RE: [cobalt-users] OSRCD (slightly off topic?)

["Devin Smith" <devinsmith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> > Take this off-list, none of us are interesting in whether 
> or not Gerald
> > should make money.  It's Sun's perogative to do what they want with
> > their intellectual property rights, and not suitable for discussion
> > here.
> 
> What a stupid comment!!!

Be nice.

> I for one have been helped many times by Geralds perls(?) of 
> wisdom on this
> list, so as Gerald gives his knowledge freely to this list to 
> help others
> time after time, then I for one say he can talk about what 
> the hell he wants
> to.

I never said Gerald shouldn't be helping people out.  I simply said that
discussing whether or not he should be making money (or losing/breaking
even, whatever) was off topic and should be carried on elsewhere.  

> Anyway that's like saying whatever anyone in a dominant 
> position says is
> gospel, and I am not in favour of a dictatorship where the only people
> loosing out are the poor customers.
> I would think if sun has any sense it might just listen to what people
> think, and this list is probably the best place for discussions about
> sun/cobalt issues.

I think everyone here is missing the point.  Sun Microsystems, no matter
how you view it, owns intellectual property rights on the OSRCDs that
belongs solely to Sun Microsystems.  If they choose to not allow people
to re-distribute this property, then they can certainly ask/force people
to stop.  I'm sure if Gerald was giving the OSRCDs away for free, Sun
wouldn't care.  But he is charging for them, and they feel that he is
profiting off their work.  As I said before, it's their perogative, and
they have the right to dictate who can distribute their software.  You
have to remember, this isn't the little company that could (Cobalt),
it's Sun Microsystems. :-)