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Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 09:51:50 -0500
From: Christopher Faylor <cgf-no-personal-reply-please AT cygwin DOT com>
To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Subject: Re: Obscene content in cygwin file.
Message-ID: <20050107145150.GD20046@trixie.casa.cgf.cx>
Reply-To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
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On Fri, Jan 07, 2005 at 01:22:32AM -0500, Brian Bruns wrote:
>>
>> Personally, I thought that them doing this was a sign of a more
>> innocent time, where we didn't have to worry about every single
>> word that came out of our mouth (or keyboard).
>>
>> Seriously guy, your type is one of the primary reasons why the
>> internet is getting - its not quite there yet, but getting - to be
>> *no fun*.
>> It was built on freedom and free-thinking, and the very fact that
>> this conversation is taking place is a testimony to how bitter it
>> has become.
>>
><rant>
>I tend to agree with you on that.  I was on the internet since the
>middle 90s, and even then, you could start to see new
>people/businesses forcing their own views on the rest of the Internet,
>that had been there long before them, and continue to be there long
>after they are bankrupt/dead/gone/kaput.

I've been reading usenet since the early 80's and I find the notion that
this kind of discussion is a recent phenomenon sort of amusing.

This is *exactly* the type of fodder that has driven Usenet discussions
for years.  We do get the added spin of workplace lawsuites, yadda
yadda, but that just adds more fuel to what would have been a very
nicely burning flame.

If Cygwin was a true business enterprise, this would be a no-brainer.
We'd remove the content.  The reason wouldn't be because we are cravenly
caving to the PC majority.  The reason would be that it might offend a
customer who would take their business elsewhere.  You can't have that
unless you are in a position of not caring about losing a few customers.
Not many businesses are in that position.

Business issues are not the point here, though.  My issue is that I
grant others the right to be offended by the type of language we're
talking about.  It is a given that there are many people in our society
who will be offended by it.  These people do not buy Playboy or Hustler
because they do not like what these magazines represent but they aren't
out picketing those establishments, either.  So, they are following the
"Just don't look at it then!" scenario.

We do not offer these people the same choice with Cygwin.  When they
innocently download fortune means that they are using hard drives to
house unencrypted content that they consider objectionable.  That is not
fair to them.

cgf

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