Dave, I applaud your attempt to "engage your customers" here, but I
don't think most people here are actually customers, or even potential
customers. Then add in the futility of trying to explain why you want to
charge money for your hard work to a bunch of people who expect that
"software should be set free". Free software is a fad. Not in the sense
that it will one day disappear.... there will always be talented people
who want to work on public-domain programs. It's a fad in the sense that
large (and small) organizations think that they're going to make money
on it while giving it away. Sun Microsystems changed their stock market
symbol to Java, and paid US$ 1 billion for mySQL, which is freeware (but
also has a version that they charge for). Sun, in the current poor
economic climate, is currently shrinking into insignificance. Why?
Because they're trying to change their business model in mid-stream, but
they haven't yet figured out how to make a living out of giving software
away.... it doesn't seem to inspire folks to buy their expensive
hardware.
The point being that, despite those who feel religious on the topic,
"free software" is an oxymoron.
I understand the problems that you are going through. Many attempts to
prevent piracy make the legitimate purchasers feel inconvenienced, or
worse. I don't have a better answer than the one you are trying. This is
also part of a changing business model... the change to electronic
distribution. I won't bore you all with my thoughts here, but will just
point out that many "intellectual property" companies, including the
entire music and movie industries, are wrestling with this one. Lots of
"creative destruction" here.... and it puts lots of people out of work.
What you're trying to do is to surf on top of the rampant changes in the
Internet age. I wish you well.
Good luck with your venture. I think sales will probably pick up in a
short while (few months, maybe) when people aren't feeling so stressed
financially.
Don't sweat what people in here say too much. I'm sure you're aware that
the Usenet is for arguing, just for the sake of arguing, many times.
-- Gohst
-----Original Message-----
From: ***@smart-games.com [mailto:***@smart-games.com]
Posted At: Thursday, November 13, 2008 11:35 AM
Posted To: rec.games.go
Conversation: Share why you buy or not Many Faces of Go
Subject: Re: Share why you buy or not Many Faces of Go
Post by -Better to sell while you can and stop insulting this community.
Give it a rest, Jeff. The guy's just trying to make a living from his
work in an environment of rapidly shifting software business models.
If he's made a mistake by restricting the license, he'll pay the
normal entrepreneur's price.
Well, no. David Fotland worked with Hewlitt Packard and
does Many Faces of Go on the side. This observation is not
in any way intended to denigrate the commendable contribution
David Fotland offers. An inherent problem with such license
restrictions concerns that potential animosity generated by the
pirating community who will not hesitate to teach him a lesson.
Did David Fotland detect MY serialized version in public domain?
Thanks Roy. I'm not restrciting the license in any way,
If what Dave argues is true, and the best option, then support from
Roy is not required. You are now restricting its license: admit it.
The version 11 license allowed you to run the program on two
machines.
False. Installation for v.11 may occur on -multiple- machines.
The new license is the same. All I'm doing is enforcing the existing
license with a key, because I have plenty of evidence that there was
massive piracy of version 11.
We, here, were not contributors to piracy of version 11. I took
your words to heart, concerning redistribution, and did not distribute!
For this you "reward" us with presumption of guilty before innocent.
As far as the sailboat analogy, I don't see it any different from only
having loaded the software on one laptop and having it die. If you
take two laptops with you and want Many Faces on both, just ask me
for another key. I'm not going to hassle anyone who wants a new key,
since people change computers all the time, and almost everyone is
trustworthy.
Having dealt with sailors on those sailboats their solution is not
quite so neat and tidy. There is no cheap internet when at sea.
i don't understand the logic of someone saying in essence :" I admit
I'm a software pirate, so please don't insult me by assuming I'm going
to pirate your software".
I don't know who said that. Version 3.0 was mailed to me, and
so I evaluated it. I was not any pirate. I wiped off all of the stones
from Version 3.0, even after giving it a 9-stone handicap, so one
problem here concerns misrepresentation that it was a Go Program.
David earned money from it, but Version 3.0 did -NOT- "play Go."
However Version 3.0 was useful for beginners who might become
discouraged by Go Programs that defeat them. The same might be
said of Leela Lite. I also remind you that Version 3.0 was included
in hpux as standard fare, so don't go running to mommy anymore.
Having evaluated version 3.0 was my INCENTIVE to purchase v.11.
My experience is that go players as a group are very trustworthy.
The number of people who would distribute my code to others for
free is very low. But it does happen. I wish piracy wasn't so common,
since it makes software less convenient for everyone by requiring
something like this license.
Ironically, the people with whom you are communicating here
are not your pirates. By assuming that they are, however, you
have reduced this Go Community at large to unwitting accomplices
to your unwarranted presumption of guilt. Therein lies your insult.
Pretty soon there will be a version availble that uses internet check-
in licensing rather than a key per machine. That might be a more
acceptable licensing model.
Are you out of your mind? There is no internet checking
like that, from a sailboat, during an ocean crossing. Suppose
no internet is available? Obviously you're not thinking clearly.
- regards
- jb
--------------------------------------------------------
Quartic reciprocityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartic_reciprocity
--------------------------------------------------------
Hi jb,
I'm sorry I called you a pirate. I was reponding to your use of the
term: "I did purchase MFG v11 after having for many years borrowed a
pirate copy of MFG v3". You used this as a free evaulation.
The v11 license is quite simple and clear. It's printed on the inisde
of your CD case "You are licensed to install this software on up to
two computers in your household only". The version 12 license is the
same.
Version 11 is not serialized so I have no way to know who is violating
the license by providing it free for download. Please believe me when
I say that I know that almost everyone is honest, and is not violating
the license. I do not presume any of you are gulty of this. I'm just
trying to stop the few people who fell they have the right to violate
a license agreement they have freeley entered into. I am in no way
assuming that you are pirates.
Regards,
David