Oh I was paying attention (with the caveat that I started reading it late, around 2007 or so). I just happened to also understand the relevant legal aspects bet

Oh I was paying attention (with the caveat that I started reading it late, around 2007 or so). I just happened to also understand the relevant legal aspects better than PJ and 99% of the posters, who, let's admit it, were software nerds like you and me. The difference is, I had familiarized myself with aspects of the laws in question, whereas most of the posters blindly spewed their ideological beliefs. For instance, I enjoyed the essays by PoiR, which made a lot of germane references to case law and CS theories, but their premises had tenuous connection to legal reality at best. Or guest posts by mrisch, an actual legal scholar, whose posts were rewarded with comments no better than Slashdot, drowning out any thoughtful conversation. And even then, how many such essays were ever posted? If you thought most of the stuff posted there was good "signal", it probably just means you are not familiar with the legal aspects and enjoyed the content because it appealed to your biases.