Essentially, this will only work in a monopoly situation. People of minimal influence must constitute a large segment of the market to make this worthwhile. If one of many competitors is screwing over a large segment of the market, other competitors will cater to that large segment, making the efforts of the one competitor futile.
You only really need one competitor to not buy into the scheme for the scheme to fail. Treating your customers well never hurts your business.
I had an office a few years ago, while working as a programmer. I took the job partially because all the programmers at that company had their own offices. It was wonderful. It was quiet, calm, serene. When I really needed to hunker down, I could close the freakin' door. SOME people do have offices for the quiet environment.
The boss is the boss - he sets the rules based on his understanding. So you need to help him understand reality.
Track your distractions. When you are distracted by support and marketing, make a note of when the distraction occurred and how long it lasted. At the end of the day, send a summary to your boss and the bosses of support and marketing. Get all the programmers to do likewise. Give the PHB ammunition with which to request a spatial re-org. Give yourself ammunition to respond to complaints about your (in)efficiency. I've worked in a variety of environments over the past 24 years. I've never been told not to use headphones to listen to music. Good managers are more interested in results than in style. If this PHB is representative of management at your company, it's time to spiff up the resume and begin a job search. Your management is focussed on the wrong things - that will ultimately lead to bad times at your company (if the company is publicly traded, you might consider shorting it 8^).
I've travelled between Canada and the US many times and I've never had to go through US border security when LEAVING the US. When did this change?
That said, in all my travels, I've never encountered any US border agent who was anything less than professional, even when under significant stress. Not saying that it cannot happen, but it must be a rare event.
Gotta agree.
I've never used facebook (never even seen it), but I know that there is information about me on it because it's been put there by friends and family, who did it without asking (without considering).
You have limited control (probably very limited) over what personal information gets on the web. Your best bet is knowing as much about the web as possible and using it to your advantage.
First off, things generally don't change quickly in the water and sewage industry. Telcos, on the other hand, frequently deal with new protocols and new services.
Second, at least here in Winnipeg, the city-owned water and sewage service has been heavily under-maintaining the system for decades. As a result, the frequency and magnitude of broken water lines has been steadily climbing over the past few years, and we do not have anything close to adequate sewage treatment facilities (i.e. don't go swimming in the local rivers). I'm not certain I want a local telco that doesn't maintain and expand the facilities with an eye to the future.
I ran into pretty much that same situation a few years ago. I had a long conversation with a friend of mine (retired CEO of a large multinational). He recommended that I bring the issue to the attention of the company president and, if things were not made legal, quit immediately. I followed his advice. It sucked to be me. OTOH, I was legally clear and slept well at night.
If you continue working there, knowing that piracy is occurring, you stand in the cross-hairs if one of the software vendors gets uppity. Even worse, you might wind up being your employer's scape goat.
As with any substantial issue, there are numerous factors involved. Demand, speculation, government regulation, seasonal issues, etc, all affect the price of oil.
While a relatively large percentage of slashdot readers are probably capable of running their own email server, the vast majority of email users are not capable of running their own email servers, so suggestions about running one's own email server are not really helpful.
Not to mention, of course, that for most of us, running an email server on our home computer would violate our ISP's terms of service. Jumping from a "home" account at $30/month to a "commercial" account at $130/month is a big hit for most of us.
I got fed up with IT at one point so I got my commercial driver's licence and did some linehaul (i.e. long distance) trucking. Money was about comparable. Didn't really spend that much more time dealing directly with carbon-based units. Being away from home for an indeterminate amount of time (days to weeks, depending on what's needed where and when) kind of bites.
I found that I missed creating software too much and went back to it. But I still have my licence as a back-up in case...
Well, assuming that an ebook is cheaper than a paper book (it should be - production/shipping cost should be much less), the question is whether a $250 ebook reader would last long enough to save its cost and be a more useful reading device than my iphone or my netbook or my laptop or my desktop or...
I'd be interested in seeing the numbers. Being able to carry a whole library with me easily would be nice.
Clearly Mr Kaspersky does not understand what the internet is today. He clearly does not understand how people want to use it today. That, in and of itself is not a bad thing. However, combine it with the fact that he wants to sell software to help internet users do so securely, and you've got a problem. I won't be using his software for two reasons:
1. I do not wish to support his viewpoint.
2. Since he clearly does not understand the internet as it stands today, I do not believe he is competent to help secure my computers.
If the market is dropping precipitously and I want to sell now, and this device won't let me because I'm stressed (because the market is dropping), I'm not going to be happy that the market dropped even further before the device would let me sell. Stupid concept. If day traders cannot cope with their emotions, they should not be day traders.
Per the article (yes, I know I'm not supposed to read the article BEFORE commenting), there are 125,000 iPhone developers out there. That's a lot of competition. Especially when there seems to be relatively little innovation between apps. You want to make money developing iPhone apps? Find a way to help a niche market solve a problem, and do it better than anyone else. Don't write another tip calculator (are there really that many people who cannot calculate 15% of the total before tax?).
One thing missing from the article is the percentage of personal computers with pirated software. Saying that 41% of software on personal computers is pirated is rather meaningless without knowing the percentage of personal computers using pirated software. If you are willing to use pirated software, odds are you will not likely stop at just one program. Why not have lots? It doesn't cost more to pirate a dozen programs than to pirate one.
It's entirely possible that one or two percent of computer owners account for a very large percentage of pirated software.
Between myself, my family, and my friends, I can think of only one person who might wittingly have pirated software on his computer. Either I belong to a very atypical group, or the number of people with pirated software constitutes a relatively small percentage of computer owners.
I'd also be interested in knowing how they arrived at their conclusion of 41%. I don't know too many people who would allow the BSA to look at their computers especially if they knew that they had pirated software on their computer (I do know many people, myself included, who would happily suggest other things for the BSA to look at).
On the other hand... H1N1 appears to be neither more virulent nor more deadly than the typical seasonal flu yet there is rarely a vast governmental push for MANDATED vaccination against the seasonal flu. There is also, at least, the appearance that H1N1 is severely overhyped, so that government wants to appear to be doing something. Personally, I dislike political theater. I really dislike being forced to participate in political theater. And I am not alone in my dislikes. Had there been less hype, there'd probably be far less resistance to vaccination programs. Remember Paranoid Ohm's Law: HYPE = PARANOIA * PARANOIA * RESISTANCE (ref http://xkcd.com/643/).
Regarding your list:
1. I live under government-controlled health care. It has good points and bad points.
2. I know no-one who believes that vaccinations are used to brainwash people (the only time I hear that statement is when someone is trying to bash those who oppose mandated vaccinations).
3. The whole health care system (including the government, which is deeply involved even if it is not a one-payer system), contains a variety of people with vested interests (and who, being human, do occasionally err or yield to their own vested interests). As a result, the system does, on occasion, do things that are NOT in our best interests. Situations with a great deal of hype and pressure tend to raise red flags.
That would be restitution, retribution, and rehabilitation. All three are necessary. Rarely are all three implemented. To whatever extent is possible, the victims of the crime should receive restitution (from the offender, not from the public at large). Punishment is needed to make certain that crime does not pay (if crime does pay, and the pay is better than the criminal can legally earn, we will have crime). Rehabilitation is required to minimize the chance of the criminal re-offending. If said criminal lacks the means to get and hold a decent job, the chances of re-offending are high. If he has the means of getting and holding a decent job, the chances of re-offending are reduced (but not nil).
Install unauthorized software on a government, or business, computer anywhere and see what sort of response you get.
This fellow installed an unauthorized perl script on a computer in a federal court (okay, the library thereof). I'm not surprised that the government decided to take a look at things. I'd be disappointed if they had not done so.
DUH.
Five years from now, they'll be running it on a different computer. 25 years from now, it'll be running on a radically different computer. All you can do is to put it in a common, well supported format on a medium that they can read today. Do that and you've done your job. Then it's their job to make backups and copy the file(s) to new storage media as appropriate.
My question in all of this is how can you be certain that whatever platform/framework/format you choose today will be supported 100 years from now? While it's not strictly your responsibility, if you choose something that falls by the wayside quickly, your work may cease to exist (remember laser disks?).
Slashdot Mirror
That is a first rate manager.
If you haven't already done so, please let him know that you appreciate that he got it right.
Essentially, this will only work in a monopoly situation. People of minimal influence must constitute a large segment of the market to make this worthwhile. If one of many competitors is screwing over a large segment of the market, other competitors will cater to that large segment, making the efforts of the one competitor futile.
You only really need one competitor to not buy into the scheme for the scheme to fail. Treating your customers well never hurts your business.
I had an office a few years ago, while working as a programmer. I took the job partially because all the programmers at that company had their own offices. It was wonderful. It was quiet, calm, serene. When I really needed to hunker down, I could close the freakin' door. SOME people do have offices for the quiet environment.
The boss is the boss - he sets the rules based on his understanding. So you need to help him understand reality.
Track your distractions. When you are distracted by support and marketing, make a note of when the distraction occurred and how long it lasted. At the end of the day, send a summary to your boss and the bosses of support and marketing. Get all the programmers to do likewise. Give the PHB ammunition with which to request a spatial re-org. Give yourself ammunition to respond to complaints about your (in)efficiency.
I've worked in a variety of environments over the past 24 years. I've never been told not to use headphones to listen to music. Good managers are more interested in results than in style. If this PHB is representative of management at your company, it's time to spiff up the resume and begin a job search. Your management is focussed on the wrong things - that will ultimately lead to bad times at your company (if the company is publicly traded, you might consider shorting it 8^).
I've travelled between Canada and the US many times and I've never had to go through US border security when LEAVING the US. When did this change?
That said, in all my travels, I've never encountered any US border agent who was anything less than professional, even when under significant stress. Not saying that it cannot happen, but it must be a rare event.
Gotta agree.
I've never used facebook (never even seen it), but I know that there is information about me on it because it's been put there by friends and family, who did it without asking (without considering).
You have limited control (probably very limited) over what personal information gets on the web. Your best bet is knowing as much about the web as possible and using it to your advantage.
Water and sewage may not be the best example.
First off, things generally don't change quickly in the water and sewage industry. Telcos, on the other hand, frequently deal with new protocols and new services.
Second, at least here in Winnipeg, the city-owned water and sewage service has been heavily under-maintaining the system for decades. As a result, the frequency and magnitude of broken water lines has been steadily climbing over the past few years, and we do not have anything close to adequate sewage treatment facilities (i.e. don't go swimming in the local rivers). I'm not certain I want a local telco that doesn't maintain and expand the facilities with an eye to the future.
I ran into pretty much that same situation a few years ago. I had a long conversation with a friend of mine (retired CEO of a large multinational). He recommended that I bring the issue to the attention of the company president and, if things were not made legal, quit immediately. I followed his advice. It sucked to be me. OTOH, I was legally clear and slept well at night.
If you continue working there, knowing that piracy is occurring, you stand in the cross-hairs if one of the software vendors gets uppity. Even worse, you might wind up being your employer's scape goat.
Get out of Dodge.
As with any substantial issue, there are numerous factors involved. Demand, speculation, government regulation, seasonal issues, etc, all affect the price of oil.
Regarding nuclear-powered super cargo ships: can you say "pirate"?
While a relatively large percentage of slashdot readers are probably capable of running their own email server, the vast majority of email users are not capable of running their own email servers, so suggestions about running one's own email server are not really helpful.
Not to mention, of course, that for most of us, running an email server on our home computer would violate our ISP's terms of service. Jumping from a "home" account at $30/month to a "commercial" account at $130/month is a big hit for most of us.
I got fed up with IT at one point so I got my commercial driver's licence and did some linehaul (i.e. long distance) trucking. Money was about comparable. Didn't really spend that much more time dealing directly with carbon-based units. Being away from home for an indeterminate amount of time (days to weeks, depending on what's needed where and when) kind of bites. ...
I found that I missed creating software too much and went back to it. But I still have my licence as a back-up in case
Forget the patients' doctors. What about getting permission from the patients themselves?
Well, assuming that an ebook is cheaper than a paper book (it should be - production/shipping cost should be much less), the question is whether a $250 ebook reader would last long enough to save its cost and be a more useful reading device than my iphone or my netbook or my laptop or my desktop or...
I'd be interested in seeing the numbers. Being able to carry a whole library with me easily would be nice.
A major multinational company lying about their sales? I'm shocked. Absolutely shocked.
A motor that runs on hydrogen - a non-renewable resource. How long will it be before we run out of hydrogen????
Clearly Mr Kaspersky does not understand what the internet is today. He clearly does not understand how people want to use it today.
That, in and of itself is not a bad thing. However, combine it with the fact that he wants to sell software to help internet users do so securely, and you've got a problem. I won't be using his software for two reasons:
1. I do not wish to support his viewpoint.
2. Since he clearly does not understand the internet as it stands today, I do not believe he is competent to help secure my computers.
Drat. You beat me to it.
If the market is dropping precipitously and I want to sell now, and this device won't let me because I'm stressed (because the market is dropping), I'm not going to be happy that the market dropped even further before the device would let me sell.
Stupid concept. If day traders cannot cope with their emotions, they should not be day traders.
Per the article (yes, I know I'm not supposed to read the article BEFORE commenting), there are 125,000 iPhone developers out there. That's a lot of competition. Especially when there seems to be relatively little innovation between apps. You want to make money developing iPhone apps? Find a way to help a niche market solve a problem, and do it better than anyone else. Don't write another tip calculator (are there really that many people who cannot calculate 15% of the total before tax?).
One thing missing from the article is the percentage of personal computers with pirated software. Saying that 41% of software on personal computers is pirated is rather meaningless without knowing the percentage of personal computers using pirated software. If you are willing to use pirated software, odds are you will not likely stop at just one program. Why not have lots? It doesn't cost more to pirate a dozen programs than to pirate one.
It's entirely possible that one or two percent of computer owners account for a very large percentage of pirated software.
Between myself, my family, and my friends, I can think of only one person who might wittingly have pirated software on his computer. Either I belong to a very atypical group, or the number of people with pirated software constitutes a relatively small percentage of computer owners.
I'd also be interested in knowing how they arrived at their conclusion of 41%. I don't know too many people who would allow the BSA to look at their computers especially if they knew that they had pirated software on their computer (I do know many people, myself included, who would happily suggest other things for the BSA to look at).
On the other hand... H1N1 appears to be neither more virulent nor more deadly than the typical seasonal flu yet there is rarely a vast governmental push for MANDATED vaccination against the seasonal flu. There is also, at least, the appearance that H1N1 is severely overhyped, so that government wants to appear to be doing something. Personally, I dislike political theater. I really dislike being forced to participate in political theater. And I am not alone in my dislikes. Had there been less hype, there'd probably be far less resistance to vaccination programs. Remember Paranoid Ohm's Law: HYPE = PARANOIA * PARANOIA * RESISTANCE (ref http://xkcd.com/643/). Regarding your list: 1. I live under government-controlled health care. It has good points and bad points. 2. I know no-one who believes that vaccinations are used to brainwash people (the only time I hear that statement is when someone is trying to bash those who oppose mandated vaccinations). 3. The whole health care system (including the government, which is deeply involved even if it is not a one-payer system), contains a variety of people with vested interests (and who, being human, do occasionally err or yield to their own vested interests). As a result, the system does, on occasion, do things that are NOT in our best interests. Situations with a great deal of hype and pressure tend to raise red flags.
That would be restitution, retribution, and rehabilitation. All three are necessary. Rarely are all three implemented. To whatever extent is possible, the victims of the crime should receive restitution (from the offender, not from the public at large). Punishment is needed to make certain that crime does not pay (if crime does pay, and the pay is better than the criminal can legally earn, we will have crime). Rehabilitation is required to minimize the chance of the criminal re-offending. If said criminal lacks the means to get and hold a decent job, the chances of re-offending are high. If he has the means of getting and holding a decent job, the chances of re-offending are reduced (but not nil).
Install unauthorized software on a government, or business, computer anywhere and see what sort of response you get. This fellow installed an unauthorized perl script on a computer in a federal court (okay, the library thereof). I'm not surprised that the government decided to take a look at things. I'd be disappointed if they had not done so. DUH.
Five years from now, they'll be running it on a different computer. 25 years from now, it'll be running on a radically different computer. All you can do is to put it in a common, well supported format on a medium that they can read today. Do that and you've done your job. Then it's their job to make backups and copy the file(s) to new storage media as appropriate. My question in all of this is how can you be certain that whatever platform/framework/format you choose today will be supported 100 years from now? While it's not strictly your responsibility, if you choose something that falls by the wayside quickly, your work may cease to exist (remember laser disks?).