[simply marvelous]

"It doesn't matter whether you love what you are doing and consider this the hobby you want to spend 110% of your time on: It's exploitation by companies who are not at all interested in creating stuff. They want to use your stuff for free"


On the other side, it's used by many who aren't in corporations and find it refreshing to have an alternative which doesn't cost an arm and a leg.


Take for example Open Office, which is an excellent suite of programs which can do almost everything that Microsoft Office can. The difference however is $344.99, the price that MS Office costs. The developers of Open Office have offered consumers the ability to use a free alternative. Who is being hurt here, a consumer who doesn't have to pay hundreds of dollars for software; or a multibillion dollar corporation?

[Psycho_Bunny]

"Take for example Open Office, which is an excellent suite of programs which can do almost everything that Microsoft Office can."

I work with both, in depth: You're wrong.

[GeorgiaFreeper]

to simply marvelous:
No one is really being hurt. If someone wants to invest their personal blood, sweat and tears developing software and giving it away for free that is their business...

I do not prefer to work that way. My wife, children, mortage company, etc. would not understand why the bills were not getting paid so that I can contribute to some nebulous "greater good".

to per loin:
But refer to that people who prefer to be rewarded for their work as "whores" is going a little far...

[r9etb]

Who is being hurt here, a consumer who doesn't have to pay hundreds of dollars for software; or a multibillion dollar corporation?

You're basically assuming (which is never a good idea) that the Open Office software is going to be maintained forever, and maintained reliably.....

At some point -- probably long before year 10 -- some fellow is going to wonder why he's working so hard to keep Open Office up-to-date, for free. That is, if he can still afford to pay for his on-line time.