June 27, 2002 03:15 pm, civileme wrote: <large snip> > Well, it is obvious that it is a real threat to consumers. It does > treat the user as the enemy, and it does undermine the GPL. > > But soldiers and bullets will likely need to be used to enforce it. > TCPA non-compliant processors will be made by VIA and others, most > likely, for some time to come, unless legislation is bought to make it > illegal to do so or to build a home computer from such. It introduces a > split in the Frits and non-Fritz users, which will only widen as time > moves on, and it protects entrenched money to the point that > revolutionary thoughts may gain impetus. > > The plain and simple of this is that Microsoft is like a watershed > empire. As long as the state controls the water, it is unassailable > from within, no matter how rotten it becomes. To date, linux and other > fringe enterprises have not been serious competition because the idea is > to offer individuals with a will to own their own computers and lives an > alternative. Now, with the TCPA/Palladium initiative, if it goes to > completion, linux and free software become an external force. > > Look over history. Every watershed empire was eventually knocked over > by an outside force of less technically supplied, less organized > barbarians. Will the Fritz users be the watershed, and the non-Fritz > the barbarians? Those who don't learn from the mistakes in history are > doomed to repeat them. > > Look at government. In a democratic society, citizens should have the > right to audit how their votes were counted and how their taxes were > calculated. If we have this, it is possible for government to lock this > data away. I think Lord Akton said it well, "Power corrupts, and > absolute power corrupts absolutely." > > OK what can you do? You can task yourself with educating 5 people over > the next 12 months. And ask them to do the same.... > That's really all that is required. > > Civileme ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you Civileme for your perspective.
I'm still such a self professed 'noob' that I'm never certain whether I'm "helping the movement or being a hindrance." That doesn't stop me making all sorts of noise with friends and acquaintances when I read news such as articles in this vein. I suppose I just need reassurance that this "issue" is something that merits the time and energy. Some of the opinions I've read (slashdot and a few other places) made me believe i was starting at shadows. The idiocy of Microsoft's positions recently actually makes it easier to show people what OSS/FS has to offer. Should I thank them for that? :-) The running score for people I've spoken to is 14 responses of 37 I sent links to, (but I'll probably get more responses this weekend) of which 12 are incensed over the arrogance displayed by TCPA. The other two are still stuck in "HUH?" mode. Ten are from Windows users that haven't even tried anything else. Possibly hadn't even considered it. Yet. :-) I'll keep stirring the pot here in Edmonton. On a side note: I think Senator Fritz and his co-sponsors should be dumped into a pile of their own excretions for a while. Then abused. -- Charlie Edmonton,AB,Canada Registered user 244963 at http://counter.li.org Give thought to your reputation. Consider changing name and moving to a new town.
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