How Much Should an OS Vendor Own?
Linked by David Adams on Tue 13th Dec 2011 03:12 UTC
Editorial I was reading today about how Linux Mint developers altered the Banshee music player source code to redirect affiliate revenue from Amazon music orders to them instead of Banshee. They've reportedly made less than $4, which has caused a kerfluffle among those paying attention to that corner of the world. But it raises a larger point that has been swirling around for a couple of decades: an OS vendor has a lot of power to influence, and even monetize their user base. Where should they draw the line?
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RE[2]: Drawing the line
by ameasures on Wed 14th Dec 2011 21:11 UTC in reply to "RE: Drawing the line"
ameasures
Member since:
2006-01-09

Actually I don't give a f--k[1], but about some sick guy watching child porn as long as he leaves alone any kids. Data does not hurt children, rapists do.


Whilst data does not hurt kids; the in depth studies into offender behaviour indicate that for most offenders there is a progression which starts with mild child porn and progresses to the more extreme material. Having desensitized their own thinking: there is only a small step to start actually interfering with real children. In their mindset, they wouldn't even think it was harming the child. Having reached the stage of believing it is a reasonable thing to do; it becomes a question of opportunity.

The resources put into tracking online child porn in a desparate attempt to address this dilemma. The imperative to avoid censorship must, in my view, be tempered a little with the need to protect the vulnerable.


Instead what I see is less money in educational institutions, less money for police, no psychological institutions to probably heal pedophiles (or people with psychological problems/trauma that are likely to become pedophile), etc. Child abuse should not happen and not just become invisible.

One doesn't undo things by hiding them. It doesn't work with pedophiles or any other kind of abuse, racism, terrorism or anything else. Bring stuff to the surface and solve them!


Here, I agree. With child porn; the abusers are sometimes grownups who were abused as children and have never come forward for help or justice. Just maybe tracking the data will allow some of these to get the much needed support, much earlier and thus wreak far less havoc into young lives.

My suspicion is that real money has be invested in real research about what actually works on the ground; because I don't think it is yet understood.

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