Re: INFO: Copyrights (was Hypertext)

Hal Finney (hal@rain.org)
Wed, 5 Mar 1997 14:11:31 -0800

I'm not sure I see the necessity of preventing someone from changing
his posted information. If he presents a weak argument, and then
withdraws it, haven't those who disagree accomplished their purpose?
How much more is gained by continuing to throw his earlier errors in
his face? If the goal is to approach the truth, then there should be
nothing wrong with people evolving their publications in the face of
criticism.

I agree that for some purposes, like official documents, contracts, and
the like, a method is needed to hold them stably. But for hypertext
publishing and debate, it seems counterproductive to try to keep people
from revising their work.

Hal