The situation is far more simple than these gutless (and most likely politically motivated) legislators want people to believe.
The most important concept any government (or business really) must adhere to is a SINGLE document format that; a) meets their requirements b) the code is accessible to THEM
For most everybody, the requirements have been met by the ODF, and the code is accessible. The reason that the code must be accessible is to ensure that they will have continued access to their documents independent of the existence of any endorsing company. Accessible code also allows a particular entity to customize the code to meet their requirements, should that ever be necessary... of course that would be unlikely, but one never knows.
Regardless, organizations want a format that they will be able to commit to for the rest of their earthly existence (if that were feasible) so that they would not need to go back and convert 10 billion documents in the future. The conversion of documents is a big deal when it comes to the amount of planning, time, and money involved in making the conversion process move along smoothly -- and understandably nobody ever wants to go through the process if it can be avoided. Naturally, the more important the document, the more concerned people become with its handling; both now and in the foreseeable future.
As a legislator, the questions I would need to ask would be the ones mentioned above. Then I would be concerned with the longevity of the target format, and the likelihood that there would continue to be applications that would support it.
I used AT&T for several months along the East coast, and thought it was crappy. I ended up paying the early termination fee just because I got better service from free wireless points, and hotel wireless.
"Would you buy a Metallica online album despite their former views?"
Only if I like a song, or an album will I purchase it (online, or offline).
With that said, and as much as it pains me to say - I had to buy the Miley Cyrus/ Hanna Montana album for my daughter. So in my opinion it all boils down to the demand for the music, as opposed to any particular musicians position on downloading or how I feel about it.
To those in the loop, it was apparent that Bush et al intended to launch a campaign based on false (dis)information that was deliberately being misinterpreted by the Bush administration.
When there are endless video recordings of Bush, Cheney, Rice all making false statements -- then when asked about those statements, they have the audacity to say they either 'never said that', or 'it was misinterpreted'.
These are obvious, verifiable LIES, and yet no news outlet actually plasters those lies over the news even a fraction as much as some perverted senator.
What's with that? Yet a story that the 'Pentagon Manipulating TV Analysts' is even presented as semi-surprising is probably even more disgusting.
I must confess that as an avid Macintosh user/owner/fan, even I find it a bit over-the-top suing a non-profit organization of New York if the logo doesn't bear the distinctive aspects of the Apple logo (like the bite taken out of the right side of the apple).
In fact, I would go so far as to say that Apple Records would have a bit more of a reason to object, but even still New York really is synonymous with the 'Big Apple', much in the same way that the Blue Crab is the logo for Maryland, and the other states with similar things.
Additionally, I think the GreenNYC logo is actually much cooler than the Apple logo.
I wonder how much they will charge for the Recycle Bin module.... and the BSOD module. They are my favorites. Or perhaps Microsoft has decided to do away with the BSOD?
...and in further news, this technology has been partnered with substantial funding and research by the Microsoft corporation to develop the smallest 'blue-screen-of-death' ever. Bringing the term 'brain-freeze' a whole new meaning.
I can tell you beyond all doubt that the Air Force take-down notices are nothing more than 'cyber-bullying'. The USAF is so wrapped-up in not overstepping their AFI (Air Force Instructions) , that they would easily let anything go if it didn't violate their AFI's. Conversely, they will spend like 5 months making sure their AFI is being violated; if the AF IS being violated they would act on it -- EVEN IF IT IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE AIR FORCE.
This is really no different than patenting something as obvious as a grocery store. Gee, I'll patent a store that sells food, and other items... then sue all the existing supermarkets. Yet, here we are (as stated previously) looking at something as obvious as differing user roles.
I am sorry someone modded you down for your comment, because you are absolutely correct. Geographic and conditional separation of a single specimen WILL create divergence of the separate populations, and given enough time they would in fact be classified as different sub-species.
One example (albeit a pretty basic one) would be the evolution of different generations of a particular virus in different medium/conditions. Given enough time, the sub-populations would adapt and ultimately EVOLVE to better survive and thrive in their new environments. THis also applies for bacteria (antibiotic resistance is EVOLUTION), monkeys, worms, humans.... and *gasp* Jesus.
Word has it that one of Jesus Christ's ancestors was an ape-like creature that did not walk completely erect. Heh, imagine that!
By suggesting one can 'observe' gravity, yet not be able to observe evolution is complete nonsense and absolute avoidance of the obvious.
If you were to take a population of black haired people, and a population of white haired people, let them breed then separate the offspring into two groups isolated from each other and placed into different environmental conditions (ex. low-light/ cold vs. tropic/hot) you would see characteristic differences develop over time.
This is something that we DO observe, have observed, and continue to observe. To pretend that isn't true is typical of people who argue that evolution isn't scientific fact.
Ironically they are all to willing to believe some omnipotent man-shaped god in the sky that nobody has ever seen, is fact. Far more ridiculous is that this 'imaginary' super-being has created the above mentioned differing populations (magically from the same lineage, yet created by gods magic wand instantaneously, instead of selective adaptation). Just why is it that things we can see are no longer 'fact', and things that don't exist are?
I have had too many (real non-IT-pro) people I have tried to expose to linux give me feedback on the system, and here's the real scoop:
1. it is too difficult to install new applications. Yes, even installing Firefox is a challenge for a noob... now try to do it on a generic Linux distro.
2. Where ARE the apps I just installed? WTF... why aren't the in the 'start menu'? Try to explain THIS to someone who has been using windows.
3. logical navigation of folders: Advanced users may know where everything is, but the average tool looks in 'Program Files', or 'My Documents'. So they just have no clue what the Linux folders are.
Maybe this is the time to admit that Linux IS a great OS (yes, it is), but we have not done enough to enlighten the AVERAGE computer user. **Unless this ever becomes an important requirement, Linux will continue to be the FREE system, while others will be able to charge a premium.
Personally, I don't care if an OS is free, or cost $$ (it's not my $$ after-all). I just need 80% + of the users to be using it without calling me every 5 minutes.
you just sound like the average Tier III tech support drone
If this wasn't Slashdot I would be offended (well, not really)....
You cannot suggest I am referring to anecdotal information when you have no clue what information I posses, can you? More importantly, using your supposed anecdotal info to counter my alleged anecdotal info doesn't fly either.
With that said,I will have you know I am proud of my Tier III tech support drone heritage. For what it's worth, I am a Tier III tech support drone, and my father was a Tier III tech support drone, as was his father. In fact I come from an ancient Celtic clan of Tier III tech support drones dating back to the 1300's!
So, if my anecdotal information isn't good enough, then who's is??
So I challenge you, sir, to provide me with anecdotal information that would make me feel otherwise.
Many people have said that FF slows their system down, and honestly I have not experienced this on Windows, Linux, or Mac (OSX)... in far over a year.
The fact is that these supposed 'memory leaks' are more a factor with prior incompatibilities with Windows inconsistencies than being due to Firefox itself.
Feel free to stick to Internet Explorer if you prefer it, but the whole 'memory leak' thing is wearing a bit thin at this point.
Funny thing but, after 6 beers I think I understand too.
Oddly enough I just want to play COD4 on the computer I am building just for that purpose!
**NOTE: I use a Mac for everything else, but sadly the requirements for a uber-high-end vid card meant I had to build a new WinXP 64-bit computer to chomp this game to bits:)
Yes tiered pricing IS a good idea, and ultimately I will go with the company that offers what I want at the cheapest price. Sooner or later it will come back around to unlimited usage because EVERYONE will do the same thing. Filter my content, no problem -- there's other carriers who won't.
Fortunately my money speaks for me, and I will spend it where it benefits me the most. ATT knows this, and they should be concerned.
I hope I am wrong about this, but if the internet gets transmitted over TV airwaves, wouldn't the FCC automatically gain authority to censor anything they dislike or dictate is 'offensive' -- just like they do with television and radio in America?
I hate to be the one that brings this up, but it needs to be said:
If the Bush administration 'loses' and 'accidentally deletes all traces' of their email every time they are being investigated, how could our inept government monitor the email of over 300,000,000 people in america?
Certainly there is a LOT of sarcasm in that question, but seriously [b]what grounds to they legitimately have[/b] to require access to users email WITHOUT a warrant? None if you consider that even our White House has redundant backup of their email which is likely on some cheesy Exchange server somewhere.
That means they have tons of time to get a warrant should it be justified.
Artraze makes a very good point! But I would like to take this a step further.
In order for someone to be convicted of a conspiracy (for any conspiracy) it requires more than one party, and the intent to commit the conspired act must be proven. Intent is a difficult thing to prove, and that is why it's likely not being pursued.
Furthermore, just because he ripped a CD and put all his tracks into his p2p application doesn't inherently mean he intended to have people download them; it could be that he just prefers to use the app as his library/media player, OR It could be just a way for him to share amongst his own computers.
People who just jump on the RIAA bandwagon convicting this person just because THEY believe they know his intent are just as bad as RIAA in my own opinion. Sure, maybe that's exactly what he intended to do - but it needs to be proven.
A lawyer fighting for the average American? Not a chance! However, this is a great opportunity for the rats to feed on each other... and for once I actually hope the lawyer wins (against the RIAA that is).
Slashdot Mirror
Eh, he was sleeping.
The situation is far more simple than these gutless (and most likely politically motivated) legislators want people to believe.
The most important concept any government (or business really) must adhere to is a SINGLE document format that;
a) meets their requirements
b) the code is accessible to THEM
For most everybody, the requirements have been met by the ODF, and the code is accessible. The reason that the code must be accessible is to ensure that they will have continued access to their documents independent of the existence of any endorsing company. Accessible code also allows a particular entity to customize the code to meet their requirements, should that ever be necessary... of course that would be unlikely, but one never knows.
Regardless, organizations want a format that they will be able to commit to for the rest of their earthly existence (if that were feasible) so that they would not need to go back and convert 10 billion documents in the future. The conversion of documents is a big deal when it comes to the amount of planning, time, and money involved in making the conversion process move along smoothly -- and understandably nobody ever wants to go through the process if it can be avoided. Naturally, the more important the document, the more concerned people become with its handling; both now and in the foreseeable future.
As a legislator, the questions I would need to ask would be the ones mentioned above. Then I would be concerned with the longevity of the target format, and the likelihood that there would continue to be applications that would support it.
I used AT&T for several months along the East coast, and thought it was crappy. I ended up paying the early termination fee just because I got better service from free wireless points, and hotel wireless.
"Would you buy a Metallica online album despite their former views?"
Only if I like a song, or an album will I purchase it (online, or offline).
With that said, and as much as it pains me to say - I had to buy the Miley Cyrus/ Hanna Montana album for my daughter. So in my opinion it all boils down to the demand for the music, as opposed to any particular musicians position on downloading or how I feel about it.
To those in the loop, it was apparent that Bush et al intended to launch a campaign based on false (dis)information that was deliberately being misinterpreted by the Bush administration.
When there are endless video recordings of Bush, Cheney, Rice all making false statements -- then when asked about those statements, they have the audacity to say they either 'never said that', or 'it was misinterpreted'.
These are obvious, verifiable LIES, and yet no news outlet actually plasters those lies over the news even a fraction as much as some perverted senator.
What's with that? Yet a story that the 'Pentagon Manipulating TV Analysts' is even presented as semi-surprising is probably even more disgusting.
I must confess that as an avid Macintosh user/owner/fan, even I find it a bit over-the-top suing a non-profit organization of New York if the logo doesn't bear the distinctive aspects of the Apple logo (like the bite taken out of the right side of the apple).
In fact, I would go so far as to say that Apple Records would have a bit more of a reason to object, but even still New York really is synonymous with the 'Big Apple', much in the same way that the Blue Crab is the logo for Maryland, and the other states with similar things.
Additionally, I think the GreenNYC logo is actually much cooler than the Apple logo.
I wonder how much they will charge for the Recycle Bin module.... and the BSOD module. They are my favorites. Or perhaps Microsoft has decided to do away with the BSOD?
Nah!
Does it have lips?
Try http://microsoft.com/
They have a lot of positive, and useful things to say about Microsoft products. In fact, they are so pro-Microsoft, you'd think they made Windows...
...and in further news, this technology has been partnered with substantial funding and research by the Microsoft corporation to develop the smallest 'blue-screen-of-death' ever. Bringing the term 'brain-freeze' a whole new meaning.
I can tell you beyond all doubt that the Air Force take-down notices are nothing more than 'cyber-bullying'. The USAF is so wrapped-up in not overstepping their AFI (Air Force Instructions) , that they would easily let anything go if it didn't violate their AFI's. Conversely, they will spend like 5 months making sure their AFI is being violated; if the AF IS being violated they would act on it -- EVEN IF IT IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE AIR FORCE.
Crazy, but true.
This is really no different than patenting something as obvious as a grocery store. Gee, I'll patent a store that sells food, and other items... then sue all the existing supermarkets. Yet, here we are (as stated previously) looking at something as obvious as differing user roles.
What's next? Patent moderator status on websites?
I am sorry someone modded you down for your comment, because you are absolutely correct. Geographic and conditional separation of a single specimen WILL create divergence of the separate populations, and given enough time they would in fact be classified as different sub-species.
One example (albeit a pretty basic one) would be the evolution of different generations of a particular virus in different medium/conditions. Given enough time, the sub-populations would adapt and ultimately EVOLVE to better survive and thrive in their new environments. THis also applies for bacteria (antibiotic resistance is EVOLUTION), monkeys, worms, humans.... and *gasp* Jesus.
Word has it that one of Jesus Christ's ancestors was an ape-like creature that did not walk completely erect. Heh, imagine that!
By suggesting one can 'observe' gravity, yet not be able to observe evolution is complete nonsense and absolute avoidance of the obvious.
If you were to take a population of black haired people, and a population of white haired people, let them breed then separate the offspring into two groups isolated from each other and placed into different environmental conditions (ex. low-light/ cold vs. tropic/hot) you would see characteristic differences develop over time.
This is something that we DO observe, have observed, and continue to observe. To pretend that isn't true is typical of people who argue that evolution isn't scientific fact.
Ironically they are all to willing to believe some omnipotent man-shaped god in the sky that nobody has ever seen, is fact. Far more ridiculous is that this 'imaginary' super-being has created the above mentioned differing populations (magically from the same lineage, yet created by gods magic wand instantaneously, instead of selective adaptation). Just why is it that things we can see are no longer 'fact', and things that don't exist are?
If it were done using an 'hourglass' mechanism, Microsoft may claim patent violation on their gravity powered endless loop cursor technology :p
I have had too many (real non-IT-pro) people I have tried to expose to linux give me feedback on the system, and here's the real scoop:
1. it is too difficult to install new applications. Yes, even installing Firefox is a challenge for a noob... now try to do it on a generic Linux distro.
2. Where ARE the apps I just installed? WTF... why aren't the in the 'start menu'? Try to explain THIS to someone who has been using windows.
3. logical navigation of folders: Advanced users may know where everything is, but the average tool looks in 'Program Files', or 'My Documents'. So they just have no clue what the Linux folders are.
Maybe this is the time to admit that Linux IS a great OS (yes, it is), but we have not done enough to enlighten the AVERAGE computer user. **Unless this ever becomes an important requirement, Linux will continue to be the FREE system, while others will be able to charge a premium.
Personally, I don't care if an OS is free, or cost $$ (it's not my $$ after-all). I just need 80% + of the users to be using it without calling me every 5 minutes.
If this wasn't Slashdot I would be offended (well, not really)....
You cannot suggest I am referring to anecdotal information when you have no clue what information I posses, can you? More importantly, using your supposed anecdotal info to counter my alleged anecdotal info doesn't fly either.
With that said,I will have you know I am proud of my Tier III tech support drone heritage. For what it's worth, I am a Tier III tech support drone, and my father was a Tier III tech support drone, as was his father. In fact I come from an ancient Celtic clan of Tier III tech support drones dating back to the 1300's!
So, if my anecdotal information isn't good enough, then who's is??
So I challenge you, sir, to provide me with anecdotal information that would make me feel otherwise.
Cheers!!
Many people have said that FF slows their system down, and honestly I have not experienced this on Windows, Linux, or Mac (OSX)... in far over a year.
The fact is that these supposed 'memory leaks' are more a factor with prior incompatibilities with Windows inconsistencies than being due to Firefox itself.
Feel free to stick to Internet Explorer if you prefer it, but the whole 'memory leak' thing is wearing a bit thin at this point.
Funny thing but, after 6 beers I think I understand too.
:)
Oddly enough I just want to play COD4 on the computer I am building just for that purpose!
**NOTE: I use a Mac for everything else, but sadly the requirements for a uber-high-end vid card meant I had to build a new WinXP 64-bit computer to chomp this game to bits
Yes tiered pricing IS a good idea, and ultimately I will go with the company that offers what I want at the cheapest price. Sooner or later it will come back around to unlimited usage because EVERYONE will do the same thing. Filter my content, no problem -- there's other carriers who won't.
Fortunately my money speaks for me, and I will spend it where it benefits me the most. ATT knows this, and they should be concerned.
I hope I am wrong about this, but if the internet gets transmitted over TV airwaves, wouldn't the FCC automatically gain authority to censor anything they dislike or dictate is 'offensive' -- just like they do with television and radio in America?
I hate to be the one that brings this up, but it needs to be said:
If the Bush administration 'loses' and 'accidentally deletes all traces' of their email every time they are being investigated, how could our inept government monitor the email of over 300,000,000 people in america?
Certainly there is a LOT of sarcasm in that question, but seriously [b]what grounds to they legitimately have[/b] to require access to users email WITHOUT a warrant? None if you consider that even our White House has redundant backup of their email which is likely on some cheesy Exchange server somewhere.
That means they have tons of time to get a warrant should it be justified.
Artraze makes a very good point! But I would like to take this a step further.
In order for someone to be convicted of a conspiracy (for any conspiracy) it requires more than one party, and the intent to commit the conspired act must be proven. Intent is a difficult thing to prove, and that is why it's likely not being pursued.
Furthermore, just because he ripped a CD and put all his tracks into his p2p application doesn't inherently mean he intended to have people download them; it could be that he just prefers to use the app as his library/media player, OR It could be just a way for him to share amongst his own computers.
People who just jump on the RIAA bandwagon convicting this person just because THEY believe they know his intent are just as bad as RIAA in my own opinion. Sure, maybe that's exactly what he intended to do - but it needs to be proven.
A lawyer fighting for the average American? Not a chance! However, this is a great opportunity for the rats to feed on each other... and for once I actually hope the lawyer wins (against the RIAA that is).
This article, and the many creative postulations by the /. comunity really would make for a good book, or movie. Kind of a cool concept really.