Re: Using % type functions/using RPG IV

     "Software development is not a zero-sum game --- with open source, 
     everyone wins."

"Sounds to me like the vendor is in a win-win situation here, and the 
client is the (money) loser.  The vendor releases buggy code, the customer 
(your client) pays a contractor (you) to fix it, you tell the vendor how to 
fix it, he includes the fix in his next release.  Does he pay anyone for 
doing his debugging for him?  I would think the client deserves some 
consideration in that case."
     
     I see what you're saying, but you've missed one crucial aspect here: 
     the customer wins by having the opportunity to fix bugs.  The classic 
     counterpoint here is Microsoft --- find a bug in Excel, and try to get 
     it fixed.  At least with (say) JDE or SAP, you have the source code to 
     hand, and if you _can_ find and fix the bug, then it's one less bug 
     for you to worry about.  I speak from experience: I have fixed bugs in 
     JDE that I would have had to simply grit my teeth and put up with, had 
     I not the source code.
     
     If closing the source were truly an incentive for the vendor to 
     release less buggy code, then it would indeed be a powerful argument 
     for closed source software.  Unfortunately, experience dictates that 
     this does not happen in reality.  The least buggy systems on the 
     market today are open-source --- when was the last time a bug was 
     found in Emacs?
     
     In short, don't think of the customers as being burdened with the task 
     of debugging flawed software; rather the customers are empowered to 
     improve the software as they see fit.
     
     ____________
     Paul Cunnane
     Mattel Interactive
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