This is actually pretty insightful. Use a long encryption key, print it out, and put it in the sealed box for the "can't read it for another 25 years" effect.
Assuming the GPL suits your needs (which seems to be what you're implying), just use the GPL and stop complaining that you don't like the guy who wrote it.
You don't have to assign copyright to the FSF. You don't have to include the "any later version of the GPL" bit. Using the license does not make you a member of the FSF.
Rejecting the GPL not because of anything about the GPL itself but simply because you don't like the author -- that sounds a bit silly to me.
If the system requires that blocks be reused, then some blocks will eventually be used by both illegally distributed works and legitimately distributed works. Even if the courts ruled that certain blocks were equivalent to a copyrighted file, it would be harder to enforce that decision (imagine the bad press if taking down 1 MP3 involved shutting down a tenth of the Internet).
Then again, modern P2P systems are already almost impossible to shut down, so there isn't that much of an additional advantage to using a brightnet. It might be more useful not as a mechanism for storing files, but as an experiment in copyright law.
I fully agree (though I also fully support open formats).
What I'm wondering is what will set this apart from Theora (which was linked to in the Slashdot post). Don't we already have royalty-free video, or is what Sun working on significantly more advanced than the Theora codec?
I'm guessing the major innovation is the new imaging technique (is it the "new aberration-correction technology"?) that allows them to gather enough information to false color things in the manner they did.
I suppose you could redefine "color" (what wavelengths will this atom emit), but it's still not going to be the color we know from the macro world.
That's why it's called a lock-in -- you know the customers won't like what you're about to do, so you lock them in. And lock-in isn't a bool, it's a float: all companies lock customers in, but some do it intentionally and to much greater extents than others.
I do agree with what you said when it comes to smaller companies/non-monopolies -- they don't have much reason to lock-in customers, because they don't have very many customers to lock in, and because it's much more beneficial to look like the consumer-friendly guys. And even though Dell makes a lot of computers, they're not the only PC manufacturer, and any edge over their competition helps.
However, I'm led to a different train of thought. By a Polish-built remote, no doubt.
But seriously, I agree with your points and also hope they go easy on the poor kid. On some level, he likely knew what he was doing was wrong (I'm guessing he never bragged to his parents/teachers about what he was doing), and he should be punished accordingly. But it's not like he wanted to cause any damage (from the toy perspective, why break a perfectly good train set?).
The advantages of AC are mostly in transportation from the power station to the consumer. Internally, electronics use mostly DC, I think (correct me if I'm wrong here). Batteries store and release DC current, a computer's power supply converts to DC, etc.
The way I understand it, you can create hidden volumes that reside in the free space of the disk. TrueCrypt writes over the free space with noise anyway, so there's no way to tell that the "hidden compartment" exists — it just looks like you're using 50 GB on a 100 GB drive, for example.
Wait... Nevermind, I see you were talking about using the drive for external storage — for some reason I was thinking you were installing the drive into a new computer or something.
I believe that the Windows installation CD is bootable and has a format utility, so you wouldn't necessarily need a Linux CD (I'm assuming that's what you meant by "LiveCD"). If there was malware on the drive, I can't see any way it could get into the Windows installer program as long as you were booting off the CD.
Of course, if you wanted your PC to stay secure, then yes, you would need a Linux CD.</obligatoryjoke>
1. I did not know that apple-return selects the top of the list! Thanks.
2. Spotlight is fast, but not as fast as a dedicated application launcher (Namely is the one I use). When I type something into Spotlight, it searches the index of the entire drive. With Namely, though, it's searching a list composed solely of applications, which means it is very fast - Spotlight gives a second delay. Also, because it's a more limited list, I can type just a few characters and narrow it down to just a few items in Namely, whereas Spotlight brings up everything that might have to do with that letter combination - no clutter. I know, I know, these are extremely petty complaints - Spotlight provides the same functionality that an application launcher does (and more!). It's just not streamlined for that, I guess.
I'd like to see what they've done with Spotlight - if they've just added boolean search capabilities, or if they've made it even more central to using your computer (for example, make it easier to use as an application launcher).
Slashdot Mirror
This is actually pretty insightful. Use a long encryption key, print it out, and put it in the sealed box for the "can't read it for another 25 years" effect.
Assuming the GPL suits your needs (which seems to be what you're implying), just use the GPL and stop complaining that you don't like the guy who wrote it.
You don't have to assign copyright to the FSF. You don't have to include the "any later version of the GPL" bit. Using the license does not make you a member of the FSF.
Rejecting the GPL not because of anything about the GPL itself but simply because you don't like the author -- that sounds a bit silly to me.
If the system requires that blocks be reused, then some blocks will eventually be used by both illegally distributed works and legitimately distributed works. Even if the courts ruled that certain blocks were equivalent to a copyrighted file, it would be harder to enforce that decision (imagine the bad press if taking down 1 MP3 involved shutting down a tenth of the Internet).
Then again, modern P2P systems are already almost impossible to shut down, so there isn't that much of an additional advantage to using a brightnet. It might be more useful not as a mechanism for storing files, but as an experiment in copyright law.
http://dotnetperls.com.nyud.net/Content/Browser-Memory.aspx
Yes -- but the CDDL is not GPL-compatible.
[you insensitive clod]
I fully agree (though I also fully support open formats).
What I'm wondering is what will set this apart from Theora (which was linked to in the Slashdot post). Don't we already have royalty-free video, or is what Sun working on significantly more advanced than the Theora codec?
As funny as it is insightful. There's a difference between smarts, wisdom, and benevolence.
I'm guessing the major innovation is the new imaging technique (is it the "new aberration-correction technology"?) that allows them to gather enough information to false color things in the manner they did.
I suppose you could redefine "color" (what wavelengths will this atom emit), but it's still not going to be the color we know from the macro world.
Gim, the Gnu Image Manipulator?
That's why it's called a lock-in -- you know the customers won't like what you're about to do, so you lock them in. And lock-in isn't a bool, it's a float: all companies lock customers in, but some do it intentionally and to much greater extents than others.
I do agree with what you said when it comes to smaller companies/non-monopolies -- they don't have much reason to lock-in customers, because they don't have very many customers to lock in, and because it's much more beneficial to look like the consumer-friendly guys. And even though Dell makes a lot of computers, they're not the only PC manufacturer, and any edge over their competition helps.
I notice the software is being blamed rather than the user.
JavaScript 11 programmer wanted. Experience with JS 10 bugs a plus.
But seriously, I agree with your points and also hope they go easy on the poor kid. On some level, he likely knew what he was doing was wrong (I'm guessing he never bragged to his parents/teachers about what he was doing), and he should be punished accordingly. But it's not like he wanted to cause any damage (from the toy perspective, why break a perfectly good train set?).
True. For the sake of the consumers, let's hope that such tactics work only in the short term (or is that too unrealistic?).
So apparently some kid who got detention 'shopped the letter and posted it online as a hoax:
http://www.bigspring.k12.pa.us/news.php?action=view_article&article_id=2130
Well, no, now that you've publicly posted it as an example of a strong password.
The advantages of AC are mostly in transportation from the power station to the consumer. Internally, electronics use mostly DC, I think (correct me if I'm wrong here). Batteries store and release DC current, a computer's power supply converts to DC, etc.
The way I understand it, you can create hidden volumes that reside in the free space of the disk. TrueCrypt writes over the free space with noise anyway, so there's no way to tell that the "hidden compartment" exists — it just looks like you're using 50 GB on a 100 GB drive, for example.
After a couple months of using the hand, you get rock-hard abs!
Wait... Nevermind, I see you were talking about using the drive for external storage — for some reason I was thinking you were installing the drive into a new computer or something.
I believe that the Windows installation CD is bootable and has a format utility, so you wouldn't necessarily need a Linux CD (I'm assuming that's what you meant by "LiveCD"). If there was malware on the drive, I can't see any way it could get into the Windows installer program as long as you were booting off the CD.
Of course, if you wanted your PC to stay secure, then yes, you would need a Linux CD.</obligatoryjoke>
Are you sure you know what defectivebydesign means?
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't see any association between DRM and firewalls.
1. I did not know that apple-return selects the top of the list! Thanks. 2. Spotlight is fast, but not as fast as a dedicated application launcher (Namely is the one I use). When I type something into Spotlight, it searches the index of the entire drive. With Namely, though, it's searching a list composed solely of applications, which means it is very fast - Spotlight gives a second delay. Also, because it's a more limited list, I can type just a few characters and narrow it down to just a few items in Namely, whereas Spotlight brings up everything that might have to do with that letter combination - no clutter. I know, I know, these are extremely petty complaints - Spotlight provides the same functionality that an application launcher does (and more!). It's just not streamlined for that, I guess.
I'd like to see what they've done with Spotlight - if they've just added boolean search capabilities, or if they've made it even more central to using your computer (for example, make it easier to use as an application launcher).