Comments on: The Importance of Being Earnest http://blog.cheyer.biz/2007/08/09/the-importance-of-being-earnest/ It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt” — Lincoln, Twain, et al. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:09:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: lucmars http://blog.cheyer.biz/2007/08/09/the-importance-of-being-earnest/#comment-2212 lucmars Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:14:48 +0000 http://blog.cheyer.biz/2007/08/09/the-importance-of-being-earnest/#comment-2212 @Sheeri "*not everyone understands open source*" Do you mean to fool some entrepeneurs ? Unfortunately, most of the people understand open source and free software as nothing to pay at all. @Sheeri
“*not everyone understands open source*”
Do you mean to fool some entrepeneurs ? Unfortunately, most of the people understand open source and free software as nothing to pay at all.

]]> By: Sheeri http://blog.cheyer.biz/2007/08/09/the-importance-of-being-earnest/#comment-2206 Sheeri Tue, 14 Aug 2007 19:02:33 +0000 http://blog.cheyer.biz/2007/08/09/the-importance-of-being-earnest/#comment-2206 <I>But customers aren’t paying for bits. The bits are Free Software and infinitely re-distributable, so there isn’t any money to be made by trying to make bits appear part of the sale.</I> Sure there is. Plenty of business owners want to use software that has a monetary component to it, because their feeling is that if it's free it's not worth it. That's changing, but slowly, and not completely. After all, if *you* are a business owner, and you have great free software, it doesn't make business sense to give it away for free. (yes, I know the arguments. But try telling that to entrepeneurs, who see open source as akin to renting a building for free and having the rentors pay for all the utilities and repairs and maintenance on the building. It just doesn't make business sense to them) Anyway, there is a point in charging for the bits, but not to folks who understand open source. What we have to realize is that *not everyone understands open source*. But customers aren’t paying for bits. The bits are Free Software and infinitely re-distributable, so there isn’t any money to be made by trying to make bits appear part of the sale.

Sure there is. Plenty of business owners want to use software that has a monetary component to it, because their feeling is that if it’s free it’s not worth it. That’s changing, but slowly, and not completely. After all, if *you* are a business owner, and you have great free software, it doesn’t make business sense to give it away for free.

(yes, I know the arguments. But try telling that to entrepeneurs, who see open source as akin to renting a building for free and having the rentors pay for all the utilities and repairs and maintenance on the building. It just doesn’t make business sense to them)

Anyway, there is a point in charging for the bits, but not to folks who understand open source. What we have to realize is that *not everyone understands open source*.

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