[tex-live] Install Texlive 2008 "The Pirate Bay" website --- uncompressed

[David Kastrup]

Patrice Dumas <pertusus at free.fr> writes:

> On Wed, Oct 08, 2008 at 12:17:26PM +0200, David Kastrup wrote:
>> 
>> So if you are wearing any clothes at all, picking a particular color is
>> censorship?  If you only buy particular papers rather than grabbing the
>> first off the counter, that is censorship?
>> 
>> Others call that choice.  You are arguing against us having a choice.  I
>> don't see what this has to do with freedom.
>
> Maybe censorship is not really appropriate. The right analogy, in my
> opinion would be that you refuse to sell your book to a shop

Not _to_ a shop, but _through_ a shop.  And exclusively.

> that also sells book you don't like, (like porn books, for
> example). If this is for a brand or for attracting customers, fine
> (although this is in general forbidden, for competitivness issues,

No, it isn't.  I am free to pick distributors for my books.  I can't
prohibit the resale of books bought through channels I permitted.  But I
certainly am free to pick my original distributor any way I want.

> but here this is not really relevant, texlive is free), but there
> should be metrics that prove it. Otherwise this is not direct
> censorship, but indirect, through discrimination.

It is one of the great evils of our times that people don't discriminate
what they support as long as makes things cheap for them.  They think
that they have no choice but support war, child labor, animal and human
torture and other things because it makes things cheaper for them, and
they should not look beyond the price for whatever misbegotten reason.

Whether or not we choose to distribute through Pirate Bay or not is a
rather unimportant choice in comparison.

But your line of argument, that one should not discriminate between
things that are different, is used for quite worse decisions and
non-decisions.  Personally, I am not bothered all too much about porn
ads but am perfectly comfortable with picking a channel that more users
and developers will feel appropriate.  But I am bothered about people
who preach ignoring one's values, conscience, and ability to choose and
make a difference.

Apathy is not a virtue.

-- 
David Kastrup