Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
That's the problem, though; you know what you mean when you say "own" and, indeed, at first glance, it seems simple and obvious - we all know what "own" means, don't we?
|
Quite true, which is why I just attempted to expound on the meaning of the term as I used it. It
could have broader and more wide ranging meanings, but like I said, and I think it was probably relatively clear to most from the outset, we're talking of owning and using something as the terms relate to ordinary customers and any other type of item.
Quote:
|
But it's when you start thinking about it more deeply that the problem arises, because HOW can you "lend" someone an immaterial object such as an e-book?
|
Very simply by moving, rather than copying, the ebook to the device of the person borrowing the book. I confess to not being too familiar with any other OS than Windows, but I assume Unix/Linux/MacOS/whatever also have the option of using a
move command rather than a
copy command.
Quote:
|
An e-book is not a "thing" that you can pick up and give to someone. The only way to move it from one place to another is to make another copy of it, and that's where the trouble starts.
|
This is clearly incorrect, as set out above. Admittedly the book could be retrieved regardless of being deleted, by using software designed for such a task, but then you wouldn't have
moved it in the first place.
Quote:
|
If you lend someone an e-book, you haven't lent them your book, you've created another copy, and given them that.
|
Once again...
Quote:
|
Where there was one copy of the book, there are now two. Both you and your friend have a copy of the book. Is that lending at all, in the sense that the word is conventionally used?
|
And again...