Z:gnu-www-ja-rms-nyu-2001-transcript--ce4a48-Now, this was my first, direct/en

Now, this was my first, direct encounter with a non-disclosure agreement, and it taught me an important lesson &mdash; a lesson that's important because most programmers never learn it. You see, this was my first encounter with a non-disclosure agreement, and I was the victim. I, and my whole lab, were the victims. And the lesson it taught me was that non-disclosure agreements have victims. They're not innocent. They're not harmless. Most programmers first encounter a non-disclosure agreement when they're invited to sign one. And there's always some temptation &mdash; some goody they're going to get if they sign. So, they make up excuses. They say, &ldquo;Well, he's never going to get a copy no matter what, so why shouldn't I join the conspiracy to deprive him?&rdquo; They say, &ldquo;This is the way it's always done. Who am I to go against it?&rdquo; They say, &ldquo;If I don't sign this, someone else will.&rdquo; Various excuses to gag their consciences.