Re:Oh No...Responsibility!!!! (Score 3, Insightful)

Let's take out the major distributions of the Linux/Unix OS and just talk for a moment about the applications that are used on this OS. Most of the apps are written by people who needed something and were able to code it to work with the OS. Now, I need that same something and I find it on coder's homepage. I don't think that coder should be held liable for an app he wrote because he needed something and was kind enough to share it with the world.

This law is NOT about the major distributors, it is about OPPRESSION --it is about keeping the best and brightest from being able to create something and SHARE it. In the end, that will FORCE us to buy stuff instead of taking the risk of downloading free software. I use Linux and several free apps and I do this by accepting the RISK of the software that is why I have to have a risk mitigation plan in place before I put the free software into production. I get to use both MS and Linux, both require a risk mitigation plan and MS is more likely to fail. I have never been able to recoop any money spent on the time it has taken me to fix my NT blue screen of death.

This law is effectively an attempt to force free software industry to become a FOR PROFIT ONLY or NOTHING AT ALL industry and this is constitutionally WRONG because it is taking away the freedom to create, share and communicate openly with other people.

Do you remember the days when hacking was cool? The days when if you found a security breach in an administrator's network and could call that admin and say, "Dude I found this gaping hole in your network."...and the admin would ask, "do you know how to fix it?" or "thanks I didn't know about that?" That was the days before the media got involved and the security task forces got involved. Realize WE CANNOT do that anymore and what has suffered? computer SECURITY because we cannot talk and share things anymore. If we allow this law to be passed it WILL in time take our communication away too that is its intent.

2 Ending questions:
1. do you hold MS financially liable when your server farm goes down because of something that MS forgot to fix? Hell no you don't, you are Eternally greatful that your shit works again.
2. Has MS been held financially liable for any thing that has blown up in their OS? Not to my knowledge, the only financial liablity they have is from trying to create a monopoly which will only grow stronger if this law if passed that takes away the openess of our community.