Waterfox browser sold to ad company...

M76

M76

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LurkerLito said:
Problem is he probably didn't have a choice in the matter. The company was looking to buy it for a premium price probably. Given they are an advertising company and are generally disliked by the people using the product, you can pretty much guarantee that there is no way there wasn't a clause in the contract that nothing could be disclosed till after the sale went through. I know I wasn't happy with the news, I also feel a bit betrayed, but I can't say I don't sympathize. Put it this way, I don't know how much he was offered, but if someone wanted to buy your product for $3 million and keep quiet vs $1.5 million and you don't have to keep quiet till the sale goes through, which one would you choose?
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If I could choose between 1.5 million falling in my lap and keeping my integrity vs 3 million falling in my lap and being a hypocrite with no backbone, I'd choose the former without hesitation every time. Since both are unimaginably huge amounts of money.
The only way I'd feel sympathetic if it was this deal or no deal. But we'll never find out since he signed this deal. I don't think if he said no to keeping quiet they'd have just left the table. I mean they probably threatened to do that, but that's shrewd negotiations 101.

Besides he did say he wanted to do a blog post about. Now if the deal had a no disclosure agreement that's a lie. If it didn't have one, then why didn't he post about it? Either way he's not being honest, so gets zero symphathy from me.
 
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schoolslave

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vegeta535 said:
Get off your high horse. It was his and he could do what he wants with it.
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This has nothing to do with "being on a high horse" and everything to do with not being a selfish, money-grubbing hypocrite - particularly in "tech".
You don't start a project based on privacy to then go around and sell it to an adfirm especially without informing your users before the sale.
 
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Derangel

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schoolslave said:
This has nothing to do with "being on a high horse" and everything to do with not being a selfish, money-grubbing hypocrite - particularly in "tech".
You don't start a project based on privacy to then go around and sell it to an adfirm especially without informing your users before the sale.
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So you're psychic and are able to read his mind to know exactly why he did it?
 
IcePickFreak

IcePickFreak

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I dunno, after years listening to the self-entitlement by the tech community over a free product, I think I would get over the guilt OK.
money-gifs-zombieland-1.gif
 
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TordanGow

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vegeta535 said:
Get off your high horse. It was his and he could do what he wants with it.
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Sure it was his project and he was able to do what he wanted with it, I don't think anyone is disputing that item. That doesn't exempt him from criticism. A privacy oriented company selling out to an advertising company that is diametrically opposed to the original and existing (up until point of sale) products values warrants a level of criticism IMO. Just because something is legal doesn't make it a moral act.
 
Darunion

Darunion

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Rather take the money than less or no money and still have the high opinions of reddit posters. Where will those posters be when I need them? Money for me too, more free time to spend with family and hobbies then.
 
NickJames

NickJames

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Darunion said:
Rather take the money than less or no money and still have the high opinions of reddit posters. Where will those posters be when I need them? Money for me too, more free time to spend with family and hobbies then.
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Same, and to anyone here talking about morals in a capitalist society, well you better go vote and do something about it.
 
M76

M76

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TordanGow said:
Sure it was his project and he was able to do what he wanted with it, I don't think anyone is disputing that item. That doesn't exempt him from criticism. A privacy oriented company selling out to an advertising company that is diametrically opposed to the original and existing (up until point of sale) products values warrants a level of criticism IMO. Just because something is legal doesn't make it a moral act.
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It's not even that he sold out. It's the fact that he was sitting in the grass like a turd waiting for people to step into the trap.
 
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