What works for one person, with one set of needs and one working environment, will not work as well for another. Further, I just don’t believe anyone tests any given system enough to become so damn certain “this” is better than “that.”

Second Point: What is the problem with tool-bars? (This strikes me as judgmental elitism). Often they are junk, and I’ve learned to avoid a few, but I try them out. I like the one that came with U-Torrent, although I will admit I have it turned off much of the time to save screen space.

Third Point: People who attack file sharing are not fascists and people who defend it are not hippie commies. The issue is copyright, and it is plain that the copyright laws are largely controlled by the legal profession and the media big-shots, and so have become harmful to society. They need to be reformed.

That said, if you want the big-buck items–the blockbuster special effects movies and so on, they do have to be paid for somehow.

Still, the purpose of copyright laws is for the benefit of the public, not for the benefit of the content producers. Therefore, less expensive stuff does not need the protection, and the idea of rock stars becoming super-millionaires without a hint of talent or risk taking does get me in the craw.

It also sticks me in the craw to see a copyright holder use it to prevent the public having access to derivative works. This is to me a serious infringement of freedom of speech. So also is the propaganda about “intellectual property.” Again, the only reason we have such a legal concept is to benefit the public, not the property owner.

I couldn’t agree with you more