Re: [linux-audio-dev] Free Software vs. Open Source: Where do *you* stand?

Tim Goetze <tim@email-addr-hidden> writes:

> [Pete Bessman]
>>the salient point is that Chris stipulated that proprietary software
>>producers *aren't* evil! The only way they can be evil is if you
>>stipulate a moral code which dictates as much.
>
> I keep a good 150 or so .arr files around, stemming from the late 80s,
> early 90s, back when I used to do MIDI-only work with Cubase on an ST.
>
> A few years ago, I wanted to revisit/-edit my music from that time.
> So I turned to Steinberg to help me in decoding the files. The short
> version: I asked for file format docs, they said "Buy the latest
> Cubase instead", I said "What would I run it on?", they said "Mac or
> Win", I said "I own neither and don't plan to", they said "Then you're
> SOL".
>
> I don't know about you, but denying me unfettered access to my very
> own data certainly meets my definition of "evil".

Not mine. It is not like they promised you anything or that they'd be
obliged to help you out. They are not a charity. That's one of the
reasons why using nonfree software is a bad idea. It reduces you to
begging, and that's not a good position to be in, regardless of
whether the person you need to beg from is goodwilled or not. The
price to get the source may be higher: in developers you pay, in work
you invest yourself. But it means that you still have the option to
take your business elsewhere if necessary.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum