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Subject: RE: Earn Money with Rockbox on Ebay

RE: Earn Money with Rockbox on Ebay

From: Fred Maxwell <rockbox_at_anti-spam.org>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 17:53:48 -0500

David McIntyre wrote:

> I've purchased links before off ebay.
> I've found compendiums of other peoples' works in the linked
> files. But it was clear in the auction that I shouldn't
> expect more than what I actually got, so I didn't feel ripped
> off.

Then that seems quite fair.

> From what I recall of the translated auction, he was
> providing software to improve the functionality of the Archos
> hardware, and included screenshots. He didn't say that it was
> opensource, or GPL code, or anyone else's work. But I'm not
> sure that the license requires that he make these claims
> up-front.

When I go to a restaurant, there are seldom signs requiring that patrons go
to the restroom to pass gas, but arguing that the lack of such signs makes
it okay to pass gas in the dining area to be a bit of a stretch. I didn't
say that the auction violated the law, just that it was unethical.

> It doesn't mean he's a bottom feeder. He was just a
> broke college student with some information that people may
> deem valuable, willing to sell it so he could eat.

He did the right thing. He apologized and cancelled the auction. He was a
decent guy to used poor judgement at first. I'm not going to call him any
names because he did the right thing in the end.

> I think people would have been just as angry about what he did if he
> made it clear that it was a link to an opensource project.

I can't speak for others, but I would not have been angry at all. I put
myself in the position of the buyer. Would I have felt cheated had I bid
on, and won, that auction only to be e-mailed a link to open-source, GPL
software? Heck yeah.

> There are people who sell their services to the ignorant
> every day. They're called consultants. Not all of them are
> low-life scum.

There is nothing wrong with selling services to people who lack your
expertise and knowledge. What I object to is taking advantage of someone's
ignorance to deceive them in a business transaction.

Regards,
  Fred Maxwell
Received on 2004-01-06

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