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Re: Linux to be illegal in California?

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rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 12 May 2026 18:16:23 -0000 (UTC), Robert Heller wrote:
> 
>> I believe the law only (theoritaly) affects *vendors*, whatever that
>> means when it comes to Linux -- it might be a can of worms that the
>> California lawmakers might not really understand they are opening.
> 
> Most 'lawmakers' primary skill set is getting elected. Even leaving out 
> the ones that are congenitally stupid few really understand the fields 
> they are legislating. What they do understand is the lobbyists whispering 
> in their ears and promising to fund their next campaign.

Which shows if one goes and reads some of the California age 
verification bill's text (which is shockingly similar to the same bills 
that have popped up in other state houses, feeding the "Meta is behind 
this" belief, given that only a few months prior Zuck was testifying in 
the 'addiction trial' that "the best place to perform age verification 
is in the operating system").

But, reading the bill text, one sees that whomever wrote the text has a 
very narrow view of "computing" because the way the bill is written, it 
(while never directly stating so) assumes that the only computer that 
anyone owns is a cell phone, and that the only way anyone installs software 
on their computer (that cell phone) is via an "app store" that is 
provided by the maker of the cell phone's OS.

Now, for some of the 30yo and less population, the only computer they 
may have ever owned is a cell phone, but the field of 'computers' is 
way larger than "cell phones", even if cell phones are the primary 
computing system used by most folks today.

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Linux to be illegal in California? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-12 17:33 +0200
  Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2026-05-12 08:57 -0700
    Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2026-05-12 18:16 +0000
      Re: Linux to be illegal in California? rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-05-13 04:52 +0000
        Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2026-05-13 14:25 +0000
      Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-13 08:40 +0200
      Re: Linux to be illegal in California? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-05-13 12:48 +0100
        Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2026-05-13 14:31 +0000
          Re: Linux to be illegal in California? rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-05-13 17:49 +0000
            Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2026-05-13 18:55 +0000
              Re: Linux to be illegal in California? ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2026-05-13 19:13 +0000
                Re: Linux to be illegal in California? "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-05-13 22:41 +0200
                Re: Linux to be illegal in California? rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-05-14 02:05 +0000
              Re: Linux to be illegal in California? rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-05-14 02:01 +0000
    Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-13 08:38 +0200
      Re: Linux to be illegal in California? gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2026-05-13 13:12 +0000
        Re: Linux to be illegal in California? rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-05-13 17:57 +0000
          Age verification methods (Was: Linux to be illegal in California?) gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2026-05-13 18:26 +0000
            Re: Age verification methods (Was: Linux to be illegal in California?) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-05-13 22:44 +0200
          Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Robert Riches <spamtrap42@jacob21819.net> - 2026-05-14 03:31 +0000
  Re: Linux to be illegal in California? John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2026-05-12 20:45 +0000
    Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-13 06:18 +0200
      Re: Linux to be illegal in California? c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-05-13 00:24 -0400
        Re: Linux to be illegal in California? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-05-13 12:55 +0100
          Re: Linux to be illegal in California? rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-05-13 17:54 +0000
      Re: Linux to be illegal in California? John McCue <jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid> - 2026-05-13 17:15 +0000
        Re: Linux to be illegal in California? Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-05-14 05:44 +0200
  Re: Linux to be illegal in California? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-05-13 12:44 +0100

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