Have you read the rest of the license? No MS fanboy here, but it is not exactly a draconian piece of legalese.
There are much better ways to attack MS. Try citing the company's track record of failing to observe laws, failing to deliver promised functionality, and failing to promote innovation in their dedicated developer base through patent threats, aggressive devaluation->buy-out tactics, questionable attempts at political influence (open standards in California anyone?)...
Then pose a question like, "Why would an open source developer choose to get into bed with a company like that?"
Just citing the license is a pretty weak argument especially if you have read it.
We are going into an election cycle and everyone is going to need to trot out their sound-bytes on this subject. I have no doubt this move will be spun as a blow for freedom, a blow against the war on terror, an example of liberal spinelessness in the pursuit of justice, an example of the American people calling the govt out and winning, and on and on and on and on...
On another note, how likely is it that the military is simply giving up an effective tool? My bet is that this particular system has either been surpassed by another, was shown to be completely ineffective in the first place, or has been thrown to the wolves in exchange for concessions of another type.
The furthest probe is about 1 billion miles from the 'edge' of the solar system (the heliosheath 8.7 billion miles from the sun). The second probe is still well short of that.
Not quite the "billions of miles from our solar system's edge" that the summary states.
I have a hard time seeing this guy as a legit Star Wars fan, but then I am a traditional type fan. This story is another reminder of the way the fan to content relationship is changing. From t.v. to the web the lines are blurring between fans as passive consumers of entertainment to active participants. We have officially moved beyond 'focus groups' helping to guide the content creation process and the result is bound to be more personal identification of fans with the content they enjoy.
Long story short, this guy may be as much a true fan as I am, and his disregard for the monetary value of the piece may prove that he has a more intense personal identification with Star Wars than I do.
I still think he is an ego-maniacal whore, but given the shifts in society my opinion could easily be on the way to irrelevance.
Someone may be jumping the gun here. Wouldn't an AT&T/Telenav deal make more sense than an Apple/AT&T deal here?
I am going to hold off before taking a blogger's word that this move is iPhone related in the least. Telenav is now the exclusive 3rd party GPS app for the AT&T offering... follow the money.
Yeah, even before No Child Left Behind 'gifted' kids had to fend for themselves.
I had access to all sorts of advanced classes, but most of the other kids in those classes were hard workers, not natural talents. Significant aspects of being 'gifted' rather than just exceptionally hard working are the desire to learn in any context, to seek out new opportunities outside of predefined academic structures, and to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowing.
It is difficult to put into words the frustration of finding that the other gifted students in my classes were only curious in so far as curiosity served their goals of achieving the GPA required to get into a good college, and following that, to obtain the job they wanted. My advanced classes, special labs, and alternative working groups served me no better than time alone in a library would have.
My experience revealed that many gifted students are more like athletes than intellects.
I am not familiar with specifics of these agreements, so perhaps you can tell me... is security jointly administered (blanket policies/configs etc), does the host institution have oversight, or does the institute that originates the data have oversight of the remote servers.
Not that it makes a huge difference... my sister had all of her data stolen (and consequently her credit was hijacked) through infiltration of a Bay Area college by ID thieves. No off-siting involved.
"The CE manufacturers need to meet them half way and mandate more efficient devices that consume less power and bring back the humble ON/OFF switch that actually did turn off the power."
I recently had a new lady move in with me... and she insisted on actually unplugging things like my stereo when we were not using it. I was skeptical about the benefits of this tactic to save electricity, but being a curious person I was willing to humor her.
By unplugging all of my electronic devices (there are many of them) when not in use we saved around $30 U.S. a month. Where was all that energy going? Not sure.
If you are the type of person that has electronics in every room give it a try for yourself. Even if you don't care about being 'green' you will likely see a difference in your energy bill. Either way you win.
Translating DNA into music is a really neat concept. Translating anything that has a decipherable system to its design into another design system is rad. But why, why, why, patent it? Is it so someone else does not come along and claim credit for your innovation? I doubt it. Prior art would invalidate any later patent claims.
It just makes no sense. Please bear in mind that I write proprietary software for a living. I would never imagine attempting to prevent a competitor from providing their customers with the best product that they can produce, whether or not it resembled my product. I compete based on the quality of my product and service.
And this translation of DNA into music is not even a salable product... I agree with parent poster. This is yet another bewildering use of the patent system.
The main point, IMHO, is that the courts appear to be catching up with the tech world.
This is not an isolated incident, there have been numerous clarifications coming out that will help the internet become a more legally defined avenue through which to conduct business.
To see another example of courts starting to actually understand what they are ruling on you need look no further than today's/. front page... Check out the "Judge Permits eBay's "Buy It Now" Feature" story.
I have been following both court rulings and political decisions related to the internet for some time now, and I am finally starting to see some glimmer of hope that the most empowering utility of our time will not go down the crapper due to the ignorance of those empowered to regulate it.
Of course, there is still the net neutrality issue... but at least there is some movement toward understanding.
The punishments for such infractions are obviously not high enough. It's not like Intel execs sat down and said "Hey, let's potentially bankrupt our company so we can make a couple extra percentage points."
It is more likely they looked at previous (MS) antitrust settlements and decided that an anti-competitive strategy was an attractive move for execs and shareholders alike.
"MS has been going after the large suppliers in China. They have. If they do not, then China and India get it for free, and then the western world will wonder why they are paying an arm/leg for crap software."
Hmmm... In the U.S. we are used to paying more than anyone else for pharmaceuticals. In the EU there are tariffs on all sorts of things that jack up the prices (camcorders & cameras were covered on this site a couple of days ago).
You may be correct that MS is going after large suppliers, but your final statement might need a bit more thought.
I don't know about airplane costs, but here is some perspective on other government upgrade projects... each upgrade involved both hardware and software systems.
The IRS attempted to update their systems (originally designed in 1962). The project began in 1999 and was spread over several 'projects.' The 1999 plan was eventually scrapped after the main database was already around 40 million over budget and way over deadline. Further attempts to modernize the system in a more compartmentalized fashion lead to the $318 million lost due to excessive tax refunds in 2006 (for tax year 2005 returns). The system responsible was also scrapped and the old one was put back into service.
Though not mentioned in the overview that I link below, a GAO report I saw a couple years ago put the total actual losses (internal/external/disaster recovery etc...) at several times the publicly reported loss numbers.
The FBI attempted a complete systems overhaul (agents still can only use one search term in many of their databases, and much info is still paper file only). That was finally scrapped in 2005 after $170 million in costs, and over 170,000 lines of code... the project had been in progress for three years. The Washington Post put total upgrade costs since 9/11/2001 at around $600 million.
I suppose the successes don't make as much news as the failures, but the real perspective we should be looking for here is who the F*** is going to plan and manage a project that will be responsible for our air safety? The upgrade attempts that I know of all ended with the old systems being put back into place.
NASA probably gets my vote. I have heard that their software design requirements and beyond insane, and that despite the catastrophic structural failures they have endured, the shuttle software systems are beyond rock-solid. They still use multiple levels of 'readers' to proofread every line of code as you would a thesis manuscript in addition to all other testers/unit-tests/sims etc..
"Which means the government can wave some legal papers around and your data is retained indefinitely."
No paper waving required... Wording and default settings are all that is needed to confuse most users.
Wording example: Would you like your search results optimized to your preferences = you agreed to let us have the data forever.
Default example: Any user can choose not to request their data be stored by clicking a box on a settings screen indicating that they are NOT requesting the search company to store their data.
It was widely reported several years ago that cats had been surgically modified to contain bugging instruments, a small power supply, and a broadcasting antenna that ran the length of the animal's tail.
I believe the original test subjects were released in NYC and were dead within 24 hours. See, one of the requirements for the plan to be fruitful was a high population density to increase the chance of picking up something interesting... unfortunately the level of traffic in these areas is not healthy for stray kitties with no street experience. The surgery also included a type of disabling of the cat's hunger response so that it would stay in the vicinity of the area it was released and not go running off immediately in search of food.
The poster asked for legit advice that might help in a management level interview.
From experience, lesson one: address 'intangibles' like aspects of teamwork and group motivation. Include strategies to maintain a positive working environment under varying circumstances.
I'm sorry if it does not sound like real work to you. The advice has served me well, and my employees treat me with respect... so something is working.
Actually it works the other way around. Once you know enough about your employees as humans you have a very hard time dealing with things like layoffs/reorganizations. I left my last position even though my place in the company was assured because of the way my department in general was treated.
Try it sometime. Pick someone in the office you can't stand and spend one month learning a bit about them on a regular basis. If they are the type that prattles on and on be very straightforward in letting them know when they are annoying you without insulting them. After one month of this your understanding of who they are will have changed, and their understanding of how to interact with you will have changed... usually for the better.
BTW, it is a manager's duty to retain some level of professional distance from their employees. That distance can either turn the workplace into a coldly efficient production environment, or can become a minimized by a manager who really does care bout his employees even though he may one day have to fire them.
After I put the kettle on is scan the news sites. It takes me all of two minutes to identify any news item that might somehow impact me and my little slice of the IT world.
I do this not so much for security or first-alert type response but for a more simple reason... I start conversations using the info I gleaned from the news. The people I work with each have different areas of technical interest, specialties, etc... managing a team means more than riding people about deadlines. I always start the day with a little chatter, and feel good when one of my team members gets to share some of their 'personal interest' knowledge because of a conversation I started.
Starting conversations in this manner provides all sorts of little 'contact points' that provide info about your employee's mood, attitude, satisfaction, etc... and way too many managers I have known fail horribly at replicating these contact points through more formal methods.
Anyhow, after that it is review e-mail, prioritize the day, and only begin coordinating with others once they have had time to do the same.
We not only vote on impeachment issues, but secession as well. The Second Vermont Republic information found here: http://www.vermontrepublic.org/
I was all for NE continuing to assist poorer parts of the country until the NE Dairy compact BS. Like they can't subsidize small dairy farms in NE while pumping all those subsidies into the Midwest so grain can rot in the silos? WTF?
Then again, farming in general is a pretty big deal for my family and I.
As for N.H., I generally prefer they stay on their side of the border... and they seem to agree, so we are all fine.
Isn't the bigger issue that they are expecting a populace that is now treated as guilty until proven innocent of crimes against the state to willingly contribute to the infrastructure that will be used to oppress them?
Seriously... adding the illegal wiretapping case stories of the last two days on top of this one makes me feel like I am witnessing some sort of sick farce.
I can see a motivated citizen assisting NASA, the EPA, or any number of governmental agencies out of the will to drive progress. But the military or intelligence agencies? Are they fucking serious?
BTW: I am truly sorry that our men and women in uniform are suffering for the incompetence of their superiors... I also truly believe that the military, intelligence agencies, and those who direct them are evolving into a threat to every freedom loving citizen.
We could be seeing some validation of the old theory that MS gets hacked more because it is so much more visible than other software (not that I buy into that as a sole reason for the number of MS exploits).
OTOH I don't keep up with cellphone tech.. so maybe the iPhone really deserves this much attention. Last I heard, though, there were other phones out there that offered many more computer-like features than the iPhone... which I have heard lacks some very basic PDA-like features that are becoming standard on other phones.
Slashdot Mirror
Have you read the rest of the license? No MS fanboy here, but it is not exactly a draconian piece of legalese.
There are much better ways to attack MS. Try citing the company's track record of failing to observe laws, failing to deliver promised functionality, and failing to promote innovation in their dedicated developer base through patent threats, aggressive devaluation->buy-out tactics, questionable attempts at political influence (open standards in California anyone?)...
Then pose a question like, "Why would an open source developer choose to get into bed with a company like that?"
Just citing the license is a pretty weak argument especially if you have read it.
Regards.
... to maximize the publicity.
We are going into an election cycle and everyone is going to need to trot out their sound-bytes on this subject. I have no doubt this move will be spun as a blow for freedom, a blow against the war on terror, an example of liberal spinelessness in the pursuit of justice, an example of the American people calling the govt out and winning, and on and on and on and on...
On another note, how likely is it that the military is simply giving up an effective tool? My bet is that this particular system has either been surpassed by another, was shown to be completely ineffective in the first place, or has been thrown to the wolves in exchange for concessions of another type.
Regards.
The furthest probe is about 1 billion miles from the 'edge' of the solar system (the heliosheath 8.7 billion miles from the sun). The second probe is still well short of that.
Not quite the "billions of miles from our solar system's edge" that the summary states.
Just nitpicking.
I have a hard time seeing this guy as a legit Star Wars fan, but then I am a traditional type fan. This story is another reminder of the way the fan to content relationship is changing. From t.v. to the web the lines are blurring between fans as passive consumers of entertainment to active participants. We have officially moved beyond 'focus groups' helping to guide the content creation process and the result is bound to be more personal identification of fans with the content they enjoy.
Long story short, this guy may be as much a true fan as I am, and his disregard for the monetary value of the piece may prove that he has a more intense personal identification with Star Wars than I do.
I still think he is an ego-maniacal whore, but given the shifts in society my opinion could easily be on the way to irrelevance.
Someone may be jumping the gun here. Wouldn't an AT&T/Telenav deal make more sense than an Apple/AT&T deal here?
I am going to hold off before taking a blogger's word that this move is iPhone related in the least. Telenav is now the exclusive 3rd party GPS app for the AT&T offering... follow the money.
Regards.
Yeah, even before No Child Left Behind 'gifted' kids had to fend for themselves.
I had access to all sorts of advanced classes, but most of the other kids in those classes were hard workers, not natural talents. Significant aspects of being 'gifted' rather than just exceptionally hard working are the desire to learn in any context, to seek out new opportunities outside of predefined academic structures, and to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowing.
It is difficult to put into words the frustration of finding that the other gifted students in my classes were only curious in so far as curiosity served their goals of achieving the GPA required to get into a good college, and following that, to obtain the job they wanted. My advanced classes, special labs, and alternative working groups served me no better than time alone in a library would have.
My experience revealed that many gifted students are more like athletes than intellects.
Regards.
I am not familiar with specifics of these agreements, so perhaps you can tell me... is security jointly administered (blanket policies/configs etc), does the host institution have oversight, or does the institute that originates the data have oversight of the remote servers.
Not that it makes a huge difference... my sister had all of her data stolen (and consequently her credit was hijacked) through infiltration of a Bay Area college by ID thieves. No off-siting involved.
Regards.
"The CE manufacturers need to meet them half way and mandate more efficient devices that consume less power and bring back the humble ON/OFF switch that actually did turn off the power."
I recently had a new lady move in with me... and she insisted on actually unplugging things like my stereo when we were not using it. I was skeptical about the benefits of this tactic to save electricity, but being a curious person I was willing to humor her.
By unplugging all of my electronic devices (there are many of them) when not in use we saved around $30 U.S. a month. Where was all that energy going? Not sure.
If you are the type of person that has electronics in every room give it a try for yourself. Even if you don't care about being 'green' you will likely see a difference in your energy bill. Either way you win.
Regards.
Anyone willing to watch a camcorder bootleg of a movie is not going to shell out for the product anyhow.
I hope this lady wins.
Regards.
It just makes no sense.
Translating DNA into music is a really neat concept. Translating anything that has a decipherable system to its design into another design system is rad. But why, why, why, patent it? Is it so someone else does not come along and claim credit for your innovation? I doubt it. Prior art would invalidate any later patent claims.
It just makes no sense. Please bear in mind that I write proprietary software for a living. I would never imagine attempting to prevent a competitor from providing their customers with the best product that they can produce, whether or not it resembled my product. I compete based on the quality of my product and service.
And this translation of DNA into music is not even a salable product... I agree with parent poster. This is yet another bewildering use of the patent system.
Regards.
The main point, IMHO, is that the courts appear to be catching up with the tech world.
/. front page... Check out the "Judge Permits eBay's "Buy It Now" Feature" story.
This is not an isolated incident, there have been numerous clarifications coming out that will help the internet become a more legally defined avenue through which to conduct business.
To see another example of courts starting to actually understand what they are ruling on you need look no further than today's
I have been following both court rulings and political decisions related to the internet for some time now, and I am finally starting to see some glimmer of hope that the most empowering utility of our time will not go down the crapper due to the ignorance of those empowered to regulate it.
Of course, there is still the net neutrality issue... but at least there is some movement toward understanding.
Regards.
It is one of the more interesting links I have seen on the subject of antitrust.
Thanks for posting it.
Regards.
If the U.S. paid more attention to what their own companies were doing the E.U. would not have to.
I mean, come on, it's not like we Americans are living in a land of vigilant corporate oversight.
Not trying to start a fight, but your comment seems to miss the fact that questionable corporate practices are rampant here in America.
Regards.
The punishments for such infractions are obviously not high enough. It's not like Intel execs sat down and said "Hey, let's potentially bankrupt our company so we can make a couple extra percentage points."
It is more likely they looked at previous (MS) antitrust settlements and decided that an anti-competitive strategy was an attractive move for execs and shareholders alike.
Regards.
"MS has been going after the large suppliers in China. They have. If they do not, then China and India get it for free, and then the western world will wonder why they are paying an arm/leg for crap software."
Hmmm... In the U.S. we are used to paying more than anyone else for pharmaceuticals. In the EU there are tariffs on all sorts of things that jack up the prices (camcorders & cameras were covered on this site a couple of days ago).
You may be correct that MS is going after large suppliers, but your final statement might need a bit more thought.
Regards.
Totally O.T., but I actually witnessed the 1986 air disaster you mentioned. Piper Archer vs. DC-9... midair. The Cerritos Air Disaster.
r .html
I only bring it up because I had almost forgotten the memory. It's not something that comes up in conversation often.
Talk about emotional scars for an eight year old kid.
Here is a brief link for anyone who wants a timeline: http://www.firefightersrealstories.com/cerritosai
Regards.
"Can anyone offer some financial perspective.."
c le/2006/08/17/AR2006081701485_pf.html
I don't know about airplane costs, but here is some perspective on other government upgrade projects... each upgrade involved both hardware and software systems.
The IRS attempted to update their systems (originally designed in 1962). The project began in 1999 and was spread over several 'projects.' The 1999 plan was eventually scrapped after the main database was already around 40 million over budget and way over deadline. Further attempts to modernize the system in a more compartmentalized fashion lead to the $318 million lost due to excessive tax refunds in 2006 (for tax year 2005 returns). The system responsible was also scrapped and the old one was put back into service.
Though not mentioned in the overview that I link below, a GAO report I saw a couple years ago put the total actual losses (internal/external/disaster recovery etc...) at several times the publicly reported loss numbers.
Here is a general overview: http://www.crn.com/it-channel/192502071
The FBI attempted a complete systems overhaul (agents still can only use one search term in many of their databases, and much info is still paper file only). That was finally scrapped in 2005 after $170 million in costs, and over 170,000 lines of code... the project had been in progress for three years. The Washington Post put total upgrade costs since 9/11/2001 at around $600 million.
Here is a general overview: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti
I suppose the successes don't make as much news as the failures, but the real perspective we should be looking for here is who the F*** is going to plan and manage a project that will be responsible for our air safety? The upgrade attempts that I know of all ended with the old systems being put back into place.
NASA probably gets my vote. I have heard that their software design requirements and beyond insane, and that despite the catastrophic structural failures they have endured, the shuttle software systems are beyond rock-solid. They still use multiple levels of 'readers' to proofread every line of code as you would a thesis manuscript in addition to all other testers/unit-tests/sims etc..
Regards.
"Which means the government can wave some legal papers around and your data is retained indefinitely."
No paper waving required... Wording and default settings are all that is needed to confuse most users.
Wording example: Would you like your search results optimized to your preferences = you agreed to let us have the data forever.
Default example: Any user can choose not to request their data be stored by clicking a box on a settings screen indicating that they are NOT requesting the search company to store their data.
Regards.
It was widely reported several years ago that cats had been surgically modified to contain bugging instruments, a small power supply, and a broadcasting antenna that ran the length of the animal's tail.
I believe the original test subjects were released in NYC and were dead within 24 hours. See, one of the requirements for the plan to be fruitful was a high population density to increase the chance of picking up something interesting... unfortunately the level of traffic in these areas is not healthy for stray kitties with no street experience. The surgery also included a type of disabling of the cat's hunger response so that it would stay in the vicinity of the area it was released and not go running off immediately in search of food.
Here is one link to info, but I am not familiar with the site or their specific version of events: http://mprofaca.cro.net/spycats.html.
The NPR archives should turn something up as that is where I first heard of project 'Acoustic Kitty.'
Regards.
The poster asked for legit advice that might help in a management level interview.
From experience, lesson one: address 'intangibles' like aspects of teamwork and group motivation. Include strategies to maintain a positive working environment under varying circumstances.
I'm sorry if it does not sound like real work to you. The advice has served me well, and my employees treat me with respect... so something is working.
Regards.
Actually it works the other way around. Once you know enough about your employees as humans you have a very hard time dealing with things like layoffs/reorganizations. I left my last position even though my place in the company was assured because of the way my department in general was treated.
Try it sometime. Pick someone in the office you can't stand and spend one month learning a bit about them on a regular basis. If they are the type that prattles on and on be very straightforward in letting them know when they are annoying you without insulting them. After one month of this your understanding of who they are will have changed, and their understanding of how to interact with you will have changed... usually for the better.
BTW, it is a manager's duty to retain some level of professional distance from their employees. That distance can either turn the workplace into a coldly efficient production environment, or can become a minimized by a manager who really does care bout his employees even though he may one day have to fire them.
Regards.
After I put the kettle on is scan the news sites. It takes me all of two minutes to identify any news item that might somehow impact me and my little slice of the IT world.
I do this not so much for security or first-alert type response but for a more simple reason... I start conversations using the info I gleaned from the news. The people I work with each have different areas of technical interest, specialties, etc... managing a team means more than riding people about deadlines. I always start the day with a little chatter, and feel good when one of my team members gets to share some of their 'personal interest' knowledge because of a conversation I started.
Starting conversations in this manner provides all sorts of little 'contact points' that provide info about your employee's mood, attitude, satisfaction, etc... and way too many managers I have known fail horribly at replicating these contact points through more formal methods.
Anyhow, after that it is review e-mail, prioritize the day, and only begin coordinating with others once they have had time to do the same.
Regards.
We not only vote on impeachment issues, but secession as well. The Second Vermont Republic information found here: http://www.vermontrepublic.org/
I was all for NE continuing to assist poorer parts of the country until the NE Dairy compact BS. Like they can't subsidize small dairy farms in NE while pumping all those subsidies into the Midwest so grain can rot in the silos? WTF?
Then again, farming in general is a pretty big deal for my family and I.
As for N.H., I generally prefer they stay on their side of the border... and they seem to agree, so we are all fine.
BVT O.N.E. 05401
Regards.
Isn't the bigger issue that they are expecting a populace that is now treated as guilty until proven innocent of crimes against the state to willingly contribute to the infrastructure that will be used to oppress them?
Seriously... adding the illegal wiretapping case stories of the last two days on top of this one makes me feel like I am witnessing some sort of sick farce.
I can see a motivated citizen assisting NASA, the EPA, or any number of governmental agencies out of the will to drive progress. But the military or intelligence agencies? Are they fucking serious?
BTW: I am truly sorry that our men and women in uniform are suffering for the incompetence of their superiors... I also truly believe that the military, intelligence agencies, and those who direct them are evolving into a threat to every freedom loving citizen.
Regards.
We could be seeing some validation of the old theory that MS gets hacked more because it is so much more visible than other software (not that I buy into that as a sole reason for the number of MS exploits).
OTOH I don't keep up with cellphone tech.. so maybe the iPhone really deserves this much attention. Last I heard, though, there were other phones out there that offered many more computer-like features than the iPhone... which I have heard lacks some very basic PDA-like features that are becoming standard on other phones.
Regards.