I'm finding this conversation interesting, and would like to make an 
observation.

der.hans wrote:
> Am 03. Jan, 2005 schwätzte Trent Shipley so:
> 
> 
>>On Monday 2005-01-03 00:18, der.hans wrote:
>>
>><snip/>
<snip>
>>>
>>>We need something that is:
>>>
>>>* freely available to all people/organizations
>>
>>Ok.
>>
>>
>>>* has no limit on how much raw material ( such as copies of Free Software
>>>in its current state ) is available
>>
>>This is typical of all data-centric goods: information.
> 
> 
> Yup. We could possibly include air as a metaphor because it's generally
> not limited. Those of us in the desert know that water is limited, though.
> 

I've been thinking that software is different from most other products 
in that it is not consumable. This results in the lack of need for raw 
material, so I think it's related to this point, but is a different way 
of looking at this aspect. Nearly everything I can think of, when used, 
is consumed to one degree or another. A program doesn't deteriorate with 
use.

As a side note, one might even argue that a program becomes more robust 
with increased use, along with active maintenance.

I think that the non-consumable aspect of software is very significant, 
and am interested in what others may think about it.

<snip>
-- 
-Eric 'shubes'
"There is no such thing as the People;
  it is a collectivist myth.
  There are only individual citizens
  with individual wills
  and individual purposes."
-William E. Simon (1927-2000),
     Secretary of the Treasury (1974-1977)
  "A Time For Truth" (1978), pg. 237


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