] But what will get the scientific community to accept being
] told what to do?
]
] Catastrophe. We have scientists saying they want to publish
] pathogen gene sequences on the Net. One consequential
] accident and we'll want to throw those researchers in jail.

Bill Joy has more to say about how information should not be free. A lot of the comments in here really piss me off. He offers that no one who disagrees with him has a well thought out perspective. He also makes the generational spin:

] I benefited a lot from earlier generations' sacrifice in setting
] up the system so I could be as creative as I wanted to. It was a
] part of me giving back.

Giving back how? By creating a future where the next generation cannot be as creative because they aren't allowed to learn about, say, UNIX because they could use such information to harm someone important or powerful who relies on said technology to run infrastructure? OK, maybe not UNIX, maybe, say, how to fly an airplane?

In history, how many times have wealthy aristocrats peered out of their castle windows down at the unwashed masses and reacted with fear? How many have said, "We've got to prevent these people from getting access to knowledge. We've got to prevent these people from getting access to resources. If these people got powerful there is no telling what they might do!" The fact is that we have gone through this over and over and over again in history, and it is well understood at this point that this is counter productive to everyone but the aristocrat. If this arguement was made by anyone else we would either be angry or we would be ignoring it. Shame on those who agree to go along this time simply because "its Bill Joy."

Bill Joy is wrong.

Wired 11.12: Billl Joy - the antihacker