[acidzebra]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

You contradict yourself here: If an electronic file can be said to "have worth," then you can compare it to a physical object in terms of worth. Yes, they are different... but water and ice are also different, and can still be bought and sold as commodities. You simply have to make allowances for the container.

I do not contradict myself - information can have worth, but you can't treat it as a physical object, because it is not. Your example of water and ice is not appropriate at all, as both are still objects in the physical world. If you had compared water to, say, a secret or an idea I might agree.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I didn't say I was unsure... I said that there is no consensus. Then I gave my opinion. As far as whether or not I can stop people from taking my books... actually, I can. I just stop writing them.

Go right ahead. For you 10 others. You might overvalue your contribution to our culture and eternity just a teensy bit.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

That is not "my proposed method." I have said repeatedly that present DRM systems may not work, but that others (so far undeveloped) could. I never indicated that they have to be so extreme as to be "draconian"... you just make the automatic assumption that any DRM system is draconian.

No, I'm just saying that any DRM that is not draconian in nature will fail almost instantly because it will be hacked to bits in days. The problem of DRM will always be that for offline versions you have to (sooner or later) give consumers the keys to the lock otherwise nobody can view the content (and even an application that can 'phone home' can be fooled to think it just did, leaving aside the fact that most people resent these methods), so that would leave options where you try to control every aspect of the hardware and the software and only release your information on that platform - in other words, draconian methods. Which sane consumers will never accept, and STILL this can and will be cracked if there is enough interest in the content.

So once again you are not stopping the pirates, but you are hampering the legitimate consumers (possibly to the breaking point where they will stop consuming your work).

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

You continue to suggest that any even infinitestimal amount of "control" is Big Brother Incarnate, which is a clear over-reaction. You argue for a Utopia of free goods and sanctioned thievery. Good luck with that

No, I argue that either DRM is laughable and easily cracked or draconian and bound to fail and that people like you will realise the easy DRM is no good and go straight for the draconian method, and nowhere do I say "hey, utopia of free goods and yay thieves". Overreaction is saying things like

"Open our doors, and let the Outsiders come in, take our goods, rape our women, and leave us for dead? Do we just abandon civilization as a doomed experiment?"

which is even more bizarre when we are talking about piracy than Jack Valenti's comments about how VCRs are to the American film producer and the American public like the Boston strangler is to young women. Good luck with that.