3 ms·

If a murderer creates a file system/energy source/mouse trap that is effectively better than all of the alternatives, and generates value to the world, what he

If a murderer creates a file system/energy source/mouse trap that is effectively better than all of the alternatives, and generates value to the world, what he did in his personal life is effectively moot. There is no ethics problem involved in choosing the best solution to a problem, when that solution exists.

ensignavenger 2y ago
If financially supporting said murderer allows them to continue to possibly murder more, then I would say there is a moral dilemma. Less so when the murderer is in jail and unlikely to ever really benefit from your using said solution.
- pixl97 2y ago
  I mean if they are a murderer then would not the legal system put them in jail? Also if they serve their sentence are they not adjudicated?
  - Kye 2y ago
    Not if they can afford lawyers to build enough layers between them and the people who pull the lever.
creshal 2y ago
ReiserFS hasn't been the best solution in a long, long while. Even before the murder case it was often more trouble than it was worth.
- exe34 2y ago
  I used it for a few months, lost a few files and moved on to ext3 at the time. I think his press notoriety came soon after that.
  - creshal 2y ago
    "Of course Reiser's wife would go missing, have you seen how often things end up missing in his file systems?" used to be funny for a moment.
- dagmx 2y ago
  Yeah most major distros that used it (like OpenSuse) moved away before the murder case. His wife was reported missing in September 2006. OpenSuse dumped it in October 2006. She wasn’t feared dead yet. He was arrested April 2008. By the time he was even a suspect, his work had already been dropped because it was not reliable enough.
mhd 2y ago
> effectively better than all of the alternatives Which gladly rarely happens, so often you still have sufficient choice. Now, if it turns out Euler sabotaged some bridges and caused deaths, you'd still have a hard time avoiding using e. But for software? It's usually rather easy to find alternatives. And ReiserFS never was an exception here.
dent9876543 2y ago
Yet for many people, the very act of choosing results in a halo that goes beyond the acquisition itself. You may think you’re choosing a technology, and nothing further. But others may see your decision as a broader endorsement. Are they right to do so? Don’t know. Maybe not. But it is a real effect. The quandary is therefore ethical.
- exe34 2y ago
  no the quandary is political. it's about how others see you.
  - Kye 2y ago
    Politics is, among other things, a way to negotiate the ethics of a society and how they're applied.
    - exe34 2y ago
      you can replace "ethics" with most common nouns in that sentence and it'll probably work.
LoganDark 2y ago
> There is no ethics problem involved in choosing the best solution to a problem, when that solution exists. I constantly see people insisting there is, though. Lots of people boycott software just based on the surrounding context.
baggy_trough 2y ago
I agree that there is no ethics problem. The problem is in the realm of personal distaste.

ensignavenger 2y ago

If financially supporting said murderer allows them to continue to possibly murder more, then I would say there is a moral dilemma. Less so when the murderer is in jail and unlikely to ever really benefit from your using said solution.

pixl97 2y ago
I mean if they are a murderer then would not the legal system put them in jail? Also if they serve their sentence are they not adjudicated?
- Kye 2y ago
  Not if they can afford lawyers to build enough layers between them and the people who pull the lever.

creshal 2y ago

ReiserFS hasn't been the best solution in a long, long while. Even before the murder case it was often more trouble than it was worth.

exe34 2y ago
I used it for a few months, lost a few files and moved on to ext3 at the time. I think his press notoriety came soon after that.
- creshal 2y ago
  "Of course Reiser's wife would go missing, have you seen how often things end up missing in his file systems?" used to be funny for a moment.
dagmx 2y ago
Yeah most major distros that used it (like OpenSuse) moved away before the murder case. His wife was reported missing in September 2006. OpenSuse dumped it in October 2006. She wasn’t feared dead yet. He was arrested April 2008. By the time he was even a suspect, his work had already been dropped because it was not reliable enough.

mhd 2y ago

> effectively better than all of the alternatives Which gladly rarely happens, so often you still have sufficient choice. Now, if it turns out Euler sabotaged some bridges and caused deaths, you'd still have a hard time avoiding using e. But for software? It's usually rather easy to find alternatives. And ReiserFS never was an exception here.

dent9876543 2y ago

Yet for many people, the very act of choosing results in a halo that goes beyond the acquisition itself. You may think you’re choosing a technology, and nothing further. But others may see your decision as a broader endorsement. Are they right to do so? Don’t know. Maybe not. But it is a real effect. The quandary is therefore ethical.

exe34 2y ago
no the quandary is political. it's about how others see you.
- Kye 2y ago
  Politics is, among other things, a way to negotiate the ethics of a society and how they're applied.
  - exe34 2y ago
    you can replace "ethics" with most common nouns in that sentence and it'll probably work.

LoganDark 2y ago

> There is no ethics problem involved in choosing the best solution to a problem, when that solution exists. I constantly see people insisting there is, though. Lots of people boycott software just based on the surrounding context.

baggy_trough 2y ago

I agree that there is no ethics problem. The problem is in the realm of personal distaste.