Re: Who is creating asimov/images/other_archives?

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

bill.martens@gmail.com wrote:
> On Dec 14, 1:42 pm, "Michael J. Mahon" <mjma...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> > bill.mart...@gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > > On Dec 14, 8:17 am, dog_...@macgui.com (D Finnigan) wrote:
> >
> > > > Toinet wrote:
> >
> > > > > Just wondering. I've discovered plenty of interesting materials
> > > > > there...
> > > > > antoine
> >
> > > > > http://mirrors.apple2.org.za/ftp.apple.asimov.net/images/other_archives/
> >
> > > > I've been contributing to it, mostly from the Vault mirrors collection,
> > > > which currently is not publicly accessible.
> >
> > > > (As you may recall from a few months ago, when I was distributing a mirror
> > > > of whatisthe2gs.)
> >
> > > > --
> > > > Mac GUI Vault - A source for retro Apple II and
> > > > Macintosh computing.http://macgui.com/vault/
> >
> > > Looks like someone took it upon themselves just to copy everyone's
> > > websites without asking the website owners again.
> >
> > Kind of like how the wayback machine copies websites...
> >
> > Although I think I understand your desire for the courtesy of
> > being asked, the web is actually all about copying.  Every visit
> > to a page gets a copy of that page, which can be saved.
> >
> > This isn't a case of putting up uncredited, fiddled mirrors.  This
> > is about putting up dated archives of credited sites.  There can never
> > be any confusion of these archives with the live, current site.
> >
> > Given the capricious way that web sites come and go, I can see the
> > value in preserving multiple archives of the most useful sites.
> >
> > ...and courtesy is also a good thing.  ;-)
> >
> > -michael
> >
> > NadaNet 3.1 for Apple II parallel computing!
> > Home page:  http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/
> >
> > "The wastebasket is our most important design
> > tool--and it's seriously underused."
>
>
> I find little value in it since our web sites have been up for 10
> years with a total of about 12 hours downtime over that time frame.
> Also, just because it is on the web, doesnt mean the websites are not
> copyrighted or that the website owners dont want their sites copied.
> Unfortunately, there are a few people out there who dont respect the
> work that others have put into these sites, which is one reason, I am
> reluctant these days to put out anything more.  Courtesy is a big
> thing and this kind of blatant copying just goes back to the way
> things were in the late 1990's when there was nothing but in fighting.

I see your point, Bill.  Do you see mine?

I would hate to think that a primary motivation for your efforts
in making software and documents available is to exercise control
over them.  (And, yes, I do understand that some of your suppliers
may feel the need for such control.  ;-)

Copying software that is producing income for its author is quite
a different thing from archiving a web site.  As is copying software
that is not producing income for anyone, and hasn't for years.

Copyright to safeguard an income stream for a reasonable period of
time serves a useful purpose.  Copyright simply to exercise control
over the availability of material seems much more suspect.

The only benefit I can see to retaining such control is that it
makes "version control" easier when updates occur.  Keeping date
and version information "on the label" goes a long way to keeping
this from being a problem.

If Wikileaks teaches us anything, it is that information that can
be copied *cannot* be controlled.

-michael

NadaNet 3.1 for Apple II parallel computing!
Home page:  http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."