about warez.at

[Guillaume PONCE]

Hi there
(I've been reading this discussion list for a few months but this is my first
intervention)

If I understand well, this BSA action is bad because it does publicity for the
"wrong end of the piracy problem".

I agree with you when you say that it is harmfull to free software.

But I think that taking action for this against the BSA is a *negative* way to
solve the problem.
The risk is that it could let people think that we are "on the pirates' side".

In my opinion the *positive* way to answer is to make publicity for the "good
end of the piracy problem".
They say "Do not copy our software because it is forbidden to do so".
We should say "Copy our software (and not proprietary software) because it is
permitted (encouraged?) to do so".

In other words I think we should spend more time promoting the FSF's way than
flaming the BSA's way.

I have recently heard about someone on a warez discussion list who asked for "a
pirate copy of this Linux that everyone is talking about". I don't know if it
really happened but if it is tha case I feel a bit ashamed, being a free
software supporter, that some people are so far to know the essence of our
movement that they are likely to react as if it was proprietary software.


But there is one thing I wonder about www.warez.at.
Well, the BSA got the site to close. But how did they get to have their logo on it?

One more thing: they had the site to close and they had their logo to replace
previous page.
The guys who are likely to visit this site are those who wanted to get pirated
software the BSA's say them that they are taking actions to fight them. It
sounds not very friendly and I am not sure that it is a good way to convince
people to buy proprietary software.
The point is: how to get these guy interested in free software? I am afraid that
they are more interested in getting "free as beer" software than getting "really
free" software (but ins'nt our work to raise their consiousness? :)
We could have greater benefits by letting BSA taking this kind of "negative
communication" in the same time we are making "positive communication" to
promote free software.

Comments welcome.



Guillaume PONCE
http://www.guillaumeponce.org/