[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] RE: power uses of XML vs. simple uses of XML
It can work both ways and as in most developments, depends on the humans to do the right thing. We have to be careful of developing a culture in which it is ok for one group to do to another that which they would not have done to themselves. XML could make it devilishly easy to take all of the books about XML, encode them after buying one legal copy each, then make them available from a central site, say one of the oil platform countries that sit in international waters complete with full XLink cross-referencing for ease of use. Why? 1. We bought a copy. 2. We know the cost of buying a book far exceeds the cost of producing it (so they say). 3. This is information people need and have a right to at their convenience. For example, students can't afford the XML books. 4. We can do a far better job of presenting the information than the authors did and in a better medium. 5. We will make the authors even more famous. 6. Authors should make their money from touring and lecturing, not selling books. 7. Information wants to be free. See how that will work. Pretty soon, no publisher will accept XML manuscripts. After that, most good writers will quit writing them. After that, the only way to get an explanation of XML Schemas will be the courtesy of folks like Roger Costello ("i have always depended on the kindness of strangers") or trying to read the specification. Anyone remember the days when your choices for SGML were ISO 8879, Dr Goldfarb's reference, or Martin Bryan? Anyway, the US Senate is having hearings today on this subject of digital downloading. Let's hope the baby doesn't go out with the bathwater because I do want to keep enabling people to download my music for free. It's fun, but I don't hire producers, manage a tour, pay other musicians, have to bribe radio station program managers, press CDs and distribute them without a guarantee of repayment (it is very difficult to collect for this), and so forth. Like Roger, I do it because I can. BTW, an album can take a year to four years to record and if you have to pay for the studio time, costs a million plus. The artist pays for all of the above via recoupment from royalties. This is where the digital medium can be a blessing and we are very much aware of that. len http://fly.hiwaay.net/~cbullard/lensongs.ram Ekam sat.h, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti. Daamyata. Datta. Dayadhvam.h -----Original Message----- From: KenNorth [mailto:KenNorth@e...] > The music industry is protecting the rights of its > members but note that lawsuits are being > initiated by the artists. I've heard and read more than one artist being interviewed about MP3 and Napster. Their viewpoint has been pretty consistent. They feel they have a right to be paid for their effort. It often takes years to develop talent, and weeks to write and record an album. There are, of course, other musicians who applaud MP3 because they can become known by giving away the product of their talent (or lack thereof). People who write music, software, or books should have the choice whether they want to work for free or be paid. We should be cautious about any laws or technologies that usurp that right. Let's hope XML doesn't develop a reputation as being primarily a technology for ripping off intellectual property.
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