Python obfuscation

[Anton Vredegoor]

Alex Martelli wrote:
> Anton Vredegoor <anton.vredegoor at gmail.com> wrote:
>    ...
> > Suppose I grant all your theories about optimal marketing strategies.

I wish I hadn't done that :-) But seriously, I'm having trouble
answering in detail all of your points (which doesn't mean I don't
value them highly) because my online time is limited by the time period
this library is open, and I also want to scavange as much offline
reading material as possible while I'm connected.

> > This still doesn't account for the way the market is behaving *now*. It
> > isn't in any way logical or optimal. For example in Holland (where I
> > live) complete governmental departments are dedicated to make life
>
> What makes you think that governmental departments are part of the
> *market*?!  Government behavior is controlled by laws that are vastly
> different from those controlling market behavior; if you're interested,
> you could study the "theory of public choice".

I don't think so, so the question can't be answered. It's the same
logic that enabled me to say "payed webservices can only work well if"
when in context of replacing obfuscation techniques. From 1+1 == 3  I
can derive anything. I know its lame, but my time limitation forces me
to go back (or up) one level in order to refute you.

<snip>

> > You seem to tackle the problem of python obfuscation by first proving
> > that it isn't feasible and then giving some kind of solution that will
> > work and give the desired result: webservices. However when I look at
>
> That seems to me to be a practicable technical approach, yes.
>
> > obfuscation techniques I see a desire to profit from giving some person
> > the idea that he or she is superior to someone else because he has a
> > better product. In order to avoid copying we now need obfuscation. The
>
> You're discussing the *motivation* for obfuscating, while what I was
> giving was a possible way of *implementing* similar effects.

Yes, that's the point. If you can produce at zero cost then the whole
economic theory falters. You enter another continuum where traditional
economic values become meaningless. From obfuscation to webservices is
a big step in that direction.

<snip>

> Since redistribution of value, as long as a lot of value is created, can
> be dealt with by other means, maximizing the creation of value tends to
> be the goal I prefer -- a policy that quashes part or all of value
> creation based on redistributive precepts is, by this very fact, going
> to be something I look askance at (making the pie smaller to try to
> ensure that what little is left gets sliced according to your political
> preferences, rather than ensuring the pie is as big as possible as the
> first order of business, and dealing with the slicing issues as
> _secondary_ ones).

I agree with your sentiment, but in order to maximize value creation we
should leave material payments out of the equation when they only slow
things down. From your writing I gather you already live in those
quarters but you are still using materialistic concepts to describe the
world. I don't blame you for it because I wouldn't know myself what
would be applicable to a zero cost - maximal gain economy.

Anton