[Info-vax] Ada on VMS, was: Re: Free Pascal for VMS ?

[Dave Froble]

On 5/21/2018 9:28 AM, seasoned_geek wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 3:07:11 PM UTC-5, Dave Froble wrote:
>>
>> Well, yes, sort of.
>>
>> The entire concept of "free open source" is a problem.
>>
>> TANSTAAFL
>>
>> Writing code is work.  Work is usually something one does for some form
>> of compensation.  Don't see too many people with a job where they do not
>> get paid.  (Well, unless you're a prisoner in a Chinese prison.)
>>
>> Those who buy into the concept of free software have made a mistake.
>> One could claim that they were "mislead".
>>
>> Yes, there is free software that some people have been paid to produce.
>> By someone like IBM, in order to sell HW.
>
> And let us not forget all of those companies taking the "free" software then selling support contracts for it.

I see no problem selling support for software.  After all, even in a 
company selling a software product, those who originally wrote the 
software may not be the ones supporting it.

> Nobody stops to ask "If you didn't write it, just how well can you support it?"

See above.

Perhaps better than the original programmer, since he would have been 
the one who wrote buggy code.

I don't see any problem with people selling support.  After all, VSI 
will be selling support for a product (VMS) written by others.  Well, 
some others.  The key is whether the support provided is worth what was 
paid for it.  With open stuff, this can be rather questionable.