Date:         Wed, 23 Oct 2002 16:46:52 -0500
Reply-To:     Kevin Myers <KevinMyers@AUSTIN.RR.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Kevin Myers <KevinMyers@AUSTIN.RR.COM>
Subject:      Re: http://www.shadowyproblems.com/SAS/
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Guys, I am probably gonna get flamed for this, but I would like to offer a
different viewpoint on this topic...

In order for SAS to gain popularity, gain market share, and become a more
widely recognized and accepted tool, information regarding SAS needs to be
much more widely disseminated and readily available.  IMHO, the more
information that there is about SAS out there on the web, the better.  This
is one of the most important ways that other widely used tools have gained
acceptance and popularity.  Otherwise, SAS risks forever being viewed as a
niche product, that is completely unknown and unused by most people.  And
niche products, no matter how good they are, have a tendency to fade away
(potentially leaving all of us in a predicament).

Now I realize that the guys who built the subject web site have almost
certainly violated copyright laws, and that definitely isn't the right thing
to do.  However, in the bigger picture I've gotta ask, don't we all have
better things to do than to bother hounding these guys on this list,
especially since in some sense they are helping to promote the wider
distribution of SAS knowledge?  If SI wants to pursue these guys over the
copyright violations then so be it.  But otherwise, I say let's all just not
worry about it.

BTW, it seems that these guys could probably correct a lot of their legal
issues by merely providing links to SAS documents from their site, rather
than actually having copies of them.  Of course for the most part I don't
really understand why they didn't just do it that way in the first place...

On a related topic, I'd also like to suggest that SAS offer all of their
docs in electronic from on the web for free download, if they aren't already
available in that manner (I haven't checked lately).  Again, that would only
serve to better disseminate information regarding SAS, thereby generating
more public knowledge and awareness, and more demand for the software as a
result.

Preparing to get burned...

s/KAM


----- Original Message -----
From: "Nicholson Warman" <newarman@OFFICE.UNCG.EDU>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.sas-l
To: <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 3:50 PM
Subject: Re: http://www.shadowyproblems.com/SAS/


> They're back on-line.  The computer typing on itself is a "site" to
> behold.  Wonder how long this will last??
>
> Nick
>
> >>> Roger Lustig 2002-10-23 16:01:44 >>>
> ---connection refused----
>
> Looks like they're back in the shadows...those SAS lawyers sure move
> fast!
>
> Roger
>
> Charles Patridge wrote:
> > Does anyone know much about this web site???
> >
> > http://www.shadowyproblems.com/SAS/
> >
> > It seems these people have "copied" a number of web pages, content,
> papers,
> > etc etc and literally moved them to their site, including materials
> from
> > the SAS Institute Inc web site.
> >
> > Some of you may want to review it to see if your materials have ended
> up on
> > this site without your permission.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Charles Patridge