Re: Xpdf fuckware
On Sun, Mar 11, 2001 at 02:35:44PM +0000, Adam Langley wrote:
> This is a copy of an exchange between Hamish Moffatt (maintainer of
> the xpdf package) and myself. I think it's an important discussion.
> Hamish requested that I post this here.
>
> > On Sun, Mar 11, 2001 at 11:54:36AM +0000, Adam Langley wrote:
> > > Xpdf follows Adobe's joke "copy-protection" system in PDFs where the
> > > reader will refuse to copy text or print the document if the PDF has
> > > some bits set. If the author of xpdf wants to do that - it's their own
> > > choice. However, Debian shouldn't be a party to it. I've attached a
> > > tiny patch which uncripples xpdf (apply in the xpdf-0.92/xpdf
> > > directory). Could you please apply this to future Debian packages of
> > > xpdf?
>
> On Sun, Mar 11, 2001 at 11:11:05PM +1100, Hamish Moffatt wrote:
> > Upstream's precanned reply to this is at
> > http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/cracking.html
>
> I read it, which is why I didn't bother mailing him about it.
I guess one obvious compromise is: if the user tries to do something
(print, save as PS, etc) that the author has forbidden, then xpdf should
pop up a message informing the user of the author's wishes, and ask
whether to go ahead or not.
-S
Reply to: