In a strange twist, this makes IE on Vista safer than Firefox or any other browser that runs with user level privileges.
Not really, I run Firefox through Drop My Rights which demotes it to limited user rights. It works on both Windows XP and Vista, and it works perfectly normal as a limited user mode (I haven't tried it in constrained or untrusted mode).
The only answer I can think of is for tracking purposes. If your credit card is stolen, they can track purchases made by it.
The solution to allow tracking, but keep hackers at bay is to cryptographically hash the card number with a one-way hash and store that after the transaction is completed. Then, if Joe's identity is stolen, they could hash Joe's card number and compare it in the database with purchases. But if the database is broken into, the hackers just have useless hashes instead of credit card numbers.
Seriously, a lot of people don't want "automatic updates", "automatic non-updates" (malware), and other software downloading things and sending information back to their makers (even if it's "not personally identifiable" information). You don't have to have an Internet connection to do work on your computer. This may change as applications start outsourcing components to the Internet, but traditional desktop software will never die. Although web applications like Google Docs and Spreadsheets make group collaboration easier, Microsoft Office shouldn't fear being replaced by it any time soon.
How did Huffington find out who it was? It was posted on YouTube under a pseudonym. Unless he blabbed it to someone, I don't see how anyone could have figured out who it was.
It seems to be aiming at enterprise. They focus more on business executives and application developers, except for the "Linux Aficionado", whom most Slashdot Linux users would fit in.
The problem for Microsoft is that many Microsoft users loath it's software, Linux users also loath Microsoft software, so it'll be hard for Microsoft partners to try and "convince" them to switch. I think Microsoft's greatest fear is that businesses which have traditionally went with them will try Linux for their servers because of all the security bugs and malware. Linux is too complex for the "average luser", so Microsoft isn't as worried about them, but business and server users are more knowledgeable about computers and would switch easier, so this is their new strategy to keep them with MS.
I would be simple with PHP. The index.html page should be the contract obligation, and a PHP script which sets a cookie or adds a identifier in the URL if the contract is accepted. Then the pages should check for the cookie or URL identifier before displaying the content. She should also have a simple robots.txt file and meta tags to keep crawlers away. If she is a freaked out about security as her contact us page says (it says to assume their phones are tapped and to use encrypted email), she could at least take some steps to protect her content.
Although she is protected from illicit copying by US copyright laws, there are several clauses in her contract that would probably be unenforceable in court. Her return policy allowing her to demand double the purchase price back if the charge is contested is most definitely invalid. Also, attempting to prove that the user gave away some of his rights (to contest charges, to settle in the jurisdiction of El Paso, etc...) by merely viewing the page (even if the user didn't scroll down to the contract) is legally wrong. Software companies have issues with getting user consent by clicking a button, but viewing a page takes this way out of legality.
This is where Adblock Plus Firefox extension comes in. I have installed it on all of my computers with all the additional filter sets and I haven't seen a banner ad for a few years. I especially love seeing the empty box labeled "Advertisement"!
The Constitution protects the "Freedom of the Press", but not the "Freedom of Anonymity of the Press". There are steps you can take if you want to remain anonymous, but no laws preventing someone from outing a blogger who doesn't keep his identity a well-kept secret.
Although having the original CDs does have advantages (conversion to other formats without losing a ton of quality, being compatible with older CD players, as evidence to the RIAA lawyers that you legally purchased the music on your computer), hardware failure won't be an issue as long as you back up the tracks and any licenses on a CD, DVD, or portable memory key. And if you don't back up your computer, your music will most likely be the least of your worries. If I was to use similar logic, I wouldn't have computer documents because my hard drive might fail.
I don't think people will change their buying habits just because of a possible hardware failure. People either take precautions for hardware failure and back up their data, or they lose it when Windows or Bagle send your computer to the shop.
Slashdot Mirror
Not really, I run Firefox through Drop My Rights which demotes it to limited user rights. It works on both Windows XP and Vista, and it works perfectly normal as a limited user mode (I haven't tried it in constrained or untrusted mode).
The only answer I can think of is for tracking purposes. If your credit card is stolen, they can track purchases made by it.
The solution to allow tracking, but keep hackers at bay is to cryptographically hash the card number with a one-way hash and store that after the transaction is completed. Then, if Joe's identity is stolen, they could hash Joe's card number and compare it in the database with purchases. But if the database is broken into, the hackers just have useless hashes instead of credit card numbers.
Maybe it's because they don't want software phoning home all the time.
Seriously, a lot of people don't want "automatic updates", "automatic non-updates" (malware), and other software downloading things and sending information back to their makers (even if it's "not personally identifiable" information). You don't have to have an Internet connection to do work on your computer. This may change as applications start outsourcing components to the Internet, but traditional desktop software will never die. Although web applications like Google Docs and Spreadsheets make group collaboration easier, Microsoft Office shouldn't fear being replaced by it any time soon.
How did Huffington find out who it was? It was posted on YouTube under a pseudonym. Unless he blabbed it to someone, I don't see how anyone could have figured out who it was.
Especially since her name got Slashdotted. Now everyone knows the RIAA claimed she was a pirate.
It seems to be aiming at enterprise. They focus more on business executives and application developers, except for the "Linux Aficionado", whom most Slashdot Linux users would fit in.
The problem for Microsoft is that many Microsoft users loath it's software, Linux users also loath Microsoft software, so it'll be hard for Microsoft partners to try and "convince" them to switch. I think Microsoft's greatest fear is that businesses which have traditionally went with them will try Linux for their servers because of all the security bugs and malware. Linux is too complex for the "average luser", so Microsoft isn't as worried about them, but business and server users are more knowledgeable about computers and would switch easier, so this is their new strategy to keep them with MS.
I would be simple with PHP. The index.html page should be the contract obligation, and a PHP script which sets a cookie or adds a identifier in the URL if the contract is accepted. Then the pages should check for the cookie or URL identifier before displaying the content. She should also have a simple robots.txt file and meta tags to keep crawlers away. If she is a freaked out about security as her contact us page says (it says to assume their phones are tapped and to use encrypted email), she could at least take some steps to protect her content.
Although she is protected from illicit copying by US copyright laws, there are several clauses in her contract that would probably be unenforceable in court. Her return policy allowing her to demand double the purchase price back if the charge is contested is most definitely invalid. Also, attempting to prove that the user gave away some of his rights (to contest charges, to settle in the jurisdiction of El Paso, etc...) by merely viewing the page (even if the user didn't scroll down to the contract) is legally wrong. Software companies have issues with getting user consent by clicking a button, but viewing a page takes this way out of legality.
"If you can't beat them, bribe them."
If it works for politicians, then it should work for users. Right?
Warning to Larry Page and Sergey Brin: Watch out for flying chairs!
This is where Adblock Plus Firefox extension comes in. I have installed it on all of my computers with all the additional filter sets and I haven't seen a banner ad for a few years. I especially love seeing the empty box labeled "Advertisement"!
The Constitution protects the "Freedom of the Press", but not the "Freedom of Anonymity of the Press". There are steps you can take if you want to remain anonymous, but no laws preventing someone from outing a blogger who doesn't keep his identity a well-kept secret.
Although having the original CDs does have advantages (conversion to other formats without losing a ton of quality, being compatible with older CD players, as evidence to the RIAA lawyers that you legally purchased the music on your computer), hardware failure won't be an issue as long as you back up the tracks and any licenses on a CD, DVD, or portable memory key. And if you don't back up your computer, your music will most likely be the least of your worries. If I was to use similar logic, I wouldn't have computer documents because my hard drive might fail. I don't think people will change their buying habits just because of a possible hardware failure. People either take precautions for hardware failure and back up their data, or they lose it when Windows or Bagle send your computer to the shop.