OpenEuphoria

Re: GPL

• Posted by Steve Mosher <goat at DEVIL.ISN.NET> Feb 25, 2000
• 389 views

So basically, you don't want anyone taking profit from you with your
own product. This makes sense. But, there's a scenerio where it's actually more
profitable to allow that to happen. If the OSS process makes your product worth
more than what it currently is, then there's more money going around. Let's say
there's a 5-way split, and suddenly 5 companies (including RDS) are making money
from your product. If the added value takes it beyond 5x then you've profited
-- and you've done less work because netwide developers have been doing your
work for you.
        I'm not saying that this is how it will work out, but this is where the
advantage lies, that truely great projects will grow far greater than the
sum that original developer and the added coders could each have done alone.
That's why Linux has made people millions of dollars despite that the source is
free.

> Essentially, the RDS legal department  would not
> allow you to distribute the source, or compete directly
> with RDS on the platforms that RDS already has. You
> could make enhancements for your own use, but you
> could not distribute an enhanced version of Euphoria,
> unless it was for a non-RDS platform.
>
> Provided people played by the rules, it might work out ok.
> Enforcing the rules could be a problem.
>
> Regards,
>    Rob Craig
>    Rapid Deployment Software
>    http://www.RapidEuphoria.com