On Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:32:43 +1100, Paul Fuller wrote:

> On 4/10/2011 6:20 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:59:40 +0100, Invisible wrote:
>>
>>> A better explanation might be "if it costs somebody money but you
>>> didn't pay for it, you're being sold".
>>
>> That's the best way to look at it I've seen. :)
>>
>> Jim
> 
> GPS strikes me as a counter-example.  It costs somebody (the US military
> / government) a lot of money.  I didn't pay for it except by the most
> circuitous reasoning (not being a US citizen).  I don't see how I'm
> being sold by it or for it.  Now I do have to pay for a GPS receiver but
> there isn't as far as I know any component in that cost for building and
> running the satellite network, ground stations etc.
> 
> To every generalisation there is at least one obvious and irrefutable
> counter-example - even this one.

Well, sure, there are some services that are provided gratis that cost 
money but the user doesn't pay for.  Open source software is another 
example.

As one of my old civics teachers used to say, there ain't no such thing 
as a free lunch.

Jim

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