Re: IDL Shareware

[gross(at)chuma.cas.usf.edu]

Hi...

I do some small amount of IDL work, all of it related to medical
imaging. One of the problems is that I write a lot of "one-off"
solutions to solve particular (peculiar ?) problems...so most if not
all of my stuff would be of no use, and of no interest, to anyone
else.

Since IDL is primarily used for algorithmic prototyping, my guess is
that a lot of IDL coders are in the same group...highly specialized
programs that don't travel well.....



On Tue, 18 Jan 2000 12:48:09 -0500, "J.D. Smith"
<jdsmith@astro.cornell.edu> wrote:

>Ronn Kling wrote:
>> 
>> All,
>> 
>> I would like to voice my support to David Fanning's post on the idea of
>> shareware.  I have had a few programs available on my site for awhile,
>> but no one has bought any. Plus, I notice that no one has replied to
>> David's post.
>> 
>
>A fly in the ointment of this shareware idea: Most IDL programs that I know
>about are produced by researchers supported by government grants, or corporate
>expenditure.  Certainly some IDL users have their own companies, or do IDL work
>at home, and in private, but the vast majority of contributed IDL libraries
>(e.g. the excellent NASA lib) would not be permitted to be sold, as they are
>technically the intellectual property of the government or corporate agency in
>question.  Now, seldom is this attitude enforced for code which is given away,
>since this represents a purely altruistic offering, but if an individual wanted
>to make money on programs he had developed while under the employ of a
>government agency (including under grant) or corporation, that might raise some
>eyebrows.
>
>JD
>
>-- 
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