Bassem wroteWhere does something cease to be an idea and become a product worth paying for, in your opinion?
- A product is material, tangible. It can break, get old, get repaired. For example a book is a product. Its content is not.
- A product can be used the way I want. Its use cannot be forced upon me by its creator. For example if I want to use a really fashionable cup like an ahstray, the cup maker cannot forbid me to do so.
- I can sell back a product I bought. If I bought it, I am allowed to resell it. It's not the case for DRM'd media.
- A product can be modified the way I want. That's not the case with intellectual property today (can you reproduce a song by changing a simple verse without dealing with copyright issues?)
By your logic, do you give away your software solutions for free to your clients? (I'm assuming you're a developer, I don't really know)
Yes I do. You probably heard of Open Source. Actually most of my code comes from code that IS given away by others for free. It only feels natural that I give my software back. I work for a bank, I maintain a software that is used internally. There's no selling process involved. If I were self-employed, I wouldn't sell the software, rather sell my
time. That means providing services like install, maintenance, support, training, ... (Just like a musician sells his time by performing).
I give away my drawings for free, I like seeing people use them for their website, print them for their walls, tattoo them. Someone tattooed a drawing of mine! I thought that was so cool. I didn't mind.
Once I complete any games or music I'm working on, I'd like to give them away for free as well.
But I know that I'd also like to develop certain software, or games, and sell them at a price. People don't have to buy. That will be my problem, not theirs.
Allowing copy and modification of your idea does not mean that you couldn't make money out of it.
Do you think all software should be for free? All games, apps, Adobe suites, and so on and so forth?
Yes, and for a greater cause. Software is usually the result of lots of research, man hours put into building this. It would be great if anyone was allowed to modify it. Think about it this way:
Windows is a masterpiece of software development. The people who worked on it might very well be the best software scientists of the planet (actually Microsoft has one of the most selective hiring process in the industry, and they're known for it). Unfortunately today, the only people allowed to exploit this wealth and build upon it are Microsoft themselves. Wouldn't it be better if
anyone could simply grab this wealth and add his own knowledge? Wouldn't it drive
human knowledge forth?
Some people have a sweet setup where they volunteer their code to open source software, and make money from selling books, and giving lectures (to follow the singer/concert logic.) But aren't those ideas too?
Look at my definition of a product (vs an idea). A book is a product, its content is not. A lecture is a
performance. The idea would be what was said in the conference. What would happen if the content of a conference was copyrighted and no one was allowed to reproduce it.
I don't know if I'm making myself clear enough. Simply put here it goes:
We reached today means of sharing ideas faster than ever before. It opens a door for global collaboration on human research. It's a pity that we are still limiting this process. Businesses who will try to fight it (by pushing copyright and patents issues) are doomed to lose in the end. It is up to every professional to understand the world we live in and how to take advantage of it.
I also want to fight the idea that if ideas were given away for free, people wouldn't work anymore. Copyright laws are here to motivate creativity. That is absolutely incorrect. The Open Source showed it again and again.
Finally, I'm sorry we're moving away from the original thread (although the deviation is not that great). I simply find the discussion interesting and worth discussing. If it's ok with the original poster, I would even encourage people to participate in our little "aparte".