> Shouldn't development tools really be free with an OS, since the OS's very existence
> depends on programmers' ability to make good software for it?
>
> I mean, JRiver is adding value to Windows by developing MJ exclusively for it, yet
> we pay $1000's a year for development tools AND pay money for the OS itself. Seems
> like one of the two should be free to me...
>
> -Matt
Get over it. UNIX had free development tools for years (like 20 of them). Didn't help.
Microsoft spends extraordinary amounts of bucks on its developer programs. They have to recoup costs. Not to mention being a profit-making, publicly-traded company.
This "all software must be free" nonsense needs to go away.
And before you jump all over this, you will note that I am one of the creators of XFree86 (
http://www.xfree86.org). I know ALL about Open Source - I co-created one of the cornerstone projects. I've been debating Open Source vs proprietary software issues for 10 years (go do some searching in the Google Groups archives, and you'll find some great debates between me and Richard Stallman).
--dwex