IBM, with the latest attempt to put the genie back in the bottle.
January 22, 2001 10:41 AM Subscribe
Pardon me, folks, I'm going to go off and cry for a while as the Powers that Be carefully destroy everything good and useful about the computer revolution they have apparently co-opted.
I mean, really, what the hell is the point? Billions upon billions of dollars, countless millions of hours, spent to build an incredible network of information-processing machines - the fastest, most efficient way to copy and give away information that the human race has ever devised - and what do we start doing with it but figuring out clever ways of preventing it from working? Information is now nearly free, or at least dramatically cheaper than it has ever been, to the point that it might as well be free. And what is priority number one? Making it scarce and expensive again!
Why bother at all? Why don't we just unplug the whole damned net right now, if this is its future? Why should we, as human beings, put up with the expense, hassle, and consumption of resources involved in building this global network if all we're going to get out of it is yet another way to get screwed out of our paychecks?
-Mars, in a pessimistic mood
posted by Mars Saxman at 11:57 AM on January 22, 2001
cCranium, in an optimistic mood.
posted by cCranium at 12:59 PM on January 22, 2001
posted by kindall at 2:25 PM on January 22, 2001
posted by sonofsamiam at 2:39 PM on January 22, 2001
posted by kindall at 2:46 PM on January 22, 2001
And I do hope good protections are introduced, coz tech developments is tech developments.
I just don't hold a lot of hope for widespread commercial use of these. The more the encryption scheme is propagated, the harder it will be to be assured of it's fidelity (see DVDs ;)
posted by sonofsamiam at 3:02 PM on January 22, 2001
Up to a point. Unfortunately, a lot of what's going on in this area today (not necessarily on this specific point, but in general) are attempts to control creations even after being sold to the consumer. Right now, if I buy an album, I own the right to listen to that song, as much as I want. I may listen to it once, decide it sucks, and throw it away (or eBay it). I may end up loving it and playing 16,000 between now and the day I die. That's my right. And that includes the right to burn a copy to use so that the original stays safe. And the right to make an MP3 for personal use.
But now the content companies are trying to find ways to force you to pay for each use. If I listen 16,000 times, I pay 16,000 times. And that's just nuts. And it will never work. Look at DiVX.
posted by aaron at 3:33 PM on January 22, 2001
If you don't want to pay per listen, then you have a choice: simply don't listen. Nobody needs music (or a movie). It's entertainment. You can't be forced to pay for it because it's something you can easily live without. The people who are trying to sell you entertainment know this and they know that if they don't make the deal palatable, you will just walk away. For this reason it is likely that any pay-per-use scheme will be an alternative to a pay-once scheme. I can think of many circumstances in which I'd be glad to have the option.
posted by kindall at 4:14 PM on January 22, 2001
Answer: Then don't put it on the fucking net. Keep it to yourself.
posted by beth at 2:41 PM on January 25, 2001
So I'm profiting personally from this nonsense. Argh. Er.
Well, I'm looking to quit soon anyway, and I'll sell my stock whenever I do, so I'll be able to wash my hands of it. Finally.
posted by beth at 2:57 PM on January 25, 2001
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posted by aaron at 11:51 AM on January 22, 2001