July 4th, 2001 #133 Independence Day... again. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING happening that makes you stop to think hmmmmmm. ___ New York state just passed a bill to ban the use of cell phones while driving. Was it an affront to personal rights, or is it protecting the personal rights of others. Everyone's involved in issues these days: the government, the trial lawyers, the insurance companies. ___ At what point do we realize that we've given up our rights at the cost of chains and slavery. If you ask any computer user in graphic arts or publishing, they might agree that they're enslaved by Adobe. If you ask any PC user they'll probably agree they're being held hostage by Microsoft. ___ That's the way I reacted to the news about Microsoft Smart Tags. It was a brilliantly fiendish idea. Embed a little code into the worlds most popular operating system, and web browser so that certain words on any web page, in any web site, become highlighted. Then sell keywords to anyone with a product and a few dollars in their pockets. Wow, what a cash cow. A truly twisted idea. Under the microscope, Smart Tags are a blatant infringement on intellectual property rights -- surreptitiously interjecting Microsoft's paying advertisers into every web page on the internet -- all for a few pieces of gold. ___ Just imagine any big company with deep pockets gaining the rights to common, frequently used words. Suddenly millions of pages across the internet would be dotted with unnecessary and unwanted highlighting, probably linking to totally irrelevant web pages. ___ In mere days after the discovery of Smart Tags, Microsoft met with an unprecedented wave of opposition. Nearly every technology news source was blaring the news and editorializing. Shareware authors rushed to the coding bench to forge patches and system utilities that would override the code. Webmasters everywhere were posting and emailing HTML code that would disallow Microsoft's keyword scalping. Before week's end, Microsoft had rescinded their position on Smart Tags. The people made another independence day. ___ The Smart Tags case reminds me of the original declaration of independence back in 1776. We must always remember that while the founding fathers get the credit for that monumental event, in reality, they didn't necessarily sign that document because they dreamed it up. It was the people of the original thirteen colonies of America who forever changed the world. ___ When will it be independence day again? ___ It's up to us, the public, to decide that. It's up to us to get rid of our day-to-day blinders and recognize when to learn, when to understand, and when to act. Today's ultra complicated, hyper-connected world demands that we give diligent attention and perseverance to what surrounds us. And if we the people are steadfast and understanding, if there's injustice -- another independence day will surely ensue. Good day. July 4th, 2001 Fred Showker is a designer, consultant, writer and speaker. He has published 60-Second Window and DT&G Magazine online since 1990, and is director of The Graphic Design Network which includes The Design & Publishing Center at www.Graphic-Design.com. (1994) He was a co-founder of both The User Group Forum on America Online (1987), The User Group Network at www.User-Groups.net, (1994) and the Designers' Bookshelf (1996) He originally founded Showker Graphic Arts & Design in 1972, has been an avid computer activist and supporter since 1984. Got Comments??? back to the 60-Second Window Index, 60-Second Lobby . . . or: The Design & Publishing Center. / . The User Group Network. / . Design University. / . The Designers' Bookshelf. / Would you like to carry the 60-Second Windows column in your newsletter or web site? Ask us about our syndication program... join hundreds of others who now publish 60-Second Windows! Thank you for visiting http://www.60-second.com/ DT&G: The Electronic Journal for Design, Typography & Graphics c/o Showker Graphic Arts 15 SouthGate, Harrisonburg, VA 22801 TAD, Voice, FAX: (540) 433-8402 Thank you for visiting 60-second.com, graphic-design.com, user-groups.net, and all of the sites including The Design & Publishing Center, The User Group Network, The Graphic Design Network. We bring you 100% spam-free content for designers, illustrators, publishers, photographers, and visual graphics arts professionals from all corners of the world. http://www.graphic-design.com/DTG/ -- Contents Copyright (c) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001. 60-Second Window is trademark, copyrighted since 1990. DT&G Magazine, and The Design & Publishing Center invite you to visit Photoshop Tips & Tricks at: http://www.graphic-design.com/photoshop/. Reproduction or reuse of parts or all of this manuscript without prior written permission is expressly forbidden.