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  • From: Steven Champeon <schampeo AT hesketh.com>
  • To: InterNetWorkers <internetworkers AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: O'Reilly/Bezos discourse
  • Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 18:00:50 -0500 (EST)


On Sat, 4 Mar 2000, Thomas A. Beckett wrote:
> Tim O'Reilly has published his account of his conversation with Jeff
> Bezos over the Amazon.com patent issue. It's an intelligent and
> apparently balanced presentation of both views. Good reading.
>
> http://www.oreilly.com/ask_tim/bezos_0300.html

See, now I read this as "Tim O'Reilly doesn't notice he's being played".

1) Bezos appeals to Tim as a "little guy", just like Amazon
2) Tim reflects on how obvious-seeming patents aren't always obvious,
even though he knows that prior art exists
3) Bezos says "we don't want to be another Netscape", tugging Tim's
little-guy-as-victim strings even more
4) Bezos says "we won't use our patents against the little guys, just
against those who threaten us"
5) Tim forgets that Amazon is trying to sell /everything/, and so is
likely to have competitors in every sphere

It's pathetic. O'Reilly should boycott Amazon. But it seems as though
Tim is showing a blind eye to some of Amazon's worst abuses, due to
some deft maneuvering by Bezos.

Steve

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