[TowerTalk] AO & "cheap hams"

[Al Williams]

I have long wondered why so many hams brag about how "cheap" they are!  The 
posting on TowerTalk that had the most replies in my memory was about where 
one could save a few pennies on the purchase of a 500' spool of wire for 
antennas. On tv's antique show, exhibitors are often asked how much they 
paid for their antique with the thought being how great the "discovery" 
purchase was.  The morality of paying a low price due to the owners 
ignorance or misfortune doesn't seem to be a consideration.

I can understand how one could stretch his morals by stealing AO for their 
own use but to make it available free for others by putting it on bulletin 
boards and freeware disks is too much.  Do they think that they are the 
modern day Robin Hoods?


k7puc


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "William B. Stacy" <WStacy at uwyo.edu>
To: <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2005 9:45 PM
Subject: [TowerTalk] AO


> As pointed out earlier, Brian Beezley, K6STI, used standard language in 
> granting a license for use of his software.  I cannot recall any software 
> publisher selling the software itself, only a license to use it.
>
> I used his software for many years and found it well written, bug free, 
> and useful.  The thing that really tore it for Brian was the rampant 
> pirating of AO and his other programs.  He was trying to make a living 
> writing ham software and asked that people not pirate it.  When it began 
> showing up on bulletin boards and disks of ham "freeware," he added copy 
> protection.  When that did not work, he essentially pulled the plug on the 
> operation.  We all lost because of the actions of a few irresponsible 
> people.  However, I cannot blame him for being bitter about how things 
> turned out.
>
>
> 73,
> Bill, K7EY
>
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