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

Intrinsic vs. Market Value

Author:Brett Glass
Posted:8/25/2000; 12:42:55 PM
Topic:Next survey: Are you an open source developer?
Msg #:20239 (In response to 20232)
Prev/Next:20238 / 20240

Well, if the value of the GPLed code is zero, then why use it at all? Why not write your own version?

The market value of the GPLed code is zero. The intrinsic value may be higher.

Many things which have no market value have great intrinsic value. I can't sell you the air you breathe, for example; it has zero market value. But it has great intrinsic value to you; you'd die without it.

It would, of course, be unethical and wrong for me to choke you and thereby deprive you of access to air. But this is what the GPL does to programmers. It deprives them of something which has no market value but great intrinsic value.

Because my time has value, and the amount of time required to needlessly reimplement what is already available for free may preclude me from undertaking the project. By releasing the code for free, you have driven its market value to zero. But if you withhold it from other developers, you are putting them "in the hole" because they must re-create its intrinsic value, needlessly and redundantly. And when they're done, they still have something from which they can make no money until they can make an enhanced version that has market value. Even then, it may not sell due to the existence of the one that's available at no cost. In short, you're sabotaging their efforts -- cutting off their air supply, as Microsoft's Jim Allchin once said -- for no good reason.

--Brett Glass

There are responses to this message:

This page was archived on 6/13/2001; 4:56:16 PM.

© Copyright 1998-2001 UserLand Software, Inc.