[Office-commits] r9895 - trunk/campaigns

[sysadmin]

Author: www-data
Date: Thu Oct  1 12:43:50 2009
New Revision: 9895

Log:
web commit by tal82k

Modified:
   trunk/campaigns/thecaranalogy.mdwn

Modified: trunk/campaigns/thecaranalogy.mdwn
==============================================================================
--- trunk/campaigns/thecaranalogy.mdwn  Thu Oct  1 12:40:38 2009        (r9894)
+++ trunk/campaigns/thecaranalogy.mdwn  Thu Oct  1 12:43:50 2009        (r9895)
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 After waiting for a while, finally a service representative calls your name.  
You explain the noise the car is making and all the steps you have gone through 
in order to get it serviced.  She explains that because the Nonfree name has 
such a great image, they don't allow just anyone to service their cars.  You 
have to be trained and accredited.  You ask to see the contracts you signed.  
One of them states that the addition of any third-party, non-approved parts, 
will void your warranty.  You ask the representative what this applies to, and 
she says that even painting your car a different color without approval from 
the dealership would void the warranty.
 
-Your car goes into the dealer's repair shop.  They charge you a diagnostic 
fee, as well as an "accredited repair license surhcarge."  They call you up to 
pick up your car, and they say they found nothing wrong.  You get the car back, 
and it still makes that unnerving noise.  You ask the mechanic and he says, 
"Oh, well some Anlibre cars just make that noise.  It's nothing to worry about."
+Your car goes into the dealer's repair shop.  They charge you a diagnostic 
fee, as well as an "accredited repair license surhcarge."  They call you up to 
pick up your car, and they say they found nothing wrong.  You get the car back, 
and it still makes that unnerving noise.  You ask the mechanic and he says, 
"Oh, well some Nonfree cars just make that noise.  It's nothing to worry about."
 
 While this story may seem ridiculous, it is exactly what happens when a person 
chooses to use non-free software.  You choose the software that best fits your 
needs, and sometimes a salesperson will help you out.  You agree to a contract 
that you probably did not read, or sometimes you even implicitly agree to the 
terms by using the software.  You use the softare.  However, you can only use 
the software in ways that the publisher agrees with (driving, in our analogy).  
When the software malfunctions, or even when you want to make something better, 
there is nowhere to go except to the publisher of the software.  You can not go 
to a friend who is good with computers.  You can not go to a company to have 
them fix it for you.  You must go to the developer.  When you bring your 
problem to their attention, they may say, "We can fix that for you."  They may 
say, "We will think about adding that in our next release."  Or they may 
(probably) say, "That's a feature of the program, there is nothing to fix."