Re: Question about programming and project management

Ikke said:

<snip>

It's a hobby project, but should it evolve into something we'd like
to be able to sell it. You can't sell stuff you've already thrown
away.

Open Source is not throw away. There is no prohibition against
selling open source software as long as you choose the proper
lisence. Pick one that works for your business model.

I know. But I consider handing out code that has cost you time and
thus money, for nothing to be throwing away code.

Consider it an investment in society, from which society as a whole will
benefit. If you doubt the value of such investments, consider the fact
that nobody here is charging you money for answering your questions. So
you are benefiting from other people's investing of their expertise.


You can choose licenses as much as you want, but there is no open
source license that supports closed source. So there won't be one that
suits our model.

Besides, licenses can't protect code - if we open source our code and
someone uses it, and makes a profit from it, that's our loss.

No, sir, it isn't - it's their profit, and no skin off your nose. Who
loses, for example, from the fact that we are answering your questions
here without charging you?

Look, if you don't want to go Open Source, that's fine, nobody is
forcing you to do that - but your thinking about Open Source is very
muddled.

If these are really concerns of yours you are probably going to
have to host it yourself or pay someone else to host it.

I'm beginning to fear for it. On the other hand, we could also just
use SF and remove the project upon 99% completion. I'll have to have
a look at their TOS etc...

Do not do that. Sourceforge is free for open source projects because
that is what they want to support. If everyone did as suggest it
would not work out so well. If you do not want it to be open source,
for whatever reason, do not misrepresent yourself to Sourceforge.

Then it's up to SourceForce to stop this potential behaviour. Not me.

No, sir. It's up to you to behave like a responsible adult. If you are
not one such, then I suggest you return to your sandpit.

I would suggest that if that is the type of ethics you have you are
not
likely to make it very far in the business environment if you do
decide to sell it.

Possibly. Nobody ever got rich following rules, though...

Enjoy prison.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
.

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