Here’s the latest from America’s denigrated culture mills: ABC and Fox see who can be the first to cheapen marriage even more on TV, by getting married couples to “trade” partners in a new “reality” show. This is reality?
Will free software kill shareware?
Will free software kill shareware? – As an independent developer who relies on intellectual property rights for a living, I am somewhat resistant to the “free software” movement, though I fully support the right of any programmer to decide how to license (or not license) his software. As the author of this article points out, “free software” has only become a player in the market because it is no longer run by “the little guys,” but pushed and funded by mega-corporations like IBM and Novell. A “little guy” (not in physcial presence, mind you) like myself needs to be able to charge for his work if he is going to earn a living doing what he is gifted to do. Will there be room for shareware if “free software” takes over the world? What will happen when people become used to getting software for free? The only thing that I know for certain is that a market that exists due to the abilities of mega-corporations like Novell or IBM to fund free software will not help “little guys” earn a living from their craft unless those “little guys” want to work for those companies. And as the author concludes his post:
“I wonder — if free software kills shareware, who is going to write all the truly useful applications?”
[Post updated on 8.29.04-1.17pm]
Kerry: Records? Did I want those?
Plot thickens after checking records:
“What could that more than 100 pages contain? Questions have been raised about President Bush’s drill attendance in the reserves, but Bush received his honorable discharge on schedule. Kerry, who should have been discharged from the Navy about the same time — July 1, 1972 — wasn’t given the discharge he has on his campaign Web site until July 13, 1978. What delayed the discharge for six years? This raises serious questions about Kerry’s performance while in the reserves that are far more potentially damaging than those raised against Bush. “
It just keeps getting worse and worse. By now, I am sure John Kerry is quite regretful of making his Vietnam service the centerpiece of his campaign. It’s as if Ted Kennedy launched a bid for president by extolling his virtuous behavior in Chappaquiddick.
O’neill on Bush and Kerry
Freedom of speech? Not so much.
Bush Campaign to Legally Challenge 527 Ads – I find this whole notion of stopping organizations from running ads against politicians blatantly un-American. Regardless of who is benefiting from what ads, doesn’t the First Amendment say something about freedom of political speech? Apparently not during an election year. Instead of caving in to the stunts and rants of people whining about Swift Vets speaking their minds about Kerry, Bush should be apologizing for signing the so-called “campaign finance reform bill” and asking Kerry why a group of Swift Vets shouldn’t be allowed freedom of speech.