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Interview With Andreas Pour of KDE

Posted by michael on from the small-chip-on-shoulder dept.

friedmud writes "I just read a great interview over at OPEN for Business. It is with KDE contributor Andreas Pour. He goes over many topics - not only including KDE. My favorite part: 'they are basically saying, if you stop obeying us, we will stop you from viewing the documents you and your friends created. Who are they to say where and when I read my documents? Now I need a monopolist's permission to view my own creations? The audacity is mind-boggling, and that the Justice Department is permitting it is simply astounding.' - Wow"

1 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I think he raises the interesting point... by idiotnot · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is something like patenting keys and locks. Obviously, if Microsoft ever tried to say something like: "No, you can't view your documents", I think the justice department would immediately step in and cry foul, much as if the person who invented the key demanded that all people who owned and used keys for operating locks pay him a surcharge or discontinue their use.

    I'm not sure that Justice would be so quick to do that. The real concern is that a situation such as this would arise.....

    1. You create document/opus/graphic with propriety tool X, document great_work.msx .
    2. Propreitary software maker patents the file format, and includes methods (Palladium, anyone) which make it impossible to open in anything other than proprietary tool X.
    3. You, as artist, no longer agree with the licensing terms (which changed during a bugfix that was automatically installed).
    4. You're screwed.

    Now, the old way of remedying this would be,
    5. Write new program that can read file format so that you can continue to use your work, but then;
    6. You've violated the DMCA if you do that.

    It's not a pretty picture.