[Wolves] FOSS, who's it for? Us or them?

[dick_turpin]

Andy Smith wrote:
> I am slightly surprised that you feel that a for-profit corporation,
> answerable to its shareholders (not the Linux community) needs to
> spend its resources on making their software easily usable for a
> niche market.
>   
Yes your absolutely right as far as 'The Business' goes, I'd even agree 
that if they had written, invented or conceived the idea themselves then 
who am I to complain but thats not the case, in effect they nicked the 
code for their own purposes which of course is what capitalism is all 
about, without (for the minute) giving it back 1st to those they nicked 
it from who's . Thats the top and bottom of my complaint.
> However, you say "why should we wait" when in fact "we" don't have
> to -- the source is available so others can in theory package it.
> That possibility wouldn't exist with closed source software.
> There's no requirement for Google to be the one doing this.
>   
If I give you something then I expect you to come back to me 1st not say;
"Hey Pete thanks for that you saved my bacon and I've just bought a 
yacht off the back of it but you're a bit of a pain in the bum to be 
honest and I like one or two others more than you too anyway so I'm 
gonna go with them for a bit but I'll get around to sorting you out in a 
few months or so but of course if you like you could sort yourself out".

Maybe I'm stupid or something but that sounds pretty much like being 
dumped on to me?
>> So Linux is not 'main line' then? But the code is! Interesting.
>>     
>
> The reality is that a tiny percentage of people use Linux.
>   
Did you not see the irony in my statement which was given in the context 
of the flow of the email?

I dunno I've been messing with this Linux thingy for what? Seven or 
eight years now and Linux has been about for what? 10 odd years? Having 
just celebrated my 47th Birthday (Last Sunday) I reckon I'll be dead by 
the time Linux becomes main stream.