[mythtv-users] Free US/Canada Listings

[Rod Roark]

Michael T. Dean wrote:
> On 09/09/2007 01:31 AM, Rod Roark wrote:
> > From: "R. G. Newbury" <newbury at mandamus.org>
> >
> >> Scraping is not a core function of mythtv.
> >
> > Count me among those who disagree with this, and with what seems
> > to be your position that all scrapers are of "dubious legality"
> > and should not be discussed here.
>
> He's definitely right that there is exactly no scraping code in
> MythTV.

MythTV uses core functions that are in other code bases, and MythTV
and its users are very much concerned with scrapers.  Not to mention
that (as you earlier pointed out) mythfilldatabase contains code that
is strongly scraper-dependent.

> Then again, Rod, at least your DirecTV scraper seems to not break
> any TOS.  Others that have been mentioned/discussed are explicitly
> forbidden by the TOS of the website that's being scraped.

Thank you for acknowledging the validity of at least part of my post.

However (and here is where I think we part company):

I really liked what D. Hugh Redelmeier had to say about the value of
"user push-back" in defiance of EULAs and other one-sided agreements
(http://mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2007-September/193628.html).
MythTV itself represents this sort of controversy.  While my own
scraper seems perfectly legal, I strongly favor open discussion of
those on shakier ground.

Cheers,

Rod