[lug] FSF plans Apple Genuis Bar "denial of service"

[Nate Duehr]

On Jul 27, 2008, at 10:54 PM, David L. Anselmi wrote:

> and rather than assume the media labels are correct, read the  
> original idea as well as the "5 reasons" page that started it:
>
> http://www.defectivebydesign.org/apple-challenge


By the way, I did read it.  And the title of the article that spawned  
this little "movement" was called "5 Reasons to Avoid the iPhone".

So avoid it.  Don't buy it.  Stay out of the store.  Go away.  Done!

----

By the way, for completeness -- the reasons were these -- along with  
some comments from me:

• iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to  
Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on  
everyone's phones.  (Gee, an integrated software and hardware company  
-- not many of those around anymore either -- that understands how  
pissed off their customers are going to be if they load some dumb-ass  
developer's crap that doesn't work.  As a consumer of the last two  
decades of CRAP from most software companies, I applaud this decision  
on their part to want final say over what can get to the phone and  
what can't.)

• iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)  
technology.  (So does anyone else who wants to sell most content worth  
having.  I haven't seen any sit-ins in Best Buy wanting them to stop  
stocking DVD or BlueRay players from various manufacturers, but every  
one of those players has DRM in it.  Some dude smarter that most  
cracked DVD encryption and the whiners don't complain so much now that  
they can load his illegal hack -- but no real open-source or other  
large money company has bothered to just package in properly licensed  
legal playback of DVD content to this day.  "It'd be the best OS on  
the planet, if we could just stop people wanting things we don't  
want!  What?  Come over and watch a movie this weekend?  Sure... I'm  
there dude.  I'll bring the Cheetos and Coke.  Oh, wait Cheetos and  
Coke are trademarks, I'll have to get generic brands to avoid those  
big company evil legal issues they have with that product.  Dude?  Did  
you hang up on me?  Dude?"  When Freetard and his friends stop  
watching movies put out on DVD that have CSS on them, I'll listen to  
their whining about DRM.)

• iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to  
track you without your knowledge.  (So do most GPS-enabled cell  
phones.  People even buy such things -- like SPOT, LoJack, and even  
stuff you load on a laptop in hopes of getting it back if you lose  
it.  Some people don't care.  Really.  Oh, and you know how to defeat  
it?  Take the fucking phone and put it in a metal briefcase.  Whoop  
dee fuckin' doo.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to block 800 MHz  
through 2 GHz radio waves.  Really paranoid?  Crack open the phone,  
find the GPS module and unplug it.  It also helps if you don't do  
crazy shit where someone wants to track you, but hey... we all know  
the paranoia and conspiracy theorists will jump all over that one and  
say that government has time to chase normal people around doing  
normal things just to harass them, mmm... yeah.  Because you know,  
they're not busy doing anything else... and the citizens wouldn't rise  
up and kick all their asses if they tried that crap.  Oh wait,  
citizens don't want guns anymore...)

• iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and  
Theora.  (Yeah, because that's what Apple's shareholders and  
management want... to play formats they don't sell.  Duh.  Want a Ogg  
player or a Theora player?  People make them.  Go buy one and be happy.)

• iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the  
horizon that respect your freedom, don't spy on you, play free media  
formats, and let you use free software -- like the FreeRunner.  (So  
fucking buy one.  Oh wait, you said "on the horizon".  Well, if they  
ever figure out a business model that works, and make it past the "on  
the horizon" stage, then definitely buy one.  How about investing in  
their company as an angel investor now?  Take some risks and put your  
money where your mouth is.  I hear OpenMoko can send SMS messages  
finally.  Impressive shit, that open-source cell phone is.  Send  
FreeRunner your life savings and if it ever gets to market, be  
overjoyed and happy.)

That was an AMAZING list of reasons.  I bet if you put that on the  
Net, all the news media will cover it and no one will buy an iPhone  
because your reasons are so powerful and important.  You've done the  
country and your fellow citizens a great service!  What?  No one  
cares?  Awwww... poor guys.  Better think harder for some more  
reasons, 'cause you know... Apple, Inc. is the Great DRM Satan, I think.

And for the record, I'm not an iPhone fan (yet) -- haven't bought one,  
and the Blackberry Bold looks more interesting to me.  Guess what?  It  
plays DRM'ed stuff too.

Alert the Freetards!  Put up a website!  Get organized!  Let's all  
head up to Waterloo, Ontario and stage a cum-ba-yah sit-in at Research- 
In-Motion... oh crap, I forgot... that's not the right way...

Let's all go sit in every AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and whoever else  
carries RIM products stores, and annoy them with Freetard questions!   
That'll show 'em!  Those evil DRM loving Canadians!

Yeah, now we have SIX reasons not to buy one of THOSE, and number six  
is that Canadians pay a tax on blank media, so their government and  
people must be already so brainwashed by the DRM anal-probe that we  
can NEVER do business with them!

RUN... RUN FOR YOUR LIVES.  IPHONE ISN'T THE DEVIL, THE BLACKBERRY  
IS!  THEY TALK TO SERVERS IN CANADA FOR GOD'S SAKE!  RUUUUUUUNNNN!

(That was fun.)

--
Nate Duehr
nate at natetech.com