[OT] Warez, law, moral and the rest
Posted: 17 Jan 2000 00:00
Hello!
There is something I would like to clarify, if you are interested in my
personal opinions this may interest you, otherwise skip this posting.
I am used to think in global structures affecting society. I do not
think in categories of law and justice and I even dislike everybody who
does. Dislike them very much.
I have already written there are two categories of warez, I can extend
this to illegal acting in general.
A: acting causes a damage
B: acting causes no damage
If I am driving on a lonely street without traffic in the night and
there is a red light - I will not stop at it. This is a B situation.
Note that I am not against the law in general, it is neccessary to
regulate traffic, but the situation does not afford it. It is left to my
own judgement and to hell with the hiding policeman who charges me for
doing this. Of course if I produce an accident by overrating my skill I
have to accept to be punished much harder than causing an
'normal' accident.
There can be even laws I have no respect in general ('B laws'). Here in
Germany many B laws have been removed after 1945 like punishing
homosexuality but there still are enough left, affecting freedom of
speech. In USA there are very much B laws, too, but more on the sexual
sector.
So if something is called illegal it means to me only that there are
armed forces protecting a rule that was not made by me and I was not
asked to agree. Everybody can change a law, it has no divine status, it
is a question of power. So never base an argument on legality - except
if you want to warn me.
My own actings and decisions are based on social aspects. I always
think: what would happen if everybody would do the same as me?
Would things be better or worse? You may call this moral, although I
think I am still an egocentric man looking for his own advantage. Of
course nowadays you can take better advantage if you are the
rule-breaker among the honest, but if this trend continues, there will
be nobody anymore who is honest.
Today and now you cannot find a car repair service that does not betray
you! In whole Germany!
Living together is not possible without rules. Very obvious is the rule
of not killing and not stealing. Some are not so obvious as my dislike
of warez for example. But I think I have explained this: damaging the
authors of good software is damaging my own long term interests as
consumer. And since I am the next who will release a software it will
hurt me even more.
This Castles-abandonware-thing is a B situation. I tried to get it and I
still would pay for it if I would get the chance. That it is still
illegal doesn't impress me, because if everybody would act this way I
do - it would be good. And to hell with the person who calls Interplay
for this. This person would act legally but he would not serve anybody
with it.
Especially for the younger ones here this is my message: do not think in
laws and do not think in short-ranged advantage. Both ways are leading
to hell (not in religious terms, I am atheistic, hehe).
Peter
--
Check out the WAY-X Homepage:
http://www.digitalprojects.com/way-x
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
There is something I would like to clarify, if you are interested in my
personal opinions this may interest you, otherwise skip this posting.
I am used to think in global structures affecting society. I do not
think in categories of law and justice and I even dislike everybody who
does. Dislike them very much.
I have already written there are two categories of warez, I can extend
this to illegal acting in general.
A: acting causes a damage
B: acting causes no damage
If I am driving on a lonely street without traffic in the night and
there is a red light - I will not stop at it. This is a B situation.
Note that I am not against the law in general, it is neccessary to
regulate traffic, but the situation does not afford it. It is left to my
own judgement and to hell with the hiding policeman who charges me for
doing this. Of course if I produce an accident by overrating my skill I
have to accept to be punished much harder than causing an
'normal' accident.
There can be even laws I have no respect in general ('B laws'). Here in
Germany many B laws have been removed after 1945 like punishing
homosexuality but there still are enough left, affecting freedom of
speech. In USA there are very much B laws, too, but more on the sexual
sector.
So if something is called illegal it means to me only that there are
armed forces protecting a rule that was not made by me and I was not
asked to agree. Everybody can change a law, it has no divine status, it
is a question of power. So never base an argument on legality - except
if you want to warn me.
My own actings and decisions are based on social aspects. I always
think: what would happen if everybody would do the same as me?
Would things be better or worse? You may call this moral, although I
think I am still an egocentric man looking for his own advantage. Of
course nowadays you can take better advantage if you are the
rule-breaker among the honest, but if this trend continues, there will
be nobody anymore who is honest.
Today and now you cannot find a car repair service that does not betray
you! In whole Germany!
Living together is not possible without rules. Very obvious is the rule
of not killing and not stealing. Some are not so obvious as my dislike
of warez for example. But I think I have explained this: damaging the
authors of good software is damaging my own long term interests as
consumer. And since I am the next who will release a software it will
hurt me even more.
This Castles-abandonware-thing is a B situation. I tried to get it and I
still would pay for it if I would get the chance. That it is still
illegal doesn't impress me, because if everybody would act this way I
do - it would be good. And to hell with the person who calls Interplay
for this. This person would act legally but he would not serve anybody
with it.
Especially for the younger ones here this is my message: do not think in
laws and do not think in short-ranged advantage. Both ways are leading
to hell (not in religious terms, I am atheistic, hehe).
Peter
--
Check out the WAY-X Homepage:
http://www.digitalprojects.com/way-x
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
