But I didn't get the law repealed this week. I'll keep working on that. It would be really nice if you would put in a lot of work on this, too. This is the sort of issue where every one of us has to help or we'll lose.
OK. What can I do to help? Aside from donating to EFF, that is - what can I actually get up off my lardy backside and *do*? If I could think of anything myself, I'd be doing it already. (I'm not a US citizen, btw.)
Huh? On which planet is this? On planet Earth, Europe is no such thing. Hell, even England (where I live) is not just one big city. Having spent the first 18 years of my life in a rural environment, and having recently spent a couple of years in The Small Town That Civilisation Forget (Corby, Northants, in case you care), I find my experience is at odds with your assertion. And let's not even mention Wales, shall we, big stinking metropolis that it isn't.
Have you ever even visited Europe? And if so, which country? I'd like to here of just *one* European country that can be reasonably described as 'one big city'.
To be honest, your astoundingly stupid assertion above doesn't inspire me with much confidence about the veracity of the rest of your comment. --
> In other words, if I want to smoke, and I'm not bothering anyone, why should I be taxed for it more
> than any other consumer good? >
> Because you're sitting next to me, and you're giving ME cancer.
But that's not true. I can't smoke in my office. I can't smoke in a restaurant. I can't smoke in planes, trains, buses or taxis. I can't smoke at the cinema. I can't smoke at the theatre. I'm damned sure if I went to your house and started to smoke, you'd ask me to leave if you dislike smoke. So where, exactly, am I sitting next to you? Don't get me wrong - I support your right not to breath other people's smoke - but if I want to give myself cancer in the comfort of my own home, what business is it of yours?
I'm not sure what the exchange rate is, but I'm in the UK and here is what I get paid for callout: 200ukp for carrying the mobile around for a week. If I get called, I get paid for the time I spend solving the problem (however I solve it - over the 'phone or onsite) at 1.75 times my normal hourly rate, with a minimum of one hour per call, even if sort it out in 5 minutes. Also, for every hour after midnight that I spend on a call, I get an hour off in leiu the next day - so if I get a call at 1am, have to go onsite, and don't get back till 4am, I can come in 3 hours late the next (same, really) day. (Hey, I need my beauty sleep:)).
I'm lucky in that the systems I support are pretty stable, and we get an average of 1 call every 3 or 4 months. Now, I have a pretty good deal here, I know that. The reason for that is that when I have worked for companies in the past that tried to screw me by trying to get me to give up my social life for peanuts, I left. There are companies out there that value their staff. I suggest you find one. Your life will be much better for it.
> The Cathedral does have a very good ingredient in its mixture that OSS > programmers don't have, and that is focus.
You've read A Deepness In The Sky by Vernor Vinge, right? I just had this *horrible* mental image of the PHBs at my workplace ensuring that all employees have Focus. They'd do it, too, if they could. I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. --
I have a C1 series VAIO laptop - the PCG-C1XD to be precise. The sole reason I got it was *because* it's so small. It actually fits in the inside pocket of the coat that I wear (granted, it has big pockets..).
The comment most people seem to make (apart from 'hey, that looks cool!') is to ask whether or not the keyboard is big enough to touch-type on. It is. I'm doing so now.
If only I'd waited for a crusoe-powered version, I'd have the perfect laptop. I mean, I have firewire, usb, 12gig harddrive, PII400 cpu, in something that I can type properly on, easily carry in one hand and weighs about 1kg (with battery). What more could I want? Oh, and the built-in camera's cool too (there's a package available that allows you to use it under Linux):) --
You wanna know the really annoying thing about those cameras? I used to live in a flat that had one pointed at it (it was above a shop in the town centre) and I got broken into. So I 'phoned the cops. "I'm sorry, there's no film in those cameras" I was told, when I asked them to review the tapes...
You are wrong. A precedent has been set, even though Demon settled. This was for the first of the two cases that Godfrey brought, and the precedent was set when Morland (the judge) dismissed Demon's original defence of innocent dissemination as hopeless after they had been put on notice (which Godfrey did). If they had removed the offending articles as soon as they were made aware of them, they would have had a good defence, but as they did not, they could no longer use that defence. See demon.service for more detailed discussion on this.
Folks interested in this whole post-Godfrey mess (which ought to mean every net user in the UK) may be interested in the new newsgroup uk.current-events.usenet-censorship, created to discuss issues related to the removal of usenet posts/TOSsing of customers (such as the guy who's access to Demon's news server was revoked for a post he made to an entirely different server!).
Slashdot Mirror
SCO claims irrelevant.
But I didn't get the law repealed this week. I'll keep working on that. It would be really nice if you would put in a lot of work on this, too. This is the sort of issue where every one of us has to help or we'll lose.
OK. What can I do to help? Aside from donating to EFF, that is - what can I actually get up off my lardy backside and *do*? If I could think of anything myself, I'd be doing it already. (I'm not a US citizen, btw.)
Well, perhaps your friends have a point - as a programmer, I know which of the two I'd prefer right now.
> Europe is one big city.
Huh? On which planet is this? On planet Earth, Europe is no such thing. Hell, even England (where I live) is not just one big city. Having spent the first 18 years of my life in a rural environment, and having recently spent a couple of years in The Small Town That Civilisation Forget (Corby, Northants, in case you care), I find my experience is at odds with your assertion. And let's not even mention Wales, shall we, big stinking metropolis that it isn't.
Have you ever even visited Europe? And if so, which country? I'd like to here of just *one* European country that can be reasonably described as 'one big city'.
To be honest, your astoundingly stupid assertion above doesn't inspire me with much confidence about the veracity of the rest of your comment.
--
> In other words, if I want to smoke, and I'm not bothering anyone, why should I be taxed for it more
> than any other consumer good?
>
> Because you're sitting next to me, and you're giving ME cancer.
But that's not true. I can't smoke in my office. I can't smoke in a restaurant. I can't smoke in planes, trains, buses or taxis. I can't smoke at the cinema. I can't smoke at the theatre. I'm damned sure if I went to your house and started to smoke, you'd ask me to leave if you dislike smoke. So where, exactly, am I sitting next to you?
Don't get me wrong - I support your right not to breath other people's smoke - but if I want to give myself cancer in the comfort of my own home, what business is it of yours?
--
> A picture of some shattered windows, caption, "Sure windows is stable..."
"...because you can't fall over when you're already on the floor."
(or did you mean 'stable' as in 'knee deep in shit' ?)
--
No, what would be really cool would be a parody with four identical windows
in a row, each one broken.
--
So why the fuck are you still working there? There *are* companies out
there that appreciate their staff, y'know...
--
If I were you, I'd leave. Now.
:)).
:)
I'm not sure what the exchange rate is, but I'm in the UK and here is what
I get paid for callout: 200ukp for carrying the mobile around for a week.
If I get called, I get paid for the time I spend solving the problem
(however I solve it - over the 'phone or onsite) at 1.75 times my normal
hourly rate, with a minimum of one hour per call, even if sort it out in 5
minutes. Also, for every hour after midnight that I spend on a call, I get
an hour off in leiu the next day - so if I get a call at 1am, have to go
onsite, and don't get back till 4am, I can come in 3 hours late the next
(same, really) day. (Hey, I need my beauty sleep
I'm lucky in that the systems I support are pretty stable, and we get an
average of 1 call every 3 or 4 months. Now, I have a pretty good deal here,
I know that. The reason for that is that when I have worked for companies
in the past that tried to screw me by trying to get me to give up my social
life for peanuts, I left. There are companies out there that value their
staff. I suggest you find one. Your life will be much better for it.
As it happens, I'm on call tonight
--
> The Cathedral does have a very good ingredient in its mixture that OSS
> programmers don't have, and that is focus.
You've read A Deepness In The Sky by Vernor Vinge, right? I just had this
*horrible* mental image of the PHBs at my workplace ensuring that all
employees have Focus. They'd do it, too, if they could.
I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight.
--
> you must have hands like a little bitch.
No, I'm just very skillful in how I use them.
Anyway, little bitches have paws, idiot.
--
I have a C1 series VAIO laptop - the PCG-C1XD to be precise. The sole
:)
reason I got it was *because* it's so small. It actually fits in the inside
pocket of the coat that I wear (granted, it has big pockets..).
The comment most people seem to make (apart from 'hey, that looks cool!')
is to ask whether or not the keyboard is big enough to touch-type on. It
is. I'm doing so now.
If only I'd waited for a crusoe-powered version, I'd have the perfect
laptop. I mean, I have firewire, usb, 12gig harddrive, PII400 cpu, in
something that I can type properly on, easily carry in one hand and weighs
about 1kg (with battery). What more could I want? Oh, and the built-in
camera's cool too (there's a package available that allows you to use it
under Linux)
--
You wanna know the really annoying thing about those cameras? I used to
live in a flat that had one pointed at it (it was above a shop in the town
centre) and I got broken into. So I 'phoned the cops. "I'm sorry, there's
no film in those cameras" I was told, when I asked them to review the
tapes...
You are wrong. A precedent has been set, even though Demon settled. This was
for the first of the two cases that Godfrey brought, and the precedent was
set when Morland (the judge) dismissed Demon's original defence of innocent
dissemination as hopeless after they had been put on notice (which Godfrey
did). If they had removed the offending articles as soon as they were made
aware of them, they would have had a good defence, but as they did not, they
could no longer use that defence. See demon.service for more detailed
discussion on this.
Folks interested in this whole post-Godfrey mess (which ought to mean every
net user in the UK) may be interested in the new newsgroup
uk.current-events.usenet-censorship, created to discuss issues related to
the removal of usenet posts/TOSsing of customers (such as the guy who's
access to Demon's news server was revoked for a post he made to an entirely
different server!).
OK, so how should I set my threshold to ignore these trolls? Perhaps we
need scores on stories too?
(No, I'm not *really* serious...)