" Only in a digital world has "sharing" been hijacked to mean "pirate".
In what fucked up world is sharing numbers illegal ??? "
Paper books are copyrighted. One cannot lawfully copy them, neither for resale nor give-away. There are some exceptions e.g. in some places students can copy material out of a college library for study at home etc.; but otherwise, the author is entitled to enjoy the profits of a work for a time. The issue with the digital world, specifics aside, is that to "share" usually doesn't entail Jane running over to June's place to read or use the digital book or software on June's computer, "sharing" usually entails June making a *copy* and electronically transferring the *copy* to Jane's computer. It's not just "numbers", it's numbers and bits crafted into an intellectual work of some sort, like a digital book or a software program.
If a license agreement is required at all, it's not truly free is it? One is *bound* by the license agreement. Truly free software would be software where the author relinquishes all dibs - all - on its use, copying, source, adaption and changing, sale, etc. etc. That said, AFAICT the GNU-Linux platform isn't free (generally speaking), rather one is just bound to a different set of conditions (than say when one uses macOS).
When you trade with a dictatorship, you strengthen it. When you abide by its summons, you acknowledge it. We were told : 'Oh, if we trade with communist China it will open up'. Nope, 'doesn't work that way. They just used western technology and equipment to build an digital prison. Now they are expanding their power beyond mainland China.
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" Only in a digital world has "sharing" been hijacked to mean "pirate". In what fucked up world is sharing numbers illegal ??? " Paper books are copyrighted. One cannot lawfully copy them, neither for resale nor give-away. There are some exceptions e.g. in some places students can copy material out of a college library for study at home etc.; but otherwise, the author is entitled to enjoy the profits of a work for a time. The issue with the digital world, specifics aside, is that to "share" usually doesn't entail Jane running over to June's place to read or use the digital book or software on June's computer, "sharing" usually entails June making a *copy* and electronically transferring the *copy* to Jane's computer. It's not just "numbers", it's numbers and bits crafted into an intellectual work of some sort, like a digital book or a software program.
If a license agreement is required at all, it's not truly free is it? One is *bound* by the license agreement. Truly free software would be software where the author relinquishes all dibs - all - on its use, copying, source, adaption and changing, sale, etc. etc. That said, AFAICT the GNU-Linux platform isn't free (generally speaking), rather one is just bound to a different set of conditions (than say when one uses macOS).
When you trade with a dictatorship, you strengthen it. When you abide by its summons, you acknowledge it. We were told : 'Oh, if we trade with communist China it will open up'. Nope, 'doesn't work that way. They just used western technology and equipment to build an digital prison. Now they are expanding their power beyond mainland China.