Dragaera

OT: Weigh In (And thank God we have the promise of printed material to keep us entertained)

Thu Feb 3 20:42:30 PST 2005

Off Topic

This deals with our favorite world in a barely peripheral sense, so read 
no further if you don't want to.  Wait, am I being too mystical?  :-P

I've been on this list, and off it, and on again for a while now.  I'm 
not a prolific poster, as you well know by now.  After reading posts by 
some of the regulars, I realize, much to my dismay, that I'm not even a 
particularly deep thinker.  I share with you however, a debased love of 
Vlad, Aliera, Morrollon, Sethra, and the Fab Four of the only romances 
I've ever been able to read, as well as our favorite purveyor of these 
personalities.  My HS English teacher would tell my that my sentence 
structure is horrid and I use too many commas.  Deal with it, I'm not 
getting paid.

Anyway, on with the off topic, topic...

I read with interest this story:
http://news.com.com/Grokster+and+Americas+future/2010-1028-5559340.html?part=dht&tag=npro&tag=nl.e433

Now, to begin with, I have to say that I work in a profession that deals 
with upholding law.  Having said that, I also have to say that I came to 
the world of computers and internet when the word 'free' was taken for 
granted.  I remember that my interest in computers was encouraged by 
people I knew who refused to share knowledge with me, whether for 
reasons of selfishness or simply lack of time and patience.  I recall 
that the only way I was going to learn anything, was to wade in and try 
to figure things out on my own.  So, I did.  What does this have to do 
with P2P software and archival copying of DVD's?  Nothing and everything.

I remember buying a copy of Win98 several years ago.  I also remember 
that Win98SE was going to cost me more than I could afford at the time.  
Having spent my well earned dollars for 98, should I pay the 'corporate 
devil' more for the fix to the flaws in the software I already 
purchased?  I won't tell you whether I did or not.  On one hand, I'd be 
a crook, on the other, I'd be naive...heh.  Did you ever think of what 
bottled water was, spelled backwards? naivE.

I guess the grinding question of my story, and the story I have linked 
here is:  Should technological advances and the sharing of knowledge, 
via the internet, be protected by the law of Corporate Copyright?  I 
have no problem with someone coming up with an original idea and 
profiting from it.  Hell, its the Hungarian...err...American dream.  
But, should we allow, the people who have all the money, to tell us that 
we can't share or copy software, on the chance that someone else may 
profit from it?

Please read the link before responding.  In the face of waiting for 
Dzur, or Creotha, or whatever Steve comes up with, this may be the only 
worthwhile entertainment I have for a while.

I realize, after proofreading, that I should not post whilst drunk. 
Wait, I'm always drunk when posting.  Nevermind.

-- 
Life, thy name is Irony ...Or, something like that.

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