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Please remove mitsuhiko/*

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Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#261

Post by williamcotton »

Ologn wrote: post #257
williamcotton wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is valuable because it is a shared public data store with equal access read and write privileges. Data stored in it is available, partitionable and eventually consistent. It works due to the economic incentives of being rewarded for validating transactions. Prior to Bitcoin there were no shared public data stores that satisfied these requirements. Bittorrent and Freenet are not guaranteed to have data availability…

I understand what you're saying. The only problem is what data is in that decentralized, available, secure data store. The only data allowed in is self-referencing data. Most people don't care about the Bitcoin data store. If I could access, say, Gutenberg.org books in that data store, or something of that nature, I and others would find more value in it. On the other end of that, processing, not data, there are dist…

http://cryptograffiti.info/

http://coinsecrets.org/

https://www.coinprism.info/address/1BvvRfz4XnxSWJ524TusetYKr...

https://blockchain.info/new-transactions

I personally believe that there is intrinsic value in just the self-referential nature of Bitcoin transactions but what's important to realize is that the transactional nature of Bitcoin is what allows for the entire system to work, regardless of what is built on top of it.

A basic transaction of "A sent X to Y" might not be as valuable as a poem, but it still has some level of value.

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#262

Post by matrix »

legutierr wrote: post #46
matrix wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. This behavior is not benign "naughtiness" (as the YC guys like to encourage), it's parasitic exploitation of other people's hard work. Another group I'd lump in with this group is readthedocs.org

readthedocs.org? How so?

I put readthedocs in the same category because they try to look like the original source of the documentation. They lift the content and style, lock stock and barrel, and then try to rank higher than the actual project's documentation pages.

I have in the past, unwittingly read out-of-date documentation because it looked exactly like the source site, and I didn't pay close attention to the URL.

If they were truly ethical, they would not try to impersonate the original sites. It fails one of the most basic tests for trademark infringement (which is, essentially: "might someone in a hurry mistake it for the real thing?").

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#263

Post by bduerst »

Ologn wrote: post #220
jnbiche wrote: post #119

These kinds of episodes are making me increasingly depressed. On one hand, I'm incredibly disappointed in the ethics and morality of some of the people who have latched on to Bitcoin. And sadly, I'd have to include tip4commit in that group, particularly since they are "opt-out" and yet have been spamming people after each commit [ubernostrum points out below that they aren't even "opt-out", since they're not honoring…

> If Bitcoin does fail, a large part of the blame will be one the shoulders of so many software and IT people who make a flash decision that Bitcoin was "tulips" or a "ponzi scheme" Bitcoin is a ponzi scheme. That people think they have any value shows they have a fundamental misunderstanding of value. This group might include a lot of people, but the number of people who owned over-priced houses in 2008, or dot-com…

Bitcon is not a Ponzi scheme, but it is analogous to digital tulips or beanie babies.

Of course, that hasn't stopped people from creating ponzi schemes using bitcoins either.

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#264

Post by comex »

nitrogen wrote: post #229
jordigh wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The only reason HNers are pulling out the DMCA is because another project is (unethically or not) using their names to raise funds in a way that they do not permit. And what does that have to do with the digital millenium copyright act? Using a name without permission in a way that can confuse consumers is a trademark violation, not a copyright violation. It's horrible that the DMCA has turned into a generic weapon…

Some open source licenses prohibit the use of the names of contributors to promote a derived product (e.g. 3-clause BSD). Violating that clause could terminate the license to distribute, then the DMCA could be used to stop the unauthorized distribution. Not a lawyer.

tip4commit is not distributing anyone's code.

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#265

Post by teamhappy »

rdtsc wrote: post #222
teamhappy wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason I felt the need to explain the legal situation is that some people seem to think there's an objective right/wrong here and that's just not true. Furthermore, I believe the reaction to this issue is way over the top. The tip4commit people seem very well intentioned in that they created a website for people to donate to open source projects. They might be stubborn and adding the disclaimer might have taken a…

> The tip4commit people seem very well intentioned Yeah, it seems after their response to the issue their intentions became a bit more clear, and they are as good you claim.

> [...] it seems after their response to the issue their intentions became a bit more clear [...]

Care to share any new insights you've gained?

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#266

Post by untitaker_ »

bhc wrote: post #67

I believe Flattr does something similar. They will accept donations on behalf of a YouTube channel (or Instagram, Soundcloud, etc.) whether the content creator opted in or not and release the fund when the creator claims his/her donations.

The key word is _similar_: Flattr doesn't send any unsolicited emails and doesn't actually collect money until it gets claimed. tip4commit does both.

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#267

Post by malbs »

macspoofing wrote: post #54
ubernostrum wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

tip4commit is one of a number of services which, without asking for permission or notifying you, opt your projects into a BitCoin-based crowdfunding system. Even if your project doesn't want it, even if your project has its own donation/support system you'd like to send people to. Historically they spammed committers of force-opted-in repositories with an email on every commit to tell them what their new BTC donation…

Wow, that was infuriating to read. They don't get it, they don't want to get it and they aren't listening.

Felt exactly the same way. The arrogance displayed by the tip4commit developers is rage-inducing.

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#268

Post by Ologn »

williamcotton wrote: post #261
Ologn wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand what you're saying. The only problem is what data is in that decentralized, available, secure data store. The only data allowed in is self-referencing data. Most people don't care about the Bitcoin data store. If I could access, say, Gutenberg.org books in that data store, or something of that nature, I and others would find more value in it. On the other end of that, processing, not data, there are dist…

http://cryptograffiti.info/ http://coinsecrets.org/ https://www.coinprism.info/address/1BvvRfz4XnxSWJ524TusetYKr... https://blockchain.info/new-transactions I personally believe that there is intrinsic value in just the self-referential nature of Bitcoin transactions but what's important to realize is that the transactional nature of Bitcoin is what allows for the entire system to work, regardless of what is built on…

Interesting.

If digital currencies focused more on this type of thing, they might actually stay around for a while longer. This is something I can see the value and usefulness of. A Bitcoin competitor focused around things like this, and perhaps allowing people to pay for non-blockchain mass processing power, might actually be viable in the long term. Because it would be actually useful and valuable.

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#269

Post by mbillie1 »

exo762 wrote: post #230
ubernostrum wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To take some examples: * In some countries it is illegal to opt someone into services they didn't ask for. * In some countries it is illegal to send unsolicited emails about services. * In some countries it is illegal to accept or solicit donations without registering first with tax authorities. * In some countries it is illegal to suggest a financial relationship between yourself and another person/entity when no su…

> In some countries it is illegal to opt someone into services they didn't ask for. Nope. You are not a part of service unless you accept the tip. > In some countries it is illegal to send unsolicited emails about services. True that. This should probably be fixed. > In some countries it is illegal to accept or solicit donations without registering first with tax authorities. Donation does not exist unless you accept…

> If those are really problems - you have problem with your gov and your laws, not bitcoin or tip4commit.

This is a staggeringly arrogant position to take. "Go change your laws, not this bitcoin service." Really?

Re: Please remove mitsuhiko/*

#270

Post by nicky0 »

Ologn wrote: post #231
jordanpg wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From Bitcoin's own FAQ [1]: "One could argue that gold isn't backed by anything either. Bitcoins have properties resulting from the system's design that allows them to be subjectively valued by individuals. This valuation is demonstrated when individuals freely exchange for or with bitcoins. Please refer to the Subjective Theory of Value." Like it or not, Bitcoin has a PR problem. It needs be liked and trusted in add…

Bitcoins are worthless precisely because the Subjective Theory of Value is wrong. Benjamin Franklin, Adam Smith and all the early economists thought the Subjective Theory of Value was wrong. Because it is wrong. Bitcoin is a little scam which justifies itself against the backdrop of a much bigger scam. Gold is valuable because it takes effort to find, mine and refine. People want to exchange other valuable things for…

"The theory is wrong because it is wrong". Thanks for that.
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