The last part of the "sid" for this article, 2118205, which is apparently a random number, but which could be set by Rob or another slashdot admin, has an interesting property. Derive your own conclusions!!
The prime factorization of 2118205 is 5 * 67 * 6323. (5 * 67 + 6323) / 10 rounded to the nearest integer is... !!
I am not the best at legal comments but I want to help with this issue, so please help me make corrections before I send this off.
David O. Carson General Counsel, Copyright GC/I&R P.O. Box 70400 Southwest Station Washington, DC 20024
Dear Copyright Office,
I appreciate the opportunity to express my concerns on the subject of this section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. I believe it is in the best interests of the American people that some of the terms of the DMCA be rewritten or deleted.
The relevant section of the DMCA would hinder future technological innovation. Most technological innovation is a re-application of existing technologies in ways that had not been considered by the inventors. If, for example, the inventors of the audio compact disc had used legal means to prevent all consumers from using the technology in ways not explicitly allowed by the producer, we might not have CD-ROM technology today, which permits us to store computer programs on the same medium. A major part of today's economy depends on CD-ROM technology.
The case of the DVD association vs. the distributors of DeCSS is an example of the tight copyright control that is now permissible under law. A small group of people found a way to access protected works they legally owned, but in a way which wasn't explicitly allowed by the producer. Their primary intention was only to expand the usage of DVD technology. They were, in fact, pushing the limits of a new technology, quite probably opening the way for more innovation. But under the DMCA such exploration and innovation is not permitted.
I am a producer of computer software. It is important for me to be able to use existing technology in new, unexpected ways. That is how I make my living, and that is how America will continue its current rate of technological progress.
Um, actually, why are you using tabs alternated with spaces in the first place?
What about when you're editing someone else's code? Yes, automatic tab conversion is nice, but can confuse CVS since every line may be seen as changed (depending on your CVS tool.)
I've been writing a lot of Python the last couple of months and I find I cannot cope with the indentation issue without having emacs take care of it for me. It forces correct indentation and consistency with other programmers' code. Otherwise I would spend half my time twiddling the space bar!
In fact, there are a number of people right here on/. that would qualify as proofreaders, so those who are writing letters would do well to post them here first, asking for suggestions.
Those who want to serve the community as proofreaders would be most helpful if they would read at level 0 or 1 since a lot of the letters won't get moderated up.
The difference is simple: trust. The community trusts Transmeta to sell the technology for a reasonable price, always play "fair" in its business tactics, and withhold source code only because to do so will ensure future compatibility.
The trust is there because the community is generally optimistic, especially because of Linus' involvement. But that trust can be broken easily--look at the way people talk about Microsoft, Sun, and Intel after each company did things that were looked down upon by slashdot.
Transmeta will be able to retain their reputation the best if they stick with the technology they're best at: Crusoe. To expand into web pads, mobile computers, and other applications of the chip would increase complexity and decisions would have to be made between pleasing either the geeks or the shareholders. Soon the trust would be broken and the community would start looking for a new holy grail.
Maybe offtopic, maybe you already know this, but a little advice from someone who's suffered through it can't hurt, can it?
1. CD-R / CD-RW support has only recently become useable, so you want to make sure you have the latest kernel (at least 2.2.13) to do it. 2. If you have an ATAPI (IDE) burner, run "insmod ide-scsi". For me, it will only work if the "ide-cd" module is not present, so also try "rmmod ide-cd". 3. "blank=fast" seems to work only if the CD is in perfect condition, so if you halt the CD-RW burn then you'll need to do a "full" erase before cdrecord will listen to you again.
The HOWTO and the cdrecord man page provide just about everything you need to know beyond that.
Slashdot Mirror
The last part of the "sid" for this article, 2118205, which is apparently a random number, but which could be set by Rob or another slashdot admin, has an interesting property. Derive your own conclusions!!
The prime factorization of 2118205 is 5 * 67 * 6323. (5 * 67 + 6323) / 10 rounded to the nearest integer is... !!
A big "thank you" goes out to the nameless stranger!
I did look at the notice of inquiry but did not take the time to read it carefully. That's one reason I felt it important to get a little peer review.
I am not the best at legal comments but I want to help with this issue, so please help me make corrections before I send this off.
David O. Carson
General Counsel, Copyright GC/I&R
P.O. Box 70400
Southwest Station
Washington, DC 20024
Dear Copyright Office,
I appreciate the opportunity to express my concerns on the subject of
this section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. I believe it is
in the best interests of the American people that some of the terms of
the DMCA be rewritten or deleted.
The relevant section of the DMCA would hinder future technological
innovation. Most technological innovation is a re-application of
existing technologies in ways that had not been considered by the
inventors. If, for example, the inventors of the audio compact disc had
used legal means to prevent all consumers from using the technology in
ways not explicitly allowed by the producer, we might not have CD-ROM
technology today, which permits us to store computer programs on the
same medium. A major part of today's economy depends on CD-ROM
technology.
The case of the DVD association vs. the distributors of DeCSS is an
example of the tight copyright control that is now permissible
under law. A small group of people found a way to access protected
works they legally owned, but in a way which wasn't explicitly allowed
by the producer. Their primary intention was only to expand the usage
of DVD technology. They were, in fact, pushing the limits of a new
technology, quite probably opening the way for more innovation. But
under the DMCA such exploration and innovation is not permitted.
I am a producer of computer software. It is important for me to be
able to use existing technology in new, unexpected ways. That is how I
make my living, and that is how America will continue its current rate
of technological progress.
Shane Hathaway
February 17, 2000
What about when you're editing someone else's code? Yes, automatic tab conversion is nice, but can confuse CVS since every line may be seen as changed (depending on your CVS tool.)
I've been writing a lot of Python the last couple of months and I find I cannot cope with the indentation issue without having emacs take care of it for me. It forces correct indentation and consistency with other programmers' code. Otherwise I would spend half my time twiddling the space bar!
Is there a "IP-spoof-filter" HOWTO? That would go a long way towards solving the problem.
Isn't it amazing how precisely the actions of the DVD CCA match the will of Windows-pushing Microsoft?
In fact, there are a number of people right here on /. that would qualify as proofreaders, so those who are writing letters would do well to post them here first, asking for suggestions.
Those who want to serve the community as proofreaders would be most helpful if they would read at level 0 or 1 since a lot of the letters won't get moderated up.
I hope we can have an effect here.
The difference is simple: trust. The community trusts Transmeta to sell the technology for a reasonable price, always play "fair" in its business tactics, and withhold source code only because to do so will ensure future compatibility.
The trust is there because the community is generally optimistic, especially because of Linus' involvement. But that trust can be broken easily--look at the way people talk about Microsoft, Sun, and Intel after each company did things that were looked down upon by slashdot.
Transmeta will be able to retain their reputation the best if they stick with the technology they're best at: Crusoe. To expand into web pads, mobile computers, and other applications of the chip would increase complexity and decisions would have to be made between pleasing either the geeks or the shareholders. Soon the trust would be broken and the community would start looking for a new holy grail.
Maybe offtopic, maybe you already know this, but a little advice from someone who's suffered through it can't hurt, can it?
1. CD-R / CD-RW support has only recently become useable, so you want to make sure you have the latest kernel (at least 2.2.13) to do it.
2. If you have an ATAPI (IDE) burner, run "insmod ide-scsi". For me, it will only work if the "ide-cd" module is not present, so also try "rmmod ide-cd".
3. "blank=fast" seems to work only if the CD is in perfect condition, so if you halt the CD-RW burn then you'll need to do a "full" erase before cdrecord will listen to you again.
The HOWTO and the cdrecord man page provide just about everything you need to know beyond that.