Re: Bad ideas from Microsoft et al

From: Hal Finney (hal@finney.org)
Date: Tue Apr 08 2003 - 12:35:56 MDT

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    Samanta writes:
    > If I cannot use the OS of my choice and work the code on my
    > machines as I desire without losing the ability to see broad
    > sections of the net or to work with a lot of trusted hardware
    > (there is talk of making peripherals only work fully in such a
    > "trusted" environment) then I most certainly am being coerced
    > into a scheme not of my choosing in order to line the pockets of
    > its perpretrators. It is a species of racketeering or perhaps
    > we need another category of force altogether to cover such things.

    I can understand that if you feel that way, you would certainly oppose
    trusted computing technology, or indeed any technology which might
    decrease the acceptance and utility of the OS and tools you prefer to use.
    People felt the same way about those damned horseless carriages driving
    good old dependable horses off the road. Many horsemen felt they were
    "being coerced into a scheme not of their choosing in order to line the
    pockets of its perpetrators." And, indeed, it is quite difficult to
    get around cities on horses these days.

    I still think it's a mistake to call it coercion just because other people
    don't choose to accommodate your preferred OS and tools. But I suppose
    you can use words how you desire. By your definition, it is coercion
    which has eliminated livery stables, hitching posts, watering troughs,
    and the other infrastructure necessary for people to easily use their
    horses for transportation.

    I hope that for consistency's sake you feel obligated to take whatever
    measures are necessary to support someone else's preferred OS, no matter
    how much you may dislike it, just as you expect other people to support
    your own. That implies that if and when trusted computing is fielded, you
    will do all that you can to support interoperation with that technology.
    Otherwise you're coercing them, right? Or is it coercion only when it
    is done to you?

    Hal

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