[SLL] Meme Engineering

[Jay Scherrer]

Brian Hatch wrote:
> About 2008-04-25 00:16 -0700, Paul A. Franz, P.E. kibitzed:
> 
>> Free as in Beer, doesn't have meaning to me. Beer isn't free, you buy it or sell it or
>> make it. Maybe that is what is meant - you can buy it, sell it, or make it. I don't
>> think you can patent it, even if it is your special batch, but you can give it to your
>> friends and it goes good with pizza. So the comparison of beer to free software is a
>> bit vague to me.
> 
> If I give you a beer at no cost, that's what we mean by "free as in
> beer".
> 
> Sure, someone made it, but if I give one to you with no strings
> attached, to you it's fere, and you don't need to consider
> how much it cost me, my supplier, the marketing folks, etc.
> The process of making it could well have patents, there could be
> backroom deals with different suppliers, there could be child
> labour used in it's creation (or ingredients), who knows.
> 
> The 'free as in beer' comparison is if you are the person receiving
> the free beer, and had nothing to do with the creation thereof.
> 
Hmm,
I always thought that they meant "Free as in Beer" meant Free in like 
anyone is able to brew their own. Thus allowing you to bypass the rising 
costs of proprietary brands, especially when corn and hops are becoming 
an excuse for raising prices. Given that, anyone could improve on the 
original recipe. And no matter how hard you try to hold it, it's just a 
flush away.

-- 
Jay Scherrer
Scherrer Company
Bookkeeping and Tax services
office: 206.701.7952
cell:     206.478.1658
<http://jay.scherrer.com>