Thread: Abiword, Gnumeric for ITOS 2006
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2006-08-01 , 16:18
Posts: 283 | Thanked: 60 times | Joined on Nov 2005 @ It's dark in here. I hear laughing.
#10
Originally Posted by Karel Jansens
That is a crappy argument and actually harmful to Open Source. That applications like Abiword or Gnumeric are free of charge, was a choice of the developers, not a demand of the users. This choice by no means gives those developers some special status or absolves them from justified nagging from users (yes, I'm perfectly aware that I'm nagging; there's nothing else I can do).
Asking, bothering, nagging is all good. Demanding something for nothing is not.

Originally Posted by Karel Jansens
Point is: both Abiword and Gnumeric were released very shortly after the release of the Nokia 770 and now, after the release of ITOS 2006, they seem to have disappeared without any explanation or excuse. This is not very nice behaviour towards users, and users of open software are by no means different from users of closed software.
I believe the point is that both Abiword and Gnumeric were released for ITOS 2005. While it may not be "nice" of them not to continue support, the authors can do what they want with the software. There is no implied contract for upgrades or new versions or even bug fixes. Read the license agreements.

Originally Posted by Karel Jansens
What your remark does, is basically make people think twice about adopting open software. You see, I don't choose open source because it doesn't cost me money, and if open source implies -- as you state -- that I shut up and be quietly grateful for whatever I get, then I'd rather pay someone money to get what I want, whatever the state of the sources.
The benefit of open software is community and, through that community, quality. That community is fostered by sharing of source, comments, discussion, and expertise. That community is broken down by those who demand things from the developers. If people don't like that premise, then they should pay money to someone they can yell at to get what they want.

And if you can't contribute to that community, then -- yeah -- you should shut up and be grateful for whatever you get.

-F