... a copy in RAM should not be considered a fixation, and hence creating one is not a copyright violation. If copying something into RAM is creating a fixation then every CD and DVD player and most newer TVs continually break copyright laws every time they are used since RAM buffers have become ubiquitous. CD and DVD players simply cannot work without copying at least some of the CD or DVD into RAM in the process of playing it (although CDs could get away with as few as 16 bits at a given time). So this shouldn't legally be considered a copy to begin with, but the courts have ruled that it is in several previous cases...
This argument probably fails since deriving a properly sized/scaled image from the copyrighted material is the intended use of this material, possibly an "essential step of utilization". The software that does this is also licensed from an industry organization IIRC.
Secondly, the copyright law that if someone owns a copy of a piece of software then they have the right to make the copies of it needed to run it.
The argument also seems to fail on its face. The copy in RAM is allowed as part of normal usage. The datas use by hacking software is not such normal use. I think you would have to make a "fair use" argument, not an "essential step of utilization argument", for the line of thought you are pursuing.
Now, Blizzard is in a slightly more realistic position from an EULA situation than most companies because they do actually have something to provide the user which the user doesn't already have: access to their on-line play servers, Battlenet. So, if they were to tie it all together in the EULA: you give us back ownership of the physical copy and you relinquish your reverse engineering rights, etc and in return we let you use our servers, then that contract would be enforceable (still lousy, but enforceable).
I believe SC2 requires you to connect to Battle.net as part of the post-install authorization process. It is quite different from the older games in this regard.
I think Michael Dell already knows what to do, he's commented on situations like this in the past:
"In 1997, shortly after Mr. Jobs returned to Apple, the company he helped start in 1976, Dell's founder and chairman, Michael S. Dell, was asked at a technology conference what might be done to fix Apple, then deeply troubled financially.
"What would I do?" Mr. Dell said to an audience of several thousand information technology managers. "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.""
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/technology/16apple.html
Because technology is fleeting, but paper remains (at least for a few hundred years)... We have a hard time today reading the old NASA tapes... And constantly re-scanning everything in existance every 10 years is not an option.
Paper is vulnerable to fire, water, mold, etc. Newer paper contains acids resulting in far shorter lifespans than "ancient" paper.
NASA made the mistake of not copying the analog tapes to any digital media. IIRC they even intentionally destroyed some tapes by reusing them.
Scanning is a one time event. Once you have a digital copy it is trivial to copy, backup or move to another media or newer device.
While any particular digital media/device may be temporary in nature the Oxford data would most likely be stored in more than one location. Each location independently backing up the data, independently upgrading storage media periodically,...
In which case, you don't need a firmware update anyway. All the games you run now will happily continue to run single player, and any new games will have the minimum version required already on the BD.
I think some updates have included enhancements for the Blue Ray player.
Also, our President is getting solar power, if you hadn't heard.
Apparently the public often misses it when the President installs solar. G W Bush installed solar. From the fans of W at the Huffington Post:
"In 2003, solar photovoltaic panels were installed at the White House. Two smaller solar thermal systems were also installed to heat water: one for landscape maintenance personnel, the other for the presidential pool and spa. The Bush Administration itself never really announced the project." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/27/white-house-solar-panels_n_160575.html
... Physically handing over the $30 is harder work than updating one, let alone signing paperwork or (gasp) bringing your PS3 in to be worked on. No knowledgeable consumer would ever pay for that service...
You are assuming that the PS3 has a network connection at home. It may not.
"If you study economics you will find that it is not necessarily optimal to do everything for yourself"
How so? If you mean that in the time it takes you to accomplish these tasks, you could have been making money, well, these tasks are usually accomplished when one is not working, therefore no money is lost.
Making money is only one of many possible alternative uses of one's time.
I can do all those things, but I have better things to do with my time. Clicking "Update System" in the menu is not comparable to those things with a car.
You are assuming that the PS3 has a network connect. It may not.
Those tasks require some level of thought or physical interaction. These upgrades aren't even hidden in menus: When you connect to the internet, the PS3 will automatically ask you to do them and you just hit "Yes." There. Update is applying and you'll have a fully updated PS3 in a short amount of time.
As you said: "When you connect to the internet". This is not a given.
It's a couple orders of magnitude below most of your list. There's zero skill involved. The PS3 says there's an update required to connect to PSN. Would you like to install it? It's literally 2-3 button presses.
Perhaps after setting up networking, but not all PS3s are configured for networking.
You don't need ANY instruction to update your PS3. It basically updates itself. Just use your PS3 normally and it will check for updates, and ask if you want to update, automatically. Select 'Yes.' Done.
You are assuming it has a network connection. Many PS3s do not.
It isn't. The problem is that lazy idiots don't do their research before buying everything to save them a tiny bit of time.
Its not that simple. If you study economics you will find that it is not necessarily optimal to do everything for yourself. This sometimes includes things that you can do as well as, or better than, others.
... if you own an electronic product and can't even handle installing simple updates just take it back to the store and be done with it. It's 2010 already: no more excuses.
Consider an automotive enthusiast's site where someone posted: "If you own a car and can't wash it yourself, or change the oil or filters, or rotate the tires then take it back to the dealership and be done with it." Do you think many of the techies around here would pass this test?
How is this different from paying someone to install/upgrade an OS or applications, remove viruses, install a hard drive, add RAM, upgrade a video card, etc? All of these things can be simply done by an end user with a small amount of instruction.
Or changing the oil in your car, or washing your car, or the many simple things we pay other people to do for us?
not really - right now i'm using a 17in 4:3 with 1280x1024 res.. show me anything under 20in with more than 1k vertical?
You can't really compare the diagonal sizes of 4:3 and 16:9 monitors. The 16:9 20" is about half an inch smaller than the 4:3 17" on the vertical, if my back of the envelope calculation was correct (c^2 = a^2 + b^2, c=17 a=4x b=3x, c=20 a=16x b=9x). The modern widescreen equivalent of the legacy 17" would be about 21". 21" seems to be an odd size but the few 21.5" monitors I am finding are offering 1080.
I think it is fair to say we are stagnating on the vertical and only growing on the horizontal.
you dont need that for testing, you can simply monitor the outputs of the PLC to peripherals.
So your from the school of thought that code does not need to be tested in the field, that if it works in the programmer's mocked up environment it is ready for release?:-)
Buy a different monitor or buy two or turn one sideways.
To elaborate, face the fact that laptops are optimized for portability and battery consumption not screen size. Your office or home office should have a large monitor and a USB keyboard/mouse waiting for your laptop.
Depends what area they want to work as. If its the code monkeys then its a strict diet of c++, trigonometry, matrices and physics.
No. That only partially qualifies you for the graphics or game engine. Two things that tend to be done by a third party library. These may be customized internally but this will be a relatively small part of overall programming and its the least likely part that an inexperienced new hire will work on.
For someone without a proven track record in the industry the easiest way in is through tools. Behind the scenes low-profile stuff that glues everything together. Or perhaps complementary programs like level or map editors.
A degree is not a strict requirement but you are disadvantaged without it. At a minimum you should read and master the material in a *university* textbook on data structures and read and understand an analysis of algorithms textbook. This will be far more valuable than anything else. If you cannot demonstrate that you have mastered these basics then no one will care how familiar you are with a graphics or physics engine. You should also read and mostly understand textbooks on the topics of computer architecture, networking, artificial intelligence, databases and computer graphics. Even if these are not your desired fields you should be able to participate in conversations touching these areas. Concepts from these fields sometimes solve problems in completely unrelated areas. In addition to the high level conceptual stuff just mentioned you should have a working knowledge of TCP and UDP, and DirectX or OpenGL depending on what platform the company targets. If you don't have a degree be sure to mention in your resume that you have independently studied these areas. If you apply to a company that targets the Windows market then only knowing OpenGL disadvantages you. You should be able to read and debug the assembly language of the target environments.
You can make all the mods you want. However there is no shortage of other candidates who have also made mods and who also have the degree or equivalent knowledge. There is no shortcut. There is a lot of "book learning" to do, either in school or independently on your own.
As someone else has mentioned you should have a working knowledge of the exact tools being used by a development team, not their open source equivalents. One of the hardest jobs to fill is the tools programmer who is writing the glue code that connects the artist's tools and data to the programmer's code. For example 3D Studio Max and Maya have their own APIs for writing such glue code.
All of the above is geared towards applying to established teams with a track record. Your chances may be a little better at smaller and less well known teams.
Organized crime types have used computer viruses to blackmail business before. Instead of simply threatening to wipe out computer data, Stuxnet could actually stop production at a factory. Not sure why this would be any different.
Because the target is a government not a business. Businesses don't have the resources to fight organized crime, governments do. Like many predators organized crime would pick a target that is least able to defend themselves.
Re:Might not be the West...
on
Stuxnet Worms On
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
... Maybe it's some college buddies in Tel Aviv who decided that they wanted to target Iran, or maybe Stuxnet was just a worm of the week from blackhats (many of which are getting ridiculously complex) that just happened to get into the Iranian facilities...
They needed a lot of expensive industrial control equipment to develop and test on.
"Friendly" nations engage in espionage too
on
Stuxnet Worms On
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I wouldn't even say most likely the US or Israel. I don't think there are many nations that want a Nuclear Iran.
The list should include.
China
Russia
India
All of the EU
Egypt
Most of the Middle East.
I mean really this list is long and while this worm is probably outside the limits for some guy with a grudge it isn't outside the limits for any nation with a large university with a good CS department.
Russia does a lot of business with Iran. Ditto for Germany and the E.U. Where do you think they got all the Siemen's hardware and how do you think they flew it in?
So some of these "friendly" countries had the best access to the iranian nuclear infrastructure, that's enough to warrant their inclusion on the list. Given that stuxnet was "dormant" and not attempting to damage anything it may have been more of an insurance policy and not so much of an active weapon. Any of these countries would love to monitor and have a remote off switch should Iran begin to act against their interests at some future date. Now is this the most likely scenario, no. However it is still highly plausible.
Slashdot Mirror
... a copy in RAM should not be considered a fixation, and hence creating one is not a copyright violation. If copying something into RAM is creating a fixation then every CD and DVD player and most newer TVs continually break copyright laws every time they are used since RAM buffers have become ubiquitous. CD and DVD players simply cannot work without copying at least some of the CD or DVD into RAM in the process of playing it (although CDs could get away with as few as 16 bits at a given time). So this shouldn't legally be considered a copy to begin with, but the courts have ruled that it is in several previous cases ...
This argument probably fails since deriving a properly sized/scaled image from the copyrighted material is the intended use of this material, possibly an "essential step of utilization". The software that does this is also licensed from an industry organization IIRC.
Secondly, the copyright law that if someone owns a copy of a piece of software then they have the right to make the copies of it needed to run it.
The argument also seems to fail on its face. The copy in RAM is allowed as part of normal usage. The datas use by hacking software is not such normal use. I think you would have to make a "fair use" argument, not an "essential step of utilization argument", for the line of thought you are pursuing.
Now, Blizzard is in a slightly more realistic position from an EULA situation than most companies because they do actually have something to provide the user which the user doesn't already have: access to their on-line play servers, Battlenet. So, if they were to tie it all together in the EULA: you give us back ownership of the physical copy and you relinquish your reverse engineering rights, etc and in return we let you use our servers, then that contract would be enforceable (still lousy, but enforceable).
I believe SC2 requires you to connect to Battle.net as part of the post-install authorization process. It is quite different from the older games in this regard.
I just vomited in my coffee.
--
Facebook is the new AOL
You signature just made me snort iced tea up my nose as I laughed.
I think Michael Dell already knows what to do, he's commented on situations like this in the past:
"In 1997, shortly after Mr. Jobs returned to Apple, the company he helped start in 1976, Dell's founder and chairman, Michael S. Dell, was asked at a technology conference what might be done to fix Apple, then deeply troubled financially. "What would I do?" Mr. Dell said to an audience of several thousand information technology managers. "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."" http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/technology/16apple.html
Because technology is fleeting, but paper remains (at least for a few hundred years) ... We have a hard time today reading the old NASA tapes ... And constantly re-scanning everything in existance every 10 years is not an option.
Paper is vulnerable to fire, water, mold, etc. Newer paper contains acids resulting in far shorter lifespans than "ancient" paper.
...
NASA made the mistake of not copying the analog tapes to any digital media. IIRC they even intentionally destroyed some tapes by reusing them.
Scanning is a one time event. Once you have a digital copy it is trivial to copy, backup or move to another media or newer device.
While any particular digital media/device may be temporary in nature the Oxford data would most likely be stored in more than one location. Each location independently backing up the data, independently upgrading storage media periodically,
In which case, you don't need a firmware update anyway. All the games you run now will happily continue to run single player, and any new games will have the minimum version required already on the BD.
I think some updates have included enhancements for the Blue Ray player.
Also, our President is getting solar power, if you hadn't heard.
Apparently the public often misses it when the President installs solar. G W Bush installed solar. From the fans of W at the Huffington Post:
"In 2003, solar photovoltaic panels were installed at the White House. Two smaller solar thermal systems were also installed to heat water: one for landscape maintenance personnel, the other for the presidential pool and spa. The Bush Administration itself never really announced the project."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/27/white-house-solar-panels_n_160575.html
people who buy a state of the art console, buy games that are as old as the console's original release date (and hence have no firmware)
Wrong. They merely need to be using games that predate the current release.
... Physically handing over the $30 is harder work than updating one, let alone signing paperwork or (gasp) bringing your PS3 in to be worked on. No knowledgeable consumer would ever pay for that service ...
You are assuming that the PS3 has a network connection at home. It may not.
"If you study economics you will find that it is not necessarily optimal to do everything for yourself"
How so? If you mean that in the time it takes you to accomplish these tasks, you could have been making money, well, these tasks are usually accomplished when one is not working, therefore no money is lost.
Making money is only one of many possible alternative uses of one's time.
I can do all those things, but I have better things to do with my time. Clicking "Update System" in the menu is not comparable to those things with a car.
You are assuming that the PS3 has a network connect. It may not.
Those tasks require some level of thought or physical interaction. These upgrades aren't even hidden in menus: When you connect to the internet, the PS3 will automatically ask you to do them and you just hit "Yes." There. Update is applying and you'll have a fully updated PS3 in a short amount of time.
As you said: "When you connect to the internet". This is not a given.
It's a couple orders of magnitude below most of your list. There's zero skill involved. The PS3 says there's an update required to connect to PSN. Would you like to install it? It's literally 2-3 button presses.
Perhaps after setting up networking, but not all PS3s are configured for networking.
You don't need ANY instruction to update your PS3. It basically updates itself. Just use your PS3 normally and it will check for updates, and ask if you want to update, automatically. Select 'Yes.' Done.
You are assuming it has a network connection. Many PS3s do not.
"How is this different from"
It isn't. The problem is that lazy idiots don't do their research before buying everything to save them a tiny bit of time.
Its not that simple. If you study economics you will find that it is not necessarily optimal to do everything for yourself. This sometimes includes things that you can do as well as, or better than, others.
... if you own an electronic product and can't even handle installing simple updates just take it back to the store and be done with it. It's 2010 already: no more excuses.
Consider an automotive enthusiast's site where someone posted: "If you own a car and can't wash it yourself, or change the oil or filters, or rotate the tires then take it back to the dealership and be done with it." Do you think many of the techies around here would pass this test?
How is this different from paying someone to install/upgrade an OS or applications, remove viruses, install a hard drive, add RAM, upgrade a video card, etc? All of these things can be simply done by an end user with a small amount of instruction.
Or changing the oil in your car, or washing your car, or the many simple things we pay other people to do for us?
not really - right now i'm using a 17in 4:3 with 1280x1024 res.. show me anything under 20in with more than 1k vertical?
You can't really compare the diagonal sizes of 4:3 and 16:9 monitors. The 16:9 20" is about half an inch smaller than the 4:3 17" on the vertical, if my back of the envelope calculation was correct (c^2 = a^2 + b^2, c=17 a=4x b=3x, c=20 a=16x b=9x). The modern widescreen equivalent of the legacy 17" would be about 21". 21" seems to be an odd size but the few 21.5" monitors I am finding are offering 1080.
I think it is fair to say we are stagnating on the vertical and only growing on the horizontal.
Fair enough, but that is more we are gaining horizontal pixel but not vertical pixels. Not losing vertical pixels to the degree the article indicates.
you dont need that for testing, you can simply monitor the outputs of the PLC to peripherals.
So your from the school of thought that code does not need to be tested in the field, that if it works in the programmer's mocked up environment it is ready for release? :-)
Buy a different monitor or buy two or turn one sideways.
To elaborate, face the fact that laptops are optimized for portability and battery consumption not screen size. Your office or home office should have a large monitor and a USB keyboard/mouse waiting for your laptop.
Depends what area they want to work as. If its the code monkeys then its a strict diet of c++, trigonometry, matrices and physics.
No. That only partially qualifies you for the graphics or game engine. Two things that tend to be done by a third party library. These may be customized internally but this will be a relatively small part of overall programming and its the least likely part that an inexperienced new hire will work on.
For someone without a proven track record in the industry the easiest way in is through tools. Behind the scenes low-profile stuff that glues everything together. Or perhaps complementary programs like level or map editors.
A degree is not a strict requirement but you are disadvantaged without it. At a minimum you should read and master the material in a *university* textbook on data structures and read and understand an analysis of algorithms textbook. This will be far more valuable than anything else. If you cannot demonstrate that you have mastered these basics then no one will care how familiar you are with a graphics or physics engine. You should also read and mostly understand textbooks on the topics of computer architecture, networking, artificial intelligence, databases and computer graphics. Even if these are not your desired fields you should be able to participate in conversations touching these areas. Concepts from these fields sometimes solve problems in completely unrelated areas. In addition to the high level conceptual stuff just mentioned you should have a working knowledge of TCP and UDP, and DirectX or OpenGL depending on what platform the company targets. If you don't have a degree be sure to mention in your resume that you have independently studied these areas. If you apply to a company that targets the Windows market then only knowing OpenGL disadvantages you. You should be able to read and debug the assembly language of the target environments.
You can make all the mods you want. However there is no shortage of other candidates who have also made mods and who also have the degree or equivalent knowledge. There is no shortcut. There is a lot of "book learning" to do, either in school or independently on your own.
As someone else has mentioned you should have a working knowledge of the exact tools being used by a development team, not their open source equivalents. One of the hardest jobs to fill is the tools programmer who is writing the glue code that connects the artist's tools and data to the programmer's code. For example 3D Studio Max and Maya have their own APIs for writing such glue code.
All of the above is geared towards applying to established teams with a track record. Your chances may be a little better at smaller and less well known teams.
A Siemens PLC costs less then $600. http://www.matrikonopc.com/opc-drivers/opc-siemens-s7-plc/base-driver-details.aspx It is not expensive to develop and test on.
You are forgetting all the things that plug into the PLC. Nuclear facility rated valves, pumps, etc.
Organized crime types have used computer viruses to blackmail business before. Instead of simply threatening to wipe out computer data, Stuxnet could actually stop production at a factory. Not sure why this would be any different.
Because the target is a government not a business. Businesses don't have the resources to fight organized crime, governments do. Like many predators organized crime would pick a target that is least able to defend themselves.
... Maybe it's some college buddies in Tel Aviv who decided that they wanted to target Iran, or maybe Stuxnet was just a worm of the week from blackhats (many of which are getting ridiculously complex) that just happened to get into the Iranian facilities ...
They needed a lot of expensive industrial control equipment to develop and test on.
I wouldn't even say most likely the US or Israel. I don't think there are many nations that want a Nuclear Iran. The list should include. China Russia India All of the EU Egypt Most of the Middle East. I mean really this list is long and while this worm is probably outside the limits for some guy with a grudge it isn't outside the limits for any nation with a large university with a good CS department.
Russia does a lot of business with Iran. Ditto for Germany and the E.U. Where do you think they got all the Siemen's hardware and how do you think they flew it in?
So some of these "friendly" countries had the best access to the iranian nuclear infrastructure, that's enough to warrant their inclusion on the list. Given that stuxnet was "dormant" and not attempting to damage anything it may have been more of an insurance policy and not so much of an active weapon. Any of these countries would love to monitor and have a remote off switch should Iran begin to act against their interests at some future date. Now is this the most likely scenario, no. However it is still highly plausible.