Thus spoke John P. Looney:
> That's the thing. Even I can be conned into thinking that non-free
> software will do the job. And it doesn't. you are locking into the reality
> of having paid money for something that isn't quite what you want, and
> then not being able to fix it (unless you chuck it out - which is easy, if
> it's free software. Less easy if you've paid for it).
We have a (sort of) policy of paying money only after extensive testing -
and IF it works. In principle, you're right, of course - Joe L. User
won't have that prvilege.
> How can laws to increase freedom of the public be compared to filtering,
> key escrow, and censorship ?
A law to increase freedom? That's an oxymoron - laws, ad definitionem,
*restrict* freedom. Even if it is the freedom of someone to read your mail.
> Why can't they extend such laws to software & hardware ?
It probably will clash with existing copyright laws anyway (IANAL). Also,
we may lose out in the end - why develop new technologies, etc, when
you're not allowed to protect them? If hardware vendors could be obliged
to provide (documented) APIs for their stuff - now that would be a
Good Thing (TM)...
> And I've no intention of spending another two weeks working out why
> AOLserver couldn't use my LDAP extension when the Oracle module was loaded
> at the same time, again. I'd rather drink turpentine and piss on a brush
> fire.</texas accent>
AOLserver? sounds scary... Does it convert everything into ALL CAPS? ;o)
s.
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