PC giants ship Chinese censorware anyway

Put up or shut up

> "But at this point, they're knowing infringers. They're distributing pirated software" [...] The software maker is exploring the possibility of suing the makers of Green Dam - Jinhui Computer System Engineering and Dazheng Language Knowledge Process Technology Co

I'm not too pleased with Solid Oak. All their software is actually rebranding of some code I wrote. They are knowing infringer distributing pirated software. They must stop at once. Maybe I'll come around to have the evidence examined by someone. At some point in the future. But they must stop now! And that's the case with MS and Apple, too I actually wrote all that (erm, maybe not MS stuff finally). And I wrote every single line of code you can find on sourceforge. Bunch of thieves, all of them. I might consider producing evidence some day. But shut them all down in the meantime.

Oh, and I actually patented every device powered by 'leccy or fossil fuel, so I might have to send a couple billion cease and desist letters about that too. In which I won't disclose the patent numbers of course.

Also, I'm writing a book. Title is "IP bully-troll 101". Available in every good bookstore soon.

@ Troll

Look, regardless of Solid Oaks intentions and ownership lets get behind them and hope they give Sony a taste of their own medicine. Im sure it would make all those techies who had to sort out the sony rootkits from friends and family pc's smile a little bit.

I wonder if there is a torrent for all of sony's stuff in one nice big folder :D

Hot steamy update available

If Green Dam is so warez that it's still fetching updates from Solid Oak, there seem to be many solutions available. As many solutions as there are types of banned content.

@AC 21:30

It's all very well claiming that they are a patent troll, or even that they are doing a SCO, but their allegations could be true.

If cease and desist letters have been sent, the wisest of companies would at least examine the facts before shipping. Green Dam has been delayed by Beijing, so where is the harm in delaying shipping of software? Especially as having Green Dam on your PC is not exactly a competitive advantage when selling to an unwilling public.

Accusations of Troll are easy to make, but every once in a while, the claims are actually true, Especially if you take them at their word about certain functionalities being disabled. Does the disabling circumvent the claim? Who knows (assuming it's a valid claim)

Beer because I read this story earlier, yet a bottle of wine later its impact is no less diminished

@AC 21:30

Uhh... if I recall, they *have* demonstrated the code matches - which are detailed in the PDF linked to from this very article. I believe that the PDF in question would be described as "putting up".

So, uh... you might want to try *shutting up*.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Is anyone else here concerned about

the censorship issues here?

Perhaps Jaqui's hubby could compile the list?

Phear China - UN loves their policies, awards the billions for it too, all coming soon to a global govt near you.

F.Z. Central Scrutiniser wore a green rubber glove.

Have a nice day.

ACER, you just made the list!

ACER have just made my list. I liked your machines, but until you stop dealing with this cack, I shall be looking for another mini-note maker when my current ACER box goes to the afterlife. Sony? Wouldn't touch anything they make with a ten-foot wotnot. It's cheap, nasty rip-off of other people's ideas, not even a good ripoff at that!

Copyright and IP in China

My understanding of Maoist communism is that every piece of foreign intellectual copyright that exists inside of China is allowed to be copied by the government at will. (Hence the reason that they were mass producing C64s for a while in the 80s)

Obviously the agreements they make with Western companies often have a clause that says "and we won't steal your IP while we're manufacturing xxxx very cheaply".

In which case the guys exporting copied software into China can be sued but it's possible that the Chinese government can do whatever they like and get away with it.

If you disagree, feel free to step in front of a tank.

Linux?

I presume this software runs on windoze?

What's to stop the punters installing ubuntu etc, and surfing and WPing merrily away to their hearts' content [or indeed their groins' content!].

How do you make a phone call if you can't talk?

Re: Linux?

I guess Green Dam will probably stop them from typing Linux, etc.

@Linux?

>>What's to stop the punters installing ubuntu etc, and surfing and WPing merrily away to their hearts' content [or indeed their groins' content!].<<

Like anytime Linux is mentioned, nothing stopping you until you try.

Chinese input support isn't brilliant in Linux. scim and ibus are pretty good, but sadly Windows still does it better. Linux distros as a rule don't manage a good, working Chinese-language desktop by default (binary distros still don't compile for UTF8 by default, leading to much frustration and many "character not found" squares of confusion.) And then when you do run into difficulty, you have to be proficient in English to find a lot of the answers.

Linux is an option, and a popular one among those Chinese that have learned good English, maybe been educated abroad, had a good computer for a long time and can spare the time to do battle with scim and wine.

Central government are targetting the majority that don't know or care enough about computers to pick another system, or uninstall Green Damn.