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New Firefox extension turns Amazon.com into illegal free-for-all

32 points by raju 18y ago

ChaitanyaSai 18y ago
I find the greasemonkey script that cross-references our public library network (for books!) much more awesome and useful. Here it is: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/8432 http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/8432 A very minor tweak allows me to use it for Boston.
- markbao 18y ago
  Care to share the 'minor tweak' to use it on Massachusetts' Minuteman Library Network?
  - ChaitanyaSai 18y ago
    Change libraryUrlPattern (first line in the function) in the script to the Minuteman Library Network's Catalog.* For the Metro-Boston library, it is var libraryUrlPattern = 'http://catalog.mbln.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?index=.BN&term=' http://catalog.mbln.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?index=.BN&term=' *-To edit the script after installation, open it using the Greasemonkey icon in your browser. Click on 'Manage scripts' to open scripts in an editor.
- jamesbritt 18y ago
  Book Burro http://www.bookburro.org/ http://www.bookburro.org/ Finds item at both online stores and numerous libraries, including my local ones.
  - ChaitanyaSai 18y ago
    Wow! This is impressive, thanks.
jcl 18y ago
It's a silly thing to get worked up over. People who want to steal content can simply copy-and-paste the info from Amazon to the P2P search; this extension is merely saving them a step.
- boredguy8 18y ago
  Usually we call that "aiding and abetting".
  - jcl 18y ago
    On the part of the extension author, sure -- not on the part of Amazon. You can't control how a user chooses to view the information they download from your website. Edit: On reflection, my comment was not as clear as it should have been. I meant it's a silly thing for Amazon and the media to get worked up over, as the article implies this is somehow a problem with Amazon that needs to be fixed. What the extension authors are doing isn't right, but there isn't much that can (or should) be done about it. The net effect of the extension on piracy is minuscule, and the potential for collateral damage to all the legitimate extensions (and internet use in general) is enormous. Presumably the extension authors are as untouchable as the Pirate Bay owners themselves, so preventing the extension's effects means attacking its use. And the path to attacking the extension's use leads to laws on what browsers you can use and how they must render the page.
    - boredguy8 18y ago
      How can you possibly interpret my response to your post as critical of Amazon?
      - jcl 18y ago
        (1) The comment is not very specific as to who is doing the aiding-and-abetting. (2) The article's title describes a problem with Amazon, and the content implies that they should be doing something about it.
jobeirne 18y ago
As horrible as that is, it's really funny.
- light3 18y ago
  Yes this is genius ^_^_^_^_^
elliot42 18y ago
Headline title is totally misleading.

32 points by raju 18y ago

I find the greasemonkey script that cross-references our public library network (for books!) much more awesome and useful. Here it is: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/8432 http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/8432 A very minor tweak allows me to use it for Boston.

markbao 18y ago
Care to share the 'minor tweak' to use it on Massachusetts' Minuteman Library Network?
- ChaitanyaSai 18y ago
  Change libraryUrlPattern (first line in the function) in the script to the Minuteman Library Network's Catalog.* For the Metro-Boston library, it is var libraryUrlPattern = 'http://catalog.mbln.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?index=.BN&term=' http://catalog.mbln.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?index=.BN&term=' *-To edit the script after installation, open it using the Greasemonkey icon in your browser. Click on 'Manage scripts' to open scripts in an editor.
jamesbritt 18y ago
Book Burro http://www.bookburro.org/ http://www.bookburro.org/ Finds item at both online stores and numerous libraries, including my local ones.
- ChaitanyaSai 18y ago
  Wow! This is impressive, thanks.

jcl 18y ago

It's a silly thing to get worked up over. People who want to steal content can simply copy-and-paste the info from Amazon to the P2P search; this extension is merely saving them a step.

boredguy8 18y ago
Usually we call that "aiding and abetting".
- jcl 18y ago
  On the part of the extension author, sure -- not on the part of Amazon. You can't control how a user chooses to view the information they download from your website. Edit: On reflection, my comment was not as clear as it should have been. I meant it's a silly thing for Amazon and the media to get worked up over, as the article implies this is somehow a problem with Amazon that needs to be fixed. What the extension authors are doing isn't right, but there isn't much that can (or should) be done about it. The net effect of the extension on piracy is minuscule, and the potential for collateral damage to all the legitimate extensions (and internet use in general) is enormous. Presumably the extension authors are as untouchable as the Pirate Bay owners themselves, so preventing the extension's effects means attacking its use. And the path to attacking the extension's use leads to laws on what browsers you can use and how they must render the page.
  - boredguy8 18y ago
    How can you possibly interpret my response to your post as critical of Amazon?
    - jcl 18y ago
      (1) The comment is not very specific as to who is doing the aiding-and-abetting. (2) The article's title describes a problem with Amazon, and the content implies that they should be doing something about it.

jobeirne 18y ago

As horrible as that is, it's really funny.

light3 18y ago
Yes this is genius ^_^_^_^_^

elliot42 18y ago

Headline title is totally misleading.