Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on June 06, 2004 02:39 AM
Mr. Dowdell. First off: thank you for commenting on the matter. I think I speak for others when I say that we appreciate someone from Macromedia commenting in a (timely no less!) manner that seems honest to us.
Now onto my concerns: 1)distributing the flash player from some website other than Micromedia's:
Why not do what the linux distros do: Put an MD5sum with the package signed with Macromedia's key to guarantee it's an authentic hash? I mean, it's not as if the technology has never been heard of before, or never been used either.
How hard can it be? Advantages: a) Save on Macromedia bandwidth (always a good thing for a free download) b) The customer is guaranteed he is getting what he thinks he's getting c) No offended community railing agaisnt Macromedia and launching a jihad/boycott against Macromedia.
2) What's up with the "we can audit" clause.
Ok, there is no freaking way that I (and a lot of Linux, BSD, andfreedom-loving people are going to permit that to happen. You have to understand how offensive that is to anyone who values their personal freedom and right to privacy. Please ask your managers to consider Real, Inc. as a poster child of what happens when you piss off your customers with spyware and other things like that which invade and try to "control" customers. I say customer and not consumer, because I and others like me are not mindless drones to be fleeced at the earliest possible time.
Stupidity at the management level tends to really piss off customers more so than individual stupidity, because nominally management is supposed to be responsible for corporate actions.
3. What's with the "multiple machines" clause? That's a really silly (no offense intended towards you sir, but to your management) STUPID,STUPID,STUPID!!!!! clause.
Are you going to tell me that in my home local network I can only install one copy of flash player? STUPID, STUPID!!!
4. Since player is free, why doesn't Macromedia GPL it, so folks can compile it not just for Linux on x86 hardware, but also on x64, Itanium, PPC, Sparc, and for the BSD's as well?
It's a free product. What does Macromedia have to lose? It's honorable name? Then make it a requirement that the only plugin that can be called MACROMEDIA flash player is the one that Macromedia itself compiles and makes available. Everyone else's has to be called something other than Macromedia's.
BEGIN tin foil hat mode 5) What is up with the time between releases of the flash player for Linux vs. Mac's and Windows?
Does Billy pay Macromedia to delay the release of the plugin for Linux?
6) Why is there still no shockwave director for Linux? I know I'm not the only one over a year ago who made the request for the plugin.
How hard can it be? If it's a question of manpower, why not release the source code under GPL, and let the Linux community do the grunt work for Macromedia?
The director player is free, what does Macromedia have to lose? Does having more users of the director plugin hurt Macromedia? Huh?
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Re:Macromedia Flash Player EULA
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on June 06, 2004 02:39 AMFirst off: thank you for commenting
on the matter. I think I speak for
others when I say that we appreciate
someone from Macromedia commenting
in a (timely no less!) manner that
seems honest to us.
Now onto my concerns:
1)distributing the flash
player from some website other than
Micromedia's:
Why not do what the linux distros do:
Put an MD5sum with the package signed
with Macromedia's key to guarantee it's
an authentic hash? I mean, it's not as if
the technology has never been heard of before,
or never been used either.
How hard can it be?
Advantages:
a) Save on Macromedia bandwidth (always a
good thing for a free download)
b) The customer is guaranteed he is getting
what he thinks he's getting
c) No offended community railing agaisnt
Macromedia and launching a jihad/boycott
against Macromedia.
2) What's up with the "we can audit" clause.
Ok, there is no freaking way that I (and
a lot of Linux, BSD, andfreedom-loving people
are going to permit that to happen.
You have to understand how offensive that is
to anyone who values their personal freedom
and right to privacy. Please ask your
managers to consider Real, Inc. as a
poster child of what happens when you
piss off your customers with spyware and
other things like that which invade and
try to "control" customers. I say customer
and not consumer, because I and others like
me are not mindless drones to be fleeced at
the earliest possible time.
Stupidity at the management level tends to
really piss off customers more so than
individual stupidity, because nominally
management is supposed to be responsible
for corporate actions.
3. What's with the "multiple machines" clause?
That's a really silly (no offense intended
towards you sir, but to your management)
STUPID,STUPID,STUPID!!!!! clause.
Are you going to tell me that in my
home local network I can only install
one copy of flash player?
STUPID, STUPID!!!
4. Since player is free, why doesn't Macromedia
GPL it, so folks can compile it not just for
Linux on x86 hardware, but also on x64, Itanium,
PPC, Sparc, and for the BSD's as well?
It's a free product. What does Macromedia
have to lose? It's honorable name? Then
make it a requirement that the only plugin that
can be called MACROMEDIA flash player
is the one that Macromedia itself compiles
and makes available. Everyone else's has to be
called something other than Macromedia's.
BEGIN tin foil hat mode
5) What is up with the time between releases
of the flash player for Linux vs. Mac's and Windows?
Does Billy pay Macromedia to delay the release of the plugin for Linux?
6) Why is there still no shockwave director
for Linux? I know I'm not the only one
over a year ago who made the request for the plugin.
How hard can it be? If it's a question of
manpower, why not release the source code
under GPL, and let the Linux community do
the grunt work for Macromedia?
The director player is free, what does
Macromedia have to lose? Does having more
users of the director plugin hurt Macromedia?
Huh?
END tin foil hat mode
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