If it's really dependent on the buyer what the sales tax rates are, then let the buyer's home state take care of enforcement. Besides, the buyer's state only has jurisdiction over the buyer.
One state attempting to tax a business operating in another state is not only stepping outside of their jurisdiction, but it could also be construed as a restraint of interstate commerce, which is strictly federal business.
And supposing you're one of the honest folks that properly accounts, down to the penny, exactly how much you owe, and when they show up for an audit you can prove that you already paid the state every cent?
The pirate bay founders knew goddamn well what they were doing was against the law. Their WILLING disregard for copyright law makes them accessories or whatever due to the simple fact that they knew damn well they were helping people infringe copyright and didn't do a damn thing about it.
Of course it's damn scary that the bought and paid for judge was allowed to stick around. That's the sort of corruption that can bring a country into a police state run by corporate interests, and it's right up there with the US classifying ACTA under bullshit national security concerns.
It's like winning a boxing match by bribing the referee to look the other way while you kick the crap out of your opponent.
I'd guess it's that the PHB's, in all their imperial expertise, do not understand the need for abstract things such as commenting and modularization and whatnot, and instead opt to be hardasses about the one thing they DO know...numbers.
Faced with the bosses breathing down their necks to shit code out as fast as they can, is it any wonder that they are sloppy? Any programmer in an environment like that who DARED to suggest that they needed good design would probably get fired.
Let's say you're cryogenically frozen, and that cryogenic freezing is lethal as seems to be the case.
Either:
1) You are already dead, and thus revival is already a moot point 2) The freeze kills you, revival is impossible, and the cryoplant is now on the hook for murder.
Given the current evidence against revival, anyone that places you in cryostasis while you are still alive is guilty of murder since they ought to know damn well you won't be coming back.
And if you're already dead, well, even if cryostasis didn't damage you any further you'd still be just as dead as before.
So you've already complained to the president and gotten shot down?
Any PHB with that kind of an attitude probably doesn't give two shits about ethics...and worse yet, by opening your trap you probably set off a few alarms and got a target on your back.
Get into CYA mode right now and document everything.
Oh, and start looking for a new job. The higher ups are probably already scheming of a way to get rid of you before you cause any more trouble...part of which would come up with a plausible enough of a bullshit excuse to make sure their hands are clean.
Your next conversation should be with your lawyer. Particularly since by your own awareness of copyright infringement you could potentially be considered an accessory.
I'd actually be in favor of it...in principle, except that I have a better idea.
Since there are things besides internet access that make you fat, I'd rather have a weight tax.
Every year, you weigh in and pay a dollar a pound.
Would accomplish your objective (sarcastic as it may be), and all without missing the couch-potatoes who simply watch TV instead of using the now taxed internet.
Comments are quite useful in expressing metadata, especially the kind you can't see because it's in another file.
I see this all the time just by browsing the linux kernel.
There are some things you cannot express in the code itself, such as when you are or are not allowed to call the function. For example, there are many things you cannot do in interrupt context, or with certain spinlocks held. Comments, as far as I know, are the only way of documenting such rules.
I have absolutely no problem with lobbying on ONE condition:
They are honest about it and Fully Disclose every penny they spend, and who they spend it on.
Then the public can be properly upset and mad huffy about it, and the companies pushing the dough will suddenly find that their image with the public, also their customer base, depends on how their lobbyists behave when doing business with politicians.
Normally, in the private sector, if you do a bad job, you get fired.
Hell, even at the local and even state level, if you're a politician and the electorate hates you, you can get recalled. If the legislature hates you, you get impeached.
But congresscritters and the president both have tenure. Which means that once elected, they no longer answer to the public. Hell, the president doesn't even have to answer to the electoral college that put him or her there.
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Microsoft isn't used to dealing with open source, so you should expect a bit of clumsiness.
Everyone stumbles a bit when they first learn to walk.
My opinion is that tax or no tax should be determined for churches the same way it is for everything else.
Profit? Tax it
Non-profit? Don't tax it.
Irony at its finest.
Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your children.
Hmm...
If it's really dependent on the buyer what the sales tax rates are, then let the buyer's home state take care of enforcement. Besides, the buyer's state only has jurisdiction over the buyer.
One state attempting to tax a business operating in another state is not only stepping outside of their jurisdiction, but it could also be construed as a restraint of interstate commerce, which is strictly federal business.
Not to mention that a 100 percent inheritance rate would bind everyone in an inheritance cascade.
And supposing you're one of the honest folks that properly accounts, down to the penny, exactly how much you owe, and when they show up for an audit you can prove that you already paid the state every cent?
You usually don't get penalties if you DO pay.
I know...
P2P breakages just happen to be a very cushy side effect.
If the ISPs get their way and force NAT on everyone then P2P can be shut down pretty fast.
I'll probably be modded to hell for this but...
The pirate bay founders knew goddamn well what they were doing was against the law. Their WILLING disregard for copyright law makes them accessories or whatever due to the simple fact that they knew damn well they were helping people infringe copyright and didn't do a damn thing about it.
Of course it's damn scary that the bought and paid for judge was allowed to stick around. That's the sort of corruption that can bring a country into a police state run by corporate interests, and it's right up there with the US classifying ACTA under bullshit national security concerns.
It's like winning a boxing match by bribing the referee to look the other way while you kick the crap out of your opponent.
I'd guess it's that the PHB's, in all their imperial expertise, do not understand the need for abstract things such as commenting and modularization and whatnot, and instead opt to be hardasses about the one thing they DO know...numbers.
Faced with the bosses breathing down their necks to shit code out as fast as they can, is it any wonder that they are sloppy? Any programmer in an environment like that who DARED to suggest that they needed good design would probably get fired.
Incompatibility with the GPL?
Let's say you're cryogenically frozen, and that cryogenic freezing is lethal as seems to be the case.
Either:
1) You are already dead, and thus revival is already a moot point
2) The freeze kills you, revival is impossible, and the cryoplant is now on the hook for murder.
Given the current evidence against revival, anyone that places you in cryostasis while you are still alive is guilty of murder since they ought to know damn well you won't be coming back.
And if you're already dead, well, even if cryostasis didn't damage you any further you'd still be just as dead as before.
If you are indeed dead enough to qualify for a payout, then you are presumably too dead to be considered a survivor.
Kinda like trying to let your unborn child inherit your fortune.
1) Dead and unable to claim inheritance because of not being a survivor
2) Alive and unable to trigger a payout
Maybe the record labels have such a corner on the market that they can squeeze out the independent musicians who would rather not sell their souls?
So you've already complained to the president and gotten shot down?
Any PHB with that kind of an attitude probably doesn't give two shits about ethics...and worse yet, by opening your trap you probably set off a few alarms and got a target on your back.
Get into CYA mode right now and document everything.
Oh, and start looking for a new job. The higher ups are probably already scheming of a way to get rid of you before you cause any more trouble...part of which would come up with a plausible enough of a bullshit excuse to make sure their hands are clean.
Your next conversation should be with your lawyer. Particularly since by your own awareness of copyright infringement you could potentially be considered an accessory.
What do you do if the minute you bring it up they fire you and cite the illegal software as the reason for termination?
I'd actually be in favor of it...in principle, except that I have a better idea.
Since there are things besides internet access that make you fat, I'd rather have a weight tax.
Every year, you weigh in and pay a dollar a pound.
Would accomplish your objective (sarcastic as it may be), and all without missing the couch-potatoes who simply watch TV instead of using the now taxed internet.
Having two variables named so closely together is IMHO itself a sign of bad design.
Generally, the proper way to do a find/replace is to first do a find on the target, to make sure you don't have a collision.
Comments are quite useful in expressing metadata, especially the kind you can't see because it's in another file.
I see this all the time just by browsing the linux kernel.
There are some things you cannot express in the code itself, such as when you are or are not allowed to call the function. For example, there are many things you cannot do in interrupt context, or with certain spinlocks held. Comments, as far as I know, are the only way of documenting such rules.
A better plan would be not to generate so much space garbage in the first place.
There's a reason we have laws against littering here on Earth.
I have absolutely no problem with lobbying on ONE condition:
They are honest about it and Fully Disclose every penny they spend, and who they spend it on.
Then the public can be properly upset and mad huffy about it, and the companies pushing the dough will suddenly find that their image with the public, also their customer base, depends on how their lobbyists behave when doing business with politicians.
Sunshine does a lot of good.
Who writes the law?
Normally, in the private sector, if you do a bad job, you get fired.
Hell, even at the local and even state level, if you're a politician and the electorate hates you, you can get recalled. If the legislature hates you, you get impeached.
But congresscritters and the president both have tenure. Which means that once elected, they no longer answer to the public. Hell, the president doesn't even have to answer to the electoral college that put him or her there.
Not for long, if ACTA gets pushed through.