I think you've overlooked the obvious answer here: Build authentication into the kernel so that everyone installing Win^H^H^HLinux has to register beforehand.
In fact, we can keep much better numbers if we tie individual registrations to a hardware platform. Of course we'd have to require re-registration if the platform was modified too severely, but I don't think anyone would mind.
And as the coup d'grace we could have a centralized login logger that could give realtime updates as to how many Linux users are currently logged in worldwide!
Our group at IBM did a project (it may still be operating) that put kiosks at Hiltons and United Airline (or maybe it was American Airline) terminals. The idea was that you could use your smart Amex card to check in at the terminal and at your hotel. The card would keep track of your frequent flyer miles and your "Hilton Points" or whatever they're called.
I think this was the first application of these types of cards.
I wonder how long before MS et. al. start distributing their virus fixes in the form of self-replicating antiviruses. That seems the quickest way to defeat this sort of thing.
This is a strong argument against encrypting media. Imagine if instead of saving to tape, modern NASA scientists archived to some SCM enabled drive or to DVD? Then not only would they have to figure out the data format, but encryption scheme, and key(s) as well.
Granted, some things need to be encrypted. However, with unchecked adoption of copyprotection schemes, in another dozen years we'll have a Y2K-ish problem on our hands of going through old data, figuring out the encryptions, and decoding the format.
Corporations don't and won't care. They are required by law to act as though they will always exist. Therefore their answer will always be: "Relax. When you need that info just give us a call! We have all that information saved."
When I got my DSL line installed and my machines configured properly, I thought, just for kicks, I'd check the POP box they setup for me. Ready for this? Over SIX HUNDRED spam messages were waiting for me:)
I count myself as an MS critic, but my goal is not to "punish" MS or even to get them to change their ways. My only goal (such as when I'm giving advice to my friends) is to educate on the consequences.
In this case, I would have to point out that while it's not new to tie registration to support, the frequency of needing support is expected to rise significantly. If I wanted XP and I wanted to protect my privacy from MS, I need to be prepared to buy 1 copy of XP per 3 modifications to my HW config because, in order to get XP to work after my 4th config mod I need to contact support. In order to use support I have to register, and in registering I sacrifice my privacy.
The answer is freedom and privacy. This is one (precident setting) instance of an ISP monitoring or exercising editorial control over what transpires on their system. Once they do that, they completely open the door to any and all demands for monitoring. For an extreme example, the NY Times could ask them to start screening for illegal copies of their articles (like when a/. poster posts an article as a comment because the site is no longer available or/.-ed.)
However, even though what is happening is only meant to enforce existing laws, once ISP's like this assume editorial control over content that crosses their lines they are free to sensor beyond traditional free speech laws. For example, if my company gets irritated at "John Doe1" because he (I) posted what they believe to be sensitive material, they don't have to go through the tiresome ritual of court papers - all they have to do is give the ISP a call and make it worth their while to have him (me) digitally silenced. And it's all quite legal since my ISP assumed editorial control over the content I posted.
There's been a lot of talk about corporations not being good citizens, so I just wanted to do my part to encourage those who buck the trend (and I encourage you to do so also!)
Here's snippet of the feedback I gave them at their website (www.spam.com):
I just wanted to applaud the more relaxed posture you guys are taking in defending your SPAM trademark. SPAM is an American icon, and like Terry Gilliam, "I love it!" Hormel's image is one of wholesomeness, and it upset me to see you guys taking such a hard line in what was to inevitably be a losing battle. Rest assured that there is a clear distinction in my mind between your product and unsolicited email.
One quick note about "artificial gravity." The very act of accelerating at 1G suffices. If half of the mission is spent accelerating and half decelerating, the only time spent in freefall will be during their stay at Mars.
Yah, chemical engines are probably out of the question, but the problem of building an engine that could run all the way to Mars and back is a little easier to get your head around than that of building some rotating vessel.
If you want all of that functionality in your versioning system, Lotus Notes may be the system for you. You can set up document approval cycles as well as versioning. I'm not sure if you can do searches on the text contained therein, but you can organize them all pretty well and serve them up with Lotus Domino.
It's been about 4 years since I've been exposed to Notes, so maybe someone with current experience can chime in. Back then it was fairly bloated, but it integrated with damn near everything.
I was reading this article in.8 when I downloaded and installed.9. There are definately speed improvements. Yes, in windows it does load slower than IE, but DAMN the rendering engine is fast. My advice: If you're using.8 on windows, upgrade baby!
If the company folds during your rental period they are only under the obligation to fullfill the terms in the lease (such as a support agreement.) What happens when they can't and they go bankrupt is, the court decides (or the commitee of debtee's) who gets the company's assets. In this case the company's source code is an asset, and because the company failed to supply you with what you paid for (support) they are indebted to you. You therefore get either a seat or at least representation on the debtee's commitee and may get a shot at the source code. If not, another party will get it and you'll be able to strike a relationship with them.
A safer solution for your company (regular Joe's probably don't have enough leverage for this) is to ask the software vendor to put their source code into escrow in return for your business. That way, if the company folds you automatically get the source code.
Don't get your panties in a bunch. Yah, this is uncool, but even if the UN agrees on making a treaty, individual countries still have to agree to be bound by it. Here in the US, in order for us citizens to be bound by a treaty, congress has to pass a law enacting the statutes of the treaty.
Yes, this will give whatever fascist element there is in our government another argument to pass these laws ("Look! All those other countries did it!"), but the bottom line is our UN reps are not circumventing the system.
Now that the market is full of fairly seasoned.com vets, I think you'll have some luck going to a traditional "headhunter." A lot of webheads are getting tired of the bull they have to put up with in the commercial world and would probably accept a cut in pay in exchange for a sane working environment and the satisfaction of working on something other than checkout engines.
With the recent collapse of many.com's, all sorts of geeks are dusting off their resumes. They're going to hit the avenues they know (headhunters) and you'll probably need an agent to sell the position (ie remind recruits of.com hell.)
It's fairly easy to point the finger at an anonymous group whose motives are rather simple. It's even easier to buy into the media hype about teen-age hackers.
What you need to do, however, is employ a fun little technique called "Follow the Money." In the case of DDoS attacks, what you'd do is figure out who has the most to gain from this fear.
Sure there are a few of these attacks that can be attributed to the I-wonder-if-I-can-do-this factor, but now it's in the hands of the people who can really use it (and not get caught.)
Is it irony that DDoS attacks are increasing the government's power over the Internet, or do both cause and effect share the same owner?
My God, could it be so simple? The obvious answer to these new and rediculous IP laws is to think ahead of time about the ramifications (beating the PR guys to their 'news' releases), publish bogus news articles about it, then when the outraged public starts knocking on the boardroom doors, they've got no corporate mantra or pre-recorded soundbites to work from! All they can do is deny everything! Muahahahaha!
You know, I'm really sick of hearing this "It's better than what they had before" argument. It includes an inherent comparison to the Western way of life. What this translates to is "it's closer to our way of life than before." You might as well say that the American Indians are better off now than before because Westerners came in and civilized them.
So you go on to argue that the only reason these people work like slaves is because more corporations haven't moved in to compete for their labor. Feel free to call me a communist or socialist, but if capitalism is Good, it must be Good at all scales, especially small. No, these people would not be poorer if the company left. They make just enough money ("they" meaning the all of the families who live under one roof) to pay the factory for rent and enough rice to let them live. They have absolutely no time to do anything except work and sleep. That is, they have no time to teach their children anything else except how to work in the factory. Would they die of starvation if the company left? Hmm... mankind seems to have gotten by in pre-industrial revolution times. Would they be poorer? They wouldn't have Western money in their pockets, but just try and put a price on their culture.
Capitalism, true Capitalism, isn't just about exchanging money for goods and labor - it's about a proper trade in value for what you want with what you want. No, these people aren't engaging in Capitalism by working in these factories. They've been tricked into slavery by corporations and corporate-backed polititians like so many heroin addicts who've been lured by the high (or in this case the dollar) but now have been on the junk so long they've forgotten how to live like human beings. They get just enough junk (er, dollars) to remind them of why they're there, but that cash just goes right back to the factory. Hell, if these factories were honest why don't they just pay their workers in rice and rent? I'll tell you why: Because the people who don't work for them already have a hut and rice. They're not blind or stupid. They can see the conditions that the others live in. But just like soon-to-be junkies they say "it'll never happen to me" and take the work for some cash.
If you want to read an enlightening story, here is a report and analysis of the actual earnings of these workers.
Slashdot Mirror
In fact, we can keep much better numbers if we tie individual registrations to a hardware platform. Of course we'd have to require re-registration if the platform was modified too severely, but I don't think anyone would mind.
And as the coup d'grace we could have a centralized login logger that could give realtime updates as to how many Linux users are currently logged in worldwide!
Yet.
I think that's the whole point of this announcement. The EU just hinting at what their price is.
Would that be the same Microsoft that "Embraced" and "Extended" Kerberos, despite there being an industry-wide controlling organization?
Sure, create a Hailstorm standards organization all nice and proper. Just as long as they answer to Microsoft (and don't dare compete with them.)
The MPAA... The RIAA... Adobe...
I think this was the first application of these types of cards.
Now that that rogue corporation has had a taste of what happens to those that try to compete with us, they will once again join the Great Collective.
Mine Truly,
AOL/Time Warner/Everything Else
There's a slight difference: Microsoft has never sold a single copy of any version of any software package they produce. They license.
I wonder how long before MS et. al. start distributing their virus fixes in the form of self-replicating antiviruses. That seems the quickest way to defeat this sort of thing.
Granted, some things need to be encrypted. However, with unchecked adoption of copyprotection schemes, in another dozen years we'll have a Y2K-ish problem on our hands of going through old data, figuring out the encryptions, and decoding the format.
Corporations don't and won't care. They are required by law to act as though they will always exist. Therefore their answer will always be: "Relax. When you need that info just give us a call! We have all that information saved."
When I got my DSL line installed and my machines configured properly, I thought, just for kicks, I'd check the POP box they setup for me. Ready for this? Over SIX HUNDRED spam messages were waiting for me :)
In this case, I would have to point out that while it's not new to tie registration to support, the frequency of needing support is expected to rise significantly. If I wanted XP and I wanted to protect my privacy from MS, I need to be prepared to buy 1 copy of XP per 3 modifications to my HW config because, in order to get XP to work after my 4th config mod I need to contact support. In order to use support I have to register, and in registering I sacrifice my privacy.
The answer is freedom and privacy. This is one (precident setting) instance of an ISP monitoring or exercising editorial control over what transpires on their system. Once they do that, they completely open the door to any and all demands for monitoring. For an extreme example, the NY Times could ask them to start screening for illegal copies of their articles (like when a /. poster posts an article as a comment because the site is no longer available or /.-ed.)
However, even though what is happening is only meant to enforce existing laws, once ISP's like this assume editorial control over content that crosses their lines they are free to sensor beyond traditional free speech laws. For example, if my company gets irritated at "John Doe1" because he (I) posted what they believe to be sensitive material, they don't have to go through the tiresome ritual of court papers - all they have to do is give the ISP a call and make it worth their while to have him (me) digitally silenced. And it's all quite legal since my ISP assumed editorial control over the content I posted.
"All Your Ass Are Belong To Us!"
As soon as you stop insisting that there is a difference between corporations and government you'll realize that this isn't such a big deal.
I just wanted to applaud the more relaxed posture you guys are taking in defending your SPAM trademark. SPAM is an American icon, and like Terry Gilliam, "I love it!" Hormel's image is one of wholesomeness, and it upset me to see you guys taking such a hard line in what was to inevitably be a losing battle. Rest assured that there is a clear distinction in my mind between your product and unsolicited email.
...until you people quit bitching about our monopoly!
Yah, chemical engines are probably out of the question, but the problem of building an engine that could run all the way to Mars and back is a little easier to get your head around than that of building some rotating vessel.
It's been about 4 years since I've been exposed to Notes, so maybe someone with current experience can chime in. Back then it was fairly bloated, but it integrated with damn near everything.
I was reading this article in .8 when I downloaded and installed .9. There are definately speed improvements. Yes, in windows it does load slower than IE, but DAMN the rendering engine is fast. My advice: If you're using .8 on windows, upgrade baby!
A safer solution for your company (regular Joe's probably don't have enough leverage for this) is to ask the software vendor to put their source code into escrow in return for your business. That way, if the company folds you automatically get the source code.
Yes, this will give whatever fascist element there is in our government another argument to pass these laws ("Look! All those other countries did it!"), but the bottom line is our UN reps are not circumventing the system.
With the recent collapse of many .com's, all sorts of geeks are dusting off their resumes. They're going to hit the avenues they know (headhunters) and you'll probably need an agent to sell the position (ie remind recruits of .com hell.)
What you need to do, however, is employ a fun little technique called "Follow the Money." In the case of DDoS attacks, what you'd do is figure out who has the most to gain from this fear.
Sure there are a few of these attacks that can be attributed to the I-wonder-if-I-can-do-this factor, but now it's in the hands of the people who can really use it (and not get caught.)
Is it irony that DDoS attacks are increasing the government's power over the Internet, or do both cause and effect share the same owner?
(How's that for /.-induced paranoia?) :)
My God, could it be so simple? The obvious answer to these new and rediculous IP laws is to think ahead of time about the ramifications (beating the PR guys to their 'news' releases), publish bogus news articles about it, then when the outraged public starts knocking on the boardroom doors, they've got no corporate mantra or pre-recorded soundbites to work from! All they can do is deny everything! Muahahahaha!
So you go on to argue that the only reason these people work like slaves is because more corporations haven't moved in to compete for their labor. Feel free to call me a communist or socialist, but if capitalism is Good, it must be Good at all scales, especially small. No, these people would not be poorer if the company left. They make just enough money ("they" meaning the all of the families who live under one roof) to pay the factory for rent and enough rice to let them live. They have absolutely no time to do anything except work and sleep. That is, they have no time to teach their children anything else except how to work in the factory. Would they die of starvation if the company left? Hmm... mankind seems to have gotten by in pre-industrial revolution times. Would they be poorer? They wouldn't have Western money in their pockets, but just try and put a price on their culture.
Capitalism, true Capitalism, isn't just about exchanging money for goods and labor - it's about a proper trade in value for what you want with what you want. No, these people aren't engaging in Capitalism by working in these factories. They've been tricked into slavery by corporations and corporate-backed polititians like so many heroin addicts who've been lured by the high (or in this case the dollar) but now have been on the junk so long they've forgotten how to live like human beings. They get just enough junk (er, dollars) to remind them of why they're there, but that cash just goes right back to the factory. Hell, if these factories were honest why don't they just pay their workers in rice and rent? I'll tell you why: Because the people who don't work for them already have a hut and rice. They're not blind or stupid. They can see the conditions that the others live in. But just like soon-to-be junkies they say "it'll never happen to me" and take the work for some cash.
If you want to read an enlightening story, here is a report and analysis of the actual earnings of these workers.