Subject: RE: [linux-audio-dev] Poll about linux music audio app usability
From: STEFFL, ERIK *Internet* (SBCSI) ("STEFFL,)
Date: Fri Jun 21 2002 - 22:49:41 EEST
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Olofson [mailto:david_AT_gardena.net]
...
> However, there's one thing that's seriously worrying me: Software
> piracy. I saw a poll somewhere, that indicated that a vast *majority*
> of computer users considered piracy more or less "OK". It's like they
> simply don't consider it a crime at all.
>
> What this means to us is that we're effectively competing with high
> end professional software *ON EQUAL TERMS*! Actually, worse than
> equal terms: They make money, while we do not.
>
> * Most of these users couldn't care less about
> Open Source (if they even know what it's about),
> so that's not an advantage for us.
>
> * Most of them don't give a damn about paying for
> the software they use anyway, so we have no
> advantage there either.
>
> As to true professionals, I believe a large portion of them don't
> have a real problem with paying for good software - and either way,
> they'll just pay what it costs to get a sufficient solution. Doesn't
> matter if it's free, Free/Open Source or whatever, if it doesn't
> quite cut it.
obviously, it has to be better. I think you can make the same argument in
all other areas where opensource software is used and IMO it will be
successfull in multimedia apps for the same reason it is successfull in
other areas - the user is in control. that's what everybody likes - from joe
to disney (they are switching to linux, you would think the big corp like
them can afford to pay for window, yet price is one of the reason they are
changing, not the only one of course). the fact that it's free makes it more
convenient then non-free to work with it (support!) and to get upgrades -
note that apart from paying for upgrades it's usually not that easy to
upgrade non-free apps (because of different mindset), even less easy when
you want to pirate it (you have to a friend who has the software, get it
from warez sites etc., not hard but not as easy as apt-get dist-upgrade).
that said I have to admit we're not there yet, I am just trying to get
soundblaster live! to record something (audio) and it just doesn't:-) but
the inmportant part is that it works a lot better then it used to recently -
most of the reports that I read are pleasantly outdated - most of the stuff
they list as not working already works.
erik
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