[mythtv-users] Tivo suing everyone in sight over DVR patents

[Ryan Allen]

* jedi <jedi at mishnet.org> wrote on [08-27-09y 14:25]:
> On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 11:39:21AM -0400, Ronald Frazier wrote:
> > > Tivo business model: Take other people's work, hire lawyers, find loophole,
> > > profit.
> > 
> > Care to elaborate on this? Because I have no idea what you are
> > referring to. And if you are going to talk about using GPL'd linux,
> > let me preemptively cut you off (Linus has said he see's nothing wrong
> > with what TiVo has done).
> 
> Tivo is pretty much taking credit for what general purpose computers
> do by design. The fact that an actual Tivo is little more than a PPC
> Linux PC with a really slow processor and a specialized PCI card makes
> their whole shenigan really troubling.
> 
> We might find ourselves on the business end of the slippery slope.

And the guy that patented the slurpee straw?  All he did was cut a slit
in the end of a straw and retired very rich.

Transparency in engineering is not a disqualification of a good business
model.  

Regardless, to 99% of the population, they don't care if it's PPC with PCI
or a MIPS driving RLL bus.  To 99% of the population the engineering is
not transparent.

Ultimately, the consumer will decide if its a good idea.


-- 

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