Message-ID: <200411232348.24621.jwdougherty@mcihispeed.net>
Date: 2004-11-24T07:48:24Z
From: John
Subject: The hidden costs of GPL software? - None
In-Reply-To: <96B9B9A4-39AB-11D9-95C5-000A95CDA0F2@anu.edu.au>
Off hand, the costs of GPL'd software are not hidden at all. R for instance
demands that a would be user sit down and learn the language. This in turn
pushes a user into learning more about statistics than the simple overview
that Stat 1 presents a student.
In contrast, any program that simplifies use also tends to encourage a
simplified understanding. So, I believe it can be legitimately argued that
the real hidden costs lurk in "easy to use" software, especially commeercial
software with GUI interfaces.
JDougherty