On Mon, 2 Sep 2002 17:22, Dmitry Borodaenko wrote: > Discouraging use of patent-encumbered technologies is the same as > political emigration: it is the easy way out of the oppression, but it > is nothing else but a defeat, and when you are fleeing to another > country, this defeat will follow you there. If you want to fight > oppression, you should fight where you stand, and not run away until > you're locked in a corner.
That moral stance makes sense. However it can be applied in a different way to this situation. Resolving to not use your PC for audio or video applications because of patents would be fleeing from opression. Writing and supporting new programs to perform the same tasks without the patents is actively fighting back. If the MP3 patents become worthless because everyone wants to use Vorbis technologies instead then the Frauhofer Institute will lose significant amounts of money! -- I do not get viruses because I do not use MS software. If you use Outlook then please do not put my email address in your address-book so that WHEN you get a virus it won't use my address in the >From field.