Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Rhetorical question: If nobody is stopping them, there is no harm in giving them the source code, right? So why don’t you?

> I've written format converters (with no guiding documentation) to overcome the bounds you imply.

Please do not assume that everybody should be like yourself.

> If you're paying the price of a few cups of coffee to use it, heck yeah you're not getting the complete body of work a team spent years creating.

There’s an easy way to rectify this – just don’t call it selling. Call it renting, which is what it practically is. The thing which I get when I buy software today is by no practical definition my property: its utility is deliberately limited by the manufacturer, and I am both legally and practically prohibited to extend that limit or repair it.



Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: