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You can like the work but hate the jerk. The real question comes when you decide whether to financially support a jerk's work.
by aristus 2y ago
You can like the work but hate the jerk. The real question comes when you decide whether to financially support a jerk's work.
- baggy_trough 2y agoA jerk is one thing; a murderer is something else.
- kikokikokiko 2y agoIf a murderer creates a file system/energy source/mouse trap that is effectively better than all of the alternatives, and generates value to the world, what he did in his personal life is effectively moot. There is no ethics problem involved in choosing the best solution to a problem, when that solution exists.
- ensignavenger 2y agoIf financially supporting said murderer allows them to continue to possibly murder more, then I would say there is a moral dilemma. Less so when the murderer is in jail and unlikely to ever really benefit from your using said solution.
- creshal 2y agoReiserFS hasn't been the best solution in a long, long while. Even before the murder case it was often more trouble than it was worth.
- exe34 2y agoI used it for a few months, lost a few files and moved on to ext3 at the time. I think his press notoriety came soon after that.
- creshal 2y ago"Of course Reiser's wife would go missing, have you seen how often things end up missing in his file systems?" used to be funny for a moment.
- dagmx 2y agoYeah most major distros that used it (like OpenSuse) moved away before the murder case. His wife was reported missing in September 2006. OpenSuse dumped it in October 2006. She wasn’t feared dead yet. He was arrested April 2008. By the time he was even a suspect, his work had already been dropped because it was not reliable enough.
- mhd 2y ago> effectively better than all of the alternatives Which gladly rarely happens, so often you still have sufficient choice. Now, if it turns out Euler sabotaged some bridges and caused deaths, you'd still have a hard time avoiding using e. But for software? It's usually rather easy to find alternatives. And ReiserFS never was an exception here.
- dent9876543 2y agoYet for many people, the very act of choosing results in a halo that goes beyond the acquisition itself. You may think you’re choosing a technology, and nothing further. But others may see your decision as a broader endorsement. Are they right to do so? Don’t know. Maybe not. But it is a real effect. The quandary is therefore ethical.
- LoganDark 2y ago> There is no ethics problem involved in choosing the best solution to a problem, when that solution exists. I constantly see people insisting there is, though. Lots of people boycott software just based on the surrounding context.
- baggy_trough 2y agoI agree that there is no ethics problem. The problem is in the realm of personal distaste.
- 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y agoThere is also such a thing as lobbying for laws that make a lot of people's lives difficult, destroy QALYs, and possibly cause stochastic death. It's only called "murder" when it's trivial to measure it, see.
- jl6 2y agoThe idea of “stochastic death” is a dangerous and unhelpful escalation of rhetoric that amounts to an excuse to call someone a murderer because they said something you disagree with. It’s the idea that Biden was somehow a “partial murderer” because he said something that might have, possibly, maybe, influenced a wacko to attempt an assassination on Trump. If we start calling everyone a type of murderer, it cheapens the word, dishonors the victims of actual murder, and hardens hearts with hate and fear of the dreaded Other when what the tribalists need most is a little mutual understanding.
- baggy_trough 2y agoLobbying for laws is not murder, you are correct on that. Otherwise, I'm not sure what you're talking about.
- ch1kkenm4ss4 2y ago[flagged]
- ensignavenger 2y agoSo once a jerk artist is dead and can no longer benefit from their work, it becomes easier to consume their art without moral concern?
- aristus 2y agoYes, literally. Same argument applies to limited copyright terms. Though I'd say it would be with less concern, not completely without it.
- ch1kkenm4ss4 2y ago[flagged]
- RobotToaster 2y agoI guess that would depend on if their kids are jerks?
- RockRobotRock 2y agoI think so, yeah.
- Kye 2y agoSometimes the artist put too much of themselves in the work. For example: I tried reading Orson Scott Card's Iron Man comics and there was just too much homophobic nonsense throughout.
- em-bee 2y agoi stopped reading the ringworld series by larry niven when i found that he kept repeating how sex was used to seal a business transaction. it added nothing to the story and just seemed like wishful thinking from the author. i can't blame them for it. it's only natural. when i write there is a lot of my personality in it too. in part that is the point and in many cases it is what makes a work worth reading. unless it makes the story unreadable like in our examples.
- jccalhoun 2y agoI agree. We all make our own decisions. I won't say someone is wrong for making a different decision. For me, there are people who's product I won't use because they are a jerk and I don't want to contribute to their financial success. But if that same jerk was one of the creators of a commonly used language that is ubiquitous I won't avoid it because that person doesn't financially benefit from it.
- marcodiego 2y agoBill Gates multi decade marriage came to an end after his closeness with Epstein became public. I don't think anyone stopped buying ms software because of it. Ok, he no longer works there, but I'm sure he still benefits from it.
- paulryanrogers 2y agoIf a video were released of Bill with a minor then I'd expect Microsoft to take a huge hit. Though it'd have to be irrefutable video. Because we've seen other Epstein accomplices thrive despite circumstancal evidence, like a certain real estate mogul.