using C

[lojbab (Bob LeChevalier)]

Dave Cortesi says:
>But jeez I wish you guys would start using C ...

Neither Nora nor I know C, and we're putting our learning effort into
Lojban.  I am happy of other people write software in C, but then Nora
and I cannot help support and maintain it.  At 'a buck a copy' for the
author, most authors won't either.  If the software isn;t supported, it
generally ends up where all $19 software does - offloaded onto some disk
that is never seen again.  This is not to say that the 'cheap software'
route isn't the way to go, but there is a price to be paid for quality,
and I think LLG should build a reputation for quality as well as a good
language at a good price.

Dave also doesn;t answer the question of how we pay the bills.  It took a
special fund-raiser to get us out from under imminent financial crisis
last fall.  At the slow rate of funds trickling in from JL14 and LK14, we
will be back under the gun within 3 months.  If we can;t pay the bills, there
will be no textbook at any price, nor JL, nor ...

By talking about making a 'profit', I am NOT talking about earning anyone
any money, big or small.  I am suggesting that we need to make money on
the software to make up for our expenses that are covered in building the
language and supporting its users, that are not immediately tied to a salable
product.  For example, my $100 a month phone bill primarily spent in 
communicating with the net.  (yes, there are ways to cut this a little, but
if we are to have a net presence, it has turned out that I need to have
a net presence.)

Thanx for the opinion, Dave.

-lojbab