This seems to me to be a case where the complaining serves a purpose. I think most people do not quite understand the issue. Those who do just deciding to not buy music with DRM will not have sufficient economic impact. Those who do should make as big a stink as possible to make more people aware, and then something might change.
Not buying music with DRM while raising the stink still would be a good idea though. I would think most music is still available on this old fashioned medium of CDs. No DRM there (most of the time:-).
For what it's worth, I'm a computer nerd and I could not care less how the mass media portrays me. Why should I? Why do you?
Well, media portrayal has a direct influence on your standing in society. Your standing in society has a direct influence on your life (ever notice the difference in the way people treat you depending on the way you dress?). More important than the way people treat you, look at mathematics in Europe. There the funding of departments is often very linked to the number of students they have (in one way or another). Mathematics being uncool certainly means fewer students, which in turn gives problems with the funding. I think for computer science there are currently no such issues (there is enough coolness, and there are other factors at work), but on the long run influence of the picture society has of a group of people is certainly important.
What I am saying is that it is reasonable to care about the image in society, certainly not that one should take a current picture personally.
The major advantage of Pen/Ink/Paper (or Pencil/Whatever pencils are made from/Paper, or Pen/Ink/Whatever you feel like writing on) is it's flexibility. Computers are no where near as flexible as pen and paper. Just try to figure something out while working on a computer (in my case working something out means finding a proof of something, or understanding a proof I am reading [I am a mathematician]), this is just about impossible on a computer.
Also, on a side note, pen a paper is clearly more reliable than a computer. As an example, power blackouts happen, pen and paper will continue to work.
Pen and paper will be around for a _very_ long time to come.
Essentially, in the specific case of SCO, starvation.
Since I am sure you don't mean not to give them bread and butter, you are talking about financial starvation. Does this not mean to debunk every one of their claims until they run out of money? Certainly since the nondetails, are not a priori incorrect; that is claims about IP can in principle be reasonable. Showing their claims are not, requires detailed work as done by Growklaw.
I do see the bigger danger, but it's solution (whatever it may be, I don't know) will probably not help here (i.e. come too late).
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This seems to me to be a case where the complaining serves a purpose. I think most people do not quite understand the issue. Those who do just deciding to not buy music with DRM will not have sufficient economic impact. Those who do should make as big a stink as possible to make more people aware, and then something might change.
:-).
Not buying music with DRM while raising the stink still would be a good idea though. I would think most music is still available on this old fashioned medium of CDs. No DRM there (most of the time
Well, media portrayal has a direct influence on your standing in society. Your standing in society has a direct influence on your life (ever notice the difference in the way people treat you depending on the way you dress?). More important than the way people treat you, look at mathematics in Europe. There the funding of departments is often very linked to the number of students they have (in one way or another). Mathematics being uncool certainly means fewer students, which in turn gives problems with the funding. I think for computer science there are currently no such issues (there is enough coolness, and there are other factors at work), but on the long run influence of the picture society has of a group of people is certainly important.
What I am saying is that it is reasonable to care about the image in society, certainly not that one should take a current picture personally.
Best,
Bart
The major advantage of Pen/Ink/Paper (or Pencil/Whatever pencils are made from/Paper, or Pen/Ink/Whatever you feel like writing on) is it's flexibility. Computers are no where near as flexible as pen and paper. Just try to figure something out while working on a computer (in my case working something out means finding a proof of something, or understanding a proof I am reading [I am a mathematician]), this is just about impossible on a computer.
Also, on a side note, pen a paper is clearly more reliable than a computer. As an example, power blackouts happen, pen and paper will continue to work.
Pen and paper will be around for a _very_ long time to come.
Best,
Bart
Essentially, in the specific case of SCO, starvation.
Since I am sure you don't mean not to give them bread and butter, you are talking about financial starvation. Does this not mean to debunk every one of their claims until they run out of money? Certainly since the nondetails, are not a priori incorrect; that is claims about IP can in principle be reasonable. Showing their claims are not, requires detailed work as done by Growklaw.
I do see the bigger danger, but it's solution (whatever it may be, I don't know) will probably not help here (i.e. come too late).
But remember this isn't a war about details. This is about defining a goal, and getting there any way possible.
How do you propose to fight them, if not by showing their claims to be incorrect?