[plug] Reverse engineering software to become

[David Buddrige]

>It appears that the federal government is going to change the 
>copyright legislation to "legalise reverse engineering" of software 
>code! (*gasp, shock, horror*, this is the sort of thing that MS tries 
>to stamp out)
>
>http://www.andovernews.com/cgi-bin/news_story.pl?128730
>
>Anyone got any idea why they would do this?
>

My guess is to promote Competition in the software marketplace.  Think  
about it - in every other industry (I'll use the car industry as an 
example), it is perfectly legal for say "Ford" to buy a Mitsubishi and 
tear it apart to look at any new features and see how they did it.  Of 
course they can't copy the exact design (it's covered by patent) but 
they will have enough information to see how it was done so they can 
produce their same design.

Warning!  RANT Ahead! <RANT>

Software is such a new product that it has taken a great deal of time 
for the law to catch up with how the principles of common-law-justice 
might apply to it... it's sort of like a book - in that it covers 
intellectual property - and yet unlike books it is actually a "thing" 
that "does-something" as opposed to providing the client with 
knowledge/information.  

On the other hand it is like a "device" or "invention" which you might 
patent - but unlike a "device" it can be instantly replicated at no cost 
(once it has been built).  It is also possible to "weld closed the 
bonnet" in ways that have never been possible with conventional 
products.  

The question is - is it ethical/just to allow software companies to hide 
the guts of their products - given that their correct opreration can be 
so critical to the client.  Imagine if car-companies sold cars with the 
bonnet welded  shut so that the only way to fix it if it broke was to 
wait until the original manufacturer decided to release an 
"engine-update" (at an extra charge of course).

With cars - at the very least - I can employ a mechanic to look the guts 
of my car and figure out what's wrong - and then fix it.  Why should 
software be any different?


Anyway, that's my $0.02.  ;-)

</RANT>


David Buddrige... 8-)

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