Text Editor Notepad++ Banned In China After 'Stand With Hong Kong' Update (techcrunch.com) 87
The website of Notepad++ is banned in China as of Monday, "obviously due to" its release of editions named "Free Uyghur" and "Stand with Hong Kong," the source code and text editor announced on Twitter. TechCrunch reports: First released in 2003 by France-based developer Don Ho, free-to-use Notepad++ operates on Windows and supports some 90 languages. In his release notices for the two editions, Ho openly voiced his concerns over "human rights" conditions, respectively in the Xinjiang autonomous region and Hong Kong. Tests by TechCrunch found that the Notepad++ ban only applies to its Download page -- which showcases the special editions and thus politically sensitive language -- when one tries to reach it from Chinese browsers developed by Tencent (QQ Browser and WeChat's built-in browser), Alibaba (UC Browser), 360 and Sogou. These services flag the page as containing content "prohibited" by local regulators.
Notepad++'s home page, on the other hand, remains unblocked through these local browsers. One can still access the full site from Chrome and DuckDuckGo in China. The ban began as early as August 12 when a user notified Ho of the ban, the developer told TechCrunch. He has never been contacted by any Chinese government authority and does not plan to take measures to cope with the website restriction.
Notepad++'s home page, on the other hand, remains unblocked through these local browsers. One can still access the full site from Chrome and DuckDuckGo in China. The ban began as early as August 12 when a user notified Ho of the ban, the developer told TechCrunch. He has never been contacted by any Chinese government authority and does not plan to take measures to cope with the website restriction.
Only thing that needs to be said (Score:1, Troll)
Fuck China and their
Communist
Censorship
Propaganda
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
If we cut off most trade with them, they'll just dig in and become more stubborn and desperate, like N. K. Sometimes half getting along a better strategy. We can't rid the world of every jerk.
Re: (Score:2)
The same is true for many other huge western corporations.
Re: (Score:2)
China has the population.
We seem to forget that Businesses need customers. Trading with China both sides benefits, US Businesses get more Customers, China gets customers with big bank accounts.
Re: (Score:3)
While one may deplore China human rights, they are still most favored nation to trade with. Primarily due to having the worlds most populous country. There are just so many more possible customers than in the United States or in Europe. While opening trade with them in the 1970's, China has improved overall. However not in the same rate that Japan did. The Chinese Communist Government is a tough nut to crack, and they are not as much as a military threat as the USSR was. So it makes it difficult to j
Re: (Score:2)
One point I would like to make in reply is that the massively profitable corporations that dominate the economies of the west have less than no interest in human rights, and we can see that is true by their actions.
If they did, there would be moves taken to embargo the Asian fishing industry which uses slavery to staff it's ships, and always has.
Indonesia would also be facing sanctions for the brutal repression of the minorities within its borders. See: West Papua.
Jus
Re: (Score:2)
Well no, but doesn't mean you shouldn't try [youtube.com]. It's the American Way!
Re: Only thing that needs to be said (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
But we do need to reduce China's access to Western Economies and financial systems to the same that they provide. If our policy makers do this, it will create a lot more hurtles for China if they want to dig in.
If your policy makers do this it may cause financial turmoil for those western countries. China has significant leverage over the financial systems of the west. You think the bailout from coronavirus was bad, you better hope that China doesn't come to collect on the US debt it holds.
Re: Only thing that needs to be said (Score:1)
Re: Only thing that needs to be said (Score:1)
Personally I find Xitler more appropriate
Re: (Score:1)
Trade and tourism with Taiwan is just fine. They may be diplomatically isolated, but biz is good.
Re: (Score:2)
It won't be like the NORKS. The Chinese people have experienced certain freedoms and they like it. If the CCP tries to take all of it from them it won't be pretty but it will end the CCP.
Re: (Score:2)
If we cut off most trade with them, they'll just dig in and become more stubborn and desperate, like N. K. Sometimes half getting along a better strategy.
Neville Chamberlain thought that too, and look how well that turned out for the world.
Re: (Score:2)
No need to be outraged. Notepad++ is a valuable asset, and depriving your citizens of it is just a fun way of shooting yourself in the foot.
Notepad++ is Excellent! (Score:3)
I like Tidy plug-in that makes HTML easy to read. Other plug-ins are very helpful, also.
Something negative: Programs should be sensibly named. The ++ in a name means the name can not be used as a DOS name.
Another poor name: Rust, the programming language. "Stainless" would not be a good name, but it is better than "Rust".
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Where's the outrage (Score:5, Insightful)
Personally, I think he's a despicable populist asshole who'd say anything to get a reaction. Much like any spoiled child who never got his parents to give any attention to him unless he broke the family china. So I'm willing to bet he only said that pedo shit to get some attention. He's a little attention whore, nothing else.
Re: (Score:2)
unless he broke the family China
AHH-HAA, I see what you did there. :-)
Re: (Score:2)
Proper capitalization is important. Proof?
"I had to help my uncle Jack off a horse"
The difference here is whether this statement makes you a nice person or someone who I don't want to shake hands with.
Re: (Score:3)
I think it all depends on whether or not euthanizing the horse was the humane thing to do.
Re: Where's the outrage (Score:1)
Artificial insemination is important in the equine industry.
stupid commies (Score:2)
Incredibly easy to bypass this.
Torrent links /downloads2 that just links to the original downloads)
VPN
Use a real browser (like Chrome or Firefox) instead of communist spyware garbage browsers.
Setup a 2nd URL with the downloads (i.e.
etc
Re: (Score:2)
Use a real browser
All browsers in china have encryption ripped out to be legal.
Re: (Score:2)
Reminds me of the stupid encryption rules with web browsers in the USA back in the 90's. Everyone ignored it, and downloaded whatever the hell they wanted. You could find thousands of FTP sites with the full encryption versions of IE and Netscape, and no naggy questions to ask before downloading it.
I am sure Chinese net users have no problems downloading non crippled versions of Firefox and Chrome.
Re: (Score:3)
I am sure Chinese net users have no problems downloading non crippled versions of Firefox and Chrome.
In the US we do have laws against wiretapping the internet without a warrant to see what people are downloading. In China they don't. It's not at all clear that Chinese net users "have no problem" downloading encrypted web browsers.
(Yes, the NSA may be violating those laws. But they're not using wiretaps to arrest people who are downloading web browsers that illegally have encryption.)
Re: (Score:2)
Not so stupid... What you're missing here is that those [fairly common] browsers are just an additional way for them to quickly block casual access to things that they'd miss in their firewall due to https.
If things continue in the direction we've been going, how many Chinese citizens do you think will have access to Chrome or Firefox?
China's CCP continues to tighten their grip... Maybe if we (the west) can push it far enough it'll backfire and they'll have to chill out?
Re: (Score:2)
I'm with hong kongers but... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:I'm with hong kongers but... (Score:5, Insightful)
Dude writes it for free, he can call releases whatever he wants.
Heck, open source has always had strong ties with rights.
Re: (Score:2)
Software should not be political, no matter what side.
There's nothing wrong with software developers expressing an opinion. It should even be encouraged.
It's only a problem when open source projects seek to prevent the use of their software by some people based on their political biases.
Re: (Score:2)
Doesn't seem like that's the case here. He's the blockee, not the blocker. You could argue that he set himself for that to happen, but it's his right to use his platform to make whatever statement he chooses. If some country blocks him because of it, that's on them, not him.
Re: (Score:2)
Software should not be political
Open source software by it's very nature is political.
Good. (Score:5, Insightful)
I've been using Notepad++ for years. It was about time to donate a few bucks. This just gave me a nice excuse.
Re: (Score:2)
+1
Re: (Score:2)
I've been using it off and on too, but now I know the ignorance of its authors, I'm happy to uninstall it.
I've heard ... (Score:1)
Ridiculous (Score:2, Troll)
It's ridiculous to see a government unilaterally censor a popular software product because of damaging political speech, superficially asserting national security interests.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
It's ridiculous to see a government unilaterally censor a popular software product because of damaging political speech, superficially asserting national security interests.
Agreed, but Winnie is every bit as narcissistic and vain as that orange guy is.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
You know what, I don't think he is. At all. I think he'd be far less dangerous if he was. What he does seems far more calculating and thoughtful than someone like Trump who's in large part out to sate their narcissistic insecurities. I think that pooh man genuinely thinks what he's doing is in the best interest of China in the long term, he just doesn't care enough about basic human rights to take them into consideration as something that might be more important than not having to deal with meaningful disse
Re: (Score:2)
Bolsonaro? Duterte? Now you're talking Trump style leaders.
Re: (Score:2)
But "at least we're not as bad as China" is kind of like being the thinnest kid at fat camp.
Re: (Score:2)
You know what, I don't think he is. At all. I think he'd be far less dangerous if he was. What he does seems far more calculating and thoughtful than someone like Trump who's in large part out to sate their narcissistic insecurities.
I don't see them as being mutually exclusive. Winnie is for sure calculating. As is Putin. And both think they are very special and loved much as Trump (and Bolsonaro and Duterte FTM) do.
On the contrary, I'm glad Trump (and his despotic acolytes) are not as smart and calculating as Winnie and Vlad. He would be far more dangerous if he was.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
In the case of TikTok, it's the obviously the users. The motivation is clearly the same. If you think Trump would have his sights on TikTok of those kids didn't interrupt his rallies, you're asleep.
Oh no, Don Ho! (Score:2)
Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog.
Why not do this with all software (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
If it's open-source, all thats going to happen is its going to get forked and renamed and China will carry on as if nothing happened.
and then apple will ban them from app store if the (Score:2)
and then apple will ban them from app store if they do that.
Re: (Score:2)
Personally I support the developer's right to post as he has.and would not be offended if others did the same. I'm aware of times that other developers posted things on their pages I disagreed with, but I don't argue that they should have the right.
But if you want me to stop using your software, start littering it with political popups. Even ones I do agree with. That's intrusive, I disapprove just as I disapprove on ad popups & campaign popups and I'd dump the software that encourages it.
I do like
The right principles (Score:5, Interesting)
I cannot commend this highly enough. The forced sterilizations [apnews.com] and concentration camps [apnews.com] there are falling much too far under the radar here in the USA, where everybody is obsessed with domestic politics.
I cannot stand our current president, but have certainly been happy about those times when he has picked fights with the Chinese government.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
but have certainly been happy about those times when he has picked fights with the Chinese government.
Picking a fight with a school bully to try and steal their lunch without actually bringing any benefit to those other being bullied it utterly worthless. You may be happy that the USA is fucking up the entire world with a trade dispute, but the rest of us wish that the USA would actually address the issue you allude to rather than pointlessly and almost self destructively focus on their own gain.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but that's all bollocks mate. Just go there and see.
Re: (Score:3)
I think the answer to your hypothetical scenario is pretty obvious:
The developer would be "canceled", but the site certainly wouldn't be blocked in web browsers or at the network layer. At least in this case it's a general societal response rather than a governmental edict.
"Cancel culture" is extremely "toxic". But not nearly as bad as governmental censorship.
Re: (Score:2)
"At least in this case it's a general societal response rather than a governmental edict."
A cynic might wonder what the Trump administration has in store for TikTok. Not in a government edict way, of course.
Re: (Score:2)
I suspect that he'd be doxxed promptly and have the site knocked off the network. Same effect as the China censorship, different actor group.
Re: (Score:1)
I once did something like this, half a joke — released a tiny piece of software of my own under a BSD-license with a special extra clause banning its use by anyone, who owns any item of clothing with Che Guevara portrait.
Nothing happened — except once someone contacted me asking about dropping the clause, so that they can include my software with their distro :)
Re: (Score:2)
software licenses are generally unread, and weird clauses remain unseen. What you can and cannot put in a license is governed by law, and weird clauses may invalidate the license (things like giving your firstborn to the company). A release name is much more high profile, and almost infinitely more noticable.
Re: (Score:1)
They are read — at least, by people, who decide what can go into a distro. In BSD world we also pay attention to licenses — FreeBSD ports-collection, for example, tries to discern the terms of every ported package's license to determine, whether: a) it can be distributed in compiled form; b) the source can be distributed too; c) the user can be assumed to have pre-agreed to the license, or needs to explicitly confirm the agreement when building the package.
S
Probably nothing (Score:1)
Donation (Score:3)
Didn't know about this. Subsequently donated $20 to Notepad++ (not sure the last time I did, and it's a very handy and well-updated tool), and another $100 to the EFF.
There is so much (Score:1)
It is certainly easier criticize China & Hong Kong which are thousands miles away.
By the way, there is no Notepad++ neither for MacOS, nor for Linux.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
right, government is throwing minorities in concentration camps, burning down churches and temples, forcing abortion and implanting contraception again their will....
it's nothing like the West.
Don Ho Principles (Score:1)