Comment by bee_rider

4 months ago

An analogy to making a physical tool doesn’t really work because we have to basically describe what software is in terms of exceptions to the analogy.

If I had a ratchet that, every time I turned it, I had to pay $.1, but I’d gotten it for free, but it was basically free to replicate, but the person who designed it did have to spend some significant work on R&D for the thing… I have no idea how I’d price that or how I’d feel.

4 comments

bee_rider

Reply
cyanydeez  4 months ago

oh you really butchered that metaphor.

The ratchet isn't what's getting paid in the metaphor, it's the person turning it.

There's always a time-sink cost to a public project.

Anyway, there's definitely a public good argument to turn certain software projects into utilities.

  • bee_rider  4 months ago

    I don’t think that’s what they were going for. They said “ I'd be pissed if I had to pay $0.10 every time I turned a rachet” so the person turning the ratchet is the one paying. Who they pay to is unknown.