[Asterisk-Users] Analog FXO Card

[Steven Critchfield]

On Mon, 2003-09-15 at 13:09, Mark Spencer wrote:
> Secondly, Asterisk's future is clearly very closely coupled to that of
> Digium.  When you purchase from us, you are investing in the future of the
> product you are using.  Digium is obviously the primary sponsor of
> Asterisk, and our (and to a great degree Asterisk's) ability to succeed is
> based on how well we can earn customer loyalty by advancing development
> and providing high quality support, even in the face of competitors who
> may try to copy our work without giving to the project.  More than any
> telecom company ever has, we are putting our fate in the hands of you, the
> community, by throwing out the conventional wisdom regarding intellectual
> property, and in the long run it is *you* and *your loyalty* that will
> make or break our success.

I don't think you are throwing out conventional wisdom concerning
intellectual property. You value the IP very much. It is the value of
the IP that sells your hardware. It is the quality of service that helps
drive your hardware sales also. If anything, the pendulum has swung back
from tightly proprietary passing through where IBM used to give away the
software so you use their hardware, to the point where you are giving
away the software in the hopes people will buy your hardware. 

I think especially now we need to be guarded in our expression about IP
especially with the SCOX lawsuit still around. 
-- 
Steven Critchfield  <critch at basesys.com>