illegal creaticity?

[Richmond Mathewson]

Unlike Brian Yennie most of my work is, by most people's
standards, 'tinkering around', at least insofar as I develo
educational software to be deployed over 4 computers !!!!

However, from time to time, 'potential parents' turn up at
my little language school; after a while it becomes clear
that they are far more interested in my programs than either
my school or my teaching methods. They eventually get round
to asking if I can sell them a CD or 2 with Windows versions
of my programs.

Lying, I tell them that I am unable to produce programs for Windows.

Why? Because in Bulgaria, where "software pirate" is synonymous
with "saint" I know that copies of my programs would be round
the town, and the country, quicker than you can say "Georgi Parvanov"
(the 'socialist' President).

Now, why should I worry about that? Because my programs are
"quite valuable and relevant" to my business; and in a country
where legal protection seems only to be available to the Mafia
(a word which is often, if not always, synonymous for Big
Business) I "keep my a** covered".

An owner of a large EFL chain of schools in Bulgaria offered me
a sum which I calculated to be what a class of 20 children make in
2 weeks for my programs; that would give me a fortnight's income
and reduce the attraction of my school down to about 30% of what
it is now - suicide for a fast buck!

I don't pretend to understand business; but I do understand
Darwin's theory of evolution, and I do understand cannibalism.
While both Darwin's theory and cannibalism may not apply to
how we got here (c.f. Douglas Adams' theory) they certainly
seem to apply to how businesses function.

It is also sometimes the case that humans will destroy other
humans not because there is real competition, but because there
is a perceived encroachment onto territory already occupied, or
onto territory that has been ear-marked for occupation.

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Having said that . . . part of me says "go and kick sand in the faces
of the bullies" :)

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sincerely, Richmond Mathewson.
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A Thorn in the flesh is better than a failed Systems Development Life Cycle.
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