--- In IBDI@y..., Helen Borrie <helebor@t...> wrote:
[cut]

> Also, IBPhoenix *does* user secure service for credit card
> processing....and the website clearly shows Paul Beach as the contact for CDs.
really? sorry, I did understand that there is a "secure e-mail". From the site:
http://www.ibphoenix.com/ibp_shop.html#MERCHANDISE
you can read:
"If you want to purchase any item or service by credit card, we can do this via e-mail, or by phone or by fax."
Where is the secure service where enter credit card data?
Following the "by phone or by fax" link I reach the page:
http://www.ibphoenix.com/contact.html
where nowere is stated something about CD. Are we having different pages for the same address? Please Helen, tell me the right direction :)

>
> > > > What about a special, low price ($20?) labeled CD that I
> > > > could buy just to give an added value to my customers, and
> > > > make them feel that they are "legal, registered software"?
> > > > Open source is not very understood by my clients.
>
> Why couldn't you make up such a CD yourself?
Because is not my work, so why should I take the revenue selling other work software? I know that open source let you do so (make your own "distribution" and get money), but I would like people that are developing Firebird to take money and keep working so good.

> Otherwise, who do you think
> is going to pay the costs of making up, maintaining and distributing a
> cheap CD that costs you $20?
I've a subscription to many magazines that for a 4$ give you the magazine + 1 or 2 CD. So I figured out that was a really cheap and marginal cost for the CD

> To assume that the only cost in a CD is the
> cost of the media shows a lamentable lack of understanding of the value of
> other people's time.
>
> Or perhaps you think that the Firebird developers should do this for you,
> as a gesture of thanks for your benevolence in including their free
> software in your products...

Thank Helen for having understood just the opposite of what I was intended to express. Maybe my enghlish is far from perfect (maybe your Italian is), maybe, since we know each other for a lot of other things (Ibo GSG, IBO developement), if in dubts, you should consider good intentions FIRST... In any case, I apologise for my "evil" writing.
Regards
Marco Menardi