Wikipedia blackout to protest SOPA

[Uncensored2008]

Yea, apparently fascism is OK as long as it involves money.

Stopping you from stealing is "fascism!"

You want, you take - it's the OWS Shitter way!

 

[Uncensored2008]

The corporate takeover of the net will be much faster than independent TV and Radio's assimilation.

Corporate takeover?

ROFL

What a fucking buffoon.

The infrastructure of switches, routers and fiber that we call the internet is owned primarily by; AT&T, Level 3 communications, Quest, Sprint, and Verizon.

I think all of them are incorporated.

Who Owns the Internet Backbone?

Silly little Shitter.....

 

[newpolitics]

The Truth of SOPA/PIPA, obviously unbeknownst to you proponent fools:

Clay Shirky: Why SOPA is a bad idea | Video on TED.com

 

[Vast LWC]

Huh?

What does Rupert Murdoch have to do with this?

You're a one trick pony, trained by MoveOn to hate Fox - now you think SOPA is Fox...

Actually, Rupert Murdoch is one of the chief backers of SOPA.

He recently testified in front of Congress on it's behalf.

So Old Rocks has a point. Whether Murdoch's influence has directly affected you is a question you'll have to answer.

I do know that FoxNews has been very critical of the blackout for this very reason.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Actually, Rupert Murdoch is one of the chief backers of SOPA.

Actually, he is not.

Chris Dodd and Bill Clinton are, though.

He recently testified in front of Congress on it's behalf.

SOPA is bad law, but I can't blame Media producers for demanding something be done about the open and rampant theft of IP.

So Old Rocks has a point. Whether Murdoch's influence has directly affected you is a question you'll have to answer.

Old Rocks is sheeple, he bleats hate at whomever the party sites tell him to.

I do know that FoxNews has been very critical of the blackout for this very reason.

The blackout is a joke.

I oppose SOPA, but openly laugh at Google (and remember, I'm an Android fan boi) and Wiki over this.

 

[Vast LWC]

A massive outpouring from constituents and internet users around the country has apparently scared the congressional supporters of SOPA.

Many of the co-sponsors of the bill have now removed their sponsorship, and many other Senators and Congressmen are now coming out against the bill.

Ahh, it's so gratifying when grass roots politics trumps corporate bribery.

 

[Vast LWC]

Actually, he is not.

Chris Dodd and Bill Clinton are, though.

He is, and so are they. Shame on them all.

SOPA is bad law, but I can't blame Media producers for demanding something be done about the open and rampant theft of IP.

Something should be done about it. But SOPA is draconian, and has way too many problems to pass in it's current state.

Old Rocks is sheeple, he bleats hate at whomever the party sites tell him to.

The blackout is a joke.

I oppose SOPA, but openly laugh at Google (and remember, I'm an Android fan boi) and Wiki over this.

You may believe the blackout is a joke, but Wiki's blackout gave excellent information to internet users on how to contact their congressmen.

Apparently 160 Million users visited their site yesterday, about 8 times the usual amount.

And the phone lines and servers of Congressmen and Senators were overloaded.

The massive blowback obviously had an effect, and Wiki and Google were definitely part of that.

I actually made a donation to Wiki today to show my thanks for their efforts.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Something should be done about it. But SOPA is draconian, and has way too many problems to pass in it's current state.

Yep, I agree.

SOPA is far worse than doing nothing.

You may believe the blackout is a joke, but Wiki's blackout gave excellent information to internet users on how to contact their congressmen.

Apparently 160 Million users visited their site yesterday, about 8 times the usual amount.

And the phone lines and servers of Congressmen and Senators were overloaded.

The massive blowback obviously had an effect, and Wiki and Google were definitely part of that.

I actually made a donation to Wiki today to show my thanks for their efforts.

I bought some more Android phones this morning - that supports Google.

BTW, where is Apple on all this? They pretending to oppose, while still prosecuting those who jailbreak Apple products?

 

[Vast LWC]

BTW, where is Apple on all this? They pretending to oppose, while still prosecuting those who jailbreak Apple products?

Good question. Just paying lip service to the cause to seem "cool" I guess.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Honestly I'm more concerned with the music industry than the movie industry (because I'm more familiar with it). I know someone who used to own a very popular music store here. Guess what online pirating did? But him out of business.


It's not about saving the record companies-they make money from tours/concerts (most people don't realize this). Pirating music hurts the engineers, soundboard techs, printing companies, music stores, etc. that all benefit from new music releases.

It doesn't just take money away from rich musicians (which most of them are not) and record companies. It kills jobs for many, many more people. Yet people are still for this. Hard working people who make a honest living losing their businesses and ability to support themselves and their families, all because some people want to steal music is not acceptable.

edit: with that said I never stated on this board that I'm for this new legislation. But more needs to be done to stop pirating online.

I don't think it was "pirating" that put him out of business. I think it was the internet in general.

There are more legal ways to buy music online than there are illegal ways to download it. Retail CD sales are dropping for the same reason that 8-tracks don't sell anymore.

According to Nielsen 2011 was the first time since 04 that music sales have gone up (they've been dropping significantly since 04). That includes legally downloaded music.

Follow Nielsen's numbers for releases and how much it takes to reach the top spot on the billboard 200. Not to mention the number or platinum and gold records are declining.

So? People are no longer buying albums, blame iTunes for that, not piracy. People are also buying more songs from independent artists instead of only buying from the top 4o songs played on radio stations. It sounds to me like the music industry needs to adapt to the new pardigm instead of trying to force everyone to stay with what they want. Funny how some artist get that, even if the labels don't.

 

[Vast LWC]

SOPA protest led 8 million to look up reps in Congress

On Wednesday, some of the Internet's largest entities blacked out their websites -- or their logos or some of their content -- in a protest against the SOPA and PIPA anti-piracy bills making their way through Congress.

If you're wondering whether all of this had an effect, the answer is yes. Big time.

Wikipedia, the largest Web player to block access to its pages for a full 24 hours, reports that a whopping 162 million people experienced the blackout on the online encyclopedia's landing page. In addition, 8 million U.S. readers took Wikipedia's suggestion and looked up their congressional reps from the site.

Wikipedia: SOPA protest led 8 million to look up reps in Congress - latimes.com

 

[Cuyo]

MIRC and Warez holy shit there's two terms I haven't heard in 15 years.

You quit stealing?

I find that surprising?

MIRC remains the #1 piracy tool.

mIRC: Internet Relay Chat client

Not all IRC is piracy, but pretty much all piracy is on IRC.

Bittorrent. I haven't even heard anyone mention IRC for about 10 years, and haven't heard the term "Warez" since my BBS days circa 1995.

With the advent of broadband everything became web based; BBS's are (I'm assuming??) all but extinct now. If there's still a lot of activity on IRC, I'll have to take your word for it, I'm not nearly the computer nerd I used to be.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The use of the public image of a long-dead comic is reached by SOPA?

The scene from Animal House is

It's short enough so he wouldn't have to worry about breaking copy-right laws under the fair use act. It's why you can use songs for a few seconds (or just loop those seconds) over and not have to worry about it.

Fair use act states:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

-it's clearly a short clip (3). One could also argue for #4 as it has no effect on the market place or the value of the work.

Seriously those who are so dead set against the copy-right laws should probably learn them first.

Movie studios do not care about fair use, and SOPA requires a site to comply with a take down or face criminal and civil action. Do you think the owners of a site would actually be willing to pay for a protracted legal fight or would they be more likely to just remove the content and go on happily about their business? I actually posted a Youtube video that was taken down because it "violated copyright" according to UMG, even though it is clearly fair use.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The scene from Animal House is

It's short enough so he wouldn't have to worry about breaking copy-right laws under the fair use act. It's why you can use songs for a few seconds (or just loop those seconds) over and not have to worry about it.

Fair use act states:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

-it's clearly a short clip (3). One could also argue for #4 as it has no effect on the market place or the value of the work.

Seriously those who are so dead set against the copy-right laws should probably learn them first.

So you want the movie and music industry to be the police of the internet.

I don't want anyone to police the internet, especially the movie and music industries.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

SOPA won't stop people stealling. On top of that, stealing is not half the problem people claim it is.

No, it's about 10,000 times the problem people claim it is.

That annoying DRM on blue ray, DVD, CD's and video games? Thank the thieves. If people stole from regular stores the way they steal digital content, the registers at Walmart would be empty but the exits crowded with people taking out their stolen merchandise. I read that 98% of the copies of Windows in China are stolen - pirated. 83% of all software in China is stolen.

Software piracy rate statistics - countries compared - Nation Master

The USA is the most honest country in the world when it comes to - well everything (democrats are working hard to change this!) - but particularly digital media. Still, 20% of all software is stolen. Would we be proud if we could say that only one in five cars on the road was stolen? I mean, in Armenia, 9 out of 10 are stolen, so we're doing good, right?

I should thank the thieves for DRM? Why? Why shouldn't I thank the idiots that wanted to ban DVDs outright? I once read that the moon is made out of green cheese, I give that more credence than I do any claim that 98% of Windows copies in China re stolen.

Steam had a massive problem with piracy in Russia. Instead of trying to force the government to protect their failed business model they chose to provide a legitimate way for people to get their games and the piracy problem went away. The problem here is not theft, it is that corporations do not want to adapt. Let them die, and let the companies that are willing to meet the demand take over.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

{Because of piracy, Crytek President Cevat Yerli said the follow up to 2007's release of Crysis, Crysis Warhead, will be the last PC exclusive from the developer. Back in April, Yerli asserted that games like Crysis on consoles would "sell factors of 4 [to] 5 more." This is not to say that the company is abandoning the platform, but that the company will branch out to support the consoles as well. "It takes nothing away from the PC gamer if the game is also available on another platform," said Seeley. }

Crytek's Piracy Crysis - PC News at IGN

Pirates destroyed the genre.

Cevat is a fool, if it destroyed the genre why can I still find top quality PC games? Why is NVIDIA projecting that PC games will outsell console games 2 years?

http://www.destructoid.com/nvidia-pc-game-sales-will-surpass-console-game-sales-212102.phtml

MAYBE Steam can bring it back, I hope so. Steam has done more to end piracy than any DRM scheme, that's for sure.

So the theft of Crysis was because people couldn't buy it?

Shoot, I didn't have any trouble.

I guess we ought to legalize shoplifting as well, just to be consistent.

The collapse of Crysis had nothing to do with piracy, that was just an excuse for bad management.

If stores put there registers at the back and all the stuff they sell in the parking lot, then demanded that the government mandated that everyone park in the store, even if they can't get the cars through the door, would you think they had a right to complain, or would you tell them that they need to adapt to the way people shop?

I am much better at reductio ad absurdum than you are at strawmen, I would suggest you just stick to facts, if you have them.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Cevat is a fool, if it destroyed the genre why can I still find top quality PC games? Why is NVIDIA projecting that PC games will outsell console games 2 years?

You CAN'T find top quality PC games. You can find console ports. Crysis 2 was utter shit compared to Crysis - dumbed down and low res. Yes, the DX11 and texture pack helped, but the game is still a rail based mess designed for the low specs of the 360.

You'll probably never see anything like the massive, open worlds of Crysis again.

PC's have been the #1 platform for games for decades. No console touches World of Warcraft. The #1 played game in the USA is Farmville - which doesn't play on Xbox. Of course neither of those are the triple A titles you and I want to play.

Modern Warfare 3 has sold more copies on PC than any given console - still, it was developed for the console and ported to the PC, with DX9 and low res textures.

I do blame piracy for this.

The collapse of Crysis had nothing to do with piracy, that was just an excuse for bad management.

Crytek claims that was exactly the reason for switching to consoles.

If stores put there registers at the back and all the stuff they sell in the parking lot, then demanded that the government mandated that everyone park in the store, even if they can't get the cars through the door, would you think they had a right to complain, or would you tell them that they need to adapt to the way people shop?

I am much better at reductio ad absurdum than you are at strawmen, I would suggest you just stick to facts, if you have them.

Dude, I listed the facts from the horses mouth. Developers write software to make money. When you steal the software, they don't make money and have no incentive to write more. That's what happened to PC gaming.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

You CAN'T find top quality PC games. You can find console ports. Crysis 2 was utter shit compared to Crysis - dumbed down and low res. Yes, the DX11 and texture pack helped, but the game is still a rail based mess designed for the low specs of the 360.

You'll probably never see anything like the massive, open worlds of Crysis again.

PC's have been the #1 platform for games for decades. No console touches World of Warcraft. The #1 played game in the USA is Farmville - which doesn't play on Xbox. Of course neither of those are the triple A titles you and I want to play.

Modern Warfare 3 has sold more copies on PC than any given console - still, it was developed for the console and ported to the PC, with DX9 and low res textures.

I do blame piracy for this.

I would also like to point out that, just because Farmville is not available on XBox Live, that does not mean you can't play Farmville if you want to. Unless, of course, you subscribe to the theory that when you go to a store and buy a console it actually belongs to the company that built it, and that any change you make to the software is piracy, and thus illegal.

Games are rarely written to run exclusively on a specific system. The developer writes them to work on whatever he finds most convenient, and they are then ported to work on whatever system you want to buy it for. Consoles are simply less expensive computers with a propitiatory OS, and the manufacturers are doing everything in their power to make sure their customers hate them. If you want to blame piracy for that, feel free, but you will look as clueless as the CEOs of the companies when they go out of business.

By the way, here is a list of the top rated PC games last year according to Gamespot. (I wouldn't recommend buying from them since they open the game and remove the DRM code before they sell it to you, but the list proves that there are plenty of interesting games for PCs.)

Top PC Games, Best PC Video Games - GameSpot.com

Crytek claims that was exactly the reason for switching to consoles.

So? If he claimed that aliens from outer space forced him to do it would you believe that, or would you think he was making up excuses for his bad decisions? Until someone produces actual numbers that contradict the numbers other companies that spend more time making their customers happy than they do worrying about piracy I am going with what I see from successful companies, nit the failed ones.

Dude, I listed the facts from the horses mouth. Developers write software to make money. When you steal the software, they don't make money and have no incentive to write more. That's what happened to PC gaming.

You did not list facts, you listed what he said. Like I pointed out, other companies are making it work by looking at piracy as an opportunity to get more customers. They are not failing, which is evidence that the problem is something else.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I would also like to point out that, just because Farmville is not available on XBox Live, that does not mean you can't play Farmville if you want to. Unless, of course, you subscribe to the theory that when you go to a store and buy a console it actually belongs to the company that built it, and that any change you make to the software is piracy, and thus illegal.

You're talking about rooting the machine and loading Linux, which is WAY beyond the abilities of anyone who would actually play Farmville.

Games are rarely written to run exclusively on a specific system. The developer writes them to work on whatever he finds most convenient, and they are then ported to work on whatever system you want to buy it for

The develop for whatever platform is most profitable. Revenue from console game sales is probably double what revenue is from PC game sales - despite more units being played on the PC. Why? Because it's hard to pirate console games.

Consoles are simply less expensive computers with a propitiatory OS,

I'm not sure they are less expensive, this cost less than an Xbox.

eMachines EL1360-UR30P Desktop PC - AMD E-300 1.3GHz, 2GB DDR3, 320GB HDD, AMD Radeon HD 6310, DVDRW, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

and the manufacturers are doing everything in their power to make sure their customers hate them. If you want to blame piracy for that, feel free, but you will look as clueless as the CEOs of the companies when they go out of business.

I'll agree with you that consoles are ultimately doomed, the cloud will crush all, including the PC.

But that's a decade or more off, true broadband (100mbps or better) will need to be standard before the cloud becomes viable.

By the way, here is a list of the top rated PC games last year according to Gamespot. (I wouldn't recommend buying from them since they open the game and remove the DRM code before they sell it to you, but the list proves that there are plenty of interesting games for PCs.)

Top PC Games, Best PC Video Games - GameSpot.com

Where did you get the silly notion that Gamespot removes DRM?

CD Projekt Red removed the DRM after bitter complaints, but Gamespot had nothing to do with it.

BTW, of your list, only Shogun II is a PC exclusive game. Shogun and Battlefield 3 were the only games designed around the abilities of the PC. Even Portal 2 was designed for Xbox. (Thanks Gabe, way to stick to your core constituency!)

So? If he claimed that aliens from outer space forced him to do it would you believe that, or would you think he was making up excuses for his bad decisions?

What bad decision? The decision to develop for the PC?

Until someone produces actual numbers that contradict the numbers other companies that spend more time making their customers happy than they do worrying about piracy I am going with what I see from successful companies, nit the failed ones.

EVERY developer, from ID to Crytek has pointed to piracy as the reason for shifting focus from the PC to consoles.

You did not list facts, you listed what he said. Like I pointed out, other companies are making it work by looking at piracy as an opportunity to get more customers. They are not failing, which is evidence that the problem is something else.

You made an assertion without support.

The only thing I've seen put a dent in piracy is Steam. This works because it offers real value for legitimate games. With a Steam client I can play anywhere I want. Steam also sells for a fraction of what brick and mortars were charging. Okay, kudos to Gabe for that!

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The develop for whatever platform is most profitable. Revenue from console game sales is probably double what revenue is from PC game sales - despite more units being played on the PC. Why? Because it's hard to pirate console games. 9

The DRM protection on consoles is not a problem for pirates, the reason more people are not buying PC games is they aren't worth the money, so the common person prefers to play the game free rather than pay for it.

I'm not sure they are less expensive, this cost less than an Xbox.

eMachines EL1360-UR30P Desktop PC - AMD E-300 1.3GHz, 2GB DDR3, 320GB HDD, AMD Radeon HD 6310, DVDRW, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

Ever play a game on a cheap computer? Gaming PCs cost thousands, and how much does an XBox cost again?

I'll agree with you that consoles are ultimately doomed, the cloud will crush all, including the PC.

But that's a decade or more off, true broadband (100mbps or better) will need to be standard before the cloud becomes viable.

I doubt most businesses will migrate to the cloud. I got my hands on a Chromebook, and it was great, until the router went down and it turned into a paperweight. PCs still have a use. I have most of my stuff online, and still use my computer offline.



Where did you get the silly notion that Gamespot removes DRM?

CD Projekt Red removed the DRM after bitter complaints, but Gamespot had nothing to do with it.

BTW, of your list, only Shogun II is a PC exclusive game. Shogun and Battlefield 3 were the only games designed around the abilities of the PC. Even Portal 2 was designed for Xbox. (Thanks Gabe, way to stick to your core constituency!)



What bad decision? The decision to develop for the PC?

Until someone produces actual numbers that contradict the numbers other companies that spend more time making their customers happy than they do worrying about piracy I am going with what I see from successful companies, nit the failed ones.

EVERY developer, from ID to Crytek has pointed to piracy as the reason for shifting focus from the PC to consoles.

You did not list facts, you listed what he said. Like I pointed out, other companies are making it work by looking at piracy as an opportunity to get more customers. They are not failing, which is evidence that the problem is something else.

You made an assertion without support.

The only thing I've seen put a dent in piracy is Steam. This works because it offers real value for legitimate games. With a Steam client I can play anywhere I want. Steam also sells for a fraction of what brick and mortars were charging. Okay, kudos to Gabe for that![/QUOTE]