> I am no fanatic. My kids go to Flash based game sites all the time (on
> Linux). I tend to be practical. However, unless the market (You and Me)
> demands full access to content I create and/or pay for, business will
> continue to try to hold my data hostage.
>
> If my data is in open (better yet, Free) formats, I control when I use it.
> I control what program or device is used to access it. I keep more of my
> freedom. Therefore I sometimes tell businesses with my actions that I
> don't accept my data locked away from me. Actions include purchasing a
> different product, not viewing their website and even doing without in
> some cases.
>
> If the market (You and Me) just accepts it, They will keep pulling every
> penny they can out of us. If the market (You and Me) rejects this stuff,
> the some of the businesses that don't care now will learn to care because
> I will patronize them.
Sadly, in this day and age, it really doesn't matter if you accept it or not.
It only matters if the law accepts it. And don't think for one minute that
you are dictating the laws that are created. You're not. Hell, your votes
hardly matter worth a crap anymore...look at how many were thrown out in
Florida. (I can make up thousands of reasons to throw away a lot of stuff.
But the reality is that you are given the right to vote and it must be
counted....originally.)
Consumers don't have power anymore. These days, you cannot buy a Finnish
application which would allow you data freedom (lack of software and
copyright laws) in order to circumvent data lockouts on an American
application. Hell, if you look at the case with that Bobby Fisher thing...you
can't even move to another country to avoid your own country's laws, EVEN IF
YOU DIDN'T BREAK ANY LAWS IN YOUR COUNTRY to begin with! The point is simple:
The consumer world, along with the legal world, are trying to turn towards
controlling not only what you do, but how, where, and when you're gonna do
it. It's just that simple.
Now, can we fight? How would we fight such a thing? Our governments have taken
away our guns. (England is worse, you can't fight there at all since no guns
are allowed.) Can we just stop using our money on these applications? Well,
maybe. But look at it this way: How much *has* the Open Source community
damaged commercialism? None. Not one bit.
What's really happening is that companies somehow managed to convince the law
that "potential earnings" can be measured and can also be considered
"losses". Software patents and copyrights are laws specifically targeted
towards "potential losses through unauthorized distribution." I don't know if
anyone else views this as a bad thing...but I certainly do. Because, if we
all follow that logic, I should be able to sue people who cut me off in
traffic because of the "loss of time" in slowing me down. I should also be
able to turn around and sue banks, theme parks, and any other place with
lines for "loss of time." But can I do that? No. These are 'okay' in our
society.
But yet, it is not okay to modify that kick ass javascript you found online
and then use it in your own webpage, *even if you credit the original
author*. It's not okay to take a 30 second sound clip and place it online.
It's not okay to take 2 minutes of a movie and place it online. Hell, it's
not okay to broadcast an already broadcasted radio broadcast online (or even
stream it from the radio to the internet)! It's a simplistic view of the
situation, yes. But does it hold truth? Yes. Yes it does. And we will all be
criminals, in time. (Hell, the only good thing I see coming out of this whole
mess is that the term "criminal" will be so common and prevailent that people
will be asking "What's your crimes?" instead of "What's your name?" in 20
years. It'll be like showing off a tattoo, or scars...done with pride.) :)
Corporate gains with no consumer protection. That is our reality.
--
Sincerely,
Jason Spatafore
http://www.spatafore.net
A+ Certified Service Professional
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