Re: Asimov performs a valuable service; so why fight over it

[pfg@cs.rmit.edu.au (Paul Francis Gilbert)]

tward@XXXXenteract.com writes:

>Paul Francis Gilbert <pfg@cs.rmit.edu.au> wrote:

>> That's what so depressing... people shouting the "law is the law", when by
>> their own arguments they clearly know very little about it. By your own
>> counterargument, are we to believe that if someone commits murder it morally
>> and legally allows you to beat the crap out of them or kill them yourself?
>> No, you let *THE PROPER AUTHORITY DO IT*. It *is* the same thing with
>> copyright. If you catch a copyright infringement, you can notify the
>> proper authority (ie. the copyright owner), but you have no legal rights to
>> pursue the copyright infrigement yourself. Understand?

>I understand perfectly.

>I never said it was up to me to personally shut down Asimov. I have not
>contacted Asimov because I have no legal right to do so. I have, however,
>contacted some of the original copyright holders and I have mentioned the
>problems in public. If I see someone commit a murder, rob a house, or
>violate the copyright law I am well within my rights to report it.

My mistake, then. I mistook what you were trying to mean in your thread then
(BTW: I hope that didn't sound insulting or anything. It's only when I read
it back now that I realise it could sound a bit nasty to some people.)

>Look, I have nothing against the Asimov site in general. However, I do
>have a problem with some of the programs they are giving away. No, I
>cannot personally go after Asimov for making ProTERM available, but I can
>certainly report it and let the public know about it.

Grin. It seems, despite some confusion, that we both agree to the same thing.
I agree with you... by personal frown at Asimov is their continued stocking
of the Infocom games disk images... which Activision are still selling,
and the games for which are written in an independant VM code (called the
z-machine) which means that obtaining even an Apple disk of one of the games
you can extract the gamefile and play it directly on PCs, etc. I emailed
Asimov about it a year ago, but got the standard "It's our policy to keep
the software available unless specifically asked to remove it by the
copyright owner."

>I honestly can't see why anybody has a problem with this. Do you really
>think it's okay to give something away for free that is still being sold
>by one of the few compainies left supporting the Apple II?

No. To extend your argument, it's also not okay in my book to give away
something for free for which an equivalent version for another computer is
still being sold.

>-- 
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>Pentiums melt in your PC, not in your hand.

--
Paul Gilbert           | pfg@yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au (The DreamMaster)
Bach App Sci, Bach Eng | The opinions expressed are my own, all my own, and
Year 5, RMIT Melbourne | as such will contain no references to small furry
Australia	       | creatures from Alpha Centauri.