"that maximizes the profit will also maximize the quality of life"
I don't think anyone have said that, thats why we have antitrust laws and such things.
BUT, profits and that people have work (profit is neccesary for this to happen) is very important to quality of live in general.
If you take a look at the old communist countries you will find that they are very poor and the people living there are in misary. This is what happens without companies and revenue.
It's not about giving companies god-given rights to do whatever they want to but to make a balanced society that can give it's citizens a good life.
"I don't know if you can consider dotcoms engineering. "
I have to say that you do have a point there.
However, programmers are engineers and most programmers I know are 100% clueless when it comes to economic realities (for example the simple fact that you must make money).
"But it's not just engineers... it's rock stars, actors, directors, and whoever "
Agreed, however, I must say that engineers is general and most of all programmers often are amazingly clueless.
Just take a look at the Sistina (Global File System) discussion, thats really bizzare! All they really do is to start charge people who DO use their product, the most basic thing in the world and a must for ANY bussiness that take resposibility for it's existance and the people who work in it (who have bills to pay). They get bashed here on slashdot that have mostly admins and programmers as readers, they simple doesn't have a clue.
It's like saying, there can be companies but they shouldn't be allowed to make money. It's just impossible.
Lets take a look at the facts here ladies and gentlemens.
A bunch of geeks with no realistic views on reality when it comes to economics goes to the venture capitalists and gets loads of $$$. This money goes down the drain because there is basically no revenue coming in (atleast when it comes to dotcoms and open source companies).
Now, those same geeks are complaining ON THOSE VERY SAME VENTURE CAPITALISTS?!?!
After all, THEY are the ones who have lost BILLIONS because geeks have played around with their money without taking any responsibility what to ever!!!
"the law simply does not apply to them in the same way it does to say you or me or our much smaller companies"
Is that so...
"cooked evidence in a trial the way Microsoft has"
Microsoft has used it's monopoly in one area (os) to gain a monopoly in another area (browser). They have also gone to far in their OEM EULA. This is what they have done.
However, they haven't cooked evidence, killed the president etc.
That is untrue, public money mostly goes to "wide" knowledge of the human body and deceases. Very rarly specific deceases and possibly cures. It's aimed as better understanding whats going on in the body.
The public work is important as a ground for those companies but it it's a substitute by any means.
If we take away patents, we take away those companies possibility to develop new drugs.
Slashdot Mirror
Since when is lesser competition a good thing?
"as we work as a community, we can fight as a community. And through the grassroots power of the Internet, together we can advance the cause..."
I guess this really means: _You_ should work for free and give us good stuff we can sell so that _we_ can get rich.
What kind of loser attitude it that? Really?!
Ofcause it's possible to get somewhere in life!
"that maximizes the profit will also maximize the quality of life"
I don't think anyone have said that, thats why we have antitrust laws and such things.
BUT, profits and that people have work (profit is neccesary for this to happen) is very important to quality of live in general.
If you take a look at the old communist countries you will find that they are very poor and the people living there are in misary. This is what happens without companies and revenue.
It's not about giving companies god-given rights to do whatever they want to but to make a balanced society that can give it's citizens a good life.
"I don't know if you can consider dotcoms engineering. "
I have to say that you do have a point there.
However, programmers are engineers and most programmers I know are 100% clueless when it comes to economic realities (for example the simple fact that you must make money).
Take a look at the slashdot crowd.
"But it's not just engineers... it's rock stars, actors, directors, and whoever "
Agreed, however, I must say that engineers is general and most of all programmers often are amazingly clueless.
Just take a look at the Sistina (Global File System) discussion, thats really bizzare! All they really do is to start charge people who DO use their product, the most basic thing in the world and a must for ANY bussiness that take resposibility for it's existance and the people who work in it (who have bills to pay). They get bashed here on slashdot that have mostly admins and programmers as readers, they simple doesn't have a clue.
It's like saying, there can be companies but they shouldn't be allowed to make money. It's just impossible.
Lets take a look at the facts here ladies and gentlemens.
A bunch of geeks with no realistic views on reality when it comes to economics goes to the venture capitalists and gets loads of $$$. This money goes down the drain because there is basically no revenue coming in (atleast when it comes to dotcoms and open source companies).
Now, those same geeks are complaining ON THOSE VERY SAME VENTURE CAPITALISTS?!?!
After all, THEY are the ones who have lost BILLIONS because geeks have played around with their money without taking any responsibility what to ever!!!
"bla bla bla...They should sell service and support.... bla bla bla"
"bla bla bla...We should be free man...bla bla bla"
Haven't you people noticed the stock massacre that have taken place the last couple of years? It's NOT because those companies makes to much money.
Loki just "don't get it".
It's about freedom maaaaaan, don't enslave me!
They should open source their products and sell support for them, require freedom!!!
(this post is a joke if someone didn't get that).
How is it with openssh?
"want to start putting it on all "
Want to? These is the police force, they are in the bussiness of hunting criminals.
If refusing is helping catching bad guys, I'm all for it.
"the law simply does not apply to them in the same way it does to say you or me or our much smaller companies"
Is that so...
"cooked evidence in a trial the way Microsoft has"
Microsoft has used it's monopoly in one area (os) to gain a monopoly in another area (browser). They have also gone to far in their OEM EULA. This is what they have done.
However, they haven't cooked evidence, killed the president etc.
Why not stay with the facts?
Gcc isn't really that good, have you looked at the objectcode is produces?
Atleast on x86 it works, on most other platforms it produces *wrong* code sometimes.
$500 for a good compiler is a worthy investment.
"$399-499"
That is really cheap for a good compiler.
Aren't they? Microsoft is doing great, so is Oracle and so is most software development companies with real working bussinessmodels.
Microsoft has only lost a few percentage of their stockvalue this year, that must be a record in the IT-sector.
There are several companies making aids drugs.
Haven't you noticed that the open source companies is-not-doing-so-great? Filing for bancruptsy is a bad thing you know.
This is not at all a issue about money over lives. It's about do we want more drugs in the future or don't we?
I think they simply want what others have invested huge $$$ in for free. It's just as simple as that.
Mod the parent up, very informative.
Mod this one up.
Right on point.
Producing the drug is cheap.
The research that made it possible is expensive.
When it comes to drugs the costs are typically not in it's production but in the research&development that made it possible.
Manufacturing is often just some spare-money when you compare the costs.
English is not my native language, is that a crime?
That is untrue, public money mostly goes to "wide" knowledge of the human body and deceases. Very rarly specific deceases and possibly cures. It's aimed as better understanding whats going on in the body.
The public work is important as a ground for those companies but it it's a substitute by any means.
If we take away patents, we take away those companies possibility to develop new drugs.
"Patents == People Dying of AIDS"
No, patents == Possibility to put down billions in research and development to fight the decease.