But this is good for other "virtual crimes". If this had passed through, how long would it take the overprotective mothers of the world to rally up support for banning other virtual depictions of crimes. Will I go to jail because I virtually murdered a player in Quake 3? Or perhaps go to jail for selling drugs in Dope Wars.
Let me look surprised for a moment. We all knew Microsoft is going to go kicking and screaming until the end.
So here's an idea, instead of integrating their technologies directly into your GPL/LGPL program (Which you can't because of licensing terms), create a completely seperate application/module that can interface with your GPL/LGPL program using it's own protocol designed by you, or perhaps using XML, then make that interface program BSD Licensed, or anything other than GPL/LGPL. Sure it's half-assed, inefficent, but it's also beating them at their own game. For example say Mozilla wants to render a particular ActiveX control (now I'm speaking mostly from my ass because I don't know much about ActiveX at all). The Mozilla team could write an independent plugin, licensed under BSD License that implements that ActiveX control. There you go, a Microsoft technology you implemented using their shared source, but implemented in a plugin licensed under the BSD License, but used in an application licensed under GPL/LGPL.
Of course without the exact terms of the license they may or may not address this.. Then again most of what I just wrote I pulled directly from my ass, but I thought it made some sense. But it's good to see that Microsoft is seriously considering GPL/LGPL software a real competitor or they wouldn't be doing so much to try and stop the spread of it, even going so far as to say it's destroying capitalism. I'm surprised they haven't directly associated it with communism, karl marx and stalin..
Good Web Developers hit up w3.org's validators for testing compliance. Even better Web Developers would also use PHP, Perl, [favorite server side language here] to further fix compatiblities with broken IE and other browser functionality. IE 6 also follows HTML 4.01/Transitional to spec IIRC. However, you must defined the DOCTYPE to HTML 4.01 Transitional or it will revert to Microsoft's bastardized HTML. Which you'd have to do to be following 4.01 spec anyway. I can't say for CSS or JavaScript though..
Technically, when you purchase a CD, the only thing you actually own is the plastic disc. What you spent most of the money on was a license to use that data for yourself. Be it Music, Video Games, Software, etc. The license cannot be destroyed, as long as proof of the license exists. So does that mean if I accidently break a copy of Tony Hawk 3 for Playstation 2, I should then have to pay another 40 dollars for yet another license of Tony Hawk 3? Or shouldn't I be entitled to then buy a CDR and burn Tony Hawk 3 from an ISO? (Yes, I'm aware PS2 isn't CD, it's a hypothetical thing), or perhaps mail away a trivial amount of money (a few dollars for shipping and cost of media) to obtain another copy of Tony Hawk 3? Shouldn't it work that way? So far it hasn't, anyone I've talked to or emailed won't send me a copy of a music CD I scratched badly and doesn't play, even though I'm willing to pay for the portion that's actually the physical media.
For example, a friend of mine was borrowing a DVD from his brother. My friend's laptop was stolen, with the DVD inside. Obviously the laptop is the bigger issue, but he had to go out to Best Buy and plop down another 24 dollars for a DVD to replace the one that was stolen with his laptop. Why couldn't he call Columbia or Paramount or Universal and have them ship him another disc after he provided some kind of verification that he owns a license for it? The actual DVD media costs what, 50 cents max? But nope, it doesn't work that way..
They're treating the data as a sold product and as a licensed product, depending on how it suits them at the time.. And thats wrong. It's that old saying, you can't have your cake and eat it too..
The article doesn't mention anything about Regular ID's? What if I don't drive a car? A lot of people walk, use mass transit, and ride a bicycle. And not just teenagers, I know a lot of people that don't drive. Some by choice, some by law, but either way they don't have a drivers license, only one of those state provided ID's. Does that store the same information as the drivers license?
And secondly, What if I don't want to have my drivers license scanned? Are they going to default to assuming that it's fake and I'm a fraud? I sure hope there are laws that prevent business from limiting it's customers to only those who comply to having their ID's scanned into a database. I get enough junk in my regular mail, I don't need anymore, and I sure don't want to be banned from every bar, nightclub and convenence store in my area because I choose not to give my personal information to anyone that asks for it.
I remember when OS/2 Warp 3 first came out. The Commercials were stupid. I mean, sure a lot of commercials are stupid, but at least they show the product they are peddling. IBM's OS/2 commercials just showed a bunch of guys crowded around a monitor going "Wow! I can't beleive it can do that! Wow that's amazing!" but the Camera view was from behind the monitor so you didn't see anything they were doing. Then it had some catchy IBM slogan and that was it. All the commercials I can remember were like that, and I never knew what it was. I did however buy it after seeing it at a local computer shop. I think I bought it at Walmart, all 45 Floppy Disks. It ran BBS's well. It's sad it never made it very far.. I hear banks still use it though for certain applications.
You've already listed some good rules of thumb, the Air Conditioning, shelving space, etc. I can't express how important it is to have good organization. Organize your unused cables too, otherwise one day you'll end up with a 200 pound rat's nest of cables you're trying to pick through to find a spare UPS Serial cable, and it'll take you half the day to un-knot it. Keep your servers and network equipment well labeled too, this way you don't have to describe to a new employee which server to power cycle on the phone.
Locks, you'll want to have good locks on this room. Maybe a camera in it too, Security is always important. Not only security, but preventing some uneducated employee from accidently wondering into the room and pressing buttons. It happens I've seen it. I've also seen employees wonder in and realize their monitor isn't as good as the one you have in the server room, and switch them.
Keep it clean - I can't stress this enough either. Server rooms are a breeding ground for dust. Keep it well filtered with air filters, de-humidifiers to keep the moister down, and try to limit what kind of cardboard products are in the room.
I'm not a good expert on Power and Cooling, but I think one rule of thumb is as much as you can get it. And Redundancy, cooling included. Multiple Air Conditioners, and Multiple power backups. I've been in many places where Air Conditioners go out in server rooms and those things jump to 100 degees in just a few hours.
That's about all the advice I can offer, good luck.
Thanks for Bitch-slapping Hollywood. I don't know what else to really say but I'm glad finally Companies with money are starting to get tough, and we need more of it or one day I'm going to wake up and everything in my house is branded, regulated and monitored by the the MPAA/RIAA..
After reading about how much PayPal sucks on Slashdot, I don't think I'll be paying for any kind of subscription until there is another option available. PayPal isn't FDIC insured, isn't a real bank, and is being investigated and sued by various states and organizations.. I think I'll wait before handing over my credit card information to a potentially untrustworthy company.
As for the Subscriptions, well, I hope things work out, this could be really good for Slashdot, or really bad. I biggest concern is since I've read that only a small percent of Slashdot readers post and read articles, that means the majority only uses Slashdot as a proxy for news. If the banner ads start to annoy them, they'll start going straight to the new source.. Oh well, only time will tell, Good luck Slashdot team.
I always thought it was a joke, I never really shopped much at Radioshack before, but I remember watching Seinfeld and Kramer going on and on about them requesting his phone number to purchase some batteries.
It's no joke, I bought 3 dollar batteries from them, paid cash and they tried to get my Name, Phone Number, Address, and DOB.. I'm willing to bet money, maybe some Radioshack emloyees can back me up, that they have fields in their Database for Social Security # and Drivers License #.. I wonder what they're doing with all of that information they are stockpiling?.. I'm with Kramer, it's a front for some kind of Mafia.
I for one am glad that Be is sueing Microsoft, and I don't think it's as futile as some think either. If you read the article, the entire suit is based on the destruction of Be, majority of it because Be was unable to get PC OEM's to install Be on PC's they sold because license agreements with Microsoft prohibited that from taking place, else they violate their agreement with Microsoft, and will not be allowed to install Windows on any machines. You cannot get anymore anti-competitive. Plus, with only a single person left in the company, and 99% of its assets sold off, you can't get anymore proof the business was indeed destroyed. The burden on Be now is to prove that is was indeed largely Microsoft's fault and not other elements such as poor business plan, or a product the market didn't need. Hopefully it'll get more press coverage, this should continue to help prove to the average Joe Windows that Microsoft didn't get where they are today because they make a good product.
Then they can finally rewrite Linux so it can support skins and built in ecommerce links. Then they can remarket it under Linux XP to catch up with Microsofts versioning schemes, and bundled hundreds of little AOL trial links in it. I can hardly wait.
That's okay! We'll just print more money to pay for it all! That's what Bush is doing with this stimulus plan, thats what we did to fund the war, hell lets just print more money for NASA too and solve all our problems, then in 2 years we can all sit back and drink our US$25 8oz can of coke and laugh at these times.
My first rant, they constantly talk about how millions, even billions of dollars have been lost to Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia, and more due to software piracy. Those numbers reflect if each and every person that stole a copy of that software or even used the copy of that software for 5 minutes and deleted it, would have actually purchased that software. They're working with phantom numbers and voodoo economics. I doubt even 1% of those people would have purchased that software. Software, like digital music, and anything else digital is data. It doesn't cost Microsoft money if I were to take their CD and copy it to another CD and give it to a friend. They haven't actually lost any money, especially if that friend weren't actually going to buy the product in the first place. I understand protecting intellectual property, and I am in no way saying what these people are doing is right, but what I'm saying is that you can't say the industry has lost billions of dollars to software pirates when half of the pirates and their users would have never purchased the software in the first place. Am I not allowed to purchase a lawnmower, mow my lawn, and allow my neighbor to use my lawn mower to mow his lawn?.. Hell all the people on my street use my lawn mower, in fact I could even charge for it, would anyone blink an eye at that? Would John Deere have the FBI do its dirty work and hunt me down for the sales it lost on all the people in my neighborhood?
Second rant, On par with most of the Slashdot posts, why the hell is the FBI worrying about this in the first place? Lets see last I remember we are all suppose to still be on a "high alert" state for possible terrorist attacks. Somehow though, the FBI has the time, manpower, and money to go hunt these so-called criminals. Yet still, we have absolutely NO LEADS ON WHO WAS DISTRIBUTING ANTHRAX? Seriously, whats the count, 5 or 6 people have died from anthrax in the mail thus far, and the FBI doesn't have a single clue? It's been almost 3 months! Someone needs to straighten out their priorities.
Slashdot Mirror
[Refering to what includes Hydrogen] Examples include petroleum, natural gas and biomass -- a nice way of saying plant and animal waste.
Finally! I can power my DeLorean off a rotting banana peal, coffee grounds, and a quarter can of malt beer.
Simple, they get no money out of it.
But this is good for other "virtual crimes". If this had passed through, how long would it take the overprotective mothers of the world to rally up support for banning other virtual depictions of crimes. Will I go to jail because I virtually murdered a player in Quake 3? Or perhaps go to jail for selling drugs in Dope Wars.
Let me look surprised for a moment. We all knew Microsoft is going to go kicking and screaming until the end.
So here's an idea, instead of integrating their technologies directly into your GPL/LGPL program (Which you can't because of licensing terms), create a completely seperate application/module that can interface with your GPL/LGPL program using it's own protocol designed by you, or perhaps using XML, then make that interface program BSD Licensed, or anything other than GPL/LGPL. Sure it's half-assed, inefficent, but it's also beating them at their own game. For example say Mozilla wants to render a particular ActiveX control (now I'm speaking mostly from my ass because I don't know much about ActiveX at all). The Mozilla team could write an independent plugin, licensed under BSD License that implements that ActiveX control. There you go, a Microsoft technology you implemented using their shared source, but implemented in a plugin licensed under the BSD License, but used in an application licensed under GPL/LGPL.
Of course without the exact terms of the license they may or may not address this.. Then again most of what I just wrote I pulled directly from my ass, but I thought it made some sense. But it's good to see that Microsoft is seriously considering GPL/LGPL software a real competitor or they wouldn't be doing so much to try and stop the spread of it, even going so far as to say it's destroying capitalism. I'm surprised they haven't directly associated it with communism, karl marx and stalin..
How long before Microsoft mandates all it's employees use it when they stumble onto a Linux related website..
Good Web Developers hit up w3.org's validators for testing compliance. Even better Web Developers would also use PHP, Perl, [favorite server side language here] to further fix compatiblities with broken IE and other browser functionality. IE 6 also follows HTML 4.01/Transitional to spec IIRC. However, you must defined the DOCTYPE to HTML 4.01 Transitional or it will revert to Microsoft's bastardized HTML. Which you'd have to do to be following 4.01 spec anyway. I can't say for CSS or JavaScript though ..
Technically, when you purchase a CD, the only thing you actually own is the plastic disc. What you spent most of the money on was a license to use that data for yourself. Be it Music, Video Games, Software, etc. The license cannot be destroyed, as long as proof of the license exists. So does that mean if I accidently break a copy of Tony Hawk 3 for Playstation 2, I should then have to pay another 40 dollars for yet another license of Tony Hawk 3? Or shouldn't I be entitled to then buy a CDR and burn Tony Hawk 3 from an ISO? (Yes, I'm aware PS2 isn't CD, it's a hypothetical thing), or perhaps mail away a trivial amount of money (a few dollars for shipping and cost of media) to obtain another copy of Tony Hawk 3? Shouldn't it work that way? So far it hasn't, anyone I've talked to or emailed won't send me a copy of a music CD I scratched badly and doesn't play, even though I'm willing to pay for the portion that's actually the physical media.
For example, a friend of mine was borrowing a DVD from his brother. My friend's laptop was stolen, with the DVD inside. Obviously the laptop is the bigger issue, but he had to go out to Best Buy and plop down another 24 dollars for a DVD to replace the one that was stolen with his laptop. Why couldn't he call Columbia or Paramount or Universal and have them ship him another disc after he provided some kind of verification that he owns a license for it? The actual DVD media costs what, 50 cents max? But nope, it doesn't work that way..
They're treating the data as a sold product and as a licensed product, depending on how it suits them at the time.. And thats wrong. It's that old saying, you can't have your cake and eat it too..
The article doesn't mention anything about Regular ID's? What if I don't drive a car? A lot of people walk, use mass transit, and ride a bicycle. And not just teenagers, I know a lot of people that don't drive. Some by choice, some by law, but either way they don't have a drivers license, only one of those state provided ID's. Does that store the same information as the drivers license?
And secondly, What if I don't want to have my drivers license scanned? Are they going to default to assuming that it's fake and I'm a fraud? I sure hope there are laws that prevent business from limiting it's customers to only those who comply to having their ID's scanned into a database. I get enough junk in my regular mail, I don't need anymore, and I sure don't want to be banned from every bar, nightclub and convenence store in my area because I choose not to give my personal information to anyone that asks for it.
I remember when OS/2 Warp 3 first came out. The Commercials were stupid. I mean, sure a lot of commercials are stupid, but at least they show the product they are peddling. IBM's OS/2 commercials just showed a bunch of guys crowded around a monitor going "Wow! I can't beleive it can do that! Wow that's amazing!" but the Camera view was from behind the monitor so you didn't see anything they were doing. Then it had some catchy IBM slogan and that was it. All the commercials I can remember were like that, and I never knew what it was. I did however buy it after seeing it at a local computer shop. I think I bought it at Walmart, all 45 Floppy Disks. It ran BBS's well. It's sad it never made it very far.. I hear banks still use it though for certain applications.
You've already listed some good rules of thumb, the Air Conditioning, shelving space, etc. I can't express how important it is to have good organization. Organize your unused cables too, otherwise one day you'll end up with a 200 pound rat's nest of cables you're trying to pick through to find a spare UPS Serial cable, and it'll take you half the day to un-knot it. Keep your servers and network equipment well labeled too, this way you don't have to describe to a new employee which server to power cycle on the phone.
Locks, you'll want to have good locks on this room. Maybe a camera in it too, Security is always important. Not only security, but preventing some uneducated employee from accidently wondering into the room and pressing buttons. It happens I've seen it. I've also seen employees wonder in and realize their monitor isn't as good as the one you have in the server room, and switch them.
Keep it clean - I can't stress this enough either. Server rooms are a breeding ground for dust. Keep it well filtered with air filters, de-humidifiers to keep the moister down, and try to limit what kind of cardboard products are in the room.
I'm not a good expert on Power and Cooling, but I think one rule of thumb is as much as you can get it. And Redundancy, cooling included. Multiple Air Conditioners, and Multiple power backups. I've been in many places where Air Conditioners go out in server rooms and those things jump to 100 degees in just a few hours.
That's about all the advice I can offer, good luck.
..the nude commentary by Cowboyneal at end? .. No wait.. that was a drea.... nevermind.
Step One: Port Games to Linux ..
Step Two:
Step Three: Profit!
Thanks for Bitch-slapping Hollywood. I don't know what else to really say but I'm glad finally Companies with money are starting to get tough, and we need more of it or one day I'm going to wake up and everything in my house is branded, regulated and monitored by the the MPAA/RIAA..
After reading about how much PayPal sucks on Slashdot, I don't think I'll be paying for any kind of subscription until there is another option available. PayPal isn't FDIC insured, isn't a real bank, and is being investigated and sued by various states and organizations.. I think I'll wait before handing over my credit card information to a potentially untrustworthy company.
As for the Subscriptions, well, I hope things work out, this could be really good for Slashdot, or really bad. I biggest concern is since I've read that only a small percent of Slashdot readers post and read articles, that means the majority only uses Slashdot as a proxy for news. If the banner ads start to annoy them, they'll start going straight to the new source.. Oh well, only time will tell, Good luck Slashdot team.
Lets not forget about Radioshack.
.. I'm with Kramer, it's a front for some kind of Mafia.
I always thought it was a joke, I never really shopped much at Radioshack before, but I remember watching Seinfeld and Kramer going on and on about them requesting his phone number to purchase some batteries.
It's no joke, I bought 3 dollar batteries from them, paid cash and they tried to get my Name, Phone Number, Address, and DOB.. I'm willing to bet money, maybe some Radioshack emloyees can back me up, that they have fields in their Database for Social Security # and Drivers License #.. I wonder what they're doing with all of that information they are stockpiling?
I for one am glad that Be is sueing Microsoft, and I don't think it's as futile as some think either. If you read the article, the entire suit is based on the destruction of Be, majority of it because Be was unable to get PC OEM's to install Be on PC's they sold because license agreements with Microsoft prohibited that from taking place, else they violate their agreement with Microsoft, and will not be allowed to install Windows on any machines. You cannot get anymore anti-competitive. Plus, with only a single person left in the company, and 99% of its assets sold off, you can't get anymore proof the business was indeed destroyed. The burden on Be now is to prove that is was indeed largely Microsoft's fault and not other elements such as poor business plan, or a product the market didn't need. Hopefully it'll get more press coverage, this should continue to help prove to the average Joe Windows that Microsoft didn't get where they are today because they make a good product.
Let 'em be man, he's dead.
Then they can finally rewrite Linux so it can support skins and built in ecommerce links. Then they can remarket it under Linux XP to catch up with Microsofts versioning schemes, and bundled hundreds of little AOL trial links in it. I can hardly wait.
Communism works in theory, in theory marge, in theory.
Exactly, however he said they didn't. Not in question, he just said they failed, but I'm posting this comment from a Covad powered SDSL line :)
Maybe he doesn't research his predictions very well, but Covad pulled out of Bankruptcy..
That's okay! We'll just print more money to pay for it all! That's what Bush is doing with this stimulus plan, thats what we did to fund the war, hell lets just print more money for NASA too and solve all our problems, then in 2 years we can all sit back and drink our US$25 8oz can of coke and laugh at these times.
If only spammers still left all of their personal information in a signature :)
My first rant, they constantly talk about how millions, even billions of dollars have been lost to Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia, and more due to software piracy. Those numbers reflect if each and every person that stole a copy of that software or even used the copy of that software for 5 minutes and deleted it, would have actually purchased that software. They're working with phantom numbers and voodoo economics. I doubt even 1% of those people would have purchased that software. Software, like digital music, and anything else digital is data. It doesn't cost Microsoft money if I were to take their CD and copy it to another CD and give it to a friend. They haven't actually lost any money, especially if that friend weren't actually going to buy the product in the first place. I understand protecting intellectual property, and I am in no way saying what these people are doing is right, but what I'm saying is that you can't say the industry has lost billions of dollars to software pirates when half of the pirates and their users would have never purchased the software in the first place. Am I not allowed to purchase a lawnmower, mow my lawn, and allow my neighbor to use my lawn mower to mow his lawn?.. Hell all the people on my street use my lawn mower, in fact I could even charge for it, would anyone blink an eye at that? Would John Deere have the FBI do its dirty work and hunt me down for the sales it lost on all the people in my neighborhood?
Second rant, On par with most of the Slashdot posts, why the hell is the FBI worrying about this in the first place? Lets see last I remember we are all suppose to still be on a "high alert" state for possible terrorist attacks. Somehow though, the FBI has the time, manpower, and money to go hunt these so-called criminals. Yet still, we have absolutely NO LEADS ON WHO WAS DISTRIBUTING ANTHRAX? Seriously, whats the count, 5 or 6 people have died from anthrax in the mail thus far, and the FBI doesn't have a single clue? It's been almost 3 months! Someone needs to straighten out their priorities.
Hah, I mean distant future. It'll break in the not so distant future. I got myself all worked up and messed up the comment :)