Yes, it may well be, I was just typing off the top of my head. For me (as a one-time developer who has experienced both scenarios), it's a loss of revenue either way.
I don't think these things can be settled legally in this manner; I think that as humans we live together under a "Social Compact" that includes compensating others for things created. What we are seeing with the ease of copying and redistributing electronic material is a breakdown in a part of the social compact. What the folks with laws are trying to do is legislate morality (in my opinion).
I don't think it's possible to legislate morality; I think that laws that try are really for the benefit of the lawmaker, and to educate or punish the offender.
I think it's not so much about following the law as being good humans; living within a loosely defined set of rules we all pretty much agree on (the Social Compact) that contributes to the growth and development of the species.
I need to give your question the time it deserves to provide an answer. I will respond with a better thought-out answer.
I have to say that I am surprised to be having this conversation on slash - I've been away for quite awhile, but since technocrat shut down I've been getting my fix again, here. I never had such a thoughtful reply to a question here.
Frankly, I don't care how this case falls out as I decided a long time ago what is morally right for me and no one else, but I am curious about your perceived difference between "copyright infringement" and the theft of goods or services.
Please bear with me here as I outline a few scenarios.
Scenario #1: Let's say you develop software games for a living, all alone, in your garage. Let's say you sell them for $20.00 US. Now let's say someone uploads your game to a website and 100 copies are downloaded. You generate no revenue for the 100 copies in the hands of people that did not pay for your software.
Scenario #2:
Someone buys a copy of your game, takes it home, copies it and then returns it to you for a refund, knowing full well that they will be playing and enjoying your game without paying for it.
Which one of these scenarios is copyright infringement and which is theft, how are the two scenarios morally different, and is the behavior in either case justifiable?
http://www.w3schools.com/ - I use this site to get undergrads up to speed with the programming we do in our shop at the university. It's always worked well, and all the code is runnable in the browser. Pretty good info, too.
ah.clem
Re:What no discussion of the Bambi movie?
on
Batman Discussion
·
· Score: 1
I caught this film at the 10:10pm showing Friday night - the asshats in line behind me had a 3 year old kid with them! Then they sat in front of me. When the film got really violent, do you think they realized that they made a bad decision and took the kid out? Nope. Fuckin' idiots!
Along with Gulfstream and the Skunkworks (mentioned elsewhere in the comments) there is this company - Aerion Corp., who claim to have a boomless SST design.
Replacing a co-worker's desktop wallpaper with a screenshot of the red and white "Windows has shut down your Active Desktop... did you recently add a new program?" error message is always good for some juvenile yucks - especially if it's the computer of a real "power user".
No matter how old we get, guys are always suckers for sophomoric humor - I think it's genetic.
"I saw Bigfoot once - it made a sound I would not like to hear twice in my lifetime." or something like that.
Ignorant asshats are everywhere - the problem is not them, the problem is that we cater to ignorance, superstition, fear and stupidity in this country.
Why do we feel the need to let stupid people "have a voice" when it comes to things they have no earthly clue about? Superstition, ignorance, fear and stupidity stifle human intellectual and scientific development. It's frustrating.
It's not my responsibility to "reverse the trend" - it's my responsibility to make certain that people that choose to be stupid don't get in my way. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone of average intelligence not taking the time to try to understand the world around them.
Ignorance has consequences. Teach people to be responsible for their own learning, and you don't need to "dumb it down" for them. Pander to them and you're stuck as their babysitter for the rest of their lives.
Clatto Verata N... Necktie... Nickel... It's an "N" word, it's definitely an "N" word!
OK, I'm not always the sharpest pencil in the packet protector, but were you meaning "klaatu barada nikto"? If so, I get the joke, but the spelling is not quite right...
Isn't this just a rehash of the MS "Lifecam" or some trendy name like that? IIRC, we were all supposed to be wearing this thing around our necks and not bothering to remember anything anymore, the camera would keep a "life record" or some such.
A little too subtle, perhaps... it seems to have gone over the mods heads. Next time, think more along the lines of Mr. Bean or Benny Hill. Good joke, though.
Slashdot Mirror
You really expect those Facebook using clowns to cop to their 1.8 GPA?
Hey, Nefarious.
Yes, it may well be, I was just typing off the top of my head. For me (as a one-time developer who has experienced both scenarios), it's a loss of revenue either way.
I don't think these things can be settled legally in this manner; I think that as humans we live together under a "Social Compact" that includes compensating others for things created. What we are seeing with the ease of copying and redistributing electronic material is a breakdown in a part of the social compact. What the folks with laws are trying to do is legislate morality (in my opinion).
I don't think it's possible to legislate morality; I think that laws that try are really for the benefit of the lawmaker, and to educate or punish the offender.
I think it's not so much about following the law as being good humans; living within a loosely defined set of rules we all pretty much agree on (the Social Compact) that contributes to the growth and development of the species.
I need to give your question the time it deserves to provide an answer. I will respond with a better thought-out answer.
I have to say that I am surprised to be having this conversation on slash - I've been away for quite awhile, but since technocrat shut down I've been getting my fix again, here. I never had such a thoughtful reply to a question here.
See ya on the Funway!
Skrolle2.
Frankly, I don't care how this case falls out as I decided a long time ago what is morally right for me and no one else, but I am curious about your perceived difference between "copyright infringement" and the theft of goods or services.
Please bear with me here as I outline a few scenarios.
Scenario #1: Let's say you develop software games for a living, all alone, in your garage. Let's say you sell them for $20.00 US. Now let's say someone uploads your game to a website and 100 copies are downloaded. You generate no revenue for the 100 copies in the hands of people that did not pay for your software.
Scenario #2:
Someone buys a copy of your game, takes it home, copies it and then returns it to you for a refund, knowing full well that they will be playing and enjoying your game without paying for it.
Which one of these scenarios is copyright infringement and which is theft, how are the two scenarios morally different, and is the behavior in either case justifiable?
Thanks for your time.
ah.clem
Swingin' baby!
Hm. Well, I guess that pretty much let's you know where you stand in those relationships, eh?
It just seems pretty weird to me to be friends with someone that can't even spare an e-mail addr.
I'm just sayin' what's true for me.
ah.clem
http://www.w3schools.com/ - I use this site to get undergrads up to speed with the programming we do in our shop at the university. It's always worked well, and all the code is runnable in the browser. Pretty good info, too.
ah.clem
I caught this film at the 10:10pm showing Friday night - the asshats in line behind me had a 3 year old kid with them! Then they sat in front of me. When the film got really violent, do you think they realized that they made a bad decision and took the kid out? Nope. Fuckin' idiots!
ah.clem
"Four more years, four more years!"
Sigh.
Ah.clem
Nice, very clever. Unfortunately, much too subtle for the mods.
ah.clem
I downloaded the PDF and sent it back to them - problem resolved.
ah.clem
Along with Gulfstream and the Skunkworks (mentioned elsewhere in the comments) there is this company - Aerion Corp., who claim to have a boomless SST design.
ah.clem
OFFTOPIC? The original comment is a fucking joke, laugh! Christ on a crutch, this is what happens when you give the slashmeggers mod points.
Get off my fucking eLawn, you rascals!
ART?!? You call that art? My little Billy could do better than that! Jeebus!
ah.clem
Yup, you're right. We played it on the C64, not the console. Better memory than me.
ah.clem
Best Atari games?
M.U.L.E. - 'nuff said.
ah.clem
I'm trying...
Replacing a co-worker's desktop wallpaper with a screenshot of the red and white "Windows has shut down your Active Desktop... did you recently add a new program?" error message is always good for some juvenile yucks - especially if it's the computer of a real "power user".
No matter how old we get, guys are always suckers for sophomoric humor - I think it's genetic.
"I saw Bigfoot once - it made a sound I would not like to hear twice in my lifetime." or something like that.
Ignorant asshats are everywhere - the problem is not them, the problem is that we cater to ignorance, superstition, fear and stupidity in this country.
Why do we feel the need to let stupid people "have a voice" when it comes to things they have no earthly clue about? Superstition, ignorance, fear and stupidity stifle human intellectual and scientific development. It's frustrating.
It's not my responsibility to "reverse the trend" - it's my responsibility to make certain that people that choose to be stupid don't get in my way. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone of average intelligence not taking the time to try to understand the world around them.
Ignorance has consequences. Teach people to be responsible for their own learning, and you don't need to "dumb it down" for them. Pander to them and you're stuck as their babysitter for the rest of their lives.
OK, might be better if you reference the quote then - if it happens every week then maybe it's a bit too leet for mortals.
ah.clem
Clatto Verata N... Necktie... Nickel... It's an "N" word, it's definitely an "N" word!
OK, I'm not always the sharpest pencil in the packet protector, but were you meaning "klaatu barada nikto"? If so, I get the joke, but the spelling is not quite right...
ah.clem
Isn't this just a rehash of the MS "Lifecam" or some trendy name like that? IIRC, we were all supposed to be wearing this thing around our necks and not bothering to remember anything anymore, the camera would keep a "life record" or some such.
Wasn't that a fail? I can't remember...
ah.clem
I'm just sayin'.
ah.clem
Aw, jeeze, really well done! Damn, I'm still laughing.
I love a good mock, tastefully done.
ah.clem
A little too subtle, perhaps... it seems to have gone over the mods heads. Next time, think more along the lines of Mr. Bean or Benny Hill. Good joke, though.
ah.clem