Slashdot Mirror
Slashback: Secrecy, Toyware, France
Can't you just see this happening at your workplace? snowbike writes: "The missing hard drives at Los Alamos have been found. Apparently they fell behind a copy machine. It will probably be attributed to the closure and evacuation associated with the fires. Read all about it at CNN. Looks like there is still plenty of heat to go around regarding this--now the UC contract to run the lab is in danger." OK. So a little bit of data went missing. Are you perfect? Are you saying you've never misplaced a floppy, or left a few nuclear secrets behind the copy machine? More coverage can be found at ABC News, at The L.A. Times and at The Washington Post .
This is for your own good. In regards to Xday's discussion of privacy violations in Mattel software, Moses Lawn writes: "I'm an ex-Broderbund programmer that wrote all of the code for this, and I just posted a comment about exactly what it does, how, and why. It's actually pretty benign. (Hopefully my comment wound up in the right place - first-time posting and all.)"
Not a single Earth-destroying collision yet! People are pretty excited at Brookhaven National Laboratory, as RHIC (the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) just saw its first collisions. There are pictures and a press release here. That page also has links to some animations and more info on how RHIC and its component systems work. RHIC is the new particle accelerator at Brookhaven. Its main goal (among many) is to look for a quark-gluon plasma. This is the result of about 18 years of work, and it will be the premiere facility for high-energy physics research until about 2008.
Tell me again how this makes things easier? snoogans writes "I just received this from my Dell account rep. As deep a hole as Microsoft has dug, do they really need to do this? How can they force all OEM's to implement this BIOS lock thing?
'The contents of the OS media kits that are shipped with Dell systems for Windows 95, Windows 98SE, and Windows NT4 will be changed as of June 1,2000 (New OS media kits are already shipping for Windows 2000 Professional) Systems impacted: All OptiPlex, Dimension, Precision, Latitude, and Inspiron systems. Implementation will be worldwide and include all languages. Why? The changes to the OS media kits are required by Microsoft in an effort to reduce software piracy What is changing (exactly) Dell-branded OS media replaces the Microsoft-generic OS media. Artwork on CD will change from "Microsoft Windows X" to "Dell Product Recovery CD -- Windows XX" In addition to a copy of the OS, the OS media will include a BIOS lock that prevents the OS media from being installed on a non-Dell system. Microsoft requires the BIOS lock to help prevent software piracy. The set-up diskettes have been removed because customers can now boot directly from the CD The functionality of the OS media remains the same -- whenever the user is asked to insert the "Microsoft Windows XX" CD, such as when they are reinstalling the OS or when they are changing the configuration of their system -- they will use the Dell Product Recovery CD The Certificate of Authentication (COA) will no longer be attached to the front of the Product documentation. Instead, it will be on a label affixed to the outside of the system chassis. The COA label should not be removed from the chassis -- the label will tear into small pieces if there is an attempt to remove it and it will become unusable. The product key located on the COA label is a mechanism used by Microsoft to ensure that the operating system loaded on the system is legal - the product key cannot be used by other users to compromise the security of the system. Your ability to re-install the OS from CD has not changed, the Dell Product Recovery CD replaces the functionality available in the Microsoft OS media kits'"
It would be great if hordes of programmers and interface designers worlwide would come up with a freely distributable alternative that was more stable than Windows and obviated the need for such presumption.;)
Blowing their nose in the general direction. MissKitty writes: "Even though I deplore Naziism and have got to wonder about the people who collect this stuff as memorabilia, I was amused that someone had the guts to tell the French Court to push off. Under French law it is illegal to exhibit or sell objects with racist overtones. They were wanting for Yahoo to filter France's access to these things (that came up on their auction site). "Asking us to filter access to our sites according to the nationality of Web surfers is very naive," Yang, co-founder of Yahoo! said. Score one for political incorrectness."
If you buy another PC two years later, you should be able to install that same copy of Windows on it, because you paid for the license! You don't need to buy a new copy of the software for every machine you buy, just as you don't for any other piece of software.
Somehow, almost no consumer ever thinks of this. Maybe it's because the act of buying Windows is seldom a conscious decision; the tax is slipped in under their noses without giving them a chance to think about it.
If you buy a new PC to run Windows, save money by installing your old version of Windows on it.
To quote from CNN:
If NEST doesn't have *immediate* access to the information they need, bad things will happen, like cities being atomized or poisoned by plutonium. Encryption would add several failure points to the system, such as losing the key. Furthermore, a single bit error in encrypted data can render it all meaningless. When you're sitting next to an active nuke, "access denied" is *not* what you want to see.
On the other hand, secrecy isn't that important. The information probably didn't include full engineering drawings and instructions for building bombs, just diagrams and instructions needed for deactivating them. Besides which the open literature already tells you how to make a nuclear explosive -- obtaining the plutonium, and precision machining the fissionable core and explosive lenses are the hard parts (not to mention synchronized detonation of the conventional explosives and injection of neutrons).
-- ;-)
Kuro5hin.org: where the good times never end.
Shine on, you crazy diamond.
Here's what you do:
Buy two Dell computers under two different names.
Swap motherboards.
Attempt to reinstall Windows on machine #1 with machine #1's disk.
When it fails, contact Dell technical support and demand a CD that will work.
When it arrives, attempt to reinstall Windows on machine #2 with machine #2's disk.
Repeat until Dell is bankrupt, then purchase their systems at a huge discount.
--
Boris: Did you get the secret plans?
Natasha: Of course, comrade.
Boris: Let me see!
[Natasha hands a sheaf of splotchy blackened xerox paper to Boris.]
Boris: What is this?!
Natasha: I copied secret data from computer parts. They won't know.
Boris: Ayiiii! We burned the hillsides for THIS?!
[
AOL has submitted it's IMX draft to the IETF and it is available on the Internet at http://aim.aol.com/openim. Here's news of the story on C|Net.
As for the MSFT BIOS lock deal with Dell i'm not exactly sure how new this is. My IBM Aptiva i bought in April last year did not come with Windows 98 but instead with an IBM Recovery disk that would only install on my Aptiva 9which i found out much to my chagrin after assembling a new machine and being forced to buy a copy of Windows for it). I am surprised this practice is just getting mention now. It is VERY old news to me and I'm sure it is to other IBM Aptiva users.
Hey,
This has been discussed quite a lot recently. a Q&A section was recently run in PC Pro. Here's my parody:
Q: Will this stop piracy or simply increase Microsoft's profits?
A: By reducing piracy, additional revenue will be seen by us! Ker-ching Ker-ching! Woohoo! This in turn would lead to us paying higher taxes, but don't worry: Our lawyers are working 24/7 looking for tax loopholes so we can pay as little as possible!!
Q: If piracy is reduced, will we see cheaper licenses?
A: Of course not! Whilst we have just said "By reducing piracy, additional revenue will be seen throughout the industry", we won't pass this on to consumers. We'll carry on nailing you for the highest prices we can, just like always!
Q: Why are you adding another complication to an already complicated licencing system?
A: Our new media policy is genuinely intended to support the 5,500 OEMs who buy genuine products to compete on a level playing field. We are strong-arming them into this policy for their own good (And we wouldn't dream of disregarding their opinions), even if the only people who will see the 'additional revenue' which will be 'seen throughout the industry' will be us.
Q: Is Microsoft passing the buck to OEMs in terms of technical support?
A: We always have! Why should we change now?
Q: Will my OS work if I upgrade my PC?
A: Obviously, the BIOS key isn't overwritten when you flash your bios. We will, however, side-step the massive issue of people actually wanting to upgrade their motherboards but it won't matter! We think you're too dumb to notice!
Q: In the case of a backup partition on the hard disk, what happens if my disk fails or becomes infected with a virus?
A: Well, if you're within your warranty, you can send your system back for repair and wait weeks for it to be returned with all your files comprehensively erased. If you're out of warranty, you will have to go to a Microsoft-endorsed retailer who will nail you with massive charges to actually install what you have already paid for!
Q: Do your proprietary Kerbeos extensions have any purpose except to stop Windows 2000 being compatible with UNIX servers?
A: No, we're profiteering again! What's more, nobody will be able to do anything about it because the only people who have the power to threaten us are ignorant of the facts!
Q: Does Microsoft support the old adage 'The customer is always right'?
A: No, course not. Microsoft supports the adage 'The customer has money. Bill Gates must have this money'. Inkeeping with this adage, we will do whatever we have to to make more money, regardless of whether the end solution is as functional as the one it is replacing.
Q: Does Microsoft hate us all?
A: Only if you haven't got any money left to spend on our products.
Just my $0.02
Michael Tandy
"Goodness me, how unlike the FBI to abuse the trust of the American public." -- The Onion
What is this thing going to do to people trying to run WinXX under VMware? The VMware stuff has it's own system bios (some form of Phoenix). From what that message is saying, if the CD can not detect a Dell BIOS, then it is not going to install... or did I read that wrong?
Blocked all *.fr addresses, directing them to a page saying something like Nos excuses. Ces pages sont actuel bloquées des utilisateurs français pour nous introduire dans la conformité à une décision récente de cour.
Then they could honestly tell the French court that they were making a sincere attempt to comply with the ruling...
Hmm...perhaps they should also include contact information for the case, and a link to an explanation of what their position was.
Cheers,
Ben
My usual seat in the cluetrain is at A HREF="http://pub4.ezboard.com/biwethey.ht
Well as a former memeber of the Army Intelligence Corp I can tell you that this isn't as big of a deal as you think it is. Remember that most likely this whole building is secure. To even get in you will need either a Secret or most likely a Top Secret clearance. And once you are in, you would probably be able to access just about anything in the building with a badge. Its not like X-Files where every door is locked :) I am not defending them for losing it, cause they shouldn't have lost the stuff, but, I think it is being made a bigger deal than it is. The media is probably trying to make money off of this since the russians dont have it. They have to earn a buck too ;) Plus, I mean, think about it, how many floppy diskes do you have laying around that you missplaced. I think the media is overplaying this situation WAY too much.
huh?
I can see it now...
Lab Attendant #1: Oh no! The wildfires are coming closer! We have to evacuate!
Lab Attendant #2: What about the Nuclear Secrets? Shouldn't we take those along?
Lab Attendant #1: Yes, we should definitely save them... But who knows, they might burn up in the fire. Take them out of the secret, underground, highly protected fire-proof room they are in and put them behind the copy machine in the first floor employee lounge!
Lab Attendant #2: My God, that's genius!
Siiigh.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Wow! After reading today's SlashBack I am suddenly inspired to start selling copies of CDs online at very low prices. Example:
*YOUR CHOICE ONLY $2.99*
Copy of MS Office CD
Copy of Red Hat 6.2 CD
Copy of Corel Draw CD
Copy of Metallica's latest CD
Copy of MS Win2000 CD
- hundreds of other popular titles available!
(Plus $5 shipping and handling per order, of course.)
Who wants to partner up with me on this thing? I'll supply the Xerox color copier. You make the Web site. We'll send out millions and millions of emails to lucky "pretargeted" Internet users! We'll get rich!
</joke>
This scam-thought is partially inspired by the many nude enounter parlors that dotted San Francisco when I lived there years ago. They all had signs that claimed they offered "Oral Sex." After a hapless tourist bit on the come-on and forked over his cash, he was informed that oral sex meant
- Robin
UEJF, one of the two groups who filed the suit against Yahoo, is a jewish students' association. I asked a few jewish friends of mine, and they shared my opinion on them: that they're a bunch of crybabies who is using their heritage in a sad, sad way -- to boost their future carrier probably, as most of them are law students, actually.
When I first learnt about the lawsuit being filed, I jumped to their website and expressed my disapproval and my concerns in a rather polite manner. In less than an hour, I was called a nazi, a collaborationist and fascist ... Really nice people.
So I suggest that you all go to their forum and voice your opinion on this, here.
BUT... for the average consumer this is a GOOD thing. Having to wipe the drive and reinstall Windows (which WILL happen eventually) is a real pain. Normally, the average consumer takes the computer in to the local shop (CompUSA, Micro Center, etc). And pays a fee to have Windows reinstalled.
Ah, you say. Installing Windows is easy! Well... not really. You boot to the boot disk (do you have one that has CDROM support, if not, too bad) and type D:\setup. This installs windows, no problem. But what about the drivers? When Windows restarts it asks you for the drivers for the sound, video, and modem cards, which are usually included on batch made CD's with multiple drivers. Find the CD for the video card. Navigate to the directory where the driver is, because windows isn't smart enough to scan the whole CD for the correct driver. Load it. Repeat with the other devices, etc. But hope that Windows detects support for your CDROM drive before it detects your other devices, otherwise you won't be able to load the drivers--something that happens pretty often.
When I worked as a technician for a major computer retailer--our house brand did not include recovery CD's, but just Windows and individual driver disks. I am pretty sure that this is because we could charge $50 a pop for reinstalling Windows properly. (As technicians, WE had the recovery CD's) Lots of revenue there.
Giving the customer a recovery CD which reinstalls everything properly in one step is a Very Good Thing.
I cannot stress this enough. 15 - 30 minutes to get back up and running when Windows gets wrecked. This makes life so much easier for consumers and for technicians.
The main complaint I hear is that you can't then take the OEM Windows CD and install it on a computer you build. But how big a percentage of the population is this anyway? (Since this is slashdot, I also have to ask, why are you installing Windows on a computer you slaved hard at building??? You should now enough to run Linux (or *BSD)).
If you really want the Windows installation files, buy a burner and copy them from C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS\, right where they've always been on OEM installations of Win9x. Nothing too tough there, is there?
Be ot or bot ne ot, taht is the nestquoi.
I've had experience with these little gems, and they are an absolute bitch to try to use. Actually, let me rephrase -- they're easy enough to utilize (stick in in the cd-rom drive and boot up the computer). But if you want any control over your system at all -- components installed, configuration, etc. -- then you're pretty much out of luck.
One of my friends was having trouble with her Compaq laptop, and I basically decided to do a fresh install of Windows 98. Since I couldn't find a Windows 98 CD among the materials that came with her computer (because -- surprise, surprise -- there wasn't one!) I had her buy the academic edition through our school.
Over, hmm, the six or so hours that I wrestled with that installation, I slowly got Windows working with all of the proprietary hardware on the Compaq. However, I just could not find drivers for the sound card. I finally broke down and called Compaq, and they told me that no drivers were available, to use the helpfully marked recovery CD, blah blah, etc.
Well, I used the recovery CD, and like I said, it was simple enough (a 20 automated minute install vs. the six hours I had spent) but there was no way to stop it from installing all the additional crap that had been bogging her system down in the first place. I tried manually uninstalling all the programs that a.) run in the background and b.) have no apparent function, but there was only so much I could do.
Honestly, I get the feeling that this particular step taken to combat piracy has just gone too far. Personally, I could probably accept a computer with a machine- or brand-specific bundled OS. I mean, the next computer I buy will probably include an OS one way or another, so I can live with that. It's not particularly fair, it's an example of unreasonable software licenses, but it could also be worse. However, when the step so fundamentally cripples the installation process, you know there's a problem.