copyright screws business

[miriam_e]

I've been trying to buy an mp3 copy of Carl Sagan's Contact as narrated by Jodie Foster. I love this audiobook. Years ago I downloaded it via the peer-to-peer networks. I just got paid and decided I'd buy it finally like I always wanted to. However after a couple of hours online trying to buy it I have given up. Not only are most of the shopping websites so badly designed that buying stuff is a royal pain, when I finally found a place I could get it from they have paranoid software to "manage" the files for you. This software is designed for MSWindows or Mac... nothing for Linux, but even if they did offer Linux software I wouldn't want it. From what I gather, the software is not there for the convenience of the user, but to make life harder for the user. As seems to be the case so often now in the United States of Paranoia the customer is treated as the enemy.

So I won't buy it after all. I'll have to settle for the p2p copy I have. It's a pity. I'd like to pay for it. I deeply admire Carl Sagan, his wife Ann Druyan (who adapted the book for audio), and Jodie Foster who narrates it.

Bloody copyright paranoia. Whatever happened to delivering a service to your customers?

Comments

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

I envy you. I've always had friends who could do that, and I can certainly see the sense in it.

A number of times I resolved to discard a lot of my books, but I always wimped out after only small sacrifices... I guess that's why it never succeeded: I still see it as sacrifice instead of liberation. :)

I grew up in a family that hoarded books. It must be very deep in my blood. All those books -- they feed me while imprisoning me. But such a wondrous prison.

[dorjejaguar.livejournal.com]

:)
Well, I don't discard them, I either give them away or sell them or trade em for more books.
I just generally know if I want to keep a book around, if I'm gonna be wanting to reference it or read it again. The others I can let go.

Books are lovely though, yes.