The problem isn't that Americans don't give a damn about democracy it's that we've come to have a somewhat blind faith in the integrity of the system. The only time it's recently become an issue was the presidential election, and people can write that off as a rare fluke.
Until Bart Simpson wins the presidency by a landslide in some major precint, nobody's going to pay attention to the problems with these voting systems. Then when it's all said and done we'll go back to paper ballots and take our chances with the hanging chads.
The biggest issue with the concept of royalt free licensing is the rest of the license. I can create a standard and patent it, then create a "royalty free" license for it. Then I also add to this license clauses that prevent its use in GPL software. Suddenly that wonderful standard gets turned on its head.
The assumption is based on the fact that Microsoft's business has been built on leveraging their advantages in one realm to take over another. There are a number of MS products that would never be used by anybody if it wasn't for the fact that they come bundled with other products that are good.
My sense is that Microsoft will play as though they are open to working with these third parties because they really have no choice. Under the covers they will do what they can to subvert these other systems.
For the record, I'm sure IBM or Sun would do the same thing if they had the power to do so.
Another thing that's not clear here is what is classified as a successful breach? Does that mean defacing a web page? Does that mean getting full access to the box? I've had a web page on my server get defaced because I forgot to upgrade PHP, but I didn't really care that much. On the other hand getting my box rooted by somebody is a serious problem.
This may very well be an attempt at social engineering but it's backfiring miserably. As if we didn't need more evidence that the RIAA was a bunch of greedy jackbooted thugs, they now go out and sue people who are about as far from being pirates as you get.
The DVD-CCA lawsuits is, unfortunately, an example of how you do this sort of thing the right way. You go after people who look direptuable. Why sue the New York Times when you can sue 2600? Suing a 12 year old girl living in public housing and a 71 year old grandfather is just prooving the point that they are thugs.
This is the sort of thing that could finally stir the masses to make intellectual property an issue that the masses will consider. If they think, "it could be my child next", it's much more likely they are going to bug their congressman about it. This could ultimately lead to legalization of file sharing networks.
No, bandwidth costs are not fixed but presumably, as bandwidth usage rises, this correlates into an increase in purchaes. Therefore, the rises are automatically offset.
In science fiction there have consistently been consideration of the negative consequences of technology. Arguably we've been better prepared for what we have seen in the way of negative consequences because of science fiction. Personally I find much of science fiction interesting because it shows a future and how it has an effect on people, both good and bad.
Mostly I think this is a cyclical thing. Culturally we were deeply into a science-fiction rut, and now we are moving into a fantasy rut. The LOTR movies played no small part in this, but also you can see the trend in MMORPG's which are mostly fantasy genres.
Where did they get the guns? Kid plays a video game, then gets a gun and kills. So the obvious thing we need to worry about is the game... right.
Reminds me of a few years ago when a kid had a super soaker and shot another kid with it. The kid who was soaked proceeded to go home, grab a real gun and shoot the super soaker bearer with it. The reaction by the city was to try to ban water guns.
People are stupid.
Re:Java's not exactly pining for the fields just n
on
Java vs .NET
·
· Score: 1
#1) Java was NOT originally developed for embedded systems. It wasn't until the past couple of years that Sun has moved it into that direction. (There is a difference between embedded systems and a cross platform VM)
BUzzzzzzzz... sorry, wrong. Java, originally named oak, was intended to be a language to develop for consumer electronics gear, set top boxes, etc. I refer you to this article as evidence.
Re:VS sucks
on
Java vs .NET
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
How many IDE's are there to develop.net applications? One.
That's the problem here. VS might be better than most Java IDE's at most things, but that doesn't mean it's better than all Java IDE's at all things. If I want to develop servlets, I might want to use a different IDE than if I design applets.
Also, how much does VS cost? Netbeans: zero. Eclipse: zero. And if I want to pay some money there are java IDE's out there, and because they have to compete for my money they have greater incentive to provide useful features and responsive support.
Re:VS sucks
on
Java vs .NET
·
· Score: 3, Informative
One question: did you write this application in java? I can't imagine what you described happening in Java with JDBC. I've worked on numerous databases and though they have subtle incompatibilties, they are usually not a big hassle to work around.
Also, it seems that your development strategy here was flawed. You write a whole compatibility layer before testing it at all? Why didn't you go through and write some test code and just make sure some things worked before doing the whole thing and finding you had a problem?
What Java brings you is the immense potential for agility. You don't have to plan for agility, it just comes with it. When you decide that you want to change platforms, make a few tweaks, do some intensive testing, and blammo, new platform. With.net, if there's a fatal flaw in the implementation, that's it, you are screwed. No othe vendor can help you.
As for people being locked into wintel, as long as there are web browsers, there's no such thing as lock in. When your clients eventually decide that they are sick of viruses, and licensing extortion, they'll be thankful that your system provides the flexibility to get them out of that mess.
Openess is never a setback for writing good software. Precisely the opposite in fact. Openess allows you to be flexible and adjust for changing market conditions, software bugs, etc.
For example I wrote a system using a 3rd party data abstraction layer. Now, what you are professing suggests that I just write to that layer. Instead I wrote wrappers that could work with any abstraction layer. It turned out that this abstraction layer was buggy as hell. After another week of work, I had implemented an entirely different layer that worked much better. If I had not written an abstraction to maintain that openess, I'd still be rewriting code.
The fact of the matter is that most Linux enthusiasts are just buying their systems through white box manufacturers. A number of these companies offer systems without an operating system or pre-installed with a Linux variant.
If all goes well and Linux does become a viable alternative on the desktop, these white box companies will be in a better position to take advantage of that market. They'll have had a chance to gain some customer loyalty, and they'll have the support structure in place.
If Sun or some open source team developed an import filter that circumvented microsoft's drm, microsoft would never win a legal case against them. It's easy to use the DMCA to try to go after people who have all the appearance of pirates. It's an entirely different thing to go after a corporation that's clearly using the cirumvention to provide compatibility and competition.
Furthermore, if Microsoft won the DMCA suit, they could be immediately prosecuted for using the DRM as a lockout to maintain their monopoly. Hell, they could be sued even before that.
Messenger lockdown is pretty blatant, and I haven't seen much public outrage - primarily because the people using Trillian et al are not the mainstream
Perhaps that's because the people who use trillian, etc, don't really care. I use gaim and when MSN shuts me down I'll just stop using MSN. Who cares? Most of my friends are on AIM and Yahoo anyhow, and not like it's difficult for people to switch.
If you are using trillian, it's probably because you have accounts on multiple IM networks. So losing one of them isn't a major crisis. There might be more of an uproar if you lost 2, and definitely if all three became inaccessible.
I'll start using MSN again when they release a linux client. That is, two weeks after never.
Or you just get out your trusty camera and take a picture of it. If you want to get higher tech, capture the EM signal generated by the monitor. It's just like bypassing music DRM by recording from a line out. This sort of security will stop casual snoops, but somebody who wants the information will get it.
Unless the rights to print such a document are still allowed, it would mean that corporations can get away with hundreds upon hundreds of scams, illegal activites and everything else that our nation's current corporate climate has bred.
This isn't going to change anything. Today a technically competent corporation can secure documents using certificates, PGP, etc. If they really want to cover their tracks they can do so. Better yet, they can do their dirty work only on paper, then shred it when the feds show up. Seemed to work just fine for enron.
Yes, games would be good on such a box if the vast majority of games were released to run on said box. With 90+% of the people running PC's, PC's will be where the games are found.
The funny thing is that if you get even the slightest hint at what RPC is, it just sounds insecure. I mean, letting another computer run commands on your computer? It's practically the definition of a security exploit.
Actually no it doesn't answer the question. It suggests that the question is currently beyond answer. The security of the system is a combination of at least three factors:
1) the environment it's in 2) the software it's running 3) the user operating it
So, unless #1 and #3 are the same, then measuring the differences in #2 is impossible.
Actually, as it turns out, because of some voting confusion, for every LAN installation, you'll be expected to pay approximately 9% of Pat Buchanan to the state of Florida. Pat Buchanan could not be reached for comment.
check out the services turned on by default after installing Win 2k
That's the problem. Most people running Windows XP or Windows 2K wouldn't know a service if it bit them. That's why these worms wreak havoc. Linux has a smaller installed base and it's generally made up of more technical users. Thus, much of the problems that could show up under Linux are minimized because the people running it know what they are doing.
There is a fundamental design difference though that amplifies the nature of windows problems. Linux is designed with hundreds of different components that are loosely connected. Windows, on the other hand, is all integrated. Every windows box has outlook and Internet Explorer, and windows file sharing, so you can use the integration of these things to make any small breach much bigger.
With Linux, it's a far more heterogenous environment. There are hundreds of different systems called "linux" made up of different applications. An attack that works against SuSE may not work against RedHat, or may only work when a certain other application is in use.
These loose connections are what make Linux slightly harder to use and more complex. As always, security is inversely proportional to convenience.
Slashdot Mirror
The problem isn't that Americans don't give a damn about democracy it's that we've come to have a somewhat blind faith in the integrity of the system. The only time it's recently become an issue was the presidential election, and people can write that off as a rare fluke.
Until Bart Simpson wins the presidency by a landslide in some major precint, nobody's going to pay attention to the problems with these voting systems. Then when it's all said and done we'll go back to paper ballots and take our chances with the hanging chads.
Other key things they may be missing:
1) Developers
2) An office
3) A game console
The biggest issue with the concept of royalt free licensing is the rest of the license. I can create a standard and patent it, then create a "royalty free" license for it. Then I also add to this license clauses that prevent its use in GPL software. Suddenly that wonderful standard gets turned on its head.
The assumption is based on the fact that Microsoft's business has been built on leveraging their advantages in one realm to take over another. There are a number of MS products that would never be used by anybody if it wasn't for the fact that they come bundled with other products that are good.
My sense is that Microsoft will play as though they are open to working with these third parties because they really have no choice. Under the covers they will do what they can to subvert these other systems.
For the record, I'm sure IBM or Sun would do the same thing if they had the power to do so.
Another thing that's not clear here is what is classified as a successful breach? Does that mean defacing a web page? Does that mean getting full access to the box? I've had a web page on my server get defaced because I forgot to upgrade PHP, but I didn't really care that much. On the other hand getting my box rooted by somebody is a serious problem.
This may very well be an attempt at social engineering but it's backfiring miserably. As if we didn't need more evidence that the RIAA was a bunch of greedy jackbooted thugs, they now go out and sue people who are about as far from being pirates as you get.
The DVD-CCA lawsuits is, unfortunately, an example of how you do this sort of thing the right way. You go after people who look direptuable. Why sue the New York Times when you can sue 2600? Suing a 12 year old girl living in public housing and a 71 year old grandfather is just prooving the point that they are thugs.
This is the sort of thing that could finally stir the masses to make intellectual property an issue that the masses will consider. If they think, "it could be my child next", it's much more likely they are going to bug their congressman about it. This could ultimately lead to legalization of file sharing networks.
For god's sake won't SOMEBODY think of the children?!?
No, bandwidth costs are not fixed but presumably, as bandwidth usage rises, this correlates into an increase in purchaes. Therefore, the rises are automatically offset.
In science fiction there have consistently been consideration of the negative consequences of technology. Arguably we've been better prepared for what we have seen in the way of negative consequences because of science fiction. Personally I find much of science fiction interesting because it shows a future and how it has an effect on people, both good and bad.
Mostly I think this is a cyclical thing. Culturally we were deeply into a science-fiction rut, and now we are moving into a fantasy rut. The LOTR movies played no small part in this, but also you can see the trend in MMORPG's which are mostly fantasy genres.
Where did they get the guns? Kid plays a video game, then gets a gun and kills. So the obvious thing we need to worry about is the game... right.
Reminds me of a few years ago when a kid had a super soaker and shot another kid with it. The kid who was soaked proceeded to go home, grab a real gun and shoot the super soaker bearer with it. The reaction by the city was to try to ban water guns.
People are stupid.
#1) Java was NOT originally developed for embedded systems. It wasn't until the past couple of years that Sun has moved it into that direction. (There is a difference between embedded systems and a cross platform VM)
BUzzzzzzzz... sorry, wrong. Java, originally named oak, was intended to be a language to develop for consumer electronics gear, set top boxes, etc. I refer you to this article as evidence.
How many IDE's are there to develop .net applications? One.
That's the problem here. VS might be better than most Java IDE's at most things, but that doesn't mean it's better than all Java IDE's at all things. If I want to develop servlets, I might want to use a different IDE than if I design applets.
Also, how much does VS cost? Netbeans: zero. Eclipse: zero. And if I want to pay some money there are java IDE's out there, and because they have to compete for my money they have greater incentive to provide useful features and responsive support.
One question: did you write this application in java? I can't imagine what you described happening in Java with JDBC. I've worked on numerous databases and though they have subtle incompatibilties, they are usually not a big hassle to work around.
.net, if there's a fatal flaw in the implementation, that's it, you are screwed. No othe vendor can help you.
Also, it seems that your development strategy here was flawed. You write a whole compatibility layer before testing it at all? Why didn't you go through and write some test code and just make sure some things worked before doing the whole thing and finding you had a problem?
What Java brings you is the immense potential for agility. You don't have to plan for agility, it just comes with it. When you decide that you want to change platforms, make a few tweaks, do some intensive testing, and blammo, new platform. With
As for people being locked into wintel, as long as there are web browsers, there's no such thing as lock in. When your clients eventually decide that they are sick of viruses, and licensing extortion, they'll be thankful that your system provides the flexibility to get them out of that mess.
Openess is never a setback for writing good software. Precisely the opposite in fact. Openess allows you to be flexible and adjust for changing market conditions, software bugs, etc.
For example I wrote a system using a 3rd party data abstraction layer. Now, what you are professing suggests that I just write to that layer. Instead I wrote wrappers that could work with any abstraction layer. It turned out that this abstraction layer was buggy as hell. After another week of work, I had implemented an entirely different layer that worked much better. If I had not written an abstraction to maintain that openess, I'd still be rewriting code.
The electoral college will save us :). A trillion trillion votes in ohio still only gets a few electoral votes.
:)
Oh and you do realize that Dean is a democrat right?
The fact of the matter is that most Linux enthusiasts are just buying their systems through white box manufacturers. A number of these companies offer systems without an operating system or pre-installed with a Linux variant.
If all goes well and Linux does become a viable alternative on the desktop, these white box companies will be in a better position to take advantage of that market. They'll have had a chance to gain some customer loyalty, and they'll have the support structure in place.
If Sun or some open source team developed an import filter that circumvented microsoft's drm, microsoft would never win a legal case against them. It's easy to use the DMCA to try to go after people who have all the appearance of pirates. It's an entirely different thing to go after a corporation that's clearly using the cirumvention to provide compatibility and competition.
Furthermore, if Microsoft won the DMCA suit, they could be immediately prosecuted for using the DRM as a lockout to maintain their monopoly. Hell, they could be sued even before that.
Messenger lockdown is pretty blatant, and I haven't seen much public outrage - primarily because the people using Trillian et al are not the mainstream
Perhaps that's because the people who use trillian, etc, don't really care. I use gaim and when MSN shuts me down I'll just stop using MSN. Who cares? Most of my friends are on AIM and Yahoo anyhow, and not like it's difficult for people to switch.
If you are using trillian, it's probably because you have accounts on multiple IM networks. So losing one of them isn't a major crisis. There might be more of an uproar if you lost 2, and definitely if all three became inaccessible.
I'll start using MSN again when they release a linux client. That is, two weeks after never.
Or you just get out your trusty camera and take a picture of it. If you want to get higher tech, capture the EM signal generated by the monitor. It's just like bypassing music DRM by recording from a line out. This sort of security will stop casual snoops, but somebody who wants the information will get it.
Unless the rights to print such a document are still allowed, it would mean that corporations can get away with hundreds upon hundreds of scams, illegal activites and everything else that our nation's current corporate climate has bred.
This isn't going to change anything. Today a technically competent corporation can secure documents using certificates, PGP, etc. If they really want to cover their tracks they can do so. Better yet, they can do their dirty work only on paper, then shred it when the feds show up. Seemed to work just fine for enron.
Yes, games would be good on such a box if the vast majority of games were released to run on said box. With 90+% of the people running PC's, PC's will be where the games are found.
The funny thing is that if you get even the slightest hint at what RPC is, it just sounds insecure. I mean, letting another computer run commands on your computer? It's practically the definition of a security exploit.
Actually no it doesn't answer the question. It suggests that the question is currently beyond answer. The security of the system is a combination of at least three factors:
1) the environment it's in
2) the software it's running
3) the user operating it
So, unless #1 and #3 are the same, then measuring the differences in #2 is impossible.
Actually, as it turns out, because of some voting confusion, for every LAN installation, you'll be expected to pay approximately 9% of Pat Buchanan to the state of Florida. Pat Buchanan could not be reached for comment.
check out the services turned on by default after installing Win 2k
That's the problem. Most people running Windows XP or Windows 2K wouldn't know a service if it bit them. That's why these worms wreak havoc. Linux has a smaller installed base and it's generally made up of more technical users. Thus, much of the problems that could show up under Linux are minimized because the people running it know what they are doing.
There is a fundamental design difference though that amplifies the nature of windows problems. Linux is designed with hundreds of different components that are loosely connected. Windows, on the other hand, is all integrated. Every windows box has outlook and Internet Explorer, and windows file sharing, so you can use the integration of these things to make any small breach much bigger.
With Linux, it's a far more heterogenous environment. There are hundreds of different systems called "linux" made up of different applications. An attack that works against SuSE may not work against RedHat, or may only work when a certain other application is in use.
These loose connections are what make Linux slightly harder to use and more complex. As always, security is inversely proportional to convenience.