Actually, I've been DL and running the nightly builds since M14 hit. If you read the information on the Mozilla site, it explains the Netscape "branded" release vs the Mozilla release fairly well. To summarize/paraphrase:
Netscape took M14 and added AOL/NS specific code (ie: that shopping icon, AIM) and focused on fixing any show-stopping bugs in M14 - this is the Netscape v6 this story is speaking of.
The Mozilla folks are pressing ahead with M15 development of will be the Mozzila browser. This is what I run - the nightly pre-M15 builds.
The additional functionality incorporated into Mozilla's browser will be fed back into the Netscape codebase at a later time. This lets AOL/Netscape get a decent enough browser out the door as v6, while letting the Mozilla developers and users debug the addition bells & whistles. Once those B&W's are debugged within Mozilla, then AOL/Netscape will incorporate them into the "branded" browser as a point release (ie: 6.1, 6.2, etc).
So there hasn't, up until just recently, been a parallel effort. That was just established a few weeks ago with the release of M14.
As for the NS 5 version, that's the horrendous code-base originally released as Open Source to the Mozilla project. That code was scrapped in favor of developing the Gecko-based product(s) in development now.
As for the Mozilla browser being a "dead project" - you are flaming here bud! I think the additional support scheduled for Mozilla will give it a leg up on the Netscape branded product. The issue is that the PHB's at large corporations want a "commercial" browser - hence Netscape v6. Since Mozilla will be the leader of new support/features - to later be incorporated into Netscape - it's far from dead... It's the innovator AOL/NS is relying on!
No offense, but it sounds like you're shooting from the hip a bit here...
Emacs, GNU C/C++, etc are 'mainstream' for the Linux/Unix crowd. However, if you ask a current developer of exclusively MS Windows apps what Emacs is, s/he's likely to respond "Um... some sort of Apple Internet appliance?"
The article was geared towards folks who DON'T develop on Linux/Unix environments - as in the people currently using Delphi for Windows. To them, there is no mainstream professional development tools from the companies they're used to dealing with. That's why it compared the currently shipping Delphi for Windows product to the planned Kylix for Linux product.
I agree, Yahoo's report is a hideous example of inept or biased journalism. Not only the quote mentioned, but the entire story has an apparent slant against the *nasty hackers*.
Just curious if you actually sent in comments. I definately jumped on the opportunity to voice my concerns, although I would have preferred a bit more time to prepare my views.
Now that responses to the comments are due by 3/20, and it's only 3/11, I have plenty of time to review the comments submitted and prepare a rebuttal to the blatanly false assertions by DMCA proponents.
I strongly encourage you and all other/. readers to do the same!
Windows NT has a larger percent of servers than Netware because of specific applications that require it. If you were to compare installations of Windows and Netware in a scrictly File/Print/Directory services role, I think those numbers would be completely different.
The fact is, stuff like Fax Servers, Database Servers, etc are primarily written to the MS platform . Netware doesn't compete in this segment, so including these servers in the comparison skews the results.
Also, when considering File/Print/Directory Servers, a single Netware server can out-perform NT when serving large numbers of users. Windows NT is basically a workgroup platform, so more NT servers are requred to serve the same number of users. Again, this fact skews the raw numbers when comparing number of units shipped or whatever.
Finally, people - especially the media - have been thumping the Netware is dead drum for years! Yet the platform continues to improve, and yes... sell! You might be surprised at how many Netware servers have been in production for more than five years in small offices which don't necessarily upgrade or update their systems often due to budget concerns..
"Arguing that you shouldn't have to use their player is like arguing you shouldn't have to have a DSS receiver to watch DirecTV broadcasts or you shouldn't have to buy your cable company's cable modem to hook up to their net."
This analogy is way off base. If I was paying, through some sort of tax or surcharge, for DirecTV broadcasts - whether I watched them or not - then I certainly would have the right to access their broadcast with any device I choose.
The key point is that I buy a DVD movie, therefore I am entitled under the DCMA to fair-use access to it's contents. This means I can use whatever method of playback I choose - regardless of it's licensing status with another organization.
Bottom line, if the governments the US has to deal with everyday, on a variety of issues, continuously pushes for the proper resolution of this problem - then you've done your part.
I don't see what else can be done outside our borders. I'd think that this could be tied to countless other international matters that the US handles on a daily basis. If the diplomats keep hearing about this, they'll start to make noise in D.C. - if for no other reason than to stop hearing about it!
Anythings worth a try, with the only exception being nothing.
Is from all the ignorant assholes that posted childish comments like "fuck the law", etc. along with the DeCSS code. This implies illegal activity by the poster, and assumes illegal activity by those who download it "knowingly" from a criminal.
We would be in much better shape if all the 12 year old h4X0r wanna-be's would lay off the ignorant inflamatory comments. How often has "the SlashDot crowd" been portraid in certain media circles based upon the flame-bait rants rather than the informative, though-provoking comments posted?
In order to successfully reverse engineer a product, you have to have two steps. The first is to study the current product, to understand how it works. The second is to develope a new product that works the same way, without duplicating the specific methods of the current product.
As far as I remember, Jon Johansen explained why the original development of DeCSS was on the Windows platform - because it was the only platform that could run the current product!
Once the developers were satisfied that their code performed the same way as the current product, on the same platform, without duplicating code, they then could port their code to the intended platform - Linux.
This is perfectly sensible, and it's unfortunate that the EFF lawyers present in court could not find a way to explain and demonstrate this to the judge.
You have a very valid point, however you forgetting that the US Constitution supposedly guarantees the assumption of innocence. If the government cannot show just cause that the information is dangerous (and not being able to read it does not constitute just cause), then there is no constitutional grounds for denying it's return.
He was tried and convicted based on evidence not contained in the encrypted files. With regards to the information which is encrypted, he has not been charged with further criminal acts. Therefore, it must be assumed that he is innocent of illegal activities relating to the encrypted data. If the government has evidence to the contrary, then they must disclose this in court and file the appropriate criminal charges.
What this really demonstrates, is the utter erosion of Constitutional Rights we American's believe we still have.
With all of the legal manipulations going on with the DVD-CCA, DeCSS, etc.; and all of the complaining and calling for DVD boycotts; why are you whining here about not being able to get a StarWars DVD???
I'm simply disgusted at the lack of consistency in/. content recently. Directly below this story is another story about the 16yr old cracker of the DVD CSS.
Make up your mind/. - I personally refuse to buy any DVD until the DVD-CCA no longer exists, and I'm free to watch them on whatever OS I please.
I understand you post is in jest, but to be honest, let's look at some history:
The astronomer Galileo Galilei was tried for the crime of Heresy in 1633. His crime was the assertion that, and publishing of evidence which supported, the Earth revolved around the Sun. GASP!!!
The Government/Social leader at the time, the Catholic Church, insisted that Earth was the absolute center of the Universe. Ironically, it wasn't until 1993 (I believe - may be off by a year or two) that the Vatican "officially" recognized that Galileo was correct all along.
After all those years of futility, I was really hoping the final Peanuts strip would have Charlie Brown ACTUALLY KICK THE BALL! That would have been a perfect way to end the whole show.
That's what depressed me most. I've been rooting for Chuck since...umm...196-something...
It doesn't really matter whether they knowingly took advantage of the problem. Like the guy registering e-.com/net/org said - he hopes he can appeal the decision to ICANN because it's too inconvenient to think of something longer.
Consider this scenario:
I setup and incorporate i-.com, an internet commerce consulting company. During the setup, I register i-.com as my domain name and spend thousands of dollars on corporate letterhead, envelopes, business cards, advertising, etc. All of these items specifically use i-.com as a moniker and/or internet address.
NSI or ICANN discover that I was allowed to register the domain in error, and they revoke the domain name. I then hire a fancy, high-price, law firm to file suit for MILLIONS of dollars due to the inconvenience and costs associated with their error. An ignorant judge rules that ICANN has to return the disputed domain name to me because it is central to my corporate identity.
You seam to forgetting a very important aspect, at least with commercial hw/sw vendors. It has a lot to do with your second point about unwillingness to learn. Printed manuals are expensive to manufacture.
I've been in this industry for over 15 years. I remember the days when you got volumes of printed documentation along with everything you bought. Then the market became severely unprofitable. Vendors noticed that users rarely ever read any of that documentation. So to cut costs, they didn't ship it - if you wanted it, you could send back an included postcard requesting the printed manuals. Due to the extremely low number of users doing this, it quickly became unnecessary to even create the documentation to begin with.
And that is where we are today. Very few items actually include any useful, user-friendly manuals. To omit the financial incentive to this predicament is to overlook an enormous contributing factor.
I too am sick of the erroneous stories in the mainstreem media, so I went back to CNN and found a link to post a reply to their story. I selected "Error" as the type of reply, to indicate that their article contained incorrect information, it is below:
Your online story titled "Hundreds of defendants named in lawsuit over DVD hacking" contains erroneous statements.
The first, and most important, is that the DeCSS program does NOT "break the encryption on almost any DVD and allow users to copy the contents of a DVD onto the user's hard drive". Any user can copy the contents of any DVD onto a hard drive. The DeCSS program allows the user to READ the encrypted DVD data. The purpose of this program is to allow OpenSource DVD software players to be written. Just as the fact that 'some' people may drive drunk and kill innocent pedestrians, doesn't mean that all drivers should have their cars taken away - just because 'some' people may use the DeCSS program along with others to illegally duplicate DVD movies, does NOT mean that all users should have the ability to view a DVD on the computer of their choice removed/restricted.
Second, it should be noted in the story that reverse engineering both hardware and software are considered perfectly legel in many instances. In fact, the CSS encryption was done so in Norway, where this practice is currently legal. This makes the CDA statement that the encryption was cracked via "improper means" rest solely on the validity of the Xing Player's license agreement. The validity of which must be argued in Norway, not California, USA.
The story as written, grossly misrepresents the facts of this matter, and leaves readers under the false impression that it is a bunch of Video Pirates being sued. This is clearly NOT the case, and should NOT be inferred in a story on any reputable news site.
Thank you for your attention, Michael S. Oski
I would encourage all others to send similar, polite and consice, responses to any media outlet they find misrepresenting the facts of this case.
I've been using FreeBSD for a few years now, along with most other OS's I can get my hands on.;-)
Currently I have RedHat Linux 6.1 installed on one box, and FreeBSD 3.4-Stable on my gateway machine.
The simple answer is, very similar in most ways, but that really doesn't tell you much. I'll instead mention some of the most obvious differences.
First of all, unlike RedHat, FreeBSD doesn't install and enable everything under the sun. With FreeBSD, if you choose to install "everything", you still have to configure and then enable most added-value type daemons. This is both good & bad, depending upon the user and what they can handle. If you're used to having some sort of defaults set and Samba, Apache, AnonFTP, etc. all startup on your first boot - you may be frustrated that these aren't running the first boot into FreeBSD. Although base defaults are places in.sample files, you have to manually choose what you want to start upon boot, and enable it yourself. Personally, I like this - especially for a home system. I don't necessarily want Apache running all the time, just when I need to test a website I've created.
The second difference, and most important to me, is FreeBSD's install lets you choose the base "distribution" you want (Developer, X-Developer, X-User, Minimal, Everything, etc.) BEFORE it fetches anything. This is really important to me since I install via FTP from the Internet. I just replaced RedHat 6.1 with FreeBSD 3.4 on my laptop. Since I have the full 3.4-Stable sources on my gateway machine, I only need a minimal install on the laptop. I can then NFS mount the gateway's fs and compile/install the complete system from there. This cuts down drastically the amount of transfers over my modem. When I installed the minimal RedHat distributing on my laptop it took quite a few hours to complete. FreeBSD was done with the minimal base in about 20 minutes. Then, since I had already compiled the updated source on my gateway, I just had to mount the NFS exports and do a "make installworld" - BAM! Complete install on my laptop within about an hour.
As for technical differences, Linux uses one entire "DOS" extended partition for it's further slicing into swap and fs points. With FreeBSD, this "DOS" partition is created as a primary, not extended. This makes it easier to delete if you're just playing with OS's, since a DOS diskette with fdisk on it can remove the FreeBSD partition. With Linux, you can't remove the extended partition because extended drives exist, but DOS can't read the extended drive, so you're SOL.
The init scripts are also completely different. Many folks may argue that System V scripts are better than BSD scripts, or vis versa. I don't particularly think either is better, they're simply different.
hmmm... Think that's the major things you'll notice right off the bat. The hardware support is pretty much the same, I rarely find a device that one can use and the other can't. Usually, it's either supported by both FreeBSD and Linux, or neither of them at all.
Good luck! Remember, new experiences are opportunities to learn and grow! I have used/still use about 15 different OS's. Most of them Unix or Unix-like variants. They all have strengths, they all have weaknesses, and they all are different in many ways. But then again, they are all mostly the same.
According to the article, the registration of the races.com domain through register.com took place during the beta test period for competing registrars. If a bug occurred during that time which allowed the competing company to register a name which was supposed to be locked, then that registration should be invalidated. If this problem occurred after the testing period, then I can see them stating there's nothing to be done about it.
What does ICANN have to say about this problem? It was their testing period.
To your first point - No. The person who uses the account does not, and should not, have to be the same one who registered it. Again, from personal experience, I registered - and pay for, an ISP account for my younger sister. She lives on the East coast, I on the West. I built her a PC, and shipped it to her, with her ISP account all set up. I agreed to pay for her account until she graduates High School. I find no basis for any complaint regarding this.
The second point, about "One should at least have proof that the name isn't entirely false". Well, Mr. Iguana2000 (interesting name), I wonder how much you really are committed to your comments?!?
The fact is, I can walk into a public forum, such as a park, and begin to communicate to everyone while stating my name is Ben Franklin. Does this mean I should be ID'd by everyone who walks by? Or perhaps by the Park operators? This position is ludicrous. An ISP account, or a Forum username is not the same as a drivers license or bank account.
Excuse me, but how in the world would Prodigy "know" the ID registrations were "impersonations"???
I know for a fact that there is a child on the other side of the US with the same first and last name as me. He happens to be my nephew! There is, of course a difference in our middle names (thankfully!).
But say, for example, I marry a woman who already has a child from a previous marriage. The boy's name is Johnathon B. Doe, and mine is Billy B. Bogus. Now, if I open an account for my stepson in his name, then some *other* John B. Doe decides to sue the ISP for allowing me to register an account in *HIS* name. You're stating that this is a "Good Thing(tm)"???
I beg to differ! The fact that someone opened an account in a name other than there own is NOT a red flag to then deny the registration!
I'm sorry, but I believe a precedent has already been set with regard to common english terms such as this in the AOL "You've got mail" suit. It was ruled that AOL did not own the rights to the commonly used english phrase. Likewise, anything for dummies is also a commonly used english term. The only thing they could legally fight would be an actual book titled "... for dummies".
Earlier in the posts, someone used Kodak as an example of how dilution would play into this. However, the word Kodak is not a common english word - it's a specific name of a company. Just like "Intel" or "Ibanez" or "Fubar4U". These "words" are not simply defined in a common dictionary, they are specific names for an entity.
This is the distinguishing detail, as well as - like the original poster stated - the term was used as an email subject to a mailing list. Even with the Trademark dilution laws, I can't see how IDG could possibly have a leg to stand on.
A simple, professional, response, indicating the above should quell any desires to persue this matter by IDG.
;^P
Re:Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?
on
Which BSD?
·
· Score: 1
Maybe that's not what he meant; I'm just so used to reading anti-Linux flames in BSD-related threads that perhaps I'm too quick on the gun.
I don't understand why it seems that BSD users feel the need to constantly attack Linux and Linux users. They (BSDs and Linux) each have their uses.
I feel compelled to reply to the above statements.
I've been using FreeBSD for many years, and various other OS's - including Linux - for over 15 years. I don't see the constant attack you refer to. Perhaps things are different in the general Usenet groups or something, I don't know, that's one place I rarely visit... I do subscribe to, and regularly search the various BSD mailing list archives. From my perspective, I can say for certain that your statement is at best exaggerated.
You're first statement seams to shed a bit of light on your opinion. Perhaps being 'too quick on the gun' has manifested itself into the constant attacks you seam to see.
Then again, you may just be giving far too much credit to the adolesent thumping and flaming perpetrated by a small, yet vocal, subset of Slashdot readers.
I'm not sure, but either way, I'd recommend putting the 'gun' away. Learn to not only read what people write, but also understand what they're indended meaning is.
For the record, I don't want to continue or re/start a flamefest. Just hope to assist you in viewing this issue from a different perspective.
OK, I can agree that *some* things are easier/prettier/more toilet friendly/etc. - but I think the point of the question is, why is *everything* still printed out. I can say, with great satisfaction and honesty, that I am just now down to the last 40 sheets or so of a 200 sheet ream of paper I bought along with my HP 6P printer - over a year and a half ago! I *only* print that which is absolutely necessary, partly out of environmental concern, mostly because I'm too cheap to keep buying nice laser-quality paper - and too honest to steal it from work! Just my copper bits...
Only Illegal Imm/Terrorist? What about Drug Trafficers and Child Pornographers? I though they we included as "intended targets" for all BS-based US policies and legislation!/end attempted humorous rant;-P
Slashdot Mirror
Netscape took M14 and added AOL/NS specific code (ie: that shopping icon, AIM) and focused on fixing any show-stopping bugs in M14 - this is the Netscape v6 this story is speaking of.
The Mozilla folks are pressing ahead with M15 development of will be the Mozzila browser. This is what I run - the nightly pre-M15 builds.
The additional functionality incorporated into Mozilla's browser will be fed back into the Netscape codebase at a later time. This lets AOL/Netscape get a decent enough browser out the door as v6, while letting the Mozilla developers and users debug the addition bells & whistles. Once those B&W's are debugged within Mozilla, then AOL/Netscape will incorporate them into the "branded" browser as a point release (ie: 6.1, 6.2, etc).
So there hasn't, up until just recently, been a parallel effort. That was just established a few weeks ago with the release of M14.
As for the NS 5 version, that's the horrendous code-base originally released as Open Source to the Mozilla project. That code was scrapped in favor of developing the Gecko-based product(s) in development now.
As for the Mozilla browser being a "dead project" - you are flaming here bud! I think the additional support scheduled for Mozilla will give it a leg up on the Netscape branded product. The issue is that the PHB's at large corporations want a "commercial" browser - hence Netscape v6. Since Mozilla will be the leader of new support/features - to later be incorporated into Netscape - it's far from dead... It's the innovator AOL/NS is relying on!
Emacs, GNU C/C++, etc are 'mainstream' for the Linux/Unix crowd. However, if you ask a current developer of exclusively MS Windows apps what Emacs is, s/he's likely to respond "Um... some sort of Apple Internet appliance?"
The article was geared towards folks who DON'T develop on Linux/Unix environments - as in the people currently using Delphi for Windows. To them, there is no mainstream professional development tools from the companies they're used to dealing with. That's why it compared the currently shipping Delphi for Windows product to the planned Kylix for Linux product.
Calm down, take a walk, try decaf!
I agree, Yahoo's report is a hideous example of inept or biased journalism. Not only the quote mentioned, but the entire story has an apparent slant against the *nasty hackers*.
Now that responses to the comments are due by 3/20, and it's only 3/11, I have plenty of time to review the comments submitted and prepare a rebuttal to the blatanly false assertions by DMCA proponents.
I strongly encourage you and all other /. readers to do the same!
But that's what this forum is for... ;-P
Windows NT has a larger percent of servers than Netware because of specific applications that require it. If you were to compare installations of Windows and Netware in a scrictly File/Print/Directory services role, I think those numbers would be completely different.
The fact is, stuff like Fax Servers, Database Servers, etc are primarily written to the MS platform . Netware doesn't compete in this segment, so including these servers in the comparison skews the results.
Also, when considering File/Print/Directory Servers, a single Netware server can out-perform NT when serving large numbers of users. Windows NT is basically a workgroup platform, so more NT servers are requred to serve the same number of users. Again, this fact skews the raw numbers when comparing number of units shipped or whatever.
Finally, people - especially the media - have been thumping the Netware is dead drum for years! Yet the platform continues to improve, and yes... sell! You might be surprised at how many Netware servers have been in production for more than five years in small offices which don't necessarily upgrade or update their systems often due to budget concerns..
This analogy is way off base. If I was paying, through some sort of tax or surcharge, for DirecTV broadcasts - whether I watched them or not - then I certainly would have the right to access their broadcast with any device I choose.
The key point is that I buy a DVD movie, therefore I am entitled under the DCMA to fair-use access to it's contents. This means I can use whatever method of playback I choose - regardless of it's licensing status with another organization.
Bottom line, if the governments the US has to deal with everyday, on a variety of issues, continuously pushes for the proper resolution of this problem - then you've done your part.
I don't see what else can be done outside our borders. I'd think that this could be tied to countless other international matters that the US handles on a daily basis. If the diplomats keep hearing about this, they'll start to make noise in D.C. - if for no other reason than to stop hearing about it!
Anythings worth a try, with the only exception being nothing.
We would be in much better shape if all the 12 year old h4X0r wanna-be's would lay off the ignorant inflamatory comments. How often has "the SlashDot crowd" been portraid in certain media circles based upon the flame-bait rants rather than the informative, though-provoking comments posted?
The Children(tm) need to get a clue!
In order to successfully reverse engineer a product, you have to have two steps. The first is to study the current product, to understand how it works. The second is to develope a new product that works the same way, without duplicating the specific methods of the current product.
As far as I remember, Jon Johansen explained why the original development of DeCSS was on the Windows platform - because it was the only platform that could run the current product!
Once the developers were satisfied that their code performed the same way as the current product, on the same platform, without duplicating code, they then could port their code to the intended platform - Linux.
This is perfectly sensible, and it's unfortunate that the EFF lawyers present in court could not find a way to explain and demonstrate this to the judge.
He was tried and convicted based on evidence not contained in the encrypted files. With regards to the information which is encrypted, he has not been charged with further criminal acts. Therefore, it must be assumed that he is innocent of illegal activities relating to the encrypted data. If the government has evidence to the contrary, then they must disclose this in court and file the appropriate criminal charges.
What this really demonstrates, is the utter erosion of Constitutional Rights we American's believe we still have.
I'm simply disgusted at the lack of consistency in /. content recently. Directly below this story is another story about the 16yr old cracker of the DVD CSS.
Make up your mind /. - I personally refuse to buy any DVD until the DVD-CCA no longer exists, and I'm free to watch them on whatever OS I please.
I understand you post is in jest, but to be honest, let's look at some history:
The astronomer Galileo Galilei was tried for the crime of Heresy in 1633. His crime was the assertion that, and publishing of evidence which supported, the Earth revolved around the Sun.
GASP!!!
The Government/Social leader at the time, the Catholic Church, insisted that Earth was the absolute center of the Universe. Ironically, it wasn't until 1993 (I believe - may be off by a year or two) that the Vatican "officially" recognized that Galileo was correct all along.
Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the football!
After all those years of futility, I was really hoping the final Peanuts strip would have Charlie Brown ACTUALLY KICK THE BALL! That would have been a perfect way to end the whole show.
That's what depressed me most. I've been rooting for Chuck since...umm...196-something...
It doesn't really matter whether they knowingly took advantage of the problem. Like the guy registering e-.com/net/org said - he hopes he can appeal the decision to ICANN because it's too inconvenient to think of something longer.
Consider this scenario:
I setup and incorporate i-.com, an internet commerce consulting company. During the setup, I register i-.com as my domain name and spend thousands of dollars on corporate letterhead, envelopes, business cards, advertising, etc. All of these items specifically use i-.com as a moniker and/or internet address.
NSI or ICANN discover that I was allowed to register the domain in error, and they revoke the domain name. I then hire a fancy, high-price, law firm to file suit for MILLIONS of dollars due to the inconvenience and costs associated with their error. An ignorant judge rules that ICANN has to return the disputed domain name to me because it is central to my corporate identity.
SCARED YET???
I've been in this industry for over 15 years. I remember the days when you got volumes of printed documentation along with everything you bought. Then the market became severely unprofitable. Vendors noticed that users rarely ever read any of that documentation. So to cut costs, they didn't ship it - if you wanted it, you could send back an included postcard requesting the printed manuals. Due to the extremely low number of users doing this, it quickly became unnecessary to even create the documentation to begin with.
And that is where we are today. Very few items actually include any useful, user-friendly manuals. To omit the financial incentive to this predicament is to overlook an enormous contributing factor.
I too am sick of the erroneous stories in the mainstreem media, so I went back to CNN and found a link to post a reply to their story. I selected "Error" as the type of reply, to indicate that their article contained incorrect information, it is below:
Your online story titled "Hundreds of defendants named in lawsuit over DVD hacking" contains erroneous statements.
The first, and most important, is that the DeCSS program does NOT "break the encryption on almost any DVD and allow users to copy the contents of a DVD onto the user's hard drive". Any user can copy the contents of any DVD onto a hard drive. The DeCSS program allows the user to READ the encrypted DVD data. The purpose of this program is to allow OpenSource DVD software players to be written. Just as the fact that 'some' people may drive drunk and kill innocent pedestrians, doesn't mean that all drivers should have their cars taken away - just because 'some' people may use the DeCSS program along with others to illegally duplicate DVD movies, does NOT mean that all users should have the ability to view a DVD on the computer of their choice removed/restricted.
Second, it should be noted in the story that reverse engineering both hardware and software are considered perfectly legel in many instances. In fact, the CSS encryption was done so in Norway, where this practice is currently legal. This makes the CDA statement that the encryption was cracked via "improper means" rest solely on the validity of the Xing Player's license agreement. The validity of which must be argued in Norway, not California, USA.
The story as written, grossly misrepresents the facts of this matter, and leaves readers under the false impression that it is a bunch of Video Pirates being sued. This is clearly NOT the case, and should NOT be inferred in a story on any reputable news site.
Thank you for your attention,
Michael S. Oski
I would encourage all others to send similar, polite and consice, responses to any media outlet they find misrepresenting the facts of this case.
Hello,
;-)
.sample files, you have to manually choose what you want to start upon boot, and enable it yourself. Personally, I like this - especially for a home system. I don't necessarily want Apache running all the time, just when I need to test a website I've created.
I've been using FreeBSD for a few years now, along with most other OS's I can get my hands on.
Currently I have RedHat Linux 6.1 installed on one box, and FreeBSD 3.4-Stable on my gateway machine.
The simple answer is, very similar in most ways, but that really doesn't tell you much. I'll instead mention some of the most obvious differences.
First of all, unlike RedHat, FreeBSD doesn't install and enable everything under the sun. With FreeBSD, if you choose to install "everything", you still have to configure and then enable most added-value type daemons. This is both good & bad, depending upon the user and what they can handle. If you're used to having some sort of defaults set and Samba, Apache, AnonFTP, etc. all startup on your first boot - you may be frustrated that these aren't running the first boot into FreeBSD. Although base defaults are places in
The second difference, and most important to me, is FreeBSD's install lets you choose the base "distribution" you want (Developer, X-Developer, X-User, Minimal, Everything, etc.) BEFORE it fetches anything. This is really important to me since I install via FTP from the Internet. I just replaced RedHat 6.1 with FreeBSD 3.4 on my laptop. Since I have the full 3.4-Stable sources on my gateway machine, I only need a minimal install on the laptop. I can then NFS mount the gateway's fs and compile/install the complete system from there. This cuts down drastically the amount of transfers over my modem. When I installed the minimal RedHat distributing on my laptop it took quite a few hours to complete. FreeBSD was done with the minimal base in about 20 minutes. Then, since I had already compiled the updated source on my gateway, I just had to mount the NFS exports and do a "make installworld" - BAM! Complete install on my laptop within about an hour.
As for technical differences, Linux uses one entire "DOS" extended partition for it's further slicing into swap and fs points. With FreeBSD, this "DOS" partition is created as a primary, not extended. This makes it easier to delete if you're just playing with OS's, since a DOS diskette with fdisk on it can remove the FreeBSD partition. With Linux, you can't remove the extended partition because extended drives exist, but DOS can't read the extended drive, so you're SOL.
The init scripts are also completely different. Many folks may argue that System V scripts are better than BSD scripts, or vis versa. I don't particularly think either is better, they're simply different.
hmmm... Think that's the major things you'll notice right off the bat. The hardware support is pretty much the same, I rarely find a device that one can use and the other can't. Usually, it's either supported by both FreeBSD and Linux, or neither of them at all.
Good luck! Remember, new experiences are opportunities to learn and grow! I have used/still use about 15 different OS's. Most of them Unix or Unix-like variants. They all have strengths, they all have weaknesses, and they all are different in many ways. But then again, they are all mostly the same.
Michael.
What does ICANN have to say about this problem? It was their testing period.
To your first point - No. The person who uses the account does not, and should not, have to be the same one who registered it. Again, from personal experience, I registered - and pay for, an ISP account for my younger sister. She lives on the East coast, I on the West. I built her a PC, and shipped it to her, with her ISP account all set up. I agreed to pay for her account until she graduates High School. I find no basis for any complaint regarding this.
The second point, about "One should at least have proof that the name isn't entirely false". Well, Mr. Iguana2000 (interesting name), I wonder how much you really are committed to your comments?!?
The fact is, I can walk into a public forum, such as a park, and begin to communicate to everyone while stating my name is Ben Franklin. Does this mean I should be ID'd by everyone who walks by? Or perhaps by the Park operators? This position is ludicrous. An ISP account, or a Forum username is not the same as a drivers license or bank account.
Excuse me, but how in the world would Prodigy "know" the ID registrations were "impersonations"???
I know for a fact that there is a child on the other side of the US with the same first and last name as me. He happens to be my nephew! There is, of course a difference in our middle names (thankfully!).
But say, for example, I marry a woman who already has a child from a previous marriage. The boy's name is Johnathon B. Doe, and mine is Billy B. Bogus. Now, if I open an account for my stepson in his name, then some *other* John B. Doe decides to sue the ISP for allowing me to register an account in *HIS* name. You're stating that this is a "Good Thing(tm)"???
I beg to differ! The fact that someone opened an account in a name other than there own is NOT a red flag to then deny the registration!
- Game Over! - Do You Want To Play Again? -
I'm sorry, but I believe a precedent has already been set with regard to common english terms such as this in the AOL "You've got mail" suit. It was ruled that AOL did not own the rights to the commonly used english phrase. Likewise, anything for dummies is also a commonly used english term. The only thing they could legally fight would be an actual book titled "... for dummies".
;^P
Earlier in the posts, someone used Kodak as an example of how dilution would play into this. However, the word Kodak is not a common english word - it's a specific name of a company. Just like "Intel" or "Ibanez" or "Fubar4U". These "words" are not simply defined in a common dictionary, they are specific names for an entity.
This is the distinguishing detail, as well as - like the original poster stated - the term was used as an email subject to a mailing list. Even with the Trademark dilution laws, I can't see how IDG could possibly have a leg to stand on.
A simple, professional, response, indicating the above should quell any desires to persue this matter by IDG.
Maybe that's not what he meant; I'm just so used to reading anti-Linux flames in BSD-related threads that perhaps I'm too quick on the gun.
I don't understand why it seems that BSD users feel the need to constantly attack Linux and Linux users. They (BSDs and Linux) each have their uses.
I feel compelled to reply to the above statements.
I've been using FreeBSD for many years, and various other OS's - including Linux - for over 15 years. I don't see the constant attack you refer to. Perhaps things are different in the general Usenet groups or something, I don't know, that's one place I rarely visit... I do subscribe to, and regularly search the various BSD mailing list archives. From my perspective, I can say for certain that your statement is at best exaggerated.
You're first statement seams to shed a bit of light on your opinion. Perhaps being 'too quick on the gun' has manifested itself into the constant attacks you seam to see.
Then again, you may just be giving far too much credit to the adolesent thumping and flaming perpetrated by a small, yet vocal, subset of Slashdot readers.
I'm not sure, but either way, I'd recommend putting the 'gun' away. Learn to not only read what people write, but also understand what they're indended meaning is.
For the record, I don't want to continue or re/start a flamefest. Just hope to assist you in viewing this issue from a different perspective.
Que Pasa is the spanish translation of "what's happening" - Notice the "g" at the end!
Therefore, whatshappenin.com - since it is NOT whatshappening.com, is NOT infringed upon in the manner they claim.
Or else, I can trademark all sorts of misspelled words and phrases and sue everyone who can spell correctly for infringin' 'pon my trademar'!
I would expect this to be dismissed quickly by any judge with at least half their senses.
OK, I can agree that *some* things are easier/prettier/more toilet friendly/etc. - but I think the point of the question is, why is *everything* still printed out. I can say, with great satisfaction and honesty, that I am just now down to the last 40 sheets or so of a 200 sheet ream of paper I bought along with my HP 6P printer - over a year and a half ago! I *only* print that which is absolutely necessary, partly out of environmental concern, mostly because I'm too cheap to keep buying nice laser-quality paper - and too honest to steal it from work! Just my copper bits...
Only Illegal Imm/Terrorist? What about Drug Trafficers and Child Pornographers? I though they we included as "intended targets" for all BS-based US policies and legislation! /end attempted humorous rant ;-P