Re: vogons vs Users

["Arkain" <rwking@no.usa.spam.net>]

Roy and/or Janet Miller <millers@inetnebr.com> wrote in message
397C82A4.88724E06@inetnebr.com">news:397C82A4.88724E06@inetnebr.com...
> Arkain wrote:
>
> > To all Turlettes, Vogons, Anti-Pirates, & Users:
> >
> > I want this thread to be about finding a way to make the arguments made
by
> > both sides to simply vaporize. If you can't add anything constructive to
the
> > frey, then please hold your tongue.
>
> The problem with the above post is that it won't happen. Nice idea ("Can't
we
> all just get along" - Rodney King: Answer? No!) but it hasn't worked when
others
> have proposed it. There are some, on either side of the issue who would or
do
> use restrained language and argue with ideas, facts, logic, etc. But there
are
> those who seem to enjoy putting other people down personally, who think
that
> character assassination and name calling is perfectly acceptable behavior.
As
> long as they have the freedom to post here, such will continue, and the
> atmosphere will continue to be poisoned.

I didn't ask if we could all get along. I already know that that is
impossible, but we can get on the same page at least. Simply put:

The world needs jerks, weasels, thieves, rogues, and the like... Why?
because without them, we as rational humans wouldn't see the need to work so
hard at making the world a better place. Likewise, without the occasional
asshole(excuse the expression) and other such pains in the butt, we wouldn't
have as much drive to better the A2 community. those misguided "Vogons" &
"Turlettes" are really only trying to improve a particular aspect of the
community, but they happened to lose sight of the goal and slip into the
bottomless-pit of extreemism somewhere along the way.

> While I'd like to see that disappear, I wouldn't like the argument itself
to
> disappear. I've learned from some with whom I've disagreed. Sometimes they
have
> good ideas, e.g. someone above suggested 5 year renewals on copyrights
that can
> only be renewed if the item is still made available.

Disagreements are good for exactly that reason. When 2 people can rationally
discuss their problems, together they can usually find a solution that is
better than eith one could have come up with alone in the same amount of
time.

> Given that almost anyone
> can manufactor a book or software at home anymore, that isn't an
unreasonable
> idea to try to sell to your local congressman/senator. Point out how
software
> that you wish to buy isn't available for purchase, even though you'd like
to buy
> it and the author might like a royalty. Perhaps the publishing right would
also
> revert within a certain time period (or perhaps that is already in the
standard
> contracts between authors and publishers - do you know Rudy?)
"Abandonware"
> really isn't a very accurate term, since really it's the authors who have
been
> abandoned - they could sell their software for $5.00 and plenty of us
would buy
> it and they would still make a fair return. Even if all they sold were a
few
> each month, it could be worth the effort to sell "Choplifter" on a flippy
disk
> with a text manual on the "B" side, how long would it take to make five
copies
> and drop them in mailers and put a stamp on them? Or, if the author really
can't
> be bothered, he or she could then let it become freeware. If the rights
weren't
> held hostage by a corporation that just sits on them.

I saw that post earlier, and I like the idea. So why don't we get organized
and push for that to happen? Or are we all just too happy with the decaying
status quo?

Arkain