RE: [Visualpython-users] High School Network Security

[Arthur <ajs...@op...>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: vis...@li... [mailto:visualpython-
> use...@li...] On Behalf Of Bruce Sherwood
> Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 9:50 AM
> To: vis...@li...
> Subject: Re: [Visualpython-users] High School Network Security
> 
> The comment that they might confuse "open source" with "freeware" seems
> a highly likely explanation. 

I wouldn't let them off the hook that easy.  Linux, BSD, Python, VPython
could all be considered "freeware", by the simple fact that they are in fact
free. 

It is nonetheless confused (because it is outside of their experience) that
ten of thousands of man-hours of effort by folks of unique abilities are
available without the need to pay for it.  I think that at least some of the
people who directed their intellectual energies into these kinds of efforts
were motivated at least in part by the hope of creating this kind of
confusion. It is a worthy bit of confusion.

But comes along the phenomena of unintended consequences:

Within the bureaucracy the approval process is attached to the procurement
process, so where there is need for procurement there is no possibility for
approval.

Catch 43.

Art