Over the last few years of reading slashdot, i've realized that its sort of pointless to debate this issue. 'p2p' as an issue is to computing as abortion as an issue is to society. Your opinion is almost necessarily one of two choices (with a few people saying "well, its okay in certain circumstances, but not others", but they're really just fence-sitting). There is no middle ground between "privacy, and the p2p companies aren't responsible for illegal use of their product" and "p2p is used only for illegal stuff and everyone knows it". Everyone decided a long time ago, and no one is going to be changing sides anytime soon. Anyways, just trying to point out how ridiculous the comments get on p2p articles.
pro: "blah blah blah, there are substantial legal uses. How else would anyone have discovered modest mouse? My company uses p2p to distribute updates to all five of our users. Guns are legal, so filesharing should be legal too. Go linux!"
con: "blah blah blah, its only used for pirating, you guys just don't want to buy CDs, maybe there's a use for bittorrent but certainly not kazaa, wtf do guns have to do with it, windows came installed on my comp and i'm fine with it"
You're right. Just because i'm bad doesn't mean that everyone else is. You automatically judge me to be a horrible person, however, i'm pretty normal, and would probably not be regarded as a "morally crippled individual". I pray every night, I do volunteer work at a homeless shelter. I hate SUVs because I think they're destroying our environment. I return coins to people who drop them on the street, and tell the cashier when he gives me to much change. I also pirate games. Everyone else really does pirate games, and everyone that I know that has a modchip (which is a large number) uses it to pirate. I went to one of the best high schools in the country, and the number one college, and am now in one of the top medical schools. I don't know anyone who hasn't pirated a game at least once. Who's the one thats out of touch with reality?
Btw, you can't just draw the handgun parallel. Just because two things should be banned, it doesn't mean that one NOT being banned also gives a pass to the other.
Anyways, I can't believe I responded to a flame.
I can't express how much I agree with you. People will always kick and scream about "substantial legitimate uses". However, you should realize that you, as a slashdot reader, are part of an infinitisimally small crowd (compared to the world, or even just buyers of ps2s). If you talk to non-slashdot people, they do not "back up" their games, they do not "write homebrew games". They just want to play games for free. You, as a slashdot reader, are extraordinarily technologically adept, and so might do those things. However even I, who has the ability to do those things, use my modchip to play games for free, just everyone else who buys one. Please, don't write how you are the example proving me wrong. Yeah, there are a few counterexamples out there. Good for you. However, those of us realize in the real world realize that selling mod chips really SHOULD be illegal, because they are sold for illegal purposes by those who sell them.
Results like these always lead to one conclusion: google had serious flaws. However, is this conclusion accurate? I think that it is not. Google properly reported that the most common use of the phrase involving "nigritude" was in fact due to this contest. In effect, they redefined the word nigritude, rather than misreporting it. It would had been an error had the results not turned up as they did, since this contest was pretty much the only use of that search phrase throughout the entire web. An example would be that the search phrase "slashdot" properly points right here. THis site has nothing to do with either slash or dots, but is what web people think of when they think "slashdot"
Thats a false analogy, because buying guns is not illegal. However, downloading is, and these sites provide direct links to download. A better analogy might be that if the yellow pages provided locations where you can buy drugs.
This is probably an unpopular thing to say, but this article seems to needlessly glorify the jobs that "digiticians" do. To be sure, they have a set of skills that is still obscure in this country. However, I don't think its a particularly difficult skillset. Sure, they have experience, but its nothing that you couldn't teach a reasonably intelligent person in a few hours. To compare them to doctors is ridiculous. Car mechanics or plumbers would be more apt. However, one of the largest barriers to being a do-it-yourself car mechanic or plumber is not the knowledge but the equipment required. "Digiticians", however, do not have this capital investment. Thus, why should their easy, anyone-can-do it job be glorified? Everyone feels that plumbers are overpaid, I feel the same way about computer tech support.
Lindows is supposed to help windows users migrate to Linux, right? So i'm supposed to tell my mom, or whoever i'm encouraging to switch, that they need to download "Lin---"? I don't care if it has the convenient "pronounciation" lindash. They won't be able to google it, or be sure that they've found the right product even if they do find the right page. I can just see a person thinking, after being recommended Lindows from a *nix fan, "Now, was that Lin--, Lin----, Lin___"??? Perhaps this name is a form of protest, but as far as a marketable name, its just horrible.
however, what's the incentive to provide these services, if no revenue is generated? Who provides instant messaging, just because it adds "value" to the internet?
I don't really get why instant messaging networks need to interoperate. It seems to me, that the incentive to offer IM decreases if someone else can talk to your users. I don't even see how revenue is actually generated from IM in the first place, other than perhaps by increasing brand name value. I guess this viewpoint in unpopular, but I would think client-server systems like IM would have to be closed systems. The only parallel I see in counterpoint, is viewing IM service as http service. If I choose to publish info at google.com, anyone can read it, regardless of ISP. However, I had to pay to register google.com, whereas my AIM screenname came free. Just a thought, I'm more than willing to be convinced otherwise.
What makes the author say this? I know many people with modded xboxes, and they didn't do it so that they could run linux, but to load pirated games. In this, I sincerely doubt that i'm in the minority. If i want a machine that runs linux, I can buy a $200 tower, WITHOUT voiding the warranty on my xbox. Unless i'm actually trying to crack the problem myself, I don't see why normal people would go through the trouble of installing linux just for the "thrill" of seeing linux boot up
This article seems to suggest that since it will take a long time to get to everyone, that legal action will be ineffective. I think that anyone who is sued, and forced to settle for thousands of dollars, will disagree.
As I understand it, fines are set with this situation in mind. The people who make laws understand that not everyone is going to get caught. Thus, the fines are multiplied by a probability that you will get caught.
Thus, to use a non file-trading example, a fine $20 would be sufficient reminder to keep you from speeding. However, it is understood that only 20% of people will actualy be caught in the act of speeding. The fine is thus actually five times what it needs to be at 100% enforcement, or 5 x 20 = $100.
This is probably why the amount that the RIAA can sue for is in thousands of dollars PER SONG.
How pathetic is this? Star Wars was a set of MOVIES. These people were EXTRAS. Yes, they did have interesting costumes, but that's it. Perhaps this article would be better entitled "Extras from star wars about whom the coolest fan fiction has been written", because that's all the various stories written after the trilogy are.
heh. "boycott" adobe. You may as well try to boycott microsoft, or mcdonalds, or coca-cola. You think they give a damn? Who is ACTUALLY going to stop using adobe products? Are you really willing to stop using photoshop, and to never read another pdf, because of this? Get real.
Slashdot Mirror
Over the last few years of reading slashdot, i've realized that its sort of pointless to debate this issue. 'p2p' as an issue is to computing as abortion as an issue is to society. Your opinion is almost necessarily one of two choices (with a few people saying "well, its okay in certain circumstances, but not others", but they're really just fence-sitting). There is no middle ground between "privacy, and the p2p companies aren't responsible for illegal use of their product" and "p2p is used only for illegal stuff and everyone knows it". Everyone decided a long time ago, and no one is going to be changing sides anytime soon. Anyways, just trying to point out how ridiculous the comments get on p2p articles.
pro: "blah blah blah, there are substantial legal uses. How else would anyone have discovered modest mouse? My company uses p2p to distribute updates to all five of our users. Guns are legal, so filesharing should be legal too. Go linux!"
con: "blah blah blah, its only used for pirating, you guys just don't want to buy CDs, maybe there's a use for bittorrent but certainly not kazaa, wtf do guns have to do with it, windows came installed on my comp and i'm fine with it"
You're right. Just because i'm bad doesn't mean that everyone else is. You automatically judge me to be a horrible person, however, i'm pretty normal, and would probably not be regarded as a "morally crippled individual". I pray every night, I do volunteer work at a homeless shelter. I hate SUVs because I think they're destroying our environment. I return coins to people who drop them on the street, and tell the cashier when he gives me to much change. I also pirate games. Everyone else really does pirate games, and everyone that I know that has a modchip (which is a large number) uses it to pirate. I went to one of the best high schools in the country, and the number one college, and am now in one of the top medical schools. I don't know anyone who hasn't pirated a game at least once. Who's the one thats out of touch with reality?
Btw, you can't just draw the handgun parallel. Just because two things should be banned, it doesn't mean that one NOT being banned also gives a pass to the other.
Anyways, I can't believe I responded to a flame.
I can't express how much I agree with you. People will always kick and scream about "substantial legitimate uses". However, you should realize that you, as a slashdot reader, are part of an infinitisimally small crowd (compared to the world, or even just buyers of ps2s). If you talk to non-slashdot people, they do not "back up" their games, they do not "write homebrew games". They just want to play games for free. You, as a slashdot reader, are extraordinarily technologically adept, and so might do those things. However even I, who has the ability to do those things, use my modchip to play games for free, just everyone else who buys one. Please, don't write how you are the example proving me wrong. Yeah, there are a few counterexamples out there. Good for you. However, those of us realize in the real world realize that selling mod chips really SHOULD be illegal, because they are sold for illegal purposes by those who sell them.
Results like these always lead to one conclusion: google had serious flaws. However, is this conclusion accurate? I think that it is not. Google properly reported that the most common use of the phrase involving "nigritude" was in fact due to this contest. In effect, they redefined the word nigritude, rather than misreporting it. It would had been an error had the results not turned up as they did, since this contest was pretty much the only use of that search phrase throughout the entire web. An example would be that the search phrase "slashdot" properly points right here. THis site has nothing to do with either slash or dots, but is what web people think of when they think "slashdot"
Thats a false analogy, because buying guns is not illegal. However, downloading is, and these sites provide direct links to download. A better analogy might be that if the yellow pages provided locations where you can buy drugs.
Is bittorrent open to the same legal prying as Kazaa/fasttrack and gnutella by the RIAA? I would assume so. Just curious.
This is probably an unpopular thing to say, but this article seems to needlessly glorify the jobs that "digiticians" do. To be sure, they have a set of skills that is still obscure in this country. However, I don't think its a particularly difficult skillset. Sure, they have experience, but its nothing that you couldn't teach a reasonably intelligent person in a few hours. To compare them to doctors is ridiculous. Car mechanics or plumbers would be more apt. However, one of the largest barriers to being a do-it-yourself car mechanic or plumber is not the knowledge but the equipment required. "Digiticians", however, do not have this capital investment. Thus, why should their easy, anyone-can-do it job be glorified? Everyone feels that plumbers are overpaid, I feel the same way about computer tech support.
My 2 cents.
Lindows is supposed to help windows users migrate to Linux, right? So i'm supposed to tell my mom, or whoever i'm encouraging to switch, that they need to download "Lin---"? I don't care if it has the convenient "pronounciation" lindash. They won't be able to google it, or be sure that they've found the right product even if they do find the right page. I can just see a person thinking, after being recommended Lindows from a *nix fan, "Now, was that Lin--, Lin----, Lin___"??? Perhaps this name is a form of protest, but as far as a marketable name, its just horrible.
however, what's the incentive to provide these services, if no revenue is generated? Who provides instant messaging, just because it adds "value" to the internet?
I don't really get why instant messaging networks need to interoperate. It seems to me, that the incentive to offer IM decreases if someone else can talk to your users. I don't even see how revenue is actually generated from IM in the first place, other than perhaps by increasing brand name value. I guess this viewpoint in unpopular, but I would think client-server systems like IM would have to be closed systems. The only parallel I see in counterpoint, is viewing IM service as http service. If I choose to publish info at google.com, anyone can read it, regardless of ISP. However, I had to pay to register google.com, whereas my AIM screenname came free. Just a thought, I'm more than willing to be convinced otherwise.
What makes the author say this? I know many people with modded xboxes, and they didn't do it so that they could run linux, but to load pirated games. In this, I sincerely doubt that i'm in the minority. If i want a machine that runs linux, I can buy a $200 tower, WITHOUT voiding the warranty on my xbox. Unless i'm actually trying to crack the problem myself, I don't see why normal people would go through the trouble of installing linux just for the "thrill" of seeing linux boot up
This article seems to suggest that since it will take a long time to get to everyone, that legal action will be ineffective. I think that anyone who is sued, and forced to settle for thousands of dollars, will disagree.
As I understand it, fines are set with this situation in mind. The people who make laws understand that not everyone is going to get caught. Thus, the fines are multiplied by a probability that you will get caught.
Thus, to use a non file-trading example, a fine $20 would be sufficient reminder to keep you from speeding. However, it is understood that only 20% of people will actualy be caught in the act of speeding. The fine is thus actually five times what it needs to be at 100% enforcement, or 5 x 20 = $100.
This is probably why the amount that the RIAA can sue for is in thousands of dollars PER SONG.
How pathetic is this? Star Wars was a set of MOVIES. These people were EXTRAS. Yes, they did have interesting costumes, but that's it. Perhaps this article would be better entitled "Extras from star wars about whom the coolest fan fiction has been written", because that's all the various stories written after the trilogy are.
heh. "boycott" adobe. You may as well try to boycott microsoft, or mcdonalds, or coca-cola. You think they give a damn? Who is ACTUALLY going to stop using adobe products? Are you really willing to stop using photoshop, and to never read another pdf, because of this? Get real.