But would you if petrol cost $1 / litre or would you move closer to work and fly/train/coach and rent a car on holidays? You describe a symptom of the facts I describe, not a reason for them!
Perhaps if the U.S. started (as was mentioned in the California Power Cut Story here ) to reflect the cost of environmental damage this might change at least in the U.S. What incentive is there really for U.S. citizens to drive socially responsible cars (i.e. small engines) when the cost of petrol is maintained at an extremely low level? With car sales in Ireland
going through the roof reflecting the increased disposable income, we are not seeing people going for big powerful cars, we are seeing people buy new cars with reasonable engine sizes (1l -> 1.4l) to enjoy the economy of such cars (with petrol prices of £0.65 ~ $0.9/litre ~ $3.3 / gallon, the miles per gallon or km per litre of a car is a big deal). Are you guys all driving at >120mph so you need big engined cars or is it just a phallic thing? Or am I out of touch and you are now excercising social responsiblity in your car purchasing?
The link isn't previewing so here it is plain... http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=01/01/17/14121 1&cid=280
My best teacher was a quite crazy physics teacher who regarded the curriculum as an interference to learning. He would walk into class, make a statement and then ramble through the relevant physics until he was satisfied. The best example I can think of was "The sun is going to die cause it is blowing off mass constantly... I wonder when? Then one class later having used the classes knowledge to work out just how much it was blowing off and how big it was he told us just how long we had (well we ignored the fact that as the suns structure changed its properties would also). He was a god, to such a degree that when our Vice-Principal whose office was directly across from the classroom came in after 15 minutes of the class to be told our teacher was sitting outside at the end of the building reading the paper, drinking his orange and smoking a few cigarettes while chatting to the groundsman he told us to sit down and be quiet....and didn't bother going near said teacher.
The best part was his regular quote that "it's harder to fail the exam than pass it", the final response to which was two of my best friends screaming with delight and jumping around hugging each other as they came out from receiving their final results only to discover they had suceeded... in FAILING! They had failed just about everything else aswell so it's not like they were diligent students who had been let down (trust me, they weren't).
My worst teacher was my applied maths teacher for the last two years. In our mock exams, he gave me 0 marks for a question I had entirely correct (amongst other marvellous marking irregularities). I obviously queried him on this, and he said that it was not explained, I placed the paper in front of him and read it back, showing him just how I had achieved the result with a simple method he had never even thought of....his answer was "I looked at it wasn't the proper method and I didn't understand it instantly, and the examiner marking the paper mightn't either" (simple linear motion equations fully explained with copious amounts of text as I had long since learned that when it came to an exam with a teacher who knows me marking it I have to spell it out to them cause if I didn't most of them disliked me to the degree they said that as it wasn't explained it was invalid and did as this guy) . Bottom line I got 41% on the Mock (1% over a fail) thanks to his marking when it should have been 80%+. Come the final real externally marked exam I got an A1 (90%+) and never enjoyed showing a teacher a result as much in my life!
Re:the USA should _NOT_ decide TLD issues...
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Responding to some of your points:
I would never complain that the U.S. has the code 1 and certainly do not feel this is in any way analogious, if everyone everywhere else in the world HAD to dial their country code unless they wanted the US, then the analogy might start to make sense.
If the French HAD created the internet and initially controlled the DNS system I VERY much doubt they would have had the ego to try to maintain this control a few years down the road (and as they probably would have run it by government instead of a commercial entity this would have happened as soon as it started becoming a large adminstrative burden).
The only poeple who can't escape the TLD consequences are NOT the US! I cannot get my name as a domain in ireland UNLESS I am willing to either place at least a 2 digit number into the domain OR stand for political office (this may have changed in the last few months, but even clarifying that is a nightmare). If you do NOT wish to be part of your own countries TLD for any reason (or because of a rule which prevents you using it for the puropse you require) then you are subjected to the US controlled TLDs if you want a second level domain.
Thank you for stating that the.us domain is not available even to people in the US as I had always thought this was simply an ignored domain and not a restricted one. If the US did not control the TLDs and their creation I imagine that this domain would be treated VERY differently. The key point here though is to note that I never mentioned.gov,.mil or any of the other TLDs which the US enjoys.....these spoils I allow to the victor. However.com,.net,.org where NEVER intended (AFAIK) to be specifically US domains, and the new domains are not intended to be so either.
The fact is that the intnernet in the english speaking world is extremely focused on the.com (net and org to a lesser degree) and ANY company outside the US must risk subjecting themselves to a small degree to YOUR system and laws, something you state you do not feel is possible for you! It remains to be seen if any of the new TLDs will gain even the slightest recognition, but if they do anyone who wishes to address the english world will have another problem on their hands. To make it simple, a recent post of mine recieved a response which included the request to know what country.ie is. If it is.com, no-one cares but as soon as you venture onto a country TLD people can be suspicious UNLESS they already know which country it is!
The net is an international resource and I guess the bottom line is that I do not believe any other nation would be attempting to control some of its resources the way the US is.
Re:the USA should _NOT_ decide TLD issues...
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ACLU Takes on ICANN
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to feed a troll?
The US created the internet...fine. The US owns the root servers....no, they setup the original root server system and controlled the master system, but the actual root servers lie all over the world I believe. So the US does control the top-level domains....why pretend it is an international system then? Why should the US control the top level domains? Why are they potentially allowing some TLDs to be controlled outside the US (for example the.pro TLD will be controlled by an Irish company, if anyone would like to suggest a good reason why these guys deserve some protesting I volunteer my services:-) but my anger is not really with them but with the people who are creating them! If I don't like it create my own root server....oh yeah like that is a smart idea! split the net! despots and communists.... the trolling is given away! The domain name system is a merely a convention, but I ask you, how many IP6 addresses are you going to be able to hold in your head? It is a necessity that another layer of abstraction is added after MAC -> IP otherwise it would be a nightmare to create systems as we have (imagine trying to move your site to another host and NOT lose hits). The fact that anyone can create a domain name system does not mean they should. People could clone themselves (with enough money) does that mean they should? One system provides a hell of a lot of convienience. The only workable system I can think of would depend on none of the existing TLDs (excluding countries) being included on the current.us domain, in which case the rest of the world could create a new top level server system where all existing TLDs would become Second level domains to.us (slashdot.org.us). Even then it would take a lot of effort to ensure that all clicked links from US servers would be translated to the correct address for your own DNS server. I am whining that the internet, a system of freedom is being controlled by the most litigious and commercial nation on the planet. I don't want to control it, I just want it controlled by something with a potential to be unbiased and balanced and that will reflect the opinions of all the nets users...not just the US->English speaking->First world. How expensive will the.biz be to a third world company and if they are at all successful with that TLD then it will just be another way to keep the poor down. IMHO this is all completely anti the spirit of the internet. So what if the US started it...it's not yours whatever you want to believe, it is everyone who pays to be a part of it, whoever they are and wherever they come from.
Re:the USA should _NOT_ decide TLD issues...
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ACLU Takes on ICANN
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I tried for about half an hour each on about 4 seperate occassions spread out over a few weeks (can't remember at this stage exactly how spaced out they were, I didn't keep records:-(
If it was the/. effect (a simple way to say excessive demand) that crashed their system then I would suggest they should have extended the enrolement period as there was obviously a demand they could not satisfy with the implemented system. If they were not doing this they should have produced some informtation to show what was happening. Anyway does it not strike fear in your hearts that the guys in charge of the primary internet access system (search in google and altavista all you like cause they refer to domain names not IP addresses for good reason) cannot setup a system to handle the interest from just the geeks (cause lets face it the public at large were not flooding their servers) to join their club? I REALLY would like to see any form of proof that the collapse simply was a lack of capacity and that the lack of capacity in no way biased the results (i.e. that there is no way any region was prone to have earlier access via publicity or that the servers were more accessable to any region/group than any other or...). Let's face it, I am sure that plenty of us could figure out how to design a system which on near collapse would produce biased results.
This guy is spot on. As most people in Ireland at least realise, the consumer price of gasoline is a joke in the US. You guys do not pay at all for the cost of polluting our (that includes you whoever you are) environment! The price of petrol in Ireland is roughly 1=$1 / litre. What do you pay? The average car engine in Ireland is probably 1.3 litre. How much gas does your car guzzle? I rest my case.
Re:the USA should _NOT_ decide TLD issues...
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ACLU Takes on ICANN
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I think all those people who signed for ICANN membership should just decide it by their vote about new TLD's.
That would be ok if it wasn't for the fact that the sign up was useless! I suggested before that it was possible that the entire process was rigged, and unless and until someone proves otherwise that conspiracy theory will stay alive with me anyway. The number of successful applicants were very few, and the reasons why people failed to sign up? I don't know, do you? Could it be possible that the signup was controlled to provide an unbalanced membership?
Having read the ACLU piece I have to say that I am dissappointed but not surprised that they continued tha arrogance of assuming that the fact that these domains are controlled by the U.S. is fine!/. is not the place I know to voice these sorts of opinions as/. itself is a U.S. centric forum. Even your suggestion that.sex should be used shows problems,.sex is english,.xxx would be international however wouldn't it? Come on people, do we want a net where the US has it's choice to make as many TLDs as it likes while the rest of the world can divy up their own TLD alone, or do we want an internet where each country has a TLD and the remaining potential name space is controlled by some international authority who decides on a world basis whether or not extra domains are appropriate (forget the issue of whether the entire TLD idea is right or wrong as unless you think that the root servers should be open for anyone to add their own domain someone must control it)?
If the government does NOT use regulation then how the fuck is it supposed to empower and protect the people? regulation is the ONLY recourse open to government so either A: you are pro regulation or B: you are pro anarchy. Exactly how much regulation is an area where you can open a bit of debate BUT as someone has already said previously we should not be talking about regulation V non-regulation we should be talking about figuring out how to ensure the people regulating are not idiots!
Why not? At least then you would be able to decode the signals on the PC (software allowing) and then pump out 6 dedicated channels of clean audio instead of requiring a outboard decoder to get surround sound! Also, I can hear the difference and I am NOT an audiophile with perfect pitch or even a great ear so even for games...........
If you want ANY sort of D->A then a $40 bucks SB Live will sound FAR worse than the sort of card you can get for a few hundred dollars. I had an Event Gina before I left windows for good and the sound difference between it and ANY other cheaper soundcard I have ever heard was clearly audible to me, someone with a not very good ear! Besides which if my understanding is correct THX is all about creating complete systems that should ensure that the sound you hear is what was intended. THX was started by Lucas as a way to tell Movie theaters that they can't just slap in any old sound system, they should take care. On a computer it is the equivalent of saying "don't pretend you are hearing the soundtrack as it was intended just because you have a 5.1 system. You have to have a good 5.1 system. I'm not suggesting that THX is vital or anything like it, but if you are not tone deaf and are willing to spend a few bucks to ensure that you have a reasonable sound system but not a few hours/days shopping to put it together yourself you can just buy some THX gear and be pretty sure that you won't be disgusted. If you just buy a system with 5.1 channel audio you could easily end up disgusted.
First they rip of the concept, then they won't pay the originators of the idea what they are worth.
And this on Slashdot the home of anti business pratice patents etc...If it was MS doing something like this we could go nuts cause they are a monopoly...but this should be fair game for anyone else....I think that they shouldn't shaft the people who made the first film a success though
before someone can post a chain from Nokia's own site to a site that describes how to circumnavigate their "Parental Controls" (or just plain hack em out)
Ok, with a 20Gb hard disk the one question I couldn't see the answer to was what sort of video codecs does it support, are they proprietory and where's the DVD (for more buzzwords). The one area linux could use corporate support in is in Video systems (to make this work it REALLY should play whatever video files people will be grabbing from their provider or online). How can this work in the current legal quagmire or is this finally a company from outside the US saying F*ck your stupid US IP laws.... what you going do?
And as no-one else has said it yet......Hmmmmmm a Beowolf cluster of these
I imagine the lovely UCITA (or would it be DMCA) would make this a BIG problem for "patented" issues, encryption wasn't under patent problems, just the export restrictions! IANAL though so maybe they could get away with it.
I doubt that folks like Red Hat could ship DivX without running foul of IP lawyers
How about SUSE, Debian non-US/non-free neither of which should fall foul of US IP Law! Anyone care to post a list of all the other Linux Distributors who do not let themselves be subjected to US IP Law? This is one of the best reasons why Redhat!=Linux and perhaps the one that will see RedHat either leave the US or simply crumble.
If I had been a bit more awake I would have said about $70 (sorry but the old Euro - dollar - IRP thing is starting to catch me out). If Sony came out with the Sony Desktop (think Helix cough cough ximian) which ran Gnome, KDE and Win32 apps all from a winalike front-end from the user perspective (hacked KDE or Gnome) the cost to them would be minimal (compared to starting from scratch / purchasing IP), the cost to the end user could be near zero (you'll pay for getting it installed and configured and some ongoing development/support which to Sony would be pennies and they would carry to have Sony plastered at least in source all over machines software/desktop, how many peoples machines scream MS at you despite the slight possibilities open to them). Hardware issues would NOT be an issue as Sony's backing would have plenty of manufacturers sending out test kit to put Tux on the box, and as we have seen with Mac, complete subjegation to win compatible hardware is not a complete must (but Linux kicks Mac ass for Hardware compatibility in my book).
I guess what I'm saying is that I do not evisage a new OS, but a windows face backed by a name people actually know (RedHat/Corel/Debian/Suse are not Coke/Levis/Nike/Sony). The Transmeta notebook may be the start (another reason to name Sony), perhaps Sony see the advantage of not having to pay anyone else a penny for software for their machines.....and saving the customer ???? I'd love to know the cost comparisons to Dell for example re their Linux V NT/2000 servers, and which costs Dell more! If they cost them the same price, why not build your internal strengths instead of assisting someone else? I guess for Sony it comes down to the likes of DVD playing..... anyone asked them if they'll write an Open Source DVD player and distribute it with a special TuxMan Mousemat (or some similarly low cost item), could it be done or could they just keep it outside US IP law and release it GPL (I doubt Sony the movie side would like that though:-(? I guess I'm also just spouting the next idea that went through my head for a true Linux convert company (SGI still aren't coming through enough for me but IBM aren't doing bad).
A huge percentage of companies have an IT stategy as follows:
IT staff are expected to deal with the systems not suggest/develop
Management staff talk to all sorts of people and make a decision whenever they think they might be smart
Now in this case, MS will never win the managers because they don't have a clue. What they do know is that they are always told the XXX is down because the NT/2000 server is "just being rebooted, back in a mo" AND that they love the B.S.O.D. How many decisions have you seen made in a company to change YYY because of as badly formed reasons as the above...MANY in my case.
If the company has an I.T. staff that actually have some power, then how long before someone brings in a GNU box just to serve ZZZ purpose, and how long before it's strengths in the single sphere push it out to take care of everything it should?
MS may have a monstrous market share, but I do not believe for a moment it is loyal. If Sony relased a consumer product tomorrow running Linux with a windows alike UI (hack up a "complete" windows desktop) and one of the methods (working properly of course) to run win32 programs do you think anyone would be dismissing it because it didn't run MS Windows (or even how many people would pay an extra $100 on purchase to get said MS Windows)?
You should care about I.P. Laws IF you write GPL code OR you code for your own company and it can't afford legal battles.
If you get paid for writing/modifying GPL code, do you want it to remain GPL, do you want it to remain released or are you simply a mercenary writer and the fact that it is GPL is irrelevant to you? If you are happy to let whatever happens happen as long as you get paid then indeed 'nuff said.
If you however own a company that writes software, I would have to question the sanity in exposing yourself to the U.S. Patent Office and legal system, you could get screwed. BT and the hyperlink may have failed but if it hadn't can you imagine the cost to every U.S. Internet company and how many would have gone under that would have otherwise survived. Also why limit what you can do based on the restrictive U.S. legal system? Surely more money can be had when you don't have to play the IP game (unless you are a lawyer or a IP hoarding house)?
I know the setup I think I want.....the question is what ways can it be done?
Get your 5.1 speakers and wire them to 3 amps which in turn are each connected to two chanels of a sound-card (or three) in a linux box. Get a 4 point completely independant system (so I can play with 3d audio) along with the sub and centre. Hack the volume meters together into the volume control tools you want (trying to leave those amp controls alone so it can switch modes etc properly).
Get your 5.1 speakers and wire them to a 6 channel amp the same way (the one amp I looked at was about $500).
Use a decoding amp wired to a fibre connector. I don't like this as you then have to have run realtime ac3/dts encoding on any sound source you want to play through surround!
I guess I have an Ask Slashdot on this... can anyone tell me if approach 1 is possible. i.e. is there an ac3/dts decoder for Linux and if so what sort of power are we looking at to run it realtime? This is something I have wanted for years (I bought an Event Gina when I was still evacuating Windows land and got nothing when I tried to help bash them for info! Have to admit I didn't hack at it under Linux cause the trouble they were having producing the drivers they wanted (DirectX) suggested that it was not the best card to work with (besides their lack of info guaranteed you would never get the DSP power out of the Dream Chip)). On this, does anyone now any projects working with the Analogue Devices Kit to develop a decent Linux sound card (i.e. more than just an io card...some DSP) as their kits seem to suggest they are worth working with?
The best approach in many ways is one a friend of mine took. Go into your local hi-fi shop and order a Dolby Digital Amp and pay a 10% deposit. Make sure that the clerk put down that you payed it all on the receipt and go in to pick up the amp a few days later for no more money! Finally when the amp seems a bit dodgy (like turning the volume up for no reason) make sure you get an upgrade to a later model thats twice the price......Cheeky Jammy Bastard!
I wholehearedtly agree (I think) with everything this guy said about the present, but the conclusions he draws shows that he doesn't even understand the present.
The Internet is fundamentally an open global information forum and NOTHING the US wants to do about it can change that! Think about the propeganda wars we have seen in recent years online such as the Serbs-V-NATO and you can see how no international agreement (think China) will ever be reached to control the entire internets information.
Attempts to ascribe viewing rights as the method of control is backward to every other item on the planet. It is the responsibility of the distributor to stay within the law not the consumer (when at age 15 I bought condoms though the legally required age was 18 (16 to marry, 17 for sex and 18 for condoms...sheesh intelligent people!) I felt no fear or prosecution though the seller should have). Pornographic magazines do not attempt to create child-proof covers, they trust the retailers to keep them in the right hands.
To enact the sort of steps outlined in the article, the U.S. government would have to disconnect the U.S. from the Internet directly and create "proxies" to allow acceptable internet information not hosted in the US in, as well as forcing all people allowed to host within the US to obey whatever verification rules they enact. Now what you have is an inflexible web (-/. of course) where no new ideas appear (they are old by the time soneone says you can say it) with a mountain of beauracracy, your internet would no longer be a library/research centre/entertainment facility.
Finally I have one question....why the net and not National Enquirer? If people believe the net is true they sure as hell believe paper is (let alone film, tv, music...). I detest the coporate influence in the world AND agree that the key is governmental regulation BUT I don't think this guy has a single good idea in his head about how to do it. I think it is nothing to do with the internet or media (though they best show the "coruption") but is entirely based in the monetary based legal systems of the world. Imagine if in the MS V Stacker case both sides were unable to spend more than a judge appointed amount on their cases (or even better they could spend nothing but would be represented by court appointed lawyers if the court deems a case neccessary) instead of one side simply using money to delay and badger the legal system to get the best profits they can. The legal system should be above money, imagine Gore and Bush could not engage a lawyer or even legal advice, they just had to decide for themselves whether or not they should go to the court and if they did that the courts then decided what should happen instead of one side pushing for judgements while another pushes for delays until time is the only issue left and politics (money) the only deciding factor.
Depends on your clients! If you are in a situation (which I presume you are) where you can "control" the client's, how about using html as your print format. If you know the browser you should be able to design accurate and flexible enough pages.
I did create a system for filing Irish companies in perl::CGI where government forms were required amongst other things and the solution worked fine (I enjoyed firing Netscape onto 20 Win9x boxes to let them use and print from it). If you have something bizarre html might not do you.....but I doubt it! The only quirk I had left to solve (before we parted company) was getting landscape printing sorted properly...anyone have any ideas for that (that don't require any user input)?
I've said it before and I'll say it again, all coders should get out of the states for the reason of IP laws. I have previously promoted Europe (and hey why not my little isle of Ireland) but honestly I feel that it does not matter overly where as long as it is outside of the direct control US legal system.
I have to say though that all countries (IMHO) have taken steps which are abhorent to the rights of individuals, often through backdoors. Examples include Ireland's removals of many human rights in the case of the "War on Drugs", freedom of speech and right to property and the UKs RIP act to protect against "child pornography et al" which makes carnivore look benign (we all now they snoop but at least they aren't saying it's illegal to stop them).
I don't think (bar coders who are subjecting themselves to stupid legal requirements) people should emigrate.....just be vocal and do what you can (e.g. vote) to stop these errosions. If you think the whole population agrees with the politicians run....if the population disagrees help get them vocal.
Lots of interesting and valid points....ask any of my friends and they will tell you I am a devil's avocate so take everything I ever say in that frame of mind. Before I redress your points may I just say the reason I like/. is because these argumetns can take place freely.
Firstly, if you follow the story link to the interview and scroll down to the second question you will see IBM say Linux and NOT BSD. That's their call but I agree with it....
All of your ViaVoice points are valid (I assume you are correct on L&H). I was taking this as an example. If we asked for code and worked on it, would we want a company taking all that work and releasing a closed version, possibly with some useful feature we want? I think this is the BSD/Linux fissure, but really it is liek software patents and IP to me... I just can't see how it makes sense to allow people use your work without benefiting you if you can even consider an alternative (release GPL). I have to say though the ViaVoice is not GPL, but would it be if we asked? If IBM GPL'd ViaVoice, how much attention and use would it receive. Would Linux strive ahead of Windows thanks to this (come on now, voice control and recognition is a BIG thing to mere mortals)? Is it the thing we should ask for (it ain't from AIX, but if they saw we would go for it...)? If it was GPL, what would MS do? Any great hacks would have to be reverse engineered or accepted as missing features. It would be fun to watch money versus Freedom! If ViaVoice was GPL....well then we can watch it go into windows....what's the point?
GPL code is usable by everyone who is willing to use it! If you want to open the code further (i.e. allow it to be closed) then you can't. If you are willing to allow the code to be owned for eternity by it's users then you are sorted. If you can't enter into the GPL spirit you can stay outside and leave our code alone (tone provactive so sue me). Again, why should anyone be alllowed to close given away code (if it uses the code to provide function then it is not a unique invention, if it is a unique invention make it independant of any other code other than usable libraries).
Finally, I hate "Open Source". You can fuck off with it afaic. If it is Free (i.e. I can do what I want with it for myself, and give it to other people, and no-one can ever deny anyone any part of anything based on it) than I am happy, other wise get stuffed. I want software to be as good as everyone who is interested in it can make it. I don't want software that is as good as the current market environment allows.
Slashdot Mirror
But would you if petrol cost $1 / litre or would you move closer to work and fly/train/coach and rent a car on holidays? You describe a symptom of the facts I describe, not a reason for them!
Perhaps if the U.S. started (as was mentioned in the California Power Cut Story here ) to reflect the cost of environmental damage this might change at least in the U.S. What incentive is there really for U.S. citizens to drive socially responsible cars (i.e. small engines) when the cost of petrol is maintained at an extremely low level? With car sales in Ireland going through the roof reflecting the increased disposable income, we are not seeing people going for big powerful cars, we are seeing people buy new cars with reasonable engine sizes (1l -> 1.4l) to enjoy the economy of such cars (with petrol prices of £0.65 ~ $0.9 /litre ~ $3.3 / gallon, the miles per gallon or km per litre of a car is a big deal). Are you guys all driving at >120mph so you need big engined cars or is it just a phallic thing? Or am I out of touch and you are now excercising social responsiblity in your car purchasing?
The link isn't previewing so here it is plain ... http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=01/01/17/14121 1&cid=280
My best teacher was a quite crazy physics teacher who regarded the curriculum as an interference to learning. He would walk into class, make a statement and then ramble through the relevant physics until he was satisfied. The best example I can think of was "The sun is going to die cause it is blowing off mass constantly... I wonder when? Then one class later having used the classes knowledge to work out just how much it was blowing off and how big it was he told us just how long we had (well we ignored the fact that as the suns structure changed its properties would also). He was a god, to such a degree that when our Vice-Principal whose office was directly across from the classroom came in after 15 minutes of the class to be told our teacher was sitting outside at the end of the building reading the paper, drinking his orange and smoking a few cigarettes while chatting to the groundsman he told us to sit down and be quiet....and didn't bother going near said teacher.
The best part was his regular quote that "it's harder to fail the exam than pass it", the final response to which was two of my best friends screaming with delight and jumping around hugging each other as they came out from receiving their final results only to discover they had suceeded ... in FAILING! They had failed just about everything else aswell so it's not like they were diligent students who had been let down (trust me, they weren't).
My worst teacher was my applied maths teacher for the last two years. In our mock exams, he gave me 0 marks for a question I had entirely correct (amongst other marvellous marking irregularities). I obviously queried him on this, and he said that it was not explained, I placed the paper in front of him and read it back, showing him just how I had achieved the result with a simple method he had never even thought of....his answer was "I looked at it wasn't the proper method and I didn't understand it instantly, and the examiner marking the paper mightn't either" (simple linear motion equations fully explained with copious amounts of text as I had long since learned that when it came to an exam with a teacher who knows me marking it I have to spell it out to them cause if I didn't most of them disliked me to the degree they said that as it wasn't explained it was invalid and did as this guy) . Bottom line I got 41% on the Mock (1% over a fail) thanks to his marking when it should have been 80%+. Come the final real externally marked exam I got an A1 (90%+) and never enjoyed showing a teacher a result as much in my life!
Responding to some of your points:
I would never complain that the U.S. has the code 1 and certainly do not feel this is in any way analogious, if everyone everywhere else in the world HAD to dial their country code unless they wanted the US, then the analogy might start to make sense.
If the French HAD created the internet and initially controlled the DNS system I VERY much doubt they would have had the ego to try to maintain this control a few years down the road (and as they probably would have run it by government instead of a commercial entity this would have happened as soon as it started becoming a large adminstrative burden).
The only poeple who can't escape the TLD consequences are NOT the US! I cannot get my name as a domain in ireland UNLESS I am willing to either place at least a 2 digit number into the domain OR stand for political office (this may have changed in the last few months, but even clarifying that is a nightmare). If you do NOT wish to be part of your own countries TLD for any reason (or because of a rule which prevents you using it for the puropse you require) then you are subjected to the US controlled TLDs if you want a second level domain.
Thank you for stating that the .us domain is not available even to people in the US as I had always thought this was simply an ignored domain and not a restricted one. If the US did not control the TLDs and their creation I imagine that this domain would be treated VERY differently. The key point here though is to note that I never mentioned .gov, .mil or any of the other TLDs which the US enjoys.....these spoils I allow to the victor. However .com, .net, .org where NEVER intended (AFAIK) to be specifically US domains, and the new domains are not intended to be so either.
The fact is that the intnernet in the english speaking world is extremely focused on the .com (net and org to a lesser degree) and ANY company outside the US must risk subjecting themselves to a small degree to YOUR system and laws, something you state you do not feel is possible for you! It remains to be seen if any of the new TLDs will gain even the slightest recognition, but if they do anyone who wishes to address the english world will have another problem on their hands. To make it simple, a recent post of mine recieved a response which included the request to know what country .ie is. If it is .com, no-one cares but as soon as you venture onto a country TLD people can be suspicious UNLESS they already know which country it is!
The net is an international resource and I guess the bottom line is that I do not believe any other nation would be attempting to control some of its resources the way the US is.
to feed a troll?
The US created the internet...fine. The US owns the root servers....no, they setup the original root server system and controlled the master system, but the actual root servers lie all over the world I believe. So the US does control the top-level domains....why pretend it is an international system then? Why should the US control the top level domains? Why are they potentially allowing some TLDs to be controlled outside the US (for example the .pro TLD will be controlled by an Irish company, if anyone would like to suggest a good reason why these guys deserve some protesting I volunteer my services :-) but my anger is not really with them but with the people who are creating them! If I don't like it create my own root server....oh yeah like that is a smart idea! split the net! despots and communists.... the trolling is given away! The domain name system is a merely a convention, but I ask you, how many IP6 addresses are you going to be able to hold in your head? It is a necessity that another layer of abstraction is added after MAC -> IP otherwise it would be a nightmare to create systems as we have (imagine trying to move your site to another host and NOT lose hits). The fact that anyone can create a domain name system does not mean they should. People could clone themselves (with enough money) does that mean they should? One system provides a hell of a lot of convienience. The only workable system I can think of would depend on none of the existing TLDs (excluding countries) being included on the current .us domain, in which case the rest of the world could create a new top level server system where all existing TLDs would become Second level domains to .us (slashdot.org.us). Even then it would take a lot of effort to ensure that all clicked links from US servers would be translated to the correct address for your own DNS server. I am whining that the internet, a system of freedom is being controlled by the most litigious and commercial nation on the planet. I don't want to control it, I just want it controlled by something with a potential to be unbiased and balanced and that will reflect the opinions of all the nets users...not just the US->English speaking->First world. How expensive will the .biz be to a third world company and if they are at all successful with that TLD then it will just be another way to keep the poor down. IMHO this is all completely anti the spirit of the internet. So what if the US started it...it's not yours whatever you want to believe, it is everyone who pays to be a part of it, whoever they are and wherever they come from.
I tried for about half an hour each on about 4 seperate occassions spread out over a few weeks (can't remember at this stage exactly how spaced out they were, I didn't keep records :-(
If it was the /. effect (a simple way to say excessive demand) that crashed their system then I would suggest they should have extended the enrolement period as there was obviously a demand they could not satisfy with the implemented system. If they were not doing this they should have produced some informtation to show what was happening. Anyway does it not strike fear in your hearts that the guys in charge of the primary internet access system (search in google and altavista all you like cause they refer to domain names not IP addresses for good reason) cannot setup a system to handle the interest from just the geeks (cause lets face it the public at large were not flooding their servers) to join their club? I REALLY would like to see any form of proof that the collapse simply was a lack of capacity and that the lack of capacity in no way biased the results (i.e. that there is no way any region was prone to have earlier access via publicity or that the servers were more accessable to any region/group than any other or ...). Let's face it, I am sure that plenty of us could figure out how to design a system which on near collapse would produce biased results.
.ie = IRELAND
This guy is spot on. As most people in Ireland at least realise, the consumer price of gasoline is a joke in the US. You guys do not pay at all for the cost of polluting our (that includes you whoever you are) environment! The price of petrol in Ireland is roughly 1=$1 / litre. What do you pay? The average car engine in Ireland is probably 1.3 litre. How much gas does your car guzzle? I rest my case.
That would be ok if it wasn't for the fact that the sign up was useless! I suggested before that it was possible that the entire process was rigged, and unless and until someone proves otherwise that conspiracy theory will stay alive with me anyway. The number of successful applicants were very few, and the reasons why people failed to sign up? I don't know, do you? Could it be possible that the signup was controlled to provide an unbalanced membership?
Having read the ACLU piece I have to say that I am dissappointed but not surprised that they continued tha arrogance of assuming that the fact that these domains are controlled by the U.S. is fine! /. is not the place I know to voice these sorts of opinions as /. itself is a U.S. centric forum. Even your suggestion that .sex should be used shows problems, .sex is english, .xxx would be international however wouldn't it? Come on people, do we want a net where the US has it's choice to make as many TLDs as it likes while the rest of the world can divy up their own TLD alone, or do we want an internet where each country has a TLD and the remaining potential name space is controlled by some international authority who decides on a world basis whether or not extra domains are appropriate (forget the issue of whether the entire TLD idea is right or wrong as unless you think that the root servers should be open for anyone to add their own domain someone must control it)?
Someone PLEASE mod the above UP as FUNNY!
If the government does NOT use regulation then how the fuck is it supposed to empower and protect the people? regulation is the ONLY recourse open to government so either A: you are pro regulation or B: you are pro anarchy. Exactly how much regulation is an area where you can open a bit of debate BUT as someone has already said previously we should not be talking about regulation V non-regulation we should be talking about figuring out how to ensure the people regulating are not idiots!
Why not? At least then you would be able to decode the signals on the PC (software allowing) and then pump out 6 dedicated channels of clean audio instead of requiring a outboard decoder to get surround sound! Also, I can hear the difference and I am NOT an audiophile with perfect pitch or even a great ear so even for games ...........
If you want ANY sort of D->A then a $40 bucks SB Live will sound FAR worse than the sort of card you can get for a few hundred dollars. I had an Event Gina before I left windows for good and the sound difference between it and ANY other cheaper soundcard I have ever heard was clearly audible to me, someone with a not very good ear! Besides which if my understanding is correct THX is all about creating complete systems that should ensure that the sound you hear is what was intended. THX was started by Lucas as a way to tell Movie theaters that they can't just slap in any old sound system, they should take care. On a computer it is the equivalent of saying "don't pretend you are hearing the soundtrack as it was intended just because you have a 5.1 system. You have to have a good 5.1 system. I'm not suggesting that THX is vital or anything like it, but if you are not tone deaf and are willing to spend a few bucks to ensure that you have a reasonable sound system but not a few hours/days shopping to put it together yourself you can just buy some THX gear and be pretty sure that you won't be disgusted. If you just buy a system with 5.1 channel audio you could easily end up disgusted.
And this on Slashdot the home of anti business pratice patents etc...If it was MS doing something like this we could go nuts cause they are a monopoly...but this should be fair game for anyone else....I think that they shouldn't shaft the people who made the first film a success though
before someone can post a chain from Nokia's own site to a site that describes how to circumnavigate their "Parental Controls" (or just plain hack em out)
Ok, with a 20Gb hard disk the one question I couldn't see the answer to was what sort of video codecs does it support, are they proprietory and where's the DVD (for more buzzwords). The one area linux could use corporate support in is in Video systems (to make this work it REALLY should play whatever video files people will be grabbing from their provider or online). How can this work in the current legal quagmire or is this finally a company from outside the US saying F*ck your stupid US IP laws.... what you going do?
And as no-one else has said it yet......Hmmmmmm a Beowolf cluster of these
I imagine the lovely UCITA (or would it be DMCA) would make this a BIG problem for "patented" issues, encryption wasn't under patent problems, just the export restrictions! IANAL though so maybe they could get away with it.
How about SUSE, Debian non-US/non-free neither of which should fall foul of US IP Law! Anyone care to post a list of all the other Linux Distributors who do not let themselves be subjected to US IP Law? This is one of the best reasons why Redhat!=Linux and perhaps the one that will see RedHat either leave the US or simply crumble.
Now just make sure you all visited petition.eurolinux.org
Anyone else remember when the web used to be like this? Hit altavista and surf aimlessly for hours!
If I had been a bit more awake I would have said about $70 (sorry but the old Euro - dollar - IRP thing is starting to catch me out). If Sony came out with the Sony Desktop (think Helix cough cough ximian) which ran Gnome, KDE and Win32 apps all from a winalike front-end from the user perspective (hacked KDE or Gnome) the cost to them would be minimal (compared to starting from scratch / purchasing IP), the cost to the end user could be near zero (you'll pay for getting it installed and configured and some ongoing development/support which to Sony would be pennies and they would carry to have Sony plastered at least in source all over machines software/desktop, how many peoples machines scream MS at you despite the slight possibilities open to them). Hardware issues would NOT be an issue as Sony's backing would have plenty of manufacturers sending out test kit to put Tux on the box, and as we have seen with Mac, complete subjegation to win compatible hardware is not a complete must (but Linux kicks Mac ass for Hardware compatibility in my book).
I guess what I'm saying is that I do not evisage a new OS, but a windows face backed by a name people actually know (RedHat/Corel/Debian/Suse are not Coke/Levis/Nike/Sony). The Transmeta notebook may be the start (another reason to name Sony), perhaps Sony see the advantage of not having to pay anyone else a penny for software for their machines.....and saving the customer ???? I'd love to know the cost comparisons to Dell for example re their Linux V NT/2000 servers, and which costs Dell more! If they cost them the same price, why not build your internal strengths instead of assisting someone else? I guess for Sony it comes down to the likes of DVD playing..... anyone asked them if they'll write an Open Source DVD player and distribute it with a special TuxMan Mousemat (or some similarly low cost item), could it be done or could they just keep it outside US IP law and release it GPL (I doubt Sony the movie side would like that though :-(? I guess I'm also just spouting the next idea that went through my head for a true Linux convert company (SGI still aren't coming through enough for me but IBM aren't doing bad).
A huge percentage of companies have an IT stategy as follows:
- IT staff are expected to deal with the systems not suggest/develop
- Management staff talk to all sorts of people and make a decision whenever they think they might be smart
Now in this case, MS will never win the managers because they don't have a clue. What they do know is that they are always told the XXX is down because the NT/2000 server is "just being rebooted, back in a mo" AND that they love the B.S.O.D. How many decisions have you seen made in a company to change YYY because of as badly formed reasons as the above...MANY in my case.If the company has an I.T. staff that actually have some power, then how long before someone brings in a GNU box just to serve ZZZ purpose, and how long before it's strengths in the single sphere push it out to take care of everything it should?
MS may have a monstrous market share, but I do not believe for a moment it is loyal. If Sony relased a consumer product tomorrow running Linux with a windows alike UI (hack up a "complete" windows desktop) and one of the methods (working properly of course) to run win32 programs do you think anyone would be dismissing it because it didn't run MS Windows (or even how many people would pay an extra $100 on purchase to get said MS Windows)?
You should care about I.P. Laws IF you write GPL code OR you code for your own company and it can't afford legal battles.
If you get paid for writing/modifying GPL code, do you want it to remain GPL, do you want it to remain released or are you simply a mercenary writer and the fact that it is GPL is irrelevant to you? If you are happy to let whatever happens happen as long as you get paid then indeed 'nuff said.
If you however own a company that writes software, I would have to question the sanity in exposing yourself to the U.S. Patent Office and legal system, you could get screwed. BT and the hyperlink may have failed but if it hadn't can you imagine the cost to every U.S. Internet company and how many would have gone under that would have otherwise survived. Also why limit what you can do based on the restrictive U.S. legal system? Surely more money can be had when you don't have to play the IP game (unless you are a lawyer or a IP hoarding house)?
I know the setup I think I want.....the question is what ways can it be done?
I guess I have an Ask Slashdot on this... can anyone tell me if approach 1 is possible. i.e. is there an ac3/dts decoder for Linux and if so what sort of power are we looking at to run it realtime? This is something I have wanted for years (I bought an Event Gina when I was still evacuating Windows land and got nothing when I tried to help bash them for info! Have to admit I didn't hack at it under Linux cause the trouble they were having producing the drivers they wanted (DirectX) suggested that it was not the best card to work with (besides their lack of info guaranteed you would never get the DSP power out of the Dream Chip)). On this, does anyone now any projects working with the Analogue Devices Kit to develop a decent Linux sound card (i.e. more than just an io card...some DSP) as their kits seem to suggest they are worth working with?
The best approach in many ways is one a friend of mine took. Go into your local hi-fi shop and order a Dolby Digital Amp and pay a 10% deposit. Make sure that the clerk put down that you payed it all on the receipt and go in to pick up the amp a few days later for no more money! Finally when the amp seems a bit dodgy (like turning the volume up for no reason) make sure you get an upgrade to a later model thats twice the price......Cheeky Jammy Bastard!
I wholehearedtly agree (I think) with everything this guy said about the present, but the conclusions he draws shows that he doesn't even understand the present.
The Internet is fundamentally an open global information forum and NOTHING the US wants to do about it can change that! Think about the propeganda wars we have seen in recent years online such as the Serbs-V-NATO and you can see how no international agreement (think China) will ever be reached to control the entire internets information.
Attempts to ascribe viewing rights as the method of control is backward to every other item on the planet. It is the responsibility of the distributor to stay within the law not the consumer (when at age 15 I bought condoms though the legally required age was 18 (16 to marry, 17 for sex and 18 for condoms...sheesh intelligent people!) I felt no fear or prosecution though the seller should have). Pornographic magazines do not attempt to create child-proof covers, they trust the retailers to keep them in the right hands.
To enact the sort of steps outlined in the article, the U.S. government would have to disconnect the U.S. from the Internet directly and create "proxies" to allow acceptable internet information not hosted in the US in, as well as forcing all people allowed to host within the US to obey whatever verification rules they enact. Now what you have is an inflexible web (- /. of course) where no new ideas appear (they are old by the time soneone says you can say it) with a mountain of beauracracy, your internet would no longer be a library/research centre/entertainment facility.
Finally I have one question....why the net and not National Enquirer? If people believe the net is true they sure as hell believe paper is (let alone film, tv, music ...). I detest the coporate influence in the world AND agree that the key is governmental regulation BUT I don't think this guy has a single good idea in his head about how to do it. I think it is nothing to do with the internet or media (though they best show the "coruption") but is entirely based in the monetary based legal systems of the world. Imagine if in the MS V Stacker case both sides were unable to spend more than a judge appointed amount on their cases (or even better they could spend nothing but would be represented by court appointed lawyers if the court deems a case neccessary) instead of one side simply using money to delay and badger the legal system to get the best profits they can. The legal system should be above money, imagine Gore and Bush could not engage a lawyer or even legal advice, they just had to decide for themselves whether or not they should go to the court and if they did that the courts then decided what should happen instead of one side pushing for judgements while another pushes for delays until time is the only issue left and politics (money) the only deciding factor.
By the way I know I can't spell :-)
Depends on your clients! If you are in a situation (which I presume you are) where you can "control" the client's, how about using html as your print format. If you know the browser you should be able to design accurate and flexible enough pages.
I did create a system for filing Irish companies in perl::CGI where government forms were required amongst other things and the solution worked fine (I enjoyed firing Netscape onto 20 Win9x boxes to let them use and print from it). If you have something bizarre html might not do you.....but I doubt it! The only quirk I had left to solve (before we parted company) was getting landscape printing sorted properly...anyone have any ideas for that (that don't require any user input)?
I've said it before and I'll say it again, all coders should get out of the states for the reason of IP laws. I have previously promoted Europe (and hey why not my little isle of Ireland) but honestly I feel that it does not matter overly where as long as it is outside of the direct control US legal system.
I have to say though that all countries (IMHO) have taken steps which are abhorent to the rights of individuals, often through backdoors. Examples include Ireland's removals of many human rights in the case of the "War on Drugs", freedom of speech and right to property and the UKs RIP act to protect against "child pornography et al" which makes carnivore look benign (we all now they snoop but at least they aren't saying it's illegal to stop them).
I don't think (bar coders who are subjecting themselves to stupid legal requirements) people should emigrate.....just be vocal and do what you can (e.g. vote) to stop these errosions. If you think the whole population agrees with the politicians run....if the population disagrees help get them vocal.
Lots of interesting and valid points....ask any of my friends and they will tell you I am a devil's avocate so take everything I ever say in that frame of mind. Before I redress your points may I just say the reason I like /. is because these argumetns can take place freely.
Firstly, if you follow the story link to the interview and scroll down to the second question you will see IBM say Linux and NOT BSD. That's their call but I agree with it....
All of your ViaVoice points are valid (I assume you are correct on L&H). I was taking this as an example. If we asked for code and worked on it, would we want a company taking all that work and releasing a closed version, possibly with some useful feature we want? I think this is the BSD/Linux fissure, but really it is liek software patents and IP to me... I just can't see how it makes sense to allow people use your work without benefiting you if you can even consider an alternative (release GPL). I have to say though the ViaVoice is not GPL, but would it be if we asked? If IBM GPL'd ViaVoice, how much attention and use would it receive. Would Linux strive ahead of Windows thanks to this (come on now, voice control and recognition is a BIG thing to mere mortals)? Is it the thing we should ask for (it ain't from AIX, but if they saw we would go for it...)? If it was GPL, what would MS do? Any great hacks would have to be reverse engineered or accepted as missing features. It would be fun to watch money versus Freedom! If ViaVoice was GPL....well then we can watch it go into windows....what's the point?
GPL code is usable by everyone who is willing to use it! If you want to open the code further (i.e. allow it to be closed) then you can't. If you are willing to allow the code to be owned for eternity by it's users then you are sorted. If you can't enter into the GPL spirit you can stay outside and leave our code alone (tone provactive so sue me). Again, why should anyone be alllowed to close given away code (if it uses the code to provide function then it is not a unique invention, if it is a unique invention make it independant of any other code other than usable libraries).
Finally, I hate "Open Source". You can fuck off with it afaic. If it is Free (i.e. I can do what I want with it for myself, and give it to other people, and no-one can ever deny anyone any part of anything based on it) than I am happy, other wise get stuffed. I want software to be as good as everyone who is interested in it can make it. I don't want software that is as good as the current market environment allows.