[kwlug-disc] Linux-Format Magazine

[Chris Frey]

On Wed, Mar 04, 2009 at 06:32:42PM -0500, unsolicited wrote:
> Brent - well said.
> 
> Chris - don't also forget that bandwidth costs real $. In the end, 
> that factor comes into play.
> 
> Otherwise, especially with what Brent says, we would all be hosting 
> ourselves everything GPLed ever. But in the end, the ISP costs real $.
> 
> R. Brent Clements wrote, On 03/04/2009 6:16 PM:
> >A truely "free software licence" would imply that portions of the
> >work, namely articles, could be freely used under the same conditions
> >that code segments can be used in free software.  Obviously they don't
> >want their articles highjacked and republished.


*sigh*  I'm the only freak in the crowd. :-)

It's bittorrent.  This doesn't have to cost much money at all.  The key
here is that they want to be THE source of Linux related articles, and
they want people to think of them first when they want to get their copy.

Not the Pirate Bay.  "Tux Radar" is the mental currency that want to instill
in people's minds.  So far, Pirate Bay is what is sticking in mine.

I'm sure there are _plenty_ of people who would willingly donate a few
hundred megs of bandwidth to help seed a truly Free magazine.  I'm one of
them.

Any why not let their articles, at least the articles in this free issue, be
"highjacked and republished" with a free software license?  That's the
best of both worlds.  Other magazines reprinting your articles after you've
already published them and made them available for free, and printing
your name on the bottom as the source?  Mondo free advertising.

A magazine shouldn't be caring about last month's issue.  That's old news.
Good quality news, sure.  Stuff people want to read, yes.  But a magazine
is about being a constant source of New quality content, every month.
If one of those months is a Free Software licensed magazine, that's a bold step
showing the world how confident you are that you have more content in the
pipe for the future.  If that free month is good quality, why wouldn't
people subscribe?

It's time that people stop thinking that "no DRM" is a selling feature.
That's like a restaurant claiming to have "no Salmonella!"

- Chris