Python obfuscation

[Alex Martelli]

Steven D'Aprano <steve at REMOVETHIScyber.com.au> wrote:

> On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:51:35 +0000, Ed Jensen wrote:
> 
> > Steven D'Aprano <steve at removemecyber.com.au> wrote:
> >> I'm not sure if that is meant to be a rhetorical 
> >> question or not, but something of the order of 95% of 
> >> all software written is never distributed to others, 
> >> and so copyright or the lack of copyright is not an issue.
> > 
> > Can you cite your source(s) for this information?
> 
> Not easily, but I will try.
> 
> If it helps, I will clarify what I was talking about -- in hindsight it is
> a little unclear. Most software written (I think about 95%) is by
> companies for in-house use only. Since it never gets distributed outside
> of the company using it, copyright is of little additional value.

Hmmm, I thought the original "95%" (which I think I remember from
something ESR wrote, but can't pin down what) applied to a wider
category matching your former description: 95% of all software written
is never distributed to others, _either_ because it was never meant to
be, _or_ because the development project failed disastrously (after some
code got written but before it got deployed, i.e., distributed), as so
many projects in the SW industry do (at various stages of the
development process).


Alex