Comments on: Bill Gates and the importance of source code http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/ Freedom is the right of all sentient beings Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:18:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Tel http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-357 Tel Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:26:09 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-357 Actually, Bill Gates had no legal rights whatsoever to accuse the Altair hobbyists of anything. Software was not protected by US Copyright law until 1980 and software could not be patented in the US until 1981. There seems to be a strange idea that our current set of laws is somehow an eternal fixture stretching to infinity in both the past and the future. The truth is that people like Bill Gates (and others) put pressure on the lawmakers to build a set of laws that suited themselves. Bill Gates created his own legal rights by a combination of money, influence and political pressure. Using similar methods, he managed to wriggle out of any punishment after being convicted as a monopolist in both US and Europe. Actually, Bill Gates had no legal rights whatsoever to accuse the Altair hobbyists of anything. Software was not protected by US Copyright law until 1980 and software could not be patented in the US until 1981.

There seems to be a strange idea that our current set of laws is somehow an eternal fixture stretching to infinity in both the past and the future. The truth is that people like Bill Gates (and others) put pressure on the lawmakers to build a set of laws that suited themselves. Bill Gates created his own legal rights by a combination of money, influence and political pressure. Using similar methods, he managed to wriggle out of any punishment after being convicted as a monopolist in both US and Europe.

]]> By: blog.techflaws.org http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-341 blog.techflaws.org Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:03:11 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-341 More on Gates' questionable ethics in this: http://www.vanwensveen.nl/rants/microsoft/IhateMS_1.html "From: 'Programmers at work', Microsoft Press, Redmond, WA [1986]: Interviewer: "Is studying computer science the best way to prepare to be a programmer?" Gates: "No, the best way to prepare is to write programs, and to study great programs that other people have written. In my case, I went to the garbage cans at the Computer Science Center and I fished out listings of their operating system." More on Gates’ questionable ethics in this:

http://www.vanwensveen.nl/rants/microsoft/IhateMS_1.html

“From: ‘Programmers at work’, Microsoft Press, Redmond, WA [1986]:
Interviewer: “Is studying computer science the best way to prepare to be a programmer?”
Gates: “No, the best way to prepare is to write programs, and to study great programs that other people have written. In my case, I went to the garbage cans at the Computer Science Center and I fished out listings of their operating system.”

]]> By: cadstarsucks http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-340 cadstarsucks Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:17:09 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-340 In response to #2: Why did you not point out the fact that what Billy complains about Altair hobbyists doing is exactly what he did to Unix to get "his" Basic in the first place? In response to #2:

Why did you not point out the fact that what Billy complains about Altair hobbyists doing is exactly what he did to Unix to get “his” Basic in the first place?

]]> By: Do as we say, but not as we did? « Spirit of Contradiction http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-338 Do as we say, but not as we did? « Spirit of Contradiction Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:51:01 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-338 [...] who have an understanding on how programming and the education of programmers work, that “Microsoft owes its very existence to this access to source code“. As this article points out: I don’t think the producers of the show realised the [...] […] who have an understanding on how programming and the education of programmers work, that “Microsoft owes its very existence to this access to source code“. As this article points out: I don’t think the producers of the show realised the […]

]]> By: Home User http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-334 Home User Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:12:01 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-334 I think image plays a big role in this sort of interview's so I am not that sure the source was really analyzed. Also every company uses a lot of public knowledge to function. Many are using different kinds op private knowledge. Sometimes this private knowledge doesn't consist only of things like marketing data or production processes but is a part of the sold product itself. I think image plays a big role in this sort of interview’s so I am not that sure the source was really analyzed.
Also every company uses a lot of public knowledge to function. Many are using different kinds op private knowledge. Sometimes this private knowledge doesn’t consist only of things like marketing data or production processes but is a part of the sold product itself.

]]> By: Donald http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-332 Donald Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:07:37 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-332 In response to #1, no one is questioning that people who wish to can keep their source code secret and can charge others for the privilege. But you notice that Bill Gates paid no one anything for access to the source code that gave him insight into fixing the system. He got it for free. Imagine if he could have had the source code, but only for $20,000. He would have kept tinkering without paying anyone, and the bugs would have been harder if not impossible to find and fix. In particular, almost all of Microsoft's code is really nothing special from a professional engineering standpoint. In fact, it mostly has no special technical merit. Its real value, to Microsoft and indeed to everyone else, is its ubiquity. This is really what they are charging you for. Why else would their even be a demand for SAMBA? And yet SAMBA has to do things the hard way, without the source code. In response to #1, no one is questioning that people who wish to can keep their source code secret and can charge others for the privilege. But you notice that Bill Gates paid no one anything for access to the source code that gave him insight into fixing the system. He got it for free. Imagine if he could have had the source code, but only for $20,000. He would have kept tinkering without paying anyone, and the bugs would have been harder if not impossible to find and fix.

In particular, almost all of Microsoft’s code is really nothing special from a professional engineering standpoint. In fact, it mostly has no special technical merit. Its real value, to Microsoft and indeed to everyone else, is its ubiquity. This is really what they are charging you for.

Why else would their even be a demand for SAMBA? And yet SAMBA has to do things the hard way, without the source code.

]]> By: Martin Visser http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-327 Martin Visser Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:04:17 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-327 Be under no misapprehension - Bill Gates never felt that a community was for anything other than capitalising from. He despised sharing of software from very early on. I remember hearing about this letter to Altair hobbyists that were stealing copies of his BASIC - http://www.digibarn.com/collections/newsletters/homebrew/V2_01/gatesletter.html Perfectly in his legal right of course. As for Marc's comments, clearly he doesn't regard as developing software (or otherwise contributing) to open-source projects and communities as an investment. For every hour I spend towards the community, I am the recepient of at least hundred back. Of course I can choose to not contribute and just use what every the community has provided, but that is my choice. Why do people volunteer for the rural fire service, or supporting older/younger people in their physical community for no monetary return - isn't the argument that Marc makes just as self-interested? Be under no misapprehension - Bill Gates never felt that a community was for anything other than capitalising from. He despised sharing of software from very early on. I remember hearing about this letter to Altair hobbyists that were stealing copies of his BASIC - http://www.digibarn.com/collections/newsletters/homebrew/V2_01/gatesletter.html Perfectly in his legal right of course.

As for Marc’s comments, clearly he doesn’t regard as developing software (or otherwise contributing) to open-source projects and communities as an investment. For every hour I spend towards the community, I am the recepient of at least hundred back. Of course I can choose to not contribute and just use what every the community has provided, but that is my choice. Why do people volunteer for the rural fire service, or supporting older/younger people in their physical community for no monetary return - isn’t the argument that Marc makes just as self-interested?

]]> By: Marc http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-326 Marc Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:12:06 +0000 http://www.dhanapalan.com/blog/2008/06/22/bill-gates-and-the-importance-of-source-code/#comment-326 I disagree. In any other industry there would be no question that a process that has had a lot of human though applied to it, such as source code is worth paying for. Just look at the controversy in Formula 1 spying row for an example of how businesses keep their blueprints secret (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6264904.stm). If people want to to give stuff away for free, then that's fine. However it's likely the company they work for during daytime hours charges for software, and paying their wages. I disagree. In any other industry there would be no question that a process that has had a lot of human though applied to it, such as source code is worth paying for. Just look at the controversy in Formula 1 spying row for an example of how businesses keep their blueprints secret (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6264904.stm).
If people want to to give stuff away for free, then that’s fine. However it’s likely the company they work for during daytime hours charges for software, and paying their wages.

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