The bureaucrats in the Music Industry wonder why sales of FooBar's CDs have dropped? Here is food for thought....
Every weekend Electronic Music is attracting more and more listeners. Just look at the top Shoutcast station...Electronic right?
Many electronic music artists create their music without the aid of big studio investments because we can use a sampler and our minds. Because the production of pop music has been so formulaic people are now seeing through the triteness and are downloading some really creative stuff.
I think some Recording Industry execs see this and want to focus on getting rid of the means for very creative artists to distribute their work. Other execs, those that don't understand creative work, think the world is really listening to FooBar without paying for it and are mad at the means for that "theft" to occur.
Either way, those in power have a lot to lose with the way tastes are changing.
Oh yes! Samantha you hit the nail squarely on the head! Everybody thinks that money is the sole instrument of power. It seems it is very hard for a good many people to understand that most politicians seek office not for monetary reward but the power atained through law making ability. My only regret is that I am not a meta-moderator.
Everybody is going on and on about big multinational corporations. There are several things that most slashdot readers are forgetting.
1. It is not necessary for any corporation or citizen to ask for fair things in any American court. 2. It is necessary for a judge (Esp. since John Marshall expanded Judicial powers) to make fair rulings. 3. If coporations are paying off Judges then the crime is bribery not the lawsuit. 4. Corporations do not have the power to enforce - only the local police and federal police agencies (FBI,ATF, etc.) have this ability. 5. See number 3 about payola to police. 6. Any US Corporation has strong international powers if and only if the governments in the Non-American country supports the whims of the American corporation or union. This is up to the people (unless the company is a dictatorship - but that is a different issue)
Remember governments need to be watched more that corporations.
We would like to think that most slashdotters are libertarians execept I think most would sign up for some regulation if it meant Linux was favored over microsoft. I'm a diehard Linux user but the market should decide, not government.
Its funny how Brits or Europeans always say we us Yanks are doing it wrong. They say idiotic things like "you Yanks have to pay for health care" as if they don't have to pay huge taxes.
What I don't understand is in the next breath its always some sort of admiration of our life in the States. Don't they get it? Our policies of Liberty, Free Markets, etc.. are what make this country great, not ideas like we haven't implemented socialism enough. More socialism - more depression. More Liberty more growth.
If anybody remembers, one of the leading advocates of Internet taxation is none other than Dallas's own Mayor Ron Kirk. I wonder if there is any connection to this article's production and good ole Ron himself.
Nice except almost everytime there is a huge barrier to entry into a specific industry you will find a ton of regulation behind that industry. And obviously if there is only one company that makes up an industry, to compete against that company doing the exact same thing - you will lose. So give me an example of an industry where the barrier to entry is high and there isn't regulation behind it.
BTW, I'll concede that many times industry are the ones to want the regs but its politicos that usually agree and erect the laws. Are companies evil, no. Just ignorant like anybody else that says 'there ought to be a law!'
Sweeping decisions by governments usually scare me.
1. France says "Hey this idea is great! Now lets make any private enterprise that does business with us be "Open Source compliant". Now your private enterpise can't choose the software it wants to use.
2. France decides that there isn't enough open source to choose from. Now it is hiring programmers to attempt to create an "Excel" (yes I know there are open source spreadsheets but this is an example). How many Euros will that cost the French tax-payer?
3. People like Bob Metcalfe have argued that Open Source is communism. While Metcalfe is totally out of his depth on this issue...France is taking the first step to making this a reality. It becomes socialist when the governments mandate how code is written and fascist when the governments conscript individuals to write code. France is dangerously close to the Socialst model.
4. If this law is passed a software czar will have to be put in place to provide "guidance" for the law. This software czar will use his position to create policy about...well... software. Doesn't this scare anybody?
I would caution anybody to say "Yeah, well the U.S. has those things!" That doesn't make it right.
I think Microsoft is simply trying to get some of the benefits of Open Source without opening up. Then they may market this as "See. Peer reviewed without Open Source, plus nobody really knows how to take advantage of it because the world doesn't have the source" I actually have people at work that believe that its better to not release source because they think the product is more secure that way:)
"To each according to needs from each according to his means" Karl Marx. So.... How does the development of Linux expropriate resources from me to give to those without resources? Keep in mind this affected with no government control. This is total Libertarianism. Its not anarchy - the strong do not subjugate the weak. Communism is zero sum. The development of Linux is total growth of wealth. This is total Libertarianism.
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The bureaucrats in the Music Industry wonder why sales of FooBar's CDs have dropped? Here is food for thought....
Every weekend Electronic Music is attracting more and more listeners. Just look at the top Shoutcast station...Electronic right?
Many electronic music artists create their music without the aid of big studio investments because we can use a sampler and our minds. Because the production of pop music has been so formulaic people are now seeing through the triteness and are downloading some really creative stuff.
I think some Recording Industry execs see this and want to focus on getting rid of the means for very creative artists to distribute their work. Other execs, those that don't understand creative work, think the world is really listening to FooBar without paying for it and are mad at the means for that "theft" to occur.
Either way, those in power have a lot to lose with the way tastes are changing.
Oh yes! Samantha you hit the nail squarely on the head!
Everybody thinks that money is the sole instrument of power. It seems it is very hard for a good many people to understand that most politicians seek office not for monetary reward but the power atained through law making ability.
My only regret is that I am not a meta-moderator.
Everybody is going on and on about big multinational corporations. There are several things that most slashdot readers are forgetting.
1. It is not necessary for any corporation or citizen to ask for fair things in any American court.
2. It is necessary for a judge (Esp. since John Marshall expanded Judicial powers) to make fair rulings.
3. If coporations are paying off Judges then the crime is bribery not the lawsuit.
4. Corporations do not have the power to enforce - only the local police and federal police agencies (FBI,ATF, etc.) have this ability.
5. See number 3 about payola to police.
6. Any US Corporation has strong international powers if and only if the governments in the Non-American country supports the whims of the American corporation or union. This is up to the people (unless the company is a dictatorship - but that is a different issue)
Remember governments need to be watched more that corporations.
We have assumed control...We have assumed control...we have assumed control :)
Hell Yeah! I'm optimistic!!!!
And this gets a 2?
WTF, This should have a 5!!!!
We would like to think that most slashdotters are libertarians execept I think most would sign up for some regulation if it meant Linux was favored over microsoft.
I'm a diehard Linux user but the market should decide, not government.
Its funny how Brits or Europeans always say we us Yanks are doing it wrong. They say idiotic things like "you Yanks have to pay for health care" as if they don't have to pay huge taxes.
What I don't understand is in the next breath its always some sort of admiration of our life in the States.
Don't they get it? Our policies of Liberty, Free Markets, etc.. are what make this country great, not ideas like we haven't implemented socialism enough. More socialism - more depression. More Liberty more growth.
If anybody remembers, one of the leading advocates of Internet taxation is none other than Dallas's own Mayor Ron Kirk. I wonder if there is any connection to this article's production and good ole Ron himself.
Nice except almost everytime there is a huge barrier to entry into a specific industry you will find a ton of regulation behind that industry. And obviously if there is only one company that makes up an industry, to compete against that company doing the exact same thing - you will lose.
So give me an example of an industry where the barrier to entry is high and there isn't regulation behind it.
BTW, I'll concede that many times industry are the ones to want the regs but its politicos that usually agree and erect the laws. Are companies
evil, no. Just ignorant like anybody else that says 'there ought to be a law!'
Sweeping decisions by governments usually scare me.
1. France says "Hey this idea is great! Now lets make any private enterprise that does business with us be "Open Source compliant". Now your private enterpise can't choose the software it wants to use.
2. France decides that there isn't enough open source to choose from. Now it is hiring programmers to attempt to create an "Excel" (yes I know there are open source spreadsheets but this is an example). How many Euros will that cost the French tax-payer?
3. People like Bob Metcalfe have argued that Open Source is communism. While Metcalfe is totally out of his depth on this issue...France is taking the first step to making this a reality. It becomes socialist when the governments mandate how code is written and fascist when the governments conscript individuals to write code. France is dangerously close to the Socialst model.
4. If this law is passed a software czar will have to be put in place to provide "guidance" for the law. This software czar will use his position to create policy about...well... software. Doesn't this scare anybody?
I would caution anybody to say "Yeah, well the U.S. has those things!" That doesn't make it right.
Be carefull what you wish for....
I think Microsoft is simply trying to get some of the benefits of Open Source without opening up. :)
Then they may market this as "See. Peer reviewed
without Open Source, plus nobody really knows
how to take advantage of it because the world doesn't have the source"
I actually have people at work that believe that
its better to not release source because they think the product is more secure that way
"To each according to needs from each according to his means" Karl Marx.
So.... How does the development of Linux expropriate resources from me to give to those without resources?
Keep in mind this affected with no government control. This is total Libertarianism.
Its not anarchy - the strong do not subjugate the weak. Communism is zero sum. The development of Linux is total growth of wealth.
This is total Libertarianism.