[ox-en] Re: Gifts?
- From: Thomas Uwe Gruettmueller <sloyment gmx.net>
- Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 02:19:53 +0200
Hi Graham!
On Monday 14 October 2002 23:28, Graham Seaman wrote:
The only thing I don't like is the word "gift" in gift
economy. Of course the motivation of wanting to make a gift
to someone / the world may be a motivation for some people,
but actually I doubt this motivation is the biggest motor
for what we see in the Internet / Free Software.
You're right that the usual meaning of 'gift' in this society
is a permanent transfer of property without payment, so that
for the giver there is only a meritorious feeling of altruism
combined with self-sacrifice.. And that has nothing to do
with free software (as far as I can see).
I agree.
However, I looked up the word "gift" in my proprietary
dictionary, and it claims that the word "gift" can also be used
in a sort-of figurative meaning for things that are just
extraordinary cheap or easy (e.g. "The exam was a gift.").
Can you confirm this, and might this be the case, here?
cu,
Thomas
}:o{#
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