Quote:
Originally Posted by pilotbob
Really. What gives a person that right?
BOb
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Bob,
Let me spell it out in tiny, one-syllable words. If I buy a toaster, it is my right to take off the case, study it, change the wiring, and create a bread-machine (presuming I have sufficient knowledge and the will, materials and tools to do so). Why, because I *bought* it. I *OWN* that unit. As the owner I can even take a sledgehammer to it and smash it into plastic-and-metal dust if I so desire. No, I can't go throwing said toaster (or toaster dust) at my neighbor - that would be harming another - but I can pretty much do whatever I want with that toaster. Same thing applies for my Cybook Gen3, my EB-100 and the Harmar lift on the family pickup. I can even ask over friends to help out. (Of course, there's the possibility that I or my friends might get injured in the process, so I better carry insurance.
)
The situation would be different if I wanted to take that toaster and set up a shop which made competing toasters - based on the original design - right down to the specific shape of the manufacturer's parts, but which incorporated a bread machine. I *could* however, document my attempts and let others know. I could even encourage others to buy the toaster and make the modifications. I could use the general knowledge gained of how a toaster works to design a completely new toaster/bread-machine - as long as I designed new parts that weren't an exact copy of the original toaster. *That* is called 'competition'. Can you say 'competition'? I knew you could!
Look, the need to take things apart to see how they work, and then to try to change or improve them is pretty much hard-wired into our DNA. And when things are designed to thwart that, you can darned well bet that some people will view the "hiding" as a special challenge.
Also note that there is a direct monetary cost to making these modifications. One first has to *buy* an EB-100. And then one has to, if one has not already done so, *buy* a Cybook Gen3 and register to get the firmware update. Then one has to take the time to get, install and learn how to use the toolchain for modifying the firmware files - as well as *buy* any software or tools needed to accomplish the task. For an individual who wants to 'see if it can be done', the cost involved is far higher than just buying one Cybook Gen3 and being satisfied with it. In fact, it's pumped money into several different companies.
Could someone choose to emulate solely for the purpose of setting up a competing "clone" of the Cybook? Sure. And the attempt would be so blatantly obvious that no court would have a problem with sending that person to jail. But that wasn't what this was about.
I hope you can 'get' the concept.
Derek