eagle_grinder’s history lesson:

Conversation between Big Media and their programmer consultant, circa 1990

Big time Author / MPAA bigwig / RIAA fatcat:

“We’ll produce digital material if and only if it is protected by the first amendment and copyright law.”

Programmer:

Sounds good. But isn’t it hypocritical that YOUR media, when changed into 1’s and 0’s, is protected, but MY media, which, in the form of .h, .c, .java files, and binary executables, ISN’T protected?

But that would also mean that the digital algorithm used to encrypt your format ISN’T protected, meaning anyone can flat out copy it and distribute it. Rampant piracy wound ensue.

Big time Author / MPAA bigwig / RIAA fatcat:

You’re right. All digital media should be protected.

Programmer:

In that case, The “hackers” will just reverse engineer your algorithm under fair use and as before, distribute it.

Did anyone guess what the industry fatcats said next?

If you said “Buy legislation that eliminates fair use from digital media” You’ve correctly identified the DMCA! BOB, TELL THEM WHAT THEY’VE WON!

monty python mozilla joke:


/.: Bring out your dead! 

/.: Bring out your dead! 

/.: Bring out your dead! 



SUCK: Here's one -- ninety thousand banner reads. 

MOZILLA: I'm not dead! 

/.: What? 

SUCK: Nothing -- here's my ninety thousand banner reads. 

MOZILLA: I'm not dead! 

/.: Here -- he says he's not dead! 

SUCK: Yes, he is. 

MOZILLA: I'm not! 

/.: He isn't. 

SUCK: Well, he will be soon, he's very ill. 

MOZILLA: I'm getting better! 

SUCK: No, you're not -- you'll be stone dead in a moment. 

/.: Oh, we can't take him like that -- it's against regulations. 

MOZILLA: I don't want to go in the cart! 

SUCK: Oh, don't be such a baby. 

/.: We can't take him... 

MOZILLA: I feel fine! 

SUCK: Oh, do us a favor... 

/.: We can't. 

SUCK: Well, can you hang around a couple of months? He won't be long. 

sure it’s getting bad press, but mozilla isn’t doing that badly. plus, despite how much i enjoy greg knauss’ writing, i have to say that some of the stuff he cites as bloatware and unnecessary is not. i do agree that because of it’s componentized nature, focus should have been shifted more to working on core features and then extending upon that with point release upgrades.

is the usps offering free email for national residents a good thing? no mention in the msnbc article on how they’re gonna split up subdomains to make it all work. too bad the usps doesn’t have the foresight to set up a digital certificate or registered/encrypted mail mail type thing. that would actually be useful.

plus, maybe this will push the issue of how invasive and stupid current digital rights (searches through hard drives, reading emails, etc) vs paper are.

or, perhaps, as tebriel suggests, perhaps this means that that my email will now [b]e bent, broken, bruised and battered as well as 3 days late?