illogic

Like any religious leader, I invariably find ways to link what I experience to free software. This past week I skimmed through the late Robert J. Gula's book Non-sense and wrote up the tacit illogic of the proprietary software argument. Clearly valid but unsound, it goes something like this...

To profit from software, users must be restricted.
Free software does not restrict users.
Therefore, profit cannot be made from free software.

Of course, the proprietary mind never actually says this aloud for it would face ridicule over the mass of evidence contradicting its first premise. Rather, when encountering those curious yet uninformed about free software it asks rhetorically, "How can you make money from free software?" Wishing the sheep not even consider the question to any depth, it pauses for no more than a second and follows with a self-confirming, "You see!? Now let's go get a beer." To which there is only one appropriate response...

"OK."