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I was reading an interesting Quora response about how this scam works:
If Java is an open source technology, then how does Oracle get benefits by introducing new features in Java technology? - Quora[^]
It seems that the provider of the open source product releases it with some embedded bugs that take a while to manifest. Then clients of this product discover the bug and have the option of reporting it as as per free support and wait a while for it to be fixed, or reporting it as a registered client, in which case the bug is fixed within hours (hmm, because the bug's solution was already known prior to its "discovery"?). Of course, any major client will absolutely have to be registered client.
I find this similar to the old scam of giving away free storage space, and then abruptly saying that it is no longer free. 
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Sounds like someone is confusing Open Source with Free............ Open Source != Free, it depends on the license.
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Sure, the hamburger is free, but if you want a patty, a bun, some cheese, maybe a leaf of wilted lettuce...
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: Sure, the hamburger is free, but if you want a patty, a bun, some cheese, maybe a leaf of wilted lettuce...
I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.
Michael Martin
Australia
"I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible."
- Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
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I feel like I'm older than Captain America by getting that reference.
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Ah, he's just being wimpy.
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No, it's not the same thing. You get to use Java for free, right? Do you really think they have to embed bugs? Bugs appear abundandly without intentionally putting them in. Fixing them is another matter. Why not use them to encourage users to become paying customers? One could argue that everyone gets what he pays for and that's not unfair.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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CodeWraith wrote: Do you really think they have to embed bugs? Bugs appear abundantly without intentionally putting them in.
It is often said that by the time you've worked out all the bugs in a piece of software, it has become obsolete. So to avoid my software becoming obsolete, I leave in a bug or two.
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swampwiz wrote: I find this similar to the old scam of giving away free storage space, and then abruptly saying that it is no longer free
Nature abhors a vacuum? (accountants abhor free-ness)
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Terry Pratchett said that Accountants know the cost of everything, and the value of nothing.
I don't think he was trying to be funny.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I believe it was Oscar Wilde already.
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He had a characters - Lord Darlington - say that about a cynic in "Lady Windemere's Fan" - The late, great pTerry was specifically talking about accountants and the way they blight everything they touch.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OIC.
Does that mean accountants are cynics by default?
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Terry Pratchett is my favorite author. If you have not read any of his works, you should.
Your quote is from Pyramids, one of the best of his many books. I think the argument between the engineer brother and the accountant brother is a warning to us all.
Engineers get so enamored with their creation they lose site of simple things like the original purpose, the cost and effect problems (I'm thinking of all you guys that design a new Language / Framework), not to mention the training issues, or what the guy paying for the product actually wanted in the first place.
Just because you can, does not mean you should.
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I think I've read every word he ever typed, often several times, and I run the "Clacks Overhead" chrome extension ...
Yes, cost is important, but value is much, much more so - and developers forget that as well in favour of "New" or "Interesting".
And the most valuable things a business needs to have, have no "cost": staff loyalty, customer loyalty, reputation. And are the easiest to throw away to save $5 on a $1000 unit.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Yep. It is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained.
Sometimes you need to give the customer/client what they need, instead of what they say they want, but that gets pretty tricky too.
I was never much in favor of "Maurice and his Amazing Rodents". Sam Vimes is the character I identify with the most. (Except I don't have a rich wife.) "Unseen Academicals" is one of my favorites as well.
I also like Gaspode the wonder dog, the Witches, and, of course, Rincewind.
One never know for sure, Do One? -- Fats Waller
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Cohen the Barbarian for me!
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Why does that not surprise me...    
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Well the whole world is a scam !!!
Caveat Emptor.
"Progress doesn't come from early risers – progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." Lazarus Long
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Correction... the 50% of the world is a scam, the other 50% just dumb  
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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correction II: The world sucks, which is why the people in Australia don't fall off.
If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, perhaps you don't understand the situation.
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swampwiz wrote: It seems that the provider of the open source product releases it with some embedded bugs that take a while to manifest.
I find this suspiciously similar to the old accusation that antivirus vendors employ virus developers to help promote their products, and I seriously doubt it for the same reason: there's absolutely no point going through the trouble and risk (their reputation would be destroyed if they ever got caught) when there's already so much business to go around.
Software development is hard — surely that's not news for anyone around here. Any sizable project will, regardless of its programmers efforts, have a few dozen bugs. I can totally see the likes of Oracle dragging their feet to address "free" bug reports while being more responsive for their paying customers, but there's absolutely no need for them to create bugs on their products, when we seemingly can't get rid of the damn things no matter how hard we try.
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The ONLY scam with this, as involving Oracle was the lawsuit against Google.
And that explained it all. While we programmers can use/compile/run java code under open source licensing, Oracle wants their license from the various hardware integrators, and JVM ports (potentially). And for using CERTAIN (bootstrap?) APIs, etc.
A better comparison is Netscape giving away the browser, and selling the server software, when thinking about the model. Just that the "split" isn't always clean/clear...
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If you drive into a tree, do you find out how Mercedes Bends?
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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