SSSCA - Making Open Source Illegal . . .

[Bateluer]

The SSSCA, among other things, will make the following illegal:
* Assembling a home-built PC.
* Using a non-secure computer (ie, a computer built before the would-be implementation of the SSSCA) on a network.
* Widespread development of open-sourced (non-copyrighted and

[Calum]

i am no expert, but doesn't that text just say that it will be illegal to release changed code that relates to security? (which is bullshit anyway, because if people don't change their security measures all the time, people will be worming their way in through the cracks within minutes!)
now am i getting the wrong end of the stick here?
And it does seem a little dumb regardless...

[psyjax]

Worry not that bill is a paper tiger. A specter that's been looming for quite some time, It has been shot down more than once, and hasenst been submitted for review in over a year. It's a stupid bill and Im sure it will never go thrugh.

Hell the Post office had a dumb suggestion to tax e-mail. And no Im not talking about the stupid chain letter     They say it's just an urban legend, but I think it was an idea that just never got out of the room.

[ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: psyjax ]

[dbl221]

Looks like your right, this bill is  a no-go.........but man how did it even get as far as a Bill.......guess senators and congressmen don't cost much to buy these days.

http://www.politechbot.com/p-03217.html

[voidmain]

Looks like the people at the register read fuckmicrosoft.com as well.  It's funny I hadn't heard about the SSSCA until Bateleur mentioned it in this thread. It appears not to be dead:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/24262.html

Fuckin' Democrats!  

[ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

[Bateluer]

"Decent people expect others to be decent, just like themselves. Criminals expect others to be criminals, just like themselves. When Eisner and Rosen and Valenti and Hollings see a world populated by cheats and frauds and freeloading scum, what does that say about them?"

From the Reg article.

I wrote my Senators and Representives. Our Rep is good, I've met him in person before. But our Senators in Michigan, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, are both idiots.

[dbl221]

So do Senators and Congressmen just take money from big business all the time and the american people just think thats normal, or is there some kind of outcry when a senator is so obviously "working" for an industry and not his constituents.  :eek:

[Zombie9920]

* Assembling a home-built PC.

Why in gods' name would they want to make assembling your own PC illegal? A person can build a better computer for cheaper than they pay for those crappy OEM systems. If this bill ever went through I would be breaking the law alot because nobody will stop me from building my own PCs.

Making Open Source illegal isn't a good idea either. Alot of network/server admins rely on open source software to keep the cost of thier networks/servers down because they can't afford Microsofts' ridiculous licensing fees. What will happen to all of the networks/servers who rely on open source OSes?

The SSSCA can go suck a fat man.

[ March 06, 2002: Message edited by: Zombie9920 ]

[voidmain]

You almost got it Zombie.  They use Open source for the same reason you use open hardware.  Because they can build their software better than they can buy it. No difference.  I can more than afford MS software many times over but I use open source because it does my server/network tasks far better than MS can do it.

[dbl221]

Well I found out how muck it cost to buy an American Senator.....$300000.00

 

quote: Hollings

[kinky]

this is not something that would ever pass.  this is a completely communist-type thing.  if anything like this starts becomming law it would lead to true bloodshed and revolutions.  the government isnt stupid enough to think that the US government has absolute power.  they just try to make the citizens think that so there is less problems.

[psyjax]

Not communist at all. Closer to facist. Actually it's the ultimete expresion of unchecked capitalizim and corporate oligarchy. Notice that SSSCA is pend by Disney along with some other media companys.

The reason this sort of crap happens is rooted in the very nature and system that runs such capitalist corporate structures. A buisness like Disney or M$ needs to grow, profits for buisnesses reflect their growth, so M$, Disney and others need to keep growing in order to remain profitable.

M$ expands into console gaming would be one example of this process.

Anyway, there comes a point were a company gets sooooo freekin humongus that it cant possibly grow or expand anymore so how is it going to get new consumers and remain profitable?

hmmm.... says a greedy corproate lawyer.... I got it! We will make a law so that we have direct control over those products that we produce which people own. I mean imagine the millions we are "losing" right now because someone can watch a DVD more than once, or because someone can copy a pice of software for a friend so he can try it out! Even worse, think of the $ we are losing to people who can make their own comparable version of our products!!!!

Of course this resoning reflects money that the corps. were never entitled to in the first place, tho, with carefull legal manuvers they could certainly attempt an argument.

The fact is that to them this has nothing to do with rights, or ethics, its about money plain and simple. A company that get's so huge, turns to law making as it's next profitable venture, esentilay saying it is now against the law for people to NOT use our products, and they must use our products in only the ways we specify, they must allways deffer to us on any issue. Esentially, their next buissness move is creating a captive audience.

Don't belive me? Check out what M$ has been doing lately, granted without the high profile legal manuvering of the SSSCA, but their new breed of Phone-Home spyware seems to me like quite an insidius little plot to get the ball rolling on the future invisiond by the SSSCA.

P.S. Despite my feelings however, I trust our government enugh to know they are at least not stupid enugh to pass this pile of unenforcable horse shit. It would almost be like a digital version of prohebition.

[ March 09, 2002: Message edited by: psyjax ]