From: zeleny@husc10.harvard.edu (Michael Zeleny)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: Fund raising at the FSF
Date: 3 Jan 93 17:23:41 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc3.1993Jan3.122342.18955
Organization: The Phallogocentric Cabal

In article <FRIEDMAN.93Jan3101544@nutrimat.gnu.ai.mit.edu>
friedman@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Noah Friedman) writes:

>In article <1993Jan2.215318.18942@husc3.harvard.edu>
>zeleny@husc10.harvard.edu (Michael Zeleny) writes:

MZ:
>>FSF does not give away its CD-ROM or distribution tapes;
>>but up until this time, it has been able to explain charging for them
>>as "distribution fees"; with the introduction of the differential
>>pricing scheme for individuals and businesses, this explanation no
>>longer holds any water.

NF:
>Actually, our original plan was to charge $500 for the CD-ROM plain and
>simple.  But we realized that while this isn't unaffordable for most
>companies, it is for most individuals.  We decided we'd rather get a
>smaller amount from individuals than get nothing at all, so we chose to
>charge individuals a smaller amount, namely $100.  (We also changed the
>original $500 to $400 for businesses.)

For all of its relevance to this issue, your original plan might have
been to charge a troy ounce of platinum, a pound of flesh, a kilo of
cocaine, or nothing at all.  The only thing that matters in this
discussion is the actual situation; kindly save everything else for
your analyst.

NF:
>Lots of organizations charge different rates for their services depending
>on who you are.  For example, my personal consulting fees for nonprofit
>organizations is about half of what I charge commercial ones, precisely
>because nonprofits generally have less money (and also because I don't mind
>working for less if it's for charitable purposes).  This isn't an uncommon
>practice, and I don't think anyone argues that it's unfair.

Spare dear old Aunt Sally.  I do likewise; as Stallman will readily
confirm, sometimes I will even do work for a soi-disant non-profit
organization in exchange for a lot of hot air backed up by an empty
promise, or, in other words, for nothing at all.  However, this does
not make my person a moral equivalent of a charitable institution, or
indeed anything more than a credulous schmuck.

NF:
>Considering that buying an equivalent amount of software from us on
>magnetic tape will cost around $1200 (which true for both individuals and
>businesses), paying $400 for the CDROM even if you're an individual is
>still a bargain.

So what?  It is still not a mere distribution fee, as long as you
charge different amounts for the same sort of distribution.

NF:
>We certainly don't bother to check whether an individual is buying the
>CDROM for their company and getting reimbursed.  But I hope this won't
>happen much (or at all), because we really need the money to keep
>developing more software.  Nearly all of our revenue these days is from our
>distribution service.

This is a very sad story.  It very nearly breaks my heart.  However I
am puzzled as to why you think that the dire urgency of your need has
any bearing on the correct meaning of the term "distribution service"?

Incidentally, if your company is so hard up for cash, perhaps you
ought to try explaining to RMS that his personal sideline of selling
the GNU tapes constitutes an egregious conflict of interests.  Though
in my time I was never able to get this point through, after all these
years you may have more success.

cordially,
mikhail zeleny@husc.harvard.edu
"Le cul des femmes est monotone comme l'esprit des hommes."
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,talk.philosophy.misc,alt.usage.english,alt.society.anarchy