It seems like the long and short of it is, "Specification candidates which are RAND encumbered must pass through an extra committee, and that committee must publish it's justification for recommending approval of specification status to that RAND encumbered specification candidate."
Not as strong as I might have liked, but it does make our path clear. Whenever a RAND encumbered specification is recommended by a PAG (the extra committee), we should review the justification, and voice our opinion. IE: if a PAG says, "we should make WMA the standard audio streaming architecture because Bill says it's better.", we should make a large and public effort to discredit the members of the PAG group, and have the recommendation overturned by the W3C director.
On what planet? Netscape is sitting around 8% of the browser market.
My understanding of the original post was that the poster was speaking to destruction by development of superior quality (which in the first two cases Microsoft did). In my post I was referring to the relative quality of the latest release of Mozilla, not market penetration.
And so is the software MS used to kill it. Your point??
That closed source versus closed source is not the battle MS is facing. Development in the cathedral is hard, particularly in the security arena. Microsoft will face greater challenges in the battle against Linux than they did in the battle against RealAudio. Therefore, their destruction of RealAudio is moot to this discussion.
He said servers on Windows and he was right
An interesting opinion. It goes without saying that those who require IIS features, like.asp, use IIS (just as those who require Apache modules use Apache), and those who simply accept the default server, use IIS (much as Linux users who don't care use Apache). I find it extremely hard to believe that there are more people using IIS than Apache on Windows who have made their decision based on their perception of server quality, and independant of the factors mentioned above.
How long did it take them to: (a) Kill Netscape with MSIE, (b) maim RealAudio with Windows Media, (c) shutdown 3rd-party Windows webservers with IIS, etc.? Not long.
(a) 2 Years. Netscape was closed source at the time, and the company was severely disfunctional. Now that it's open, it's almost back in the lead (if you haven't used Mozilla 0.9.7, use it as your primary for one week before you respond).
(b) 5 Years. RealAudio is closed source.
(c) Are you high? Haven't you heard of Apache? Granted, there was a ~12 month period when IIS first came out that Apache/Win32 was more black art than science, and IIS is still preferred 10 to 0 by people who use the server that comes with Windows, but I hardly consider that "shutting Apache down".
I'm not saying Microsoft is incapable of putting up a fight. Fearing them is healthy, particularly if it drives us to greatness. But they are not the irresistable juggernaut you portray.
It's not "the NASA", and it's not "the UML". "NASA" is an acronym used to identify the National Air and Space Administration. "UML" is an acronym used to identify the Unified Modelling Language. It does not matter what Booch, Rumbaugh, Jacobson or anyone else says. Learning to master the English language is not a programmers first priority, but this one seems pretty simple to me.
this isn't fair use. Fair use is well-defined, both in its original judicial form, and its more recent legislative embodiment, and doesn't cover this.
Good info, I was not aware that fair use did not cover archival copies. Thank you.
why don't we have OSes that can fit in a kilobyte of memory and be clear and plainly understandable, while not sacrificing any of the features or ease of use we want?
Computer programs are written to be executed on computer processors. Laws are written to be executed in human powered courts. Computer processors cannot make intelligent interpretations of intent, so programs must exactly specify their full intent in advance. Laws are supposed to be guides whose intent is interpreted at runtime by the society in which they exist.
The attempt to fully anticipate a computer users needs is difficult and rarely approaches 100% success. It is also unfortunately necessary, as most of us cannot reasonably afford a human secretary (the role typically filled by a computer). Computer programmers would love to leave exception handling to intelligent interpreters. This is the reason that the field of artificial intelligence is so heavily researched.
Law has courts to handle exceptions. Those courts are comprised of legal experts and in some cases societal representatives (peers). Therefore, laws do not need to be as explicit as computer programs.
I wrote this rather quickly and hope it is sufficiently clear. If not, feel free to contact me on bob at traxel dot com and I will explain in more detail.
(2) for the owner of a phonorecord lawfully acquired by digital phonorecord delivery, or a copy lawfully acquired by digital transmission of a literary work embodied in that phonorecord, to make another phonorecord or copy of such works, if such new phonorecord or copy is for archival purposes only and that all archival phonorecords or copies are destroyed in the event that continued possession of the phonorecord or copy should cease to be rightful.
Does anyone else find it disturbing that we have to pass more laws to protect established rights like fair use? Shouldn't fair use be able to defend itself? As a programmer, I believe in writing the minimal efficient code to achieve the objective. Why don't lawyers feel the same way?
IMHO: because more laws means you need to pay more lawyers to understand your rights and duties. They're preserving and expanding the clan.
IMNERHO, this is the right way to enforce copyright law, not the DMCA. punish those who steal, not those who create tools that could be used by someone who steals.
You may or may not agree with copyright law, but as long as it exists and must be enforced, I greatly prefer enforcement that targets the actual offenders. If copyright is not abandoned (which is highly unlikely), then we will have to either accept individual enforcement or laws like the DMCA.
I have had a server colocated at Alex's ISP, http://www.acedsl.com/ for a little over a year, and had my DSL from them when I was living in NYC. Good company, good people, reasonable prices for static IPs and upstream bandwidth. I highly recommend them.
It helps to know what amendment we're thumping the pulpit about.
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence."
It's pretty easy to argue for Together at the high level. When it comes down to filling out the code though, there is little that can beat a developer being comfortable with his or her environment. Much of my office uses IntelliJ, I use Emacs, some people use Vi. Putting me on Vi, or someone who is most comfortable with a GUI IDE on Emacs would sacrifice more productivity than could be gained by having a unified environment.
is fair use a birth right or simply a result of the sale contract?
Before answering this question, you must first answer the question, "Is copyright a birth right, or simply the result of government fiat?".
The free market governs the price of physical property by natural law; when I have this block of cheese, you cannot simultaneously have it. Therefore, if you want it, you must give me something which I value more, and you value less, than the block of cheese. Great system, and it is a natural byproduct of the laws of physics.
Intellectual property does not follow these natural laws. Therefore, copyright is itself a fiat of government. Given that, everything regarding IP rights is a fiat of government and subject to the desires of the governed. There is no natural law regarding any part of IP law, including "fair use".
"Frankly, the best cure I've seen for it is age: Almost all prima donnas I know are under 25 and haven't worked more than one or two jobs."
"is that every prima donna I've met was a recent college comp-sci graduate at the time."
I very much agree with this, and with the 5 step plan you've distilled for dealing with prima donna's.
How do you deal with curmudgeons? (the 40+ year old programmers who are convinced they are infallible)
Section 26: (paraphrased, full text below)
Making analog backup copies for personal
use is fine. Making digi
tal backup copies for personal
use is not.
Section 27: (paraphrased, full text below)
Even if the media holder has a legal right to access
the content, that media holder may not circumvent
cryptographic protections in the medium to access the
content.
IE: You must use a *licensed* player for DVDs.
IE: The use of DeCSS is illegal, even if the action for
which it is used is legal.
Section 28: (paraphrased, full text below)
Lending libraries are a good thing, and should continue
to exist; however, they must move their books around
in meatspace.
On the upside:
Section 38: (paraphrased, full text below)
In 2 years we should sift through the wreckage.
26.
Whereas Member States should be allowed to provide for an exception to
the reproduction right for certain types of reproduction of audio,
visual and audio-visual material for private use, accompanied by fair
compensation in certain cases; whereas this may include the
introduction or continuation of remuneration schemes to compensate for
the prejudice to rightholders; whereas, although differences between
those remuneration schemes affect the functioning of the Internal
Market, those differences, with respect to analogue private
reproduction, should not have a significant impact on the development
of the Information Society; whereas digital private copying is likely
to be more widespread and have a greater economic impact; whereas a
distinction should therefore be made between digital private copying
and analogue private copying and whereas the conditions of application
should in both cases be harmonised to a certain extent; whereas it is
of particular importance, in the case of digital private copying, that
all rightholders receive fair compensation ";
27.
Whereas, when applying the exception on private copying, Member States
should take due account of technological and economic developments, in
particular with respect to digital private copying and remuneration
schemes, when effective technological protection measures are available;
whereas such exceptions should not inhibit the use of technological
measures or their enforcement against circumvention;
28.
Whereas Member States may provide for an exception for the benefit of
establishments accessible to the public, such as non-profit-making
libraries and equivalent institutions; whereas, however, this should be
limited to certain special cases covered by the reproduction right;
whereas such an exception should not cover uses made in the context of
on-line delivery of protected works or other subject matter; whereas this
Directive should be without prejudice to Member States' option to derogate
from the exclusive public lending right in accordance with Article 5 of
Council Directive 92/100/EEC of 19 November 1992 on rental right and
lending right and on certain rights related to copyright in the field of
intellectual property, as amended by Directive 93/98/EEC; whereas,
therefore, specific contracts or licences should be promoted which,
without creating imbalances, favour such establishments and the
disseminative purposes they serve;
38.
Whereas, after a period of two years following the date of implementation
of this Directive, the Commission should report on its application;
whereas this report should examine in particular whether the conditions
set out in the Directive have resulted in ensuring a proper functioning of
the Internal Market, and should propose action if necessary,
The Secret Service's electrionic evidence guidelines are located here.
and include the following information that seems
pertinent in this case:
1. * * Networked or business computers
* Consult a Computer Specialist for further assistance
* Pulling the plug could:
* Severely damage the system
* Disrupt legitimate business
* Create officer and department liability
People can communicate, transfer information, make airline reservations, place auction bids, plunge into sophisticated games, hack any system on the planet, create alternate personalities, self-publish themselves, yak with their grandkids and amass tons of free stuff from music to lecture notes to building blueprints.
That is the revolution, and it is good. I live in New York City. My father lives in Ohio. Last week, he went to buy a new car, and changed his mind about what brand to purchase while he was at the dealership. He called me while he was driving home to ask about the other vehicle he's considering. In less than 2 minutes I had found a dealership within 2 miles of his location on the freeway and given him directions.
The revolution is already here, and it is astonishing in it's scope and economic impact. Producers have an unprecedented ability to reach accurately targetted potential consumers. Consumers have an unprecedented ability to research potential purchases. Those of you who are familiar with economics have probably heard the
related term; we are getting closer to "perfect information". Increasing the mobility of information helps us to satisfy our wants. Have you ever researched a computer hardware upgrade on SharkyExtreme or found a book about firewalling on Barnes and Noble?
There's a well deserved shakeout occuring right now. On my last contract one of the programmers that worked for me had just moved into programming. He was a golf pro 6 months earlier. There have been a lot of poorly thought out and executed business plans. It's a perfectly common occurance. Booms are followed by the wheat being culled from the chaff. The chaff deserves whatever happens to it, and the wheat invariably winds up in a better state in the long run. In this particular case, I would also assert that few are worse off now than they were 5 years ago.
The current level of irrational negativism is no more warranted than last Winter's irrational optimism.
Offer you employer a license cheap. Maybe even
let them have it for free for this client. You
can spin control that into enough goodwill with
your employer that you'll be able to charge a
good, fair price for the next client
they find for your product.
Make sure you approach them by explaining how this
makes their lives better. EG: "Boss, I've got a great idea for satisfying this client quickly and
inexpensively!"
FWIW:
I don't currently filter ads, but I would if a site that I use frequently, like slashdot, started using popups. I like banner ads, the business model works for me. I'm even in favour of adding a vertical format ad on the left or right if you need the cash, but opening a new window every time I reload would tip the balance too far.
I use NS 4.73, which is barely stable as it is, I don't need my RAM chewed up any faster.
Given that:
"Federal law makes it illegal to knowingly obtain unauthorized access to a computer,"
Does is follow that if I post my mp3s on a website, and set up an apache mod so you have to click through a warning screen that says, "Access to these files is unauthorized.", then I am not guilty of distribution?
Then I just turn off the access log and the only person who knows is Carnivore. And everyone knows Carnivore can't trap packets unless you're already under investigation. If I clearly state that access is unauthorized, there's no reason to investigate.
My belief has been that the fallout of the crash will have a significantly greater impact on novices than on experts. Where I had been focusing on skill set diversification (diverse programming languages, systems administration, network administration, etc), I am now concentrating on climbing to higher levels in a single skill set (Java middleware design).
The FBI is putting a black box between you and the Internet via your ISP. What this means is that your communication passes through this box. The FBI is now the Gatekeeper for whether or not your communication gets out
My understanding is that Carnivore is a packet sniffing device that is attached to a network, but does not act as a gateway. It is capable of listening to everything on the segment, but cannot alter the information. (And I agree that trusting the FBI with that much snoop power is a strong motivation to use GPG on your email.)
Saw Kent Beck speak on eXtreme Programming at the Seattle Java Users Group (seajug.org), in cooperation with the Seattle Smalltalk Users Group. He was a great speaker, did a great job of keeping the audiences attention. Then had questions and answers, during which he proved to be both quick on his feet and a generally nice guy. Noteablye, he did an excellant job of handling the attitude that is pervasive in the programming community (not excluding myself from that characterization).
All around a great lecture, would recommend him to any UG, even though he is not directly a speaker about Linux.
The entire caching mechanism is LGPL'ed, you can pull it down from http://traxel.com/oss/. The call is in the Cache.manageCacheSize() method. I consider it well timed because it occurs right after expired objects are removed from the cache. I'll have my email address up on the site soon, if you want to make changes use bobnospam@nospamtraxel.com.
Memory footprint can be significantly mitigated with well placed calls to System.gc(). Was playing with a caching mechanism this past weekend and reduced memory overhead by more than 30%. Unfortunately, very few tutorials that I've seen demonstrate or recommend the well timed use of System.gc().
Lack of good coding on the part of the programmer cannot be blamed on the VM.
Slashdot Mirror
It seems like the long and short of it is, "Specification candidates which are RAND encumbered must pass through an extra committee, and that committee must publish it's justification for recommending approval of specification status to that RAND encumbered specification candidate."
Not as strong as I might have liked, but it does make our path clear. Whenever a RAND encumbered specification is recommended by a PAG (the extra committee), we should review the justification, and voice our opinion. IE: if a PAG says, "we should make WMA the standard audio streaming architecture because Bill says it's better.", we should make a large and public effort to discredit the members of the PAG group, and have the recommendation overturned by the W3C director.
On what planet? Netscape is sitting around 8% of the browser market.
.asp, use IIS (just as those who require Apache modules use Apache), and those who simply accept the default server, use IIS (much as Linux users who don't care use Apache). I find it extremely hard to believe that there are more people using IIS than Apache on Windows who have made their decision based on their perception of server quality, and independant of the factors mentioned above.
My understanding of the original post was that the poster was speaking to destruction by development of superior quality (which in the first two cases Microsoft did). In my post I was referring to the relative quality of the latest release of Mozilla, not market penetration.
And so is the software MS used to kill it. Your point??
That closed source versus closed source is not the battle MS is facing. Development in the cathedral is hard, particularly in the security arena. Microsoft will face greater challenges in the battle against Linux than they did in the battle against RealAudio. Therefore, their destruction of RealAudio is moot to this discussion.
He said servers on Windows and he was right
An interesting opinion. It goes without saying that those who require IIS features, like
How long did it take them to: (a) Kill Netscape with MSIE, (b) maim RealAudio with Windows Media, (c) shutdown 3rd-party Windows webservers with IIS, etc.? Not long.
(a) 2 Years. Netscape was closed source at the time, and the company was severely disfunctional. Now that it's open, it's almost back in the lead (if you haven't used Mozilla 0.9.7, use it as your primary for one week before you respond).
(b) 5 Years. RealAudio is closed source.
(c) Are you high? Haven't you heard of Apache? Granted, there was a ~12 month period when IIS first came out that Apache/Win32 was more black art than science, and IIS is still preferred 10 to 0 by people who use the server that comes with Windows, but I hardly consider that "shutting Apache down".
I'm not saying Microsoft is incapable of putting up a fight. Fearing them is healthy, particularly if it drives us to greatness. But they are not the irresistable juggernaut you portray.
It's not "the NASA", and it's not "the UML". "NASA" is an acronym used to identify the National Air and Space Administration. "UML" is an acronym used to identify the Unified Modelling Language. It does not matter what Booch, Rumbaugh, Jacobson or anyone else says. Learning to master the English language is not a programmers first priority, but this one seems pretty simple to me.
this isn't fair use. Fair use is well-defined, both in its original judicial form, and its more recent legislative embodiment, and doesn't cover this.
Good info, I was not aware that fair use did not cover archival copies. Thank you.
why don't we have OSes that can fit in a kilobyte of memory and be clear and plainly understandable, while not sacrificing any of the features or ease of use we want?
Computer programs are written to be executed on computer processors. Laws are written to be executed in human powered courts. Computer processors cannot make intelligent interpretations of intent, so programs must exactly specify their full intent in advance. Laws are supposed to be guides whose intent is interpreted at runtime by the society in which they exist.
The attempt to fully anticipate a computer users needs is difficult and rarely approaches 100% success. It is also unfortunately necessary, as most of us cannot reasonably afford a human secretary (the role typically filled by a computer). Computer programmers would love to leave exception handling to intelligent interpreters. This is the reason that the field of artificial intelligence is so heavily researched.
Law has courts to handle exceptions. Those courts are comprised of legal experts and in some cases societal representatives (peers). Therefore, laws do not need to be as explicit as computer programs.
I wrote this rather quickly and hope it is sufficiently clear. If not, feel free to contact me on bob at traxel dot com and I will explain in more detail.
From the bill summary:
(2) for the owner of a phonorecord lawfully acquired by digital phonorecord delivery, or a copy lawfully acquired by digital transmission of a literary work embodied in that phonorecord, to make another phonorecord or copy of such works, if such new phonorecord or copy is for archival purposes only and that all archival phonorecords or copies are destroyed in the event that continued possession of the phonorecord or copy should cease to be rightful.
Does anyone else find it disturbing that we have to pass more laws to protect established rights like fair use? Shouldn't fair use be able to defend itself? As a programmer, I believe in writing the minimal efficient code to achieve the objective. Why don't lawyers feel the same way?
IMHO: because more laws means you need to pay more lawyers to understand your rights and duties. They're preserving and expanding the clan.
IMNERHO, this is the right way to enforce copyright law, not the DMCA. punish those who steal, not those who create tools that could be used by someone who steals.
You may or may not agree with copyright law, but as long as it exists and must be enforced, I greatly prefer enforcement that targets the actual offenders. If copyright is not abandoned (which is highly unlikely), then we will have to either accept individual enforcement or laws like the DMCA.
I have had a server colocated at Alex's ISP, http://www.acedsl.com/ for a little over a year, and had my DSL from them when I was living in NYC. Good company, good people, reasonable prices for static IPs and upstream bandwidth. I highly recommend them.
It helps to know what amendment we're thumping the pulpit about.
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence."
It's pretty easy to argue for Together at the high level. When it comes down to filling out the code though, there is little that can beat a developer being comfortable with his or her environment. Much of my office uses IntelliJ, I use Emacs, some people use Vi. Putting me on Vi, or someone who is most comfortable with a GUI IDE on Emacs would sacrifice more productivity than could be gained by having a unified environment.
is fair use a birth right or simply a result of the sale contract?
Before answering this question, you must first answer the question, "Is copyright a birth right, or simply the result of government fiat?".
The free market governs the price of physical property by natural law; when I have this block of cheese, you cannot simultaneously have it. Therefore, if you want it, you must give me something which I value more, and you value less, than the block of cheese. Great system, and it is a natural byproduct of the laws of physics.
Intellectual property does not follow these natural laws. Therefore, copyright is itself a fiat of government. Given that, everything regarding IP rights is a fiat of government and subject to the desires of the governed. There is no natural law regarding any part of IP law, including "fair use".
"Frankly, the best cure I've seen for it is age: Almost all prima donnas I know are under 25 and haven't worked more than one or two jobs."
"is that every prima donna I've met was a recent college comp-sci graduate at the time."
I very much agree with this, and with the 5 step plan you've distilled for dealing with prima donna's.
How do you deal with curmudgeons? (the 40+ year old programmers who are convinced they are infallible)
http://www.heartinfo.com/mosamfat197.htm
Being overweight is much more deadly in America than being underweight.
Full Text Of The Directive
A few of the more heinous provisions:
Section 26: (paraphrased, full text below)
Making analog backup copies for personal use is fine. Making digi tal backup copies for personal use is not.
Section 27: (paraphrased, full text below)
Even if the media holder has a legal right to access the content, that media holder may not circumvent cryptographic protections in the medium to access the content.
IE: You must use a *licensed* player for DVDs.
IE: The use of DeCSS is illegal, even if the action for which it is used is legal.
Section 28: (paraphrased, full text below)
Lending libraries are a good thing, and should continue to exist; however, they must move their books around in meatspace.
On the upside:
Section 38: (paraphrased, full text below)
In 2 years we should sift through the wreckage.
26.
Whereas Member States should be allowed to provide for an exception to the reproduction right for certain types of reproduction of audio, visual and audio-visual material for private use, accompanied by fair compensation in certain cases; whereas this may include the introduction or continuation of remuneration schemes to compensate for the prejudice to rightholders; whereas, although differences between those remuneration schemes affect the functioning of the Internal Market, those differences, with respect to analogue private reproduction, should not have a significant impact on the development of the Information Society; whereas digital private copying is likely to be more widespread and have a greater economic impact; whereas a distinction should therefore be made between digital private copying and analogue private copying and whereas the conditions of application should in both cases be harmonised to a certain extent; whereas it is of particular importance, in the case of digital private copying, that all rightholders receive fair compensation ";
27.
Whereas, when applying the exception on private copying, Member States should take due account of technological and economic developments, in particular with respect to digital private copying and remuneration schemes, when effective technological protection measures are available; whereas such exceptions should not inhibit the use of technological measures or their enforcement against circumvention;
28.
Whereas Member States may provide for an exception for the benefit of establishments accessible to the public, such as non-profit-making libraries and equivalent institutions; whereas, however, this should be limited to certain special cases covered by the reproduction right; whereas such an exception should not cover uses made in the context of on-line delivery of protected works or other subject matter; whereas this Directive should be without prejudice to Member States' option to derogate from the exclusive public lending right in accordance with Article 5 of Council Directive 92/100/EEC of 19 November 1992 on rental right and lending right and on certain rights related to copyright in the field of intellectual property, as amended by Directive 93/98/EEC; whereas, therefore, specific contracts or licences should be promoted which, without creating imbalances, favour such establishments and the disseminative purposes they serve;
38.
Whereas, after a period of two years following the date of implementation of this Directive, the Commission should report on its application; whereas this report should examine in particular whether the conditions set out in the Directive have resulted in ensuring a proper functioning of the Internal Market, and should propose action if necessary,
The Secret Service's electrionic evidence guidelines are located here. and include the following information that seems pertinent in this case:
1. * * Networked or business computers
* Consult a Computer Specialist for further assistance
* Pulling the plug could:
* Severely damage the system
* Disrupt legitimate business
* Create officer and department liability
People can communicate, transfer information, make airline reservations, place auction bids, plunge into sophisticated games, hack any system on the planet, create alternate personalities, self-publish themselves, yak with their grandkids and amass tons of free stuff from music to lecture notes to building blueprints.
That is the revolution, and it is good. I live in New York City. My father lives in Ohio. Last week, he went to buy a new car, and changed his mind about what brand to purchase while he was at the dealership. He called me while he was driving home to ask about the other vehicle he's considering. In less than 2 minutes I had found a dealership within 2 miles of his location on the freeway and given him directions.
The revolution is already here, and it is astonishing in it's scope and economic impact. Producers have an unprecedented ability to reach accurately targetted potential consumers. Consumers have an unprecedented ability to research potential purchases. Those of you who are familiar with economics have probably heard the related term; we are getting closer to "perfect information". Increasing the mobility of information helps us to satisfy our wants. Have you ever researched a computer hardware upgrade on SharkyExtreme or found a book about firewalling on Barnes and Noble?
There's a well deserved shakeout occuring right now. On my last contract one of the programmers that worked for me had just moved into programming. He was a golf pro 6 months earlier. There have been a lot of poorly thought out and executed business plans. It's a perfectly common occurance. Booms are followed by the wheat being culled from the chaff. The chaff deserves whatever happens to it, and the wheat invariably winds up in a better state in the long run. In this particular case, I would also assert that few are worse off now than they were 5 years ago.
The current level of irrational negativism is no more warranted than last Winter's irrational optimism.
Bob
Offer you employer a license cheap. Maybe even let them have it for free for this client. You can spin control that into enough goodwill with your employer that you'll be able to charge a good, fair price for the next client they find for your product.
Make sure you approach them by explaining how this makes their lives better. EG: "Boss, I've got a great idea for satisfying this client quickly and inexpensively!"
FWIW:
I don't currently filter ads, but I would if a site that I use frequently, like slashdot, started using popups. I like banner ads, the business model works for me. I'm even in favour of adding a vertical format ad on the left or right if you need the cash, but opening a new window every time I reload would tip the balance too far.
I use NS 4.73, which is barely stable as it is, I don't need my RAM chewed up any faster.
Given that:
"Federal law makes it illegal to knowingly obtain unauthorized access to a computer,"
Does is follow that if I post my mp3s on a website, and set up an apache mod so you have to click through a warning screen that says, "Access to these files is unauthorized.", then I am not guilty of distribution?
Then I just turn off the access log and the only person who knows is Carnivore. And everyone knows Carnivore can't trap packets unless you're already under investigation. If I clearly state that access is unauthorized, there's no reason to investigate.
My belief has been that the fallout of the crash will have a significantly greater impact on novices than on experts. Where I had been focusing on skill set diversification (diverse programming languages, systems administration, network administration, etc), I am now concentrating on climbing to higher levels in a single skill set (Java middleware design).
Could this lead to the development of an ILFM (Inter-Labratory Fecal Missile)? This could be a huge step in the monkey / lab assistant arms race.
The FBI is putting a black box between you and the Internet via your ISP. What this means is that your communication passes through this box. The FBI is now the Gatekeeper for whether or not your communication gets out
My understanding is that Carnivore is a packet sniffing device that is attached to a network, but does not act as a gateway. It is capable of listening to everything on the segment, but cannot alter the information. (And I agree that trusting the FBI with that much snoop power is a strong motivation to use GPG on your email.)
http://www.gnupg.org/
Saw Kent Beck speak on eXtreme Programming at the Seattle Java Users Group (seajug.org), in cooperation with the Seattle Smalltalk Users Group. He was a great speaker, did a great job of keeping the audiences attention. Then had questions and answers, during which he proved to be both quick on his feet and a generally nice guy. Noteablye, he did an excellant job of handling the attitude that is pervasive in the programming community (not excluding myself from that characterization).
All around a great lecture, would recommend him to any UG, even though he is not directly a speaker about Linux.
The entire caching mechanism is LGPL'ed, you can pull it down from http://traxel.com/oss/. The call is in the Cache.manageCacheSize() method. I consider it well timed because it occurs right after expired objects are removed from the cache. I'll have my email address up on the site soon, if you want to make changes use bobnospam@nospamtraxel.com.
Memory footprint can be significantly mitigated with well placed calls to System.gc(). Was playing with a caching mechanism this past weekend and reduced memory overhead by more than 30%. Unfortunately, very few tutorials that I've seen demonstrate or recommend the well timed use of System.gc().
Lack of good coding on the part of the programmer cannot be blamed on the VM.