16-year-old technology obsolete while 916-year-old tech lives on

From: "David F. Skoll" <dfs _-at-_ roaringpenguin.com>
To: oclug (at) lists.oclug.on.ca
Cc: canada-dmca-opponents -_at_- flora.ca
Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 20:18:31 -0500 (EST)

Just below the Slashdot article about CS grads disliking Microsoft
was this:

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_534847.html?menu=news.latestheadlines

	Ancient Domesday Book outlives electronic version

	An electronic version of the Domesday Book compiled in 1986 is
	now unreadable.

	The computers needed to read the discs of the 2.5 million
	BBC Domesday Project are now obsolete.

	While the original Domesday Book compiled in 1086 is in fine
	condition in the Public Record Office, Kew.

I think this has a very important message for us today.  The Domesday
project of 1986 was prepared on normal, non-copy-protected media
designed to be shared.  Just think what a calamity it would be if
important information were available only on copy-protected
tamper-proof hardware, as the Disneys and Fritz Hollings of the world
would like.

Unless we radically change course and reevaluate the whole notion of
"intellectual property", we're going to be screwed over by
corporations and lawmakers, and an enormous part of humanity's
heritage will be lost.

--
David.

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