Re: There Are No Digital Rights, Part 2

On Wed, 2003-08-20 at 09:29, Ellis D. Cooper wrote:

> Nowhere in these definitions does it say or imply anything about a
> right to any hardware manufacturer's proprietary information.

Ellis,

I provided those links to point out a couple of organizations that are
fighting for freedom(s) in the digital age.  I did not provide links to
them saying they explicitly stated a user should have the right to use
their hardware on any operating system of their choice (i.e. the
technical specs and any other info needed by the free software community
to write drivers).  They are simple two organizations fighting for
digital rights and freedoms on many fronts, like software and online.

The views I have presented are mine and I don't need to have them
written anywhere to justify them.

Until the hardware manufacturers are forced by (a new) law or by the
consumers to release the technical information needed to write drivers
for any operating system, we will be left at their mercy to beg a plead
to use our own hardware.

A prime example of this is an e-mail I received this week from a Windows
XP user:

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Hi!

We seem to have a similar predicament.

My Canon BJC-5000 inkjet printer doesn't work with Windows XP and Canon 
refuses to provide drivers for it even though the Win2000 driver is 
really close to working.

Please have a look at my website:
http://www.carletonmacgregor.com/html/canon_bjc-5000_5100_windows_xp.html

We have over 6000 signatures in a petition against Canon!

It seems this company really doesn't care about its users. I am 
continuing to boycott Canon products.

Regards,

Carleton

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If everybody needed their rights to be in writing or a law before they
demanded them, many groups wouldn't have the rights they have today, now
would they?

If your view is that you want to be at the mercy of the hardware
manufacturers to provide (or not provide) you hardware drivers for any
future OS you may use (even the next version of Windows!), then that is
your prerogative.  But I reject that situation and hope more people do
the same.

DW
 
-- 
Error -- Digital Freedom Denied.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Sincerely, Canon

http://www.boycottcanon.com