Lorgor

I just read an interesting entry from Windows-Now.com (while I running Windows-Vista ).  There are groups of interesting people that talking about free software and that is ALL software for FREE, while the face is for FEE. Robert McLaws as always have interesting point of view. After read the comment made by edge:

Have you anytime made a gift to unknown people? Why not? Do you know the meaning of Donation?. Do you know about people who perhaps cannot pay for software? Why denegate them the goodnes of learn and even play?. Do you know about liberty?. Perhaps some people just prefers to be loons than egoists… Yes this people who gives their time to others also need to eat, but there are other ways to get money even through liberty.

 I am in doubted about this idealistic view and more to religion or it was a school time thinking.  I honestly say, I was in a poor country and most of thing relatively cheap and when I need to buy a software it almost painful to me. Imagine that I spent 50 Thai Bath (a bit more than 1 $US) for my daily life and my total budget for a moth is 7000 Bath (190$ US). If I which to buy Windows Vista Ultimate (to fit of that I have to use), the price is my 2 moths. Also this may use to explain why there are high percentage of piracy on the developing country, but that is other story.   

My simply thinking is that software is just like anything else in your life. If you want to feed (not RSS or Atom) your seed to pay for it.  If you need some car that use in daily life you have to pay for it. So, how many things in your life that you never pay for it before you can use or have it. Software is the same.

I my brain is sill good enough, Bill Gates is already said that software companies pay their Tax. That means money you send for software is send back to you in indirectly ways. That is a small part of it.  While McLaws said the developer need some money form their work to feed their families. I wish to point to other two thing:

1. Recently, there is the news floating around Internet that for Windows Vista alone Microsoft had to spent about 10 billions $ US. We not talking about accuracy and time they spent, but my question is how they get that amount of money for developing a high quality software? Is there a way from other source? How people donate such amount of money? Money is a part of factor that drive innovation, isn’t it?
2. Then, thinking about Open Source. It sound sweet but let’s see the fact they face:
   • Linux is one of good example. They develop it and people freely to use, to distribute and develop. But what we have seen in nowday? Most of them metaphor to other shape. They may now have suite with limit set of features for free download and use (I don’t care about support, even Microsoft need to pay so much on phone fee for user). Then, commercial version and enterprise version or even Plus, all of this you need to pay for it. So, what is going on here?
   • Mozilla Firefox, a trendily famous web browser. At the beginning they get enough donation for NewYork Time page (please remind if that NY Time or Woshing post). But the fact of the need for driving development donation is not enough. That is they reason lead them to check thier hands with Google (not only their self thinking) same enemy.
3. The most simple thing. You do your job for (making) money and your company sell the result of your work for getting money to pay you.

Is this enough to say why not ALL software is for FREE but some need to be FEE?  I am not a representative of software companies but behalf of poor people who understand that need (but more good to become cheaper or free is excellent).