No problem. I'll sell two versions of the software. The first will be as you get today with no capability of suing me.
The second will be a lot more expensive, but you can sue. The accompanying documentation will list exactly how you can use the product, and anything outside of that voids the product. It will list an exact certified environment you can use it in (eg only certain Intel processors), versions of operating systems, firewall configurations, other components that can be installed (any more voids the product). Essentially the product will be useless.
The problem with the "suing the developers" approach is who pays. It will always come at a cost including increased development times, more restrictive usage modes, less functionality, insurance, lawyers, court time etc. Ultimately people buying the software will have to pay for those, and it doesn't really benefit them.
At the moment people can put their money wherever they want, and they can choose the level of security, timeliness, access to code etc. I don't see the problem with that.
Comments
No problem. I'll sell two versions of the software. The first will be as you get today with no capability of suing me.
The second will be a lot more expensive, but you can sue. The accompanying documentation will list exactly how you can use the product, and anything outside of that voids the product. It will list an exact certified environment you can use it in (eg only certain Intel processors), versions of operating systems, firewall configurations, other components that can be installed (any more voids the product). Essentially the product will be useless.
The problem with the "suing the developers" approach is who pays. It will always come at a cost including increased development times, more restrictive usage modes, less functionality, insurance, lawyers, court time etc. Ultimately people buying the software will have to pay for those, and it doesn't really benefit them.
At the moment people can put their money wherever they want, and they can choose the level of security, timeliness, access to code etc. I don't see the problem with that.