You obviously didnt catch my sarcasm. The point (though maybe not obvious) was the people who are in dire need of help arent the ones who need computing power. The upper class of people don't the kind of programs that the world agencies are trying to promote. The are already well off. I get the impression that these programs are being promoted as helping the "poor" not the already "rich" in the 3rd world.
(a bit off-topic at first, but bear with me)... The American distrust of centralization of powers (not counting the UN) is part of the "spirit" of Americans. In historic terms it goes well back into the revolution (King George vs the Colonies), through the civil war (State's rights vs Federal govt) and past WWI. (One of the reason's we didnt join the League of Nations is because the Senate had the foresight of not wanting to get involved in European affairs). Admittedly, there has been a resurgance of this anti-UN sentiment in recent years. Why? The UN has tried to become the World Goverment, which is not in it's charter. Soon there will be direct taxation of people by them. Many American's now realize that we have our own problems, and we can take care of them ourselves, without some omnipresent guiding hand of the Blueberries.
How does Open vs Closed Source software affect US status on a global scale? It doesnt. The United States doesnt write software. It's companies do. Another nation can heavily tariff American products thereby limiting it's use in that nation. (Example American cars in Japan).
I for one would not mind a dimished America on a global scale. We get our noses into the world's conflicts because of some "assumed" role because of our leaders' hubris. I'm done.:)
Computers were actually developed in the 40s as war machines. Calculating missile trajectories, code cracking, etc. There wasn't a "social concept." It was a matter of figuring out how not to be the first to die in a war.
The industrialized world wasnt ready for SQL,MSWord, the GIMP when we were still developing. We were too worried about how to get work, getting a 40hr work week etc... There needs to be an infrastructure in place which will support computing. What good is a computer to a 3rd World farmer who can scarcely read let alone have electricity to power a computer. I can see it now, "Hey I can't read, but I can use this GPS to follow my oxen as they plow my field."
If the "1st" world wants to help the "3rd" how about starting elsewhere, like the basics. Then hook them up to PCs...
No precident to set? 1) If WindowsNT/9x is forced to go Open Source The 5th amendment precident it sets is enormous. "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation" How do you set a dollar value on a product? The consensus on/. is that M$ products are shit, therefore worthless. 2) Any computer related company which becomes successful and therefore makes sick amounts of money may be penalized. 3) Providing software for free may get you in trouble if it gets too popular.
Dont forget that the Constitution is there to regulate goverment NOT to regulate business. The only Business oriented passages I can find is from Article I, Section 8 "To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes" Something like Texas taxing a product the comes from Louisana.(notice you dont pay sales tax on out of state mail-order purchases) "No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another". Doesnt apply either. It also prohibited slavery (Amendments XIII,XV). Regulation of the liquor industry was attempted (Amendment XVIII) and stopped (amendment XXI) You might do yourself some good by reading the Constitution.
The Anti-Trust laws are there to protect the consumer. IMO, the consumers have not been hurt by Microsoft, it's competitors (Netscape,Sun) lost out. It's capitolism at work. Darwin would be proud.
What disturbing is people who advocate govermental medelling in business. This case is going to set a dangerous precident in computers. This from a government who supposedly has a Social Security surplus, yet cries "we need to save Social Security before it bankrupts!" Who's screwing who?
All a victory over Microsoft will cause create is a new precident for government encroachment into this industry. Allowing the government to do one thing here means it will do it somewhere else. Look at "Big Tobacco". El Reno and her Justice Department sued them, now their advertising is even MORE crippled, even more anal-retentive laws have been past against them. Did you know that the US subsidizes Tobacco farmers for their crop? Now with a "big tobacco" victory, they're looking towards gun manufacturers. Next is caffeine in chocolate, then fatty foods....knife makers....automakers..... You may call me alarmist (and irrational) but who would of thought of suing gun makers 30 years ago? Or cigarette makers?
...IE has over taken Netscape for browswer supremacy. Before you rail me for not trashing Microsoft... If you dont care about your employer, why would you care about the product? The guys working on IE are probably happier than pigs in shit because a) they're winning, b) it pays well.
Finally, a voice of reason. With the government getting it's nose into the computer business, it will set a dangerous precident that big time success is dangerous. Has anyone read the court's definition of the market? Intel-based PC operating systems. Which completely excludes MacOS or OpenVMS and the majority of Unix systems (not counting Linux). Since defining the market is a subjective endevour, one can define "ISPs" as a service provider with dialup access in every state in the Union. Isnt AOL a monopoly (by that definition)? How about "retirement plans"? Is Social Security not a monopoly? You can't opt out of it. It is there.
Dont let your animosity (which may be understandable) cloud your judgement of the law.
"You do not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered." -LBJ
Punishing someone for success removes the desire for success. The goal of capitolism is to make as MUCH money as possible. Microsoft just happens to have this knack.
Luckily we live in a "free" society and you dont have to buy MS products if you dont want to.
Most of the industry has decided that WinNT/98 is what they'll do because of the installed base. Why do car makers make cars powered by gasoline and not natural gas?
If it is true, it could be controlled using a printer port connected to relays. My dad's company developed a medical "washing" machine that did that. It opened relays, and used floats and temp sensors. Best of all it ran on a 286/16 with 1mb RAM. and DOS5.0
What did people think of when the first 2D GUI came out? All they knew before was "1D" command lines.
I see your computer actually becoming a "tower". Like a building. In the basement, there is the kernel. Running the place so to speak.... 1st floor is the log in level, and each floor has certain specialities. GIMP on the graphics design floor, games in the game room. There would be a library that would have the "blueprints" (config files), and archives. Of course you'd need to integrate the DOOM killing zombies (becase they'd be on different levels, you'd need an elevator or stairs).
Suing big business just because they have money to take is a bad idea. Notice in the story that the one who brought the suit, was also a lawyer. (and he wasn't really affected) And who got paid the most? The user? No. The lawyers. This is just a case of greedy lawyers seeing green. Just like suing tobacco companies for billions upon billions of dollars. And now it's gun companies. You may laugh, but one day someone is going to sue keyboard manufacturers, or mice makers.... car companies aren't immune. Their products kill more people than guns and smokes combined.
You are right, the judiciary interprets what the legislative branch sends them.(But only if a case concerning it comes up) Remember from history class the 'checks and balances'? That's where their power comes from. We already have trademark laws protecting names. One or two court cases (if there havent already been) will probably decide the case. (which may or may not be good). Like was stated earlier. The Clinton administration is the trial lawyer's favorite. I hate to agree with Clinton on this one, but he may be right.
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You obviously didnt catch my sarcasm.
The point (though maybe not obvious) was the people who are in dire need of help arent the ones who need computing power. The upper class of people don't the kind of programs that the world agencies are trying to promote. The are already well off.
I get the impression that these programs are being promoted as helping the "poor" not the already "rich" in the 3rd world.
The American distrust of centralization of powers (not counting the UN) is part of the "spirit" of Americans. In historic terms it goes well back into the revolution (King George vs the Colonies), through the civil war (State's rights vs Federal govt) and past WWI. (One of the reason's we didnt join the League of Nations is because the Senate had the foresight of not wanting to get involved in European affairs). Admittedly, there has been a resurgance of this anti-UN sentiment in recent years. Why? The UN has tried to become the World Goverment, which is not in it's charter. Soon there will be direct taxation of people by them. Many American's now realize that we have our own problems, and we can take care of them ourselves, without some omnipresent guiding hand of the Blueberries.
How does Open vs Closed Source software affect US status on a global scale? It doesnt. The United States doesnt write software. It's companies do. Another nation can heavily tariff American products thereby limiting it's use in that nation. (Example American cars in Japan).
I for one would not mind a dimished America on a global scale. We get our noses into the world's conflicts because of some "assumed" role because of our leaders' hubris. :)
I'm done.
The industrialized world wasnt ready for SQL,MSWord, the GIMP when we were still developing. We were too worried about how to get work, getting a 40hr work week etc... There needs to be an infrastructure in place which will support computing. What good is a computer to a 3rd World farmer who can scarcely read let alone have electricity to power a computer. I can see it now, "Hey I can't read, but I can use this GPS to follow my oxen as they plow my field."
If the "1st" world wants to help the "3rd" how about starting elsewhere, like the basics. Then hook them up to PCs...
1) If WindowsNT/9x is forced to go Open Source The 5th amendment precident it sets is enormous. "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation" How do you set a dollar value on a product? The consensus on
2) Any computer related company which becomes successful and therefore makes sick amounts of money may be penalized.
3) Providing software for free may get you in trouble if it gets too popular.
Dont forget that the Constitution is there to regulate goverment NOT to regulate business. The only Business oriented passages I can find is from Article I, Section 8 "To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes"
Something like Texas taxing a product the comes from Louisana.(notice you dont pay sales tax on out of state mail-order purchases)
"No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another". Doesnt apply either.
It also prohibited slavery (Amendments XIII,XV).
Regulation of the liquor industry was attempted (Amendment XVIII) and stopped (amendment XXI)
You might do yourself some good by reading the Constitution.
The Anti-Trust laws are there to protect the consumer. IMO, the consumers have not been hurt by Microsoft, it's competitors (Netscape,Sun) lost out. It's capitolism at work.
Darwin would be proud.
What disturbing is people who advocate govermental medelling in business. This case is going to set a dangerous precident in computers.
This from a government who supposedly has a Social Security surplus, yet cries "we need to save Social Security before it bankrupts!"
Who's screwing who?
All a victory over Microsoft will cause create is a new precident for government encroachment into this industry.
Allowing the government to do one thing here means it will do it somewhere else.
Look at "Big Tobacco". El Reno and her Justice Department sued them, now their advertising is even MORE crippled, even more anal-retentive laws have been past against them. Did you know that the US subsidizes Tobacco farmers for their crop?
Now with a "big tobacco" victory, they're looking towards gun manufacturers. Next is caffeine in chocolate, then fatty foods....knife makers....automakers.....
You may call me alarmist (and irrational) but who would of thought of suing gun makers 30 years ago? Or cigarette makers?
I keep hearing about "hidden API's" but I have yet to see a concrete example of one. Can anyone site one? Or all they all conjecture?
...IE has over taken Netscape for browswer supremacy.
Before you rail me for not trashing Microsoft...
If you dont care about your employer, why would you care about the product? The guys working on IE are probably happier than pigs in shit because a) they're winning, b) it pays well.
A republic is a flock of sheep voting on which wolves decide on dinner.
A Constitutional (the US Constitution) Republic is where dinner isnt voted on, and the sheep have guns.
With the government getting it's nose into the computer business, it will set a dangerous precident that big time success is dangerous.
Has anyone read the court's definition of the market? Intel-based PC operating systems. Which completely excludes MacOS or OpenVMS and the majority of Unix systems (not counting Linux).
Since defining the market is a subjective endevour, one can define "ISPs" as a service provider with dialup access in every state in the Union. Isnt AOL a monopoly (by that definition)? How about "retirement plans"? Is Social Security not a monopoly? You can't opt out of it. It is there.
Dont let your animosity (which may be understandable) cloud your judgement of the law.
"You do not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered." -LBJ
Remember the overhead "dungeon" Wolfenstein?
It ran on an XT and was a little stick figure of a character....but the story was the same.
Good stuff!
The goal of capitolism is to make as MUCH money as possible. Microsoft just happens to have this knack.
Luckily we live in a "free" society and you dont have to buy MS products if you dont want to.
Most of the industry has decided that WinNT/98 is what they'll do because of the installed base. Why do car makers make cars powered by gasoline and not natural gas?
If it is true, it could be controlled using a printer port connected to relays.
My dad's company developed a medical "washing" machine that did that. It opened relays, and used floats and temp sensors.
Best of all it ran on a 286/16 with 1mb RAM. and DOS5.0
How many non-techies read techie sections of anyweb site?
If I wanted to ask how the new em-blammo super magic bra fits, would I put it in a place that women would go, or a the sports page?
All they knew before was "1D" command lines.
I see your computer actually becoming a "tower". Like a building. In the basement, there is the kernel. Running the place so to speak.... 1st floor is the log in level, and each floor has certain specialities. GIMP on the graphics design floor, games in the game room. There would be a library that would have the "blueprints" (config files), and archives.
Of course you'd need to integrate the DOOM killing zombies (becase they'd be on different levels, you'd need an elevator or stairs).
You dont know what this could become....
I wonder if he used MS Excel's Chart Wizard to do it.
Suing big business just because they have money to take is a bad idea. Notice in the story that the one who brought the suit, was also a lawyer. (and he wasn't really affected) And who got paid the most? The user? No. The lawyers.
This is just a case of greedy lawyers seeing green. Just like suing tobacco companies for billions upon billions of dollars. And now it's gun companies.
You may laugh, but one day someone is going to sue keyboard manufacturers, or mice makers.... car companies aren't immune. Their products kill more people than guns and smokes combined.
You are right, the judiciary interprets what the legislative branch sends them.(But only if a case concerning it comes up)
Remember from history class the 'checks and balances'? That's where their power comes from.
We already have trademark laws protecting names. One or two court cases (if there havent already been) will probably decide the case. (which may or may not be good).
Like was stated earlier. The Clinton administration is the trial lawyer's favorite. I hate to agree with Clinton on this one, but he may be right.