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On Wed, Aug 20, 2003 at 10:07:18AM -0400, Derek Martin wrote: > On Wed, Aug 20, 2003 at 08:38:58AM -0400, Jerry Feldman wrote: > > This is very true. BTW: Dvorak (on PC Mag) is making a proposal that all > > PCs be licensed: > > http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1224343,00.asp > > > > Personally, I think Dvorak is an idiot, but he makes a good case for it. > > I agree that Dvorak is an idiot, but that's as far as I'll go... He > compares licensing PC users to licensing automobile drivers, and I > think that's a good analogy. Most people start using computers as > teenagers (or earlier, these days), much as with cars. How many > teenagers pick up a copy of the rules of the road, learn them for the > written permit test, and then forget everything they learned five > minutes after they pass it? How many actually FAIL the test, maybe > even multiple times, because they can't be bothered to look at the > book? > Licensing computer users will be no different, and will solve nothing. > The average person will do the bare minimum required for them to pass > the test, and then not give it another thought. Derek, as usual, makes very good points. How about a proposal to add a requirement that every person who gets a license having to post a bond of some specific monetary value which will be paid out in the event that they either spam or do not secure their system against malware. :-) (Impractical and unlikely, I know, but I can dream can't I? :-) ) -- Jeff Kinz, Open-PC, Emergent Research, Hudson, MA. jkinz at kinz.org copyright 2003. Use is restricted. Any use is an acceptance of the offer at http://www.kinz.org/policy.html. Don't forget to change your password often.
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