[sf-lug] license count != software popularity (Re: [Balug-Talk] Open Source less popular than Free Software)

[Asheesh Laroia]

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007, Michael Paoli wrote:

> [yeah, don't send/reply to lists one can't post directly to ... tends to be
> discourteous and annoy the list maintainers/moderators]

[yeah, don't]

> license count != software popularity

Sure, and

> Installed base and use of installed base of software, or statistical 
> approximations thereof, are typically better measures of a software's 
> popularity.

sure!

I can't use this to claim a count of installed userbase.  But I can almost 
believably measure the size of the Free Software idea/community vs. the 
Open Source idea/community.  So in community size, I stand by the original 
flamebait in the Subject line: that Open Source is a smaller phenomenon 
than Free Software.

> Of course, again, one may need to excercise appropriate
> care in how the counting is done (if I could exceedingly cheaply
> create a very large number X of computers, and simultaneously install
> on all of them ...)

You know, I have been going on about how great virtualization is lately. 
(-;

-- Asheesh.

--
Keep it short for pithy sake.