Re: A2 Trade/Swap ... site ...

[Roy and/or Janet Miller <millers@inetnebr.com>]

Paul Schlyter wrote:

> I once saw someone else draw a line here, which I found pretty sensible:
> if the software has been for sale somewhere during the last 5 years,
> you should either buy it, or leave it alone.

Ah, but there part of the problem.... There are places, such as Sun Remarketing,
who still sell old Apple 2 software, such as the Atari games, and products from
Quark (at one time including Catalyst which is a fine program launcher). So, how
do you know if that product is still being sold.

Next, what about the *used* software market? There are a lot of programs out
there, and not just at thrift stores, that are being bought and sold on the net
and at swap meets.

Finally, there is a pattern here that only takes a few weeks on csa2 to learn.
Someone mentions a site from which one can obtain software. Jeff points out that
some/much/most of the software on the site is still covered by the copyright
laws (someone above said such laws were written to protect commercial software -
come on, you know better than that, such laws existed before there was such a
thing as software.) Next, Rudy or Ruby or perhaps someone else will make some
less than respectful comment and defense of making such software available, and
the whole debate begins anew, including the complaint that "y`all" should just
drop the issue. Jeff has stated that he will not stop what he sees as his
mission, to alert newbies and the uninformed that, should they care, there is a
danger of copyright violation in using such sites. "Vogons" are not so dumb as
to think that they will change the minds of Tom, Rudy, Ruby, et al, or vice
versa. If you want this to be a more peaceful place, why not let Jeff make his
quiet announcement/warning, and then let it go? He doesn't dog people and nag
them about copyright laws, he knows, as we all do, that people will violate
those laws if they wish, and that though there are penalties, it is unlikely,
even if possible, that anyone will go to jail or pay a fine for copying
"Choplifter."

Really, in many ways, this situation is like one person tapping someone on the
shoulder who is about to jaywalk, and to inform them quietly that that is
against the law, and that there are penalties for it. Then others jump in and
begin a debate about how the law is silly, since it's three in the morning and
there are few cars on the street, go ahead and jaywalk if you wish, no one will
care and so on and so on. Jeff states the truth, just as it is still illegal to
jaywalk in three in the morning, it is still illegal to copy copyrighted
software. Even if no one will notice or care. That is not being a "vogon" that's
simply giving people a quiet word to the wise. If no one else jumped in, that
would be the end of it.

Sadly, that won't be the end of it.

Roy