Re: A Question of Ethics (was: Overriding Acrobat User Settings)

["Robert L. Stallard \(News Lists\)" <rlslists -at- ev1 -dot- net>]

Andrew,

Thank you for your opinion.  Though I do agree with much of what you
express, I do have the following rebuttal:

(1) We agree that Capitalism in a monetary system is the exchange of goods
and services via money for profits.  However, there is an ethic to
Capitalism that many businesses, especially the large, megalomania type,
conveniently forget or are ignorant to:  Businesses have the right to
produce profit by transforming the available resources, owned by society (as
a matter of fact), into useful products and services that, in turn, are
purchased by consumers within the society.  This right is granted by the
capitalist society if the business in return contributes some benefit to
society, in addition to the needs satisfied by the goods and services and
the jobs this system creates (for which we pay dearly with money and most of
our lifetime).  This added benefit is what is called social responsibility,
which has nothing to do with communism, but rather with humanism.  According
to the capitalist ethic, the right to profits should never supersede the
respect for humanity and the basic right of individual dignity.  The scope
of this responsibility encompasses the area of influence of the business;
i.e., the bigger the company the greater the responsibility.

(2) I also agree with you in that stealing is stealing, be it $1 or $1
million.  But figuring out how a product is made, discovering its flaws and
limitations, and teaching people about it and how to overcome product
limitations are not stealing.  It is forcing a business to be honest,
improve the product, and respect its customers, as the capitalist ethics
mandates.  What is criminal is to treat professionals who do this as
criminals --being valid the redundancy.

(3) There is software from small-to-midsize developers, whether open source,
for profit, shareware, and even freeware which is of extremely high quality,
requiring hardly any support but which offers superior support services when
needed.  I have experienced this support and personally own some of these
software tools. Teenagers, loose-interest-quick developers, or fly-by-night
operations do not develop these.  The ones I use are created and supported
by professionals who are the "real deal" and have been around for a while.

(4) Support and services (e.g.: integration) for open-source technologies
can be a problem.  Precisely that is where there is money to be made, and
lots of it!  Microsoft finally may begin to get it, maybe too late: software
as a service, not a product.

(5) Products and services are just a bunch of materials and processes
readily available to anyone, that are put together to form said products.
Transformation of resources no longer defines added value; the intelligence
and knowledge integrated into and also created by the development system is
what truly adds value.  And that is where, I believe, the future of profits
lies; not in the product its self, but in the knowledge-service.

(6) My job may not be a religion for me, but it is more than just a job; it
is my profession and livelihood and I take it seriously.  It is a very
important part of my life to which I have dedicated most of waking hours,
whether by choice or by need to survive.  Therefore, if there is even remote
hope that I can contribute in any small way with my ideas to the body of
knowledge of the profession, to its elevated status in society and
improvement (which will make my life easier and more enjoyable), I certainly
will preach these ideas.

In conclusion, there is a bigger picture than profits.  In a capitalistic
society profits should be a measure of excellence, of how well you have
complied with your objectives, values, and ethics.  Profits should be your
reward for meeting objectives, not the objectives themselves.

I can be righteous, try changing the rules of the games for the better, be a
rebel, and still make a profit without stepping on anybody.  Even if I do
not make a profit, I can still feel good about myself and about how I
practice my business.

Have a wonderful day!

Robert L. Stallard



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