Software licenses and releasing Python programs for review

[John J. Lee]

"poisondart" <poisondart985 at gmail.com> writes:
[...]
> I plan to release my programs for academic and pedagogical purposes.
> The knowledge contained in these programs is the same knowledge that
> people use to speak a language--did you buy a copy of the English
> language when you decided to learn it?
> 
> This is why I feel that it would not make sense for me to sell my
> programs for profit.

I'm a little curious about your position.

Though code encodes knowledge (hence the word, of course :-), the
system of concepts embodied in your code is not the same thing as the
code itself.  Right?

So, firstly, I don't follow your argument there: how does it follow
from the fact that scientific and mathematical knowledge should not be
treated by the law as - in some sense - property (a moot point of
course, though I lean towards your view) that it doesn't 'make sense'
(scare quotes because I'm not sure of your precise meaning) to sell
your software for profit?

Secondly, do you think it's a bad thing for anybody to sell software
that makes use of the *concepts* in your code (provided that the use
of those concepts is not restricted by financial or other legal
means)?  If so, why?


John