Re: win95/98/ME and printers. An ethics issue comparable to DRM servers or not?
Your opinion is noted but it is not correct. Book burning is done to remove from society things which a large organization no longer wants the public to have access, things which are merely (or mostly) harmful to the large organization and not to society at large. Religious organizations and governments have been the chief culprits, but non-governmental organizations not run by any specific religion have also used the tactic. For example, in the early part of the 20th Century Anthony Comstock's New York Society for the Suppression of Vice inscribed book-burning on its seal, as a worthy goal to be achieved. Windows 98 printer drivers are inconvenient to HP, because Microsoft has yanked all the licenses for all printer driver components provided by Microsoft. Strictly speaking the Windows 98 printer drivers themselves are currently illegal to own and operate because the only way to use them is to use them without permission (licensing) from Microsoft. This is a problem for anyone who uses the printer drivers, but HP will still have the biggest financial and legal headache from their existence. In Orwell's 1984, the euphemistically-called "memory hole" is used to burn any book or written text which is inconvenient to the regime. Hence the reference to "book burning" when referring to HP's choice to "burn" all its Windows 98 printer drivers. -- <someoneelse@nobody,org> wrote:
It is in no way, even remotely similar, to book burning.
On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 16:02, Leo Mauler <webgiant@yahoo.com> wrote:
I'm still a little annoyed with HP for deleting the drivers and commanding everyone not to give them away. Smacks of book burning.
On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 5:45 PM, Leo Mauler <webgiant@yahoo.com> wrote:
Book burning is done to remove from society things which a large organization no longer wants the public to have access, things which are merely (or mostly) harmful to the large organization and not to society at large.
Religious organizations and governments have been the chief culprits, but non-governmental organizations not run by any specific religion have also used the tactic. For example, in the early part of the 20th Century Anthony Comstock's New York Society for the Suppression of Vice inscribed book-burning on its seal, as a worthy goal to be achieved.
None of this has anything at all to do with the current discussion. This is not a censorship issue, nor are there any parallels to censorship. Other than you obviously being upset about their business decision I fail to see any valid points raised by you. You don't like that they've ceased supporting older printers. I get that, and I understand that that can make things difficult for some people. But that's not censorship, that's not "evil", that's not The Man putting people down. It's just what it is, they made a business decision to cease supporting old printers. This happens in almost every industry, it's just a lot more rapid in the computing industry. You can call them Nazis (that seems to be where you're going next), but it's not a valid comparison. If the issue is that you need a printer that can work under Windows98, then ask for that. I'm sure someone somewhere has a used printer lying around somewhere. Or check out recycling places like Surplus Exchange, I'm sure they have more printers than they know what to do with. Jeffrey. -- "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." -- Thomas Paine
participants (2)
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Jeffrey Watts -
Leo Mauler