Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Another artist who programs chimes in....

Author:Patrick Connors
Posted:8/25/2000; 8:45:25 PM
Topic:Next survey: Are you an open source developer?
Msg #:20296 (In response to 20226)
Prev/Next:20295 / 20297

Ummm... You seem to be contradicting yourself. At the top of your message, you say:

I'd have to disagree. I believe that how artists are supported is changing. They will be supported and the good ones will be supported for their creativity. The method that they receive their support will change, though.

...without defining how you see the change is happening.

Later you say:

Yes, it is simple economics. If I can get a piece of software for $0 that does what I need, I'll use it. If I can listen to music I like without paying, I will. The GPL makes it legal. Napster makes it possible.

Now I hasten to add that I'll do the same. I'm not above paying for software (for example, I have paid for -every- Linux distribution I've ever used), but it's really basic human (animal?) nature to get as much as possible for as little as possible. As such, there's nothing wrong with that urge.

But back to this magic handwaving I'm accusing you of: I've said the same things as you have, and in much the same ways. I personally hate participating in commerce. It's so mundane. So I've spent much of the last two years looking at these problems, tring to find a better way. I've studied the music industry: record contracts are frightening.

And I've backed off to the level of discourse I'm at now:

One of the problems with this discussion is that it's currently limited to programmers. The underlying social problems won't be solved by programmers and artists alone. I've seen promising technical solutions, but they depend on the whole world being connected at a higher technical level than we are right now. We're simply not there yet. When the rest of my immediate family routinely gets content over the web, and the creator gets his support at a reasonable level, and they don't blink at the thought, then we'll be well along the path.

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