I just saw Roy's presentation, and it was good. Faced with a restive
but not radicalized audience of SD customers, Roy moved the issue
another couple yards toward what most members of Code4Lib believe and
want, but without any harshness or rancor.

But those of us who are angrier than Roy need to keep it up, so Roy's
mellow but essentially radical vision becomes the "safe" alternative!
;)

Tim

On 11/8/07, Nathan Vack <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> On Nov 6, 2007, at 12:07 PM, Roy Tennant wrote:
>
> > I have a presentation coming up and I'm considering doing what I'm
> > calling a
> > "Library Software Manifesto". Some of the following may not be
> > completely
> > understandable on the face of it, and I would be explaining the
> > meaning
> > during the presentation, but this is what I have so far and I'd be
> > interested in other ideas this group has or comments on this. Thanks,
> > Roy
> >
> > Consumer Rights
>
> <things I like in software products />
>
> > Consumer Responsibilities
>
> <how to not be a jerk of a customer />
>
> The thing that kind of bugs me here is the idea that these things are
> somehow _rights._ They're certainly excellent guidelines (and I'd
> take all these points into consideration when looking at software)...
> but they're not 'rights.' 'Rights' implies a legal entitlement. When
> you're buying software, you have a whole bunch of rights, which vary
> depending on what jurisdiction you're in -- but I doubt the use of an
> API is in that list in ANY jurisdiction.
>
> Really, when you're buying software, your most common right is to
> negotiate a contract and price with vendors. If either party to
> uphold their end of the contract, the other party generally has a
> right to sue.
>
> If no vendor will provide a contract and price you can agree to, you
> have a right to build software yourself... or find vendors who will
> build the software, and to negotiate contracts with them.
>
> So: these are indeed good ideas. They are most definitely not rights.
>
> Cheers,
> -Nate
>


--
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