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Woz, Others Ask Apple To Go Easy On Tiger Leak

Posted by timothy on from the pr-opportunity-if-ever-one-was dept.

tabkey12 writes "Drunkenbatman posts this impressive article with a pointed quote from Apple co-creator Steve Wozniak and 24 others from all parts of the Apple Software world, criticising Apple's stance against a 23-year-old pre-med student, desicanuk, who distributed a pre-release Tiger build over a popular Mac Bittorrent site. There's also an interview with desicanuk on drunkenbatman's site. (Original Slashdot article here.)"

5 of 521 comments (clear)

  1. Stallman was right by obender · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I think this proves once again that non-free commodity software is evil.

  2. who cares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    it's just some puppy do0de sharing his warez. He got caught and made an example of. tough shit, better luck next time

    no story here

  3. Marketing backfires by LourensV · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    You know, this is an example of a bigger problem. Companies have got incredibly good at getting people to want their products. They've got the psychology down. People want, no, need this cell phone, this music, these movies, these clothes, this Tiger OS, and it's all thanks to the marketing departments.

    The problem is, the same companies are paying minimum wages, and lobbying for tax cuts, so that these customers don't have the money to pay for these products. Or, as in this specific case, they're simply not yet available. But people need them.

    I think most people know that getting stuff illegally is wrong in some sense. But the companies have got their customers hooked and needy, and the customers can't afford the product. And technology has made it very easy to get the product in a way that does not bring the company any profit. There is a lot of psychological pressure on people to get stuff, and the "this is wrong" barrier does not stand up to it. Especially if everyone is doing it.

    Companies see it differently. They see people who download their product instead of buying it. They see behaviour they do not want. And just as the Marketing department controls what people do, they've chosen the Legal department to control what people don't do.

    In this case, they got these kids all worked up, they were big Mac fans, and they just needed to get a glimpse of Tiger. They couldn't resist Apple's marketing. So they went for it in the only way possible, and now they're getting sued.

    Was wat he did illegal? Yes, he did violate the NDA (and didn't read it, which was stupid to boot). Was it wrong? Maybe. But was it his fault?

    No way.

  4. Re:Woz is too much of an idealist by koreaman · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Please name one thing Apple has innovated, in the past 3 or 4 years, besides eye candy or "prettiness".

    --
    Le français vous intéresse?
  5. It's a goddammed civil case!!! by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    It's a goddammed civil case!

    The kid has nothing at all. He's canadian. He just should get the fuck-out of the US and leave Apple high and dry, get his medical doctor degree in Canada and that's it. In Canada, he's beyond the reach of the US law anyways.

    In this, he has learned the very valuable lesson that americans are hardcore sonovabitches you don't need to deal with.