"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1526115.OWZm0H5bEm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
__/ [ Oliver Wong ] on Thursday 17 August 2006 19:39 \__
To me, this suggests that it makes sense to open source some things,
but not everything, and correspondingly with close source.
I disagree. You made these statements before, encouraging the use of CSS
in
governments (funded by the people who elected them).
This is starting to become a sore point for me... I wasn't encouraging
the use of CSS in government. I was encouraging choice everywhere. I want
people to be free to use closed source software if they want to. And if
people want to use open source software, they should be free to do that too.
If the government *WANTS* to use OSS, then that's fine by me. Let them use
OSS. But I don't want the government to be *forced* to use OSS if it's not
in the best interest of its citizens to do so.
There is rarely (if
ever) a case where secrecy and protection (e.g. IP) is a good thing. It's
all about self interest and imposition of hindrances and barriers in the
face of those who compete and may have innovation to offer.
I had wrote a paragraph in the post you replied to, but I guess I
deleted it before posting, because I don't see it anymore. It was a little
sidenote saying something along the lines of "Although I can't think of any
justification for closed source software". Recall that "open source" in the
original context was defined broadly enough to include things other than
software. In that context, it makes sense to keep certain things secret
(e.g. the password to my bank account). So I was wondering if it ever makes
sense to make *software* close source. I couldn't think of a reason, but
perhaps I'm not imaginative enough.
Even DRM is not
justified, let alone the CSS 'appendages' in DVD's...
But note that DRM does not nescessarily preclude OSS. There are open
source implementations of DRM (see http://authena.org/ and
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8105106729.html for example), and I still
believe there are "whitehat" applications of DRM. I'm of the position that
technology itself is never inherently good or bad. It's the human
applications of technology which may turn out to be good or bad.
- Oliver
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