Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

thenextweb.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 120 posts

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#51

Post by tedunangst »

Vivtek wrote: post #48
tedunangst wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who decides which candidates get public money to spend?

Any registered candidate would have to get funding for public funding to make any sense. Since the registration is already in place, there you go. If you can't get your minimum signatures to register, you don't get funding. Seems fair to me.

Looking ahead to the next ca election with 2000 candidates... Give each candidate enough money to buy a tv ad and go bankrupt or give each candidate a nickel? I can't envision this system leading to more informed voters.

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#52

Post by tikhonj »

Volpe wrote: post #26
tikhonj wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those were all internet companies--internet freedom really matters to them. Microsoft and Apple, on the other hand, make money by restricting users' freedom and do not rely on the internet nearly as heavily. Their covertly supporting SOPA does not really come as a surprise.

> Microsoft and Apple, on the other hand, make money by restricting users' freedom Umm, actually I think they make their money buy selling products. Consumers are rarely (ever?) driven by a "restrict my freedom" motive...

The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Sure, only selling things makes revenue directly. However, policies abridging freedom help both companies scale--by attempting to lock users into their platforms and making it difficult or impossible to not buy their software when getting a new computer, both companies get more people to spend more money.

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#55

Post by yuhong »

naner wrote: post #13

Notice that the supporters are software companies and the opposed are Internet companies. Here is a theory I proposed yesterday[1]: Microsoft makes the vast majority of their money selling licenses. So does the entertainment industry. For years these industries (software, music, and video) grew to massive size by exploiting cheap duplication of digital goods and control over distribution channels. Now that further ad…

Yea, "artificial scarcity" is the key word.

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#56

Post by mey »

MBlume wrote: post #54

This is pretty simple. If you work for one of those companies, quit.

How is this a simple solution? What does an individual value more, income stability or their information access?

With a little less snark, employee's should consider alternative employment.

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#57

Post by Terretta »

lukeschlather wrote: post #50
steve-howard wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have interned with Microsoft in the past, and am scheduled to in the future. Therefore take everything I say with a metric ton of salt. Obviously my opinions don't speak for them. Most corporations put their lobbying efforts behind or against legislation based on what's in their interest. I don't believe that the public can honestly expect them to act any differently so long as their behavior is in accordance with…

>I don't believe that the public can honestly expect them to act any differently so long as their behavior is in accordance with the law -- even if only technically, and even if the law should be changed. Corporations are composed of people, and I expect people to act morally. Laws are never going to properly capture morality, to put it another way legality is a weak indicator of morality. I humbly submit that it's n…

Compositions of people are not individuals.

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#58

Post by BobPalmer »

CyruzDraxs wrote: post #16

It's no coincidence that most of the companies on that list sell mediocre software for way more than it's worth. They rob us with their high prices, yet they throw a tantrum when we rob them back. Make your software suck less and maybe I'll consider paying for it.

"They rob us with their high prices, yet they throw a tantrum when we rob them back"

Last I checked, nobody is putting a gun to your head to buy a piece of software that you feel is overpriced for your perceived benefit. And that certainly does not give you the right to just outright steal it. There simply is no moral justification for that - it's theft, plain and simple.

If you feel something is overpriced, then don't buy it - either go with an alternative, or build a competing product and disrupt. But I daresay they are justified in 'throwing a tantrum' when people steal their stuff.

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#59

Post by rbanffy »

tzs wrote: post #29

Yeah, how about that. In short, Microsoft is using a front group to throw its support behind SOPA, while publicly saying and doing nothing, thus avoiding our rancor and displeasure. Well, no, that won’t do at all. Note that the article provides no support whatsoever for the claim that BSA is a Microsoft front group, or that Microsoft is using it to intentionally support SOPA. I'm surprised this hasn't been flagged to…

All Microsoft has to do is to publicly state they don't support SOPA. This is hard to believe because they supported PIPA.

The conclusion Microsoft suports SOPA by helping support an organzation that supports it is inescapable.

Re: Microsoft, Apple and 27 other tech companies backing SOPA indirectly

#60

Post by MBlume »

mey wrote: post #56
MBlume wrote: post #54

This is pretty simple. If you work for one of those companies, quit.

How is this a simple solution? What does an individual value more, income stability or their information access? With a little less snark, employee's should consider alternative employment.

Simple != easy.

That said, there's been a lot of links on the front page suggesting a seller's market for developer talent.

Post reply on HN