<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Aug 7, 2006, at 10:00 AM, Stefan Monnier wrote:</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">In any case, making a living by selling a program (as opposed to services</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">around that program) is a difficult business.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><DIV>Making a living writing and selling programs for use by a wide audience is one thing. But there is a lot of money to be made by developers who really understand a complex niche market (assuming the niche is actually populated by customers who need and can pay for the product). And the GPL absolutely gets in the way of that. Because what you're really selling in that kind of market is software as an instantiation of business expertise.</DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Maybe you should thank the FSF for making you doubt: you should really think</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">very hard about how you're going to make a living off of selling a program,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">even if that program hasn't been anywhere near any GPL'd code.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>In all</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">likelihood it'll be much easier to earn your money by selling services</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">around your program than just the program itself.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Selling services is much easier if you can tie the services to IP that you own exclusively. It can also double your firm's daily rate on related services. And the economics of selling product (the program) can be MUCH better, assuming people want to use the program. If they don't, then you don't have a service business either.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I'm not making (or getting involved in) the moral argument about free or open software. I will point out that the current good health of Haskell owes a great deal to Microsoft through the computer scientists they employ. I'm sure Haskell has benefitted from the largesse of other companies as well.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Reilly </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>