Re: End of all Open Source.
From: Keith Pratt (WorkingOnWise@Hotmail.com)
Date: 04/10/03
- Next message: Dave Thornburgh: "Re: Stealth vs. Blocked"
- Previous message: Art Kopp: "Re: Stealth vs. Blocked"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
From: "Keith Pratt" <WorkingOnWise@Hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 11:08:30 -0400
After reading all the postings, I have some comments.
I do agree that what Sendmail did was disturbing.
I also understand that when a big smelly mean bouncer (Homeland
Security) smiles and asks you to leave, you remember to pick your battles
carefully, to fight another day.
I know that the US is in tatters concerning many of our once indisputable
freedoms.
I also understand that as a country, we are blind to many things till
it's too late.
A while back, I remember that I found something that Sendmail had written
into their code about filtering or blocking. Please forgive the vageness,
but I don't use any mail server at all, so the info is fuzzy at best. The
word blacklist comes to mind. Anyone care to fill in my blank? I remember
reading about it and thinking "that could be a very dangerous feature with
just a bit of work from Sendmail." I was disturbed enough by the potential
abuse that I decided to either not use Sendmail if I ever needed that type
of app, or remove that piece of code from it if I did use it. I was also
questioning Sendmails motives a bit if I remember correctly.
The point there is, as an opensource community, we _can_ chose to not use,
or remove, or modify any code we like. I don't like what Sendmail could be
upto, so I will watch them carefully and not be too fast to adopt "new"
code.
To state that this issue is the end of opensource...I wish it were that
easy. If it were, uncle Bill would only be a faint memory after all the
security hole and denials, and breaches, and flat out lies, that he has
pulled.
In closing, I do not believe that this is the end of opensource. I could
signal the begining of the end if we as a community blindly believe that
dominance in the opensource community can't lead to abuses. Commercial or
not, the more success one aceves, the greater the risk for corruption.
It is our job to ensure that the integrity is kept.
Instead of looking to the result (a trammpled set of rights), lets look to
the cause (we are blind to many things till it's too late)
I'll put away my soapbox now.
Thanks
Keith
--- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.470 / Virus Database: 268 - Release Date: 4/8/2003
- Next message: Dave Thornburgh: "Re: Stealth vs. Blocked"
- Previous message: Art Kopp: "Re: Stealth vs. Blocked"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
Relevant Pages
|
