I mean, it would be possible for eBooks to be available for most current books you see out there in the stores... if it weren't for the pirates who don't respect the authors' rights to earn a profit on their works. All the trees being chopped because leeches are unwilling to spend a few bucks to read a book that it took someone months or years to write.
Argue all you want regarding the merits of intelletual property rights... but the fact is, not many authors who write for a living would, in their right minds, would ever release a book complete in eBook form just so crackers can put it on Kazaa for everybody to download.
It's not about lack of education, it's about the lack of moral judgement. They know full-well how annoying spam is, but they want to ignore it and forge ahead anyways. It's like telling a crook that stealing from people is wrong. They don't really care.
Once a crook always a crook. Same goes for unscrupulous business people, big AND small.
Ad banners don't even get clicked on 0.4%, what makes you think spammers will get BUYS that high? I'd say it's more like 0.001%. But since the cost is almost zilch for them they make up for the low percentage by mass mailing millions of accounts.
Do you all think it's time for/. to have its own cach instead of all these google cache getarounds? It seems lots of sites have been shut down because of the/. effect. Some of the sites being linked to are operated by small-budget webmasters who can't afford to sudden pay $500 in a month for hosting because/. linked to them.
The point is the move to efficiency and innovation. At this point it's obviously way too expensive for it to be practical, but can you imagine if this thing gets more advanced and cheaper in price?
Most innovations start out this way. Airplanes, LCD monitors, cars, you name it.
Prove it. You're telling me that if a high school kid who messes around with with Photoshop occasionally downloads a pirated copy off IRC, that Adobe loses 500 bucks?
No. Adobe loses the potential to earn 500 bucks from this kid.
And before anyone tells me that the kid would never have bought it anyways, does that mean anyone should be allowed to pirate software/music as long as they make the claim that they wouldn't have bought it anyways?
So how do we find out who's telling the truth and who's lying?
Better yet. Patents that are accepted get in for free, and patents that are rejected are charged a larger fee. This way the patent process won't be limited to only those with large amounts of money.
Let's analyze the incentives and tricks of one fictitious company named "Imazon". Imazon runs an affiliate program. "Morfeces", a spyware company, steals the affiliate links from end users.
Net effect to Imazon? ZERO. The only thing that's changed is the credit has been shifted away from the thousands of honest folks to the crooked Morfeces.
What does Imazon do? Pretend they know nothing about it and continues to let Morfeces run their scheme.
A few months later Morfeces starts noticing that the affiliate checks still haven't arrived yet so they contact Imazon. Imazon finally comes around and tells Morfeces that their affiliate account has been terminated due to illegitimate theft of other people's credits.
Imazon pockets and saves themselves the tens of thousands of affiliate payouts. Their sales didn't suffer, but Morfeces and the other merchants sure did.
Imazon laughs and giggles further because they realized that the hijack code is still on the hundreds of thousands of end user computers.
Computer Guy - "Boss, it looks like we'll be saving ourselves for months, if not years to come! All thanks to Morfeces!"
Fact is, not many people complained about the RIAA prior to Napster. It was only when they started cracking down on music pirates that suddenly there was this notion of music being crappy, record artists getting ripped off, the music labels being bastards, etc.
There's only one logical conclusion here. Pirates trying to justify their illegal bahavior. Kind of like the bank robber who gets caught and says, "but the banks are greedy and charge people up the *ss, so therefore it's ok to steal/rob from them".
Let's start a thread to discuss what exactly we were all doing at that very moment.
For me I was playing Counter Strike (at 6AM PST). I was having a hell of a good time using the scout. Then out of nowhere someone types something like "damn I feel weird playing terrorist seeing that the WTC has just been hit by terrorists."
Obviously I didn't believe him, so he said "turn on your TV". I did and damn it was true. That whole day I didn't sleep. My eyes were glued to the TV.
I certainly applaud companies for taking on this risky move. On the one hand they are embracing technology and making it cheaper and easier for consumers/fans to buy movies, but on the other, you're also giving out free copies for the warez kids to go distribute illegally.
For me I'd buy it, but the damn pirates always ruin it for the rest of us honest folks. Keep your fingers crossed.
Slashdot Mirror
I mean, it would be possible for eBooks to be available for most current books you see out there in the stores... if it weren't for the pirates who don't respect the authors' rights to earn a profit on their works. All the trees being chopped because leeches are unwilling to spend a few bucks to read a book that it took someone months or years to write.
Argue all you want regarding the merits of intelletual property rights... but the fact is, not many authors who write for a living would, in their right minds, would ever release a book complete in eBook form just so crackers can put it on Kazaa for everybody to download.
It's not about lack of education, it's about the lack of moral judgement. They know full-well how annoying spam is, but they want to ignore it and forge ahead anyways. It's like telling a crook that stealing from people is wrong. They don't really care.
Once a crook always a crook. Same goes for unscrupulous business people, big AND small.
Ad banners don't even get clicked on 0.4%, what makes you think spammers will get BUYS that high? I'd say it's more like 0.001%. But since the cost is almost zilch for them they make up for the low percentage by mass mailing millions of accounts.
Someone go find out the real name of that girl in the photodisc stock photo. I'm willing to bet it isn't the same "Valerie G. Mallinson" from M$.
Do you all think it's time for /. to have its own cach instead of all these google cache getarounds? It seems lots of sites have been shut down because of the /. effect. Some of the sites being linked to are operated by small-budget webmasters who can't afford to sudden pay $500 in a month for hosting because /. linked to them.
Someone on Venus was flushing is toilet.
The point is the move to efficiency and innovation. At this point it's obviously way too expensive for it to be practical, but can you imagine if this thing gets more advanced and cheaper in price?
Most innovations start out this way. Airplanes, LCD monitors, cars, you name it.
Not when the auction eBay intentionally puts up roadblocks in front of the buyers.
> SIX Turrets syndome, don't hang up, listen to response.
Hehe... that's what I ALWAYS do!!!
Come to think of it... nevermind... I'll still end up paying $500,000 for the little bastard that comes out.
Yeah? Well I can burn my DNA into a live human being with just a few pelvic thrusts.
Your definition of theft never said the possession would be permanently removed from the owner. Look up larceny. That's what you're talking about.
Ever hear of the popuplar phrase "he stole my idea"?
So THEREFORE anyone should be allowed to pirate software then right? The people at Adobe are supposed to be mind readers now?
I think you're just making excuses for yourself, Mr. Crock.
I think it is YOU who needs to get a dictionary.
Definition from dictionary.com:
Theft:
The act or an instance of stealing; larceny.
Steal:
To take (the property of another) without right or permission.
Property:
Something tangible or intangible to which its owner has legal title: properties such as copyrights and trademarks.
Prove it. You're telling me that if a high school kid who messes around with with Photoshop occasionally downloads a pirated copy off IRC, that Adobe loses 500 bucks?
No. Adobe loses the potential to earn 500 bucks from this kid.
And before anyone tells me that the kid would never have bought it anyways, does that mean anyone should be allowed to pirate software/music as long as they make the claim that they wouldn't have bought it anyways?
So how do we find out who's telling the truth and who's lying?
How do you know he doesn't enjoy having sex with men?
Tell me when it's out so I can download it on Kazaa. :)
Yeah, /. /.ing /.? How interesting would THAT be.
Better yet. Patents that are accepted get in for free, and patents that are rejected are charged a larger fee. This way the patent process won't be limited to only those with large amounts of money.
I suspect the main reason Aol is doing this is to distance themselves from being a possible competitor to Microsoft.
After all, they wouldn't want to do anything to weaken the M$ monopoly notion would they?
Let's analyze the incentives and tricks of one fictitious company named "Imazon". Imazon runs an affiliate program. "Morfeces", a spyware company, steals the affiliate links from end users.
Net effect to Imazon? ZERO. The only thing that's changed is the credit has been shifted away from the thousands of honest folks to the crooked Morfeces.
What does Imazon do? Pretend they know nothing about it and continues to let Morfeces run their scheme.
A few months later Morfeces starts noticing that the affiliate checks still haven't arrived yet so they contact Imazon. Imazon finally comes around and tells Morfeces that their affiliate account has been terminated due to illegitimate theft of other people's credits.
Imazon pockets and saves themselves the tens of thousands of affiliate payouts. Their sales didn't suffer, but Morfeces and the other merchants sure did.
Imazon laughs and giggles further because they realized that the hijack code is still on the hundreds of thousands of end user computers.
Computer Guy - "Boss, it looks like we'll be saving ourselves for months, if not years to come! All thanks to Morfeces!"
Boss - "Gib him a raise w00t w00t!"
Fact is, not many people complained about the RIAA prior to Napster. It was only when they started cracking down on music pirates that suddenly there was this notion of music being crappy, record artists getting ripped off, the music labels being bastards, etc.
There's only one logical conclusion here. Pirates trying to justify their illegal bahavior. Kind of like the bank robber who gets caught and says, "but the banks are greedy and charge people up the *ss, so therefore it's ok to steal/rob from them".
But will my windows machine reboot faster?
Let's start a thread to discuss what exactly we were all doing at that very moment.
For me I was playing Counter Strike (at 6AM PST). I was having a hell of a good time using the scout. Then out of nowhere someone types something like "damn I feel weird playing terrorist seeing that the WTC has just been hit by terrorists."
Obviously I didn't believe him, so he said "turn on your TV". I did and damn it was true. That whole day I didn't sleep. My eyes were glued to the TV.
I certainly applaud companies for taking on this risky move. On the one hand they are embracing technology and making it cheaper and easier for consumers/fans to buy movies, but on the other, you're also giving out free copies for the warez kids to go distribute illegally.
For me I'd buy it, but the damn pirates always ruin it for the rest of us honest folks. Keep your fingers crossed.