2007/2/1, Vihan Pandey vihanpandey@gmail.com:
I'm not convinced that putting Winduhs down is the right way to go about promoting freedom and/or free software. What does the list think?
Embedding DRM into Vista is a defect by design and I think we need to educate users about the bad effects in vista.
Hacker = concerned & technology-aware Hackers have the responsibility to learn, evaluate and eventually report https://foss.in/2006/cfp/slides/2006-11-26-creative_chaos-tim_pritlove-foss....
It is our responsibility to evaluate Windows Vista and report to the public about the malicious features and make them aware of it.
Instead of harping on Winduhs' weaknesses, maybe we should be talking
about how it takes freedom away and entraps users.
Hackers have a social responsibility to evaluate technology and report.
Another angle on the same is that reverse engineering windoze is against the law
Reverse engineering is legal
http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID195 (US law)
And if I remember correctly Sunil Abraham said Reverse engineering is legal as per Indian Copyright law in his foss.in talk http://foss.in/2005/schedules/talkdetails.php?talkcode=G1530043
(as one has signed the EULA during the install) and could probably land
the person concerned up in jail. Should we be breaking the law even if it is for exposing cracks in an already broken system?
http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID208 It depends
Probably not, to quote RMS
on the same ``breaking an agreement even for preventing a bad thing is NOT good".
"If the court determines that the contract provisions contain an "extra element" that require analysis of the contract to be preempted by copyright law, the courts generally proceed to an analysis of the possible infringement or exemption under fair use of the activities of the reverse engineer."
http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID208
Anyway there are enough high priority GNU and other Free Software projects out there.
Everyone has their own priorities, as long as it is ethical and respecting the users freedom we shouldn't have anything against it.
Cheers Praveen