That's about what I was thinking, only in slightly less vibrant language! I thought it was bad when someone said Americans get charged to receive calls, but getting charged to receive SMS as well? That's ludicrous!
Yes, but even on Pay As You Go in the UK the most expensive texts are normally 12p while you're within the UK (which is what the article seems to be about - US to US texts). I got a PAYG phone from Orange in late 1999 (just before I finished Secondary School) and texts were 10p while all other networks charged 12p. A year or so ago Orange did the unbelievable - they put their prices up to 12p.
Considering inflation, a 2p increase over eight years on a tariff that doesn't tie me to paying them lots of money is a bargain!
But then I've got to write on each of the keys with a Tipex pen to put the letters on in white myself! I'm sure that must be more effort than swapping keys;) That plus it leaves you with less consistent font shapes.
Yes, but if you make the call then you know the topic of the conversation and you know how long it should (roughly) last. If someone else calls you then you never know what they might want to talk about and don't have much control over it.
As an example, if I phone someone it is normally a quick "I want this info" or "I'll be a bit late, see you soon". If someone else calls it could be my wife saying we need some shopping, or it could be my mum wanting a longer discussion and catch-up. By general etiquette I can try to shorten the call in polite ways, but I have comparably less control over how many people call me and for how long.
I knew about the free local calls (but then given how big the nation is, you need to encourage them to communicate!) I just wasn't sure about receiving if the US got screwed over on receiving them, where you've got no control over how long the call lasts (unlike when you're making the call).
It was a hope for the future (albeit a far fetched one) rather than something I was intending to do now. My Nokia 3510 has more features than I need/use, and I'm 23. Give me a phone that phones, texts, and has some minor bits like alarms and it'll do everything I need.
Wow! That's a great way to screw your customers over. How have the customers not gone crazy over that when you don't get charged to receive land-line calls, only make them? Or do Americans get ripped off there as well?
Now all I need is more free WiFi hotspots in the UK, a cheap (~£20-£30) phone without a contract and SMS over WiFi capability, and then my £10 Pay As You Go credit will last years instead of just months!
I agree, I've got accounts with Halifax and Lloyds and neither have given me a token. I've never even seen any banks mention anything about one-time passwords for added security (which I'd have thought they'd trumpet as "look, come to us, you're less likely to have your details stolen").
Sun Java, Qt, and MySQL are hard to fork, because if you tried, you'd be competing against companies that can actually license them commercially.
As opposed to other software like Gimp and even Linux itself, where there's no commercial competition? And for the other part, could the Gimp even be commercially licensed now, given the number of contributors? It's not forking, but it's still "open community version versus not-so-open or closed semi-commercial version".
Sun Java, Qt, and MySQL are all controlled by companies that determine the evolution of those platforms based on their own corporate interests...
And Fedora has input from Redhat in terms of direction, Novell has a degree of control over OpenSuse, Canonical are in charge of Ubuntu, etc. Then you get companies like IBM and HP who pull areas like the kernel in their own direction with whatever they need to have working. Each has its own degree of "corporate interest", but once the source code is free then anyone can do the same.
And, most importantly, Sun Java, Qt, and MySQL are risky for users needing a commercial license because these companies have the same ability to squeeze those users as if it was a closed source application.
As opposed to pure GPL which is entirely risk-free for commercial licensees?
The OpenJDK project may not be an open project at the moment if it isn't accepting contributions, but being GPL means it is an open code-base and so the Java language is currently open sourced.
Also, as some other people mentioned, what about some of the other technologies like Qt and MySQL that are dual-licensed? Are they somehow not open because they're dual-licensing?
Sun would still have special rights whether it was dual licensed or not.
Exactly - as soon as Sun put code in to it (i.e. the start) they had rights on it in terms of having control over people re-licensing it. Now that it's GPLed then Sun can do whatever they want, but the GPL version is still out there and free for people to take and modify.
You don't even need everything you mentioned, which was my point. If you download the official build of Firefox for Linux (which "downloading the tarball" implies, since Linux is the main OS to use tarballs) then there isn't even an installer. It's "Extract...run...browse" in Linux, where as Mac has "Drag-drop install thing that Macs do...run...browse".
Okay, so that method won't install a menu item because it doesn't have an installer, but even that's hardly rocket science and I don't know how Mac would create menu/dock items without you telling it to.
The proposed law contains an exception for people with less than 200 transactions
How are they going to work that one out? I can't tell from the original wording whether it is "we won't record" or "we won't create reports" for people with under 200 transactions, but if it is the former (which is what it sounds most like) then how do they manage to tell when you've gone over your 200 transaction limit? Or is this just politicians ignoring vital issues again?
Then you might be a bit stuck, since their Linux drivers are x86/x86_64, but they did used to put ATI cards in Macs (IIRC) so there may be some way to do it.
want to link against the latest (or a non-mainline) kernel
Then just like any other project (OSS or not) you take your chance as to whether it works or not. The 8.5 drivers work fine in Fedora 9 with my 2.6.26.6 kernel (once I downgraded parts of X). Any project that links against the kernel can have similar problems if the kernel has big changes.
or just want to run an all-open system?
Then you try the open-source drivers, which (as others have mentioned) have been given the card specs and some other documentation (whatever that may be) by ATI.
No, I knew it before I looked at Wikipedia, but that was just a useful reference source.
It's like the classic line about from a comedy in the 80s that applied to the WMDs: "of course we know they have [insert type of weapons], we've got the receipts!" The West helped Saddam and turned a blind eye, until the point where they decided he wasn't doing what they wanted any more. He's not the only one, either. The West has done it in other countries as well.
Much like the "all-in-one bar" and its habit of returning potential junk just because it thinks it knows better than you, I think that's a "feature". I never use the home button (I've got it set to about:blank) but it isn't in my version on Fedora, and that's the official RC2 build.
As for fonts, I've not noticed any problems on Fedora 8 or Fedora 9. Maybe it's Ubuntu that's at fault;)
I guess it does make sense as to why I don't see any updates, although I had thought there might be some build number change somewhere or something. Probably best not to even change something that small, though, in case something else accidentally changes as well and your previously fine RC becomes a broken release.
Exactly. The west is perfectly happy with him when we helphim topower because "our enemy's enemy is our friend", but once he does his own thing then he's some evil who should be destroyed, conveniently ignoring the history of how he got there.
I can see why it might be a shock to some that this document got out, but given that it's for Special Forces then it doesn't really surprise me. Why have your elite forces actually playing by the book when you can fight dirty, be more effective and just blank over it if you're ever asked? That's not to say I condone it, just that it seems like an obvious military tactic when you're working in smaller and elite teams.
I've only been to America once, but I'm more worried about the kind of person who had the sticker I saw in Denver, Colorado: "Liberalism is a mental illness". Yes, the people who don't like your choice can be bad, but I'm sure that person must have been worse!
As a few other people have said, though, congratulations to the researchers for confusing correlation with causation (or at least not describing it well in the quote).
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That's about what I was thinking, only in slightly less vibrant language! I thought it was bad when someone said Americans get charged to receive calls, but getting charged to receive SMS as well? That's ludicrous!
Except that the US doesn't have terrible gas prices ;) Try working out how much we're paying per gallon in the UK and comparing it!
Yes, but even on Pay As You Go in the UK the most expensive texts are normally 12p while you're within the UK (which is what the article seems to be about - US to US texts). I got a PAYG phone from Orange in late 1999 (just before I finished Secondary School) and texts were 10p while all other networks charged 12p. A year or so ago Orange did the unbelievable - they put their prices up to 12p.
Considering inflation, a 2p increase over eight years on a tariff that doesn't tie me to paying them lots of money is a bargain!
But then I've got to write on each of the keys with a Tipex pen to put the letters on in white myself! I'm sure that must be more effort than swapping keys ;) That plus it leaves you with less consistent font shapes.
Yes, but if you make the call then you know the topic of the conversation and you know how long it should (roughly) last. If someone else calls you then you never know what they might want to talk about and don't have much control over it.
As an example, if I phone someone it is normally a quick "I want this info" or "I'll be a bit late, see you soon". If someone else calls it could be my wife saying we need some shopping, or it could be my mum wanting a longer discussion and catch-up. By general etiquette I can try to shorten the call in polite ways, but I have comparably less control over how many people call me and for how long.
I knew about the free local calls (but then given how big the nation is, you need to encourage them to communicate!) I just wasn't sure about receiving if the US got screwed over on receiving them, where you've got no control over how long the call lasts (unlike when you're making the call).
They've joined a "secretive" group called the Allied Security Trust? Not all that secret now, is it?
It was a hope for the future (albeit a far fetched one) rather than something I was intending to do now. My Nokia 3510 has more features than I need/use, and I'm 23. Give me a phone that phones, texts, and has some minor bits like alarms and it'll do everything I need.
Wow! That's a great way to screw your customers over. How have the customers not gone crazy over that when you don't get charged to receive land-line calls, only make them? Or do Americans get ripped off there as well?
Now all I need is more free WiFi hotspots in the UK, a cheap (~£20-£30) phone without a contract and SMS over WiFi capability, and then my £10 Pay As You Go credit will last years instead of just months!
I agree, I've got accounts with Halifax and Lloyds and neither have given me a token. I've never even seen any banks mention anything about one-time passwords for added security (which I'd have thought they'd trumpet as "look, come to us, you're less likely to have your details stolen").
Who are these mysterious "lot" of British banks?
As opposed to other software like Gimp and even Linux itself, where there's no commercial competition? And for the other part, could the Gimp even be commercially licensed now, given the number of contributors? It's not forking, but it's still "open community version versus not-so-open or closed semi-commercial version".
And Fedora has input from Redhat in terms of direction, Novell has a degree of control over OpenSuse, Canonical are in charge of Ubuntu, etc. Then you get companies like IBM and HP who pull areas like the kernel in their own direction with whatever they need to have working. Each has its own degree of "corporate interest", but once the source code is free then anyone can do the same.
As opposed to pure GPL which is entirely risk-free for commercial licensees?
The OpenJDK project may not be an open project at the moment if it isn't accepting contributions, but being GPL means it is an open code-base and so the Java language is currently open sourced.
Also, as some other people mentioned, what about some of the other technologies like Qt and MySQL that are dual-licensed? Are they somehow not open because they're dual-licensing?
Exactly - as soon as Sun put code in to it (i.e. the start) they had rights on it in terms of having control over people re-licensing it. Now that it's GPLed then Sun can do whatever they want, but the GPL version is still out there and free for people to take and modify.
I think the Russians are actually more effective than the Americans - they murder their Spam King Pins!
You don't even need everything you mentioned, which was my point. If you download the official build of Firefox for Linux (which "downloading the tarball" implies, since Linux is the main OS to use tarballs) then there isn't even an installer. It's "Extract...run...browse" in Linux, where as Mac has "Drag-drop install thing that Macs do...run...browse".
Okay, so that method won't install a menu item because it doesn't have an installer, but even that's hardly rocket science and I don't know how Mac would create menu/dock items without you telling it to.
Not easy? Okay, so it has "extract" in there, but it's basically the same as a Mac:
Mac: dump application file in location, run application.
Firefox/Linux (since they mention tarball): extract application in location, run application.
Okay, so they used a couple of techie words, but it's not exactly rocket-science (or even make scripts) to use it.
How are they going to work that one out? I can't tell from the original wording whether it is "we won't record" or "we won't create reports" for people with under 200 transactions, but if it is the former (which is what it sounds most like) then how do they manage to tell when you've gone over your 200 transaction limit? Or is this just politicians ignoring vital issues again?
Then you might be a bit stuck, since their Linux drivers are x86/x86_64, but they did used to put ATI cards in Macs (IIRC) so there may be some way to do it.
Then just like any other project (OSS or not) you take your chance as to whether it works or not. The 8.5 drivers work fine in Fedora 9 with my 2.6.26.6 kernel (once I downgraded parts of X). Any project that links against the kernel can have similar problems if the kernel has big changes.
Then you try the open-source drivers, which (as others have mentioned) have been given the card specs and some other documentation (whatever that may be) by ATI.
No, I knew it before I looked at Wikipedia, but that was just a useful reference source.
It's like the classic line about from a comedy in the 80s that applied to the WMDs: "of course we know they have [insert type of weapons], we've got the receipts!" The West helped Saddam and turned a blind eye, until the point where they decided he wasn't doing what they wanted any more. He's not the only one, either. The West has done it in other countries as well.
Much like the "all-in-one bar" and its habit of returning potential junk just because it thinks it knows better than you, I think that's a "feature". I never use the home button (I've got it set to about:blank) but it isn't in my version on Fedora, and that's the official RC2 build.
;)
As for fonts, I've not noticed any problems on Fedora 8 or Fedora 9. Maybe it's Ubuntu that's at fault
And RC2 became RC3 for everything except OS X.
I guess it does make sense as to why I don't see any updates, although I had thought there might be some build number change somewhere or something. Probably best not to even change something that small, though, in case something else accidentally changes as well and your previously fine RC becomes a broken release.
Not only that, but surely it points out how stupid and pointless some of the stuff is that he must post to twitter?
Hopefully they've got a reasonable enough algorithm that it can pick the useful sites from the random blog crap.
Fine, "why have your elite forces playing by the legislative book when..." ;)
Exactly. The west is perfectly happy with him when we help him to power because "our enemy's enemy is our friend", but once he does his own thing then he's some evil who should be destroyed, conveniently ignoring the history of how he got there.
I can see why it might be a shock to some that this document got out, but given that it's for Special Forces then it doesn't really surprise me. Why have your elite forces actually playing by the book when you can fight dirty, be more effective and just blank over it if you're ever asked? That's not to say I condone it, just that it seems like an obvious military tactic when you're working in smaller and elite teams.
I've only been to America once, but I'm more worried about the kind of person who had the sticker I saw in Denver, Colorado: "Liberalism is a mental illness". Yes, the people who don't like your choice can be bad, but I'm sure that person must have been worse!
As a few other people have said, though, congratulations to the researchers for confusing correlation with causation (or at least not describing it well in the quote).