I Wrote a Book to Teach the Wolfram Language • Hacker News Board

Re: I Wrote a Book to Teach the Wolfram Language

#61

Post by DonaldFisk » Wed, Dec 09, 2015, 7:37 PM UTC

hsitz wrote: post #58

DonaldFisk wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That helps to prevent his software from becoming a cash cow, as it encourages constant innovation on his part to stay ahead of the open-source competition. But until the open source replacement is as good, he'll still be able to earn money by licensing it.

The question would be whether open-sourcing now might lead to higher profits over the long term than remaining closed-source until some later date. In the case you suggest, it could be that once the open source replacement is as good --- or nearly as good -- the closed-source business simply shrivels up and dies. By switching now, before open source has caught up, the currently closed-source company could attract use…

I'm unclear about how you suggest people make money after giving their software away for free. I've dealt with consultancy in an earlier post.

The term open-source is ambiguous. It's possible to release the source and still charge for the software and have restrictions on its use or distribution, e.g. by having a shared-source licence.

Use of shared-source would mean anyone intending to release their version of the software on a different licence would not only have to rewrite the code from scratch but, to avoid suspicions of plagiarism, take great care that their code bears no resemblance to the source code, which they have already been given.

Finally, I've already pointed out that requiring payment for commercial also buys the developer time, and encourages them to improve the software or develop entirely new software.

Re: I Wrote a Book to Teach the Wolfram Language

#62

Post by caligastia » Thu, Dec 10, 2015, 12:16 AM UTC

nnq wrote: post #5

...if only S. Wolfram would finally have the most obvious insight that he's totally missing: Open-source it! The only programming languages that will ever succeed from now on will be the open source ones . Yeah, he can keep special-purpose libraries closed-source. And the server-software behind Wolfram. Maybe even the Mathematica GUI if he also offers a free "community version" or something on the side. But otherwise…

Agreed. Mathematica is awesome, and I did research with it that would've not been possible with any other tool, but the day I had to contact the company for permission to transfer the license to another computer made me realize I didn't want to build any IP on top of their tech.

A language, unlike a complete environment like Mathematica, allows you to build your own programs whole-cloth. But if those programs ultimately require Wolfram's permission to run, I don't really care how awesome it is, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, for fear of it becoming the next J++.

They can still make money by charging for printed manuals, support, or offering some sort of supercomputing back-end like EC2 for research institutions. But for a serious developer to invest their own time learning this tool, the risk of a closed ecosystem is too high.

Re: I Wrote a Book to Teach the Wolfram Language

#63

Post by xupybd » Thu, Dec 10, 2015, 7:27 AM UTC

frou_dh wrote: post #16

JonnieCache wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Does anyone want to bet as to which will gain self-awareness first: Wolfram Alpha or Wolfram, Stephen?" - Casey Muratori

The like-clockwork sniping at the man whenever he's brought up borders on being more irritating than his original "offence".

Sorry, you are right my comment was not constructive. You raise a good point. It's the first time I'd come across that style of writing and got a weird vibe from it and thought I'd comment about it. But in hindsight it was pretty negative.

Re: I Wrote a Book to Teach the Wolfram Language

#64

Post by frou_dh » Thu, Dec 10, 2015, 7:45 AM UTC

xupybd wrote: post #63

frou_dh wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The like-clockwork sniping at the man whenever he's brought up borders on being more irritating than his original "offence".

Sorry, you are right my comment was not constructive. You raise a good point. It's the first time I'd come across that style of writing and got a weird vibe from it and thought I'd comment about it. But in hindsight it was pretty negative.

Don't worry. It was more the quote that set me off.

Re: I Wrote a Book to Teach the Wolfram Language

#65

Post by kesselvon » Fri, Dec 11, 2015, 11:14 PM UTC

edtechdev wrote: post #55

He has the same 'expert blindspot' as so many others when it comes to learning and pedagogy. If you show this book or go through this book with a true novice, like a child or complete non-programmer (no one has 'zero' knowledge like he says), this would turn them off programming for a long time. To hook people in, to give them an actual /reason/ to learn programming, you need to show them how programming can be used…

That already exists using Wolfram tech: http://www.wolfram.com/programming-lab/

Re: I Wrote a Book to Teach the Wolfram Language

#66

Post by kesselvon » Fri, Dec 11, 2015, 11:15 PM UTC

nswanberg wrote: post #57

A free version of the "Wolfram Language" (I can't help but still think of it as Mathematica) runs on the Raspberry Pi, which makes for not only a fast way make little hardware prototypes and tinker, but also a cheap way for someone to learn to be comfortable getting a computer to do things. I would have loved something like this in addition to the Lego, Construx, chemistry, and physics kits I toyed with as a kid.

An open version of the language exists for individuals to try on the cloud: https://www.wolfram.com/development-platform/