[REBOL] IT'S NOT FREE - MORE!
From: robbo1mark::aol::com at: 22-May-2001 9:00
PEKR / EVERYBODY
PEKR my comments were NOT meant to be accusing
against any specific individuals & certainly
NOT you personally. I like you and agree with
about 99% of the comments you make on this list.
YES in certain ways RT Policies may or may not
hinder the progress of REBOL, as a technology,
in the ways you mentioned.
YES users do not care how RT pay the bills, just
like the BE Inc. versus Microsoft analogy you
mentioned. Companies exist to maximise profits,
users want maximum utility, that is the external
economic environment in which we ALL participate.
But RT still have to generate revenue for themselves
regardless whether we *CARE* about them or not.
As a user you don't have to pay for REBOL software
if it does NOT provide a sufficiently attractive
value proposition to you. The value derived must
be greater than the price, that is true of any
good or service.
REBOL TECHNOLOGIES Inc. dictate the license terms,
the prices and what features go into each product
release, you either accept those terms or you
don't it is as simple as that.
YOU can plead & cajole with Carl & RT to see things
from your perspective of point of view but at the
end of the day, they are free to decide & do what
suits their interests best. Hence no /Apache for the
time being at least.
I still stand by that you get nothing for nothing,
you must either contribute in terms of money or in
terms of investing your time & skills in creating
an environment that possibly suits your needs better.
There are many ways to further REBOL as a language
and as a technology. Support RT Inc. by buying their
products where they provide a good value proposition
to you as a user, promote REBOL as a technology if
publicity is your strength & writing is your skill.
If REBOL doesn't provide what features you need then
why not try to produce what functionality you need
by yourself & with the help of like minded others.
REBOL has lots of advantages with regards to PERL,
PYTHON, JAVA, TCL, RUBY, PHP, SCHEME / GUILE etc.
It curently has some big disadvantages too in terms
of libraries, extension modules, widespread adoption
and support, source code availability etc. etc.
However none of these other languages which provide
certain adavantages in some aspects over REBOL just
happened into existance. They are the result of years
of continuous hard work to get them where they are
today and to continue to extend them & improve them.
These languages and their various features don't just
magically come into existence, this only happens by
people caring enough about them to invest either their
time and / or money into making them a reality.
The exact same holds true for REBOL as a language, a
technology, and as a company.
REBOL *is* more than REBOL Technologies Inc., we the users and the community matter too.
It is a mutual dependancy, by all means complain about certain things they do, but whilst
they may listen they will not always act accordingly.
Their needs are not always exactly the same as your needs. Producers & Consumers will
always have differing goals and motivations, that is just the way of things.
Everybody should remember that, the RT folks are good people making great & useful products
at a fair price. If you don't like or agree with their terms & conditions then do something
about it! or else do nothing about it, just don't be surprised when everything doesn't
turn out specifically to your liking.
IF YOU WANT THINGS YOUR WAY THEN YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Raindrops keep falling on my head, but that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning
red, crying's not for me, 'cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining! because
I'm FREE, nothing's worrying me.
That's all
Mark Dickson
