ShareWare Solutions II : ( formerly Joe Kohn: SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS II)

[smentzer@pacbell.net (Steve Mentzer)]

JUST TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT:


I dont think anyone was disputing the validity and the benefit of a 
distribution such as ShareWare Solutions II. 

What myself (and MANY other) people have a problem with is the Nazi-esque 
tactics that both Joe Kohn and Nathan Mates use when attempting to "snuff out" 
and "undesirables" in the CSA2 community.

Joe *may* perform a vital service, but both Satan Mates(sp?) and Joe Kohn have 
deliberately attempted to shut down several **useful** FTP and WWW sites out 
of spite and moral intolerance.

Asimov and several other sites that many of us frequent contain software that 
is still under copyright. Illegal the sites are. No-one has disputed this. But 
I dont feel that my downloading of some ancient peice of software that is no 
longer available is hurting anyone. 

However, the software is still under copyright and technically, I am breaking 
the law. So, it is a *moral* issue as well as a legal issue. Joe and Nathan 
have no stake in the legal aspect of things, therefore morality is their only 
recourse.

This is what many people object to. Asimov and many other sites provide a 
necessary resource for apple // users. SS2 (and other companies) cannot 
provide *all* the necessary utilities/games/ect to sustain a dying apple // 
community.

That is why I say live and let live. Nathan and Joe don't agree. They want the 
sites shut down. It goes against what they beleive in.

They are right, I do not discredit their beliefs. However, they are intolerant 
of other attitudes and we are splitting hairs every day.

Joe and Nathan are poison for the remaining apple // community. They provide a 
resource, but at what cost? Should they be allowed to "police sans authority"? 
Should they mellow out? Should they only pursue issues that they have a stake 
in? I think so...

Let's face reality. There is not going to be some huge apple II renaissance. 
The hardware is underpowered and the memory limitations, as well as the system 
architecture of even the IIgs prevent the platform from reaching to far into 
the future.

The remaining developers are in it for the love of the Apple //, not for some 
huge financial boon. 

Nathan and Joe claim that the piracy that occurs on sites such as asimov hurt 
the apple // community. How so? They say it scares developers away. This is 
not so. Any programmer (like myself) knows that the primary reason for 
developing software is for the LOVE of programming. The paycheck is nice, but 
I can make more money being an accountant or a lawyer or a doctor etc etc etc.
I would get more sleep, and have more time for my family. Programming is a 
love, plain and simple....

Shutting down sites like asimov ultimately kills the apple II community by 
preventing users from obtaining the necessary software to make a platform 
work. There is no point in using a computer if there is no software to work on 
it, and since the golden age of the apple // has come and gone, 
future development is a fringe effort.

I guess the moral of all of this is that what appears to be wrong may have a 
tinge of right in it, and ultimately what makes an action wrong is the 
intention(s) of to person. Our society is based on that fact. 

I have no doubt in my mind that if this was still the golden age of the apple 
//, many of us would object to sites such as asimov. But now that day has 
passed, and the software there is no longer available. And the companies are 
gone. And the programmers have left and moved on to bigger and better things.

It is now 1997. What harm is there in downloading "locksmith" or "bard's 
tale"? What harm is there? Joe and Nathan say it is wrong, therefore it 
must stop. I say, dig in. Enjoy the abundance of software for a dead
platform. Maybe it is a renaissance after all.


smentzer@pacbell.net