I'm probably preaching to the choir here,
but the fact that a judge has ruled that
a human readable language, specifically
C and Perl, is legally different than
other languages, such as English or French,
truly, truly ticks me off.
the reasoning given by the courts is that
the C text can be read and understood
by a machine.
so, what the bloody heck happens when
computers are smart enough that they
can read an encyclopedia or textbook
description of the algorithm? do encyclopedias
and textbooks then become source code and
therefore can be restricted as well???
the only difference between the current
situation and a Twilight Zone episode where
people were executed simply for knowing too
much, is the mere act of writing it down.
you can know how to decrypt CSS scrambling,
but don't write it down in a rigidly defined
language (C or Perl). but its OK to describe
it in a fluid, interpretive language (English).
argh!
sorry, went off on a rant there,
It's just that this sort of thing gets my goat.....
Greg London
"BAAAAHHHH"
