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Taking Aim At The Mod Squads

Posted by timothy on from the put-the-screwdriver-down dept.

Cutriss writes "CNN's usually dry and uninspired reporting was interrupted today by this interesting and rather well-informed piece by Eric Hellweg from the Technical Investor section. It compares and contrasts efforts from various companies in squashing/supporting the hobbyist community. It's rather well-timed, considering recent events."

10 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. You gotta stop the hobbyists... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Someone must stop those gosh dang hobbyists. First they're modding dreamcasts, and next thing you know they're stealing cars and seducing virgins!

    1. Re:You gotta stop the hobbyists... by RealAlaskan · · Score: 5, Funny
      ... next thing you know they're stealing cars and seducing virgins!

      These are computer hobbyists! The virgins, at least, are safe.

      --
      See what I've been reading.
  2. You've heard about the mods.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Now hear the rockers

  3. question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    If I buy an x-box and then in a protest to Microsoft's business practices, I destroy it, does that also constitute illegally modding it? :)

    1. Re:question by Istealmymusic · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, you must use your XBox illegally after the modification has taken place. If one was to destroy an XBox and the broken peaces as catlitter, for example, you've illegally modified Microsoft products and will be facing a jail sentence.

      --
      "The lesson to be learned is not to take the comments on slashdot too literally." --Vinnie Falco, BearShare
  4. The Mod Squads... by Embedded+Geek · · Score: 3, Funny
    Will nail me -1 for this post, no doubt. Still, I couldn't resist.

    *SIGH* There goes my karma.

    --

    "Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."

  5. Uno momento... by modecx · · Score: 3, Funny

    The problem is that most cats have better taste than to use XBox debris for litter. I think you would have to either find a cat that dosen't care, or is very desperate to do his thing, or both.

    --
    Constitutional rights may be respected, repealed, or modified; but they must never be ignored.
  6. Re:Wha? by aronc · · Score: 3, Funny

    Point taken, but if you don't use the newly modified device, its not a mod. At least thats the legal definition.

    You are using your modded device. You have a fresh capacitor you modded to get rid of all that extraneous TV crap. ;)

    --

    jello.
    aka aron.
  7. In Other News: Radio Shack closes operations... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    (Fort Worth TX, AP)... effective immediatley, Radio Shack will cease operations and all employees will be sent home. Radio Shack has been sued by an alphabet soup "Who's Who" of companies for selling what they have dubbed "Hacker Parts" in the form of diodes, resistors, and other "items that most people only use to [pirate] game consoles and satellite television signals." Radio Shack's Board of Directors was not available for comment. It is widely believed that they are being held in anticipation of pending charges for violating the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DCMA) by selling basic components which could be used to build a non-region encoded DVD player, or could be used to modify any of several modern game consoles into doing something more than the manufactuers intended them to do.

  8. Re:Rather wrong headed, in spots by some+guy+I+know · · Score: 2, Funny

    Give me any piece of code and I will reimplement it within 10 minutes to do exactly the same thing, using none of the original code.

    OK, I've got this copy of Windows XP...

    --
    Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana