[Gllug] Uh oh, ministers consider "anti file-sharing laws"

[Nix]

On 25 Oct 2007, Richard Jones outgrape:

> On Thu, Oct 25, 2007 at 01:59:31PM +0100, - Tethys wrote:
>> On 10/25/07, Richard Jones <rich at annexia.org> wrote:
>> 
>> > Luckily today I thought to bring along my matter copying machine, so
>> > quick as a flash I take a physical copy of the vase.  Actually I make
>> > two copies because perhaps another passer-by would like a copy of the
>> > vase too.
>> >
>> > [...]
>> >
>> > Question: did I do anything immoral?
>> 
>> In a world where such physical copying was possible and cheap, the
>> question wouldn't arise in the first place.
>
> I'll bet you a tenner that once matter copiers are invented, exactly
> these questions will arise ...

Briefly. If the process were scalable and cheap, it would destroy the
economy very rapidly. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

This has been looked at before (in fictional form) in considerable
detail. See George O. Smith's _Special Delivery_ and (especially)
_Pandora's Millions_, part of the Venus Equilateral series, written in
1945 (!). The series is simultaneously a wonderful example of what
people thought future electronics would be like before the invention of
the transistor, a wonderful example of extrapolation, and a wonderful
example of, er, an engineer's grasp of social relations :) it's
definitely pulp, but it's *fascinating* pulp. Smith thought things
through (unlike the *other* Smith writing SF at that time).

-- 
`Some people don't think performance issues are "real bugs", and I think 
such people shouldn't be allowed to program.' --- Linus Torvalds
-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at gllug.org.uk
http://lists.gllug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug