Re: Ancient wares and present values

["Quantum_Cat" <anonymous@cotse.com>]

Hiya, AssTricks.

 *>>Oh, I won't say they can't be helpful.  Where us vogons 
start
 *>>objecting is when they start helping folks out with 
software
 *>>or information that doesn't belong to them.

 *>I knew that if I waited long enough, I would be 
vindicated. You see, as
 *>stupid and 19th century as Quantum Cat is, at least the 
concept of
 *>"copyright" is somewhat internally consistent and 
defendable. We might split
 *>hairs with him for years, and never find logic quite 
elegant enough to
 *>finally cut through all the garbage he is spouting.

Do get too excited just yet, dude.  ;)

 *>But since when can someone "own" information? Software, 
yes. Visual art or
 *>music, yes. But pure info? I'm sure the lawyers for 
Encyclopedia Britannica

Don't forget books, articles, or even Usenet posts.  Yes, 
even THOSE have copyright protection.  Why do you think folks 
got upset with the Dorktor when he simply grabbed posts from 
Delphi and slapped them on his GSWorldScrew site as his 
"exclusive"?

Or how he raids other folks websites and swipes their work 
and graphics and "Features" them on his GSWorldScrew site 
without asking permission of the author.

THAT is what I mean by "information", AssTricks.

 *>would descend upon pirate reference book publishers with a 
ferociousness
 *>only seen chummed waters a couple miles off the coast. But 
even in the

Yes they would if those pirate reference books lifted 
articles from EB.  You could bet money on it.

 *>depths of obscene lawyerdom, I suspect we'd never see a 
single subhuman
 *>attorney arguing that they own the information.... only 
the presentation and
 *>format they provide it in. Information is freedom, it is 
power, it is truth.

OK.. You appear to be coming down from Cloud Cuckoo Land.  
Now you can tell US how you can have information without 
form, format or presentation.  Give it your best shot, 
Doofus.

 *>Apparently QC belongs to the group that thinks that 
information belongs to
 *>only those who pay the requisite royalties, licenses and 
fees. And while you

Hmmmm?  Yeah.  I guess I am.  That's what patents are all 
about.  Doesn't have a whole lot to do with copyright, but 
then you don't have a coherent argument in the first place.

 *>can rant all you want about everybody having a fair 
opportunity to pay these
 *>ransoms, I believe even those on the other side of the 
issue will see how
 *>transparent these excuses are.

So you admit to belonging to the vultures on the wing, 
hovering over the folks that do the actual work of sifting 
the knowledge and information from the background noise, 
writing up the results of their labor, only to have you 
festering scum dive down and snatch it from them because you 
feel that (insert high squeeky voice here) "Information must 
be free!!!".

Personally, AssTricks, you should look into a brain 
transplant.

Vogons For a Turlette Free Apple II Community!

Quantum_Cat