3 ms·

> But if Github's phrasing accurately represents what EU wants to do It doesn't. It's just a proposal. Not all proposals become law and this one has "not gonna

> But if Github's phrasing accurately represents what EU wants to do It doesn't. It's just a proposal. Not all proposals become law and this one has "not gonna make it" written all over it.

detuur 9y ago
Every few months an article gets to the top of HN claiming "EU IS GOING TO LEGISLATE TABS VS SPACES CODE STYLE" or approved names for your dog or maximum amount of light bulbs you can carry for personal use or some other really dumb shit. Invariably it turns out it's not a law yet, but a proposal. Which, due to the EU parliament's rather open law-making process, are immediately available online in 26 languages. A closer reading of the proposal then invariably exposes one of the following: a.) It's a theoretical conclusion that could be drawn from this proposal but is in no way how the law is supposed to be applied and will very clearly thrown out of court if you'd try. or b.) It's a proposal that it written by someone who has no subject matter knowledge, who has been clearly instructed by some lobbyist, who is adamant to defy every expert's opinion on their proposal, or who is just generally a loony who happened to make it into the 751-person parliament. No one is going to vote for their proposal. Obviously when a proposal like this makes it to the floor that's scary, but it's a side effect of democracy. Some people buy into the entertainment industry's shrieks that technology is killing them (even though they're doing better than ever) and some of the people that buy into it happen to be MEPs. It's a problem that exists in every legislature in the world, and the only way to fight this is by taking an active role in your country/union's politics.
- RHSeeger 9y ago
  > It's a theoretical conclusion that could be drawn from this proposal but is in no way how the law is supposed to be applied and will very clearly thrown out of court if you'd try. I history of selective enforcement of laws (especially when using them as leverage to plead guilty on another charge) in the US has taught me that overreaching laws are a bad thing. The ones in power will, given time, always take advantage of poorly worded laws.

> But if Github's phrasing accurately represents what EU wants to do It doesn't. It's just a proposal. Not all proposals become law and this one has "not gonna make it" written all over it.

detuur 9y ago

Every few months an article gets to the top of HN claiming "EU IS GOING TO LEGISLATE TABS VS SPACES CODE STYLE" or approved names for your dog or maximum amount of light bulbs you can carry for personal use or some other really dumb shit. Invariably it turns out it's not a law yet, but a proposal. Which, due to the EU parliament's rather open law-making process, are immediately available online in 26 languages. A closer reading of the proposal then invariably exposes one of the following: a.) It's a theoretical conclusion that could be drawn from this proposal but is in no way how the law is supposed to be applied and will very clearly thrown out of court if you'd try. or b.) It's a proposal that it written by someone who has no subject matter knowledge, who has been clearly instructed by some lobbyist, who is adamant to defy every expert's opinion on their proposal, or who is just generally a loony who happened to make it into the 751-person parliament. No one is going to vote for their proposal. Obviously when a proposal like this makes it to the floor that's scary, but it's a side effect of democracy. Some people buy into the entertainment industry's shrieks that technology is killing them (even though they're doing better than ever) and some of the people that buy into it happen to be MEPs. It's a problem that exists in every legislature in the world, and the only way to fight this is by taking an active role in your country/union's politics.

RHSeeger 9y ago
> It's a theoretical conclusion that could be drawn from this proposal but is in no way how the law is supposed to be applied and will very clearly thrown out of court if you'd try. I history of selective enforcement of laws (especially when using them as leverage to plead guilty on another charge) in the US has taught me that overreaching laws are a bad thing. The ones in power will, given time, always take advantage of poorly worded laws.