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419 points hn_acker | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.206s | source
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bastard_op ◴[] No.42200020[source]
Some 28 years ago I taught myself everything could get/find from graphic design, basic development, server administration, etc, all downloading commercial warez over dial-up with AOL and Usenet. I didn't need a class or subscriptions, with every software and book I could have wanted, I had the best lab in the world with any software available I could want with piracy.

Fast forward 30 years now it's mostly the same as it was, only open source replaced all the commercial, and little has changed that I can still get the rest too. You can pay as much or little as you want in life if you know how.

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jjtheblunt[dead post] ◴[] No.42200079[source]
[flagged]
LocalH ◴[] No.42200443[source]
Piracy isn't stealing. Legally or morally.

You know what is stealing? The heavily lengthened copyright term. Every day that has been and will be added to that, is a day that was stolen from the public ownership of the work, as prescribed in copyright law.

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hresvelgr ◴[] No.42201192[source]
Copyright and patents actively stifle innovation. I think a statute of 5 years for both is acceptable. If you fail to be commercially viable in 5 years it probably wasn't on the cards but at least someone can learn from the work and continue with it after it lapses.
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PittleyDunkin ◴[] No.42201230[source]
Both are blatantly anti-competitive measures.
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tastyfreeze ◴[] No.42201684[source]
That is the point. A legal time limited monopoly. But it has to be time limited or progress is stalled. Five years is plenty of lead time to be remain ahead of competition.
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1. jjtheblunt ◴[] No.42206035[source]
agreed. i often consider that "open source" IS exactly what you are saying: release to others a non latest version of software, in continually rolling fashion, whereas upstream is internally used.