How would you like to spend a year creating a document, and then your boss decides to take the document without paying you?
While I understand your point, that is a bad example to use in your debate/argument. Many employees write code, manuscripts, texts, etc. during the course of their daily jobs.
Software developers frequently find themselves in this position...code, comments, documentation, man/help files...ad nauseum. The copyright usually will automatically belong to the company, not the actual author of the work. YMMV.
Not trying to pick a fight, but add to your armory.
We may be on opposed sides in this debate*, but honour demands the above advice.
*
What I object to is when a product stops working. Like when Walmart turned-off their DRM music servers. In that case consumers should have a right to demand a refund since the product is no longer functioning as advertised. Billion-dollar walmart can certainly afford it.
I have little/no sympathy for those that choose to lock themselves into proprietary systems/platforms. 'You've made your bed, now lay in it' comes to mind.
...my youngest son who is a techie -- who explained it to me.
That explains your 'slash-fu' improving so quickly!
I for one, am glad you crossed our path then. (hah! thought this was going to be another lame overlords post?)
You should be nominated (along with PJ [Groklaw]) for the/. Hall of Fame....if we had one!
The world needs more lawyers like you, successfully fighting on behalf of 'the common man' against the big corporations, getting word out to the masses, and just being an all around 'fine chap'.
You probably talked directly to Jim Baen, the publisher, and I'd guess he was irritated that you didn't read the FAQ.
Sorry to be the one to pass you the sad news: Jim Baen passed away last year. I heard who had taken over for him, but don't recall his name, and a quick scan of baen.com home page did not help me...sorry.
You sound like a fellow fan, so have you seen thefifthimperium.com site? Download or read online cd's of Baen books....Free!
I buy a lot of my books from Baen now days. (heh! I have already read all of the free stuff!)
Another excellent write up on the subject by Eric Flint can be found at Jim Baen's free library. (along with some free sci-fi and fantasy books-I can personally recommend anything from there-I've read them all)
Well, then the agent he had already shown the alleged child porn to could just testify that:"No your Honor, those are not the same files he showed me before."
Because he had already shown the files, the judge is basically saying that he had to turn over the data unencrypted, can't take the 5th.
In other words, no 'do overs/mulligans'-he should have saved his game before running headlong to the next level.
What you believe (struggle or not) is entirely up to you. I really don't care one way or another, but I do know what I have experienced. You believing or not believing does not change a single thing for me, hurt me, or otherwise affect me. YMMV...
I have converted 3 people to *nix since October. All three came from the 'used Xp just fine, but what is this?' crowd, right after getting a new PC with Vista pre-installed. All three have commented on how easy their computers are to use now, and wished they had heard of this *nix thing years ago.
Only one has needed support since then. He had downloaded an avi file that he successfully played once, but then it would not play again. Replaced the file with a fresh download to his HDD, and all was fine. (he had the file on his failing thumbdrive) I can't see this as a *nix issue though, most likely would have the same problem with Windows trying to play back a file from a dodgy thumbdrive.
And what does the DRM in Windows stop you from doing that you would like to do?
Actually using the computer?*
WGA and activation are the more odious parts of their DRM. I can't use my legitimately purchased retail retail copy, as MS claims it is pirated. (probably from a keygen app in the wild, but that is not my fault or problem)
*this started with XP, and is still broken, and no-I will not pay twice like they want me to.
I tried listening to an audio book from Project Gutenberg. It was a TTS engine, and while it was accurate, I was laughing so hard I couldn't really listen to the book.
As a contrast, I listened to one of David Drake's audiobooks that he recorded himself and it was great.
This nutjob has apparently been learning RIAA tactics, but not noticing the consequences.
I hope he realizes[heh heh, yeah right] that the harder he throws this boomerang, the harder it's going to smack him when it comes back around at him.
The best comment on writers dealing with the digital world I've read so far, has been by a successful writer himself. (one of my top 10 authors)
Here is what Eric Flint has to say[excerpt from link]:
Baen Books is now making available -- for free -- a number of its titles in electronic format. We're calling it the Baen Free Library. Anyone who wishes can read these titles online -- no conditions, no strings attached. (Later we may ask for an extremely simple, name & email only, registration. ) Or, if you prefer, you can download the books in one of several formats. Again, with no conditions or strings attached. (URLs to sites which offer the readers for these format are also listed. )
Why are we doing this? Well, for two reasons.
The first is what you might call a "matter of principle." This all started as a byproduct of an online "virtual brawl" I got into with a number of people, some of them professional SF authors, over the issue of online piracy of copyrighted works and what to do about it.
There was a school of thought, which seemed to be picking up steam, that the way to handle the problem was with handcuffs and brass knucks. Enforcement! Regulation! New regulations! Tighter regulations! All out for the campaign against piracy! No quarter! Build more prisons! Harsher sentences!
Alles in ordnung!
I, ah, disagreed. Rather vociferously and belligerently, in fact. And I can be a vociferous and belligerent fellow. My own opinion, summarized briefly, is as follows:
1. Online piracy -- while it is definitely illegal and immoral -- is, as a practical problem, nothing more than (at most) a nuisance. We're talking brats stealing chewing gum, here, not the Barbary Pirates.
2. Losses any author suffers from piracy are almost certainly offset by the additional publicity which, in practice, any kind of free copies of a book usually engender. Whatever the moral difference, which certainly exists, the practical effect of online piracy is no different from that of any existing method by which readers may obtain books for free or at reduced cost: public libraries, friends borrowing and loaning each other books, used book stores, promotional copies, etc.
3. Any cure which relies on tighter regulation of the market -- especially the kind of extreme measures being advocated by some people -- is far worse than the disease. As a widespread phenomenon rather than a nuisance, piracy occurs when artificial restrictions in the market jack up prices beyond what people think are reasonable. The "regulation-enforcement-more regulation" strategy is a bottomless pit which continually recreates (on a larger scale) the problem it supposedly solves. And that commercial effect is often compounded by the more general damage done to social and political freedom.
It makes for an interesting read, seeing things from an author's perspective.
*shameless plug*: some of my favorite authors I have found on Jim Baen's site. Lots of free stuff, and an easy way to buy the non free stuff, almost all books have sample chapters on line, good prices (books usually start at $4 USD), cheap subscription plan(monthly fee-read 'til your eyes bleed), etc.
The only time I buy an actual, physical book is when I'm flying somewhere. (usually once every 3-4 years)
Then you will never truly achieve 'BOFH' status, Grasshopper.
Open your mind, and the lusers files! It can be beau coup fun!
Transcend your permissions, and make backups of your PHB's pR0n folder-blackmail can be sooo fun!
Become One with the database, there is more exploitable info there than you have time to exploit!
Achieve One-ness with the Network, and your C*O's password-the benefits can be multi-million$'s if played right
Go forth in the world, and achieve greatness! Be Bold!, Be Brutal!, Be Unforgiving(log everything), and Exploit it!....It is the American(USA) Way[tm].
This should be of interest to 'The Pirate Bay' as a 'pirate/underground' server setup.
1. It has stealth tech 2. It has it's own service barge..that's submersible! 3. It can take up station out of [insert country/nation here]'s jurisdiction in International Waters[tm] 4. It is cool
*ignore the downsides to this idea(especially 3.- connectivity could be a nightmare!)-it's a joke!*
Yes, the sun never sets in/on the British Empire.{1} [forget which is correct:*/+....it's been so long ago...;-) ]
Ah, yes...the Good Old Days! (new 'Battle Cry': Remember Hong Kong!![styled after 'Remember Pearl Harbor/the Alamo!' in the USA], and don't take no for an answer...be bold!), just remember Gunga Din.
{1} Not meant to be inflammatory or disrespecting my British cousins in the least.(cousins==literally and figuratively:-))*
*obligatory: [citation needed]:
I do have a double chin, you insensitive clod!...why do you think I grew a beard?! #tongue-in-cheek humour intended here#
Slashdot Mirror
While I understand your point, that is a bad example to use in your debate/argument. Many employees write code, manuscripts, texts, etc. during the course of their daily jobs.
Software developers frequently find themselves in this position...code, comments, documentation, man/help files...ad nauseum. The copyright usually will automatically belong to the company, not the actual author of the work. YMMV.
Not trying to pick a fight, but add to your armory.
We may be on opposed sides in this debate*, but honour demands the above advice.
*
I have little/no sympathy for those that choose to lock themselves into proprietary systems/platforms. 'You've made your bed, now lay in it' comes to mind.
Hah! I can walk a mile, have a camel*, and crack DRM, just not at the same time! :-)
(It's that pesky chewing gum while walking disability I have!)
*To counter the pervs: camel, as in:
[from the wiki link]
You are not thinking this through to the obvious conclusion.
Try it like this:
Simply put, if it takes $1000 to copy the first $10 book, and $0 for an infinite number of copies, the DRM is broken.
Welcome to the digital age, once you get the hang of it, it's pretty neat.
Any hope of them reclaiming any of the fine? (from USA-don't know anything about your laws)
In their shoes, I would be grateful for still having my home...but would be really pissed about the fine after having been proven right!
That may contribute a small amount, but the main cause is ...whales!
Since we stopped hunting them(for the most part), they have been increasing in numbers.
When you have more whales, you have more whale breath- great clouds of steam!!
Cow farts? Bah! Whale farts make Neptune tremble and weep!
And don't get me started on rabbits...
I stand corrected, and better informed...again!
BTW: Congrat's, you've earned it.
The 'friends' list (yes, i checked your link) is impressive, but hardly surprising. Just confirms what I said previously! :-)
That explains your 'slash-fu' improving so quickly!
I for one, am glad you crossed our path then. (hah! thought this was going to be another lame overlords post?)
You should be nominated (along with PJ [Groklaw]) for the /. Hall of Fame....if we had one!
The world needs more lawyers like you, successfully fighting on behalf of 'the common man' against the big corporations, getting word out to the masses, and just being an all around 'fine chap'.
Yes, that is the name I was looking for.
She? No, that has to be fiction! :-)
Thanks for the info.
Sorry to be the one to pass you the sad news: Jim Baen passed away last year. I heard who had taken over for him, but don't recall his name, and a quick scan of baen.com home page did not help me...sorry.
You sound like a fellow fan, so have you seen thefifthimperium.com site? Download or read online cd's of Baen books....Free!
I buy a lot of my books from Baen now days. (heh! I have already read all of the free stuff!)
Another excellent write up on the subject by Eric Flint can be found at Jim Baen's free library. (along with some free sci-fi and fantasy books-I can personally recommend anything from there-I've read them all)
Well, then the agent he had already shown the alleged child porn to could just testify that :"No your Honor, those are not the same files he showed me before."
Because he had already shown the files, the judge is basically saying that he had to turn over the data unencrypted, can't take the 5th.
In other words, no 'do overs/mulligans'-he should have saved his game before running headlong to the next level.
What you believe (struggle or not) is entirely up to you. I really don't care one way or another, but I do know what I have experienced.
You believing or not believing does not change a single thing for me, hurt me, or otherwise affect me. YMMV...
Well, I don't know about your mp3 files, but Linux has been playing mine for years now.
Well, I'm going to have to back Enderandrew here.
I have converted 3 people to *nix since October. All three came from the 'used Xp just fine, but what is this?' crowd, right after getting a new PC with Vista pre-installed. All three have commented on how easy their computers are to use now, and wished they had heard of this *nix thing years ago.
Only one has needed support since then. He had downloaded an avi file that he successfully played once, but then it would not play again. Replaced the file with a fresh download to his HDD, and all was fine. (he had the file on his failing thumbdrive)
I can't see this as a *nix issue though, most likely would have the same problem with Windows trying to play back a file from a dodgy thumbdrive.
Actually using the computer?*
WGA and activation are the more odious parts of their DRM. I can't use my legitimately purchased retail retail copy, as MS claims it is pirated. (probably from a keygen app in the wild, but that is not my fault or problem)
*this started with XP, and is still broken, and no-I will not pay twice like they want me to.
No commercial interruptions!!!
I'm real curious how many /.'ers will get this one.
Man, that seems like a long time ago...
Hear! Hear!
Very well put.
I tried listening to an audio book from Project Gutenberg. It was a TTS engine, and while it was accurate, I was laughing so hard I couldn't really listen to the book.
As a contrast, I listened to one of David Drake's audiobooks that he recorded himself and it was great.
This nutjob has apparently been learning RIAA tactics, but not noticing the consequences.
I hope he realizes[heh heh, yeah right] that the harder he throws this boomerang, the harder it's going to smack him when it comes back around at him.
The best comment on writers dealing with the digital world I've read so far, has been by a successful writer himself. (one of my top 10 authors)
Here is what Eric Flint has to say[excerpt from link]:
It makes for an interesting read, seeing things from an author's perspective.
*shameless plug*: some of my favorite authors I have found on Jim Baen's site. Lots of free stuff, and an easy way to buy the non free stuff, almost all books have sample chapters on line, good prices (books usually start at $4 USD), cheap subscription plan(monthly fee-read 'til your eyes bleed), etc.
The only time I buy an actual, physical book is when I'm flying somewhere. (usually once every 3-4 years)
Then you will never truly achieve 'BOFH' status, Grasshopper.
Open your mind, and the lusers files! It can be beau coup fun!
Transcend your permissions, and make backups of your PHB's pR0n folder-blackmail can be sooo fun!
Become One with the database, there is more exploitable info there than you have time to exploit!
Achieve One-ness with the Network, and your C*O's password-the benefits can be multi-million$'s if played right
Go forth in the world, and achieve greatness! Be Bold!, Be Brutal!, Be Unforgiving(log everything), and Exploit it!....It is the American(USA) Way[tm].
This should be of interest to 'The Pirate Bay' as a 'pirate/underground' server setup.
1. It has stealth tech
2. It has it's own service barge..that's submersible!
3. It can take up station out of [insert country/nation here]'s jurisdiction in International Waters[tm]
4. It is cool
*ignore the downsides to this idea(especially 3.- connectivity could be a nightmare!)-it's a joke!*
I, uhm, well, to be honest...*enters recursive, redundant loop*
I think I will quit here. [when in a hole...stop digging with a backhoe!]
I can see where this could be a problem of course.
Yes, the sun never sets in/on the British Empire.{1} [forget which is correct:*/+....it's been so long ago...;-) ]
Ah, yes...the Good Old Days! (new 'Battle Cry': Remember Hong Kong!![styled after 'Remember Pearl Harbor/the Alamo!' in the USA], and don't take no for an answer...be bold!), just remember Gunga Din.
{1} Not meant to be inflammatory or disrespecting my British cousins in the least.(cousins==literally and figuratively:-))*
*obligatory: [citation needed]:
I do have a double chin, you insensitive clod!...why do you think I grew a beard?! #tongue-in-cheek humour intended here#
Well, they can start with removing more clothes...
'jollyreaper', I think your bar is set too high for the /. geek.
Hell, man, only Hollywood [shakened, not stirred] could meet your criteria!
Oh, wait a minute.....[face>palm] D'oh!
The hell with the sharks with frikkin' lasers!...bring on the fembots with machinegun jugglies!!!!
*ring...ring*
Gotta go find a Cone of Silence, my Shoe Phone is ringing...
note to self: quit posting while drinking!...not as funny as you think...