Rishi Gangoly wrote:
What if the competition uses my code and shuts my company down? How does one respond to the fear? The reason I'm having difficulty is because I'm not sure about this either.
The concept of sharing is ubiquitous in free software - in the kernel itself through time sharing of processor and other resources, in the distribution through the free licence, and in all of us through the free software philosophy. Sharing is innate in society, and we can easily adapt to this environment. But I do not know if anyone could guarantee that it will not shut down a company that is not resourceful. Most users of free software are intelligent, and they would be able to identify you as the author of your code, and one could reasonably expect them to seek your assistance when appropriate. The legal and medical professions have been living for long, comfortably in such an environment. Many drug companies market paracetamol using different brand names, and it does take one to other areas like brand building and marketing in the ultimate analysis.
But really, we are in the transition period from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, that should hopefully lead us to the Space Age [no-war, total peace and prosperity, with ample resources for adventuring into inter-galactical space missions], and there are tons and tons of things waiting to be done. There are enough problems confronting mankind at present. To the best of my knowledge, there is not even a program that prints [to a printer] a html page with css as required by the w3c specification. If a company solves a problem, let us all feel happy about it, even rejoice together, and identify the next problem to tackle with vigour and move on. We could solve the AI problem. We could port all the laws - natural and man made to computers. Only with free software, we can even attempt to work without duplication, and this in itself should take us places. I think the realisation of this strength and truth behind free software is the best antidote for the fear.