Re: Nikon raw (*.nef) support?

Jeffrey Kaplan <nomail@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
It is alleged that Wolfgang Weisselberg claimed:

That is a specious argument. If you're not using something at all,
then of course you don't pay for it.

Unfortunately, you are wrong there.

So now you're saying that if you don't use something you should still
pay for it?

From "False: if you are not a female, you are not human" does *not*
follow "True: if you are not a female, you must be human".
Even though MS is of the opinon my computer must be loaded with
unrightfully copied MS software, since it isn't loaded with a
paid-for Windows.

So please do not put (your) words in my mouth, then ridicule them.

Just think e.g. of the Microsoft Tax. It's quite hard to get
a PC or Laptop without Windows preinstalled compared to getting
one with Windows. If you don't use Windows (and I don't), you
must jump through hoops to get a refund if your computer has
Windows installed. (Reputedly, cancelling an AOL account is
not very easy, either.)

I've had no problems getting a computer without Windows preinstalled.

Q: How many Dell computers are there with Windows?
Q2: How many Dell computers are there without Windows?
Q3: Where were the Dell computers with Ubuntu 6 months ago?

It's actually become much easier nowadays, and in the last couple
years computer builders that install non-MS-systems have appeared,
and the adhesion contracts MS insisted on (you *will* put Windows
on every computer, or you *will* pay the full retail price --- and
the $100 more per unit will break you, computers being a very price
driven commodity) have become known and in some places challenged.

I
once had to pay extra to GET Windows installed on it (I built it
myself). If I really want a system without Windows, I know where I can
order one.

Here http://tuxmobil.org/reseller.html is a list of computer
resellers "which offer preinstalled Linux laptops, notebooks,
mobile (cell) phones and PDAs for sale".

There are about 3 that sell Linux phones in the world (and you
cannot swing a dead cat by it's tail without hitting half a dozen
cell phone shops these days).

58 places --- in the whole world --- that sell Linux laptops.
We have more computer shops in a _city_. (And if you are from,
say, Swizerland, there are only two (count em!) that are going to
take your order. Now, how many Windows laptop stores are within
15 miles of your home?

Yes, that's not exactly the same as getting a system just
without Windows, it merely shows the differences.

AAMOF, in the past 17 years or so that I've been using
computers, I've only had two Big Name system, my first computer and my
laptop. Every other computer I've owned has been a custom configured
system from a prosumer shop, or assembled by myself from purchased
components.

Oh, I've been doing computers since before MS-DOS 3 was all the
rage and when Windows not yet born, and the home computers were a
dozen or more completely different systems, I've seen Windows 2.0,
I've been on the Internet before Spam and AOL and the perpetual
September ...

And yes, luckily, it's getting better.

Secondly, let's assume that I would be willing to pay $40,
but not $100. We both know that the cost for copying software
(no printed manual nor box included) is near zero ...
Now, is the developer's loss $100 or $40?
What if I sent the developer $40 and used the unauthorized copy?
Would the developer have lost $60 or gained $40?

My point: it's not halfways as straight forward as it seems
at first sight.

So you're saying that all of the man-hours that went into the design,
development, and continuing support isn't worth anything?

No, I most certainly do not say that, did never say that, and
cannot imagine how in the world an idea I said anything like that
could come to you. Certainly not from what I wrote above.

What about
the standard overhead items such as rents for the office space?

They are not *necessarily* a given (look at
http://introversion.co.uk/, "The last of the bedroom programmers"
--- yes, they do have offices now), though I admit it's true in
99.9+% of the cases.

Electricity to run the computers, and the network connection that
makes the software downloadable in the first place?

P2P can help alot with keeping the network costs down.

Do none of those have an
ongoing cost that the developer has to pay?

Of course they are.

I am using Debian, a free (as in speech and as in beer) linux
distribution. I am not paying. Am I stealing? I don't
think so, so please be more specific.

Specious.

"If you use it and you don't pay, you are +stealing+" is not
all of the truth, that was my point.

Debian is distributed as open source freeware.

*wince* What a term. Freeware _usually_ implies proprietary
software free of cost (and the free is free-as-in-free-beer),
and "open source" is a term that carries a completely different
connotations than "free (libre) software".

We're talking about software that is NOT free, neither as speech nor
as beer.

So riddle me this:
- I have USD 40 to spend.
- I will not spend more than USD 40 on the software
- I have the following choices:
a) not use the unauthorized copy of the software, go buy ice
cream and popcorn.
b) use an unauthorized copy of the software, go buy ice cream
and popcorn.
c) use an unauthorized copy of the software, send the
author USD 40.

In which case(s) does the developer lose the most money, in
which cases does the developer win the most money?

As does mine. In case you haven't noticed, I take it personally when
someone advocates theft of software by advising the use of cracked keys
or registrations.

None of which I have ever advocated, though I believe high
prices and artificial (and costly in time and money) barriers
do not really help curb the use of unauthorized copies.

On the other hand, I have no moral qualms at all regarding someone
using, say, deCSS and other tools to allow playing DVDs and CDs
on your personal computer and rip music for your personal MP3
player

Still, I don't think the term "theft of software" --- while much
better than "theft" --- is a good one.


In a completely different context (and I know I'd be daft to
even imply it was similar to software), I would like to
introduce you to the Baen Free Library
http://www.baen.com/library/
.. I would like to point you to the Prime Palaver, where
you'll find a lot of information and facts. I would urge you
to also read
http://www.baen.com/library/palaver11.htm
where the focus expands outside the world of books.

-Wolfgang

PS: Baen has by now *13* different CDs that they included in their
hard cover books, containing tons of extra materials[1] for
free: "This disk and its content may be copied and shared,
but NOT sold. All commercial rights reserved". You can and
probably should legally help yourself e.g. at
http://files.plebian.net/baencd/
http://oberon.zlynx.org/
... the first shots are always free[2] :-) and you might
become hooked as well. (and if not, which sales you'd never
would have made did the authors loose?)

This CD has made me pay well over USD $1500, probably more
than $2000 by now, on other filk music and more books from
webscription.com (baen books in electonic formats --- they
read well for me on my PDA) ...

That doesn't number even include gear and services I bought
at least partly because exposure to things I only leaned
about that way --- or we'll be talking near $10.000.


[1] the Honorverse CD, for example, contains the book itself,
the previous 9 books, 3 anthologies about the series, 3 filk
songs about the series, all the book title images (without
any text on them), maps and technical drawings and *25* other
books ... most of them not available in the Free Library at
the time.

[2] Yes, there is quite a bit of overlap between the CDs.
.

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