In a message dated 08/15/2001 04:48:20, blindwolf_at_cfl.rr.com writes:
>> It's no different from charging a whole bunch of badly injured men
individual
>> fees to call ambulances for each of them. Is this legal? Sure. Does
>it
>> make you a slimey scumbag? Indubitably.
>
>While my newton's are better than children while I call out everytime I
>flip
>that cover "Let me check my brain before committing on that" etc etc etc...
>your metaphor does not reach me... i seriously doubt it even gets noticed
>by men like Ozguner... if you think he should stop (and you are serious)
>then come up with a genuine argument that has some substance.
What about selling freeware on CDROM for profit? Whether Ozguner or his ilk
give a hoot is not the point of my post. After all, killing is illegal yet
there are some people who still do it. The same can be said for robbery and
other crimes. I am just expressing my disgust at his opportunism. Stopping
him from doing what he is attempting to do or attempting to educate him is
not within my interest nor purview...I seem to recall something about
teaching pigs to sing...
>YE GODS! Not only am I not supporting it, but I think an email to Ozguner
>might be in order before all this hatefulness... maybe several emails...
>Next time I talk to the old fogies from PARC I will remind them they should
>have kept their mouths shut so Apple could't benefit... etc etc etc...
I'm glad to hear that you're not supporting his actions. Your prior posts
seem to hint otherwise or at least toward condoning his actions. I'm not
defending what Apple did at Xerox PARC as an ethical move either. As I
mentioned before, what is perfectly legal may not be ethical. However, if I
recall correctly, the researchers at PARC did give it away after their own
management ridiculed them and was about to shitcan the whole project (or at
least seriously sideline it). I don't seem to recall David Humphrey saying
that he was about to chuck his information in the dungheap of history. Or
that he was particularly happy about someone using his knowledge for profit.
If Ozguner had been on the up and up, he could very easily have posted the
information that he was performing repairs a la Humphrey's instructions
rather than going the infomercial route.
>Dutch auction, 30 units. He pays shipping. Do you really think that 30
>people will bid on the auction??? even then, perhaps you should extend
>the man a little curteousy (perhaps its a woman?) and allow that even should
>enough people bid to drive the lowest bid over $3.00 that he might just
>charge $3.00 anyways? Had that very thing happen to me in a similar
>situation once (differnt auction house)
Whether I believe 30 people would bid on the auction or if he would just
charge $3.00 anyway is irrelevant. That he would take other people's work
and market as his own is what I find unappealing. That no one has so far bid
on it is somewhat promising in that he hasn't found a sucker yet.
>I am very sorry I am too busy to do some legal research here... but I can
>assure you that Mr. Humphrey's would have no standing here. The fact that
>he did the REAL work and then published it gives him almost NO protection.
>So in the only way that matters if Mr. Humphrey's want's to collect, you
>are wildly mistaken.
Perhaps I should have distinguished between a strictly legal interpretation
and an ethical interpretation. I was intending the latter. I do realise
that Humphrey has no legal standing in this situation, sad as it may be.
>What is your background in ethics? I find this ignorant hatefulness for
>Mr. Ozguner to be most amazing. Only Mr. Humphrey's comments have been
>compelling in any way.
Does one need to be a professional "ethicist" or a legal scholar? Or are you
insinuating that only a professional ethicist would have any standing in this
argument? And that anyone not of that "profession" is bereft of ethics
(which is highly insulting to all and sundry at the very least)? In what way
is my argument "ignorant", pray tell?
>I'm really enjoying this conversation, but please let me know if it crosses
>the threshhold of relevance for the list... I'm not sure what place a
>thread on ethics et al has here.
Perhaps you're right in this regard and that it is off-topic. We can retire
to direct email if you so wish. You have my email in the "From:" headers.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Sun Sep 09 2001 - 19:47:09 EDT