> Furthermore, if software is not allowed to be a product, can you sell a service based on software as a product?
Yes.
> If yes, where is the boundary between the software and the service?
At... the boundary...? I think it's pretty clear that services and software are different things. You even called them different things.
If I write software for you, that act is a service. What is produced is software. The former should be monetized rather than the latter.
If I let you use my computer (ie for storage), that is a service. The software for accessing my computer is software. The former should be monetized rather than the latter (which is true in the case of Netflix).
> Finally, who are you to tell people what they can and cannot sell as a product?
Ok, then I will provide you just with services from now on. Internally, I might use software to be able to provide you with that service, but as I provide you just with a service, that doesn't seem to matter to you.
Yes, instead of a software product, I am selling you a SaaS, and apparently you are fine with that.
As far as how they monetize their service, yes. I think it is a shame that their client is malware, and that it's not possible to use the service without their malware client. That is a separate issue though.
No.
> Furthermore, if software is not allowed to be a product, can you sell a service based on software as a product?
Yes.
> If yes, where is the boundary between the software and the service?
At... the boundary...? I think it's pretty clear that services and software are different things. You even called them different things.
If I write software for you, that act is a service. What is produced is software. The former should be monetized rather than the latter.
If I let you use my computer (ie for storage), that is a service. The software for accessing my computer is software. The former should be monetized rather than the latter (which is true in the case of Netflix).
> Finally, who are you to tell people what they can and cannot sell as a product?
Nobody. Just spitting my opinion into the void.