Re: Fwd: Napster hack allows free distribution of software, movies

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From: Adam L. Beberg (beberg@mithral.com)
Date: Wed Mar 22 2000 - 15:00:06 PST


On Wed, 22 Mar 2000, Adam Rifkin -4K wrote:

> Or is my definition of ****ster appropriate? Message boards (a la
> Usenet) plus some real-time interaction (a la IRC) plus a way to
> transfer files (a la ftp) plus a way to find files (a la Archie) plus a
> way to play or display those files, right? Is there anything more to a
> Napsteresque application than that? Maybe a wrapper in a cool UI.

Much as Mosaic was the killer app that brought the web to the masses,
X-ster is the killer app that brings piracy to the masses.

Point, click, pirate.

Copyright is dead, or maybe just napping. If copyright does actually go
the way of the gopher, then we're all gonna be living under bridges like
RMS preaches. But as long as companies are fully funded by wall street
suckers, noone will notice that noone can make money anymore.

Will people still write software - of course. Will they have the time
and energy to do it after they return from the day job that pays the
bills - probably not. This is why open source works, an army of tired
and burnt out geeks each do a little bit, and eventually something
comes out with a million features and no documentation.

> Of course, then you could go meta-evil on me and build the the
> community of ****ster communities.

That would require something, anonymous, portable, highly decentralized,
with an open API... Hmmmm... Nah, I already have plans for tommorow...
*grin*

- Adam L. Beberg
  The Cosm Project - http://cosm.mithral.com/
  beberg@mithral.com - http://www.iit.edu/~beberg/


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