Inexpensive, easy to use playback devices, that could hook up to all this. iPod.#
You might argue that we still haven't gotten all the pieces needed for it to really work. But one thing is for sure, none of the pieces existed when the famous patent troll claims to have invented podcasting. #
Maybe we should reach not for a victory but for understanding. The patent system is making decisions about technological processes it doesn't understand. No wonder it gets it so wrong.#
Postscript: The EFF filed suit against the patent troll, but didn't listen to what I said here, which is really fucked up because they didn't create podcasting, I did. There's a tremendous lack of respect for generosity in tech, yet without generosity there's no interop, only silos. Either you made billions from something, or you don't exist. That's why I stopped supporting EFF long ago, even though I gave them what was to me a significant amount of money when they started up, and why they get involved in so many wrong-headed ideas. They don't respect tech, they respect money.#
Last update: Wednesday August 20, 2025; 11:39 AM EDT.
You know those obnoxious sites that pop up dialogs when they think you're about to leave, asking you to subscribe to their email newsletter? Well that won't do for Scripting News readers who are a discerning lot, very loyal, but that wouldn't last long if I did rude stuff like that. So here I am at the bottom of the page quietly encouraging you to sign up for the nightly email. It's got everything from the previous day on Scripting, plus the contents of the linkblog and who knows what else we'll get in there. People really love it. I wish I had done it sooner. And every email has an unsub link so if you want to get out, you can, easily -- no questions asked, and no follow-ups. Go ahead and do it, you won't be sorry! :-)