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Date:      Thu, 30 Jun 2016 18:15:24 -0500
From:      Chris BeHanna <chris@behanna.org>
To:        freebsd-security@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Stuff I don't understand, and maybe never will.
Message-ID:  <1767EE85-222D-4773-83B9-F773958CE092@behanna.org>
In-Reply-To: <15664.1467320198@server1.tristatelogic.com>
References:  <15664.1467320198@server1.tristatelogic.com>

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On Jun 30, 2016, at 15:56, Ronald F. Guilmette <rfg@tristatelogic.com> wrote=
:
> In essentially every other industry, crappy dangerous products, sold
> to the public en mass (and generally with no warnings) can be taken
> to task in a U.S. court of law.  But not software.  In this way,
> software is in rare and elite good company with other marvelous
> products which are also and likewise immune from product liability
> actions, in particular tobacco and firearms.

Groan.  I just love FUD, don't you?

Firearms are most definitely NOT "immune from product liability actions."  I=
f one fails to function in the manner it was designed, and someone is injure=
d as a result, the manufacturer most certainly is NOT immune from liability.=
  If it fires out of battery and the user gets a faceful of burning powder a=
nd brass, yup, liability.  If the firearm catastrophically fails and it's no=
t user error, the manufacturer is most certainly NOT immune from liability. =
  If the weapon fires while the safety is engaged, or when dropped muzzle-fi=
rst, the manufacturer is most certainly NOT immune from liability.=20

Now, if the nonsense you're peddling is that you're upset that manufacturers=
 aren't liable for the blatant, deliberate, criminal misuse of their product=
s, that's quite a different thing.  We don't, for example, hold an auto manu=
facturer responsible if a crazed soccer mom or a loser twenty-something mows=
 down a sidewalk full of people, nor should we, nor do we hold the FreeBSD Fo=
undation liable if someone uses FreeBSD to craft a worm or virus, or to comm=
it some other cybercrime.=20

--=20
Chris BeHanna
chris@behanna.org=




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