As I said

6 Comments

1. anantj
   Posted October 18, 2005 at 2:29 pm | Permalink

   Firstly it’s MicroSucker! How far do you think it will actually work?

   Secondly, do you think it wont be broken, if not in record time, eventually?

   And vista coming to India and getting popular is a distant dream. Have you seen the spec requirement for that “piece” of software? Recommended ram is 512 MB! and a whole bunch of other “out-of-India(world)” requirements.

   So it’s not much to sweat on ;)

   Reply
2. louiswu
   Posted October 19, 2005 at 4:32 am | Permalink

   “I worry about my child and the Internet all the time, even though she’s too young to have logged on yet. Here’s what I worry about. I worry that 10 or 15 years from now, she will come to me and say ‘Daddy, where were you when they took freedom of the press away from the Internet?’” –Mike Godwin, Electronic Frontier Foundation

   Freaky quote, huh? And it’s worse because they want to take away the control you have on your computer.

   My friend, you greatly underestimate what MS can do. I’m positive they can currently shut you down if you run a single piece of software that they have that is pirated, at least if it’s Windows. All you have to do is connect to the Internet. They don’t because they’re something like drug-dealers. They get you hooked on the stuff for cheap, and make you pay for it later. This is not conjecture – Bill Gates has gone on record saying this.

   The comparison maybe a little harsh, because at the end of the day it’s the user who makes the choice. but it’s debatable.

   Funny incident at a B-school where an MS tech rep went for a talk – he was asked a few questions about MS and Open Source and eventually concluded that MS has so many users because the users are stupid. Monumental cock-up on his part, yes? :)

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3. prikansaritual
   Posted October 19, 2005 at 5:57 am | Permalink

   They’ve been clear about it from their side for the last thirty years. If its pirated, its not legal. If you dont have the discipline, you are at fault.

   And the quote you have made, I believe, is out of context. To get a better understanding of the origins and goals of the EFF, try reading The Hacker Crackdown.

   Reply
4. louiswu
   Posted October 19, 2005 at 9:48 am | Permalink

   a) The quote I made was supposed to draw an anology. There are a whole bunch of people who want to control the Internet and they way you can use it. And now there are also a bunch of people who want to control the hardware you own and the way that you use it. Do you disagree that things like CSS for DVDs, and CDs that won’t play on CD-ROM drives and some CD-players are wrong? Do you want to trust recording houses and Microsoft to tell you what you can or cannot do with your computer?

   b) There’s a reason I brought up the drug-dealer analogy. At the end of the day it is the user’s fault for priating the software, no doubt about that – but it’s a wholly different ball-game when a company waits till you’re dependent and then enforces tighter control. Of course, even that is the fault of the person that buys pirated software, but nevertheless, there is a moral question here.

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5. louiswu
   Posted October 19, 2005 at 10:21 am | Permalink

   Thanks for the link on HAcker Crackdown – seems interesting. Will read.

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6. anantj
   Posted October 19, 2005 at 11:52 am | Permalink

   Whoa.. Freaky and Insightful quote!

   I agree with the part where they can keep tabs on those who use pirated s/w on windows!

   Big time screw up.. Does he still work at MS? if he does, prolly writing the MS error messages ;-)

   Reply