In other news, researchers have shown that solving the Travelling Salesman Problem would be equivalent to cracking the P/NP conundrum.
"This is a problem that has me vexed for a long time" said Harvard Professor of Business, Prof Crack C. Pot. "I hadn't realized that solving this would crack the great P/NP challenge."
"I must admit I haven't thought of it that way before," says Mary Dense Airhead, a travel agent from New York. "I mean doesn't looking through all the routes solve this Travelling Salesman Problem? What is the problem?"
"This definitely a challenging problem," says Joe Smith, a mechanic from New Orleans. "Now I'll redouble my efforts into trying to solve it - I didn't know I could be famous if I tried!"
"Well I don't know," says the famed Computer Scientist from Stanford, Donald Knuth. "Personally, I have always found SAT just as challenging."
It is beyond the scope of this brief news digest to explain what SAT is. Presumably, this is too hard to explain and too esoteric. Why don't you try the Travelling Salesman Problem folks? We could all try a shot at that. After all, it's much easier!
This is mere pleading. What if you switched channels while the ads are playing, and then switched back to the DVD plater when the movie comes on? What if you wire up a device to trigger the channel switch back to the DVD player when the movie starts. Is this mere triggering device a "circumvention" technology?
Or better yet, I wire the DVD player to the TiVo, and get it record when the ads turn off, and then when I come back from work, watch these movies sans ads? What is the status of that movie clip on that is on the harddisk of the the TiVo. It is stripped of the ads!!
What if I write a player in software to do all that. Waitaminute, that is LinDVD and it is illegal.
Do you even understand the infinite amount of variations that these puny laws fail to cover? That to cover all these bases leads ultimately to a thought-control and fascism? (To the MPAA: Don't even think you are exempt - when the laws come up, you are subject to them too!)
What makes evolution not a religion and Christianity a religion?
Gee the science part, silly. Isn't it strange to see both anti-christians and so-called Christians like you bash me for stating two facts: (1) that the Earth is 5 billion years old, dinosaurs living from 130 million to 65 million years ago, (2) that good practicing Christians aren't at all, in the majority, loony?
Sorry, but I disagree. It a extremely important in this case to behave maturely. If you do, this gives one leveraging power. Becuase of what the Princeton boys did, we no longer have to rely on essentially slanderous remarks such as the ones you have made. Now that they have gain cooperation from serious people, it would do them great damage to turn around and so as you say they would. It would make their evil more transparent.
Furthermore, what they do is wholly consistent with the principle of free speech. There is nothing in law gives the SDMI guys the right to suppress what the fruits of their research have done. No attempt was made to get the prize, and only the scientifically interesting questions were asked. In the 2nd phase of the contest, the Princeton group declined, because it makes no sense to try to crack a single file - you wouln't know whether you've actually cracked it or not.
In other words, we now have two weapons in our arsenal to bring down the SDMI. We have the continued threat to them that it would be broken when it is released, and our refusal to cooperate, signalling disagreement with their control policies. Next we have a bunch of people who played along, and did everything consistent with the goal of proving it cannot be done. AFAIK, SDMI is now caught between a rock and a hard place. They can neither continue down this path of improving SDMI (ignoring the Princeton group's efforts) without accounting to the public their policies. They are on the losing side.
We found out that when we made it easier to use our software (i.e., no copy protection) users were happier and we still got paid. When we made it hard, they just didn't buy or used special programs to get around our schemes.
Although this is a very enlightened attitude, I am not sure the use of the collective term we is appropriate. Even now, there still are software programs like Mathematica or Scientific Workplace that have dongles hanging off the parallel port to enforce their copyrights.
So some software houses are still unenlightened. But do they make less or more profits, I wonder.
Good grief. Your figures are all wrong. The Earth itself is only 5 billion years old (American billion!). The dinosaurs lived 150 to 65 million years ago.
Evolution is not a religion. And no real Christians is ever stark-mad raving loony.
I am amused by your impoverished understanding of what anecdotal evidence is?
If Joe says X, Y, Z machines don't crash, that is anecdotal evidence. But that does not mean that Joe is necessarily lying, or that is insignificant. It just means that Joe wasn't too careful or systematic about reporting the successes. To dismiss it as anecdotal evidence and asking for "real proof" is a different argument - you go to a scientific journal for that - where the standards are more rigorous.
To rephrase to the MS apologists: I can always go around and compile together these anecdotal evidence, write up a statistical report and make the whole thing more rigorous. Provided these anaecdotal stories are not lies, I am pretty sure someone could supply a fair enough test to please you.
Now to do a fair statistical test, we need good anecdotes of Linux performance and Windoze performances. Where are those great- Windoze-uptime anecdotes?
My karma is going to take a dive, but let us ignore the issue of the ridiculous 1-click patent here. (I agree with most of you that it is stupid.) Instead let's focus upon Amazon vs Barnes and Noble.
It is sad and unfortunate that Amazon has no way to fight this giant. Which retail chain has a greater financial clout? How will Amazon stand up to this bookstore? IMO, I happen to like Amazon's website and sevices. Amazon's online catalogue of books is actually a valuable contribution to the 'net. I do not have any complaints so far while doing business with them - until the boycott at least.
This entire sorry episode comes from Amazon reaching out for patents as a vorpal sword to defend itself against Barnes and Noble, but realizing that they have grabbed a snake instead. I am angry more at Barnes and Noble for driving Amazon nuts.
It conclusion that seems to be drawn is that competition in the online business is very different from bricks and mortar businesses. Think about it - everything Amazon did, Barnes and Noble copied. Being a bricks and mortar operation, Barnes and Noble has obviously a natural advantage that a purely on-line store like Amazon does not have.
In other words: down with ridiculous patents, but up with the underdog!
Re:A rant on licensing and open source
on
CueCat At It Again
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· Score: 1
By reading this post, you agree to run around the room naked with a cookie in one hand and a mouse in the other. It matters not that you do not read it. You have to do it anyway.
No problem, I just sing the song as it is running thru' my head into a mike hooked up to a recorder.
It's called karaoke.
Gnutella may not scale, but it is still useful
on
Gnutella Not Scaling?
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· Score: 4
Yes, it does not scale. Anyone who has done basic CS101 will tell you that. But this does not mean it is not useful. It just means that it was not cut out to span the entire net. I can see Gnutella working within a college's residential dormitory, for example. Or within an office building. Maybe not to the entire internet, but certainly for small networks, this might still be useful.
So I don't think Gnutella is going down in flames. Since it is open source, we may take that as a lesson learnt and perhaps rip out the offended non-scalable part and build a better file sharing device that actually works this time.
And MP3s must be illegal ones? I have two MP3 right here. One ripped from my own CD (perfectly legal). The another taken from Napster (illegal). Same artist. Same song. Enforce your ruling, but don't take what belongs legally to me. Come on - I am sure you can do that!
What do you mean tinker? I didn't tinker with the thing at all. All I did was to train my neural net here on the output of your device. Heck, how should I know what that frigging NN is doing??
You are right. But the difference between weak encryption and strong encryption is not simple. If it was cryptanalysts are out of a job. And even if so, bear in mind that encryption does not prevent reverse engineering. It just makes it longer and harder. Someone who decides that it is worth their while might actually go ahead and do it.
No no no. That would allow the vermin in your closet access to the device, which you must protect with your life and limb, since it is not yours and is on loan. Yes. The only way is to plug it into your computer port and install the software now, little consumer droid.
Slashdot Mirror
"This is a problem that has me vexed for a long time" said Harvard Professor of Business, Prof Crack C. Pot. "I hadn't realized that solving this would crack the great P/NP challenge."
"I must admit I haven't thought of it that way before," says Mary Dense Airhead, a travel agent from New York. "I mean doesn't looking through all the routes solve this Travelling Salesman Problem? What is the problem?"
"This definitely a challenging problem," says Joe Smith, a mechanic from New Orleans. "Now I'll redouble my efforts into trying to solve it - I didn't know I could be famous if I tried!"
"Well I don't know," says the famed Computer Scientist from Stanford, Donald Knuth. "Personally, I have always found SAT just as challenging."
It is beyond the scope of this brief news digest to explain what SAT is. Presumably, this is too hard to explain and too esoteric. Why don't you try the Travelling Salesman Problem folks? We could all try a shot at that. After all, it's much easier!
Or better yet, I wire the DVD player to the TiVo, and get it record when the ads turn off, and then when I come back from work, watch these movies sans ads? What is the status of that movie clip on that is on the harddisk of the the TiVo. It is stripped of the ads!!
What if I write a player in software to do all that. Waitaminute, that is LinDVD and it is illegal.
Do you even understand the infinite amount of variations that these puny laws fail to cover? That to cover all these bases leads ultimately to a thought-control and fascism? (To the MPAA: Don't even think you are exempt - when the laws come up, you are subject to them too!)
Gee the science part, silly. Isn't it strange to see both anti-christians and so-called Christians like you bash me for stating two facts: (1) that the Earth is 5 billion years old, dinosaurs living from 130 million to 65 million years ago, (2) that good practicing Christians aren't at all, in the majority, loony?
Napster all you want
Watermark will track you down
says SDMI
It may be copied
But if watermark remains
SDMI wins
Furthermore, what they do is wholly consistent with the principle of free speech. There is nothing in law gives the SDMI guys the right to suppress what the fruits of their research have done. No attempt was made to get the prize, and only the scientifically interesting questions were asked. In the 2nd phase of the contest, the Princeton group declined, because it makes no sense to try to crack a single file - you wouln't know whether you've actually cracked it or not.
In other words, we now have two weapons in our arsenal to bring down the SDMI. We have the continued threat to them that it would be broken when it is released, and our refusal to cooperate, signalling disagreement with their control policies. Next we have a bunch of people who played along, and did everything consistent with the goal of proving it cannot be done. AFAIK, SDMI is now caught between a rock and a hard place. They can neither continue down this path of improving SDMI (ignoring the Princeton group's efforts) without accounting to the public their policies. They are on the losing side.
Although this is a very enlightened attitude, I am not sure the use of the collective term we is appropriate. Even now, there still are software programs like Mathematica or Scientific Workplace that have dongles hanging off the parallel port to enforce their copyrights.
So some software houses are still unenlightened. But do they make less or more profits, I wonder.
I think it is more likely that it comes out and dies, not being able to compete successfully with the bacteria alive now.
Evolution is not a religion. And no real Christians is ever stark-mad raving loony.
Not now, not ever. That is all I wish.
If Joe says X, Y, Z machines don't crash, that is anecdotal evidence. But that does not mean that Joe is necessarily lying, or that is insignificant. It just means that Joe wasn't too careful or systematic about reporting the successes. To dismiss it as anecdotal evidence and asking for "real proof" is a different argument - you go to a scientific journal for that - where the standards are more rigorous.
To rephrase to the MS apologists: I can always go around and compile together these anecdotal evidence, write up a statistical report and make the whole thing more rigorous. Provided these anaecdotal stories are not lies, I am pretty sure someone could supply a fair enough test to please you.
Now to do a fair statistical test, we need good anecdotes of Linux performance and Windoze performances. Where are those great- Windoze-uptime anecdotes?
Wait - Hawking predicts that the world will end in 100 years, well after he is done fertilizing the soil? Ah!
Face it we are going the way of the dodo.
It is sad and unfortunate that Amazon has no way to fight this giant. Which retail chain has a greater financial clout? How will Amazon stand up to this bookstore? IMO, I happen to like Amazon's website and sevices. Amazon's online catalogue of books is actually a valuable contribution to the 'net. I do not have any complaints so far while doing business with them - until the boycott at least.
This entire sorry episode comes from Amazon reaching out for patents as a vorpal sword to defend itself against Barnes and Noble, but realizing that they have grabbed a snake instead. I am angry more at Barnes and Noble for driving Amazon nuts.
It conclusion that seems to be drawn is that competition in the online business is very different from bricks and mortar businesses. Think about it - everything Amazon did, Barnes and Noble copied. Being a bricks and mortar operation, Barnes and Noble has obviously a natural advantage that a purely on-line store like Amazon does not have.
In other words: down with ridiculous patents, but up with the underdog!
when they came out with See-Hash?
By reading this post, you agree to run around the room naked with a cookie in one hand and a mouse in the other. It matters not that you do not read it. You have to do it anyway.
It's called karaoke.
So I don't think Gnutella is going down in flames. Since it is open source, we may take that as a lesson learnt and perhaps rip out the offended non-scalable part and build a better file sharing device that actually works this time.
And MP3s must be illegal ones? I have two MP3 right here. One ripped from my own CD (perfectly legal). The another taken from Napster (illegal). Same artist. Same song. Enforce your ruling, but don't take what belongs legally to me. Come on - I am sure you can do that!
Try each one yourself until you get it. After all, they are free!
What do you mean tinker? I didn't tinker with the thing at all. All I did was to train my neural net here on the output of your device. Heck, how should I know what that frigging NN is doing??
LOL! You mean, like Jim Carrey?
You are right. But the difference between weak encryption and strong encryption is not simple. If it was cryptanalysts are out of a job. And even if so, bear in mind that encryption does not prevent reverse engineering. It just makes it longer and harder. Someone who decides that it is worth their while might actually go ahead and do it.
Yes.
You will submit.