<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 TRANSITIONAL//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; CHARSET=UTF-8"> <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="GtkHTML/3.10.2"> </HEAD> <BODY> On Sun, 2006-02-07 at 12:45 +1000, Matthew Palmer wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE> <PRE> > Does being 100% free make for better software for the masses, no. </PRE> </BLOCKQUOTE> <PRE> </PRE> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE> <PRE> Try asking an Xorg developer whether proprietary nVidia/ATI drivers is making it easier for them to support Xorg on that hardware and provide a better Xorg "for the masses". </PRE> </BLOCKQUOTE> That wasn't the question asked. The question asked was "does being 100% free make for better software for the masses?" Your answer was a diversion from the question. Here's a clue as to the right answer, though: go to Sourceforge and find a random project. (To be fair select a random project that's out of "Alpha" stage.) Compare that project to similar commercial offerings. I'd guess that at least 8 times out of 10 the free version isn't as good. To quote a wise man: <IMG SRC="cid:1151809424.22782.46.camel@localhost.localdomain" ALIGN="middle" ALT=";)" BORDER="0"> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE> <PRE> Go on, give it a shot. </PRE> </BLOCKQUOTE> <TABLE CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="0" WIDTH="100%"> <TR> <TD> -- Michael T. Richter Email: ttmrichter@gmail.com, mtr1966@hotpop.com MSN: ttmrichter@hotmail.com, mtr1966@hotmail.com; YIM: michael_richter_1966; AIM: YanJiahua1966; ICQ: 241960658; Jabber: mtr1966@jabber.cn "[Blacks] secrete less by the kidneys, and more by the glands of the skin, which gives them a very strong and disagreeable odour." --Thomas Jefferson </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </BODY> </HTML>