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On 4 Jul 2002 at 7:38, Anonymous wrote:
Okay, you are afraid that only properly authorized code will
run. Let's talk about one area: programming languages.
What about compilers? Development systems? No doubt you'll
claim these will be restricted. They'll be like assault
weapons. Use a compiler, go to jail. This despite the fact
that they are necessary tools for technological progress today.
Similar controls are applied on biotech, severely impeding
biotechnology progress. There are lots of people who just plain
do not like progress, precisely because it is likely to upset the
status quo. Lots of people say biotechnology makes women
infertile, causes the cows milk to dry up, all the usual
accusations that were made about witchcraft.
The Chinese government was alarmed by paper and printing 1900
years ago, and made it a state monopoly and state secret, so that
it was only used by official people for official things. Five
hundred years ago it became alarmed by the potential of ocean
going ships, cannon, and compass, and put an end to ocean going
ships, and so on and so forth.
Or do you think that only properly authorized Perl scripts
will run? That will never work. Perl is tweaked all the time;
the whole point of using it is so that you can adapt your site
functionality quickly and easily.
Tweaking is hacking, hackers are evil, and must be punished for
their sins.
The whole idea of outlawing programming languages and allowing
people to only run software on an approved list is utterly
ridiculous. Custom software is widely used throughout the world
for all kinds of mission critical activities. Business would
never allow the government to forbid custom software.
Businesses would get licenses not available to individuals. It
would be like medicine, reserved for special approved people.
People point to guns. Computer languages aren't anything like
guns. You can ban handguns and it doesn't hurt anyone's business
except a few gun sellers. Banning custom computer software will
drive a stake through the heart of business innovation and
competition.
Most businesses do not want innovation and competition, and most
governments do not want it and do not permit it. You do not
realize how extraordinary and unusual the USA is in permitting
comparatively free innovation and competition. In most countries
you cannot even rent out laptops without a permit. If you cannot
rent out laptops without a permit, why should you be allowed to
program outside a sandbox without a permit?
As soon as a sandbox is available, there will be a movement to
restrict all unauthorized people to that sandbox.
Most governments in the rest of the world see the innovation
coming out of the US as a form of aggression and imperialism, and
they are angry about it and want it to stop.
It's time for cypherpunks to remove their paranoia-colored
glasses. One apocalyptic prediction after another has been
proven false. Even post 9/11 the government floated one timid
trial balloon about possibly restricting crypto, and it was shot
down in a hail of criticism from all directions.
The SSSCA appears to have similarly sunk, but anti circumvention
laws were not, neither were privacy laws that prohibit some
forms of privacy, nor overly broad anti hacking laws. The camels
nose is in the tent, even if there is no immediate danger of the
rest of the camel. COPA and the rest of that alphabet soup with
Children in the title are still on the books. Businesses have
found ways around them, and there is no vigorous enforcement, but
eventually congress will come back for another bite, and close the
loopholes.
If they can't even ban crypto, you think they'll be able to ban
Perl?
They cannot ban crypto without first banning Perl. That was the
point of the Crypto-on-a-T-Shirt movement. Obvious solution.
First ban Perl, then ban crypto ten years later. After all, why
would anyone want to use Perl unless they are running a web site?
If just anyone is allowed to run a web site, they can do all kinds
of scams and push all kinds of lies. Besides which hacking will
make the cow's milk dry up.
To the extent that people fear the TCPA and DRM because they
think it will take us down a path to the mythical state where
only approved software runs, they need to think again. It can't
be done. Software is infinitely malleable, and it is this
property that makes it so crucially important in business today.
Approved businesses will get licenses, and will be very happy that
there is one more hurdle for potential competitors to jump over.
If you are running a long established business, rather than
starting a new one, the more regulation the better. After all, we
cannot risk the cow's milk drying up.
--digsig
James A. Donald
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