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Is it wrong of me to think of the net neutrality battle in the same way? The more and more I think about the battles the EFFs fights, the more I respect them an

Is it wrong of me to think of the net neutrality battle in the same way? The more and more I think about the battles the EFFs fights, the more I respect them and think stallman's brand of insanity (if it's possible to call it that politely) is more and more necessary. Just like the DRM battle was lost, I get the feeling the net neutrality battle is a losing battle. Even if it's not this year, eventually, the deep pockets will win -- From what I've seen basic computer literacy (I don't mean using a smart phone) isn't even being taught consistently -- trying to get the majority of the general populace (which isn't even enough to win politically, but I'll ignore that) to understand why repairability and open source matter, nevermind net neutrality seems like an exercise in futility. While that happens, the tech companies benefitting the most from open source software and the openness that the web introduced are doing their best to split it up amongst themselves. I've given up on this iteration of the internet, instead of ranting what I should probably do is go try and contribute to whatever is next, whether that's mesh networks or ipfs.

saladeen 9y ago
It is not, but I'd like to note one thing: while here Netflix is the 'bad guy', in the Net Neutrality issue they are positing themselves as the 'good guy'.
- hardwaresofton 9y ago
  This article made me wonder if I should cancel my Netflix account. I still see them as a "good guy" (and haven't really considered it heavily until now) because of how straight forward and valuable their offering is, the contributions they make to the open source community, and their general underdog-ness in comparison to the entrenched cable industry. They just don't seem to be overtly evil, they seem to be making a fair amount of consumer and even business environment-friendly decisions (they're running a profitable business, not using VC money to suck the air from the market). I don't know that I blame Netflix as much as I blame the W3C for being spineless/bending to their will. It's absolutely Netflix's perogative to seek the most money, and to try to force their users into apps if that's how they can do so, but the W3C should have been different/stopped it. From my understanding that's the point of a standards body like that (and like the article states, it's in purported reason they were founded at all). In the end, I'm not as dissapointed with the W3C because the world just isn't that cut and dry most of the time (and browsers still at least give you the option to turn EME off), but
  - saladeen 9y ago
    These new-style tech companies have become very good at keeping the underdog/one-with-the-masses image while slowly turning into market-cornering behemoths the likes of Bell. Netflix is just following the Google's playbook IMO. Also: this duality was why I was suspicious of the end result of the Net Neutrality (as opposed to net neutrality) in discussions couple days ago and I got completely shredded. People should be more critical of everything and not fall for feel-good phrases by faceless corps.
- earenndil 9y ago
  Netflix would benefit from the net neutrality repeal. It's basically bound to get repealed, so they don't have to actively lobby for it to be so (and get the negative pr that comes with that) so instead they can get positive pr just from saying "We support net neutrality!" while not doing anything to actually support it like lobby for it to remail.
  - saladeen 9y ago
    Could you please elaborate on your theory that it would benefit from NN repeal? I disagree but wish to understand your stance better.
    - earenndil 9y ago
      They can pay so that: people with really slow internet can have netflix at high speeds, and if competition ever starts to sprout, they can quash it by paying for its speed to be stifled.
      - saladeen 9y ago
        Thank you.
jasonkostempski 9y ago
> the more I respect them and think stallman's brand of insanity It baffles me that anyone thinks he's insane at this point. For every point he's ever made, you can now easily find 10 real world examples of his fears coming true over the past few decades.
- hardwaresofton 9y ago
  I just want to clarify, I agree that stallman is right a large amount of the time, but it's just the delivery and the extremes that he will go to that I can't get behind 100%. But perhaps this is just more reasoning why the battle is a losing one -- people like me are just going to think things are gray while the people who are right are trying to convince us of the fact that it's black and white. It's just too hard for people individually to see past their own blindspots.
  - jasonkostempski 9y ago
    I think he simply forgoes more modern conveniences than most of us, but I think there are still a lot of people, especially older people, that do it without even thinking or talking about it. I think he just seems extreme because he happens to be in the computer industry while rejecting a lot of what it has enabled.
- AlexandrB 9y ago
  If anything, RMS was being optimistic.
- abritinthebay 9y ago
  Being right and also being crazy are not always mutually exclusive. Stallman has often been correct, but that's not to say he isn't also sometimes utterly bonkers as well but on different issues (or to an insane extreme on some others).

saladeen 9y ago

It is not, but I'd like to note one thing: while here Netflix is the 'bad guy', in the Net Neutrality issue they are positing themselves as the 'good guy'.

hardwaresofton 9y ago
This article made me wonder if I should cancel my Netflix account. I still see them as a "good guy" (and haven't really considered it heavily until now) because of how straight forward and valuable their offering is, the contributions they make to the open source community, and their general underdog-ness in comparison to the entrenched cable industry. They just don't seem to be overtly evil, they seem to be making a fair amount of consumer and even business environment-friendly decisions (they're running a profitable business, not using VC money to suck the air from the market). I don't know that I blame Netflix as much as I blame the W3C for being spineless/bending to their will. It's absolutely Netflix's perogative to seek the most money, and to try to force their users into apps if that's how they can do so, but the W3C should have been different/stopped it. From my understanding that's the point of a standards body like that (and like the article states, it's in purported reason they were founded at all). In the end, I'm not as dissapointed with the W3C because the world just isn't that cut and dry most of the time (and browsers still at least give you the option to turn EME off), but
- saladeen 9y ago
  These new-style tech companies have become very good at keeping the underdog/one-with-the-masses image while slowly turning into market-cornering behemoths the likes of Bell. Netflix is just following the Google's playbook IMO. Also: this duality was why I was suspicious of the end result of the Net Neutrality (as opposed to net neutrality) in discussions couple days ago and I got completely shredded. People should be more critical of everything and not fall for feel-good phrases by faceless corps.
earenndil 9y ago
Netflix would benefit from the net neutrality repeal. It's basically bound to get repealed, so they don't have to actively lobby for it to be so (and get the negative pr that comes with that) so instead they can get positive pr just from saying "We support net neutrality!" while not doing anything to actually support it like lobby for it to remail.
- saladeen 9y ago
  Could you please elaborate on your theory that it would benefit from NN repeal? I disagree but wish to understand your stance better.
  - earenndil 9y ago
    They can pay so that: people with really slow internet can have netflix at high speeds, and if competition ever starts to sprout, they can quash it by paying for its speed to be stifled.
    - saladeen 9y ago
      Thank you.

jasonkostempski 9y ago

> the more I respect them and think stallman's brand of insanity It baffles me that anyone thinks he's insane at this point. For every point he's ever made, you can now easily find 10 real world examples of his fears coming true over the past few decades.

hardwaresofton 9y ago
I just want to clarify, I agree that stallman is right a large amount of the time, but it's just the delivery and the extremes that he will go to that I can't get behind 100%. But perhaps this is just more reasoning why the battle is a losing one -- people like me are just going to think things are gray while the people who are right are trying to convince us of the fact that it's black and white. It's just too hard for people individually to see past their own blindspots.
- jasonkostempski 9y ago
  I think he simply forgoes more modern conveniences than most of us, but I think there are still a lot of people, especially older people, that do it without even thinking or talking about it. I think he just seems extreme because he happens to be in the computer industry while rejecting a lot of what it has enabled.
AlexandrB 9y ago
If anything, RMS was being optimistic.
abritinthebay 9y ago
Being right and also being crazy are not always mutually exclusive. Stallman has often been correct, but that's not to say he isn't also sometimes utterly bonkers as well but on different issues (or to an insane extreme on some others).