Re: [Linux] Venta de mandrake

[Mauro Parra-Miranda <mauro en kentia matem unam mx>]

On Thu, 30 Aug 2001, Martin Garnica Hernandez wrote:

Hola, 

> Mira comercializar con versiones de linux esta permitido siempre y 
> cuando no te excedas, solo puedes cobrar por el costo de los CD's y 
> cualquier otro agregado que les hagas como por ejemplo las etiquetas, 
> etc.

Falso, en la pagina de
GNU: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html (para verlo completo) o
echale un vistazo a el siguiente cut-paste:



Many people believe that the spirit of the GNU project is that you should
not charge money for distributing copies of software, or that you should
charge as little as possible -- just enough to cover the cost. Actually we
encourage people who redistribute free software to charge as much as they
wish or can.  If this seems surprising to you, please read on. The word
``free'' has two legitimate general meanings; it can refer either to
freedom or to price.  When we speak of ``free software'', we're talking
about freedom, not price.  (Think of ``free speech'', not ``free beer''.)  
Specifically, it means that a user is free to run the program, change the
program, and redistribute the program with or without changes. Free
programs are sometimes distributed gratis, and sometimes for a substantial
price.  Often the same program is available in both ways from different
places.  The program is free regardless of the price, because users have
freedom in using it. Non-free programs are usually sold for a high price,
but sometimes a store will give you a copy at no charge.  That doesn't
make it free software, though. Price or no price, the program is non-free
because users don't have freedom. Since free software is not a matter of
price, a low price isn't more free, or closer to free.  So if you are
redistributing copies of free software, you might as well charge a
substantial fee and make some money.  Redistributing free software is a
good and legitimate activity; if you do it, you might as well make a
profit from it. Free software is a community project, and everyone who
depends on it ought to look for ways to contribute to building the
community.  For a distributor, the way to do this is to give a part of the
profit to the Free Software Foundation or some other free software
development project.  By funding development, you can advance the world of
free software. Distributing free software is an opportunity to raise funds
for development.  Don't waste it! In order to contribute funds, you need
to have some extra.  If you charge too low a fee, you won't have anything
to spare to support development. Will
       a higher distribution price hurt some users? People sometimes worry
that a high distribution fee will put free software out of range for users
who don't have a lot of money. With proprietary software (18k characters),
a high price does exactly that -- but free software is different. The
difference is that free software naturally tends to spread around, and
there are many ways to get it. Software hoarders try their damnedest to
stop you from running a proprietary program without paying the standard
price.  If this price is high, that does make it hard for some users to
use the program. With free software, users don't have to pay the
distribution fee in order to use the software.  They can copy the program
from a friend who has a copy, or with the help of a friend who has network
access.  Or several users can join together, split the price of one
CD-ROM, then each in turn can install the software.  A high CD-ROM price
is not a major obstacle when the software is free. 

Will a higher distribution price discourage use of free software?
Another common concern is for the popularity of free software.  People
think that a high price for distribution would reduce the number of users,
or that a low price is likely to encourage users. This is true for
proprietary software -- but free software is different.  With so many ways
to get copies, the price of distribution service has less effect on
popularity. In the long run, how many people use free software is
determined mainly by how much free software can do, and how easy it is to
use. Many users will continue to use proprietary software if free software
can't do all the jobs they want to do.  Thus, if we want to increase the
number of users in the long run, we should above all develop more free
software. The most direct way to do this is by writing needed free
software or manuals yourself.  But if you do distribution rather than
writing, the best way you can help is by raising funds for others to write
them. 

The term ``selling software'' can be confusing too Strictly speaking,
``selling'' means trading goods for money.  Selling a copy of a free
program is legitimate, and we encourage it. However, when people think of
``selling software'', they usually imagine doing it the way most companies
do it: making the software proprietary rather than free. So unless you're
going to draw distinctions carefully, the way this article does, we
suggest it is better to avoid using the term ``selling software'' and
choose some other wording instead.  For example, you could say
``distributing free software for a fee''--that is unambiguous. 


High or low fees, and the GNU GPL Except for one special situation, the
GNU General Public License (20k characters) (GNU GPL) has no requirements
about how much you can charge for distributing a copy of free software.  
You can charge nothing, a penny, a dollar, or a billion dollars.  It's up
to you, and the marketplace, so don't complain to us if nobody wants to
pay a billion dollars for a copy. The one exception is in the case where
binaries are distributed without the corresponding complete source code.  
Those who do this are required by the GNU GPL to provide source code on
subsequent request. Without a limit on the fee for the source code, they
would be able set a fee too large for anyone to pay--such as, a billion
dollars--and thus pretend to release source code while in truth concealing
it.  So in this case we have to limit the fee for source, to ensure the
user's freedom.  In ordinary situations, however, there is no such
justification for limiting distribution fees, so we do not limit them.
Sometimes companies whose activities cross the line of what the GNU GPL
permits plead for permission, saying that they ``won't charge money for
the GNU software'' or such like.  They don't get anywhere this way.  Free
software is about freedom, and enforcing the GPL is defending freedom.  
When we defend users' freedom, we are not distracted by side issues such
as how much of a distribution fee is charged.  Freedom is the issue, the
whole issue, and the only issue.



Saludos, Mauro. 

--
Mauro Parra Miranda					Cub. 56224543
mauro en matem unam mx					Cel. 04426902376
			-- The Devil is in the details.


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