Years ago I heard a great lecture at an MMUG meeting that revolved around opensource. My memory isn't that great but I'll try to convey what the lecturer was putting out and how I've always agreed. It involves two apple cart vendors.
Lets say we have a guy who grows apples and gives them away at the curbside to the needy. They are not perfect apples, nor apples worth winning ribbons, but they are the best apples he can provide. He works hard on his apples. He does not sell his premium apples and give away his substandard apples (ones which he would not sell due to their being less than worthy) for instance. He also did not feel the need to place any restrictions on how many apples could be taken or where they could be eaten because it was assumed whoever took apples was in need and would be thankful and courtious and appreciative.
One day, he finds his Apples are completely gone and one of his usual patrons tells him that a gentleman stopped by and grabbed up all the apples. To make matters worse, this same gentleman was now selling those same apples right down the road. He heads off to see what this is about and sure enough, there are his apples for sale. This person only gives away substandard apples but sells any worth eating. He sells the gems and gives away the ones that are useless to him as profit because he knows nobody else would or could sell them. Right then and there the first little apple grower decides he will no longer grow and hand out apples so other people can take them and sell them without courtesy given to his efforts in making it possible. Choosing to continue isn't an option becuse he can't possibly take the chance now that this new vendor was so blatant and will obviously just grab up any apples he places at the curb. He has no desire to stand over the apple cart to watch it everyday and simply gives up on apples all together. Not knowing what happens to your apples is one thing, having it thumbed in your nose is another.
In the end...who loses really?
Not the first apple vendor since he gained no profit (nor chose to) and simply saves himself some work not having to grow apples.
Not the new apple vendor because he gets to make some money on free apples. This vendor who quit growing apples will not affect him because he will find more free apples somewhere and happily repeat the process.
The only people who lose are the people who were in need of those free apples.
Maybe I'm expecting too much as far as the use of my apples. Then again...maybe not.
The grey area for Stoke was in me asking him to remove my name from the RSS Reader that was also incorporated in his "inventory" and he took that as an indication to just go nuts with my code as he wished. People should really read back our histories and see just how much of me is the edit suite as well as the "community" template. I asked to remove my name from it because it was released as GNU and I was disgusted that my friend even asked to use it commercially. He didn't ask before hand, I was presented with a link that already had it incorporated. A done deal. I think Stoke will also agree from that moment on our "friendship" started going downhill...completely due to my attitude. It's no coincidence I never submitted that to the Exchange. There was a reason.
I also had no desire to paint a big red bullseye on Stoke and even my blog article mentioned no specific names or places. It spoke of the practice like the apple cart analogy. Stoke turned the gun on himself here and only a guilty person would ever do that. If that means I'm off his christmas card list I just can't worry that. If it makes the code giver the bad guy and the code reseller (which again I have no problem with if duly credited...which costs nothing against the profit made) the good guy....that is just nutty. I am however a little tired of the posts to check out the edit suite that has a 99 euro price tag and acting as if it was a labor of love. That is called getting thumbed in the nose with your own code and while it may impress new users or other users, I personally am unimpressed.
To wrap up , as I recall, not a single user has entered this forum and blatantly shown a commercial template in site check or otherwise that they are selling based on the heavily downloaded one made by Stoke at the Exchange. He however has done that to me....numerous times. If that constitutes "crying in my beer" someone please hand me a tissue
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