| >which existed well before computers and are an issue that's gotten better, not worse That's irrelevant; the fact is that they still exist, and they are still used to make computer products. >Compare what someone at an Internet cafe in China can learn to someone in that same country minus their censored internet. And imagine what you could do without any censored Internet. I'm not seeing your point here. >we as a world have come forward I do not dispute that, feudalism was better than what preceded it, and capitalism is better than the feudalism that preceeded it. I do not see why we must keep it this way, though, and in fact endorse the problems of capitalism (eco damage, censorship because of IP law that only exists due to capitalism, sweatshop labour) and throw up our arms and say "well, it's better than it was before". Better than before is not good enough. Not nearly good enough. >having software be so ubiquitous they practically consider it an inalienable right Almost nobody considers access to software a right. >not just by open source, but "ruthless entrepreneurs" trying to make a profit. That is not a justification for the continued existence of the technology industry. >And IP law is not "censorship" To say that I'm not allowed to publish something is censorship. If I'm not allowed to copy a book by photocopying for example, it's censorship. If I am barred from any kind of communication whatsoever, no matter the content, it's censorship. >choosing not to share their own original idea is "censorship" That's not what I was saying. I was saying that once it's "out there", once it's been released to someone, it would be censorship to tell that person that they are not allowed to share what they have been provided with. And the concept of an idea having value is laughable, it's such a strange concept. "I had an idea first therefore I can stop you from doing things with that idea, even if you came up with it by yourself". It literally makes me laugh. The sheer childish selfishness of it all. Nobody ought to be able to force you to tell them something, and nobody ought to be able to force you not to tell someone something. |