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Even with password protected WiFi, the lock can still be broken.

I've heard that is actually isn't, although it can appear that way. It will give you a warning that PSN is down, but if you keep clicking through, then you can play it fine. See the discussion at ars.

In the US this is true, at least as far as we know about Apple and AT&T, but Verizon/Apple have never disclosed their backend deal, and we don't know what happens anywhere else.

Actually most people didn't pay 150 GBP for XP. They got an OEM copy installed on the machine for free (well free to them) when they bought it.

It is rumoured that big OEMs like Dell pay US$ 50 or so for a license

http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2007/05/windows-tax-is-50-according-to-dell-linux-pc-pricing.ars

So it turns out that not including Windows saves the consumer $50 from the regular list price. This amount is not too far off from what a large OEM like Dell would pay for a volume discount for Windows Vista Home Basic (the regular OEM price is about $95). Many value PC sellers try to make up for the cost of a Windows license by bundling demo and trial versions of software such as AOL (affectionately known as "crapware"), for which they receive money from software companies looking to increase their distribution levels. Dell is no exception to this practice, although on their web site it allows customers to select the option of not including various applications.

As much as I hate to admit that the crazies are right, these things really are Stalin's wet dream: mobile devices are a wonderland of surveillance hardware. It's past time to push back on this, hard. That means two things:

1) free and open-source operating systems and
2) a public policy framework that makes this kind of data logging so terrifying and risky for companies that they really would prefer you to have control over your phone.

Here's the best shot I've seen at the software side of this:
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2011/04/for-paranoid-androids-guardian-project-supplies-smartphone-security.ars

Already happened.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/the-next-napster-copyright-questions-as-3d-printing-comes-of-age.ars

DMCA takedown notices applied to a reverse-engineered puzzle whose plans were posted online.

Should this be allowed to stand, traffic stops will become a new tool for police to conduct what would in any other context be considered illegal suspicionless searches.

From what I hear (from Leo Laporte on This Week in Tech podcast), the police can already request (for a nominal fee) many data from your cell phone carrier. Data such as geolocation, time of phone call and number called are not considered "content" like an actual phone conversation is, and thus have a much lower hurdle as far as the law goes.

See these two Ars Technica articles for more info, including this gem:

Soghoian describes how "the government routinely obtains customer records from ISPs detailing the telephone numbers dialed, text messages, emails and instant messages sent, web pages browsed, the queries submitted to search engines, and geolocation data, detailing exactly where an individual was located at a particular date and time."

I don't see this new tool as that big a boon to cops from the standpoint of normal folks. I can see the cops wanting it to get this data from phones who's number or carrier they don't know, for example pre-paid phones used by drug dealers. That said, I think this is all an outrage and they should reverse the 2005 ruling. Having a smartphone has some very serious drawbacks.

Should this be allowed to stand, traffic stops will become a new tool for police to conduct what would in any other context be considered illegal suspicionless searches.

From what I hear (from Leo Laporte on This Week in Tech podcast), the police can already request (for a nominal fee) many data from your cell phone carrier. Data such as geolocation, time of phone call and number called are not considered "content" like an actual phone conversation is, and thus have a much lower hurdle as far as the law goes.

See these two Ars Technica articles for more info, including this gem:

Soghoian describes how "the government routinely obtains customer records from ISPs detailing the telephone numbers dialed, text messages, emails and instant messages sent, web pages browsed, the queries submitted to search engines, and geolocation data, detailing exactly where an individual was located at a particular date and time."

I don't see this new tool as that big a boon to cops from the standpoint of normal folks. I can see the cops wanting it to get this data from phones who's number or carrier they don't know, for example pre-paid phones used by drug dealers. That said, I think this is all an outrage and they should reverse the 2005 ruling. Having a smartphone has some very serious drawbacks.

Not really

http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2011/04/npd-physical-media-may-be-declining-but-consumers-still-prefer-it.ars

They sued Arstechnica over an image they used, Ars will tell you of the legalities Righthaven got wrong.

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

FROM http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907528&cid=34532122

Now?

20++ ADVANTAGES OF HOSTS FILES OVER DNS SERVERS &/or ADBLOCK ALONE for added layered security:

1.) HOSTS files are useable for all these purposes because they are present on all Operating Systems that have a BSD based IP stack (even ANDROID) and do adblocking for ANY webbrowser, email program, etc. (any webbound program).

2.) Bad news: ADBLOCK CAN BE DETECTED FOR: See here on that note -> http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

HOSTS files are NOT BLOCKABLE by websites, as was tried on users by ARSTECHNICA (and it worked, proving HOSTS files are a better solution for this because they cannot be blocked & detected for, in that manner), to that websites' users' dismay:

PERTINENT QUOTE/EXCERPT FROM ARSTECHNICA THEMSELVES:

----

An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

----

3.) Adblock doesn't protect email programs external to FF, Hosts files do. THIS IS GOOD VS. SPAM MAIL or MAILS THAT BEAR MALICIOUS SCRIPT, or, THAT POINT TO MALICIOUS SCRIPT VIA URLS etc.

4.) Adblock won't get you to your favorite sites if a DNS server goes down or is DNS-poisoned, hosts will (this leads to points 4-7 next below).

5.) Adblock doesn't allow you to hardcode in your favorite websites into it so you don't make DNS server calls and so you can avoid tracking by DNS request logs, hosts do (DNS servers are also being abused by the Chinese lately and by the Kaminsky flaw -> http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/082908-kaminsky-flaw-prompts-dns-server.html for years now). Hosts protect against those problems via hardcodes of your fav sites (you should verify against the TLD that does nothing but cache IPAddress-to-domainname/hostname resolutions via NSLOOKUP, PINGS, &/or WHOIS though, regularly, so you have the correct IP & it's current)).

6.) HOSTS files protect you vs. DNS-poisoning &/or the Kaminsky flaw in DNS servers, and allow you to get to sites reliably vs

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

FROM http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907528&cid=34532122

Now?

20++ ADVANTAGES OF HOSTS FILES OVER DNS SERVERS &/or ADBLOCK ALONE for added layered security:

1.) HOSTS files are useable for all these purposes because they are present on all Operating Systems that have a BSD based IP stack (even ANDROID) and do adblocking for ANY webbrowser, email program, etc. (any webbound program).

2.) Bad news: ADBLOCK CAN BE DETECTED FOR: See here on that note -> http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

HOSTS files are NOT BLOCKABLE by websites, as was tried on users by ARSTECHNICA (and it worked, proving HOSTS files are a better solution for this because they cannot be blocked & detected for, in that manner), to that websites' users' dismay:

PERTINENT QUOTE/EXCERPT FROM ARSTECHNICA THEMSELVES:

----

An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

----

3.) Adblock doesn't protect email programs external to FF, Hosts files do. THIS IS GOOD VS. SPAM MAIL or MAILS THAT BEAR MALICIOUS SCRIPT, or, THAT POINT TO MALICIOUS SCRIPT VIA URLS etc.

4.) Adblock won't get you to your favorite sites if a DNS server goes down or is DNS-poisoned, hosts will (this leads to points 4-7 next below).

5.) Adblock doesn't allow you to hardcode in your favorite websites into it so you don't make DNS server calls and so you can avoid tracking by DNS request logs, hosts do (DNS servers are also being abused by the Chinese lately and by the Kaminsky flaw -> http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/082908-kaminsky-flaw-prompts-dns-server.html for years now). Hosts protect against those problems via hardcodes of your fav sites (you should verify against the TLD that does nothing but cache IPAddress-to-domainname/hostname resolutions via NSLOOKUP, PINGS, &/or WHOIS though, regularly, so you have the correct IP & it's current)).

6.) HOSTS files protect you vs. DNS-poisoning &/or the Kaminsky flaw in DNS servers, and allow you to get to sites reliably vs

"The problem is using programs that advertise themselves as WYSWYG editors when in fact they're not."

No, the solution is easy, and it's inspired from the MPAA solution to getting fair use access to videos for legitimate purposes: point a camera at the computer screen and capture a series of pictures of the document, one page at a time, and then provide the images :-)

Anyone looking at the time stamps can see you're the one doing the stalking, you moron.

This is the stupid nutter known as "the hosts file guy", aka Alexander Peter Kowalski. He follows me everywhere ... in the last month, he's called me a b*tch, a c*nt, a russian botmaster ... he's claimed to defy both gravity and biology by growing another 2 inches in his 40's, so he's now "overweight" instead of "obese", and of course, the usual threats to sue for libel, which he does to everyone, then always backs down. He can't help it - he's obsessed.

For those who are curious about just how retarded the "apk troll" is - just follow the magic linkies. The guy is a real nutcase. But you too can help keep him busy - just post something anonymously saying he needs to get a life, or that his hosts file doesn't work, and he'll spend the next few weeks stalking me instead of spamming about his "miracle hosts file". He is *totally* p0wned at this point, and doesn't even realize it.

http://www.jeremyreimer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4128 The "I have a lawyer and I'm going to sue the Internets" thread - very funny. Thee are updates on subsequent pages mixed in with the comments. Warning - it's 22 pages.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=891505&p=16510422#p16510422 - a collection of apk (Alexander Peter Kowalski) spam.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804http://www.thorschrock.com/2008/05/19/how-to-respond-when-people-threaten-to-sue-you-on-the-web/
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=453001
http://www.jeremyreimer.com/APKware/index.html screenshots

After getting kicked off a few other places (ntcompatible, etc) needs to find another place to push APK "toolkit" so he got himself an account on sourceforge with nothing in it - no projects, no code, and started
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=161862&cid=13531817 http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=158310&cid=13263898&threshold=-1&commentsort=3&mode=nestedsecond sighting on slashdot

If you follow the non-slashdot threads, you 'll learn that:

1. APK is 44 years old and really does live still with one or both of his parents (or another relative);
2. APK can't write software for shit;
3. APK stopped hosting it with download.com because he could use the $80 fee for buying better hardware instead (no wonder he posts on a 400hz computer),
4. His "programs" generally consist of nothing more than easy-to-code front-ends to edit ini files (his "graphic accelerators", for example) in Delphi, or "code that will remove duplicate entries from a hosts file" (never heard of cat /etc/hosts | sort | uniq > hosts.uniq)? Oops, my bad - Windows only - so grab a copy of cygwin instead :-)
5. his fav. languages as of 2 weeks ago are Delphi and RealBasic

   I am more of a fan of tools like REAL BASIC and DELPHI because they produ

Anyone looking at the time stamps can see you're the one doing the stalking, you moron.

This is the stupid nutter known as "the hosts file guy", aka Alexander Peter Kowalski. He follows me everywhere ... in the last month, he's called me a b*tch, a c*nt, a russian botmaster ... he's claimed to defy both gravity and biology by growing another 2 inches in his 40's, so he's now "overweight" instead of "obese", and of course, the usual threats to sue for libel, which he does to everyone, then always backs down. He can't help it - he's obsessed.

For those who are curious about just how retarded the "apk troll" is - just follow the magic linkies. The guy is a real nutcase. But you too can help keep him busy - just post something anonymously saying he needs to get a life, or that his hosts file doesn't work, and he'll spend the next few weeks stalking me instead of spamming about his "miracle hosts file". He is *totally* p0wned at this point, and doesn't even realize it.

http://www.jeremyreimer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4128 The "I have a lawyer and I'm going to sue the Internets" thread - very funny. Thee are updates on subsequent pages mixed in with the comments. Warning - it's 22 pages.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=891505&p=16510422#p16510422 - a collection of apk (Alexander Peter Kowalski) spam.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804http://www.thorschrock.com/2008/05/19/how-to-respond-when-people-threaten-to-sue-you-on-the-web/
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=453001
http://www.jeremyreimer.com/APKware/index.html screenshots

After getting kicked off a few other places (ntcompatible, etc) needs to find another place to push APK "toolkit" so he got himself an account on sourceforge with nothing in it - no projects, no code, and started
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=161862&cid=13531817 http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=158310&cid=13263898&threshold=-1&commentsort=3&mode=nestedsecond sighting on slashdot

If you follow the non-slashdot threads, you 'll learn that:

1. APK is 44 years old and really does live still with one or both of his parents (or another relative);
2. APK can't write software for shit;
3. APK stopped hosting it with download.com because he could use the $80 fee for buying better hardware instead (no wonder he posts on a 400hz computer),
4. His "programs" generally consist of nothing more than easy-to-code front-ends to edit ini files (his "graphic accelerators", for example) in Delphi, or "code that will remove duplicate entries from a hosts file" (never heard of cat /etc/hosts | sort | uniq > hosts.uniq)? Oops, my bad - Windows only - so grab a copy of cygwin instead :-)
5. his fav. languages as of 2 weeks ago are Delphi and RealBasic

   I am more of a fan of tools like REAL BASIC and DELPHI because they produ

Anyone looking at the time stamps can see you're the one doing the stalking, you moron.

This is the stupid nutter known as "the hosts file guy", aka Alexander Peter Kowalski. He follows me everywhere ... in the last month, he's called me a b*tch, a c*nt, a russian botmaster ... he's claimed to defy both gravity and biology by growing another 2 inches in his 40's, so he's now "overweight" instead of "obese", and of course, the usual threats to sue for libel, which he does to everyone, then always backs down. He can't help it - he's obsessed.

For those who are curious about just how retarded the "apk troll" is - just follow the magic linkies. The guy is a real nutcase. But you too can help keep him busy - just post something anonymously saying he needs to get a life, or that his hosts file doesn't work, and he'll spend the next few weeks stalking me instead of spamming about his "miracle hosts file". He is *totally* p0wned at this point, and doesn't even realize it.

http://www.jeremyreimer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4128 The "I have a lawyer and I'm going to sue the Internets" thread - very funny. Thee are updates on subsequent pages mixed in with the comments. Warning - it's 22 pages.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=891505&p=16510422#p16510422 - a collection of apk (Alexander Peter Kowalski) spam.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804http://www.thorschrock.com/2008/05/19/how-to-respond-when-people-threaten-to-sue-you-on-the-web/
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=453001
http://www.jeremyreimer.com/APKware/index.html screenshots

After getting kicked off a few other places (ntcompatible, etc) needs to find another place to push APK "toolkit" so he got himself an account on sourceforge with nothing in it - no projects, no code, and started
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=161862&cid=13531817 http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=158310&cid=13263898&threshold=-1&commentsort=3&mode=nestedsecond sighting on slashdot

If you follow the non-slashdot threads, you 'll learn that:

1. APK is 44 years old and really does live still with one or both of his parents (or another relative);
2. APK can't write software for shit;
3. APK stopped hosting it with download.com because he could use the $80 fee for buying better hardware instead (no wonder he posts on a 400hz computer),
4. His "programs" generally consist of nothing more than easy-to-code front-ends to edit ini files (his "graphic accelerators", for example) in Delphi, or "code that will remove duplicate entries from a hosts file" (never heard of cat /etc/hosts | sort | uniq > hosts.uniq)? Oops, my bad - Windows only - so grab a copy of cygwin instead :-)
5. his fav. languages as of 2 weeks ago are Delphi and RealBasic

   I am more of a fan of tools like REAL BASIC and DELPHI because they produ

Anyone looking at the time stamps can see you're the one doing the stalking, you moron.

This is the stupid nutter known as "the hosts file guy", aka Alexander Peter Kowalski. He follows me everywhere ... in the last month, he's called me a b*tch, a c*nt, a russian botmaster ... he's claimed to defy both gravity and biology by growing another 2 inches in his 40's, so he's now "overweight" instead of "obese", and of course, the usual threats to sue for libel, which he does to everyone, then always backs down. He can't help it - he's obsessed.

For those who are curious about just how retarded the "apk troll" is - just follow the magic linkies. The guy is a real nutcase. But you too can help keep him busy - just post something anonymously saying he needs to get a life, or that his hosts file doesn't work, and he'll spend the next few weeks stalking me instead of spamming about his "miracle hosts file". He is *totally* p0wned at this point, and doesn't even realize it.

http://www.jeremyreimer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4128 The "I have a lawyer and I'm going to sue the Internets" thread - very funny. Thee are updates on subsequent pages mixed in with the comments. Warning - it's 22 pages.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=891505&p=16510422#p16510422 - a collection of apk (Alexander Peter Kowalski) spam.
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804http://www.thorschrock.com/2008/05/19/how-to-respond-when-people-threaten-to-sue-you-on-the-web/
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1046804
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=453001
http://www.jeremyreimer.com/APKware/index.html screenshots

After getting kicked off a few other places (ntcompatible, etc) needs to find another place to push APK "toolkit" so he got himself an account on sourceforge with nothing in it - no projects, no code, and started
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=161862&cid=13531817 http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=158310&cid=13263898&threshold=-1&commentsort=3&mode=nestedsecond sighting on slashdot

If you follow the non-slashdot threads, you 'll learn that:

1. APK is 44 years old and really does live still with one or both of his parents (or another relative);
2. APK can't write software for shit;
3. APK stopped hosting it with download.com because he could use the $80 fee for buying better hardware instead (no wonder he posts on a 400hz computer),
4. His "programs" generally consist of nothing more than easy-to-code front-ends to edit ini files (his "graphic accelerators", for example) in Delphi, or "code that will remove duplicate entries from a hosts file" (never heard of cat /etc/hosts | sort | uniq > hosts.uniq)? Oops, my bad - Windows only - so grab a copy of cygwin instead :-)
5. his fav. languages as of 2 weeks ago are Delphi and RealBasic

   I am more of a fan of tools like REAL BASIC and DELPHI because they produ

SO... the best you can do when caught pretending to be me is to make threats you'll never be able to act on? You're going to come to my house, right? Next you'll say you're going to rape my kids, is that right?

Bring it on, buddy.

Why should I try to imitate YOUR posting "style"? You've been trying to make me look like an illiterate moron for the last 10+ years.

The FAKE apk = stagnated.

The FAKE apk = exposed.

Posting bogus Windows crap under MY name... Shit, everyone who knows me in real life knows I'm a lifelong Mac user!!

You are NOT ME.

You are a pathetic FAKE. ...the REAL apk.

(P.S. And no, I am *not* TomBarbaraHudson, either. S/He is ABSOLUTELY telling the truth about that!)

LMAO.

And no, I most definitely am NOT TomHudson.

And you are not Alexander Peter Kowalski. You've been using my name for at least 10 years, tho. And putting it on your CRAPWARE!!! BUT YOU ARE NOT ME.

Maybe you are Yuri Klastalov?

Don't forget, I know where you live. "...your days are numbered"

You are completely pathetic.

"The REAL" APK.

http://www.google.com/search?q=alexander%20peter%20kowalski... wouldn't it be great to have the first Google result for your name show what a psychotic jackass you are? "All bark, no bite"... and a few fries short of a happy meal, too. It's just too bad that the .apk file extension has polluted the results for his initials.

(For further reading, http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1003910&p=19122373#p19122373 - I am surprised, though, that someone who's been around as long as you isn't already familiar with him.)

Also, he changes his IP address so that he can spam Slashdot and circumvent the automatic postcount ban (slow down cowboy/you must wait a little bit).

P.S. I do owe APK thanks, though, for posting those links - I'd never seen the TomHudson journal entry that was linked to in one of the threads.

Good news is that you'll still be able to play these single player games when the authentication servers go down for you're AAA versions. I hear you on the time thing though...

Before you salute this vigilante gesture, a lone captain taking on the high seas of piracy, stop and consider these necessary questions:

1. How does the developer determine whether the customer's version of the product (a mod, no less) is legitimate or pirated?
2. Is this method a 100% foolproof way to detect a pirated copy?
3. Could a false positive ever be detected, flagging a legitimate customer as a pirate?
4. Could a programming error, introduced either now or in the future, ever flag a user as a pirate?
5. Could a cracked game executable, modified content files, or lack of Internet connection ever flag a user as a pirate?
6. What does the developer do with this new list of suspected users? Is it merely for research purposes, or does he plan to turn it over to other authorities (i.e. could these users be perma-banned not just from the forums, but also from the mod, from the game, or from the Steam network?)
7. What makes the developer think the pirate community can't bypass this slightly more deceptive form of DRM, like they have so many times in the past?

I do not condone the actions of people who would pirate an indy developer's $10 game, but I also don't condone a developer running wild on an anti-piracy power-trip. By banning every single person who complains of this from his forums, he may be inadvertently banning users with legitimate problems. It wouldn't be the first time.

Apparently not a lot since despite many people saying how they'd only buy more games if they had no DRM that is mostly bullshit. Hence why, for example, 2D Boy had to file for bankruptcy. Apparently despite doing all you can to please these pirates with making your game cheap, making it DRM-free, etc they will still download it for free and screw you over.

From your link:

Winner of the IGF award for Design Innovation and Technical Excellence, World of Goo recently made NPD Top 10 sales list for the week ending January 17. The NPD listing was a surprise, considering World of Goo designer Ron Carmel revealed the game to have staggering 90% piracy rate in November.

Yeah - damn those bastards buying the DRM-free game and generating sales that put it on a short list with the likes of World of Warcraft, Left 4 Dead, Spore, and The Sims. Way to screw them over.

Who the hell would buy a game without DRM?

Apparently not a lot since despite many people saying how they'd only buy more games if they had no DRM that is mostly bullshit. Hence why, for example, 2D Boy had to file for bankruptcy. Apparently despite doing all you can to please these pirates with making your game cheap, making it DRM-free, etc they will still download it for free and screw you over.

The best solution would be to discount the reader a bit *and* discount each kindle book you buy, say maybe by 10%.

Except they can't. The publishers have completely hamstrung the sellers' abilities to adjust the price of eBooks.

DRM that works can reduce losses from piracy. Or maybe I just imagined all the forum posts about the "friend" who pirates everything but buys PS3 games (well up until recently).

Ineffective and DRM free games get pirated equally. Just look at what happened to world of goo:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/11/acrying-shame-world-of-goo-piracy-rate-near-90.ars

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

FROM http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907528&cid=34532122

Now?

20++ ADVANTAGES OF HOSTS FILES OVER DNS SERVERS &/or ADBLOCK ALONE for added layered security:

1.) HOSTS files are useable for all these purposes because they are present on all Operating Systems that have a BSD based IP stack (even ANDROID) and do adblocking for ANY webbrowser, email program, etc. (any webbound program).

2.) Bad news: ADBLOCK CAN BE DETECTED FOR: See here on that note -> http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

HOSTS files are NOT BLOCKABLE by websites, as was tried on users by ARSTECHNICA (and it worked, proving HOSTS files are a better solution for this because they cannot be blocked & detected for, in that manner), to that websites' users' dismay:

PERTINENT QUOTE/EXCERPT FROM ARSTECHNICA THEMSELVES:

----

An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

----

3.) Adblock doesn't protect email programs external to FF, Hosts files do. THIS IS GOOD VS. SPAM MAIL or MAILS THAT BEAR MALICIOUS SCRIPT, or, THAT POINT TO MALICIOUS SCRIPT VIA URLS etc.

4.) Adblock won't get you to your favorite sites if a DNS server goes down or is DNS-poisoned, hosts will (this leads to points 4-7 next below).

5.) Adblock doesn't allow you to hardcode in your favorite websites into it so you don't make DNS server calls and so you can avoid tracking by DNS request logs, hosts do (DNS servers are also being abused by the Chinese lately and by the Kaminsky flaw -> http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/082908-kaminsky-flaw-prompts-dns-server.html for years now). Hosts protect against those problems via hardcodes of your fav sites (you should verify against the TLD that does nothing but cache IPAddress-to-domainname/hostname resolutions via NSLOOKUP, PINGS, &/or WHOIS though, regularly, so you have the correct IP & it's current)).

6.) HOSTS files protect you vs. DNS-poisoning &/or the Kaminsky flaw in DNS servers, and allow you to get to sites reliably vs

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

FROM http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907528&cid=34532122

Now?

20++ ADVANTAGES OF HOSTS FILES OVER DNS SERVERS &/or ADBLOCK ALONE for added layered security:

1.) HOSTS files are useable for all these purposes because they are present on all Operating Systems that have a BSD based IP stack (even ANDROID) and do adblocking for ANY webbrowser, email program, etc. (any webbound program).

2.) Bad news: ADBLOCK CAN BE DETECTED FOR: See here on that note -> http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

HOSTS files are NOT BLOCKABLE by websites, as was tried on users by ARSTECHNICA (and it worked, proving HOSTS files are a better solution for this because they cannot be blocked & detected for, in that manner), to that websites' users' dismay:

PERTINENT QUOTE/EXCERPT FROM ARSTECHNICA THEMSELVES:

----

An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

----

3.) Adblock doesn't protect email programs external to FF, Hosts files do. THIS IS GOOD VS. SPAM MAIL or MAILS THAT BEAR MALICIOUS SCRIPT, or, THAT POINT TO MALICIOUS SCRIPT VIA URLS etc.

4.) Adblock won't get you to your favorite sites if a DNS server goes down or is DNS-poisoned, hosts will (this leads to points 4-7 next below).

5.) Adblock doesn't allow you to hardcode in your favorite websites into it so you don't make DNS server calls and so you can avoid tracking by DNS request logs, hosts do (DNS servers are also being abused by the Chinese lately and by the Kaminsky flaw -> http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/082908-kaminsky-flaw-prompts-dns-server.html for years now). Hosts protect against those problems via hardcodes of your fav sites (you should verify against the TLD that does nothing but cache IPAddress-to-domainname/hostname resolutions via NSLOOKUP, PINGS, &/or WHOIS though, regularly, so you have the correct IP & it's current)).

6.) HOSTS files protect you vs. DNS-poisoning &/or the Kaminsky flaw in DNS servers, and allow you to get to sites reliably vs

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

FROM http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907528&cid=34532122

Now?

20++ ADVANTAGES OF HOSTS FILES OVER DNS SERVERS &/or ADBLOCK ALONE for added layered security:

1.) HOSTS files are useable for all these purposes because they are present on all Operating Systems that have a BSD based IP stack (even ANDROID) and do adblocking for ANY webbrowser, email program, etc. (any webbound program).

2.) Bad news: ADBLOCK CAN BE DETECTED FOR: See here on that note -> http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

HOSTS files are NOT BLOCKABLE by websites, as was tried on users by ARSTECHNICA (and it worked, proving HOSTS files are a better solution for this because they cannot be blocked & detected for, in that manner), to that websites' users' dismay:

PERTINENT QUOTE/EXCERPT FROM ARSTECHNICA THEMSELVES:

----

An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

----

3.) Adblock doesn't protect email programs external to FF, Hosts files do. THIS IS GOOD VS. SPAM MAIL or MAILS THAT BEAR MALICIOUS SCRIPT, or, THAT POINT TO MALICIOUS SCRIPT VIA URLS etc.

4.) Adblock won't get you to your favorite sites if a DNS server goes down or is DNS-poisoned, hosts will (this leads to points 4-7 next below).

5.) Adblock doesn't allow you to hardcode in your favorite websites into it so you don't make DNS server calls and so you can avoid tracking by DNS request logs, hosts do (DNS servers are also being abused by the Chinese lately and by the Kaminsky flaw -> http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/082908-kaminsky-flaw-prompts-dns-server.html for years now). Hosts protect against those problems via hardcodes of your fav sites (you should verify against the TLD that does nothing but cache IPAddress-to-domainname/hostname resolutions via NSLOOKUP, PINGS, &/or WHOIS though, regularly, so you have the correct IP & it's current)).

6.) HOSTS files protect you vs. DNS-poisoning &/or the Kaminsky flaw in DNS servers, and allow you to get to sites reliably vs

"Ever since I've installed a host file (http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm) to redirect advertisers to my loopback, I haven't had any malware, spyware, or adware issues. I first started using the host file 5 years ago." - by TestedDoughnut (1324447) on Monday December 13, @12:18AM (#34532122)

FROM http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1907528&cid=34532122

Now?

20++ ADVANTAGES OF HOSTS FILES OVER DNS SERVERS &/or ADBLOCK ALONE for added layered security:

1.) HOSTS files are useable for all these purposes because they are present on all Operating Systems that have a BSD based IP stack (even ANDROID) and do adblocking for ANY webbrowser, email program, etc. (any webbound program).

2.) Bad news: ADBLOCK CAN BE DETECTED FOR: See here on that note -> http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

HOSTS files are NOT BLOCKABLE by websites, as was tried on users by ARSTECHNICA (and it worked, proving HOSTS files are a better solution for this because they cannot be blocked & detected for, in that manner), to that websites' users' dismay:

PERTINENT QUOTE/EXCERPT FROM ARSTECHNICA THEMSELVES:

----

An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

----

3.) Adblock doesn't protect email programs external to FF, Hosts files do. THIS IS GOOD VS. SPAM MAIL or MAILS THAT BEAR MALICIOUS SCRIPT, or, THAT POINT TO MALICIOUS SCRIPT VIA URLS etc.

4.) Adblock won't get you to your favorite sites if a DNS server goes down or is DNS-poisoned, hosts will (this leads to points 4-7 next below).

5.) Adblock doesn't allow you to hardcode in your favorite websites into it so you don't make DNS server calls and so you can avoid tracking by DNS request logs, hosts do (DNS servers are also being abused by the Chinese lately and by the Kaminsky flaw -> http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/082908-kaminsky-flaw-prompts-dns-server.html for years now). Hosts protect against those problems via hardcodes of your fav sites (you should verify against the TLD that does nothing but cache IPAddress-to-domainname/hostname resolutions via NSLOOKUP, PINGS, &/or WHOIS though, regularly, so you have the correct IP & it's current)).

6.) HOSTS files protect you vs. DNS-poisoning &/or the Kaminsky flaw in DNS servers, and allow you to get to sites reliably vs

IBM has not launched any lawsuits against anyone for supporting Hercules, they just declined to SUPPORT or license their software for use on Hercules.

http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2010/04/ibm-breaks-oss-patent-promise-targets-mainframe-emulator.ars

"In a letter that IBM mainframe CTO Mark Anzani recently sent to TurboHercules, Big Blue says that it has "substantial concerns" that the Hercules project infringes on its patents. The letter is a brusque half-page, but was sent with nine additional pages that list a "non-exhaustive" selection of patents that IBM believes are infringed by the open source emulator."

One of the reasons they gave for not supporting Hercules was that they feel Hercules infringes on their patents, but that is far different from suing someone.

Sending threatening letters with a clear intention to sue is nearly as bad. There's no way somebody who is a friend of open source would defend this action from IBM. You're defending a rotten position.

Yes 2/3 of the US population live in a http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2008/10/aclu-23-of-us-population-lives-in-constitution-free-zone.ars
and http://www.youtube.com/user/CheckpointUSA

OK: Anyone is free to look @ the link I posted to you before here:

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2071668&cid=35756728

That cuts YOU, and Jeremy Reimer to shreds (Reimer's now posting here as AC in reply here now, because I have his emails saved here to this day & know whose those are) and I said what I had to, the truth vs. his fictions/lies & worse, here to he -> http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2074342&cid=35762566 in this very exchange.

You arseholes from ArseHoleTechnika? You're pitiful!

HOWEVER: Nearly the ENTIRE INTERNET's ONTO YOUR GAMES, which is WHY Arstechnica is dying... or, is Ken Fisher BEGGING people to come to their forums & take adbanner views not "indicative thereof"?

See below, & the dirty tricks HE played on arstech users too, no less:

----

An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

----

Nuff said... & ARSTECHNICA USED A KNOWN "hacker/cracker" trick called a "Web Bug" to do it no less... funny, it didn't stop folks like myself that use HOSTS files, .PAC files, & custom CSS files, instead of AdBlock alone/only though!

APK

P.S.=> Keep coming & telling more "tall tales/fibs" (lies as usual)... I'll keep "shooting them down" point-by-point, just as I did yourself, here today:

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2071668&cid=35756728

Too easy... truth always IS the best route, especially when you can back it up easily, vs. trolls! apk

You still writing those looong AC piled links to nowhere? Notice NOBODY responds to you anymore but me, and I ONLY do so to laugh at you? Why is that APK? Could it be like on Ars everyone is on to your bullshit and nobody gives a fuck what you think? Keep dancing for me monkey boy, while I don't bother reading anything you write it gives me a warm fuzzy inside to see you jump through my hoops and follow me like a little bitch who wants another taste, dance monkeyboy, dance! LOL! Here enjoy some copypasta, hell you aren't even interesting enough to bother responding to with anything else. Enjoy fail boy!

And this coming from poor wittle APK, also know as "Petey, the idiot HOPES file guy"? As in you HOPES that one of the 300,000+ constantly changing array of websites that are infected doesn't happen to be the one you visit today? Or that you HOPES that nobody notices after repeatedly being asked you have FAILED to show even the tiniest shred of mathematical proof that your magical woobie can scale? That you HOPES nobody notices your only "proof" is anecdotes, often by your own sock puppets like Kingsjester?

And I don't have to be exact, because I'm not the one making outrageous claims If someone claims they can stretch their dick into a giant slingshot and shoot themselves to Scotland it is not the readers job to prove them wrong but the posters job to back that up with real prof, not an anecdote that says "well my cousin Joey saw me do it last Halloween!".

I have also shown repeatedly that at the absolute reported minimum number of new pieces of malweare and infections, which you are free to pick whichever reputable website you like Securina, MSFT's malware reports, AVG, which ever, that at an absolute minimum we are talking about 1.2 million sites PER DAY with that number changing by 15,000+ PER HOUR which means even if you typed at 1 IP address PER SECOND, and never slept, and had a perfect list (which doesn't exist) you would be 14 days behind by the very first day with that number growing linearly every single day, making Petey farther and farther behind.

But if you weren't completely batshit insane Petey I wouldn't have to explain this, because this is why everyone makes fun of you. It is so obvious it is like someone arguing gravity is actually invisible pants gnomes trying to steal your underwear. It is the classic "default allow" which has NEVER EVER worked. Because if a piece of malware isn't in magical HOPES file Petey you are royally fucked, and yet again I have shown that it is simply a roll of the dice whether you get creamed or not, simply because you will always be behind.

So it is all on you Petey and your magical HOPES woobie now. You made the extravagant claims, back them up with the math. If you can't? Well then you are full of shit, case closed. Notice how ALL YOU CAN DO PETEY is throw insults and trollbomb? Why is that? I'll tell you why, because math doesn't lie and you just can't show the math You just can't, it would be like trying to mathematically prove you are not an idiot. It just can't be done.

So please, keep dancing to my tune like a little bitch APK, I do so enjoy pointing out the total uber fail of your magical woobie so. I also personally consider it a public service to point people to solutions that actually work instead of relying on magical woobies and anecdotes. And of course bi

A nice writeup here about one such experiment-- along with the backlash that accompanies proof that contradicts conservative beliefs.

I'm kind of surprised how Google has kept failing when trying to become a social network. You'd think they'd have everything. The by far largest search engine to market their network on, a crapload of Google accounts already, and most importantly - lots of smart people that are used to designing stuff for the web.

And yet, I'm not sure they get it this time either. I think Ars Technica put it best so far:

Given the size of the Internet, limiting the crowd that is able to sort through it for you to your circle of friends doesn't seem like the best solution. In the same vein, the assumption that Google users only have contacts whose opinion they respect may be a little off-base. The service could prove useful if you have a cadre of impeccably tasteful friends, but we hope this isn't meant to be the magic bullet for Google's increasingly SEO-burdened results.

The truth isn't always so black-and-white. I don't know what the guidelines are, but I doubt they state something along the lines of "only buy microsoft / proprietary software". Whatever the guidelines are, somebody would have put some due dilligence into them. If you wonder why, for example, Google Apps and say Open Office often miss out on govt. contracts, here's one possible reason..

They could very well improve those features and win such contracts again in the future. My point is merely that you can't believe the slashdotesque fact-free bullshit on these issues.

A brick_and_mortar store is the largest music retailer in the world... Walmart. *Not* Apple.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/04/apple-passes-wal-mart-now-1-music-retailer-in-us.ars

The US Court of Appeals just threw out Verizon's lawsuit against the FCC. You see, what the Comcast case said was that FCC couldn't dictate net neutrality the particular way they were doing it - not that they couldn't do it at all.

Also, as a side note, the President does not directly (or even indirectly) control the FCC. Just because the President and the FCC are both in the executive branch doesn't mean the President can call the FCC up and tell them what to do. So Obama "going rogue" is a total non sequitur in this case, but thanks for playing.

Yes. Why couldn't they come up with somebody more even handed, like Obama's IP Czar.

Tell me Petey, does it hurt? Does it eat and your mind, knowing that on every single post I make I not only insult your idiocy but I give a link to a laundry list of your failures? Does it keep you up at night? Does it hurt? I find that....marvelous. Now enjoy some nice insults mixed with the broken glass that is reality, something you sadly can't seem to grasp. Now wallow in your failure monkey boy, and do the dance of humiliation!

And this coming from poor wittle APK, known script kiddie and troll, also know as "Petey, the idiot HOPES file guy"? As in you HOPES that one of the 300,000+ constantly changing array of websites that are infected doesn't happen to be the one you visit today? Or that you HOPES that nobody notices after repeatedly being asked you have FAILED to show even the tiniest shred of mathematical proof that your magical woobie can scale? That you HOPES nobody notices your only "proof" is anecdotes, often by your own sock puppets like Kingsjester and MEK_Lovebug?

If there is ANYONE that should be LOLing it is me, for pointing out there are still morons that believe 16Mb HOPES files can do anything but block ads since ad servers are...what do you call it...oh yeah STATIC, just like your HOPES file, but really you are just kinda pathetic. You're like the idiot that just keeps hanging onto that three years out of date copy of Norton, because he is just so damned sure it still works, only the Norton guy is actually better protected than you are, since it did used to work in the past 5 years.

So please, keep posting APK, I do so enjoy pointing out the total uber fail of your magical woobie so. I also personally consider it a public service to point people to solutions that actually work instead of relying on magical woobies and anecdotes. And of course bitch slapping your around is also quite fun!

"Microsoft never has attacked other companies"

Microsoft files rare patent lawsuit against Salesforce.com
Microsoft Slaps Motorola with Patent Lawsuit over Android
Microsoft wins big on PND patent lawsuit
Microsoft Files Patent Lawsuit Vs TiVo Again
Patent Lawsuits Filed by Former Microsoft CTO’s Firm

Further, Microsoft has lobbied extensively in Europe for a software patent regime, funding numerous attempts to modify the current situation where a patent has to be litigated in each country separately. If they were being defensive, they would not do this, the current European patent system favors defense.

And further, Microsoft has pushed very hard, for many years now, to find a way to extract a toll on Linux, via patents.

They are not a patent troll, mainly because they delegated that job to Intellectual Ventures, a pure patent troll firm. They are repeatedly attacked by firms who hold patents, though often it seems Microsoft stole the technology, and the small firms are justified in seeking compensation. But they do abuse their patents, and they do abuse the patent system in an attempt to fight competitors like Linux and Android that they can't beat on technical merit.

> If making a good tablet isn't enough to sell a good tablet, that means that the
> demand for tablets is being driven by Apple rather than a need for tablets.

Or, it means the competition ISN'T ACTUALLY GOOD. Can you name me one tablet with a 10 inch screen, 10 hour battery life, and the weight and thinness of an iPad, at ANY price, let alone the same price or less? Read this Ars review of the Xoom and tell me if it's something you really want to own. I'm not saying it'll never be good, but it is absolutely not there yet.

Apple, believe it or not, is KILLING on price, and they've spent over YEARS* working on this device, whereas everyone else is playing catch-up. So there's a LOT of refinement in there that isn't always immediately apparent or easily quantifiable. 15 million people purchasing a $500+ device in the middle of a recession can not be entirely explained by a) braindead sheep easily swayed by marketing, b) fanbois, or c) OMGSHINY!

Face it, techheads, the iPad is FUCKING GOOD in ways that are important to normal people and possibly beyond your ability to comprehend. How many slots you have, how many MP or flashes your camera has, how many MHz or cores you have, IS NOT EVERYTHING.

Two quotes come to mind:
"No wireless, less space than a Nomad. Lame." - CmdrTaco on the original iPod
"If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know." - Louis Armstrong

NOT THAT ALL IS LOST. Face it--it took Android a couple of years to get to the point where it is a really viable competitor to the iPhone on most fronts. Give Android 3.0 another year of refinement, some better tablet apps, and some better hardware and it'll be truly comparable to the iPad. But two things: 1) No matter how good they get, they're competing against a juggernaut in this space, and I expect Apple to maintain 70-80% of the market, leaving the remainder to be split among many companies, and 2) Don't expect Apple to just sit still either. They'll keep improving the iPad roughly annually, and they're leading in this space, so the competition will be trying to hit a moving target.

* at the iPhone's launch in January 2007, Steve Jobs started by saying "I've been waiting two and a half years for this day." In post-iPad interviews he has said that they started on tablets first and then decided to release a phone first instead. So even if the two-and-a-half-year figure applies to when they started on tablets, that still puts us back to June 2004. Everyone else is saying "Wow, Apple is selling a lot of iPads, what can we make that's comparable?"

This certainly happened to ATI; but I don't think ZFS was cut for the same reason. It was never "leaked" that Apple would use ZFS, just rumored, since they had a working alpha version (well, they called it a beta, but it was nowhere near beta quality - at least for the reliability one expects for a file system). It was publicly known that Apple was working on it in April 2006. The beta worked on 10.5.0, released in October 2007 - I even used it myself that fall for an Operating Systems project in school. Apple themselves announced that it would be available in 10.6 Server in about February 2009. However, references were later removed, and the project was publicly canned in October 2009, about 2 months after 10.6 was released. Ars Technica blames it on either licensing issues, or possibly Oracle's acquisition of Sun. A Sun employee more-or-less confirmed.

But yes, if there's a drop-in replacement for whatever Sony's making that's reasonably similar, or if the design process is early enough (eg if the iPhone 5 is coming out in fall, not summer, as has been rumored), then Sony probably won't be in it. And either way, they probably won't be in the next one, either. After that, it's anybody's guess; it takes Apple a year or two to cool off after a leak like that, typically.

Though it is possible that they'll ignore it; they didn't say anything about the phone itself, other than the camera resolution. (Granted, ATI didn't say anything except that there'd be new PowerMacs in a couple days either...)

And this coming from poor wittle APK, also know as "Petey, the idiot HOPES file guy"? As in you HOPES that one of the 300,000+ constantly changing array of websites that are infected doesn't happen to be the one you visit today? Or that you HOPES that nobody notices after repeatedly being asked you have FAILED to show even the tiniest shred of mathematical proof that your magical woobie can scale? That you HOPES nobody notices your only "proof" is anecdotes, often by your own sock puppets like Kingsjester?

If there is ANYONE that should be LOLing it is me, for pointing out there are still morons that believe 16Mb HOPES files can do anything but block ads since ad servers are...what do you call it...oh yeah STATIC, just like your HOPES file, but really you are just kinda pathetic. You're like the idiot that just keeps hanging onto that three years out of date copy of Norton, because he is just so damned sure it still works, only the Norton guy is actually better protected than you are, since it did used to work in the past 5 years.

So please, keep posting APK, I do so enjoy pointing out the total uber fail of your magical woobie so. I also personally consider it a public service to point people to solutions that actually work instead of relying on magical woobies and anecdotes. And of course bitch slapping your retarded ass around is also quite fun, even if it is too easy!

URL for page 60: http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=238085&start=2360

A cautionary tale from Ars Technica. It's a long thread, but the "fun" begins about 2/3 of the way through (page 60-something, IIRC).

He is a known troll and malware writer who follows around and trollbombs anyone who points out that even simple math shows his "invention" doesn't work.

There is a reason why everyone abandoned HOSTS files in the late 90s, and that is because they slow your PC down while giving NO protection from malware. it is simple math really, you have a large (estimates at 1.5 million+) dynamically shifting target, where sites become infected, cleaned, reinfected, thousands by the day, sometimes thousands by the hour, yet this loon is convinced that a static HOSTS file will magically protect you from malware.

Sadly this person is also a paranoid schizophrenic with a serious persecution complex who will follow you around, sometimes for months on end, so he can "trollbomb" any posts you place while calling anyone who doesn't join his AC sockpuppet army a "shill post" or a sockpuppet, while quoting from people that frankly wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire like Bruce Perens, and then quotes them in completely unrelated matters to boot.

So don't be surprised if Crazy Petey follows you around for a few days friend, you dared to say something that goes against his "I'm a leet hacker that everyone fears!" delusion, just as I have been followed off and on for months, with everyone that points out what a batshit loonie Petey is being accused of being part of some vast super HB Gary sockpuppet army controlled by me and the Illuminati. I used to think the guy was just a Twitter style troll, now sadly I think he seriously needs some help. It is a shame nobody can track this guy down and do an intervention, as just from his writing style you can tell he is coming off the rails.

I don't think you'd get a COOP working, but you may be able to get the municipality to do so. You can do that in Kansas, but not Missouri, it's illegal. Same with Nebraska, Texas and Arkansas. The telecoms are actively lobbying to get laws passed in other states as well.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/07/who-supports-city-owned-fiber-networks-the-us-government.ars

The proper thing to do is sit back and wait, the telcos are sitting on a huge pile of money we gave them in the 90s to build these fiber networks, they'll get to your town soon....

1st: CA/Computer Associates, IS the "source" of what ARS TECHNICA (home of the internet troll, especially JEREMY REIMER, see below on THAT account) are just like yourself - easily shot down!

(and PROVEN criminals in BOTH Ars & CA, see below... & that everyone in the Computer Sciences based world KNOWS about, to boot - as to BOTH CA and arstech)...

OR, does THIS link I showed here before, which was + 5 INFORMATIVE rated no less here on CA, first:

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COMPUTER ASSOCIATES BUSTED FOR ACCOUNTING FRAUD:

http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1884922&cid=34350102

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NOT prove that much?

Sure does! AND ON REAL CRIME!

Fact is - You're only allowing me to expose my false accusers publicly once again for the slime they are... thank you!

It is truly, wasting your time, in that you're:

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1.) Making yourself look stupid, having to NOW "eat your words"

2.) Vindicating me from your accusations/libel of myself

3.) I mean, what: Are YOU a webmaster OR advertiser (or even MALWARE MAKER) that's losing monies due to HOSTS?

(JUST like arstechnica is, & dying due to it, & bushwhacking THEIR USERS with adbanners & traps like this they were CAUGHT RED-HANDED IN:

PERTINENT QUOTE/EXCERPT FROM ARSTECHNICA THEMSELVES:

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An experiment gone wrong - By Ken Fisher | Last updated March 6, 2010 11:11 AM

http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love.ars

"Starting late Friday afternoon we conducted a 12 hour experiment to see if it would be possible to simply make content disappear for visitors who were using a very popular ad blocking tool. Technologically, it was a success in that it worked. Ad blockers, and only ad blockers, couldn't see our content."

and

"Our experiment is over, and we're glad we did it because it led to us learning that we needed to communicate our point of view every once in a while. Sure, some people told us we deserved to die in a fire. But that's the Internet!"

Thus, as you can see? Well - THAT all "went over like a lead balloon" with their users in other words, because Arstechnica was forced to change it back to the old way where ADBLOCK still could work to do its job (REDDIT however, has not, for example). However/Again - this is proof that HOSTS files can still do the job, blocking potentially malscripted ads (or ads in general because they slow you down) vs. adblockers like ADBLOCK!

NOT ENOUGH?

Here's more ON ARSTECHNICA CRIMINALITY PROOF:

(How arstechnica email harassed me unceasingly, stalked me, impersonated me, & FAR more (libel + death threasts even!)

That is, until ISPs & tracking tickets were brought in alongside the law (Det. Felton B.C. CA (Reimer's hometown) & FAR more - CrystalTech.com removing Jay Little Reimer's cohort in crime, & large tracts of REIMER's personal site (& like criminals? They went to diff. providers & did it, yet again)):

1.) IN FACT? Asked them if ANY of them ever did anything that was well-noted in publications (as I have many times) in the art & science of computing (an ENTIRE FORUMS of them, not a single one had - I thought it was funny, because they like to "play computer expert" like Jeremy Reimer especially, & yet, not a single one of them then even had a CSC degree, or even CIS degree... not even MCSE certs) - that, clearly, got to their "geek angst" & the truth that not a SINGLE ONE OF THEM was really any form of "computer guru", period.

2.) I made them look foolish @ Windows IT Pro, where Jay Little & Jeremy Reimer stalked me to (after I asked via email that Reimer remove a post on his forums that said it was I, when it was