Re: Free Lunches (was: OUTREACH 101)

Lee Daniel Crocker (lcrocker@mercury.colossus.net)
Tue, 16 Dec 1997 20:56:39 -0800 (PST)


> > In general I agree that this is true, but there are some extremely
> > notable exceptions. The one that pops to my mind is Linux,...
>
> But many people have VOLUNTEERED to pay it on behalf of everyone,...

The point of TANSTAAFL is much more specific: nothing is free
/even to the person for whom it is free/. Linux users who think
they get it for free are paying a very high price in learning
to use a more complex system, sacrificing the productivity of
lots of off-the-shelf software that's not available, increased
cost in exchanging data with others, and other costs. Not a
bargain at all. Paying $100 to get an OS that won't incur those
costs is a bargain.

--
Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html>
"All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past,
are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified
for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC