[LUAU] Linux apps getting more expensive?

Chris Wong wongc at math.ed.hawaii.edu
Thu Jan 28 23:55:46 PST 1999


On Thu, 28 Jan 1999, David and Max wrote:

> Just wondering if new Linux applications would be getting more expensive
> coz some companies such as Corel and ObjectShare are releasing COMMERCIAL
> products that can't be downloaded for FREE.  It's good to have more
> excellent linux software like Wordperfect from Corel, but would these kinds
> of "non-free" software lead the linux community to a point that no more
> FREE software will be avaliable to users eventually?  Any thought or opinion?

Oooh dear, I smell a flame war. Keep it decent folks. Now for my $0.02.

Yes, software has been becoming more expensive... I see a movement towards
the DOS/Windows mode of operations. But even DOS/Windows had Shareware...
and the need for a good, free, wordprocessor will eventually win out.

There are "free" Wordprocessors in development now. Koffice, Maxwell?, a
few others that don't come to mind. No, they aren't as good as
Wordperfect, but they are decent.

And sometimes free products outdoes non-free ones. I personally like
Emacs, and nothing... no IDE... be it Codewarrior, Borland C, Visual
Basic, comes NEAR to the convience it gives me.

We are in a moment of transition, Linux is the new darling of the IT
industry and only time will tell what will happen. But the kernel will
always be free, and there will always be free apps... always an itch to
scratch so to speak.





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