On call is part of the job, whether or not it's a consulting job, or a regular employee. As a consultant I dont get paid for being on call, but I do get paid a minimum of 2 hours if I do get called - it's the way my firm negotiated the contract. I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
The only reason to have a gun is to protect oneself from incivility, and violence.
Thus, the necessity to own a gun arises from not living in a civilised place.
Excuse me while I wipe the bullshit off of my shoes. I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
"The only possible explanation that doesn't make Motorola sound like evil bastards is the concept that they're simply asking for this information in an effort to be closer to their customers."
Well, that would be true if the asked. But they don't, they demand it. "give me you data or you will be out of buisness"
It would also make sense if they would even comment on it officialy to the press, other then putting their thumb down on their resellers and letting the story leak out that way. I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
Two, in Maryland at least, you can tell the phone company to "lock" your long distance carrier, so it can't be done unless you ask the phone company (local) to do it.
This is also possible in Ohio. Actually, I had a friend that worked at a nation-wide long distance company and he told me that this was a Federal law/regulation. You can call your local provider and tell them to "lock your choices for service" and then you're set.
I discovered this option when I got a phone bill that was charging me for a 1-800 number, I called the phone company and bitched for an hour about it - because we all know bitching and anger are the best ways to solve everything.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
Why is it that government is stuck on MS software?.......Uncle Sam has the size to demand what it wants.
What you're saying makes sense, but keep in mind that much of the work being done that is 'sensitive' is done by private companies (Lockheed, Boeing, McDonnel Douglas and others).
These private comapanies must be able to trade files with their privately owned clients as well as their government clients. It's not feasable (technically or probably financially either) for a company to conform to two standards - one for the private world, and another for the government.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
...they still want to do business here in the US they will have to have be incorporated in some way in the US.
Let's also not forget that the US government is the largest software customer in the world (of all the money spent on software in the world, the US government spends ~50% of it). Let's also not forget that the US government is stuck on Microsoft products (like the rest of the world), so they have to keep buying the latest versions (like the rest of the world) in order to maintain support.
If MS were to move out of the country the government would be forced (by its own laws and regulations) to remove MS products from any computer that stores 'sensitive' information (Word97 is a US Military standard) since the product would then be foreign made. And, frankly, if you're going to remove a product from these computers, you should remove it from the rest as well to maintain compatibility.
MS is not going to move away from its biggest customer.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
All of it? Not really, but a lot of it does, yes. This is mainly because the networks here are afraid of taking a risk.
British TV tends to be more 'on edge' than the typical network show in the US. Cable channels take a risk here and there, but never go all-out. Why do you think TLC showed the original BBC version of the show? It cost them a lot less than making it. They were able to see what kind of numbers it would put up.
I just hope the US version is just as good as the original. I fear they might change the show a little and screw it up.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
So what if it's staged? I dont think it was ever presented/advertised as reality tv. It was meant to be entertaining - and it is.
So, it might be staged, it seems convenient that there are always enough barrels around when they need something to float, or there are ALWAYS working engines when they need one.
Nobody ever advertised Bugs Bunny as reality TV and Bugs still kicks ass! People hung up on the reality TV will ruin the shows meant as entertaining. (yes, I watched survivor and was bored stiff)
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
...do we have to make everything into lego then post it on Slashdot?
As long as it's something new and interesting...why not?
And also, what's the point of a lego desk if it's glued together? Might as well be a wood desk with a lego top.
I'll venture to say that the 'point' is different from person to person. It could be that the person who requested the desk wanted to make a statement to their coworkers, or to the management of the place (ie, 'See how important they think *I* am?').
Gluing it together is extremely important when dealing with something as large as a desk. Think about trying to move it if it's not glued. I dont think the bricks would hold together with that much weight pulling them apart if you lifted the desk.
Linux is based off of Minix, which was based off of UNIX. And UNIX was designed to run on mainframes, not on my grandmother's PC
OK, let me start by saying I love using linux, I think it can be used on a desktop if a few things happen here and there, regardless of its initial intent. I'm even using it NOW.
FYI, linux was not designed to be a server, it was designed to be a hobby for a grad student. I'm not saying that yout statement is wrong, I'm just saying Linux is already being used for more than it was intended, so why not expand it to be used the way people want to use it (ie desktop)?
...they say they want to take the server market over from sun
As far as taking server market away from Sun. If money was not an issue, I'd MUCH rather have a Solaris server. If money was an issue, I doubt I'd be able to afford one of Dell's expensive-as-hell machines anyway. If I was tight on money, I would be able to put a machine together for MUCH less and make my boss just as happy or happier.
Let me start by saying I am NOT supporting Naziism, and that I'm not familiar with non-US laws.
I feel that I must say this: Why is someone expressing their thoughts and feelings a problem? I understand the some groups do so by using illegal methods, but they have a right (in the US anyway) to express their ideas.
I just dont see it a problem if someone is expressing their 1st ammendment right.
This reminds me of the time in the early 80's when you had a Commodre, an Apple, or MAYBE an IBM machine.
With the two companies moving away from compatability, it seems like we're moving back toward that era where there's no such thing as a PC as we know it.
AW hell, if only I could afford to put an Sun enterprise machine in at home. At least the competitors in that arena are incompatible all around - you can tell by looking at the case. In this case, there could be 2 Compaq machine (or Gateway etc) that you can't install the same OS on...can't tell by looking though.
...since it's a federal law, it makes it a crime against the US and not against Apple.
No neccessarily true....if I cannot be sued for breaking a law, then how come there are cases where people have to pay damages in a civil case?
OJ comes to mind. He was found guilty, but was sued in a civil case and was found responsible for the deaths of those 2 folks. Does this make any sense, he (according to the court) didnt do it, but he's still responsible?
I know this may change from state to state, but I'm willing to bet that there's a way this can happen on the federal level too.
Actually, people will just figure out how to code without responsibility. Ever hear of a speakeasy? Prohibition didnt work - it was unenforceable, that's why it was repealed. That, and I think people just finally figured out how ignorant it was to blame an inanimate object for our problems.
Oh, wait a minute, we're in the state of figuring that out now arent we? I'll submit that we are, since we're prosecuting the manufacturer of a hand gun because Johnny got one from his dad's uncles' brother's sister's boyfriends' ex-roomate's cousin-in-law's unlocked gun cabinet and shot his buddy. It's not the fault of the owner for being neglegent, it's the manufacturer. Maybe we arent learning, maybe we're just going through the steps.
Do people actually buy this shit where Johnny's not at fault, or the owner's not? Or is it just the judges? Maybe judges arent people? Oh yeah, they're not, they're lawyers.
I hope society learns that you have the right to own a screw driver, but you dont have the right to take Craftsman to court because you poked your eye with the sharp end...if not, I'd prefer not being a part of this society.
How come we have double tape decks? Surely that encourages copying? Maybe it's easier to shut down Napster than it is to criminalize
millions of users then try to prosecute each one.
OK, assuming we're talking US law here. You're allowed to copy according to the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, sec. 1008. I'll paraphrase when it says that you can make/use recordings and recording devices for non-commercial use without fear of prosecution.
Now, many people assume that 'non-commercial' mean non-profit. It doesn't. If it meant non-profit it would say non-profit. It means non-commercial, or not in a state of commerce. If you look commerce up in a dictionary, it'll say something about trade, nowhere does is mention money, except maybe to say that it's usually money that is changing hands in exchange for goods or services.
So, Napster is at fault for allowing the illegal trade to occur, and the users are at fault for doing it. Do I think it's right? No, is it the law? Sadly, it is.
Microsoft no longer calls the protocol SMB - they call it CIFS - even though it's still the same thing.
So, why not change the name of SaMBa to reflect this change. It's just going to end up being a legacy name that older sysadmins will have to explain to youngsters anyway.
"Well, it's called SaMBa because back in MY day we didnt have CIFS. We had the exact same thing, only we called is SMB. It's kinda like how the LCI used to be Qwest."
I know I may be considered a blasphemer, but if the actual name of the package came from the REAL protocal (like we know that it did), and the protocal has changed, why not change the name of the package?
I wonder if MPAA and RIAA will go so far as to sue the power companies since they provide the power to the equipment with which these 'pirate' copies are made? Or, they could sue the connection providers for the various sites (and our ISPs) for providing the media for which the copies to be transmitted through.
Sorry, just a little sarcasm to brighten up the day.
You're right, but LucasFilm very well could since they own the movie. Movies work like a software license...you didnt buy the movie, you bought the right to view it in your private home. The movie is still owned, trademarked, and copyrighted by the film company.
If WineLib is really getting good enough for vendors to port their software using it, then our chances of getting a load of the thousands of good Windows applications ported are greatly improved.
The problem with good enough is that's what made M$ so damned powerful in the first place. They release something when it is good enough (by their standards), not when it's good.
We (as linux advocates/users) are in a catch 22. If we dont use these ports that use winelib, that are good enough, then industry will think there's no support and stop 'porting'. If we use it, then there will always be ports that are good enough, and not good because they will use winelib and take the lower cost path to increase the profit margin.
Anyone out there who's in software engineering ought to know that good enough is something that is supposed to be scoffed at from the 'pure' software engineering side...from the business side however....
That's because most games produced in the US tend to be crap and Microsoft's X-Box is only going to continue this trend.
The problem isnt that the games are crap, it's that most console players tend to not want games that are popular for PC, they want mindless (IMO) fighters, and most PC gamers tend to want either 3D 1st person (Quake) which IMO look MUCH better on a PC, plus a lack of mouse on most consoles, or simulations (Falcon 4) where there simply arent enough controls on a console, or they want RTS where the interface just plain sucks through a control pad or joystick of somekind.
You typically can't take a game from one platform to the other without problems with popularity. There are exceptions to this of course, but this is my observation of the typical.
I agree that competition is good, but I've heard runors that Sega is leaving the console market after their next platform comes out. According to what I've heard, they want to focus on their arcade games - which, let's face it, are most of the best games out there (in the arcade anyway).
Well, just remember - if it happens dont complain! Yo ujsut asked for a raid. I totally understand what you're saying though - there's no such thing as bad publicity.
Congrats on the posting of a 10,000th story. I honestly thought that would have happened a while back (only been/. reader for 1yr)! However, does anyone else see the irony in the 10,000th story being a story about the 10,000th story? I find it rather humurous, sorry if it wasnt supposed to be seen in this light., but that's just me. Please excuse the truncated sig, I'm about to fix that now.
I agree with your statement about being able to type much faster than speak.
What needs to happen is that our brothers in the AI field need to perfect natural language recognition (NLR) so that a computer can not only translate what we say into text, but UNDERSTAND what it means. That we we would be able to use the MEANING of a statement instead of the statement itself to tell the computer what we want it to do (think of Star Trek).
Slashdot Mirror
I am a consultant as well...
On call is part of the job, whether or not it's a consulting job, or a regular employee. As a consultant I dont get paid for being on call, but I do get paid a minimum of 2 hours if I do get called - it's the way my firm negotiated the contract.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
The only reason to have a gun is to protect oneself from incivility, and violence.
Thus, the necessity to own a gun arises from not living in a civilised place.
Excuse me while I wipe the bullshit off of my shoes.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
"The only possible explanation that doesn't make Motorola sound like evil bastards is the concept that they're simply asking for this information in an effort to be closer to their customers."
Well, that would be true if the asked. But they don't, they demand it. "give me you data or you will be out of buisness"
It would also make sense if they would even comment on it officialy to the press, other then putting their thumb down on their resellers and letting the story leak out that way.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
Two, in Maryland at least, you can tell the phone company to "lock" your long distance carrier, so it can't be done unless you ask the phone company (local) to do it.
This is also possible in Ohio. Actually, I had a friend that worked at a nation-wide long distance company and he told me that this was a Federal law/regulation. You can call your local provider and tell them to "lock your choices for service" and then you're set.
I discovered this option when I got a phone bill that was charging me for a 1-800 number, I called the phone company and bitched for an hour about it - because we all know bitching and anger are the best ways to solve everything.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
The last I heard the only OS that met the CIA's (not DoD) stringent security requirements out of the box was UNICOS (Cray OS)
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
Why is it that government is stuck on MS software?.......Uncle Sam has the size to demand what it wants.
What you're saying makes sense, but keep in mind that much of the work being done that is 'sensitive' is done by private companies (Lockheed, Boeing, McDonnel Douglas and others).
These private comapanies must be able to trade files with their privately owned clients as well as their government clients. It's not feasable (technically or probably financially either) for a company to conform to two standards - one for the private world, and another for the government.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
...they still want to do business here in the US they will have to have be incorporated in some way in the US.
Let's also not forget that the US government is the largest software customer in the world (of all the money spent on software in the world, the US government spends ~50% of it). Let's also not forget that the US government is stuck on Microsoft products (like the rest of the world), so they have to keep buying the latest versions (like the rest of the world) in order to maintain support.
If MS were to move out of the country the government would be forced (by its own laws and regulations) to remove MS products from any computer that stores 'sensitive' information (Word97 is a US Military standard) since the product would then be foreign made. And, frankly, if you're going to remove a product from these computers, you should remove it from the rest as well to maintain compatibility.
MS is not going to move away from its biggest customer.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
Does all our programming come for overseas ideas?
All of it? Not really, but a lot of it does, yes. This is mainly because the networks here are afraid of taking a risk.
British TV tends to be more 'on edge' than the typical network show in the US. Cable channels take a risk here and there, but never go all-out. Why do you think TLC showed the original BBC version of the show? It cost them a lot less than making it. They were able to see what kind of numbers it would put up.
I just hope the US version is just as good as the original. I fear they might change the show a little and screw it up.
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
...with a soldering iron. Unreality TV.
So what if it's staged? I dont think it was ever presented/advertised as reality tv. It was meant to be entertaining - and it is.
So, it might be staged, it seems convenient that there are always enough barrels around when they need something to float, or there are ALWAYS working engines when they need one.
Nobody ever advertised Bugs Bunny as reality TV and Bugs still kicks ass! People hung up on the reality TV will ruin the shows meant as entertaining. (yes, I watched survivor and was bored stiff)
I've grown sick of the world and its people's mindless games
...do we have to make everything into lego then post it on Slashdot?
As long as it's something new and interesting...why not?
And also, what's the point of a lego desk if it's glued together? Might as well be a wood desk with a lego top.
I'll venture to say that the 'point' is different from person to person. It could be that the person who requested the desk wanted to make a statement to their coworkers, or to the management of the place (ie, 'See how important they think *I* am?').
Gluing it together is extremely important when dealing with something as large as a desk. Think about trying to move it if it's not glued. I dont think the bricks would hold together with that much weight pulling them apart if you lifted the desk.
Linux is based off of Minix, which was based off of UNIX. And UNIX was designed to run on mainframes, not on my grandmother's PC
...they say they want to take the server market over from sun
OK, let me start by saying I love using linux, I think it can be used on a desktop if a few things happen here and there, regardless of its initial intent. I'm even using it NOW.
FYI, linux was not designed to be a server, it was designed to be a hobby for a grad student. I'm not saying that yout statement is wrong, I'm just saying Linux is already being used for more than it was intended, so why not expand it to be used the way people want to use it (ie desktop)?
As far as taking server market away from Sun. If money was not an issue, I'd MUCH rather have a Solaris server. If money was an issue, I doubt I'd be able to afford one of Dell's expensive-as-hell machines anyway. If I was tight on money, I would be able to put a machine together for MUCH less and make my boss just as happy or happier.
Nazism is a much bigger problem in Europe than NA
Let me start by saying I am NOT supporting Naziism, and that I'm not familiar with non-US laws.
I feel that I must say this: Why is someone expressing their thoughts and feelings a problem? I understand the some groups do so by using illegal methods, but they have a right (in the US anyway) to express their ideas.
I just dont see it a problem if someone is expressing their 1st ammendment right.
This reminds me of the time in the early 80's when you had a Commodre, an Apple, or MAYBE an IBM machine.
With the two companies moving away from compatability, it seems like we're moving back toward that era where there's no such thing as a PC as we know it.
AW hell, if only I could afford to put an Sun enterprise machine in at home. At least the competitors in that arena are incompatible all around - you can tell by looking at the case. In this case, there could be 2 Compaq machine (or Gateway etc) that you can't install the same OS on...can't tell by looking though.
...since it's a federal law, it makes it a crime against the US and not against Apple.
No neccessarily true....if I cannot be sued for breaking a law, then how come there are cases where people have to pay damages in a civil case?
OJ comes to mind. He was found guilty, but was sued in a civil case and was found responsible for the deaths of those 2 folks. Does this make any sense, he (according to the court) didnt do it, but he's still responsible?
I know this may change from state to state, but I'm willing to bet that there's a way this can happen on the federal level too.
Actually, people will just figure out how to code without responsibility. Ever hear of a speakeasy? Prohibition didnt work - it was unenforceable, that's why it was repealed. That, and I think people just finally figured out how ignorant it was to blame an inanimate object for our problems.
Oh, wait a minute, we're in the state of figuring that out now arent we? I'll submit that we are, since we're prosecuting the manufacturer of a hand gun because Johnny got one from his dad's uncles' brother's sister's boyfriends' ex-roomate's cousin-in-law's unlocked gun cabinet and shot his buddy. It's not the fault of the owner for being neglegent, it's the manufacturer. Maybe we arent learning, maybe we're just going through the steps.
Do people actually buy this shit where Johnny's not at fault, or the owner's not? Or is it just the judges? Maybe judges arent people? Oh yeah, they're not, they're lawyers.
I hope society learns that you have the right to own a screw driver, but you dont have the right to take Craftsman to court because you poked your eye with the sharp end...if not, I'd prefer not being a part of this society.
How come we have double tape decks? Surely that encourages copying? Maybe it's easier to shut down Napster than it is to criminalize millions of users then try to prosecute each one.
OK, assuming we're talking US law here. You're allowed to copy according to the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, sec. 1008. I'll paraphrase when it says that you can make/use recordings and recording devices for non-commercial use without fear of prosecution.
Now, many people assume that 'non-commercial' mean non-profit. It doesn't. If it meant non-profit it would say non-profit. It means non-commercial, or not in a state of commerce. If you look commerce up in a dictionary, it'll say something about trade, nowhere does is mention money, except maybe to say that it's usually money that is changing hands in exchange for goods or services.
So, Napster is at fault for allowing the illegal trade to occur, and the users are at fault for doing it. Do I think it's right? No, is it the law? Sadly, it is.
Microsoft no longer calls the protocol SMB - they call it CIFS - even though it's still the same thing.
So, why not change the name of SaMBa to reflect this change. It's just going to end up being a legacy name that older sysadmins will have to explain to youngsters anyway.
"Well, it's called SaMBa because back in MY day we didnt have CIFS. We had the exact same thing, only we called is SMB. It's kinda like how the LCI used to be Qwest."
I know I may be considered a blasphemer, but if the actual name of the package came from the REAL protocal (like we know that it did), and the protocal has changed, why not change the name of the package?
I wonder if MPAA and RIAA will go so far as to sue the power companies since they provide the power to the equipment with which these 'pirate' copies are made? Or, they could sue the connection providers for the various sites (and our ISPs) for providing the media for which the copies to be transmitted through.
Sorry, just a little sarcasm to brighten up the day.
MPAA couldn't possibly stop us
You're right, but LucasFilm very well could since they own the movie. Movies work like a software license...you didnt buy the movie, you bought the right to view it in your private home. The movie is still owned, trademarked, and copyrighted by the film company.
If WineLib is really getting good enough for vendors to port their software using it, then our chances of getting a load of the thousands of good Windows applications ported are greatly improved.
The problem with good enough is that's what made M$ so damned powerful in the first place. They release something when it is good enough (by their standards), not when it's good.
We (as linux advocates/users) are in a catch 22. If we dont use these ports that use winelib, that are good enough, then industry will think there's no support and stop 'porting'. If we use it, then there will always be ports that are good enough, and not good because they will use winelib and take the lower cost path to increase the profit margin.
Anyone out there who's in software engineering ought to know that good enough is something that is supposed to be scoffed at from the 'pure' software engineering side...from the business side however....
That's because most games produced in the US tend to be crap and Microsoft's X-Box is only going to continue this trend.
The problem isnt that the games are crap, it's that most console players tend to not want games that are popular for PC, they want mindless (IMO) fighters, and most PC gamers tend to want either 3D 1st person (Quake) which IMO look MUCH better on a PC, plus a lack of mouse on most consoles, or simulations (Falcon 4) where there simply arent enough controls on a console, or they want RTS where the interface just plain sucks through a control pad or joystick of somekind.
You typically can't take a game from one platform to the other without problems with popularity. There are exceptions to this of course, but this is my observation of the typical.
I agree that competition is good, but I've heard runors that Sega is leaving the console market after their next platform comes out. According to what I've heard, they want to focus on their arcade games - which, let's face it, are most of the best games out there (in the arcade anyway).
Well, just remember - if it happens dont complain! Yo ujsut asked for a raid. I totally understand what you're saying though - there's no such thing as bad publicity.
Congrats on the posting of a 10,000th story. I honestly thought that would have happened a while back (only been /. reader for 1yr)! However, does anyone else see the irony in the 10,000th story being a story about the 10,000th story? I find it rather humurous, sorry if it wasnt supposed to be seen in this light., but that's just me. Please excuse the truncated sig, I'm about to fix that now.
I agree with your statement about being able to type much faster than speak.
What needs to happen is that our brothers in the AI field need to perfect natural language recognition (NLR) so that a computer can not only translate what we say into text, but UNDERSTAND what it means. That we we would be able to use the MEANING of a statement instead of the statement itself to tell the computer what we want it to do (think of Star Trek).