Comments on: Free (and gratis) software vs. 25,000 cops http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2008/07/20/freedom-or-police/ My opinions only. I do not represent any organization in this publication. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:13:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Eric Oye http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2008/07/20/freedom-or-police/#comment-99771 Eric Oye Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:59:02 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/?p=538#comment-99771 Hi there Russell and Mike, the formula that provide by Russell is proved to be true? If i provide free software with my own copyright, will that be illegal? Hi there Russell and Mike, the formula that provide by Russell is proved to be true? If i provide free software with my own copyright, will that be illegal?

]]> By: Mike Linksvayer http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2008/07/20/freedom-or-police/#comment-99323 Mike Linksvayer Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:27:04 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/?p=538#comment-99323 Ok, so "I know that people choosing legally lower cost software such as FLOSS are included as “piracy” in these studies" is true, but a bit misleading -- their formula explicitly includes FLOSS as counting against "piracy", the problem is that they undercount FLOSS. But your overall point, and additionally your point about FLOSS being an ideal way to reduce copyright infringement (by the same token, it is an ideal way to reduce copyright restriction costs) is absolutely correct. Mike Ok, so “I know that people choosing legally lower cost software such as FLOSS are included as “piracy” in these studies” is true, but a bit misleading — their formula explicitly includes FLOSS as counting against “piracy”, the problem is that they undercount FLOSS.

But your overall point, and additionally your point about FLOSS being an ideal way to reduce copyright infringement (by the same token, it is an ideal way to reduce copyright restriction costs) is absolutely correct.

Mike

]]> By: Russell McOrmond http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2008/07/20/freedom-or-police/#comment-99322 Russell McOrmond Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:55:57 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/?p=538#comment-99322 "McOrmond also makes a slightly surprising claim about the BSA’s studies that I’d love to have verification of" I am happy to provide that, and it is in fact detailed within the IDC study itself in its methodology. I extract the formula in the following article: http://blogs.itworldcanada.com/insights/2008/02/19/lies-damned-lies-and-iipabsaetc-statistics/ Simple formula: Infringement = (machines shipped) * (usage estimate multiplier) - (legal BSA) - (legal non-BSA) - (legal FLOSS) So, if their estimate of legal FLOSS usage is off by 10%, then their estimate of infringement is also off by 10%. IDC uses the software that a machine is shipped with for their FLOSS study, with that being the least common way that FLOSS is installed on computers -- especially outside the enterprise when FLOSS is installed through legal downloads from the Internet or by amateurs. FLOSS is also an ideal way to reduce copyright infringement, and increase respect for copyright, given the activities which most people wish to do (use and share the software) are already authorized. It is really only software developers and commercial companies that are doing things with the software that require them to pay attention to the details of the license agreements. Contact me via http://flora.ca if you wish to discuss more. “McOrmond also makes a slightly surprising claim about the BSA’s studies that I’d love to have verification of”

I am happy to provide that, and it is in fact detailed within the IDC study itself in its methodology.

I extract the formula in the following article:

http://blogs.itworldcanada.com/insights/2008/02/19/lies-damned-lies-and-iipabsaetc-statistics/

Simple formula:
Infringement = (machines shipped) * (usage estimate multiplier) - (legal BSA) - (legal non-BSA) - (legal FLOSS)

So, if their estimate of legal FLOSS usage is off by 10%, then their estimate of infringement is also off by 10%.

IDC uses the software that a machine is shipped with for their FLOSS study, with that being the least common way that FLOSS is installed on computers — especially outside the enterprise when FLOSS is installed through legal downloads from the Internet or by amateurs.

FLOSS is also an ideal way to reduce copyright infringement, and increase respect for copyright, given the activities which most people wish to do (use and share the software) are already authorized. It is really only software developers and commercial companies that are doing things with the software that require them to pay attention to the details of the license agreements.

Contact me via http://flora.ca if you wish to discuss more.

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