You know, the Wil Wheaton on Enterprise story was unfunny in light of the facts that:
A. Enterprise had Ferengi on it the other day, ugh... (honestly, whoever thought that Ferengi were menacing villains. They're like kobolds or something... No, I didn't even like them much on DS9, the last half-way decent Star Trek series.)
Because then you could listen to Ogg Vorbis songs and watch Divx;-) movies on it. Even if they weren't content that was created in Hollywood, they still don't want you to be able to do that.
Remember though, there were concessions made for fair use in the DMCA, and I can't think of a single situation where they've applied. The only reason they've put this stuff in there is to get this atrocious bill through.
Well, today I got my reply to the letter I wrote to Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida). I'll post up a copy on my Web site eventually, but the gist of it is, "Thousands of copies of movies and hundreds of thousands of songs and software programs are illegally traded on the Internet every day. The content providers were patient in hoping that the tech industry would provide a solution, but since they haven't we have to force them."
I really wish I could figure out what to do. Reason isn't going to sway these people and neither is the fear of the destruction of the future of computing (not even the future of computing in America).
You know, I honestly wish I could believe the stuff he wrote in the letter about really being concerned about digital theft because then I could try to reason with him. Unfortunately, the way the letter is written, it seems that he has simply chosen the Disney/Fox side of the issue. I mean, the letter is very passively worded but there is no way to look at this except as legislation against the digital technology industry.
I explained the issue carefully in my initial letter, but the points I raised are not addressed in his reply.
I'm pretty stubborn, so I'm going to write a reply to his reply. I don't know if it will help or not. (Still, I've always enjoyed tilting at windmills...)
Actually I have some command line only games for my Mac (various Zork-like games from Infocom and elsewhere). I'm starting to get into Stationfall again, which I gave up on after I got it for...well, whatever system I originally got it for (maybe my Atari 800?) Oh, and these have been available for the Mac since... well, what's been the life span of the Mac?
I'm not arguing against your view (sometimes I want to cut and paste and sometimes I want to mv */dir/), just wanted to stand up for command line based games.
Why not get a.pn domain instead? Yes, that's right, a country founded by the mutineers of the HMS Bounty has its own domain. Here's the page you need to go to to get it:
Our aim is to bring the benefits of the Internet to Pitcairn Island, and to bring Pitcairn Island into the Internet community. We look forward to the day when the schoolchildren on Pitcairn can "surf the Net" just like kids from schools in the big city.
Incidentally, I think ADD is a fake disease just like everybody else. It's a chance to put schoolkids on Soma^H^H^H^HRitalin, which the schools want to do to control behavior. (I wonder how much money Merck and other companies make from selling Ritalin, too...)
Sony has done all of this so blatantly, but the public doesn't seem to notice or care. And it doesn't look like the slashdot community cares either.
Once, Slashdot was a small, not very well known site which was frequented by technically minded people. Back then, you might have said there was a community. I don't even know if there was a "community" back when I signed up, but now it is certainly just the general public. (Don't be fooled by the marketing machine that is Slashdot, there's nothing particularly 7337 in signing up for a free account on a public message board, and karma is a joke that is easily, and often abused.)
Sony is the worst thing to happen to console gaming since Atari got bought by Time Warner and they forced out Nolan Bushnell. Their domination of the console industry is disgusting and blatantly based on shady practices, but as far as I know they have never played nice with the GPL. I mean heck, Sony practically is the DVD CCA and they are a big chunk of the music industry as well.
If Sony ever does come to monopolize the console industry, PC Gamers can rejoice. For on that day, the console industry will start a tailspin ending with a tremendous crash....
I don't think they will though, both Nintendo and Microsoft are as ruthless than they are, and both have a lot more potential as game console makers.
hmm, where would they get that idea? It's not like the United States Department of Justice has a page about the horrible trouble you can get into for hacking. Oh wait, they do:
Hmm, it seems that this is propaganda that is disseminated and encouraged by the Federal government. I'm sure that a few suicides will be considered OK if they serve the greater good, the DoJ being a very, "ends justify the means," type of organization...
Before you drop $300+ on a PS2, wait and see what Sega does. It may be that Sonic will never show up on the PS2, but even if it does it is unlikely to be an exclusive.
yeah, it's disheartening that Sega ended up having to cave in to the power of marketing and develop for that hunk of junk, but with two good systems on the way that doesn't mean there is a reason to buy one.
I actually find it amazing that Taco still has fans. I mean, back when I started reading Slashdot, I thought he had some things going for him. (Hey, I like Free Software, for example, and gadgets.) However, after reading him for a while, I notice that he basically treats the world as "it's my world and you all just live in it." The guy has a _huge_ ego, and it comes through whenever he states some little bias of his as if it were a Law of Nature.
Ok, when I make comments, they've occaisionally been way off base, or nasty flames, or whatever. But then, I'm not posting my comments in the main news stories, and when I have been really insulting or arrogant, I get modded down.
So, yeah, all journalists are biased, but if they start to be *smug* about there biases, I would expect them to lose readers.
Honestly, if I were a Taco fan (or a friend of his) I would be trying to give him the advice, "Hey! Tone it down, unless you want to push people away from this site through your own arrogance."
Nobody, wants to read an article on Slashdot and be insulted part way through it. Of course, I'm still here, reading the site... probably only because I can get a somewhat balance view from the comments rather than from whatever Cloud-Cuckoo Land that some of the story posters seem to live in.
Taco always makes snarky comments about systems other than his beloved PS2, in the hopes of encouraging people to buy that already dated piece of hardware rather than wait for Xbox or Gamecube, both of which will be superior systems.
For example, I can remember him making snide, stupid editorial comments about Dreamcast back when (by his logic) the Playstation2 was vaporous. Even now, there aren't any games available for the PS2 that are significantly better than those available for the PSOne (which s a much better buy right now, especialy considering if you change your mind later you can play the software on PS2), and nothing on the horizon for it looks all that good.
The smart thing to do now if you don't own a PS2 is wait and see if the other systems will be better. once all three are out, then you can make a decision. Sony itself is already talking about the PS3, software sales in Japan have been slow and i wouldn't be surprised if Sony abandoned the PS2 fairly soon after Gamecube and Xbox if the installed user base isn't enough to worry about alienating.
As to the field thinning, that strikes me a questionable. back when it was Sony vs. Nintendo and Sega, both Nintendo and Sega had significant weaknesses. Sega had just come off of the SegaCD, 32X debacle which shook consumer confidence, and the Saturn was not designed for those polygonal games that appealed to the casual gamer. Nintendo, on the other hand, decided to stick with cartridges, which proved to be a mistake in the long run. However, Nintendo was better able to sell its characters and was able to maintain a significant (if diminished) audience for its console.
The new playing field seems to be much more even. Microsoft is serious about entering the gaming field, and have poured quite a lot of resources into their console. They are also excellent at marketing, and have as good a reputation with the average consumer as Sony (perhaps slightly better). Nintendo, on the other hand, has simply created a better box than Sony, and they have their strong, first party titles to back it up.
Yeah, it's over for Sega as a hardware maker (sad as that is), but I think that the PS2 is hardly in good shape. If Sony continues to rely as heavily on third party software as it has in the past, all it would take would be for Square (et al) to decide another platform was more attractive and jump ship.
Me, I'm just wondering how soon after Xbox and Gamecube launch Sony will be announcing Playstation 3. i mean, an add on modem, an add on harddrive? Sony is starting to sound like Nintendo with their 64DD or Sega with its CD and 32X, not a good sign for Sony fanboys.
My question isn't, "What will happen to Sega?" but, "Why is Slashdot a hype machine for a non-console like Sony?"
For people who like "multimedia boxes" with limited game playing ability, I'm sure that Sony's box is just fine. Of course, in buying it and its games you are giving money to the MPAA directly, stifling Linux and helping to buy new laws like the DMCA. This is not true with Sega, though they aren't saintly they have never had that kind of influence.
Sega basically has decided to allow Sega Dreamcast clones. Think about this, why does x86 own the PC market? Clones. This is a huge advantage for Dreamcast owners, which has skillfully been turned into FUD by the hype machine at Sony (yes, maybe Micros~1 too, I wouldn't put it past them.)
Sega decides to try something innovative and open up their hardware, and Slashdot slams them in favor of Sony, one of the nastiest companies in the entertainment business.
But then, Slashdot's editorial bias against Sega has shown in the past, I can remember a snide little comment from one of the editors, "They've sold like what, 3 of them," referring to Dreamcasts in a previous story hyping the PS2.
This level of bias makes me wonder if Slashdot, which used to give short shrift to software tyrants like Sony (or is it only bad when Micros~1 does it), is recieving money from Sony.
There are two things about/. that have disturbed me lately. The first is the cynical way they have presented the presidential election, and the second is all the pro-Sony hype and FUD they've been pushing at us.
These articles are FUD, no different than the pro-Microsoft tactic used by people who feared seeing their platform of choice having to compete with alternatives. The truth is some people (and I'm guessing from the coverage that Slashdot's editors are among them) would love to see a console monopoly, just like my boss at work would love to see a Microsoft monopoly. Why? No worries about compatibility. For developers, no worries about developing for multiple platforms. Of course, there is a flaw in this thinking. Microsoft isn't a monopoly, but their domination of the desktop was probably not a good thing. Besides that, I really wish that non-x86 hardware had more of a chance in the marketplace. Variety is more fun than bland, ugly sameness.
What I really wish is that the Sony would be content with its hoard of casual users, caught up in fad gaming, and leave the consoles that cater to real gamers alone. (I mean, $1500 for a game console that's overpriced at $300 and won't really be that useful until there is a decent line up of games for it, if ever? We're in Beanie Baby/Cabbage Patch land here, a tulip bubble like this can't be good for gaming in general.) Unfortunately, that's not the way huge companies like Sony operate. They'll try to push Sega out of business even if it was only profitable as an enthusiasts system while they devoured the mainstream market. Stories like this are part of a concerted effort by Sony to do just that. Why do I think of these anti-Sega articles as propaganda, because no one treats the serious problems Sony had in the same light. In Japan, the PSX2 is a popular DVD-player, gaming is in a slump... that's bad for a company that is selling its consoles as a loss leader.)
The thing that amazes me is that as game companies go, they are extraordinarily lame. The content they produce in house is really sort of "bleah." I can't think of one Sony original title I consider a must own, and the only one that has name recognition with me is Crash Bandicoot. The big Sony titles were all produced by third parties, like Capcom, Konami, and Square (Square is not Sony, remember when Nintendo fans found out a similar truth about their own favorite console.)
Besides which, as has so often been said, Sony is responsible for a lot of the really bad IP laws we all have to deal with. They practically are the DVD CCA, all by themselves. They are one of the biggest multinationals in the world, and they are hostile toward their consumers.
They've also done their best to frustrate people who dare to play games outside of their region (yes, I know, no different than other game companies, but certainly negating any kind of fan loyalty people should feel toward them.)
Sega is far from perfect, as game companies go. However, when Slashdot constantly reprints the same story, after it was already refuted, it should cause them to lose credibility.
Remember though, KahunaBurger is a bonafide fascist, if Mussolini were running for office, he'd be out with a "he makes the trains run on time" placard waving to people from a street corner.
Heck, he's probably a member of one of our more corrupt PDs in this country (like LAPD, for instance).
When a cop decides to steal something, it's still stealing, just harder to catch him at it.
I read somewhere that the creators of Softporn adventure were involved in the Leisure Suit Larry series.
Incidentally, the existence of Leisure Suit Larry, Leather Goddesses of Phobos, and countless other soft-core games and their relative popularity for years and years just tells me something about the current state of the gaming industry.
It tells me that gaming is a victim of it's own popularity, it's all the new people who are involved in gaming (though not gamers) that are responsible for the misery of the rest of us.
Mind you, PR is a poorly designed game, I believe (judging without playing, based on description)... however, there is a precedent for it. It isn't some "shocking new low."
For information on this case, you should read the great book Game Over by David Scheff. In a nutshell, Atari(Tengen) claimed Nintendo had infringed on one of their patents. This enabled them to look at Nintendo's patents. They then used information from those patents to create a bypass chip that would allow them to create cartridges for the NES without using Nintendo's technology.
However, this was not "clean room" reverse engineering. The problem was that Atari was using information gained from a Nintendo patent, not that they were legally not allowed to make NES games.
If you want better information, look at the Bleem! and Connectix cases that went to court recently. They both prevailed, and can make emulators for Playstation games.
I know exactly how you feel, but you can't let them get to you. (I made a similar post to this one yesterday, because I lost it... I just get tired of all the anti-freedom people out to ruin my life and everybody else's life.)
Remember, we're probably going to get a few representatives this year, despite everything this is a good year for the Libertarian party.
So, when your sitting home or at work reading all these arrogant, sanctimonius people on Slashdot, just remember its more important to stand up for your beliefs when it is difficult than it is when it is easy.
A person who will do that is worth ten of the people who make the easy choice.
The most classic portrait of a cynic that I know is that of the French General Henry-Philippe Pétain. In World War I, Petain was a hero for fighting the Germans at the battle of Verdun. However, Pétain was a fatalist and a cynic, and when WWII began, he was convinced that resistance to the Germans was futile:
Because he thought it would be worse for the French to fight a losing war with Germany, he went so far as to collaberate with the enemy, becoming leader of the Vichy puppet state.
Was French resistance doomed, futile? Well, whether it was or not, I think it was worth trying, but that's just me. Better to die a hero than live as a Nazi stooge.
Pétain, however, felt that capitulation was the lesser of two evils.... and he has gone down in history as a traitor.
This has nothing to do with the current election, except for this:
Whenever I hear someone talk about how we must support the lesser of two evils (even if they are comparitively trivial evils like our two presidential tickets), I think of Pétain and the choice he made.
Just six days later, Gore attended a fundraiser by Hollywood producers and radical gay activists where he told them that he would only pretend to "nudge them" if elected. He raised over $4 million.
This is actually a huge plus for Al Gore, not a negative. It's only a negative if you want the government telling you what you can read, see, and hear. I don't, but I think, despite this, that Gore does. This is one of the many reasons my vote goes to Browne.
Slashdot Mirror
A. Enterprise had Ferengi on it the other day, ugh... (honestly, whoever thought that Ferengi were menacing villains. They're like kobolds or something... No, I didn't even like them much on DS9, the last half-way decent Star Trek series.)
B. Enterprise isn't a very good show.
My Letter
Senator Nelson's Reply
I should note the scanner I used to copy the reply isn't the greatest and I didn't have much time to copy it. I hope it is legible.
Because then you could listen to Ogg Vorbis songs and watch Divx ;-) movies on it. Even if they weren't content that was created in Hollywood, they still don't want you to be able to do that.
Remember though, there were concessions made for fair use in the DMCA, and I can't think of a single situation where they've applied. The only reason they've put this stuff in there is to get this atrocious bill through.
I really wish I could figure out what to do. Reason isn't going to sway these people and neither is the fear of the destruction of the future of computing (not even the future of computing in America).
You know, I honestly wish I could believe the stuff he wrote in the letter about really being concerned about digital theft because then I could try to reason with him. Unfortunately, the way the letter is written, it seems that he has simply chosen the Disney/Fox side of the issue. I mean, the letter is very passively worded but there is no way to look at this except as legislation against the digital technology industry.
I explained the issue carefully in my initial letter, but the points I raised are not addressed in his reply.
I'm pretty stubborn, so I'm going to write a reply to his reply. I don't know if it will help or not. (Still, I've always enjoyed tilting at windmills...)
I'm not arguing against your view (sometimes I want to cut and paste and sometimes I want to mv * /dir/), just wanted to stand up for command line based games.
The Domain Name Registry for
Pitcairn Island!
There is even an article on the front page about how new immigrants to Canada can get tax breaks.
Video Games to treat ADD?
Incidentally, I think ADD is a fake disease just like everybody else. It's a chance to put schoolkids on Soma^H^H^H^HRitalin, which the schools want to do to control behavior. (I wonder how much money Merck and other companies make from selling Ritalin, too...)
Once, Slashdot was a small, not very well known site which was frequented by technically minded people. Back then, you might have said there was a community. I don't even know if there was a "community" back when I signed up, but now it is certainly just the general public. (Don't be fooled by the marketing machine that is Slashdot, there's nothing particularly 7337 in signing up for a free account on a public message board, and karma is a joke that is easily, and often abused.)
Sony is the worst thing to happen to console gaming since Atari got bought by Time Warner and they forced out Nolan Bushnell. Their domination of the console industry is disgusting and blatantly based on shady practices, but as far as I know they have never played nice with the GPL. I mean heck, Sony practically is the DVD CCA and they are a big chunk of the music industry as well.
If Sony ever does come to monopolize the console industry, PC Gamers can rejoice. For on that day, the console industry will start a tailspin ending with a tremendous crash....
I don't think they will though, both Nintendo and Microsoft are as ruthless than they are, and both have a lot more potential as game console makers.
YOU CAN GET IN REAL TROUBLE FOR HACKING!
Hmm, it seems that this is propaganda that is disseminated and encouraged by the Federal government. I'm sure that a few suicides will be considered OK if they serve the greater good, the DoJ being a very, "ends justify the means," type of organization...
yeah, it's disheartening that Sega ended up having to cave in to the power of marketing and develop for that hunk of junk, but with two good systems on the way that doesn't mean there is a reason to buy one.
Ok, when I make comments, they've occaisionally been way off base, or nasty flames, or whatever. But then, I'm not posting my comments in the main news stories, and when I have been really insulting or arrogant, I get modded down.
So, yeah, all journalists are biased, but if they start to be *smug* about there biases, I would expect them to lose readers.
Honestly, if I were a Taco fan (or a friend of his) I would be trying to give him the advice, "Hey! Tone it down, unless you want to push people away from this site through your own arrogance."
Nobody, wants to read an article on Slashdot and be insulted part way through it. Of course, I'm still here, reading the site... probably only because I can get a somewhat balance view from the comments rather than from whatever Cloud-Cuckoo Land that some of the story posters seem to live in.
Taco always makes snarky comments about systems other than his beloved PS2, in the hopes of encouraging people to buy that already dated piece of hardware rather than wait for Xbox or Gamecube, both of which will be superior systems.
For example, I can remember him making snide, stupid editorial comments about Dreamcast back when (by his logic) the Playstation2 was vaporous. Even now, there aren't any games available for the PS2 that are significantly better than those available for the PSOne (which s a much better buy right now, especialy considering if you change your mind later you can play the software on PS2), and nothing on the horizon for it looks all that good.
The smart thing to do now if you don't own a PS2 is wait and see if the other systems will be better. once all three are out, then you can make a decision. Sony itself is already talking about the PS3, software sales in Japan have been slow and i wouldn't be surprised if Sony abandoned the PS2 fairly soon after Gamecube and Xbox if the installed user base isn't enough to worry about alienating.
As to the field thinning, that strikes me a questionable. back when it was Sony vs. Nintendo and Sega, both Nintendo and Sega had significant weaknesses. Sega had just come off of the SegaCD, 32X debacle which shook consumer confidence, and the Saturn was not designed for those polygonal games that appealed to the casual gamer. Nintendo, on the other hand, decided to stick with cartridges, which proved to be a mistake in the long run. However, Nintendo was better able to sell its characters and was able to maintain a significant (if diminished) audience for its console.
The new playing field seems to be much more even. Microsoft is serious about entering the gaming field, and have poured quite a lot of resources into their console. They are also excellent at marketing, and have as good a reputation with the average consumer as Sony (perhaps slightly better). Nintendo, on the other hand, has simply created a better box than Sony, and they have their strong, first party titles to back it up.
Yeah, it's over for Sega as a hardware maker (sad as that is), but I think that the PS2 is hardly in good shape. If Sony continues to rely as heavily on third party software as it has in the past, all it would take would be for Square (et al) to decide another platform was more attractive and jump ship.
Me, I'm just wondering how soon after Xbox and Gamecube launch Sony will be announcing Playstation 3. i mean, an add on modem, an add on harddrive? Sony is starting to sound like Nintendo with their 64DD or Sega with its CD and 32X, not a good sign for Sony fanboys.
For people who like "multimedia boxes" with limited game playing ability, I'm sure that Sony's box is just fine. Of course, in buying it and its games you are giving money to the MPAA directly, stifling Linux and helping to buy new laws like the DMCA. This is not true with Sega, though they aren't saintly they have never had that kind of influence.
Sega basically has decided to allow Sega Dreamcast clones. Think about this, why does x86 own the PC market? Clones. This is a huge advantage for Dreamcast owners, which has skillfully been turned into FUD by the hype machine at Sony (yes, maybe Micros~1 too, I wouldn't put it past them.)
Sega decides to try something innovative and open up their hardware, and Slashdot slams them in favor of Sony, one of the nastiest companies in the entertainment business.
But then, Slashdot's editorial bias against Sega has shown in the past, I can remember a snide little comment from one of the editors, "They've sold like what, 3 of them," referring to Dreamcasts in a previous story hyping the PS2.
This level of bias makes me wonder if Slashdot, which used to give short shrift to software tyrants like Sony (or is it only bad when Micros~1 does it), is recieving money from Sony.
http://mindstorms.lego.com/darkside/ That just shows part of the Hoth battle, but it is animated.
These articles are FUD, no different than the pro-Microsoft tactic used by people who feared seeing their platform of choice having to compete with alternatives. The truth is some people (and I'm guessing from the coverage that Slashdot's editors are among them) would love to see a console monopoly, just like my boss at work would love to see a Microsoft monopoly. Why? No worries about compatibility. For developers, no worries about developing for multiple platforms. Of course, there is a flaw in this thinking. Microsoft isn't a monopoly, but their domination of the desktop was probably not a good thing. Besides that, I really wish that non-x86 hardware had more of a chance in the marketplace. Variety is more fun than bland, ugly sameness.
What I really wish is that the Sony would be content with its hoard of casual users, caught up in fad gaming, and leave the consoles that cater to real gamers alone. (I mean, $1500 for a game console that's overpriced at $300 and won't really be that useful until there is a decent line up of games for it, if ever? We're in Beanie Baby/Cabbage Patch land here, a tulip bubble like this can't be good for gaming in general.) Unfortunately, that's not the way huge companies like Sony operate. They'll try to push Sega out of business even if it was only profitable as an enthusiasts system while they devoured the mainstream market. Stories like this are part of a concerted effort by Sony to do just that. Why do I think of these anti-Sega articles as propaganda, because no one treats the serious problems Sony had in the same light. In Japan, the PSX2 is a popular DVD-player, gaming is in a slump... that's bad for a company that is selling its consoles as a loss leader.)
The thing that amazes me is that as game companies go, they are extraordinarily lame. The content they produce in house is really sort of "bleah." I can't think of one Sony original title I consider a must own, and the only one that has name recognition with me is Crash Bandicoot. The big Sony titles were all produced by third parties, like Capcom, Konami, and Square (Square is not Sony, remember when Nintendo fans found out a similar truth about their own favorite console.)
Besides which, as has so often been said, Sony is responsible for a lot of the really bad IP laws we all have to deal with. They practically are the DVD CCA, all by themselves. They are one of the biggest multinationals in the world, and they are hostile toward their consumers.
They've also done their best to frustrate people who dare to play games outside of their region (yes, I know, no different than other game companies, but certainly negating any kind of fan loyalty people should feel toward them.)
Sega is far from perfect, as game companies go. However, when Slashdot constantly reprints the same story, after it was already refuted, it should cause them to lose credibility.
Heck, he's probably a member of one of our more corrupt PDs in this country (like LAPD, for instance).
When a cop decides to steal something, it's still stealing, just harder to catch him at it.
I'm friends with a stripper at the Crazy Horse Too in Vegas, and I was wondering what the clubs there were like.
Incidentally, the existence of Leisure Suit Larry, Leather Goddesses of Phobos, and countless other soft-core games and their relative popularity for years and years just tells me something about the current state of the gaming industry.
It tells me that gaming is a victim of it's own popularity, it's all the new people who are involved in gaming (though not gamers) that are responsible for the misery of the rest of us.
Mind you, PR is a poorly designed game, I believe (judging without playing, based on description)... however, there is a precedent for it. It isn't some "shocking new low."
I did know that bit about the Trenchcoat Mafia, though.
However, this was not "clean room" reverse engineering. The problem was that Atari was using information gained from a Nintendo patent, not that they were legally not allowed to make NES games.
If you want better information, look at the Bleem! and Connectix cases that went to court recently. They both prevailed, and can make emulators for Playstation games.
Remember, we're probably going to get a few representatives this year, despite everything this is a good year for the Libertarian party.
So, when your sitting home or at work reading all these arrogant, sanctimonius people on Slashdot, just remember its more important to stand up for your beliefs when it is difficult than it is when it is easy.
A person who will do that is worth ten of the people who make the easy choice.
ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA: Pétain, (Henri-)Philippe
Because he thought it would be worse for the French to fight a losing war with Germany, he went so far as to collaberate with the enemy, becoming leader of the Vichy puppet state.
Was French resistance doomed, futile? Well, whether it was or not, I think it was worth trying, but that's just me. Better to die a hero than live as a Nazi stooge.
Pétain, however, felt that capitulation was the lesser of two evils.... and he has gone down in history as a traitor.
This has nothing to do with the current election, except for this:
Whenever I hear someone talk about how we must support the lesser of two evils (even if they are comparitively trivial evils like our two presidential tickets), I think of Pétain and the choice he made.