[DotGNU]Re: Lessig (was Re: As if the DMCA wasn't bad enough)

[Norbert Bollow]

(For the benefit of the members of the DotGNU developers mailing
list where I'm cross-posting this message, let me quickly summarize
some of the previous discussion on the FSB list:  The discussion
is about "SSSCA", some proposed legislation in the US which seeks
to prevent unauthorized access to copyrighted, digitally stored
information.)


Ian Lance Taylor <address@hidden> wrote (on the FSB mailing list):

> Consider the future in which most net access is done from an appliance
> running Windows CE, which no longer presents a general programming
> model, in which all programs require an authentication key provided by
> Microsoft, and Microsoft only grants keys to approved software.
[..]
> I saw Lessig speak at Stanford, and he made an interesting point.
> When programmers think about these issues, they sometimes say ``sure,
> but I could run a server in some country which has not signed the
> Berne Convention, such as Taiwan, and anybody with a general purpose
> computer could download my MP3 program and play their bootleg MP3
> whenever they want.''  But only 1% of the population will do that.
> When lawyers like Lessig think about these issues, they think that 99%
> compliance with the law is total success.  (For example, I'm sure that
> at least 1% of the people in the U.S. don't pay any taxes, but nobody
> thinks that U.S. tax law is failing to operate.)
> 
> In other words, it's true that many of the people on this list will
> never be trapped by new network architecture.  But most of the people
> in the world could be.  Code is law.  Today's code is libertarian law.
> Tomorrow's code could be something else entirely.

Ian, thank you very much for writing this... you have explained
very well why we're doing the DotGNU project:  To prevent that
possible future which you describe from happening.  Our strategy
for this is to build a better alternative to the software that
Microsoft is working on, and then we will win against Microsoft
on th emarketplace.  For example, Microsoft wants to centralize
all authentication in their "Passport" system, which does not
only introduce serious privacy concerns, but also a single point
of failure.  DotGNU will compete against that with a totally
decentralized system, which will be better in every respect.

I agree with those who are taking political action against SSSCA
and similar actual and proposed legislation that is also only in
the interest of those who want to keep things proprietary.  It
is important to oppose all legislation which is in the interest
of lobby groups but not truly in the public interest.

HOWEVER, taking technical action is IMHO even more urgent and
more important than taking political action.

Information about the DotGNU project is available at http://dotgnu.org

We also have a business model that will eventually allow
developers to get paid for the work they do on DotGNU; not all
of it has been publicly disclosed yet, but some information is
available at the FreeDevelopers website http://www.freedevelopers.net

Greetings, Norbert.

-- 
A member of FreeDevelopers and the DotGNU Steering Committee: dotgnu.org
Norbert Bollow, Weidlistr.18, CH-8624 Gruet   (near Zurich, Switzerland)
Tel +41 1 972 20 59       Fax +41 1 972 20 69      http://thinkcoach.com
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