[plug] USA software legislation

[Bret Busby]

John Summerfield wrote:
> 
> Your formatting could have been a little better;-(

I copied and pasted the text, for the benefit of those who could not follow the
URL, or, who wanted to see the text, rather than go to the URL.

You want me to reformat it, as well?

> 
> Join the real world.

The message was posted for the benefit of mailing list subscribers, who may not
have been aware of the pending legislation, which is another nail in the coffin
of the Internet, as far as people who pay for software go, now that it is
possible to have software that is legitimately purchased, arbitrarily disabled
without reason, by the software manufacturers.

It was not a part of the "real world", as far as I am aware, before this event.

It is, however, good grounds for using Linux for Internet access, rather than
more well known operating systems, that are also known to be fraught with
security holes. I assume, with my limited knowledge of Linux and UNIX, that it
would be more difficult for software manufacturers to distribute viruses (for
how else could it be regarded?) that disable their software, to go through
Linux, than through one of the less secure operating systems.

Thus, on those occasions that we feel that we have to use these other operating
systems and the applications that run on them, for whatever reason, there will
be incentive to keep them disconnected from the Internet.

><snip>

> I don't think OSS software's going to have much impact here; I don't see
> anyone finding the resources to put together free software comparable to
> OS/390, VTAM, CICS, DB2, IMS/DB, IMS/DC, JES2, JES3 etc.

Why not?
> 
> Bear in mind that the DB2 you might see running under Linux isn't quite
> the same as IBM's mainframe customers use.

Are you saying that the ports done by Informix and by Oracle, to Linux, are not
genuine, given that both have seats on the Board Of Directors of Linux
International?

Bret Busby
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