Open-source, free, and proprietary software
The need to professionalize a field has always been important. The word regulation scares some, but in many instances it is vital to the survival of new professions.
Medical doctors, for instance, must undergo riggerous training and education before entering the professional field. These things are regulated through series of exams, boards, and laws instituted by standing governments.
When it comes to understanding why some software is free, and some is not, one must look at the incentive — professionalization.
When reading Bill Gates’, “An Open Letter to Hobbyists,” one can easily identify the concern of software manufacturers to develop, and specify certain jurisdictions for software. Gates states that, “most of you steal your software. Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to share.”
Free downloads of software, such as the audio editing tool Audacity, are not going to be as equipped with professional tools like Adobe Audition is. The incentive to create great software is not present when it can be easily stolen or copied.
The Issue
The most dominant problem lays in that laws are not written, or enforced to treat someone who steals software the same as if someone steals a bicycle. There are not that many enforcers walking around beating down doors to arrest people for downloading music illegally.
I have personally known over a hundred people who have stolen music online, but I have never met one person that has be arrested for it. Steal an album in a store and most likely get caught, but steal one online, and you are probably out scratch free.
