There are over 40 servers run by Napster, but they have never been able to link them, so you only see the users on the server you're connected to. You can browse all of the servers with Napigator, to get an idea of just how many users are on Napster (40 x 4,000 = 160,000 users).
I agree with you though that 335,000 users is a ridiculous claim. They could only have discovered who was sharing Metallica music, not who has downloaded it, and I severely doubt that so many users would be sharing it. Can you say 'cry for attention'?
Okay, so they found a much more precise constant. But I don't see the new constant in that story/press release - its just filled with blurbs about how important it is that they know it. Can anyone find it?
There are a lot of posts suggesting nVidia should be attacked for their abuse of GPL'ed code, but that might not be the best approach. (This will probably be marked flamebait, but what the hell...)
Right now, Linux isn't the biggest market out there. I want better driver support from hardware manufacturer for Linux, and I also think their drivers should be open source, but I can see how manufacturers wouldn't have Linux on the top of their priority list. So when nVidia do get around to making XFree86 drivers, and accidentally use some GPL'ed code, the Linux users they are aiming to please (at least somewhat) become enraged, and suggest persuing nVidia by whatever means possible if they don't fix the problem immediately.
Now nVidia have clearly put some effort into producing these drivers - and can't open source them due to company policy and licensing restrictions - yet upon release are attacked by Linux users for not producing open source drivers. Then when they accidentally use some GPL'ed code - and agree to resolve the problem as soon as possible - they are attacked again, with posts suggesting they must provide remuneration to the open source community.
Who are nVidia trying to help here? Granted, they are doing so to be able to continue selling nVidia products to Linux users, but if we continue to attack them for everything they do to help, they may give up and stop supporting Linux entirely. They were careless, but are apparently trying to correct that mistake. If they don't within a reasonable amount of time, the open source community would be justified in attacking them, but in the meantime it seems the amount of cynicism here is a bit much.
Centurion: I think it's a joke, sir... like Biggus Dickus, or Ransom Love. Pilate: What's so funny about Wansom Love? Centurion: Well... it's a joke name, sir. Pilate: I have a vewwy gweat fwend in Wome called Wansom Love.
Involuntary laughter from a nearby guard suprises Pilate.
Pilate: Silence! What is all this insolence? You will find yourself in gladiator school vewwy quickly with wotten behaviour like that.
The guard tries to stop giggling. Pilate turns away from him. He is angry.
Brian: Can I go now sir... The Centurion strikes him. Pilate: Wait till Wansom hears of this!
CmdrTaco: I get a nice flamey email about once a week from some ass who calls me a hypocrite and slams me for not getting out a new release. My usual response is to tell them that I delay replacing GIFs with PNGs by 24 hours each time someone asks me when I'm going to do it. They'll be replaced when they're finished. And if you ask me again I'll postpone it again.
That doesn't mean the whole story is or isn't a fraud (although it seems weird that someone would put so much effort into writing the story if it wasn't true), but it has definitely been around a while and been mirrored various places.
Slashdot Mirror
I agree with you though that 335,000 users is a ridiculous claim. They could only have discovered who was sharing Metallica music, not who has downloaded it, and I severely doubt that so many users would be sharing it. Can you say 'cry for attention'?
Okay, so they found a much more precise constant. But I don't see the new constant in that story/press release - its just filled with blurbs about how important it is that they know it. Can anyone find it?
Right now, Linux isn't the biggest market out there. I want better driver support from hardware manufacturer for Linux, and I also think their drivers should be open source, but I can see how manufacturers wouldn't have Linux on the top of their priority list. So when nVidia do get around to making XFree86 drivers, and accidentally use some GPL'ed code, the Linux users they are aiming to please (at least somewhat) become enraged, and suggest persuing nVidia by whatever means possible if they don't fix the problem immediately.
Now nVidia have clearly put some effort into producing these drivers - and can't open source them due to company policy and licensing restrictions - yet upon release are attacked by Linux users for not producing open source drivers. Then when they accidentally use some GPL'ed code - and agree to resolve the problem as soon as possible - they are attacked again, with posts suggesting they must provide remuneration to the open source community.
Who are nVidia trying to help here? Granted, they are doing so to be able to continue selling nVidia products to Linux users, but if we continue to attack them for everything they do to help, they may give up and stop supporting Linux entirely. They were careless, but are apparently trying to correct that mistake. If they don't within a reasonable amount of time, the open source community would be justified in attacking them, but in the meantime it seems the amount of cynicism here is a bit much.
--
You're full of crap, Fry! *bzzt* You make a persuasive argument, Fry!
Pilate: What's so funny about Wansom Love?
Centurion: Well... it's a joke name, sir.
Pilate: I have a vewwy gweat fwend in Wome called Wansom Love.
Involuntary laughter from a nearby guard suprises Pilate.
Pilate: Silence! What is all this insolence? You will find yourself in gladiator school vewwy quickly with wotten behaviour like that.
The guard tries to stop giggling. Pilate turns away from him. He is angry.
Brian: Can I go now sir... The Centurion strikes him.
Pilate: Wait till Wansom hears of this!
I get a nice flamey email about once a week from some ass who calls me a hypocrite and slams me for not getting out a new release. My usual response is to tell them that I delay replacing GIFs with PNGs by 24 hours each time someone asks me when I'm going to do it. They'll be replaced when they're finished. And if you ask me again I'll postpone it again.
(the original quote is here)
That doesn't mean the whole story is or isn't a fraud (although it seems weird that someone would put so much effort into writing the story if it wasn't true), but it has definitely been around a while and been mirrored various places.
Surely once you've purchased your PS2, Sony can't take it back whenever they want, even if it can play forbidden DVDs.
Americas: /freebe/ - BeForever, Omaha, NE
http://www.zdnet.com/ - Ziff-Davis, North America
http://download.cnet.com/ - CNET/Download.com, California
ftp://.beoscentral.com/pub/ - BeOS CentralJohnson City, TN
http://freebe.nerdygirls.com/ - Oak Ridge, TN
ftp://www.beforever.com/pub/beforever
ftp://mirrors.rochester.rr.com/pub/be/ - RoadRunner.Com, Rochester, NY
ftp://ftp.be.com/pub/beos/ - Be, Inc. San Jose, CA
Europe/Australia: /beos/ - ComputerChannel, Hamburg, Germany
ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/beos/ - AARNet, Brisbane, Australia
ftp://ftp.beeurope.com/pub/ - BeEurope, Paris, France
ftp://ftp.worldonline.fr/ - World Online, Paris, France
ftp://ftp.gigabell.net/pub/beos/ - Gigabell.Net, Frankfurt, Germany
ftp://ftp.ph-freiburg.de/pub/m irrors/ftp.be.com/beos - P.H. Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
http://www.computerchannel.de/download
ftp://ftp.xtdnet.com/pub/ - XTDNet, Karlsruhe, Germany
ftp://ftp.zdf.de/pub/ - Neues-3Sat Online, Mainz, Germany
http://pcteor1.mi.infn.it/beos/ - Univ. of Milan, Milan, Italy
ftp://dl.xs4all.nl/pub/ - XS4All, Amsterdam, Netherlands
ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/os/BeOS/ - SUNET, Uppsala, Sweden