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Oregon's Governor Backs Open Source Development

Colonel Panic writes "Oregon's Governor Ted Kulongoski is backing a plan to establish an Open Technology Center in Beaverton (also home to the OSDL). The purpose of the center will be to boost the adoption of open technology among developers and industries. Given that the Portland area hosts OSCON and is the home to the OSDL and now Linus, is Portland becoming the center for Open Source development in the US?"

198 of 303 comments (clear)

  1. Economic battle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Is there a secret war going on between Oregon and Washinton? //Puts on tin foil hat

    1. Re:Economic battle? by valkraider · · Score: 1

      That war is not secret, and has been going on for a long time.

    2. Re:Economic battle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      No, the war is between Oregon and California. Californians Go Home!

    3. Re:Economic battle? by einhverfr · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I am not sure if you are trolling or espouse this view held surprisingly often.

      I am a consultant, and I specialize in open source software. Open source, from a hobbiest's view may be antithetical from the idea of compensation, but from a professional's view, it just represents a different model for distributing the work that needs to be done and the compensation therefore.

      Also note that with open source, at least among professionals, compensation is often in near direct purportion to productivity, while the curve for proprietary software is anything but linear (if you sell twice as many copies of the code than your competitors you make more than twice as much, and your software need not take twice as much work to make).

      Open source will help everyone out. But I don;t really see it being Oregon-specific. Open source is something that is difficult to export efficiently because it is based on services, and in the services market, local parties have a serious advantage. Though for hosted solutions and a few other areas location doesn't matter.

      On the other hand, freeing up licensing fees for software may allow for better computer networks in schools, etc.

      --

      LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
    4. Re:Economic battle? by Spassvogel · · Score: 1

      nah...gib unk and microshaft are attracted to shiny things...leave the foil in the cupboard.

      i've found painting a tunnel on a wall, yellow striped road leading to it, and shouting, "The evil open sources went thatway!" does wonders.

    5. Re:Economic battle? by thre5her · · Score: 1

      Ladies and gentlemen, Dennis Miller!

  2. Wait... by wot.narg · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Government surporting open source?

    Quick, I must check for hidden traps from the RIAA, etc.

    Yes, Im on to you mr. Gov.

    *adjusts tinfoil hat*

    --
    Roses are red
    Violets are blue
    In Soviet Russia
    Poems write you!
    1. Re:Wait... by Antonymous+Flower · · Score: 1

      The question I have about US government support of open source is this:

      The Open Source philosophy is reminiscent of communism to an extent. All creation is voluntary and freely available to all regardless of individual input. The history of communism in the US is not pleasant. I realize this isn't a replacement of the US economy by any means, but these are not capitalist ideas. Corporations like IBM and Sun are starting to support and adopt 'open' ideas. How could it effect the US economy in the long run?

    2. Re:Wait... by LoverOfJoy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There are lots of voluntary and free programs in the US and have been since its inception. How have soup kitchens, the scouting program, and church service projects effected the US economy? Why should we expect open source software to have any different effect?

    3. Re:Wait... by Dan+Ost · · Score: 1

      With source code, there is no scarcity in the way that there is scarcity with
      other products. If a baker bakes 1000 cakes, he can only sell 1000 cakes before
      he is cakeless. A programmer, on the other hand, can write code and share that
      code with an infinite number of people.

      With this in mind, trying to treat any philosophy of open source as an
      economic model is doomed since the basis of economic theory is the management
      of scarcity and in open source, there is no scarcity. Any comparison will
      be shallow at best, and misleading at worst.

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    4. Re:Wait... by squidfood · · Score: 3, Insightful
      The question I have about US government support of open source is this:

      A HUGE library of public domain mathematical software, mostly FORTRAN, was written by US Gov. researchers over the years, for example in use in climatology.

      The affordability of my (academic) research depends entirely on the government's public domain coding policies stretching back as long as computers and acadamia have mixed.

    5. Re:Wait... by Airneil · · Score: 1

      Soup kitchens, while feeding the hungry, are generally funded through churches, or government grants. Either way, the kitchen is not losing money. It may not make any, but it doesn't lose any. Volunteers help run it.

      At the same time, it helps to create entitlement thinking among those that receive benefits. The same thing happens, on a much larger scale, with welfare recipients. Basically, they begin to feel entitled to the benefits, and don't feel any obligation to give back to the system that's supporting them.

    6. Re:Wait... by Feynman · · Score: 2, Insightful
      [T]rying to treat any philosophy of open source as an economic model is doomed

      I don't believe there is any merit to this simplistic view of economics, which seems so prevalent on Slashdot. For example: "Digital music files can be reproduced ad infinitum, are, therefore, without value, and thus can be traded freely with no impact to the recording industry."

      None of the ingredients in a basic cake are particularly scarce. So, once the baker has sold his first 1000 cakes, he can bake more. This, and the fact that just about anyone can bake a cake, is why a basic cake costs so little. If there were only those 1000 cakes in the world, they would cost much more. This is the application of scarcity.

      A better analogy would be to compare a (good) programmer and his source code with an experienced cake decorator. You can buy a sheet cake for $50, but a fancy wedding cake could cost you hundreds, I suppose. You're paying for the decorator's service, his skills. Similarly, source code, as little more than a text file, is in some sense worthless. However, not just anyone could have written the code to do what that code does, in just the way it does it. When you pay the programmer to write it, you're paying for his knowledge and experience.

    7. Re:Wait... by DShard · · Score: 1

      Yes, this is more complex then the cost of copying. You also need to consider the creator of the works rights in so far as copyright (which is an artificial scarcity, but is the law of the land) is concerned. Those rights govern how entities can copy your creation but ultimately get decided by the creator or purchased owner.

      For programming, that owner can decide to open source it. Now depending on the specifics of the work, it can easily match and surpass the same proprietary software. Now due to economic forces of the market, your proprietary product is worth the same as the open source copy, namely $0.

      Yes the proprietary maker spent money to produce said work, but the market simply doesn't care. Your work can't be distinguished from the open product. More people are working on the alternative AND they are doing it for free (to the product at least). Your product is now actually worth less than the competing _free_ alternative. How do you compete with that?

    8. Re:Wait... by Dan+Ost · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Imagine a machine that could duplicate any wedding cake you place in it at
      essentially no cost. The initial cake might cost $1,000,000 worth of time,
      effort, facilities, and raw materials, but once the initial cake exists, an
      infinite number of identical cakes can be produced for no additional cost.
      Also assume that just about anyone who wants one, can easily acquire one of
      these machines.

      The only way the master cake decorator can make money selling cakes is if
      it is illegal to duplicate wedding cakes with this ubiquitous machine. If no
      such laws exist or the laws are unenforced, then the master cake decorator
      must instead earn a living not selling cakes, but performing the service of
      customizing cakes for people who don't want the standard cake and are willing
      to pay him to make the desired changes. The master cake decorator no longer
      produces a good in the traditional sense, but instead performs a service.
      Sure, anyone can write names on a cake, but to some people it will be worth it
      to pay someone to have it done well.

      The only difference between the above ficticious cake scenario and the
      software industry is that poorly written names on cakes don't actually have
      the potential to make the cake worthless/inettible while poorly customized software
      can make the software worthless/unusable.

      --

      *sigh* back to work...
    9. Re:Wait... by essreenim · · Score: 1
      How could it effect the US economy in the long run?

      blah, blah, blah. The US is not the only country involved in the shift towards open. In fat its lagging behind. We really need the US to be the leader here as its the biggest econmy. Just look at Sweden for example, Germany too, everywhere, the open ways are spreading. And its even spreading outside the realms of software, into hardware, and others - eventualy everything.

      I dont want to here people in the U.S complaining about this when you should be doing more. Get back to work

    10. Re:Wait... by essreenim · · Score: 1
      With this in mind, trying to treat any philosophy of open source as an economic model is doomed since the basis of economic theory is the management of scarcity and in open source, there is no scarcity.

      I dont think thats what he's driving at. I think he's being cynical about Microsoft and Oracle and other giant US software companies shedding jobs with the transition to open. That is cynical as there are other countries, especially in Europe that do more than the US to switch to open, and have just as much to lose, and also just as much to gain!! : )

    11. Re:Wait... by Alsee · · Score: 1

      How could it effect the US economy in the long run?

      What would happen if someone started giving away free steel?

      Well, yeah, the steel mill owners wouldn't be too happy about. They would doubtlessly lobby congress for new laws to stop it.

      And yeah, mill workers get laid off. And anyone who loses a job is a horrible blow to the economy, right?

      But what about the automobile industry? FREE STEEL. It would be a huge boon to the auto industry. Cheaper cars. More cars. More jobs.

      And how about appliances? Refridgerators and stoves and dishwashers and washing machines and dryers and microwave ovens. And construction. And office chairs. And printing presses. And hammers and nails and drills and tanks and robots and pots and pans and farm machinery and trains and bridges and transformers and ships and... and... and.... All cheaper and more production and more jobs.

      But such a comparision is too simplistic. You'd have to take note of an different grades of steel and different strengths and brittleness and weights and stainless and an infinte number of other compositions and properties. And you'd also have to take into account every new size and shape and detailing. And every time someone wants a new composition of steel in a new form, well, you have to pay someone to MAKE that new composition and form. And if you want any sort of change or upgrade, well, you have to pay someone for that. Same as before. But once you do buy something you need, well, no one can take it away and you have as much of it as you want. And no one can stop you from improving a hammer to a higher strength steel, or hiring someone to improve it for you. And any serious business is still generally going to need one or more steel experts on staff. Someone to handle selection and procurement and installation and changes and general maintenance.

      And if someone wants to go into business selling their own particularly high strength steel, well they still can. But it's going to have to be better than the already available alternatives.

      And it is free market capitalism. If you want something that isn't already available you have to PAY someone to make it. And if something is already available and someone is willing to let you use it "for free", why the hell should you be inefficiently force to obtain it somewhere else for a fee? If I built my own snow shovel, and I'm willing to let the little old lady next door use it, am I somehow a "communist" and "hurting the economy" and "destrying jobs" if I let her use it rather than her buying a new one? Yes, someone is no longer getting paid to build ANOTHER snow shovel for her. Does that mean there's anything wrong with letting her use the one I built? And the money she would have spent on a new shovel doesn "dissapear", instead maybe she buys medication or a radio or saves up just enough money to send her granddaughter to college. The money she didn't spend on another shovel still gets spend employing someone to do something. Hell, maybe she pays ME that money to improve my shovel to make it easier for her to use, which also means it's now easiser for all little old ladies to use.

      -

      --
      - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  3. I certainly hope so. by jdray · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Since I live in Portland, this could be good for future prospects in the employment-in-interesting-jobs arena.

    --
    The Spoon
    Updated 6/28/2011
    1. Re:I certainly hope so. by bladx · · Score: 1

      same here

    2. Re:I certainly hope so. by superpulpsicle · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well Portland is not the central hub for open source. It's any techie's basement, which is in any state.

      That's why it is such a threat. M$ can't just buy the entire state.

    3. Re:I certainly hope so. by SadButTrue · · Score: 2, Funny

      me too! /goodbye AOL

      --
      grape - the GNU free, open source rape
    4. Re:I certainly hope so. by mbrewthx · · Score: 1

      I hope that this will spure on the hardware companies in the area to push forward with hardware compatibility with Linux. This may also be able to draw Linux specific hardware companies into Washington, Mulnomah, and Clackamas counties in Oregon. Maybe even lowly Yamhill COunty where I live.

      --
      __________ Leave me alone I'm compiling a RPG II program on my S/36...Thanks to metamucil I'm a Regular Meta Moderator
    5. Re:I certainly hope so. by westlake · · Score: 1
      Well Portland is not the central hub for open source. It's any techie's basement, which is in any state. That's why it is such a threat. M$ can't just buy the entire state.

      It is a lovely fantasy.

      But how many programs that have brand-name recognition, like OpenOffice, are a geek's home-brew basement project?

    6. Re:I certainly hope so. by brianosaurus · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't know the history of Open Office in particular, but many big open source projects start off as one person's personal effort. If they become popular, people join in.

      Apache, Samba, Emacs, Perl, Python... What's that other one.. The guy did it as a grad school project... Oh yeah.

      Linux. Perhaps you've heard of it?

      Of course not all basement projects end up as open source. There's plenty of popular proprietary software that had humble beginnings, even Microsoft.

      --
      blog
    7. Re:I certainly hope so. by paronomasia5 · · Score: 1

      your post should read Since I live in Portland, this could be good for future prospects in the employment-in-interesting-low-paid jobs arena.

    8. Re:I certainly hope so. by strider44 · · Score: 1

      Well Linux is one I can think of offhand...

  4. It gets even better. by kngthdn · · Score: 1

    When Kulongoski isn't tirelessly defending free software, he tours Iraq to sample their ice cream.

    A hero if ever there was one.

    1. Re:It gets even better. by littlerubberfeet · · Score: 3, Informative

      Another OT factoid: He has been to more military funerals than any other major politician. I think he has been to almost every single funeral of an Oregon service member killed in Iraq.

      --
      Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
  5. Can there be a "center" for OSS? by dist_morph · · Score: 1

    And if yes, should there be one?

    1. Re:Can there be a "center" for OSS? by Coryoth · · Score: 1

      I seem to recall some Debian developers doing a computation to find the "centre of mass" of Debian developers - the closest you could get to a "centre" for open source. If I remember rightly it was somewhere north of Iceland. You can go there if you want.

      Jedidiah.

  6. Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there... by Harry+Balls · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...there's not much to do in Beaverton besides staying indoors and writing open source software.

  7. Free Software Foundation was still in by museumpeace · · Score: 1

    Cambridge Mass. last time I checked. you gotta give it some weight. VA also has a lot of OSS projects within its borders.

    --
    SLASHDOT: news for people who can't concentrate on work or have no life at all and got tired of yelling back at the TV.
  8. You mean *real* jobs? by packethead · · Score: 1

    Maybe we no longer have to be indentured servants to The Man

    --
    .sig
    1. Re:You mean *real* jobs? by Airneil · · Score: 1

      Interesting that Washington County (home of Beaverton) is the home to the most Intel employees in the world.

  9. You'd figure... by HBI · · Score: 1

    a town named "Beaverton" would have a lot of houses of ill repute.

    Too bad.

    --
    HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
    1. Re:You'd figure... by HungWeiLo · · Score: 1

      Beaverton, along with neighboring Hillsboro and Lake Oswego are the uber-snobby suburban bedroom communities of the Portland area. Sort of like Seattle's Bellevue. High school kids are ridiculed there for driving an Acura that's older than 6 years.

      --
      There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
    2. Re:You'd figure... by HungWeiLo · · Score: 1

      I grew up in both North Portland (a block from MLK) and Gresham - in a high school with permanent metal detectors (not the portable ones they bring in for prom or whatnot)...so "Hillsburrito" is not at all intimidating, except for the commute there when I interned at Intel :-)

      --
      There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
    3. Re:You'd figure... by captredballs · · Score: 1

      And N. Portland isn't as bad as it used to be. I live off Skidmore and Vancouver and there is little to be scared of. Any bullets that do fly have particular targets in mind. Since I don't deal and I not in a gang, there aren't too many guns pointed my way :-)

      --

      I suppose I'm not too threatening, presently, but wait till I start Nautilus
    4. Re:You'd figure... by rmull · · Score: 1

      Come now, beaverton isn't that bad. Parts of it are pretty uppity, but it's mostly just your average 'burb. Don't know about hillsboro, but you're spot on about lake oswego.

      --
      See you, space cowboy...
    5. Re:You'd figure... by japhmi · · Score: 1

      Beaverton, along with neighboring Hillsboro and Lake Oswego are the uber-snobby suburban bedroom communities of the Portland area.

      Parts of Beaverton, Hillsboro, and most Lake Oswego are the uber-snoby areas. There are also a lot of lower-income and middle-class areas (I went to Beaverton High, and most kids were liked as long as they had a car (even my 11-year-old civic hatchback was more car then a lot of people had).

      I now live along the Hillsboro - Beaverton border, and there are plenty of lower-income areas.

      --
      "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys" P. J. O'Rourke
  10. Yesterday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I saw Linus eating at the McDonalds on the Beverton Hillsdale Highway. I think he was eating the number 3 meal (Royale With Cheese, Coke, Fries) and I am pretty sure it was super sized.

    1. Re:Yesterday by pclminion · · Score: 1

      You think that's cool? The president of my company lives three doors down from him.

    2. Re:Yesterday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      You think that's cool? The president of my company lives three doors down from him.

      You think that's cool? I've got source code written by him personally on my own hard drive. Both here at work and at home.

    3. Re:Yesterday by ctishman · · Score: 1

      IANAME (I Am Not A McDonald's Executive), but last I heard, the Royale was a European thing.

    4. Re:Yesterday by FinalCut · · Score: 1

      "Royale with cheese, I like that. Why do they call it a Royale with cheese?"

      "Cause they got the metric system; they wouldn't know what the hell a quarterpounder is."

      "So, whadda they call a whopper?"

      "I dunno, I didn't go into burger king"

    5. Re:Yesterday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Next slashdot headline:

      "Linus eats at McDonalds, does this mean McDonalds is finally going open source? Could this be a new trend in the fast food industry OS adoption? Is this the year of the Linux desktop? "

      I'm thinking it would be posted by Michael then duped twice by Timothy.

    6. Re:Yesterday by agraupe · · Score: 1

      The things we can all learn from Pulp Fiction... amazing ;)

    7. Re:Yesterday by hedgefrog · · Score: 1

      And you didn't tell him about Burgerville? Boy, some host you are.

      --

      I lost my copy of the green golf ball joke can anyone find it for me?
  11. State of Oregon DHS IT standards by valkraider · · Score: 4, Informative

    DHS is Oregon's largest branch of government (or second maybe), and they use very little open source. Here are their "standards".

    Other state agencies probably have theirs posted as well...

    1. Re:State of Oregon DHS IT standards by BaldingByMicrosoft · · Score: 1

      Electronic Mail: Novell Groupwise -- Approved 09/11/2000
      Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): Novell eDirectory -- Approved 09/20/2002
      Metadirectory: Novell DirXML -- Approved 04/07/2003

      It ain't all bad...

    2. Re:State of Oregon DHS IT standards by HermanAB · · Score: 1

      Whoah... they actually have a 'pop-up killer standard'. Whackamole man, whackamole...

      --
      Oh well, what the hell...
  12. Free software AND... by LoverOfJoy · · Score: 1

    as an added bonus--no sales tax for everything that isn't free!

    1. Re:Free software AND... by cfoushee · · Score: 1

      oregon has no sales tax for anything.

    2. Re:Free software AND... by AceCaseOR · · Score: 1

      And, we don't have Self-serve in Oregon, so there are kind people who will pump your gas. Also, depending on the gas station, they may wash your windows, and do a better job than the homeless guy who runs out in front of your car at a intersection with a squeegie.

      --
      Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you in your sleep.
    3. Re:Free software AND... by brasten · · Score: 1

      But if -- God forbid -- you actually MAKE any money in Oregon, they take some 10% or so away. And they do have a Gasoline tax. And some cities have an additional local tax.

      Nothing like laying the burden squarely on the productive members of society so everyone can save 30 cents on their trips to Pete's Coffee.

    4. Re:Free software AND... by valkraider · · Score: 1

      The last few weeks, for the first time since they started tracking fuel prices, Oregon prices at the pump have been below the national average. It won't last for long though. But the prices here are not any more expensive then up in Washingtonm, where you have to pump it yourself.

      If the high price is due to the pump atendee, then how do you explain the 30 cent differentials between cities within the PDX metro?

    5. Re:Free software AND... by juan2074 · · Score: 1

      Oddly, gas is not more expensive in Oregon and New Jersey (where you cannot pump your own gas) than in other states.

    6. Re:Free software AND... by Anonymous+Freak · · Score: 1

      VERY few cities have an additional local tax of any kind.

      Portland (Well, Multnomah County) and Beaverton have temporary local income taxes to help fund schools that were short-changed last year. And one city (only one, from my research) has an additional local gas tax.)

      As for 'laying the burden'? A progressive income tax is the most 'fair' tax. As sales taxes tend to hit the poor disproportionately more than the rich. I consider it bad form to tax someone for daily essentials when they already spend a larger percentage of their income on true essentials like housing and food. Tax the income, not the spending. (And yes, I have benefited from Bush's tax cuts, so don't claim I'm just some unemployed ya-hoo trying to live off the government.)

      --
      Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
      The purpose of that site was not known.
    7. Re:Free software AND... by tunesmith · · Score: 1

      don't TELL them that! that way, when they try to pump their own gas and get arrested, they'll have more reason to want to stay away. :-)

      Man, I practically got accosted for just taking the thing OUT of my car when they had forgotten about me. I had already paid. I really do think they are supposed to call the cops if you touch it.

      --
      skkkoooonnnggggkkk ptui
    8. Re:Free software AND... by technos · · Score: 1

      I'll have to remember this.. I drive an old truck, with a leaded size fill neck. It's near on impossible to fill with one of the tree-hugger endorsed pump nozzles. First slacker that shoves the nozzle in and pumps is going to get covered in gasoline. And then I can argue the asshole spilled the gas on the ground and not pay for most of it.

      I'll even let em fill the second tank if they're apologetic enough. The fill nozzle is in one of the wheel wells, under the fender. It's always coated with a good half inch of mud.

      That would almost be as fun as the time I pulled into a full serve in a 68 Mercedes. I handed him the keys and went inside for a coffee. Waited in line, argued about the Tigers losing with the clerk, emerged ten minutes later to the guy still looking under my hood and in my trunk for where to put the nozzle. (Hint: It's behind the license plate, and you need the ignition key to unlock the gas cap)

      --
      .sig: Now legally binding!
    9. Re:Free software AND... by brasten · · Score: 1

      My problem in that income tax tends to punish success. Sales tax, on the other hand, does NOT. And yes, I don't like the idea of taxing someone for daily essentials, which is why some form of sales-tax refund for "essential spending" would be appropriate. But over all, sales-tax seems to me to be the most fair. Everyone is taxed the same amount on on each dollar they spend. The rich will tend to spend more, thus be taxed more. But there's nothing fair about taking MORE of each dollar earned from a wealthier person just because in your estimation they can afford it.

      And yes, I'm aware that wealthier people will tend to invest their money or save it, and thus that money will not be taxed by a sales tax, but that's a GOOD thing. Saving and investing are beneficial behaviors that should be promoted.

    10. Re:Free software AND... by Anonymous+Freak · · Score: 1

      Saving and investing WIDEN the gap between rich and poor. The old adage "you must have money to make money" is true. So by finding ways to take less money (percentagewise) of a poor person's income allows them to save it better. Compare the PERCENTAGE of money a poor person pays to 'essentials' and taxes to a rich person. The rich person may pay more percentage in taxes, but a SIGNIFICANTLY lower percentage in 'essentials'.

      To top that off, rich people tend to be able to afford to 'hide' their money from taxes better. (When you have a million, it's easier to create trusts and other similar methods for sheltering money.)

      I think the entire tax system needs a complete overhaul. A progressive tax, with a smooth increase from 0% at $15,000 a year or less to 20% at $200,000 a year or more. (2.5x limits for married.) Limits to be tied to inflation, so they stay current. This tax would be on ALL 'first source' income. If you managed to 'earn' money before without having it taxed (stock options,) then you're taxed on it when you take possession of the cash. No income is exempt.

      Social Security is *NOT* a 'retirement' system. It's not a government-run pension. It's a SECURITY system. It's insurance. It's for those who don't have other means of supporting themselves. If you have enough money to support yourself above the poverty line without Social Security, you shouldn't be allowed to draw on it. Nevermind the whole 'privatizing' issue. If Bush wants a government-run pension system, fine. Create it. Don't try to turn Social Security INTO it.

      As for Medicare? Either completely take over health care (like Canada,) or else let people choose their own insurance company, paid for BY Medicare. Don't do it half-assed like we have now.

      --
      Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
      The purpose of that site was not known.
    11. Re:Free software AND... by brasten · · Score: 1

      Well, now... and here I think that ALL income should be exempt from taxes and based entirely on spending. I frankly to not care if the rich (of which I'm not) get richer. That's their reward for getting rich in the first place.

      All citizens of America -- which I'm assuming you are -- receive the same benefit of living in America. Assuming you should take more of the rich's money just because it's there is borderline unethical.

  13. *snort* Beaverton *snort* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Haha! Beaverton... he said Beaverton... *snort* hahahaha

    1. Re:*snort* Beaverton *snort* by audacity242 · · Score: 1

      Imagine the joy of being a young female geek and telling people online that you went to Beaverton High School...

      And, yes, the mascot is the beaver.

  14. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by lucabrasi999 · · Score: 1

    Heh, heh. You said "beaver".

  15. Portland catching up with the rest of the world by Anonymous+Cowherd+X · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is Portland becoming the center for Open Source development in the US?

    As much as any other town with more than 1 famous Open Source developer. One swallow does not make a(n Open Source) summer (camp), even if that swallow flew in from Finland and even if it likes penguins for reasons you do not even want to know.

    1. Re:Portland catching up with the rest of the world by The+Vorlon · · Score: 1

      Hmm, so, how many famous Open Source developers of Linus' stature do you know who don't live in Portland? :)

      There seem to be a fair number of us less-famous folk living here already. :)

    2. Re:Portland catching up with the rest of the world by Anonymous+Cowherd+X · · Score: 1

      Hmm, so, how many famous Open Source developers of Linus' stature do you know who don't live in Portland? :)

      OK, I'll feed this troll. Just off the top of my head I can think of the following famous Open Source developers who do NOT live in Portland:

      1. Larry Wall (Perl)
      2. Randal Schwartz (Perl)
      3. Tom Christiansen (Perl)
      4. Jarkko Oikarinen (IRC)
      5. Poul-Henning Kamp (FreeBSD)
      6. Marshall Kirk McKusick (BSD)
      7. Eric Allman (Sendmail)
      8. Wietse Venema (TCP Wrappers, SATAN/SANTA, TCT, Postfix)
      9. Dan Farmer (SATAN/SANTA, TCT)
      10. Bruce Momjian (PostgreSQL)
      11. Michael Stonebraker (PostgreSQL)
      12. Michael Widenius (MySQL)
      13. Alan Cox (Linux)
      14. Theodore Ts'o (Linux, Kerberos)
      15. Matthias Ettrich (KDE)
      16. Miguel de Icaza (GNOME)
      17. Rasmus Lerdorf (PHP)
    3. Re:Portland catching up with the rest of the world by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Right. You might as well say Swansea is the centre of open source development in the UK. After all, Alan Cox lives here, as well as at least one Mono developer I know of (Ximian employee), not to mention a few people working on other projects (e.g. GNUstep).

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  16. logical by Captain+McCrank · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The unemployment rate among IT'ers in portland is so high that clearly, the only development that goes on is unpaid.

    Way to go out on a limb there, Oregon. This should jumpstart your economy

  17. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Actually you are totally incorrect about it raining here. The weather in this area is usually very nice and during the spring and summer, going on small trips lets you go rafting, hiking, mountain biking, cycling, mountains to ski, festivals in Portland, coast is about an hour away, etc... This area is honestly an awesome place to live and work in.

  18. In breaking news... by ThaDerro · · Score: 2, Funny

    After intense lobbying by a large redmond based software company, GW declares all out war on "Those Commies over thar' in Portland". Airstrikes to begin immediately on the nefarious, shadowy group known only as OSDL.

  19. It had to happen... by TheGrapeApe · · Score: 1

    I think it's just inevitable that some politician at some point was going to wake up and get a clue... This is a huge industry that is screaming for a safe-haven somewhere. I really wish this Penguin Park could have gone somewhere that really needed it, like my rust-belt hometown of Youngstown, Ohio; but kudos to the Oregon governor for opening his eyes to the situation.

    1. Re:It had to happen... by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      "Someplace that really needed it". Check the statistics! Oregon has the highest unemployment rate of any state - yes, higher than even Ohio.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  20. I'll raise you one: by valkraider · · Score: 2, Funny


    Beaver, Oregon

    The best part is the "Beaver Locator".

    1. Re:I'll raise you one: by AceCaseOR · · Score: 1

      You forgot Wanker's Corner (which used to be a bar and a general store, but is now just a general store because the bar moved to Wilsonville).

      --
      Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you in your sleep.
    2. Re:I'll raise you one: by pclminion · · Score: 1

      Feh. Why live in Beaver when you can live in Boring?

    3. Re:I'll raise you one: by Wanker · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I love that place.

  21. Smart? Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This is the same Governor whose pet project is CNIC, a colsolidated Data Center, to save money and improve security.

    In fact, securty is mentioned over and over in this project.

    So, to improve security, the State or Oregon is putting all their servers in one building near the airport at the end of a runway in a floodplain!!

    (Apparently, Mount St. Helens (Volcano) property was already taken or something..)

    And, they already had a public goundbreaking, so everyone knows where it is!

    Yep, the champion of OpenSource!!

    (Don't worry tho, Accenture is helping us with the project!! :-)

  22. OK, so they moved. by museumpeace · · Score: 1

    across the Charles to Boston http://www.fsf.org/fsf/fsf.html Really, this is silly! You would only have to have a world capitol of OSS if it were a business, or if it were run primarily by people with unhealthy needs for recognition, domination and money...that happens north of Portland or very near the Potomac. The coolest thing about the FSF website is the who's Gnus page...contributed software comes from all over the planet.

    --
    SLASHDOT: news for people who can't concentrate on work or have no life at all and got tired of yelling back at the TV.
  23. you are right by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    it's miserable in Oregon.
    Please stay away.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  24. Re:Smart? Well... by valkraider · · Score: 1
  25. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by bayerwerke · · Score: 1

    Oh please, you are exagerating. It only averages 335 days of rain a year.

  26. Good idea for better employment by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    And I'm hoping this does something for home prices in the area- which have been in a slump since the .com bubble burst (average residential occupancy in Washington County is at 25%, which is great for renters but murder on homeowners trying to refinance or sell). That- and maybe it will do something about the county's 12% unemployment in the high tech sector.

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    1. Re:Good idea for better employment by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Where are you getting YOUR information? My home is in central Beaverton- right smack dab 3 blocks from the High School- and independant appraisals in 2003 and 2004 showed a $10k DECLINE in my home value. The previous appraisal was done before I purchased in 1998- and even then, the increase between 1998 and 2004 (6 years) was less than 30k.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    2. Re:Good idea for better employment by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      CP-Baseline is in Beaverton? I thought that was Hillsboro- but then again, the way Beaverton, Hillsboro, and other cities have been annexing land in that area, it's hard to tell WHAT city you're in at any given address- or even if you're in a city (the Nike Campus, for instance, is officially still unincorporated Washington County- even though it's surrounded on all sides by Beaverton). Lucky you moving out when you did- I'd have to go bankrupt FIRST to be able to move out.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    3. Re:Good idea for better employment by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Not PORTLAND- BEAVERTON. You know, that place on the OTHER side of the West Hills? Washington County, not Multnomah County.

      On the plus side, the vacancy of office space left by the .com bust also led to us getting a lot of your Portland Area jobs- as companies gave up high rent space and the Multnomah County Income Tax to move to low-rent Beaverton.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    4. Re:Good idea for better employment by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      This would affect the price over TIME exactly how? The house has ALWAYS been 3 blocks from the High School- any detriment would be in the base price I paid 6 years ago.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  27. Center for Open Source? by Billy+the+Mountain · · Score: 1

    ...is Portland becoming the center for Open Source development in the US?

    Hmmm, that would be kind of fitting, actually. And just a short-day's drive from Redmond too.

    I guess, however, it's not like the GOD (Good Old Days) where you could quit your job at Microsoft one day and start working for an Open Source employer the next. The job market is such now that it's much more picky. (Unless you are working in Java which tends to be OS color-blind)

    BTM

    --
    That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
  28. Ya hoo!!! by mbrewthx · · Score: 2, Funny

    Great for Beaverton!!! The town hasn't been the same since Tanya Harding moved to Wash.

    --
    __________ Leave me alone I'm compiling a RPG II program on my S/36...Thanks to metamucil I'm a Regular Meta Moderator
    1. Re:Ya hoo!!! by pingveno · · Score: 1

      I think she actually lived in Milwaukie, Oregon. That's the other side of the Willamette River. At least, I know that my school (Milwaukie High School) has the dubious distinction of being Tonya Harding's high school.

      --
      "it's not about aptitude, it's the way you're viewed" - Galinda
    2. Re:Ya hoo!!! by Anonymous+Freak · · Score: 1

      Tonya lived in Milwaukie (different suburb) for awhile, then moved to the 'slummy' area of SE Portland. (I used to work with someone who lived in the same trailer park!)

      Then off to Vancouver, WA, where she got into all sorts of legal trouble. (That's what we do with troublemakers here, we toss 'em North over the border.)

      --
      Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
      The purpose of that site was not known.
    3. Re:Ya hoo!!! by mbrewthx · · Score: 1

      She lived in Beaverton during the whole wack on the knee episode. Her apartment was close to the Valley Ice arena. And it is where her truck almost got towed a couple of times and the camera crews were there.

      --
      __________ Leave me alone I'm compiling a RPG II program on my S/36...Thanks to metamucil I'm a Regular Meta Moderator
  29. Re:Microsoft by borgheron · · Score: 1

    With an attitude like this you might as well give it up now.

    GJC

    --
    Gregory Casamento
    ## Chief Maintainer for GNUstep
  30. Re:Seems logical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
    Oregon is full of dirty hippies. Especially Portland.

    Excuse me? We are, for the most part, very clean-cut hippies.

  31. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by ericmarshall · · Score: 1
    Actually, the average annual precipitation in Portland is less than that in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and many others.

    Source: WeatherToday.net

  32. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by mbrewthx · · Score: 1

    Um you could go by Nike and watch the hoties run around the track which circles the campus.

    --
    __________ Leave me alone I'm compiling a RPG II program on my S/36...Thanks to metamucil I'm a Regular Meta Moderator
  33. Re:Smart? Well... by Sabaki · · Score: 1

    Well, St. Helens is a few dozen miles to the north, in Washington. We do have some lovely extinct volcanoes within city limits, though. We've also got Mt. Hood to the east. People die on that all the time. Plus, it's got that lodge from the Shining! That'll scare interlopers away!

    All code and no play makes Jack a dull boy...

  34. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by valkraider · · Score: 1


    Beaverton is just another Boring Oregon City.

  35. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by pclminion · · Score: 4, Insightful
    This guy is full of shit.

    First of all, Randal Schwartz was arrested because he was cracking passwords. The fact that he was the system administrator is irrelevant to the discussion. He was told not to do it, and he did it anyway.

    Yeah, Intel had a somewhat contradictory set of policies. On the one hand, he was charged with improving network security. On the other, he was told he couldn't do certain things. Where Randal went wrong was when he saw that the policies were contradictory and went ahead anyway. There is always another option which won't get you in trouble: stop what you're fucking doing, and get clarification from management. Being an arrogant ass, he didn't, and so he was arrested.

    If your boss says: "Yes, sure, release that code as GPL", but your contract says: "All code is propery of The Company(TM)", then your legal position is unclear, which is very, very bad.

    In such a situation, you get written clarification, or you quit your job. You do not break the law and then whine when you are sent to jail.

    Then your cell-mate will say: "I like this one. He's cute!", and you will say "Why did I ever move to Oregon!!! !!!". Not good. Not good at all.

    You're pulling this out of your ass. I work in the Portland area as a software developer and have never heard of anything like what you are inventing here, except for the case of Randal Schwartz, which was a pretty clear-cut case of misuse of computer resources. The guy knew the law, he broke it, he went to jail. Tough shit.

    He could have simply gone to his employer and said "I cannot carry out my job function under this contradictory set of requirements. I need clarification."

  36. Oregon's also the least protected by kaedemichi255 · · Score: 1

    If you've seen Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11", you'll have found out that Oregon's entire coastline is protected at most by about 8, that's eight, state troopers. Interesting how the "Open" Source movement is moving to Oregon. You can say Oregon puts the "O" in Open Source ;)

    1. Re:Oregon's also the least protected by valkraider · · Score: 1


      "Protected" from who? The State Police mission is mainly traffic related. They also do things that help out sheriff departments and such from time to time. And the state Medical Examiner is part of the state police. But what does the number of troopers have to do with protecting the coast?

      I am a fan, and own Farenheit 9/11. But you HAVE TO ADMIT that much of the film is sensationalist, and there are huge debates over the details. But the whole Oregon State Trooper thing was a stretch at best.

      The coast is "defended" by the Navy and the Coast guard. The Oregon and Washington coasts are not without defenses.

    2. Re:Oregon's also the least protected by sirReal.83. · · Score: 1

      To be fair, I'm pretty sure the Iraqi resistance felt the same way, and it obviously didn't do much to protect them from terrorists... :(

    3. Re:Oregon's also the least protected by valkraider · · Score: 1


      The impact of the Iraq war on Oregon.

      disclaimer: i can't verify 100% of the facts. Like everything, use them with common sense.

    4. Re:Oregon's also the least protected by Wanker · · Score: 1
      If you've seen Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11", you'll have found out that Oregon's entire coastline is protected at most by about 8, that's eight, state troopers.

      The Oregon State Police is charged primarily with traffic enforcement on state highways. Speeding on a narrow coastal highway covered in water, moss, and algae next to 500 foot drops over rocky cliffs into the ocean tends to be a self-correcting problem.

      The MM half-truth is in implying that 8 State Troopers means 8 total police officers. In most rural Oregon counties, locally funded sheriff offices perform routine law enforcement.
    5. Re:Oregon's also the least protected by Anonymous+Freak · · Score: 1

      Yes, but Air National Guard fighters form Portland are the front-line air defense of the entire West Coast. And an Air Guard base in Klamath Falls is the Air Force's elite training center. (The Air Force equivalent of 'Top Gun'.) Back when I was in Air Force ROTC, the Air Force did a comparison of the top Air Forces in the world, and the state of Oregon ranked sixth. (Only behind the Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines, and the Russian AF. Ahead of Britain, France, Israel, China, and everyone else.) I think California was tenth, and Arizona twelveth. Those are the only other states I can remember.

      --
      Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
      The purpose of that site was not known.
  37. I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by HungWeiLo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    this is just saber-rattling to get volume MSFT discounts for state government IT.

    Since the state government doesn't have enough funding to hire really good people, it's mostly just temp consultants from degree mills who get their knowledge and advice from PC World and the now defunct Windows magazine. For the longest time, (it might still be there), there's a pallet of at least 50 sets of retail-boxed Intel Pentium Pro Overdrive upgrade kits (still shrink-wrapped) sitting in one of our meeting rooms which were purchased by some tech lead (for $200 when they were retailing for $80) and when P2's were bottoming out in price. In the same year, someone decided to pay a Canadian consultant $5 million to write a simple Access frontend to a database. And that's not all - they had to fly his entire family down and feed, house, and clothe them for an entire month! Granted, at the time it was difficult to find good people because of the dot-com rush, but they could have easily found a pimply-faced high school intern to have done it for $10/hr.

    The point is - there are not nearly enough qualified IT people in state government there to utilize open-source solutions.

    --
    There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
    1. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by freemacmini · · Score: 1

      Maybe the situation is changing. This certainly sounds like somebody over there is thinking about things.

      Actually open source makes more sense if you don't have enough tech people. Statistics show that the average unix sysadmin maintains more servers then your typical windows admin and that a typical unix server serves more applications then a typical windows server.

    2. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      For the longest time, (it might still be there), there's a pallet of at least 50 sets of retail-boxed Intel Pentium Pro Overdrive upgrade kits (still shrink-wrapped) sitting in one of our meeting rooms which were purchased by some tech lead (for $200 when they were retailing for $80) and when P2's were bottoming out in price.

      That's not limited to government. It happens at large companies all the time. My parent company paid several million dollars for some Websphere and DB2 licenses (Based on the advice from a consulting company which charged them a million dollars) in order to migrate a website from an old platform. They made this purchase BEFORE they evaluated the old platform. Now it's 6 months later, they've scrapped the whole project because they couldn't figure out how to migrate from the old to the new platform.

      This sort of shit happens all the fucking time in Fortune 500 companies... the machine just keeps churning it's wheels. People that point out the errors are fired or laid off.

      It's why I want to work at a small company... at least you have a better idea what is going on, and you can go out for coffee with the CEO ...

    3. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by HungWeiLo · · Score: 1

      I understand that - that's why I laugh whenever someone tells me that government is inherently less efficient. I've worked extensively in both and can tell you that I'm actually leaning towards the notion that private enterprise can often be more wasteful and inefficient than the public sector.

      --
      There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
    4. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by Ummagumma · · Score: 1

      Dont think that a smaller company is any less prone to this type of activity, either.

      I just got laid off from a 'small comany' (77 employees) - that recently threw 500k into a massivly failed CRM implementation.

      The key is finding a good company. Size is irrelevant.

      --
      "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." - Thomas Jefferson
    5. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 1

      Dont think that a smaller company is any less prone to this type of activity, either.

      Maybe not. I probably just feel more comfortable when I know what is going on and when the decision makers actually listen to me...

    6. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by Ummagumma · · Score: 1

      Yeah, thats what drew me to the smaller company in the first place, too. I beleived that my voice would be more prone to being heard. It wasn't :)

      Bottom line is, it all depends on the people. If you get big company people hired into a small company, things get fubar really quickly.

      --
      "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." - Thomas Jefferson
    7. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by sessamoid · · Score: 1
      Dont think that a smaller company is any less prone to this type of activity, either. I just got laid off from a 'small comany' (77 employees) - that recently threw 500k into a massivly failed CRM implementation. The key is finding a good company. Size is irrelevant

      The difference is that a big company can continue to waste money like that for years and still stay in business. A small company will often go out of business with a mistake like that. That's why you don't see so many small companies being that wasteful, because the ones that are that wasteful get culled from the herd.

      --
      "No, no, no. Don't tug on that. You never know what it might be attached to."
    8. Re:I used to work in the Oregon DOT, and by Ummagumma · · Score: 1

      Very good point.

      It does hurt however, to hear that I was 'culled' from the failing company :)

      --
      "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." - Thomas Jefferson
  38. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by mothlos · · Score: 1

    You are part of the movement to get Major League Baseball to move to Portland aren't you?!?

    Bah!

    We killed a top figure skater's parent in the last month, stay away, you aren't safe!

    Oregon is bad, stop it if you can.

  39. How wonderful! by aurifex · · Score: 1, Funny

    ... *slants tin foil hat down 23 degrees*

  40. Re:Seems logical by bayerwerke · · Score: 1

    You are confused. Those are bums, not hippies.

  41. Re:Smart? Well... by pclminion · · Score: 1

    Actually, only the exterior of the lodge was used in the movie. The scenes inside the lodge were filmed somewhere else.

  42. Government money by pyro101 · · Score: 1

    Before you get all happy remember that once you take the money you will have obligations. If some politician wants you stop something and focus on something else, they can very easliy persuade you to do so. I don't know about you but I'm happy to have government out of open source, for open source's sake.

  43. weather or not by SadButTrue · · Score: 1

    you know there are places in the US where the weather dosn't suck AND there are OS jobs... /move along, there is nothing to see here

    --
    grape - the GNU free, open source rape
  44. Once again, MM tells the truth and lies by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    about 8, that's eight, state troopers

    That's true- because in Oregon parts of the beach are still the State Highway System. What MM doesn't tell you is that there are also 8 fully operational Coast Guard bases, 2 National Guard Bases, and the rest of the Oregon Coast that isn't covered is right on the edge of the continental plate and is protected by huge jagged rocks, pounding surf, and the ghost of Bandage Man.

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    1. Re:Once again, MM tells the truth and lies by identity0 · · Score: 1

      I think he was implying that law enforcement protection was lax in that area - neither National Guard nor Coast Guard patrols the beaches for crime. I doubt he was saying terrorists were going to make a beach landing invasion on the Oregon coast. I do recall hearing of some murders on the coast every now and then, though it didn't seem like a dangerous area.

      Whether it's true or not, the implied connection to the war was that money and personnel were being funneled away from regular law enforcement to the military because of the war in Iraq.

    2. Re:Once again, MM tells the truth and lies by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      It's an unpopulated area- that's why you don't hear about more murders. The last three I can think of all happened within city limits of either Seaside, Coos Bay, or Canon Beach. The fourth that happened near happened in a State Park.

      Whether it's true or not, the implied connection to the war was that money and personnel were being funneled away from regular law enforcement to the military because of the war in Iraq.

      I hadn't seen F911- so I didn't know- but I'd have to say based on what I know of State Funding, Clinton's dealings with NAFTA, H-1bs, and the WTO had more to do with the lack of law enforcement in Oregon than Bush's little war on the cheap. Of course- Bush has had 4 years to do something about those problems as well, and hasn't done a damn thing.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  45. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by jasno · · Score: 1

    Yes, instead of a nice big downpour its more of a continuous misting...

    I might as well mention that I was up there a few months ago visiting relatives and kicking around the idea of moving up. Unfortunately it looks like the californiacation has already begun. I couldn't believe the new developments with the giant homes and near-zero lot lines.. ugh..

    Still, its pretty nice if you can handle the weather. It just takes the right kind of person.

    --

    http://www.masturbateforpeace.com/
  46. Re:Smart? Well... by Sabaki · · Score: 1

    True, but hopefully the exterior will be enough to scare them off.

  47. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by BrookHarty · · Score: 3, Informative

    I think Schwartz said it best.

    I became a felon for doing my job with a bit too much enthusiasm.

    He used normal security techniques of auditing passwords, he never used the passwords in a dishonest way, and he was authorized to work with the systems. The passwords never left Intel's computers, he didnt actually "HACK" or steal access.

    He should of been fired if Intel had an issue, but Oregons law basically make things like using someones xbox without written permission a felony.

    Just because a company doesnt like the way you go about doing your jobs shouldnt make you a criminal.

    You can read more about it here. Lightlink

  48. Or maybe.. by Minwee · · Score: 1

    Oregon is angling for some _really big_ discounts from Microsoft.

  49. Re:Portland OR: A comment on the town from a resid by JDevers · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    According to census information, Portland is 78% white. While that is obviously mostly white, there aren't many cities in this country of Portland's size outside of the southwest or southern Florida that are LESS white.

  50. Nah... by billybob · · Score: 1

    Portland doesnt have that many hippies actually, if you exclude the Hawthorne district. You wanna talk about hippies, then you want to have a looksie at Eugene. Now that is full of dirty hippies. I grew up there and I fucking hate that place.

    --
    Joseph?
    1. Re:Nah... by lgbarker · · Score: 2, Funny

      Says someone named billybob.

    2. Re:Nah... by MayorDefacto · · Score: 1

      No shit man. I live in Eugene, and the hippies here suck. But Portland has the insufferable hipsters... seriously. Take off the damn horn-rimmed glasses and turn off the psuedo-indie rock, you dorks.

  51. Free Geek too! by Slur · · Score: 1

    Portland is also home to Free Geek, a model for what computer reclamation / redistribution centers can accomplish.

    --
    -- thinkyhead software and media
    1. Re:Free Geek too! by peteforsyth · · Score: 1
      PLEASE MOD PARENT UP.
      Free Geek is a unique organization, filling an important niche in the world of Open Source software...finding a way to integrate it into the local community. Their primary mission is directed at other problems: recycl computer equipment, get the "good" leftovers to people who can't afford computers otherwise, and educate people of all levels of tech skill.
      But, Free Software is the best software tool to accomplish those goals, and is a critical component in how they have become so effective.

      Free Geek rocks. You should read up about it, and find a way to make this kind of thing happen in your neck of the woods.

  52. Re:Portland is also a community wi-fi leader by valkraider · · Score: 2, Insightful
  53. Re: Gov. K. by meatball_mulligan · · Score: 1

    Yes, Gov. Kulongoski has attended the funeral of every fallen Oregonian soldier, sailor, and airman during his term.

    Unlike our Commander in Chief, he believes very strongly that they deserve at least this respect.

    Then again, unlike our Commander in Chief, he's a real veteran (Marine, 11th & 12th Regs), who actually served, instead just playing dress-up.

    m.m.

  54. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by DoasFu · · Score: 1

    Umm, I've only been here a few months, but aren't we supposed to tell everyone it sucks and to stay away? Have I been lying to my parents for no reason?

  55. Civil War II by gameboyhippo · · Score: 1

    In other news, Washington State is is declaring war on Oregon. News sources are dubbing this, "The American Civil War II". Many news analyst claim that this war should be open and shut in no time. An anonomys insider from Redmond, WA says this, "The red scare is back. This time it's in our own back yard! We must do everything in our power to defeat the Commies and bring Democracy back to the U.S. In our efforts to do this, we are offering to the U.S. Military our latest software package "Red Out". This is available to them for just $99 per month. For the Pro Version (which has a cooler sounding name... and it integrates with Miami Vice) it's just $199."

  56. Cool name. by boodaman · · Score: 1

    Anyone who can win a major political office with a name like "Kulongoski" has my support. ;)

  57. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    it rains 363 days of the year there That's just a lie we tell to Californians to get them to stay the heck out of Oregon. Can't stand to see Oregon getting all Californicated...

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  58. the center for Open Source development in the US? by mlinksva · · Score: 1

    Sounds like pure hyperbole to me. Seems like OS development is inherently pretty decentralized.

  59. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by soft_guy · · Score: 2, Informative

    I live in Wilsonville (close to Portland). I've lived in many other areas in the country. Actually, the weather here is generally really nice in the summer. Between May and October, it is not too hot (usually) or too cold, not raining (usually), and not humid.

    The winters are rainy, but compared to other places I've lived its a lot nicer. I've lived in Oklahoma (central), Missouri (Springfield and St. Louis), and Houston, TX.

    Houston has a lot of rain in the winter, too. But in the summer, it is far too hot to enjoy the weather outside.

    In Oklahoma it is always either far too cold or far too hot to enjoy the outdoors. Same for Missouri.

    I love the weather in the northwest. It may only be good weather for half the year, but for that half its great.

    --
    Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
  60. Re:not only that but by hax4bux · · Score: 1

    We'll see how you feel when your neighbor turns his property into a feedlot and the other neighbor decides to become a auto junkyard.

    OTOH, my neighbors will have to put up w/a new runway. I'm turning my back 40 into an airport.

  61. Re:Portland OR: A comment on the town from a resid by PoorImpulseControl · · Score: 1

    Trolls to eat too...

  62. Readme!! by hisstory+student · · Score: 2, Funny

    All the derogatory comments in this blog regarding Oregon are true! We are just strange people that love living in these horrible living conditions (like lots of rain and that sort of thing)! You wouldn't like it here, so don't even think of coming here (unless you want to vacation here for a week or so).

    --
    Heard any good sigs lately?
  63. Re:Portland OR: A comment on the town from a resid by jdray · · Score: 2, Funny

    Did I miss something? What does the color of the houses have to do with development of OSS? Furthermore, with all the trees, it's mostly green around here. We're also known as being blue on the political map, though closer examination shows that to be in the metro area, with Eastern Oregon being mostly red. Still, I don't see your point.

    --
    The Spoon
    Updated 6/28/2011
  64. Re:No news, really... by sirReal.83. · · Score: 1
    /me bites troll

    The song's called Kumbaya, jackass, and it either came from Angola or... the southern east coast of the US, nobody's certain. I bet there are *tons* of hippies there.

  65. Ownership != License by InfiniteWisdom · · Score: 1

    "Yes, sure, release that code as GPL", but your contract says: "All code is propery of The Company(TM)"
    GPL software is NOT public domain. The code is Copyright (C) The Company, but instead of a typical restrictive license, its distributed under the GPL.

    1. Re:Ownership != License by Kentsusai · · Score: 1

      Yes you are right about GPL software NOT being public domain.

      But what happens if the licensed is revoked?

  66. Clean by lgbarker · · Score: 2, Funny

    Absolutely. Waiting for the bus in the rain keeps us well rinsed.

  67. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by x40sw0n · · Score: 1

    well there are more strip clubs per capita than anywhere else in the country, (portland that is) and beaverton is, of course, a major component in the portland metro area, frequently called PDX, which for a while i thought stood for Perverted Decentralization Crossing... but that could just be my mind trying to rationalize the 'logic' of airports.

  68. As long as more Californians don't move up here... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    As I've already moderated, I must post as AC....

    A Texan, a Californian, and an Oregonian are out riding horses. The Texan pulls out an expensive bottle of whiskey, takes a long swig, then another, and suddenly throws it into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the bottle in midair. The Californian looks at him and says, "What are you doing? That was a perfectly good bottle of whiskey!" The Texan says, "In Texas, there's plenty of whiskey and bottles are cheap." A while later, not wanting to be outdone, the Californian pulls out a bottle of champagne, takes a few sips, throws the champagne into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots it in midair. The Oregonian can't believe this and says, "What the heck did you do that for??? That was an expensive bottle of champagne!" The Californian says "In California, there's plenty of champagne and bottles are cheap." So a while later, the Oregonian pulls out a bottle of Widmer Hefeweizen. He opens it, takes a sip, takes another sip, then chugs the rest. He then puts the bottle back in his saddlebag, pulls out his gun, turns around and shoots the Californian. The Texan, shocked, says, "Why the hell did you do that?!" The Oregonian replied, "In Oregon we have plenty of Californians, and bottles are worth a nickel."

  69. Microsoft by rsmith-mac · · Score: 1

    I'm far more afraid of what Microsoft is going to do about this. I mean, wouldn't it be convenient to have a Windows powered missile accidentally mis-fire and land in Beaverton? All I know is that we need more bomb shelters before the OS holy wars become literal.;-)

  70. Re:Portland OR: A comment on the town from a resid by sessamoid · · Score: 1
    According to census information, Portland is 78% white. While that is obviously mostly white, there aren't many cities in this country of Portland's size outside of the southwest or southern Florida that are LESS white.

    You're joking, right? In San Francisco county (which is neither Southwest nor in southern Florida) "whites" aren't even a majority. There is no ethnic majority in San Francisco, just minorities of differing numbers. "Whites" make up 49.7% of the population in San Francisco. If you take the Hispanic "whites" out of it, then "whites" are only 43.6% of the population.

    Another example, Dallas County (I don't consider Dallas "southwest" having grown up there) is only 58% "white" according to the 2000 census. I can't find the data just for the city of Dallas, but I'll guarantee you that the city has a higher percentage of ethnic minorities than the county as a whole.

    New Orleans is only 28% white.

    I love Portland, but it's considerably whiter than most of the southern half of this country when compared to other metropolitan areas.

    --
    "No, no, no. Don't tug on that. You never know what it might be attached to."
  71. Re:Portland OR: A comment on the town from a resid by waferhead · · Score: 1

    It's not the trees that are green, it's the MOLD.

  72. Proposal for First Project for New Center by mrs+clear+plastic · · Score: 1

    I have just the perfect project that could make
    the new Open Source Center literaly the center of
    the open source universe.

    I'm talking about a real, good, solid replacement
    for Microsoft Exchange. Take a combination of the
    projects that we already have (openexchange,
    opengroupware, etc) and use the best components
    of each one and come up with something that is
    truly open source, industrial strength, and with
    as many 'enterprise' features as Exchange.

    We already have the backend components this can
    use; postgresql (or mysql) for the back end database; kerberos or ldap for the authentication (which can be nicely integrated with the likes of postfix and cyrus or courier imap engines, and so on.

    If the new center in Beaverton can pull something
    like this off, it would be on the map for
    creating a first alternative to the one thing that
    has prevented many businesses from migrating
    off of Microsoft.

    Luv

    Mrs. Cleara Plastique

    --
    Cleara
    1. Re:Proposal for First Project for New Center by waferhead · · Score: 1

      Better idea: an EXCHANGE drop in replacement.

      OSS have funtional CLIENTS, or withing sight for all functions.

      Gotta get Bill where it actually hurts...

  73. Re:Hm, I live in Beaverton. by waferhead · · Score: 1

    Yes, buy can Linus say Oregon properly yet?

    (He's very adaptive, so I would vote yes)

    Hint-- It is NOT pronounced OR-E-GONE

  74. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by traveyes · · Score: 1


    uh.. yer not supposed to tell people that the weather is actually good here.... It's taken generations of FUD to convince the rest of the world that the weather here sucks. Hand over your renounce your Citizenship at once!

    .

  75. Oregon by Enrico+Cocinar · · Score: 1

    Cool, I'm glad I voted for the guy. oregon politicians are doing good so far this year. With prozanski trying to bust up the city cops speed traps across the state and send the money to drivers ed programs.

  76. Keith Packard by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 1

    Don't forget that Keith Packard lives in Portland also. So you have the core of Linux development and the core of X development.
    -russ

    --
    Don't piss off The Angry Economist
  77. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by Godman · · Score: 1

    It only rained 360 last year. I counted. (It snowed the other 5.) And you can go waterskiing in downtown Salem sometimes, that's always fun.

    --
    I have this really funny quote that I like to put here. Unfortunately, there's this really annoying thing called a char
  78. Re:Portland: What it is like to live here by JackHolloway · · Score: 1
    wow, twice in one story...you sir are a dedicated troll

    If you hate stumptown that much, GTFO

    Here...here are all the cans from my house. Now you can afford a u-haul to go somewhere you don't hate. I live in Lents, so come on down for 'em.

    Geeze, you'd think we ate his dog or something....

    --
    "It may just be that there is something fundamentally unworkable about government itself" -H. Beam Piper
  79. Re:Portland OR: A comment on the town from a resid by sessamoid · · Score: 1

    Normally, I don't bother with people too cowardly to register, but Austin is about Portland's size and is only 65% white. Oklahoma City is almost exactly Portland's size and is also about 65% white. Atlanta has a populuation of 416,000 and is only 33% white. Need I continue? Portland is pretty damned white compared to much of America.

    --
    "No, no, no. Don't tug on that. You never know what it might be attached to."
  80. Oregon: A Nice Place to Visit by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sheesh, you both have it wrong. It was a billboard just north of the California border that said "Oregon: A Nice Place to Visit", with the emphasis on "visit". We used to live there back in 1981. Worked at HP's Calculator Division in Corvallis. Worked on the HP-41 CMOS power supply chip. "Oh, I heard that the HP-41 only ever had a bipolar power supply chip." You'd be right, sigh. Never did get the damned thing working, but at least we scared Harris into improving its incoming yield rate.
    -russ

    --
    Don't piss off The Angry Economist
  81. Done deal. by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Actually, McDonald's have been running Open Source Software since around 1989. They use the GPL'ed packet driver collection to communicate between the registers and the back of house system. There was a time when I had open source software running on more CPUs than any other person.
    -russ
    p.s. hehe.

    --
    Don't piss off The Angry Economist
  82. Re:Ya hoo!!! - famous Oregon dwellers by HungWeiLo · · Score: 1

    Tonya Harding
    Senator Bob Packwood
    Monica Lewinsky (she went to Lewis and Clark College in Oregon)

    --
    There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
  83. Re:Portland OR: A comment on the town from a resid by JDevers · · Score: 1

    I'll give you OKC and Austin, but Atlanta is the principal city in the ninth largest metro area in the US...not exactly in the same class as the other cities listed. However, after looking at a population listing of other cities, your point is proven. Most of the cities in the same range (Kansas City, Sacramento, Cincinnati, San Antonio etc) are less white (not necessarily less Caucasian, as most demographics count Hispanic in Caucasian) than Portland. I'll admit when I'm wrong...

    Population information from: http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-CombMetro.html

  84. There are other approaches by belmolis · · Score: 1

    Actually, there are other approaches. For instance, the cake maker can be paid a fixed wage plus expenses to provide new model cakes from time to time. This is, approximately, the model for academic research. Or someone (government, consumer organization) can contract with cake makers to produce new models. Yet another approach is to hold competitions with cake-makers earning their income via prizes. This is the model on which rodeo cowboys earn their living. I'm not saying that all or any of these approaches will be good in all cases, but it isn't true that the only possibility is paying the producer on a piecework basis.

    1. Re:There are other approaches by LoverOfJoy · · Score: 1

      Or another approach would be for many cake connoisseurs to band together and put forth some time to help because they believe that making quality cakes is worthwhile and want everyone to have access to to great cakes.

  85. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by Strange+Attractor · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, it was a frightening miscarriage of justice and common sense. Washington County simply did the bidding of Intel (its largest employer). The irony of Washington County now becoming a center for free software is not appreciated widely enough.

  86. Re:Portland: What it is like to live here by HermanAB · · Score: 1

    So... You are jealous of Portland?

    --
    Oh well, what the hell...
  87. Close to the Evil Empire by J_Omega · · Score: 1

    Portland to Seattle/Redmond is only about 145 miles.

    Keep your friends close, your enemies closer?

  88. How about my state? by ahziem · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Write your local government officials. But first, do a little research.

    Check out the budgets. Look at their spending and objectives. If an objective states, "Identify possibilities for increased efficiences in information technlogy," there you go.

    If all their documents are in Microsoft formats, draw their attention to Commonwealth of Massachusetts open standards policy and how open formats are helpful.

    If you can find they are violating a their own policies regarding document storage or accessibility, mention that.

  89. Mod parent up "insightful"... by waferhead · · Score: 1

    This joke has much truth. It is funny AND insightful.

  90. Re:the center for Open Source development in the U by The+Vorlon · · Score: 1

    Oh, I figured that as a resident of Beaverton, it would be ok for me to ask the governor to float me some of that 1.2 mil to help relocate the entire Debian development team to Oregon. Hmm, maybe not.

  91. Raises hand by nborders · · Score: 1

    I VOTED FOR HIM! ~n (Portland native)

  92. Free Geek by SlideGuitar · · Score: 1

    Never mind that big fancy OSDL out in Beaverton.... this is the heart of Portland linux.

    http://www.freegeek.org/

    OK, one of the hearts. But at least Free Geek is located in the real Portland, inner southeast, as opposed to out in sterile, wealthy, Geography of Nowhere, Silicon Forest, stripmall land....aka Beaverton.

    Still it's neat to have Linus himself living here in our little old forest.

  93. Burgerville by MayorDefacto · · Score: 1

    Seriously, man. Burgerville rules! Too bad that they don't exist south of stenchburg, er Albany.... we don't have them down here in Eugene!

  94. Re:Well, since it rains 363 days of the year there by japhmi · · Score: 1

    The tightly-build new subdivisions is mostly because there is less land inside the Urban Growth Boundry. It's a trade-off, tightly-build houses in exchange for them not streaching off for EVER.

    --
    "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys" P. J. O'Rourke
  95. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by node+3 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yeah, Intel had a somewhat contradictory set of policies. On the one hand, he was charged with improving network security. On the other, he was told he couldn't do certain things. Where Randal went wrong was when he saw that the policies were contradictory and went ahead anyway. There is always another option which won't get you in trouble: stop what you're fucking doing, and get clarification from management. Being an arrogant ass, he didn't, and so he was arrested.

    Being an arrogant ass shouldn't be illegal. What you're saying is, "Yes, parent poster, the law was wrong to put him in jail, therefore it was his fault for not recognizing that potentiality, and violating the stupid law."

    The point isn't whether the law, as it stood (which was NOT clear until after the trial), made what he did a crime, it's whether that's a good and intelligent law. It isn't.

    In such a situation, you get written clarification, or you quit your job. You do not break the law and then whine when you are sent to jail.

    Way to miss the whole point. The point is that the system is unmoral/disagreeable/anti-the-little-guy/whatever related adjective you prefer. Your reply blames the victim and does nothing to address the problem. It's like saying (during the witch trial eras), "Well, that's what you get for having a birthmark and a pet black cat!"

    What Randal did shouldn't have landed him in jail, but it did. He probably shouldn't have done it even if it was completely legal, but that doesn't mean he should be imprisoned for it!

  96. Re: Gov. K. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1
    [from article linked above]
    Kulongoski had expressed public support for the war in a meeting last year with President Bush.
  97. Re:Microsoft by GraemeDonaldson · · Score: 1

    Hmmm Windows-powered missiles, eh? How would the licencing work on those? I guess on a per-casualty basis?

    --
    I think, therefore I am. I think?
  98. Re:Microsoft by essreenim · · Score: 1
    a Windows powered missile accidentally mis-fire and land in Beaverton?

    Dont worry, if they aim for Beaverton, they should overshoot and end up in San Jose

  99. O/T: Your Sig by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1
    Free IPod? Why? Who enslaved him?

    I did. He's tied to my belt and forced to play music all day. When I'm at home I put him in a machine which restricts his movement and passes electric current through him. And make him play more music. I have no intention of paying him.

    Isn't anthropomorphism fun?

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    1. Re:O/T: Your Sig by museumpeace · · Score: 1

      [giggling as I type]
      Good thing /. doesn't let us mod sigs; its already a blog on the verge of utter chaos...though definitely some sigs are better than the comments they adorn.

      --
      SLASHDOT: news for people who can't concentrate on work or have no life at all and got tired of yelling back at the TV.
  100. Good Topic by 4of12 · · Score: 1

    Now it's 6 months later, they've scrapped the whole project because...

    I think Slashdot ought to do a whole story on people's experiences with Project Zombie, ill-conceived, the living undead, Death March, etc.

    Management always trumpets success and ignores failure - but how better to learn how to avoid failure than to have examples of it dissected in front of you?

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  101. Re: Gov. K. by meatball_mulligan · · Score: 1

    That's somewhat true, but the issue wasn't support for the war, but supporting and honoring the troops that are fighting and dying in it.

    President Bush has used the military for photo ops, while at the same time cutting their combat pay and benefits. He has yet to attend even a single memorial service for the Americans who gave their lives to fight in his precious little war.

    Governor Kulongoski, who knows what it's like to actually serve has consistently fought to protect and promote the interests of the troops. The Governor has also acknowledged and honored each Oregonian who gave his life in this war.

    r.m.

  102. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by pclminion · · Score: 1
    I thought you northwesterners were all peace and love and shit like that. You from New York or something?

    Heavily liberal, perhaps, but that hardly equates with "peace loving."

    And the wording of my post really has little to no correlation with how angry I am (which is to say, "not at all angry").

  103. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by pclminion · · Score: 1
    What Randal did shouldn't have landed him in jail, but it did.

    Why shouldn't it have? It's a law like any other law. You break it, you suffer the consequences.

    Whether or not the law is right is a different issue. Breaking the law might be a legitimate act of civil disobedience. I highly doubt that was what was going through his mind when he did it, however. And I think there are laws much more worthy of protest than this one.

    I mean, come on -- do you really think it's that unreasonable to prosecute somebody who willfully misused corporate resources? What if instead of cracking passwords he was wasting reams of paper making photocopies of his ass? Would you still think him all noble for going against the establishment?

  104. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by node+3 · · Score: 1

    >What Randal did shouldn't have landed him in jail, but it did.

    Why shouldn't it have? It's a law like any other law. You break it, you suffer the consequences.

    Because the consequences for what he did should not be jail, duh.

    Whether or not the law is right is a different issue.

    No, it's not a different issue, it's the WHOLE issue.

    You ignorant sod, you are saying that a person should be deprived of their freedom for cracking passwords, not in any malicious way, and dutifully reporting the weakness to his employer. It should not be against the law, it should be up to Intel whether or not to fire and/or sue him for damages, but it's absolutely disgusting to hear someone advocating sending someone to jail for that.

    I mean, come on -- do you really think it's that unreasonable to prosecute somebody who willfully misused corporate resources?

    "Misuse corporate resources" is a vague term. Should you go to jail if you use the photocopier to copy your tax returns before running to the post office? No. Should you go to jail for using corporate resources to steal from your shareholders? Yes.

    What if instead of cracking passwords he was wasting reams of paper making photocopies of his ass? Would you still think him all noble for going against the establishment?

    You are a moron. I never said he was "noble for going against the establishment", nor did he "photocopy his ass" (what an absolutely ridiculous analogy--do you think photocopying your ass should land you in jail?). What I said was that it shouldn't have landed him in jail. What you have is Intel depriving a man of his liberty for showing them a flaw in their system. He didn't steal corporate resources, he didn't vandalize the files he had access too. He did scare Intel's corporate leaders. Boo!

    You're fucking sick. I'll bet, just like Rush Limbaugh who rails for people who abuse drugs to go to jail, except for him, if you found your employer's corporate file share with the legal docs and employee records was prone to be accessed via WiFi and l0phtcrack from the Starbucks in the lobby, you'd decry the notion that what you did should land you in jail.

    I mean this is no small way: Go fuck yourself. That goes double if you live under the jurisdiction of a law which makes said self-fucking illegal. Putting someone in jail is the second-worse thing our government can do to a person (well, maybe third, now that Gonzales is championing torture--in much the same, "I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just that it can be done," way that you are saying Randal Schwartz should have been sent to jail).

  105. Re: Gov. K. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

    President Bush has used the military for photo ops, while at the same time cutting their combat pay and benefits.

    "_Cutting_ combat pay and benefits" for servicemen, and that in wartime? Put up evidence of this please.

    He has yet to attend even a single memorial service for the Americans who gave their lives to fight in his precious little war.

    Bush spent time with families of soldiers killed. It's not about _appearances_ - it doing the right thing.

    The Oregon Governor may be a swell guy, but that doesn't make Bush-bashing right.

  106. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by pclminion · · Score: 1
    Because the consequences for what he did should not be jail, duh.

    I agree. As I said though, it ain't fucking relevant. You can't choose to enforce some laws and not others based on whether they are "right" or not. Law is not about what is right or wrong.

    You ignorant sod, you are saying that a person should be deprived of their freedom for cracking passwords, not in any malicious way, and dutifully reporting the weakness to his employer.

    No, I am NOT saying that. I am saying that a person who breaks a law should be punished as the law requires. If the law is unjust, the law should be changed. What is NOT right is for us to stop enforcing laws because we don't like them.

    I mean this is no small way: Go fuck yourself.

    Get over your silly indignation. You and I both think the law is stupid. The difference is, I am capable of distinguishing between legality and morality. You are not.

  107. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by node+3 · · Score: 1

    Are you still here? Didn't I tell you to go fuck yourself?

    I agree. As I said though, it ain't fucking relevant. You can't choose to enforce some laws and not others based on whether they are "right" or not. Law is not about what is right or wrong.

    Yes you can (well, you can't, but the police, judges, prosecutors, etc, can), it happens all the time. The question *is* relevant because the whole point in discussing Schwartz's incarceration is to point out how stupid the law is. That's the first step in changing the law. Your attitude is, "well, the law's the law." That's revolting.

    No, I am NOT saying that. I am saying that a person who breaks a law should be punished as the law requires. If the law is unjust, the law should be changed. What is NOT right is for us to stop enforcing laws because we don't like them.

    I disagree fully, a person should (should is a moral term, more on this below) not be punished under an unjust law. For you, it's more important to sacrifice people to ensure the consistency of the system. For me, the system serves the people, so the system must bend to ensure the just liberty of the people.

    Get over your silly indignation.

    My indignation is not silly. It's disgusting to argue that a person should be imprisoned for a stupid law. It's sick. And it's made moreso by the fact that every time an asshole with your attitude towards the law falls victim to such a law, they scream bloody murder about how wrong it is for them to be arrested/investigated/imprisoned/etc.

    You and I both think the law is stupid. The difference is, I am capable of distinguishing between legality and morality. You are not.

    No, the difference is you are a sociopath who thinks it's moral to punish someone under an unjust law. To separate the morality and legality of the system is merely to say that his imprisonment was completely legal, but the imprisonment was immoral. NO ONE has suggested the law was not executed exactly as it was written. What's at issue (which you keep dismissing by claiming it's not the issue) is whether it was moral, whether it was the sort of law that serves the people, like the US Government (and State and local governments under the Federal hierarchy) mandates. When you say such a law should be enforced, you are making a moral decision. Should is an opinion, and is predicated on your values (morality). You are saying it's more moral to uphold the law than it is immoral to unjustly imprison someone. You are a sick, pathetic man.

    A man was deprived of his freedom for being a geek and a white hat hacker. It's sick and anyone who defends such a system needs to be personally run through that system in order to cure their sociopathy.

    Now, go fuck yourself, and be sure to turn yourself in and demand to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, if there's any law against self-fucking in your jurisdiction.

  108. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by pclminion · · Score: 1

    So, you're an anarchist. That's fine, but I'm not going to continue to argue with an anarchist.

  109. Re:Has Oregon repealed it's nasty anti-coder laws? by node+3 · · Score: 1

    So, you're an anarchist. That's fine, but I'm not going to continue to argue with an anarchist.

    I am not an anarchist. What gives you that idea?

    You're a dumb-fuck who has to see things in absolutes. Either I'm absolutely for the rule of law, or I'm absolutely an anarchist (an extension of your earlier, "you either enforce all laws equally, or there are no laws"--are you really retarded enough to not see that's false?). Your pea-brain can't comprehend a system which is not 100% self-consistent. Laws are important, laws are integral to a working society. Sound like an anarchist? No? Just wait until you hear this: laws are not ends unto themselves. They are tools to an end. Unjust laws should not be enforced. Oops, all of the sudden I'm an anarchist, but only to a rigid fool such as yourself.