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Interesting article. The problem of ethical use of something is not limited to software. When you get any tangible object, you don’t usually get usage restrict
by jraph 7y ago
Interesting article.
The problem of ethical use of something is not limited to software. When you get any tangible object, you don’t usually get usage restrictions from a license. So, if this is a problem to solve, I think that the solution should be sought more generally, not restricting the scope to software. (edit: and not to an individual software, which would be a weak way of "preventing" an unethical practice at the society level anyway).
Usage of tangible objects is restricted by law. I think it should be the same for software. And yes, law is not perfect, and not the same for different countries.
Everybody has their own, evolving, ethics. If everybody starts restricting usage for random things in licenses, we may be in for a big mess. And I say this as someone who has an opinion on many ethical matters.
- UncleEntity 7y ago> Usage of tangible objects is restricted by law. A company can refuse to sell you a product if they don't agree with what you're going to do with it but they can't do anything at all if you somehow legally get ahold of it through secondary means. Same with sold copyrighted works through the first sale doctrine (and this carries over to patents as well). Software has seemed to have carved itself out a special niche where you don't actually own the product so the producers can dictate what you can and can not do with it after "first sale" since they don't really sell (or grant) you anything other than the right to use the product.