do not write open-source
software
> > out of altruism.  They do it because they are hoping for some form of
> > compensation, like the ability to use other people's open-source
> > software, professional recognition and respect, or monetary
compensation
> > in the form of employment, contracts, or investments in some
commercial
> > venture.  Whether this motivation is wise or ethical is a separate
> > question, but the fact is that most open-source developers do have a
> > profit motive, even if only indirectly.
> >
> 
> Then you should perhaps concentrate on Free software, not "Open
> Source", which are different things. (Although Free software is
> also "open source", "open source" need not be "Free software".)
> Free software _is_ about freedom (although it might be about
> business as well, freedom is the main issue.). Open Source is about
> business.

But even Free Software (in the sense that Richard Stallman uses the 
term) isn't written out of altruism, it's written out of a desire for 
personal freedom.  And indeed using Free Software (in the RMS sense) 
comes with a significant cost, to wit, the requirement that any 
derivative works also be Free Software.  So even Free Software is a 
market exchange, and its authors are compensated.  The only difference 
is that the compensation comes in a form other than cash because the 
authors of Free Software don't want cash, they want freedom.  But there 
is no altruism involved.

rg