Slashdot Mirror
W3C Poised To Release New Patent Policy
egoff writes "According to ComputerWorld, the Patent Policy Working Group at the W3C is ready to release a new proposal for dealing with technology patents that get in the way of creating web standards. While making no comment, the W3C was seeking public input for its Royalty Free Patent Policy until April 30th."
I'm going out to get some!
Later, dorks!
who cares
WINDOS IS TEH BEST I L@VE IT I LIKE TO HAVE SEX0R WITH BILL G@TES WEEE
i like windows lunix sucks
I know I've been making a lot of noise about how meta-mod can be used as a tool to increase the noise.
Here's a real-world example. This post came to me for meta-modding. The moderation I was assigned to meta-mod was the one UP-MODDING the post to "Interesting". Of course I marked it "fair", because whatever moderator sacrificed a mod point for that post deserves to be rewarded.
By meta-modding that moderation as "fair", I'm helping ensure that moderator gets mod points again.
Conversely (inversely? I can never remember), there was this post. My job was to meta-moderate one of the upmods given to it ("+1 Interesting"). *YAWN* That's surely not noise. Whatever moderator used a point to mod that up surely doesn't deserve to keep his moderation ability, so I mark it "UNFAIR".
I wish I had a better example of an "UNFAIR" moderation, but you can imagine a slashbot spouting some tired anti-Microsoft FUD. When these are modded up, I mark those moderations "UNFAIR" with extreme prejudice.
In this way I'm using Slashdot's own moderation system to reward trolls and punish... well... anyone who isn't a troll.
If more trolls were to (ab)use the meta-mod system, it'd be safer for them to abuse the MOD system, and hasten the inevitable Slashdot implosion. I get the opportunity to meta-mod twice a day. It takes a couple of minutes, and I get to do my part.
NOW GET META-MODDING!
YHBT. HAND.
Is Meta-Meta-Moderation, making sure each Meta-Moderation is proper!
for real answers to tough questions,
Ask the Open Source Expert
I became aware, during the film, that a majority of the major characters were played by African Americans. Neo and Trinity are white, and so is Agent Smith, but consider Morpheus; his superior Commander Lock (Harry Lennix); the beautiful and deadly Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), who once loved Morpheus and now is with Lock, although she explains enigmatically that some things never change; the programmer Link (Harold Perrineau); Link's wife, Zee (Nona Gaye), who has the obligatory scene where she complains he's away from home too much, and the Oracle (the late Gloria Foster, very portentous). From what we can see of the extras, the population of Zion is largely black.
I think it's version 7.1. If you upgrade try to play a ".wma" file that you ripped, it sends you a page that says "your registry has not been updated with the signature of your copied cd". Something like that. They record your IP address and information about the copied file at that time... regardless fo whether you say "OK". Freaked me out.
What's all the DRM crap really for? It's not to catch real hackers, who will strip off DRM info and watermarks like wrapping paper at Christmas.
No, the point is to scare average people into paying for more CD's. Good little hackers use anonymizers while surfing. They download as muich as they wany - and, partially due to lack of unicast filtering standards, are free to wreak havoc online anonymously and safely with their botnets.
Controlling access to the free distribution of information is probably stup in the long run anyway. Simply slow down the memetic and, eventually, genetic evolution of our species.
[ed. note: in the following text, former FreeBSD developer Mike Smith gives his reasons for abandoning FreeBSD]
When I stood for election to the FreeBSD core team nearly two years ago, many of you will recall that it was after a long series of debates during which I maintained that too much organisation, too many rules and too much formality would be a bad thing for the project.
Today, as I read the latest discussions on the future of the FreeBSD project, I see the same problem; a few new faces and many of the old going over the same tired arguments and suggesting variations on the same worthless schemes. Frankly I'm sick of it.
FreeBSD used to be fun. It used to be about doing things the right way. It used to be something that you could sink your teeth into when the mundane chores of programming for a living got you down. It was something cool and exciting; a way to spend your spare time on an endeavour you loved that was at the same time wholesome and worthwhile.
It's not anymore. It's about bylaws and committees and reports and milestones, telling others what to do and doing what you're told. It's about who can rant the longest or shout the loudest or mislead the most people into a bloc in order to legitimise doing what they think is best. Individuals notwithstanding, the project as a whole has lost track of where it's going, and has instead become obsessed with process and mechanics.
So I'm leaving core. I don't want to feel like I should be "doing something" about a project that has lost interest in having something done for it. I don't have the energy to fight what has clearly become a losing battle; I have a life to live and a job to keep, and I won't achieve any of the goals I personally consider worthwhile if I remain obligated to care for the project.
Discussion
I'm sure that I've offended some people already; I'm sure that by the time I'm done here, I'll have offended more. If you feel a need to play to the crowd in your replies rather than make a sincere effort to address the problems I'm discussing here, please do us the courtesy of playing your politics openly.
From a technical perspective, the project faces a set of challenges that significantly outstrips our ability to deliver. Some of the resources that we need to address these challenges are tied up in the fruitless metadiscussions that have raged since we made the mistake of electing officers. Others have left in disgust, or been driven out by the culture of abuse and distraction that has grown up since then. More may well remain available to recruitment, but while the project is busy infighting our chances for successful outreach are sorely diminished.
There's no simple solution to this. For the project to move forward, one or the other of the warring philosophies must win out; either the project returns to its laid-back roots and gets on with the work, or it transforms into a super-organised engineering project and executes a brilliant plan to deliver what, ultimately, we all know we want.
Whatever path is chosen, whatever balance is struck, the choosing and the striking are the important parts. The current indecision and endless conflict are incompatible with any sort of progress.
Trying to dissect the above is far beyond the scope of any parting shot, no matter how distended. All I can really ask of you all is to let go of the minutiae for a moment and take a look at the big picture. What is the ultimate goal here? How can we get there with as little overhead as possible? How would you like to be treated by your fellow travellers?
Shouts
To the Slashdot "BSD is dying" crowd - big deal. Death is part of the cycle; take a look at your soft, pallid bodies and consider that right this very moment, parts of you are dying. See? It's not so bad.
To the bulk of the FreeBSD committerbase and the developer community at large - keep your eyes on the real goals. It