[ILUG] Re: ILUG sends s/w patents briefing document to Irish MEPs

[Paul O'Malley]

Joseph Kiniry wrote:
[moderate snipping :)]

>
>
> Also, how often do you believe that serious modern "for profit" 
> software development does not require significant capital?
>

The crux of that statement is as follows.
Your question after some reduction can reasonably end up as "Is the FOSS 
and in particular Linux a valid development model?"
The capital and rights models are totally different for FOSS and 
proprietary software as is the security model. Yet another interesting 
point to make about this is IBM HP Novell Mandrakesoft. The Microsoft 
model is as far as I can see anyway a dead one.

Let me answer that question with a question.

Name a job that FOSS can't do? It has answered the desktop question by 
asking "is Microsoft ready for the desktop?". It has answered the 
server, the big number crunching, the embedded device, it is everywhere.
If you need software written pay someone to write it, or write it yourself.

Would there be an Internet if Linux did not exist, I think not .
Until TCP/IP there were many different methods for one machine to not to 
talk another TCP/IP cut across that and provided a platform which became 
the industry standard as users did not have to pay an entry tax.

Have fun,

Paul