Software Licensing and Sanity (was Re: Moving from SCO toSuseLinux)

[Bill Campbell]

On Sun, Aug 01, 2004, Brian K. White wrote:
>Kenneth Brody wrote:
...
>> That's why most software now requires you to click "I agree" as part
>> of
>> the installation process.  (I don't think "sure, I signed that
>> contract, but I chose not read it" is an accepted line of defense.)
>
>It's reasonably easy to accidentally click any button, or have it clicked by
>common unpredictable mishaps (kid throws a toy, dog jumps up to say hi, you
>you hit something with your elbow while looking off in some other direction
>while on the phone or  dealing with some other distraction, mouse glitch
>causes buttn press you didn't request.
>
>It's not so easy to sign your name on a piece of paper by accident.
>
>I would not feel bound by any agreement that consists of only clicks.
>
>Then there is still the whole issue of how easy it is to fake anything that
>happens digitally. Or rather, even if it's not so easy to perform a fake
>action, it is still easy for said fake to be perfect. No physical evidence
>exists to examine to find a fake. One of those "how we got'm" documentaries
>showed the lengths a guy went to to create a fake winning lottery ticket. It
>was _good_, but, they found him out. There is a certain amount of forensics
>and tracing possible in the digital world too, but generally, the only
>things they can find are things the bad guy chooses to leave.

I'm in the process of selling a house in Olympia, Washington which is a bit
over an hour's drive from here.  All the paperwork so far that my wife and
I have executed has been done via fax from the real estate agent which
comes here via hylafax, I print it out, we sign everything, scan it in to a
PDF file, then either e-mail the PDF or put it on a private part of the web
site where the real estate agent can pick it up.  I could also do this
without it ever hitting paper here by processing the incoming fax from the
PostScript file with the gimp where I have a variety of my signatures and
initials as gimp brushes so I would never really sign anything.

I have had occassions when I've received faxes from title companies that
came to a wrong fax number.  It would have been easy enough to complete
their forms, and send them back so the real recipient never saw anything.

My daughter got a job as a drug and alcohol counselor when I faxed here
resume and job application to a wrong number.  It happened that the wrong
number was a mental health organization that liked what they saw and asked
her to apply with them.

Bill
--
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The most serious doubt that has been thrown on the authenticity of the
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