[PLUG] Creative writing

[Piet van Weel]

Hmmm... Interesting example...

However how many people would be willing to pay for the Weathertux?

Also I don't know too many people willing to put the pocketbook where their
mouth is and shell out $$$ for Linux Applications. 

I have yet to buy a version of Linux... but I have 4... I've considered
buying Win4Lin... but I have Wine... 

I think that the $$$ to be had is taking open source applications software
and integrating them into a proprietary solution. 

BTW the weather stations data is Public Domain available from the
government.

Piet

-----Original Message-----
From: plug-admin at lists.pdxlinux.org [mailto:plug-admin at lists.pdxlinux.org]
On Behalf Of Michael C. Robinson
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 10:09 PM
To: plug at lists.pdxlinux.org
Subject: Re: [PLUG] Creative writing


For Weatherbug for example, how do you get the same 
weather data if you want to create a similar program to run under 
Linux?  Why couldn't you sell a Weathertux clone for Linux if you
knew how to access the same weather data?  Worst come to worse
you have to start a company that has it's own weather stations
near where Weatherbug's stations are and feed that to clients
using Weathertux.

If your goal is to release all software you produce under GPL but
you want to compete with Weatherbug and other hot titles how can
you modify the profit model reasonably, or will you sell plenty of
copies of your software even though the source code comes with it?
One game plan I've considered is to scramble the source for a limited
time so that you can compile the program which solves a lot of
compatibility issues, but your ability to read it before it say
goes under GPL is next to zero.  Brilliant people will descramble
it of course but you could license it so that the decryption key
will be released on a certain date and gurantee that it will go
under the GPL.  How long should it be under encryption?  Is there
a better way where it can be released unscrambled under GPL from
the get go?

     --  Michael Robinson

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