Bottomley: Solving the Looming Developer Liability Problem [LWN.net]

Bottomley: Solving the Looming Developer Liability Problem

Posted Dec 12, 2023 23:49 UTC (Tue) by khim (subscriber, #9252)
In reply to: Bottomley: Solving the Looming Developer Liability Problem by bluca
Parent article: Bottomley: Solving the Looming Developer Liability Problem

Let me open debian.org. “Why Debian”, “Our Philosophy”, “User Support”, download links… sure looks like a marketing to me.

You may argue that Debian doesn't stuff you PC with bazillion of ads, but reaction of normal layman would be: “well, they probably should, if they couldn't earn enough money in any other way”.

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Bottomley: Solving the Looming Developer Liability Problem

Posted Dec 13, 2023 0:31 UTC (Wed) by bluca (subscriber, #118303) [Link] (4 responses)

Having a website is not putting a "product on the market", which is not the same as "marketing". This is illiterate nonsense, please stop.

Bottomley: Solving the Looming Developer Liability Problem

Posted Dec 13, 2023 9:59 UTC (Wed) by gioele (subscriber, #61675) [Link] (1 responses)

> Having a website is not putting a "product on the market", which is not the same as "marketing". This is illiterate nonsense, please stop.

At least in certain jurisdictions (e.g., Germany) and in certain cases (e.g., consultants, digital goods) having a website is definitely marketing ("Werbung") as well as putting something on the market ("Inverkehrbringen"/"Bereitstellung auf dem Markt"). Court rulings have already interpreted such words in a very broad way, for example in the context of the (in)famous "Imprint"-page requirement.

Bottomley: Solving the Looming Developer Liability Problem

Posted Dec 13, 2023 13:38 UTC (Wed) by bluca (subscriber, #118303) [Link]

There are no consultants or digital goods involved here.

Calm down?

Posted Dec 13, 2023 15:05 UTC (Wed) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link] (1 responses)

We get that you have little respect for people who see this issue differently than you do, but you can still engage in polite conversation, please? We don't need name-calling here.

In general (for all participants) I suspect that further discussion on this topic is unlikely to be rewarding for anybody involved.

Calm down?

Posted Dec 13, 2023 21:32 UTC (Wed) by bluca (subscriber, #118303) [Link]

You are right, upon re-reading that came out a lot harsher than intended, by apologies