Is downing the software legal?

[JointPain]

I'm really excited to see that you're working on a Linux compatible software for the ResMed S9. My S9 should be arriving in a few days (to replace my mega-ancient dumb CPAP).

I've got 30+ years Unix/Linux programming experience. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

[fuzzy96]

i may be wrong on this but copy right laws prohibit a person from copying for sale , trade, or distribution. so posession by downloading should be legit , it's the one putting it out there they'd go after. if it is for your own use you can wallpaper your bathroom with copies.
if they made it for sale at a reasonable price people would buy it.
i also believe that there is a fear of litigation for users to have it ,lord knows american lawyers never chase ambulances

[tschultz]

Addressing this issue is part of the motivation in providing a "community owned" open source application for viewing data from multiple machines, a project which is coming together nicely with much of the framework in place.

[avi123]

It would be nice to see Uncle_Bob participate in this discussion but he is not happy b/c of a air hose. Go figure.

[cpapdork]

--but no one loses; so, morally: who gets hurt?

Actually, I believe there's at least one group hurt: developers of alternative/competing software packages. Let's say for the sake of argument that Big Bad Corporation either doesn't allow downloads or makes their software ridiculously expensive. I decide that I'm going to write a much cheaper version that's just as good. I think that everyone will be so pleased that I can eventually start a small company that cares about its customers and gives good reasonably priced software. Not only do I get start a productive company but Big Bad Corporation learns a lesson that it can't treat its customers that way.

Except nobody is pleased by my software, because actually everyone is just pirating the software from Big Bad Company. Nobody cares that my new software is cheaper because it's not as cheap as pirating (and of course my software isn't as good quite yet because it's brand new).

Of course they don't care if you download it. No competitors can break in, and Big Bad Company coasts along just fine.

PS. To those of you that know I have in fact written an alternative cpap software (onkor): I'm not griping about my situation here, just making a philosophical point. My software is free (zero-cost) so nobody is hurting me financially.

[Otter]

--but no one loses; so, morally: who gets hurt?

Actually, I believe there's at least one group hurt: developers of alternative/competing software packages.

I think that open source programmers like you do more damage to folks trying to sell an alternative to Big Bad Corp's software. Though development can be erratic, open source tends to be superior to proprietary software. Offering a superior product for free seriously undercuts the commercial startups. Have you no conscience?!

Seriously, though, I don't think you have any moral obligation to charge for your application or make it as lame as BBC's software. Similarly, I don't think, even if I accept for the sake of argument that the pirates are stealing from BBC, that they owe anything to third party vendors. The first challenge for someone developing any commercial software is make it worth buying for its own merits. Fail that, and you're just one more rock in the stream of users, and most of them will flow around you.