Re: Where information comes from
Information is _NOT_ free (in any sense). Take TECHWR-L,
for example.
This sounds like a good place for a clarification I've been longing to make for a couple of days.
The meaning of "free" is often widely misinterpreted when discussing these matters. When the Free Software Foundation or the Open Source Movement uses the word "free," they are not talking about free in the financial sense. Many people in these movements see nothing wrong with making money from free software, and even more would concede - with some reluctance - that, so long as we have our economic system, you need a return on your efforts to survive. However, the fact that the software that such groups produce is available for free is not the most important aspect of it. When members of these groups use "free," they mean (as they put it) "free as in 'freedom.'" In other words, they are advocating a philosophical or political position, and saying that information should be freely available or usable. Clearly, these groups are not terribly concerned with business - but, then, many academics hold a similar position, so the stance is not that unusual. But when they talk about information being "free," they are definitely not talking money (or "free as in 'beer,'" as they sometimes say).
Interestingly enough, in last years' Napster debates, two of the leading figures in these movements, Linus Torvalds, who developed the Linux kernel, and Larry Wall, who developed the Perl language, came out strongly in favor of respecting intellectual property rights. Both might prefer that they didn't exist, but both stressed that making information free should be voluntary, and that piracy was not a substitution for voluntary action.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"At poolside picnics they chant for Ferraris and furs
Their muscle tone sharpens but their hold on reality blurs
You can have your cake and eat it, & never have to puke up a thing,
Jerusalem on the jukebox, little angels beat your wings."
-Richard Thompson, "Jerusalem on the Jukebox"
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References:
Where information comes from: From: Eric J. Ray
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