Re: Is EME usable regardless of the software/hardware I use ?

On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 3:14 PM, Duncan Bayne <dhgbayne@fastmail.fm> wrote:

> > For (3) it's reasonable - and not insane - to challenge those who say the
> > proposal is not good enough to make their own proposal that is better.
>
> To quote Thomas Sowell:
>
> "No matter how disastrously some policy has turned out, anyone who
> criticizes it can expect to hear: “But what would you replace it with?”
> When you put out a fire, what do you replace it with?"
>
> It may not be insane to challenge opponents of EME to come up with a
> better proposal, but such a challenge is entirely orthogonal to the
> issue of whether the W3C should adopt EME as a recommendation.
>

I was trying to tease apart the different threads of the argument. It's a
nice quote but it's applicable to argument (1): that EME is bad for users -
it's a "fire" - just put it out. But as I said, the argument that EME in
W3C is worse for users than the likely alternative hasn't been clearly
articulated.

Argument (3) says that EME is "not good enough", and here the challenge to
provide a better alternative is not orthogonal at all.


>
> If those opposed to EME can prove, as I believe we have, that EME is
> inimical to the stated mission of the W3C, then that ought to be enough
> to scupper EME.
>

That's argument (2) - that it should be opposed on principle, independent
of the likely effect on users.


>
> As an analogy: consider what happens when one challenges an
> unconstitutional law.  The challenger is not required to provide an
> alternative implementation of the requirements of the authors of the
> bill; if the law is unconstitutional it is repealed, and it is up to
> anyone with a stake in the matter to sponsor a new bill.
>

Sure, but I don't believe we have consensus that EME *is*
"unconstitutional".

...Mark


>
> --
> Duncan Bayne
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>
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