RE: [Fsfe-uk] NCC Filetab for Linux

[Tom Weiss]

> 
> The best thing for Free Software supporters to do is to support
creation
> of
> Free Software tools that can do the tasks you need to do on GNU/Linux
(or
> maybe elsewhere).  If you have to pay for that, so be it.  Surely it's
a
> better investment than proprietary?
[Tom Weiss says] 

Agreed.

However, there is a significant change required in the way the IT
industry works before the businesses that make money out of proprietary
software can make money out of free software. I am a great believer in
the commercial models for free software, but also sympathise with the
companies that need to change their business models to accommodate the
new approach.

To many businesses, it is simply not viable - either within the
organisation, or to their investors - to release their software under an
OSI/FSF license. For another set of organisations, their software is too
spaghetti-ised to be worth issuing under such a license. Sensibly
community development requires not only the appropriate licensing, but
also a high level of object orientation and a stable technical
architecture.

If an organisation is therefore faced with a desire to be involved in
free software, but not yet ready to make its software freely available
is it not a good step to produce a cost-free version that runs on Linux?

As I see it if NCC is successful in it's release of Filetab for Linux,
then some - possibly many - of their NT users will port to Linux in
order to take advantage of the cost-free release of FileTab. This in
itself will increase the uptake of Linux, and as such, free software. It
is a weak argument to suggest that Filetab for Linux will hinder the
progress of free reporting projects, because Filetab's strong brand name
will mean that most users would rather pay for the NT version that use a
free competitor.

When any major vendor announces a release of software for Linux, I
believe that the community response should be to welcome them with open
arms, offering as much assistance as is needed to help them release it
to the community in the future as part of a FSF/OSI licensed project.

t.