Re: Part 2: System Structure

[Marcus Brinkmann]

At Thu, 18 May 2006 13:24:01 +0200,
Bas Wijnen <address@hidden> wrote:
> The hospital case is very special.

The hospital case can be summarized like this: "The law requires the
implementor to implement DRM.  How do you do it?"  Well, if that is in
fact true, then the right question to ask is not "How do we do it?"
but: "Is the law the right law?"

Jonathan seems to see in these types of questions signs of "evasion"
or "dismissal".  Well, I call it common sense.  In his examples, he
asks me to accept many assumptions that include, in some way or the
other, that confinement+encapsulation is necessary, and then he
expects me to simply nod my head and acknowledge defeat.  But I am
challenging the assumptions he is making.  These assumptions, although
he rarely spells them out, are not technical, but ideological, and the
appropriate response is ideological as well, and not technical.

The hospital example has another problem: It is far too complex.  I do
not have the resources required to study it.  I can not find out what
the law says, nor how it came into existence, what its likely effects
are, and what the opportunity costs are in its design.  The best I
could try is to find experts on the matter and consult them, but even
that is a time consuming process.

Thanks,
Marcus