it's a really simple principle:

if i invent something, i am entitled to as much money from it as i can get. if someone else invents something, it should be free for me to license.

that should describe the resulting discussion....

Oracle database is 100% Java?
Berkeley DB is 100% Java?
really?

so microsoft has a monopoly on operating systems?

microsoft is a business, not a charity. the cost of doing business, be it taxes, labor costs and even lawsuits, is passed on to the consumer.

(i think it is worthy to note that microsoft counts most of the worlds corporations as customers in some capacity)

don't you see though? its a way to stealthily raise taxes on everyone, and still say you are "sticking to the evil corporations" and appear as a populist. its all a money grab for ${insert_favorite_program_here}

the sad thing is, as soon as i saw "enceladus" i thought, "there be pirates"

don't worry, though, a common enemy will help them come around....

bold type? check.
caps? check.
using the word "sheeple"? well. two out of three ain't bad.

dude i think someone put something in your food...

i'd point out that i never said the US was a law-abiding paradise, but i bet it would do no use. even a high school student knows that only an idiot thinks that everyone gets a "fair trail" in the US, let alone other countries. i guess i figured that the average slashdot reader was mature enough to know that no political system is perfect as long as people are involved.

what are you comparing us to?

it sounds to me like you are a bit idealistic. you may not like the way the regulations are around IPO's but at least we make an attempt to follow them.

those are merely the public ones. cases too small to make the national news happen all the time. people will always cheat and attempt to bribe officials to get ahead.

my point is that as a culture, the West as made an effort to rein in these abuses by the rule of law, as it makes our economy a less-dangerous place to do business than, say, a country that will nullify your contracts if you don't grease the right palm.

in the US, we prosecute bribery and corruption. in China the government arguably is run through bribery and corruption.

i must caveat my post by saying that what we call "corruption" was the dominant business model around the world for a very, very long time (Renaissance Italy comes to mind). it is a recent luxury to have economic environment like we do.

you're kidding right?

Bribery and corruption are accepted in many Eastern (and Middle Eastern) cultures. everyone does it, and if you don't, you don't get to play.

when someone tries the same thing in the US or Europe, they always end up facing charges or at the very least looking for work somewhere else. if money buys immunity, then why did Enron, Worldcom, Madoff, etc. all end up prosecuted?

that's was my point, if slyly worded.

was it someone famous that once said, "there's no such thing as bad publicity"?

someone is managing the launch of this game really well....

there is no "profit" for the consumer. there is a product that consumer can choose to purchase/rent/whatever.

and you can thank "capitalism" that Redbox even exists and provides a great service for a minimal fee.