MESSAGE
| DATE | 2006-05-24 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [Balug-talk] [rick@linuxmafia.com: Re: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] Its a sorry day for The Linux?Journal]
|
>
> I've had some private discussions with various people about this
> already, and I do realize that a lot of people want to use the kernel
> in some way to just make DRM go away, at least as far as Linux is
> concerned. Either by some policy decision or by extending the GPL to
> just not allow it.
>
> In some ways the discussion was very similar to some of the software
> patent related GPL-NG discussions from a year or so ago: "we don't
> like it, and we should change the license to make it not work somehow".
>
Unless I'm losing my mind, he worte an even more detailed email on
the kernals mailing list which included a long discussion of the nature
of the keys in DRM and the legality of possibly protecting them
in free systems.
> I.e., it's that Torvalds refuses to consider changing the existing
> licence to attempt to prohibit usage that he or anyone else disapproves
> of. This is _exactly_ consistent with the identical answer he's always
> given to various pinheads who want to make it illegal to use Linux in
> military operations, etc. He says (paraphrasing): "No, sorry, won't
> happen. It's under GPLv2, which puts no restrictions whatsoever on
> permitted uses. Live with it, or write your own damned kernel."
>
> And you called that advocating DRM?
>
Time Warner did and so did my Congressman on the same day. So, whether
he likes it or not, he advocated DRM, and he injected himself directly into
both congressional hearing and hearings in the copyright office.
That is pretty good advocacy for something he didn't intend to advocate. And
the used his words, I might add, and spun them for the RIAA and MPAA's own purposes.
Have you ever tried arguing ***against*** Linus while being questioned and cross examined
on capital hill. Because int he first person, I have.
> You're wrong. Very. Demonstrably. And you thus owe Torvalds a nice,
Well my Congressman tells me your wrong, and he votes on the IP subcommittee and
we don't.
> big, public apology (even though he's staggeringly unlikely to have
> noticed, that being beside the point). And you owe the _rest_ of us a
> great deal more care to stick to fair commentary, particularly when you
> dare to impugn people's motives.
>
>
> > In my opinion....
>
> Ruben: Facts first. Opinions after.
>
>
> And the pity of it is, I think I can guess why you leapt to such a
> stunningly wrong conclusion: I'll bet you went solely by the Slashdot
> (et alii) sound bite,
I wouldn't bet on that :)
> the introductory lines the very _top_ of
> Torvalds's LKML post, _before_ he says what he's talking about (as
> quoted above):
>
> Ok, there's no way to do this gracefully, so I won't even try. I'm
> going to just hunker down for some really impressive extended
> flaming, and my asbestos underwear is firmly in place, and extremely
> uncomfortable.
>
> I want to make it clear that DRM is perfectly ok with Linux!
>
> There, I've said it. I'm out of the closet. So bring it on...
> [...]
>
> Hundreds of blithering adolescents read no further, and like idiots went
> straight for the dumbass flamebait. Did _you_ bother to read any
> further? If so, it sure doesn't show.
>
So who was to blame for this? Linus, the adolescents, Time Warner, Congress or me? According to
Nick its the fault of those blithering Open Source fanatics like Richard Stallman ;) . Really,
we should all be more like Linus!
Ruben
--
__________________________
Brooklyn Linux Solutions
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
http://fairuse.nylxs.com
"Yeah - I write Free Software...so SUE ME"
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http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net
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