OUR government CAN be trusted... I still think. :)
No, kidding. Sure, I don't mind that a government controls certain applications. To be frank, I am no longer in the league of those who believe that the internet should be entirely free. I'm now in the league of those who believe that some control is better for us all.

As an example, certain games are really horrible, esp. when evaluated from a pedagogic perspective. These games undermine our moral system. As I see it, certain game developers are sick personalities who should be sent to jail or psychiatric institutes.

I'd appreciate a new encryption algorithm in the next vfp. And it would be a good thing if we, the developer community, would implement an institution whereto developers could send a request to decrypt a certain app. The institute would then try to contact the original developer, administer the name and address of the requesting developer, have the decryption done by an automated process, return the decrypted source code and then publish that this all happened on a public site.


>So you want the government to control certain software applications.
>THATS BAD! see all the protection built into software now sanctioned by government.
>Don't forget, Americans don't trust governments of any kind.
>
>Vista has DRM built in! ARGGGGH!
>ANd you seem to want the same in VFP??
>
>
>Peter
>
>>Both Refox and Total Commander are part of the collection 'computer tools', both an apple and pseudoephedrine are part of the collection 'food'.
>>
>>The FDA deals with only a part of the collection food. In a same vein, I propose the regulation of only a part of the collection computer tools. The consequence is that I am not advocating an FDA for computer tools..
>>
>>>We were comparing prescription drugs (not food) to development tools (granted it is apples/oranges) and YES the FDA approves all PRESCRIPTION drugs before they can go on the market.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Am I? Do you read my words asif I'm proposing that? Does the FDA check ALL food? No, it doesn't. It only checks a number of specifically mentioned drugs.
>>>>I do not mind that/if governments formally forbid certain specifically types of tools and games. Tools like Refox might be allowed, but only in a controlled environment, as I proposed.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Are you advocating the equivalent of the 'FDA' exist for computer tools?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>That is like the makers of pseudoephedrine (an excellent drug for legitimate medical purposes) responsible for the actions of consumers who use it in methlabs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Ah, but there is a lot of legislation (is that the right word here?) that prescribes who is allowed to produce and sell pseudoephedrine and who isn't. And these laws have been implemented because we don't want it to be produced or sold by people who have immoral intentions to do so.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>This same reasoning should be applied to tools like Refox and WE, the community, should have dealt with it a long time ago. We should have regulated its usage: when is it appropriate and when is it illegimite.