Torvalds The Pragmatic Holds Court

Here’s one I wanted to get back to reading, C|Net’s article “Torvalds says DRM isn’t necessarily bad” (Link). Wow. Talk about a slap in the Free Software Foundation’s face. Stallman and his followers must be wondering what hit them. First, Lessig the copyleft messiah is out there saying Free doesn’t always work. Now this.

The article is short, full of quotes from behind-the-scenes emails and then this last comment that crystallizes one of my big arguments against the “right to piracy/ain’t gonna pay for it” attitude that’s so prevalent out there:

Torvalds said. “DRM is the smallest part of it. The crap we see and hear every day (regardless of any protection) is a much bigger issue.”

I want to repeat that:

“The crap we see and hear every day (regardless of any protection) is a much bigger issue.”

Chew on that for awhile. And when some of you crusaders figure it out, maybe I’ll see you at a local club listening to some struggling, unsupported band; giving them both my attention and my money.