So, we are to assume that you NEVER right-clicked an image on a webpage and saved it and used it. Or that you never forgot to give credit to the original author for something you quoted.
Or that you never, ever burnt a CD-R or gave someone something that may have been copyrighted (eg, a game or application). Well, you get the idea.
Napster may be used for theft, but the software itself is not a criminal. All it does is allow people to download songs from others. Some people view Napster as this evil tool, when all it really does is allow people to trade music. They could do this anyway, but Napster makes it much easier and more accessible. Very few people truly abuse it. Most of the users just downloaded a few selected songs, making the total loss to the artist virtually nothing.
And it's not like they make a ton on the CD either. They get very little of what they are sold for. Each song is worth cents. So buying CD's doesn't do them that much better.
Finally, having a little bot to monitor the files you have is an invasion of privacy. Those files could be legitimate rips from CD's. In short, any attempt to monitor Napster activity is no better than monitoring where you go on the Net - it is a blatant violation of privacy. Do you want some machine looking over your shoulder, seeing you downloading that "evil" music? Don't think so. The future lies in freedom, not in the old way of selling CD's costing in excess of 15 dollars.
It's so funny that MS keeps telling people that they are visionary and trying to improve computer technology, and then they try to pull off something like this. Anyone who knows anything about technology can see that the next evolution goes towards freedom, not control. The popularity of Linux shows this clearly. If MS is really trying to move us further, they need to wake up and smell the proverbial coffee of freedom, so to speak.
The downfall of MS is not too far away if they don't get a clue. People are sick of this crap. While I hate MS, I still feel they did a lot of good for computing and can continue to do so. Please, MS, wake up!
Does anyone else notice a disturbing similarity to Ray Bradbury's classic novel, Fahrenheit 451? In this novel, society has degraded to the point that people have almost no thought or meaning in life. It is all the result of "firemen" burning all the books. Because of this, there is no quality information, and no thought. In the end, this society is destroyed by an atomic bomb, and the thinking people come in to rebuild it.
I unfortunately have N2H2 Bess at my high school. I am shocked at some of the sites that are blocked. I am amazed that/. is allowed - there are some very real and deep subjects and opinions being stated here! While I can freely access anything at home (including some sites that clearly should be blocked at school/library, such as ACTUAL porn sites), some kids don't have this, and therefore can't see many sites dealing with certain subjects, or even worse, containing certain "bad words." One rediculous example is the blocking of information about the Ford Escort car due to the word "escort"!!
The scary thing here is, that this may only be the beginning. If the truth about CENSORSHIP (not filtering) doesn't reach the ears of authorities at schools/libraries, millions of peoples' free speech and expression WILL BE DENIED. Censorship is WRONG at any place or time. Randomly blocking sites based on words like dick or gay is a huge joke. The progression to the world of Fahrenheit 451 was gradual and realistic. It started with more people, less free time, and much less quality information. If real viewpoints and real issues are blocked, this is not an unimaginable catastrophe. While this seems unrealistic (and probably is - 451 is a satire), it does show us how scary censorship can be.
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Napster may be used for theft, but the software itself is not a criminal. All it does is allow people to download songs from others. Some people view Napster as this evil tool, when all it really does is allow people to trade music. They could do this anyway, but Napster makes it much easier and more accessible. Very few people truly abuse it. Most of the users just downloaded a few selected songs, making the total loss to the artist virtually nothing.
And it's not like they make a ton on the CD either. They get very little of what they are sold for. Each song is worth cents. So buying CD's doesn't do them that much better.
Finally, having a little bot to monitor the files you have is an invasion of privacy. Those files could be legitimate rips from CD's. In short, any attempt to monitor Napster activity is no better than monitoring where you go on the Net - it is a blatant violation of privacy. Do you want some machine looking over your shoulder, seeing you downloading that "evil" music? Don't think so. The future lies in freedom, not in the old way of selling CD's costing in excess of 15 dollars.
The downfall of MS is not too far away if they don't get a clue. People are sick of this crap. While I hate MS, I still feel they did a lot of good for computing and can continue to do so. Please, MS, wake up!
I unfortunately have N2H2 Bess at my high school. I am shocked at some of the sites that are blocked. I am amazed that /. is allowed - there are some very real and deep subjects and opinions being stated here! While I can freely access anything at home (including some sites that clearly should be blocked at school/library, such as ACTUAL porn sites), some kids don't have this, and therefore can't see many sites dealing with certain subjects, or even worse, containing certain "bad words." One rediculous example is the blocking of information about the Ford Escort car due to the word "escort"!!
The scary thing here is, that this may only be the beginning. If the truth about CENSORSHIP (not filtering) doesn't reach the ears of authorities at schools/libraries, millions of peoples' free speech and expression WILL BE DENIED. Censorship is WRONG at any place or time. Randomly blocking sites based on words like dick or gay is a huge joke. The progression to the world of Fahrenheit 451 was gradual and realistic. It started with more people, less free time, and much less quality information. If real viewpoints and real issues are blocked, this is not an unimaginable catastrophe. While this seems unrealistic (and probably is - 451 is a satire), it does show us how scary censorship can be.