In a debate with someone from India, voicing his doubts, Free Software
Foundation chief Richard M Stallman or simply RMS <rms@gnu.org> wrote:
> My concerns stem from the fact that development cannot come
> without investment.
The Free Software community has shown that this is not true--not in
general. Many important free software packages have been developed by
volunteers. At the same time, lots of people are paid to develop free
software. So this theory is mistaken.
> I have developed a high-end 'e-Administration',a web enabled,
> paper-less communication tool, using open source tools.
This seems to say that you are building on the free software that
others have developed--building on what we have contributed to the
community.
If we had taken the view that you're taking now, you would not have
been able to build on our work in the way you did.
> I want the whole world to be benefitted of this tool. How do I
> do it, without compromising on my eligibility to get some
> reasonable perpetual returns for my survival and growth, so I
> can contribute more.
If the software is non-free, the only people who would derive
practical benefits from it are those willing to surrender their
freedom in order to get it. This is not the way to enable the whole
world to benefit; those who love their freedom are excluded. The only
way to enable the whole world to benefit is to make this program free
software.
I think that there's a good chance you could make a living by selling
support for this program. The users are organizations that would want
support, and would be willing to pay for it.
I can't promise that you will find a way to make a full-time income
from this program. But at least this way it will be a positive
contribution to society. And if you can only volunteer a few hours a
week to improve it, it will continue to become a better contribution.
Meanwhile, the improvements won't be limited by your own work, because
others could volunteer their contributions too.
Although I can't promise this, I think it is quite plausible ....
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Frederick (FN) Noronha | Freelance Journalist | Mobile +91 9822 122436
Tel +91.832.2409490 | http://fn.swiki.net | http://www.bytesforall.net
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