When you pay the tax/levy you are purchasing the right to be able to backup/copy your own LEGALLY OWNED music cds. You can now listen to your new mixed CD in your car or home stereo. Thats it, nothing more. And no, you are not a criminal yet. If you DO NOT pay the tax/levy, then you DO NOT have the right to make a mixed CD of your LEGALLY OWNED music to listen in your car. Simple isn't it.
I'm not trying to start an argument, but doesn't the constitution (US or Canada) guarantee me the right of fair use in copyright law? Isn't this like telling me I should be paying for something that I'm getting for free: the right to backup content that I paid for, or transfer it to a different medium? I mean, what's next, asking me to pay for the air I breath?
Moreover, the fuzzy nature of the surcharge leaves a lot to be desired. Peter Suber, a prominent advocate of free online scholarship, analyzed the various post-levy scenarios in his FOS blog: "What I can't tell is whether the copyright levy on hardware will come with universal permission to copy. If so, that's a big gain for a small cost... If the levy does not imply permission to copy, then which copying does it cover?
"If it covers copying without prior permission, then users will simply stop asking for permission, and convert all copying to pre-paid copying. If it covers copying without pre-payment, then that begs the question: what does the levy pre-pay? (It's not clear) how the plan would continue to distinguish authorized from unauthorized copying."
This brings up an interesting question. If I pay this surcharge, have I effectively purchased the right to violate copyright laws, and download/burn/rip anything that I want? I mean, if I was a law abiding citizen and refused to illegally copy illegal music, what's to stop me from changing my mind and start to break the law, in retaliation for them assuming that I'm a criminal?
If before I was buying digital media simply to burn Linux ISOs, back up my harddrive, etc, what's to stop me from deciding to start illegally copying music, now that I have to pay anyway for activities that were previously 100% legal?
This will only encourage piracy. In fact, this will encourage people to pirate even more, in order to recoup the funds they paid in digital media taxes.
Certainly. I'm certain if someone walked up today and told the Microsoft board of directors that he could 'eliminate' Linux for 1 Billion dollars and could prove it, then they wouldn't blink twice before signing a check.
I use Gentoo, a Linux based on the BSD ports system, where programs are installed and updated by downloading the source code and compiling it, all automatically. It's super convenient. Gentoo has almost every open source program on its emerge system, and I rarely have to open a browser to download a program that I want to install.
I've installed quite a few programs since I installed Gentoo, and, obviously, this takes up far more bandwidth than downloading the binaries. If it weren't for my ISP allowing unlimited downloads, I'd max out my limit pretty quickly. What's more, everything I'd be downloading would be 100% legal, since I wouldn't even think of using more bandwidth for movies or MP3's.
Obviously, if I were studying at Cornell, I'd have to give up using Gentoo altogether and go back to Slackware or some other distro with an inferior package management system.
As a public, I don't think we typically want to change how we live drastically. Few people want to embrace something like the Kyoto accord to reduce pollution because it hits them in the wallet.
Excuse me? Kyoto has about 60% popular support in Canada and was ratified by Parliament. Pretty much all Western European countries passed it and I believe Russia did too.
In this case, as in many since the 2000 election, the US is acting differently than the rest of the western world, and is paying the price for it.
How much does IBM use PowerPC in its own servers, whether they by AIX or Linux, or do they mostly install them on Intel servers?
Is PowerPC going to implement Palladium and DRM, or will it remain free of those "technologies"? Apple took the position that it was not going to implement DRM in its products. Does this mean the PowerPC will remain a "free" chip?
If so, then this is good. If all computers become hard-wired with DRM as well as Windows, then I could conceivably still assemble my own system with commodity hardware, a PowerPC chip, and run a Linux PowerPC distro on it.
Since I got my last two jobs, including the current one, from American companies outsourcing to "near shore development" (ie Canada and Latin America), I'd be lying if I said I didn't benefit from it. I was able to negotiate a huge raise over my last job (which I still had at the time), knowing that as much as they'd be paying me, they'd STILL save tons of money.
The fact that my last two employers were outsourcing work to Canada is great for Canada and bad for the States, no doubt about it.
Anybody who takes on one of the world's largest corporations (with probably the most high-paid lawyers on its payroll) and attempts to shut down 85% of their product line is very courageous indeed.
I wonder what makes them think they can pull it off.
I have a dual-boot WinXP-Slackware 8.1 system at home.
Three things presently keep me on Windows. Aside from those three things, I can do everything I want to do on Linux:
1) Games (ex Jedi Knight, GTAIII) 2) KaZaa Lite (which I can't yet get to work on Wine. no other file-swapping service is good enough) 3) Need MS Word for my job resume (OpenOffice is not QUITE good enough for the job, but it comes close).
There are also little things like QuickTime and RealPlayer, which I can live without. They are not deal breakers for me.
Basically, if I can get all three to run on Linux, then I swear I will dump my Windows partition. I've had it with M$, and I want to stop using any and all of their products.
If Wine gets good enough that I can run those three types of programs on Linux (or equivalents, such as OpenOffice 100% MS Office compatible), then I would be among the first to install and configure it.
I hate Microsoft. I wish I NEVER had to use their damn OS.
Well, my boss gave me the day off. I pretty much spent all my time playing computer games, and I was feeling pretty good...until I read slashdot.
Now I'm in a crappy mood. This really sucks. And just think... now there's nothing and nobody to stop M$ and the entertainment cartel from crippling my computer and forcing me into either using M$ development tools and licensing permissions if I want to do *ANY* programming whatsover, whether personal or professional.
It's time for me to change careers. I just haven't figured out what the hell I'm going to do. I love computers. This is yet another one of my passions that will be taken away from me....
I know I'm probably being really paranoid and alarmist, but this Open PPC architecture may be necessary if Palladium and DRM succeed in keeping Linux off the PC desktop.
The odds of Palladium locking out Linux from the PC platform are minimal at best, but in order to ensure the survival of OpenSource, it is probably best to make available an alternative computing architecture for Linux and OpenSource software in case Microsoft and the content providers get their way in crippling PCs.
Open PPC (if I may call it that) may be essential to ensure the long-term survival of OpenSource and protect it and the internet from those who would attempt to restrict it.
Internet Explorer is -- bar none -- the best browser today. Mozilla doesn't even come semi-close.
Excuse me? Does IE have tabbed browsing? No. Does IE block pop-up ads? No. Does IE have mouse gestures? No. Is IE infinitely configurable? No. Is IE slower than Mozilla? Yes.
What can I do in IE that I can't do in Mozilla?
The fact of the matter is that M$ has hardly added any features to IE since they won the browser wars. Mozilla has added tons of new features in each release and just keeps getting better.
Many computer technicians have long complained about how flawed and completely inefficient the PC-Intel architecture is, and how alternative platforms like Apple and Sparc are so much better.
The only thing that the PC has going for it is that it's cheap, open, and completely commoditized.
After Palladium, I doubt very much that PCs will be continue to drop in price, and they definitely won't be open.
I'm willing to bet significant amounts of users will switch to alternative platforms, including, I imagine, the entire open-source community and many nations outside the US.
Intel and AMD have shot themselves in the foot, as well as all other hardware vendors who depend on making parts for PC's.
Could somebody write a form letter that everyone can use?
Then each of us wouldn't have to go through the trouble of composing one.
It would be something like:
Dear {Grove or Sanders},
I am writing to you as a computer professional and computer hobbyist to share my thoughts with you on the new Palladium-enable processers.
Because of the inherent restrictions to my digital freedom in these new processors, I will not purchase any processors or other hardware that implements Palladium. If necessary, I will buy into a completely different computing platform such as Apple or Sparc.
If you wish to keep my business, I would strongly suggest you do not implement this initiative.
Money is a tool, and nothing more. It is to help you get out of the gutter & put you in a comfortable place and be able to provide for your children. It is NOT incentive to abandon your judgement.
I agree wholeheartedly, but try telling that to our elected officials.
Slashdot Mirror
Dude, you are reading too far between the lines.
When you pay the tax/levy you are purchasing the right to be able to backup/copy your own LEGALLY OWNED music cds. You can now listen to your new mixed CD in your car or home stereo. Thats it, nothing more. And no, you are not a criminal yet. If you DO NOT pay the tax/levy, then you DO NOT have the right to make a mixed CD of your LEGALLY OWNED music to listen in your car. Simple isn't it.
I'm not trying to start an argument, but doesn't the constitution (US or Canada) guarantee me the right of fair use in copyright law? Isn't this like telling me I should be paying for something that I'm getting for free: the right to backup content that I paid for, or transfer it to a different medium? I mean, what's next, asking me to pay for the air I breath?
From the article:
... If the levy does not imply permission to copy, then which copying does it cover?
Moreover, the fuzzy nature of the surcharge leaves a lot to be desired. Peter Suber, a prominent advocate of free online scholarship, analyzed the various post-levy scenarios in his FOS blog: "What I can't tell is whether the copyright levy on hardware will come with universal permission to copy. If so, that's a big gain for a small cost
"If it covers copying without prior permission, then users will simply stop asking for permission, and convert all copying to pre-paid copying. If it covers copying without pre-payment, then that begs the question: what does the levy pre-pay? (It's not clear) how the plan would continue to distinguish authorized from unauthorized copying."
This brings up an interesting question. If I pay this surcharge, have I effectively purchased the right to violate copyright laws, and download/burn/rip anything that I want? I mean, if I was a law abiding citizen and refused to illegally copy illegal music, what's to stop me from changing my mind and start to break the law, in retaliation for them assuming that I'm a criminal?
If before I was buying digital media simply to burn Linux ISOs, back up my harddrive, etc, what's to stop me from deciding to start illegally copying music, now that I have to pay anyway for activities that were previously 100% legal?
This will only encourage piracy. In fact, this will encourage people to pirate even more, in order to recoup the funds they paid in digital media taxes.
And I thought governments were stupid....
Certainly. I'm certain if someone walked up today and told the Microsoft board of directors that he could 'eliminate' Linux for 1 Billion dollars and could prove it, then they wouldn't blink twice before signing a check.
What do you think Palladium is all about?
What about Palladium? If every new PC shipped is a Palladium system, then MA will just have to switch back to Windows anyway.
Damn, I already paid for it :(
I use Gentoo, a Linux based on the BSD ports system, where programs are installed and updated by downloading the source code and compiling it, all automatically. It's super convenient. Gentoo has almost every open source program on its emerge system, and I rarely have to open a browser to download a program that I want to install.
I've installed quite a few programs since I installed Gentoo, and, obviously, this takes up far more bandwidth than downloading the binaries. If it weren't for my ISP allowing unlimited downloads, I'd max out my limit pretty quickly. What's more, everything I'd be downloading would be 100% legal, since I wouldn't even think of using more bandwidth for movies or MP3's.
Obviously, if I were studying at Cornell, I'd have to give up using Gentoo altogether and go back to Slackware or some other distro with an inferior package management system.
As a public, I don't think we typically want to change how we live drastically. Few people want to embrace something like the Kyoto accord to reduce pollution because it hits them in the wallet.
Excuse me? Kyoto has about 60% popular support in Canada and was ratified by Parliament. Pretty much all Western European countries passed it and I believe Russia did too.
In this case, as in many since the 2000 election, the US is acting differently than the rest of the western world, and is paying the price for it.
I'm just wondering about a few things.
How much does IBM use PowerPC in its own servers, whether they by AIX or Linux, or do they mostly install them on Intel servers?
Is PowerPC going to implement Palladium and DRM, or will it remain free of those "technologies"? Apple took the position that it was not going to implement DRM in its products. Does this mean the PowerPC will remain a "free" chip?
If so, then this is good. If all computers become hard-wired with DRM as well as Windows, then I could conceivably still assemble my own system with commodity hardware, a PowerPC chip, and run a Linux PowerPC distro on it.
Any thoughts on this?
There's no DMCA in Canada, so I'm going to start ripping my DVD's right now.
Now if somebody can recommend a good DVD ripping program for either Windows or Linux...
Who wins?
I do.
Since I got my last two jobs, including the current one, from American companies outsourcing to "near shore development" (ie Canada and Latin America), I'd be lying if I said I didn't benefit from it. I was able to negotiate a huge raise over my last job (which I still had at the time), knowing that as much as they'd be paying me, they'd STILL save tons of money.
The fact that my last two employers were outsourcing work to Canada is great for Canada and bad for the States, no doubt about it.
Anybody who takes on one of the world's largest corporations (with probably the most high-paid lawyers on its payroll) and attempts to shut down 85% of their product line is very courageous indeed.
I wonder what makes them think they can pull it off.
I agree that copyrighted material shouldn't be freely distributed from an ethical standpoint.
Well, I don't know about you, but I don't agree with large corporations making money off artists 90 years after they died.
You mean, it's not about the Sun Operating System?
I have a dual-boot WinXP-Slackware 8.1 system at home.
Three things presently keep me on Windows. Aside from those three things, I can do everything I want to do on Linux:
1) Games (ex Jedi Knight, GTAIII)
2) KaZaa Lite (which I can't yet get to work on Wine. no other file-swapping service is good enough)
3) Need MS Word for my job resume (OpenOffice is not QUITE good enough for the job, but it comes close).
There are also little things like QuickTime and RealPlayer, which I can live without. They are not deal breakers for me.
Basically, if I can get all three to run on Linux, then I swear I will dump my Windows partition. I've had it with M$, and I want to stop using any and all of their products.
If Wine gets good enough that I can run those three types of programs on Linux (or equivalents, such as OpenOffice 100% MS Office compatible), then I would be among the first to install and configure it.
I hate Microsoft. I wish I NEVER had to use their damn OS.
Well, my boss gave me the day off. I pretty much spent all my time playing computer games, and I was feeling pretty good...until I read slashdot.
Now I'm in a crappy mood. This really sucks. And just think... now there's nothing and nobody to stop M$ and the entertainment cartel from crippling my computer and forcing me into either using M$ development tools and licensing permissions if I want to do *ANY* programming whatsover, whether personal or professional.
It's time for me to change careers. I just haven't figured out what the hell I'm going to do. I love computers. This is yet another one of my passions that will be taken away from me....
I know I'm probably being really paranoid and alarmist, but this Open PPC architecture may be necessary if Palladium and DRM succeed in keeping Linux off the PC desktop.
The odds of Palladium locking out Linux from the PC platform are minimal at best, but in order to ensure the survival of OpenSource, it is probably best to make available an alternative computing architecture for Linux and OpenSource software in case Microsoft and the content providers get their way in crippling PCs.
Open PPC (if I may call it that) may be essential to ensure the long-term survival of OpenSource and protect it and the internet from those who would attempt to restrict it.
Since when? Did aliens kidnap Gates and Balmer and replace them with clones?
Maybe we can use the moon as a penal colony, to exile certain undesirables...
Any suggestions?
Internet Explorer is -- bar none -- the best browser today. Mozilla doesn't even come semi-close.
Excuse me? Does IE have tabbed browsing? No. Does IE block pop-up ads? No. Does IE have mouse gestures? No. Is IE infinitely configurable? No. Is IE slower than Mozilla? Yes.
What can I do in IE that I can't do in Mozilla?
The fact of the matter is that M$ has hardly added any features to IE since they won the browser wars. Mozilla has added tons of new features in each release and just keeps getting better.
Many computer technicians have long complained about how flawed and completely inefficient the PC-Intel architecture is, and how alternative platforms like Apple and Sparc are so much better.
The only thing that the PC has going for it is that it's cheap, open, and completely commoditized.
After Palladium, I doubt very much that PCs will be continue to drop in price, and they definitely won't be open.
I'm willing to bet significant amounts of users will switch to alternative platforms, including, I imagine, the entire open-source community and many nations outside the US.
Intel and AMD have shot themselves in the foot, as well as all other hardware vendors who depend on making parts for PC's.
Could somebody write a form letter that everyone can use?
Then each of us wouldn't have to go through the trouble of composing one.
It would be something like:
Dear {Grove or Sanders},
I am writing to you as a computer professional and computer hobbyist to share my thoughts with you on the new Palladium-enable processers.
Because of the inherent restrictions to my digital freedom in these new processors, I will not purchase any processors or other hardware that implements Palladium. If necessary, I will buy into a completely different computing platform such as Apple or Sparc.
If you wish to keep my business, I would strongly suggest you do not implement this initiative.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
{your name}
... because nooone can possibly hack into any server running Windows, right?
Time to sign up with Microsoft Passport. At least then, I'll know my credit card information will be safe :)
Money is a tool, and nothing more. It is to help you get out of the gutter & put you in a comfortable place and be able to provide for your children. It is NOT incentive to abandon your judgement.
I agree wholeheartedly, but try telling that to our elected officials.
These guys are marketing geniuses :)