[CS-FSLUG] NI: How Linux Could Overthrow Microsoft

["國產 Wei-Yee Chan (Made in Chinar)"]

Don Parris wrote:

> I'd like to make one correction to the article. The author states:
>
>"Proprietary software is licensed, not sold, with severe accompanying
>restrictions on copying or modification. This scheme was not devised
>by fools. It reduces piracy, rewards risk, and allows vendors to
>enforce compatibility. And when a proprietary vendor controls industry
>standards, it generates fantastic amounts of money; Microsoft alone
>has created about ten thousand millionaires through employee stock
>options."
>
>The fact is that proprietary software does not "reduce" "piracy" (that
>should be copyright infringement) - it drives it.  I would say it
>causes copyright infringement, but that is incorrect.  People cause
>copyright infringement.  Even so, the very fact that it is proprietary
>makes the infringement all the more likely.  It is difficult to
>infringe upon rights someone else has already granted.  IMO, libre
>licenses reduce the possibility - or better - the so-called
>"necessity" of infringement.
>
>Don
>  
>
Possibly, what he meant was that people with existing data based on
proprietary formats who cannot afford constant upgrades might be forced
into practising piracy.  It took almost a day for me to convert all my
MS office files to Open Office formats.  I believe it'd be a much harder
task for companies.