Re: Payware ???

> "- they [GCC and GNAT] have a large and active user communities, which
> compensates for the lack of conventional support and maintenance; -
> errors in are widely reported and remedies and/or workaround solutions
> are published by the same users;"
>
> This official statement apparently means that the quality of informal
> support which comes with most free software is at least as good as
> that offered with commercial products.


      While I agree that informal support is often quite good, the
      official statement you mention is false, there is no "lack of
      conventional support and maintenance" for GCC and GNAT at
      least. See Cygnus <http://www.cygnus.com/> for most GCC targets,
      other companies for other GCC targets, Ada Core Technologies
      <http://www.gnat.com/> and ACT Europe <http://www.act-europe.fr/>
      for GNAT, OAR for RTEMS <http://www.oarcorp.com/>, etc.


      All these companies sell "conventional support and maintenance" for
      GNU software (the only non conventional thing around is that the
      software itself is free with sources ;-), following "the model of
      free software economy popularized by Richard Stallman" you mention
      later in your post.


      Regards,


--
Laurent Guerby <guerby@gnat.com>, Team Ada.
--

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