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Re: [LUG] GLUG - free and non-free



On Tue, 2004-10-12 at 20:39, Neil Williams wrote:

The distinction here is that your logic assumes that only one task can be done 
at a time. I don't have an off-switch for all this code - it just keeps on 
popping up. If I was in the bath or at work - anywhere at all - I get ideas 
and I formulate the code. It doesn't stop just because I'm doing something 
else. 

Not necessarily, but in this case your opportunity cost of sitting in
the bath thinking about coding is not sitting in the park thinking about
ducks (Where sitting in the park thinking about ducks represents all
your possible alternatives). You can increase this example to any number
of tasks at once.

However, the economic argument is not universal. Not everything in life comes 
down to economics, not everything in life is costed. (Even the credit card 
companies agree on that one.) Some things in life really are free of all 
financial cost. Otherwise, what did we do before money was invented?

You're implying that all economics is fiscal, which isn't the case.  You
make economic judgements about how to spend you time constantly.  If you
think "I'm not going to do that because it would be a waste of my time"
you're putting a value (not necessarily a financial value) on your time
and judging that it would be better spent (a word that has financial
implications, so the English language is either muddying the waters or
illustrating my point) doing something else.

There's a lot of confusion here about terms - use of the words 'paying' and 
'cost' opposed to 'choice' and 'activity'. A choice of activity does not 
necessarily involve any monetary cost.

I'd like to reinforce that I'm not necessarily talking about monetary
cost.  I've just looked up cost in the dictionary and one of the
definitions is "Loss of any kind".  The choice to code looses you (not
you specifically, but anyone) the opportunity to use that same moment in
time to sit in the park and think about ducks.

Alex.


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