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Interview with Linus Torvalds from NYT Magazine
aelfric35 writes "David Diamond drills Linus on topics from filesharing (sharing is good) to SCO (trying to claim paternity on his child) to his rivalry with Bill Gates (doesn't care enough to be a nemesis) in next week's New York Times Magazine."
This isn't criticism. But I think to some degree, there are those who are ideological leaders--Lessig springs to mind; his philosophical and legal insight is incredible--and there are technological visionaries. But the two aren't necessarily the same.
I actually found most of it to be kind of dull, until the last line.
-You may license this sig for only $6.99.
SCO you little slut! So many people have had your code you ain't never gonna get custody (picks up a chair and hurles it downstage).
SCO: 800-726-8649
Verisign: 800-361-8319, 888-642-9675
Diebold: 800-433-VOTE (8683)
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
Just reading that made me smile. Everybody takes this whole MS vs. the world thing so seriously its great someone can sit back and still have fun with it.
Linus is really cool. He is just a geek engineer interested in technology. This is _good news_.
However, I read over here that peolpe don't want to believe that Linus is only interested in the technology! They WANT to see only what they want to see: A HERO who will take down MS.
Linus is not that. He is an engineer. But people just want their hero... and then they get dissapointed when Linus adds bitkeeper or adds DRM to the kernel. Because these Linux users only see what they want to see.
That's it. I'm no longer part of Team Sanity.
So either we should make it a law that all geeks have dates -- I'd have supported such a law when I was a teenager -- or the blame is really on the companies who sell and install the systems that are quite that fragile.
I second that.
Both parts.
He does not say may, possibly, or anything of the like, but instead uses will.
Let the MS bashing resume.
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
actually, he is right. you don't start out with the goal of destroying anyone. you just do it better and viola', world domination. of course that doesn't apply to microsoft. they didn't do it better, just marketed it better.
My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.
that Linus really does, deep down, really have some serious playa hating towards McBride and crew. He really tries to downplay the SCO thing but let's be honest, if some company run by assholes were trying to totally hijack your baby (Linux), wouldn't you be pissed?
Yeah he says "SCO is smoking crack" but don't you think that he would really like to kick McBride in the balls and when he falls to the ground, spit on him for good measure?
No trees were harmed in the composition of this; however, numerous electrons were inconvenienced.
looks like he's in dire need of a shave, I have a razor I could lend him.
Romana: "How did you know?" Doctor Who: "Ah, well, knowing is easy. Everyone does THAT ad nauseum. I just sort of hope"
>(trying to claim paternity on his child)
For a moment, flashbacks from the movie Twins ran though my mind! Stuff along the lines of: "Kernel 2.4, you were created from the code of many great men, and you have all of their abilities. You can parse 12 languages, run for years without crashing, and even interface with eccentric hardware. You truely are superior to the other kernels."
GAH! *thud*
Did Linux ever wash the blue dress from that night?
exactly but only 3% us even read the article in first place. The rest are blathering fools and psychopaths intent on destroying the fabric of the universe by mindlessly blathering incomprehensible mantras like GNU-STALLMAN over and over and over again.
In great Slashdot tradition, I have the article open in another Mozilla tab and holy shit! I've never seen a picture of The Holy One before and my god he looks like David Hasselhoff (after he'd had his face flattened by a bad Photoshop session). No wonder he's having so much trouble talking to others about Linux! What he needs is a really good looking spokesman... I'd suggest Sean Connery. What a Trekster (Trekkie?) dream come true. Open Source + Captain Picard = Mindshare people!
Webmaster Wanted - Entropic Reactions
how many MSCE's does it take to screw in a light bulb?
None. MS simply declares darkness the new standard.
I dont know about you, but the most striking things about the article was his picture. He has extremely bright blue eyes
Sigs are dangerous coy things
So Linus supports open source dating. Well I can support that but the putting up a girlfriend on CVS for anyone to "contribute" to is just sleezy. On the other hand back in high school there was this girl that might have been the open source poster child...
Slashdot, home of supporters of free software, free music, and free speech.Except for Moderators that disagree with you.
Wow, the last line cracked me up. My new sig:
We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from the machinations of the wicked.
To be a nemesis, you have to actively try to destroy something, don't you? Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
Uh-huh. Sure. As unintentional as a bull in a china shop.
I haven't lost my mind!
It is backed up on disk...somewhere...
Sorry Linus... But I've seen better mug shots.
Other than that a typical Linus interview. You have to hear him in person to understand *some* of his humor.
For a minute, I thought David Lee Roth, a.k.a. Diamond Dave, was giving the interview.
So?? Linus? About this kernel thing? Yow! Are all those distributions guar-ar-ra-ra-ra-ran-teeeeedd... to satisfy?
From the article:
Even though SCO has refused to undergo the technical equivalent of DNA testing, and even though my (and other people's) DNA is probably all over Linux.
Uh, I think I'm gonna format and then go pray.
porp
In other words, Linus doesn't care about the collateral damage! Just like a terrorist! <falsetto> Oh the humanity, someone stop the terrorist!</falsetto>
The Interview is from NYT Magazine, not Linus Torvalds.
What would Brian Boitano do?
From NYT:
Linus - "Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect."
Oh, I love it!
linus: Oh, Linux has grown up, and it's running with a crowd that I certainly never expected, like I.B.M. and Hewlett-Packard. __________________________________________________ __
Running with a fast crowd heh? Its funny how fast they grow up... I know iknow.....You blink three times and they are grown. sheeessshhhh
Some people want more from technology than a one night stand, more than the brief two or three year period where youthful enthusiasm overcomes the need for comfort in a lonely world. Sure the people who choose that road will mostly die cold and alone in a gutter somewhere, but by god they'll have ridden the lady technology for all she was worth! And, ultimately, isn't that as valid a path as anything else you could choose?
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Jeez, how hard is it to include a closing tag for italics? I mean [less than]/i[greater than] And how do I write html source in a /. posting?
Someone want to write the NY Times and tell them to fix it? I'm too lazy.
Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a soportar Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a espabilar
If the NYT chooses to ask for a signup in return for permission to view their copyrighted material, you have two choices:
1. Sign up
2. Don't read the damn article
It isn't remotely ok to decide that you want to read what they wrote and not respect what they ask you for in return. If you don't like it, don't read it. You have no excuse for crap like this, ever.
Krill
The registration is there because the NYTimes wants it there. The copyright is theirs.
The GPL depends on copyright.
Don't infringe on copyright. Fair use is not the reposting of the entire article, especially when the registration makes it plain the NYTimes does not want it reposted.
And what is with the moderators modding that down?
Am I the only one who read this and wondered when Linus got divorced and got into a custody battle for his kids?
[not trying to make light of that -- making light of my misreading]
agh!
If it's not Consolidated Lint, it's just fuzz!
Hey, I like the "They're smoking crack." interview MUCH better..
Really, this was just a Q&A on how Linus "feels" about a few issues. There are no heavy hitting questions asked nor answered.
I wish there had been something more interesting that might have prodded people to investigate and hopefully switch to Linux.
Quite bland if you ask me, however, his closing statement made it all worth reading the rest;
I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect."
Linus, you *are* the man!
It's voila, you insensitive clod! Viola is a music instrument. Or an admission you viola-te spelling.
--
Mad science! Robots! Underwear! Cute girls! Full comic online! http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/
funny title, eh? the sharer, ha.
"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." - Rahm Emanuel
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
I know atleast 50 people have posted their opinion on the same line. Here's my angle. I would not want MS destroyed, period. That would end up being a total utter disaster for the world. What should happen inturn is that due to increasing competition from OSS, MS should adapt and improve. They should get more aggresive on innovation and diversify into various fields where their already existing talents and resources can be used without interfering with other players illegitimately. Meanwhile OSS should also improve rapidly to provide alternatives and induce change in the world.
New year Resolution: Don't change sig this year
look, they offer it for free elsewhere. registration there is merly a suggestion. if they are prepared to defend their copyright, they must make an effort. this is proven in a court of law. bitch at google too if you are so adament.... please send me their response so I can rub it in your face.
When I see things like this:
You gave Linux, the operating system, to the world free, in effect jump-starting the open-source movement.
I'm reminded how clueless 'journalists' are.
What kind of 'ra ra Linux' fanboy would think the above and ignore the history of gcc, alt/comp.*.source.* et la?
Precisely. I'm sending you to report this to Lord Stallman personally. And take this bottle of patchouli to him as a token of respect.
You had me at "dicks fuck assholes".
" he really doesn't emotionally involve himself does he?"
Once again warming up my best Basil Fawlty:
"It's OK. He's from Finland."
KFG
"Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect."
Sounds good.
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
--Dr.W.Edwards Deming
Linus says "or the blame is really on the companies who sell and install the systems that are quite that fragile" arguing that we should not blame the poor geeky guy who fires a virus for not getting a date (!).
Why this kind of forgiveness applies only to computer related crimes? If this lonely guy chooses to start driving his car and crushing people... should we blame the car's manufacturer??
--krahd
mod me up, scottie!
mod me up scottie!
If the NYT chooses to ask for a signup in return for permission to view their copyrighted material, you have two choices:
Make it three:
3. Ignore and RTFA
Since NYT is available offline without registration, it's clear that your personal information isn't necessary for them at all. Is just a blatant violation of your privacy.
And now, before continuing reading this article you must fill and submit this form to me:
Name: ______________________
IP number: ____________________
SS number: ____________________
Shoe size: ____________________
Sex: [_]yes [_]no [_]maybe
gf telephone number: ________________
Thanks, now you're being monitorized for fun and profit.
I'm a chainsmokin' alcoholic sociopath, so-ci-o-path
So I've finally reached the conclusion that for most of the mainstream press, interviewing Linus is really a way to look like they care about open source without actually risking taking a position. It feels to them like they're writing about something, but because Linus ostensibly views the whole thing as little more than "there," there's no particularly visible position or even evidence that differences of opinion exist on the issue. If you want people to care about OSS issues, you interview ESR or RMS or, on the other side, Steve Ballmer or Darl McBride. Otherwise, making people feel like they're enlightened when they've really learned nothing comes down to little more than masturbation.
Linus has some great words. What bothers me though is that if he really wants to help, a person in his position could be more agressive in ending what he referred to as 'normal people' syndrome and changes LOTS. You know what Im talking about. Guess i'll have to do it myself...
sometimes i read the articles, sometimes not. I could be a blathering psychopath fool. Incomprehensible? or just looking at the bigger picture and _not_ getting lost in... 8
"People over-simplify and say .NET is Java, for example. It's really not - it's much more. But it's not a completely unique idea."
.NET is much more than Java. As a programmer they are two different architectures and .NET is different than Java, the statement .NET is more or better is false and quite honestly comes from asking a pointless question that has no relevance. They are different and both have different advantages over the other.
Please explain how
"What gets me is that this guy has the sheer _balls_ to write a Unix clone"
Linux is definately more than a UNIX clone and has shown to be so in the last few years. Linus, including others, also wrote much of the code from scratch. Most clones are direct copies of the original. Tell all the distros out there that there nothing more than Unix clones and that all there work has been for nothing as it is nothing but a Unix clone.
Lastly he never said they were incomptent or that they were stupid, he said that he was not interested in what they are currently working on. He works with the Linux Kernel and has not set out to destroy Microsoft, he has no need to be interested in what they are doing. Frankly most people are tired of hearing about M$, the majority of the news you here about them is how they are behind in security updates and new viruses are out using vulnerabilitis in the OS that a twelve year old learned to exploit before they did.
Name one innovative thing in .Net. I will in turn respond with who did it first. And yes, .Net IS java, with the added benefit of only running on windows.
Name one product that MS has made that they didn't buy or acquire from somebody else? Other than Microsoft Bob of course.
The one thing MS is responsible for is taking other people's ideas and wrapping them in a shiny GUI. WHich is an innovation in it's own right. But it's a single innovation.
You forget though, he wrote a unix clone FROM SCRATCH! Think of the innovative things inside Linux and the Unix world. Massive effecient clustering. Multiple types of clustering. 4 different schedulers for the kernel. Heck, just look at OpenMosix!
Linux is a hot bed of new ideas and technology. But, being open, it tends to attact that.
The next Dandy Warhols song, "Not If You Were The Last OS On Earth".
The solution is not to steal links, not to screw over users, but simply to *disallow links to sites that require registration*. It's really simple. Slashdot editors do that as a matter of policy, with a *single* exception -- the NYT and NYT-related resources. The rationale is that they started linking to the NYT before their "no registration" policy came into place. I could never figure that out, and find it incredibly frusterating. I'd like to see a poll -- "Should we allow NYT links?" without a CowboyNeal option.
May we never see th
Very open with all her holes... easy to use, easy to abuse... but very very prone to spreading viruses...
Now that sounds like my kind of woman!
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
If he really [actually] thinks that the downfall of Microsoft is an inevitability, I'd love to hear his timeframe on that.
Read my other posts. I believe MS will fall next year. I also believe Linux will play a very small part in that downfall. It will be the loss of revenue when OpenOffice becomes the standard for corporations that will put MS into the red.
Be thankful that Linux does exist. What would happen if MS disppeared and there was no OS usable and ready to become the standard? Yes, Linux will become #1 for the home consumer, but not because it beat MSWindows. It will be because MS's business model failed, and Linux was there to fill the void.
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
Next you will say he wears mismatched armour, and doesn't wield a Holy Avenger +6 keyboard!!!
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
You know, in any article/interview/publication about or of Linus I've ever read, he always comes across so balanced. He isn't out to convert anyone, though he ackolwedges that will probably happen. He doesn't hop on the latest technology bandwagon (file sharing good/evil, Gnome/KDE, MS/Linux). He's just a guy that seems to have a level head that just wants to help create a great OS.
And change the world in the process!
Seems like the "geek" world could use a lot more like Linus!
?SYNTAX ERROR IN SIG
READY.
Has he put on weight?
Must-not-watch TV!
It's going where it's going, in its own pace, it doesn't have any intention of ramming anyone down, but if an 800lb gorilla like Microsoft happen to stand in the way, well too bad for the gorilla.
Also, feel free to add SCO somewhere in this analogy, but I'm just sick and tired of them so I won't. Preferably in excruciating pain and suffering.
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
This is morbid, cynical, and I deserve to be shot for thinking along these lines, but please bear me out ...
.... These men are the reason we all touch a computer every day. What happens when they are gone?
Heaven forbid, but lets say that Linus pulls a John Ritter and unexpectedly dies.
What then?
There are a few people that have been instrumental in making computers a prevalent as they are... In making them as IMPORTANT to daily life as they are.
Torvalds, Gates, Jobs
Jobs? As things are currently, the Mac will die without him. Sure... Some people will always use it. Just like some people will continue to use Amiga or OS/2
Gates? MS is an institution, like it or not. It will exist forever. MS has reached Critical Mass
Torvalds? What happens to Linux when The Engineer is gone? What happens when the Pure Coder is gone? Linux needs someone or something to "run it". Who is in line to be the next Torch Bearer? Who is the glue once Linus is gone?
The Kingdom with one King, becomes nothing with 20 kings.
I guess I'm just looking for a pat on the head and a kind word here... I'm afraid that without Linus, the whole OSS thing will fork beyond anything it currently resembles.
anyway.... just my worries
Ban. AC. Posts.
Your mind is like a parachute. It works best when it's been opened.
I just can't see myself in the position of the nemesis, since I just don't care enough. To be a nemesis, you have to actively try to destroy something, don't you? Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
I think you're saying that Linux is not technically interesting because it's a Unix clone. Howerver, "Unix clone" is merely a description of the interface presented by the kernel, not how it works internally. You could have two implementations of Unix, both 100% POSIX compliant, and one could be technically interesting inside while the other isn't.
Then again, maybe you're not saying that.
I can think of a few reasons. First, it may be that we have 100x as many guys who drive around crushing people as we have virus writers. But we don't hear about the crushers because their actions are local. They can only crush so many in one day. Therefore, penalizing them can both deter (by example) and prevent (by taking away their license) such actions. But one virus-writer can affect the whole world. This fundamentally alters the picture. With the crushers, we can define an enforcement level that's "adequate" because "only" x% of the population is crushed each year. But with viruses, we can't because statistically there will always be a virus writer out there.
Second, the crusher cannot work from outside US jurisdiction and crush people in the US. But virus writers can be anywhere. So a safety plan based on deterring these guys will not work.
So if you want to be realistic, you have to view computer viruses as a natural, ongoing phenomenon, not a criminal aberration.
If a company makes a car that has a button on the hood, and pressing that button makes the car explode, you can blame the kid who presses the button, but after the 100th time you might want to put the burden on the manufacturer to remove that button.
...from a technology angle, Microsoft really has been one of the least interesting companies.
Cuts like a knife. Go Linus!
Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
I would have to agree, there are two groups. The '1 4m 1337' crowd who are into linux cause they think it makes them cool or cause they want to "get even" with microsoft. And the more mature element, who tend to be more knowledgeable, more committed, and seem to have stayed involved longer. This second group seems to be the group that dominates contribution end of OSS if not always the end user demographic.
----- Question authority, but not ours. Hate the man, but we're not him.
he's from Finland - the Scandinavian countries are Norway, Sweden and Denmark. I'd make him an honorary Scandinavian any day though.
-- Rolf Lindgren, cand.psychol
David Diamond co-wrote Linus's autobiography for those of you not in "the know"
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
"Bukkake."
At least, that was the image that came to MY mind.
My mind is dirty...
That was pretty deep. I can't remember a time I got that much depth out of a Slashdot post.
Damn Linus looks so fat and scary in this pic!!! He should have stayed in Finland!!!
US-UK-Israel: The real Axis of Evil
Who are these normal people he speaks of?
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
I find it funny that the author implies a link between music file sharing and OSS.
The MS world has been sharing programs (intentional and not) forever. Many ppl still use a program just to try it out. Others flat out steal it with no intetion of paying. That has been the norm in the MS world, not the exception.
While p2p and decss was started in the OSS world, neither has really been about stealing info. Decss was simply trying to preserve our right to view movies that we bought and paid for. p2p was simply a scalable way to move files vs. a slashdot effect. I personally do not know of anybody who does linux who trades in movies or music.
I do know a number of ppl from the MS world (and I think a few from the mac) who trade constantly in both. When I ask them about it and the copyright, the attitiude is who cares. Even the best p2p and rippers are from the MS world now, not OSS, due to market demand.
Oddly enough, if RIAA and MPAA really wanted a workable solution they should work with the OSS world to get something started that could be moved back to MS. I doubt that they wil though.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
I've only seen several pictures of Linus over the years, but that photo of him on the right of the article makes him look like an offensive gaurd in American football! Was'nt he alot skinnier?
When I see things like this [snip David Diamond's gushing question] I'm reminded how clueless 'journalists' are.
Yeah, what would David Diamond know about Linus and Linux? After all, he only co-authored Linus's book
What you say is very true. While I love Linux and Open Source and don't particularly care for Bill Gates or Microsoft (although I do believe he's an incredibly intelligent man and a VERY savvy businessperson) I am hesitant to demonize him like others here do. Mr. Gates and his company have contributed BILLIONS of dollars to various charities around the world and the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation is changing lives every day through their donations of money to charities. Regardless of their business practices, they are doing their part to help humanity. On the flip side, I can find very few (if any) instances where an Open Source company has done anything even near what the Gates Foundation has done. And it's not because they can't. Companies like RedHat have the resources to contribute to social causes (maybe not as much as MS but at least some). I think people need to learn that, in the end, it's not just about great software but about the social legacy you leave as well. Maybe it's time the OSS movement caught on to that.
Anthony Papillion
Advanced Data Concepts, Inc.
"Quality Custom Software and IT Services"
I don't see a single thing wrong with the comment about Linux jump starting open source.
I had never heard of it before Linux. I hadn't heard of GNU.
I think you'll find that 99% of Joe Public who has heard of Linux would stare blankly at you if you asked about GNU.
Hence, the comment about it jump starting the open source movement is quite probably very accurate.
Bill's running a boom-and-bust operation. His is a socially unacceptable short-sighted viewpoint -- like most of Big Business these days. Only in it for the moment, and without regard to the long-term implications.
There are companies out there which take the long view, don't try for explosive growth, and do very well over time. Why should we take shit from the sharks?
Big Brother Bush is doubleplus ungood.
In case anyone cares, I've mirrored the article for those of you who don't want to register with the NYT website. The mirror is here.
The New York Times's site is useless under my browser of choice for reading Slashdot articles, lynx (and anyone who yells "Use a different browser, then!" is missing the point). I can fill out the cute little questionnaire, register, use the login and password specified... and the damned site bounces me back to the login page anyway. I refuse to play games, and I refuse to use Mozilla (bog-slow) or MSIE (requires reboot into MS-Windows) just because a site doesn't want to deal with a perfectly good browser on the level. Most NYT articles eventually show up on Google News, anyway, and those that don't are typically redundant to other articles that do show up on Google News.
I cannot believe anyone online hasn't pointed his finger at Linus being "The One" and Bill Gates as the Architect of "The Matrix" with a bunch of rogue programs messing up the place... I think I've just found a way with this analysis of making that series of schlock films relevant...
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
You disagreed with my line:
... controlling the standard, that is the X-Box hardware, and selling licenses to those who want to make money from software for the platform.
Bill and Steve have never shown much ability running a business. They saw an opportunity, took advantage of it, and then ruthlessly defended their position. But every attempt to diversify their business has failed.
Here are your thoughts plus my commments:
They still only sell BASIC for homebrew computers.
MS did well selling BASIC interpreters to the personal computer manufacturers. They did lots of fast talking about how each manufacturer's version of BASIC would be compatible with the other versions. It was too bad they could not learn how to port it without changing it. MS created the standard, and could not fulfill it.
Remember, they actually did survive a couple of years before Office became their big money maker.
Their next big hit was MS-DOS. They got that chance because IBM wanted their BASIC. They saw the opportunity to pull a fast one, and the rest is history. That one event of fast thinking created the bankroll that allowed everything else.
Before Windows 3.x squeezed Word Perfect out of the market (because WP for Windows was late and as bug-ridden as an English brothel), very few people used Word. I don't about the rest of the Office apps, but they hardly dominated. You have to agree they've diversified a bit from the OS business.
Read the stories about how MS tricked WordPerfect Corp.. It is very difficult to put out a product when you do not have the specifications for the API. MSWord was the killer app that sold MSWindows. And the office suite became the new cash cow.
Ah, and the X-Box too. Yes, they sell each unit with a loss, but they make money from
Yes, they still lose money on the X-Box. And if it stays around for a few years, they may be able to make money on it. It could become a good strategic decision if MS survives. But they are doing it to attempt to control another standard, not because it will make money in the near future.
That's also why they decided to squash Netscape, who, by the way, tried to use exactly the same tactics: dominate on the client side to make money from the servers. And to dominate on the client side, they introdused a lot of new "standards". Netscape failed because Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are better at running a business that way, and came earlier to the game of domination.
Netscape had to convince people that this new type of application had any benefit. So they developed a business model where the application was free for home use. And it worked: everybody knows what is a web browser. Netscape WAS the standard. Their inventions were not introduced to be incompatible; they were introduced to improve the product.
- MS used their previous monopoly to dominate the market. Netscape failed because they could not compete against the monopoly power of MS. MS did introduce incompatibilities with Netscape and the newly active W3C recommendations. Have you ever written JavaScript (a purely Netscape invention) that has to check browser version because MS decided to use a different DOM. I expect the true reason they used a different DOM was because they did not have the technical expertise to figure out how to program the DOM that was in Netscape, but it did make much work for website developers everywhere.
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
I find it funny that the author implies a link between music file sharing and OSS.
Perfectly reasonable. There is music that can legally be shared (concerts by Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, Gov't Mule, Widespread Panic, Bernie Worrell (of the Talking Heads & P-Funk), Tom-Tom Club, Cowboy Junkies, Les Claypool (of Primus), Big Head Todd, Jack Black's Tenacious D, etc., etc.), and music that can't be. Just as there is software which can legally be shared and software which can't.
I personally do not know of anybody who does linux who trades in movies or music.
Well, I'm a Debian developer, and I just uploaded an error-corrected version of a Radiators concert to the Live Music Archive. Of course, I didn't violate any copyrights in doing so, since the Radiators have given explicit permission for their concerts to be hosted on the LMA. But there ya go: I trade in legally tradeable software and music.
With all respect, this is bullshit!
No it is not bullshit. Like it or not, reprinting other people's copyrighted works for distribution without thier permission is both wrong and against the law. There may be an argument for fair use here because this is a discussion forum that is discussing said argument, but for fair use to apply it would probably require that only those parts of the article that are being specifically commented on in that post be reprinted (quoting the article to make a point or to elaborate/illustrate an idea is acceptable fair use, karma whoring by bypassing accepted chanels to that article is not).
The New York Times is the newspaper of record for the American empire.
There is no "newspaper of record" for the "American empire". The masters of this hegemony would never allow any media source to become "authoritative" as that would mean they could not later dispute the lies they spread there when they no longer serve the hegemony.
They published it
Yes the did publish it, and as the publisher of this article they control the copyright and thus can decide how to distribute it. And don't give me any of that poorly thought out "copyright is bad" crap, as the GPL depends on copyright law to ensure that the source code remains availabe. The way copyright is implemented may be flawed (and yes it sucks big time) but the concept is not inherently bad and it could serve individuals and communities as well as companies if we attempted to be a little less strident and a little more convincing when making our arguments.
The New York Times has never explained WHY they require a registration for reading from the net
They have no obligation to do so. My guess is that because the same articles are available at newstands, in libraries and through delivered subscriptions, the advertisers balked at paying to advertise separately for the web edition. Advertising is the main income for news publishers, and the rates are set by the number of expected viewers of the advertisement. If the NYT wanted to charge premium rate for the adspace on thier web edition, they probably would need good statistics about who it is that reads the web edition. Hence registration. Whether this is a good business model for web editions of also printed media, or if there are better ways to accomplish the same thing for this particular edition of this particular newspaper, is thier problem. Personally I think they are making a mistake by limiting thier readers (and thus ad viewers) by requiring registration, but theyu are not required to listen to or follow my, or your, advice.
Every demand from a corporate entity for personal information deserves an explanation of why this information is being collected and for what purposes it will be used.
Agreed, if the corporate entity is not forthcoming with this information to the satisfaction of the potential subscriber (through a subcriber agreement and a privacy policy, then that potential subscriber should decline the offer for a subscription and perhaps go down to the newstand or library to read the content in relative anonymity.
I like to dream that some day some people, perhaps you and I, might create a publication that lives up to journalistic and business ideals that I can consider admirable. Until that day that the right combination of opportunity, skills and like minded individuals come together in such a task, I will treasure the right to criticize those who do not, but I will not allow myself to be so egotistical as to demand that these others change thier business practices to my whim, nor will I believe that they are entirely without worth because of thier failure to live up to an ideal that I have yet to witness in this world.
Read, L
He does not code every new change himself. Indeed, peering through Gentoo's portage system, there are several competing versions of the Linux Kernel. Different factions develop different elements, and they eventually get folded back into the "Linus" branch:
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
--Dr.W.Edwards Deming
Religious institutions seem to be the longest-lived, but whether they can be regarded as not failing is a different question.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
The registry is also responsible for the massive slooow dooownnn you experience after installing/uninstalling programs (like when testing out shareware programs).
There are plenty of reasons I hate using Windows (and I haven't, at home, since my Celeron 300a croaked awhile ago, and my Powerbook G4 does everything so much better), but I'll stick with my #1 reason. That evil HKEY\\BUNCH_OF_GIBBERISH.
Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a soportar Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a espabilar
Somebody bitch at my using tcsh once again!!! :) :) :)
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
What you suggest (a poll for allowing NYT links) is interesting, but I'd find a "Cowboy Neal option" quite useful, and rather than your suggestion that it not be included, I'd like to suggest that it should ALWAYS be included.
Why?
I see that option as statistically equivalent to "don't care" and that's useful data. I always used to look at the CN option first to guage the margin of error for a poll. If the CN was high, then the poll probably wasn't taken very seriously. If it was low, the results were generally fairly representitive of what people thought.
In general I consider any poll to be accurate only + or - the CowboyNeal result. I just wish CowboyNeal (or at least a "don't care") were an option on national elections, and no one was allowed to take an office if they received a count less than the the CN count.