[ale] AT&T Broadband blocking inbound http?

[Jeff Hubbs]

> I think it should be handled like a recall.  The CREATOR of the
> DEFECTIVE product should be responsible for correcting the problem as
> well as liable for damages, prior to the recall.
> 
> If the brakes on my car fail and I have a wreck because of a defective
> design, the automobile manufacturer would be found at fault.  Look at
> the recent Ford/Firestone fiasco.
> 


Unfortunately, the concept of what is "defective" comes into play.  It
appears as though in general, no one is willing to treat software like a
tire.  A tire is a solid, examinable object with examinable procedures going
into its manufacture; it can be studied, evaluated, improved.  The study and
evaluation can be performed independently, with or without the
manufacturer's cooperation.  Software such as MS IIS is inscrutable and its
origins and operation are not available for study.  In fact, MS makes it
illegal for you to delve too far into studying its operation by disassembly,
decompiling, etc.  Software such as this is viewed as having, in addition to
its expected and desired operation, a "bottomless pit" of problems, flaws,
and even an invisible potential for intentional behavior that serves an
agenda that may have nothing to do with you or may exploit or even harm you.
Imagine a popular, ubiquitous operating system that ships with the behavior
of running a distributed code-cracking client; regardless of the purpose of
the crack or whose code is being cracked, it would be exploiting your
resources to those ends.

I put it to you:  this is the strongest argument one can make to support the
position that not only is Free Software a preferable alternative to non-Free
Software, non-Free Software is INVIABLE for any situation where complete and
correct operation or absence of malevolent/pathological operation is
important.  

- Jeff


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