Re: Octave fior Android Requires Payment

[John Frain]

On 20 May 2014 14:33, Nicholas Jankowski <address@hidden> wrote:
> On Tue, May 20, 2014 at 9:21 AM, Nicholas Jankowski <address@hidden>
> wrote:
>>

>
> Checked out the app page. it's listed as a free app. no mention of a free
> trial. but it does specify:
>
> "Offers in-app purchases"
> "A fee is required for the use of this app, but you pay what you want/what
> you can."
>
> So it seems to follow the letter of the law for the Play Store. Now, the
> question is: does the user experience match what it states. From the earlier
> conversation it seems that you can download it for free, try it for a little
> while, then after that you have to pay for use. I guess that could be
> spelled out more explicitly in the main app description. Or, if it doesn't
> already, maybe the nag screen could spell out the terms a bit more
> completely.
>
> As everyone else has said, should be no direct GPL issue here. Anyone else
> is free to recompile and offer up their own version gratis. But he's also
> free to ask for compensation for his labor. Just because we're used to
> getting free software for free doesn't mean it's always that way.
>
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>

I have been using Octave for Android under the previous and current
contribution schemes.  In effect I had made a contribution under the
earlier scheme and a second $1 contribution under the new scheme when
I changed my google id. I found the description of the payments on the
google play store very clear and was under no illusion as to what was
being done. If you read it the conditions are there.

In one respect I have benefited from the current debate. I decided to
look again at the material on the google play store and discovered the
GNURoot and GNURoot Wheezy free apps. These allow the installation of
a Debian Wheezy system.  I have not worked out the limitations of this
system but it is possible to install a working R system on Android.
These applications extend the functionality of an android machine.
Corbin is to be thanked for this work.


John