Bram wants his company's protocol to be obviously distinct from the sort of p2p used by pirates, so that Comcast et al. can block one but not the other.
However he's barking up the wrong tree, because ISPs like Comcast don't give a damn about WHAT you're transmitting (that's just the excuse), they just want to reduce the traffic on their nets so that they can maintain the illusion of "unlimited bandwidth" and sign more people up. If enough people start using the new protocol, it too will be throttled.
For previous "Art" see betamax vs vhs, blueray vs hddvd, compiz vs beryl, and even gnome vs kde.
The good thing, however, is that your investment was - whatever you donated when you downloaded BitTorrent. You DID donate, didn't you?
So if what it costs you to try Gnome vs. KDE, or BitTorrent vs. NewFlavourOfTheMonthTorrent, is just the download/install time who cares? The more forks the merrier! Variety is the spice of life. And it keeps the *AA's/ISPs on their toes because now they have so many more protocols to track/sabotage...
I haven't priced laxative lately, but do you suppose if they cut the coke to 50% Merck purity and put the hookers on double duty, we can have half-price CDs ?!
They should all switch to meth. That will fix ALL the problems.
Ethics? We're talking about pharmaceutical companies. Ethics has never been part of the business model. Ever since the first swindler got rich by selling people snake oil, it has always been about the cash. Only nowadays the market demands medications that actually WORK.
This is why the pharmaceutical companies use the Caduceus (the staff of Mercury - god of BUSINESS) while we physicians use the Asclepion. There's a fundamental split in health care that is thousands of years old.
Nahh, the little guy just rips his DVD's, downloads the patch that removes the region locking, etc. All that stuff is written and made available by the little guy. They won't ever be able to stop us, because we outnumber them, and all it takes is ONE success. The internet does the rest.
specifically to avoid your government's restrictions and taxes on importation.
Bullshit. You can't have something mailed to you from abroad without it going through customs and having the appropriate duty slapped onto it. If you go overseas, buy it there and bring it back, there's no problem so long as you're within your allowed limit (not sure what it is for the US). You'll get into trouble if they open your bags and find 100 copies though.
This isn't about avoiding government restrictions at all. This is about Valve wanting to prevent people from getting the product cheaper than in the US, and protecting their US distributors. That's not a "law" or "government regulation" and has NOTHING to do with taxes.
Please explain the difference between a lawbreaker and a criminal.
It's the difference between breaking the civil code and breaking the criminal code. Break the civil code and you risk a lawsuit. Break the criminal code and the STATE will come after you.
I agree. Kuwait was about the liberation of Kuwait. Japan was about the destruction of the Japanese Empire. Germany/Italy about the overthrow of Hitler/Mussolini.
Neither Korea, Vietnam nor Iraq/Afghanistan have had definite goals other than "Stop the spread of Communism/Terorism" and we all know how well those went.
If only the government was bright enough to leave and merely state "If we have to, we will do it again", I think the message would be clear enough. But this is a "joke" that sadly is costing many lives on all sides.
The same argument applies to the idea that copying is OK as long as it's only for personal friends. Apply the six degrees of separation principle
Come now, do you think that "piracy" can get worse than it is today? People still buy DVD's and CD's and games. Yes there's some infringment, but you can still make a buck.
she did use a copyrighted work without authorization. We can argue over and over about whether that law is right, but it is what it is.
It doesn't matter - it takes money to defend from lawsuits, and that is less money the publisher has to START lawsuits. It's her dime, but more people should be doing this.
Also, the situation is ridiculous. OK yes if we stick to the letter of the law, it's not "fair use". But make sure you keep your car windows rolled up because if anyone hears the music you are playing from the sidewalk that's a "public performance" and you will owe royalties. Don't hum any catchy tunes, either. Copyright law is too vague and covers/prohibits too much. More sensible countries have a clause in there that specifically prohibits commercial gain and everything else is fine. Which is as it should be.
God forbid your sense of entitlement be trampled on by a company wanting to both make money by offering you a great product for a good price, and to only make a tiny profit offering that same great value to others who can barely afford it.
That would be great except for the fact that it's NOT TRUE. Please show me where Valve is selling this software for LESS than in the US?
The problem is, that apparently to Valve, the product is worth $10 USD in wherever
Please tell me exactly "wherever" is that I can get this program for $10? I live in the 3rd world and believe you me, I have NEVER seen software cheaper than in the US from the online sellers. Usually here it's MORE expensive because your nickel and dime software reseller probably buys it RETAIL from the US because his volume isn't enough to qualify him for wholesale pricing, and THEN he tacks on his cut, plus any import duty, etc.
This isn't about someone buying it cheap overseas and having it shipped to the US. It's about buying it from the US on the internet and having it shipped to you for cheaper than your local shop in "wherever".
So where is it written that software is exempt from this rule? Where does it say that I must only buy software in the country where I will use it, otherwise it will break?
This is once again the old argument of the "strong" vs. the "weak". The strong will do what they can, while the weak will suffer what they must.
The ONLY reason Valve is doing this is because they CAN. There's no law against it. They write the program and they can make your computer do what they want. Someone thought it was a good idea (to sell to the distributors). We have to put up with it.
Of course because of the internet (which puts a lot of power back into OUR hands) word of this will get around and their sales will probably not be as high as they could have been. But still I bet they sold enough to make money, so they will do it again.
the company is producing somehting of value, the customer isn't -- so why should the rules be symmetrical?
"Value" is assigned by the customer, not the company. Sure, they can TRY to sell their product at price X, but the customers decide individually if it's worth it to them at that price. If you forget that you'll find your "valuable" product popular only on torrents, where the price (a few hours sacrificing bandwidth) is always right. So is profit something valuable that the customer is giving you?
Once again, near obsolete middlemen decide it's far easier to shit on everyone else's rights rather than face the fact that there's no more room in this world for brick and mortar retail of "digital" goods. Certainly not at the prices THEY want to charge.
Protectionism usually works AGAINST the masses, in favor of a small group. Why should I care about a retailer who wants to charge me $5 more for something I can buy on the internet, have flown halfway around the world and delivered to my door? Not to mention the fuel to drive to his store, the lack of parking, etc. Why should we protect WASTEFUL businesses? Either the retailer drops his price, or goes out of business. Period.
I also find it amazing that in the UK software (and other computer stuff) will retail for the same price as in the US - only in POUNDS. So it's double the price nowadays. Sheesh, I guess CD's are really really expensive to burn in the UK! There's no excuse for this, it's just greed. Valve should not be protecting greed. But then again, it's a racket. Just like the music industry./rant
Slashdot Mirror
"we are suing you for a brazillion dollars.
Actually, the unit of currency in Brazil is not the dollar but the "real". Oh, wait...
Oh come on, you're not a real slashdotter until you've had a first post. We've all been there! :)
Bram wants his company's protocol to be obviously distinct from the sort of p2p used by pirates, so that Comcast et al. can block one but not the other.
However he's barking up the wrong tree, because ISPs like Comcast don't give a damn about WHAT you're transmitting (that's just the excuse), they just want to reduce the traffic on their nets so that they can maintain the illusion of "unlimited bandwidth" and sign more people up. If enough people start using the new protocol, it too will be throttled.
For previous "Art" see betamax vs vhs, blueray vs hddvd, compiz vs beryl, and even gnome vs kde.
The good thing, however, is that your investment was - whatever you donated when you downloaded BitTorrent. You DID donate, didn't you?
So if what it costs you to try Gnome vs. KDE, or BitTorrent vs. NewFlavourOfTheMonthTorrent, is just the download/install time who cares? The more forks the merrier! Variety is the spice of life. And it keeps the *AA's/ISPs on their toes because now they have so many more protocols to track/sabotage...
I haven't priced laxative lately, but do you suppose if they cut the coke to 50% Merck purity and put the hookers on double duty, we can have half-price CDs ?!
They should all switch to meth. That will fix ALL the problems.
Shouldn't market forces be allowed to decide whether
or not the public wants their internet and mobile
communications blocked or censored?
Most of the "market" isn't even aware there is a problem.
the ethics of the situation
Ethics? We're talking about pharmaceutical companies. Ethics has never been part of the business model. Ever since the first swindler got rich by selling people snake oil, it has always been about the cash. Only nowadays the market demands medications that actually WORK.
This is why the pharmaceutical companies use the Caduceus (the staff of Mercury - god of BUSINESS) while we physicians use the Asclepion. There's a fundamental split in health care that is thousands of years old.
Too much power. Keep the little guy down.
Nahh, the little guy just rips his DVD's, downloads the patch that removes the region locking, etc. All that stuff is written and made available by the little guy. They won't ever be able to stop us, because we outnumber them, and all it takes is ONE success. The internet does the rest.
specifically to avoid your government's restrictions and taxes on importation.
Bullshit. You can't have something mailed to you from abroad without it going through customs and having the appropriate duty slapped onto it. If you go overseas, buy it there and bring it back, there's no problem so long as you're within your allowed limit (not sure what it is for the US). You'll get into trouble if they open your bags and find 100 copies though.
This isn't about avoiding government restrictions at all. This is about Valve wanting to prevent people from getting the product cheaper than in the US, and protecting their US distributors. That's not a "law" or "government regulation" and has NOTHING to do with taxes.
Please explain the difference between a lawbreaker and a criminal.
It's the difference between breaking the civil code and breaking the criminal code. Break the civil code and you risk a lawsuit. Break the criminal code and the STATE will come after you.
It's just that some consumers balk at differential pricing.
Valve's accountants certainly did...
World Government, where are you when we need you?
Be careful what you wish for. (shudder)
but it is definitely illegal and those who import are criminals.
since when does violating the CIVIL code make you a criminal?
I agree. Kuwait was about the liberation of Kuwait. Japan was about the destruction of the Japanese Empire. Germany/Italy about the overthrow of Hitler/Mussolini.
Neither Korea, Vietnam nor Iraq/Afghanistan have had definite goals other than "Stop the spread of Communism/Terorism" and we all know how well those went.
If only the government was bright enough to leave and merely state "If we have to, we will do it again", I think the message would be clear enough. But this is a "joke" that sadly is costing many lives on all sides.
The same argument applies to the idea that copying is OK as long as it's only for personal friends. Apply the six degrees of separation principle
Come now, do you think that "piracy" can get worse than it is today? People still buy DVD's and CD's and games. Yes there's some infringment, but you can still make a buck.
Maybe she should try to copyright the precedent so it will last her lifetime + 50
Nahh, you can only patent those.
she did use a copyrighted work without authorization. We can argue over and over about whether that law is right, but it is what it is.
It doesn't matter - it takes money to defend from lawsuits, and that is less money the publisher has to START lawsuits. It's her dime, but more people should be doing this.
Also, the situation is ridiculous. OK yes if we stick to the letter of the law, it's not "fair use". But make sure you keep your car windows rolled up because if anyone hears the music you are playing from the sidewalk that's a "public performance" and you will owe royalties. Don't hum any catchy tunes, either. Copyright law is too vague and covers/prohibits too much. More sensible countries have a clause in there that specifically prohibits commercial gain and everything else is fine. Which is as it should be.
God forbid your sense of entitlement be trampled on by a company wanting to both make money by offering you a great product for a good price, and to only make a tiny profit offering that same great value to others who can barely afford it.
That would be great except for the fact that it's NOT TRUE. Please show me where Valve is selling this software for LESS than in the US?
The problem is, that apparently to Valve, the product is worth $10 USD in wherever
Please tell me exactly "wherever" is that I can get this program for $10? I live in the 3rd world and believe you me, I have NEVER seen software cheaper than in the US from the online sellers. Usually here it's MORE expensive because your nickel and dime software reseller probably buys it RETAIL from the US because his volume isn't enough to qualify him for wholesale pricing, and THEN he tacks on his cut, plus any import duty, etc.
This isn't about someone buying it cheap overseas and having it shipped to the US. It's about buying it from the US on the internet and having it shipped to you for cheaper than your local shop in "wherever".
But then again, you can't get cheaper than TPB.
So where is it written that software is exempt from this rule? Where does it say that I must only buy software in the country where I will use it, otherwise it will break?
This is once again the old argument of the "strong" vs. the "weak". The strong will do what they can, while the weak will suffer what they must.
The ONLY reason Valve is doing this is because they CAN. There's no law against it. They write the program and they can make your computer do what they want. Someone thought it was a good idea (to sell to the distributors). We have to put up with it.
Of course because of the internet (which puts a lot of power back into OUR hands) word of this will get around and their sales will probably not be as high as they could have been. But still I bet they sold enough to make money, so they will do it again.
the company is producing somehting of value, the customer isn't -- so why should the rules be symmetrical?
"Value" is assigned by the customer, not the company. Sure, they can TRY to sell their product at price X, but the customers decide individually if it's worth it to them at that price. If you forget that you'll find your "valuable" product popular only on torrents, where the price (a few hours sacrificing bandwidth) is always right. So is profit something valuable that the customer is giving you?
to protect deals with distributors.
/rant
protect
protect
Once again, near obsolete middlemen decide it's far easier to shit on everyone else's rights rather than face the fact that there's no more room in this world for brick and mortar retail of "digital" goods. Certainly not at the prices THEY want to charge.
Protectionism usually works AGAINST the masses, in favor of a small group. Why should I care about a retailer who wants to charge me $5 more for something I can buy on the internet, have flown halfway around the world and delivered to my door? Not to mention the fuel to drive to his store, the lack of parking, etc. Why should we protect WASTEFUL businesses? Either the retailer drops his price, or goes out of business. Period.
I also find it amazing that in the UK software (and other computer stuff) will retail for the same price as in the US - only in POUNDS. So it's double the price nowadays. Sheesh, I guess CD's are really really expensive to burn in the UK! There's no excuse for this, it's just greed. Valve should not be protecting greed. But then again, it's a racket. Just like the music industry.
If the lion lies down and just looks at you, God had chosen to save you
for the next act, where the Emperor orders his gladiators to chop off your head.
As Christians our job is to share our own testimonies and the gospel
Is that before or after being eaten by the lion?
20 bits for the win! Anyone remember THAT? lol