Re: [NTLK] FW: Fwd: Hacked WiFi driver

~~~ On 2007/01/07 16:12, Dale Raby at daleraby@gmail.com wrote ~~~

> (In other words, I STRONGLY disagree with Sonny. But then I disagree
> with private property, so...)
> Where do you live? If you disagree with private property, I'd like to come
> to your place and take everything you "own" that I can use, sell the rest,
> and keep the money. Would this be OK?
>
> I saw plenty of evidence of this kind of thing in Kuwait during and after
> the Iraqi occupation, and just about as much in my own neighborhood.
> Thieves are thieves, no matter what or how they steal.
>
> I've kept quiet on this thread as I consider myself to be uninformed on the
> issue of this particular software, but since the language levels are
> degenerating, I will sound off.
>
> Proprietary software is just that, proprietary. Somebody owns it.
> "Abandonware", has, at best, a fuzzy legal definition, and the test is to
> distribute it somehow and see what the owner does. If he does nothing,
> perhaps, just perhaps, he doesn't care. He could, however, at any time,
> haul you before a judge of some kind and make you pay.
>
> Open source software is wonderful, and I make frequent use of it. Were I so
> skilled, I might be writing some just to pay back the community of
> Cyberspace. I would never advocate that anyone be forced to release their
> work for free, though.
>
> I have in my files, probably the best photograph of President Ronald Regan
> ever taken, and it has never been published. Probably never will be, but I
> would deeply resent anyone's attempt to dig into my negative files and force
> me to release it to public domain while I am still alive.
>
> Dale the Ornery Old Capitalist
>

I reluctantly say this, but I'm in agreement with most of what Dale has
written, even though my own leanings are against capitalism. But although
I'm writing from a different perspective, most of my conclusions are the
same or at least similar.

It's all well and good talking about this kind of the thing from the
perspective of those who will profit, if not benefit, from being the takers,
but from the standpoint of the "takees", it still looks more like theft.

Even the word "abandonware" could be seen as a handy bit of casuistry rather
than as a name for anything real. Someone has suggested that the "real
question" should become ""Is Hiroshi's WaveLAN driver abandonware...?" I'm
still inclined to think the real question remains "Is Hiroshi's WaveLAN
driver *his*?"

Dale, if anyone does steal your photo and publish it against your will, I
hope you'll sue their trousers off.

 
Shalom.
Christian, Ornery Old Anti-capitalist

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