Of course if they did lower it then some of the people who are using a "stolen" copy might actually buy the "real" thing.
Then again, since the days of the printed manual are gone there is absolutely no difference between the "stolen" copy and the "real" copy. Bits are bits.
It's like buying music (although mp3's aren't quite the same as cd audio tracks in terms of quality). The "stolen" audio sounds just like the "real" audio. All you get for your money is some crappy packaging.
I don't advocate IP theft but admittedly there's not a whole lot of people that are going to fork over five hundred clams for a box with an MSFT hologram on the side (other than businesses who have the MSFT police beating down their doors).
No, I think you're confusing the coders with tech support.
But all kidding aside.. what I'm saying is that's the slashdot mentality. A good manager would be facilitating the process: asking the right questions, not being stupid or redundant, and actually asking for the coder's input. I don't think the code geeks actually mind this type of manager. They're part of "the group".
A bad manager would hinder the process with dumb questions probably already answered a million times, meetings "to get everyone on the same page because I have no freaking clue what you people do" and so on. These are the PHB's. If no one wants to talk to you either you smell real bad or you're annoying the hell out of the person.
I actually had a boss not too long ago that said "I have no idea what you do but you're doing an excellent job". WTF? Before that I had one that yelled at me for not keeping enough equipment on inventory. He couldn't believe it when I told him I was hired as a Software Engineer and had nothing to do with purchasing. Those were both PHB's.
The slashdot mentality is that coders code. PHB's hinder that goal with meetings, pointless debates, requests for documentation etc.. therefore they're inept as they should be facilitating, not hindering.
If a PHG prevents a PHB from doing his/her job than it's up to the PHB to do something about it. A PHB has powers over the PHG be it a firing, issuing a bonus, adding/removing resources, forced training and such. If a PHB puts up with an incompetent or non-cooperative PHG it's their own damn fault because of their own ineptness.
A PHG, on the other hand, has no powers over an incompetent PHB. PHG's in number MAY be able to do something about it in some organizations but it's somewhat rare. Therefore the poorly managed PHG's have no outlet but to whine about the PHB's on/.
Besides all that, show me any coder who actually knows what his manager does. They appear from time to time to yell about something then withdraw into the woodwork. Perhaps if the geeks could understand the boss's mission they could actually help each other out. Too bad geeks aren't entitled to know what goes on behind the closed doors.
Well that would be the fault of management for not paying attention, wouldn't it?
In some companies the coders run the show. They decide what new features will be added, how they'll be implemented etc.. In that case it can't really be the "wrong stuff". Why? Management at these places are so inept that they can't understand the technology, they can only "manage" the people working on it.
"I don't understand what you're doing but make sure you meet the deliverable, work nights and weekends if you have to."
Yes, because it means the company can then hire "managers" to build empires, squander budgets, and become the scorn of all these valuable programmers.
Programmers are hired to code, now what exactly is the manager's job? To manage (i.e. communicate effectively with one's subordinates, assign realistic priorities, supervise the going-on's with other departments etc..).
Programmers that can communicate seem to end up being sucked into the vacuum of sales & marketting, never to be seen again. The frequent flier miles can't be all that bad though. Meanwhile the coders that are impossible to talk to sit in their cube and actually get stuff done.
What ever happened to, "if it's too good to be true"? If the technology is so good that it can't possibly fail and you're able to choose your VC's how can you not afford to pay people MORE than they'd make at other places?
As any type of computer technologist, even with today's market, you should still be able to name YOUR price. If you're getting screwed from the get go what makes you think when you strike it rich they're suddenly going to share the wealth? Even with stock options there's not even the hint of a guarentee.
If you're being worked like a dog then you probably are a dog.
Perhaps this could be another use of MS Passport too. Not only would every download be tagged to your NAT device but it would also have all your personal information flagged to it as well. Even, perhaps, a list of other company's software that you might be "violating".
I kinda see a problem when Microsoft has more power than local or even federal law enforcement.
Hey, why not have a shrink wrap agreement on driver's licenses? One that says you give the police the right to rummage through and/or confiscate your vehicle at any time. Then we know we can invade anyone's car because obviously they must agree with that provision.
I always wondered about this. In order to enter without a warrant they'd have to know you have a EULA backed peice of software. But if they haven't already invaded your property how would they know that?
I could see the case where some idiot user actually registered their software, but other than that..?
That is such a ridiculous provision, I can't see why the courts would allow it to go on. Why should I be required to permit M$ to check up on my software just for the "priveledge" of running that software?
If someone sells a gun they should ensure it's constructed in such away that someone can't injur (shoot) themself with it or ensure that the bullet is moving at a slow enough speed in order to reduce the risk of injury.
Cigarette makers should ensure that the packaging of the cigarette can't start a brush fire should a lit cigarette be tossed out a window.
Computer makers should need to ensure that children cannot access violent games or blur the games out to reduce the risk of school shootings.
Weak. That's the kind of reasoning that I'd expect from the "norm" of our society.
>Any other free-beer services you've noticed being shut down
>or leaning suspiciously of late?
1) Photopoint is stopping free picture hosting. Normally I think these sites are useless but they allowed you to link to your pictures from other sites. Very useful for UBB forums. This relates to #2.
2) The ability to link to a picture hosted on a "free web hosting service" from another site. Again, I used to use this feature on UBB forums as you can't upload a picture onto most of 'em. Geocities blocked this type of access several months ago, Tripod followed suit. The rest are doing it as soon as they find out about it.
And that has what to do with the article? You're comparing a PIII vs an Athlon, neither of which is a P4. Besides that, there's a great number of things that can affect performance. The processor is but one of them.
I can't recall seeing a "no drugs allowed" sign on our local CitiBus. Even so, there is also a law against unlawful search and seizure and our right to privacy. IMO, the practice of drug searches on airlines are tolerated for two reasons:
1) They are most likely looking for weapons, explosives, pressurized canisters and anything else that could create havoc in the air. In other words: public safety.
2) This is a weaker point. Some travellers, even on domestic flights either originated their journey or will end their journey in another country. You pretty much give up all your rights in exchange for the priveledge of crossing an international border.
Neither of these points apply on a train/bus/taxi etc.. So what next? How about NYPD or Boston PD installing cameras in the back of cabs? Hey, let's even have the cabbies or the busses drive the bad guys right to jail after we spot 'em. Who really thinks that the government sets up monitoring systems like this "to combat drugs"? I think not.
I bet Amtrak resells the information to advertisers too. Anyone ridden it long distance and ended up with a mailbox full of flyers when they got home?
Come on, hardly any DJ's can be considered artists. They do "work for hire". People listen to radio for music, not the freakin' talk-bots. At least the people I know anyway. Why would the DJ deserve more money?.. unless of course we're paying them to shut the hell up. You don't see many recordings of DJ's surfacing on Napster do you? That probably means they're not in demand, no one wants to hear them!
And just who exactly is going scold Stern for doing that? The average DJ doesn't have.1% of the influence and control that Stern has built up. And hmm, no one is allowed to rebroadcast Stern over the Internet. There's alot of independance going on there!
We're talking about the average DJ who broadcasts at one station, not some media giant who is syndicated all over the planet.
The parent post was concerned with kids viewing porno while locked in the rooms studying at night. I doubt those kids have serious relationships. The parent poster would have us believe that porn is contributing to those kids having promiscuous sex.
Now to me, a teen boy/girl growing up who occupies their free time surfing for porn isn't going to have the social skills necessary to have sex, be it promiscuous or not. Granted that they're most likely looking at preview porn or usenet porn, not the paid for variety yahoo is selling.
You're taking my comment a little out of context. The comment I was replying to talked about porn leading to promiscuous sex. Sure, many porn lovers have gf's/wives. I'm talking about that select few that "matured" while oogling over nudies.
I guess I should have said.. "geeks who've never been in a relationship who look at porn constantly and spank their monkey off in front of their keyboards probably aren't going to be getting any (sex) anyway".
What total nonsense. The only people surfing for porn on the internet are those that CAN'T GET IT IN REAL LIFE. Therefore kids looking at porn on the Internet should have no chance at a promiscuous lifestyle.
If parents don't want kids looking at porno don't put a computer in their room, put it in a "family spot". Same logic as not having cable TV in their room if you don't want them watching violence. There are far more mediums for porn than just the Internet.
Keep your f$cking morals away from me, I'm offended by them. We need to find a way to regulate your posts.
Cute. Wouldn't it be even funnier if the user was liable for any damages?
I really hate those types of arangements. I own two DirectTV receivers and didn't even know that. With every bit of information like this I hear I realize DirecTV and similar services are no better than the cable companies I use them to get away from.
Now here's a thought: does Hughes offer free replacements for busted cards? I doubt it. So legally, I wonder if they can require to its users to purchase new cards after they purposely fried the first card. They can't prove the fried cards were cracked, there wasn't any two-way communication involved!
Maybe next they'll put a finger-print scanner on the remote:)
Yea, this sounds a little fishy. First off, why would they have designed the receivers in such a way as to allow damage to the card? A clever cracker could then send out a signal to brain-wipe valid user's cards (if they could figure out how to get that signal out anyway).
Even if it were true, imagine the liability. You cannot damage private property even if that property is in violation of a precious user agreement or even the law. "Yea, this car next to me was speeding so I blew his ass off the road". I don't think so.
If they want to spend some money get a T1 and a voice card from either Natural Microsystems (http://www.nmss.com) or Dialogic (http://www.dialogic.com).
A little C or C++ coding and you've got a handy dandy system that can accept touch tones, play back music/voice/whatever, etc..
It'd be far more reliable than crap based on Winblows using analog phone lines.
Get ready to spend some $$$ though, those things aren't cheap.
Tests prove you're a student or that you're good at taking tests.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against college at all. I've been working in the industry for nearly ten years now, I still take college classes to this day and I get alot out of them.
I just don't believe one's degree is a good way to judge their abilities.
It's too easy to pass a course and not understand the material. We all do it. Take cultural classes or history, we pass, but do we get as much out of it as we should? Memorize and forget, there's very little gained that way.
I think alot of students sleep through their whole "education" that way.
I've found that many of the better "engineers" don't hold such degrees. In fact, competence seems to be inversely proprortional to one's academic education.
Why should someone that had the luxury of higher education be granted more rights under the law than one educated by working or by hobby?
This leads to the constant debate on certification or even licensing for so-called "engineers". I think that's another path we don't really need to go down.
As for your comment on MCSE's, CNE's and so forth, which is worse? A PHD or MCSE? I find striking similarities in most.
Society should penalize the individuals that commit the crimes, not the people that study it.
Has anyone ever actually gotten a Verizon DSL circuit? I ordered mine way before the strike, got delayed, delayed, delayed.. strike happens... order gets lost, order gets re-entered, I finally end up screaming at them on the phone at which point they tell me, "we can't provide service in your area at the present time".
Well damn, I worked just a few blocks down and we had several DSL's.. Grrrrr.
Slashdot Mirror
Of course if they did lower it then some of the people who are using a "stolen" copy might actually buy the "real" thing.
Then again, since the days of the printed manual are gone there is absolutely no difference between the "stolen" copy and the "real" copy. Bits are bits.
It's like buying music (although mp3's aren't quite the same as cd audio tracks in terms of quality). The "stolen" audio sounds just like the "real" audio. All you get for your money is some crappy packaging.
I don't advocate IP theft but admittedly there's not a whole lot of people that are going to fork over five hundred clams for a box with an MSFT hologram on the side (other than businesses who have the MSFT police beating down their doors).
No, I think you're confusing the coders with tech support.
But all kidding aside.. what I'm saying is that's the slashdot mentality. A good manager would be facilitating the process: asking the right questions, not being stupid or redundant, and actually asking for the coder's input. I don't think the code geeks actually mind this type of manager. They're part of "the group".
A bad manager would hinder the process with dumb questions probably already answered a million times, meetings "to get everyone on the same page because I have no freaking clue what you people do" and so on. These are the PHB's. If no one wants to talk to you either you smell real bad or you're annoying the hell out of the person.
I actually had a boss not too long ago that said "I have no idea what you do but you're doing an excellent job". WTF? Before that I had one that yelled at me for not keeping enough equipment on inventory. He couldn't believe it when I told him I was hired as a Software Engineer and had nothing to do with purchasing. Those were both PHB's.
The slashdot mentality is that coders code. PHB's hinder that goal with meetings, pointless debates, requests for documentation etc.. therefore they're inept as they should be facilitating, not hindering.
/.
If a PHG prevents a PHB from doing his/her job than it's up to the PHB to do something about it. A PHB has powers over the PHG be it a firing, issuing a bonus, adding/removing resources, forced training and such. If a PHB puts up with an incompetent or non-cooperative PHG it's their own damn fault because of their own ineptness.
A PHG, on the other hand, has no powers over an incompetent PHB. PHG's in number MAY be able to do something about it in some organizations but it's somewhat rare. Therefore the poorly managed PHG's have no outlet but to whine about the PHB's on
Besides all that, show me any coder who actually knows what his manager does. They appear from time to time to yell about something then withdraw into the woodwork. Perhaps if the geeks could understand the boss's mission they could actually help each other out. Too bad geeks aren't entitled to know what goes on behind the closed doors.
Well that would be the fault of management for not paying attention, wouldn't it?
In some companies the coders run the show. They decide what new features will be added, how they'll be implemented etc.. In that case it can't really be the "wrong stuff". Why? Management at these places are so inept that they can't understand the technology, they can only "manage" the people working on it.
"I don't understand what you're doing but make sure you meet the deliverable, work nights and weekends if you have to."
Yes, because it means the company can then hire "managers" to build empires, squander budgets, and become the scorn of all these valuable programmers.
Programmers are hired to code, now what exactly is the manager's job? To manage (i.e. communicate effectively with one's subordinates, assign realistic priorities, supervise the going-on's with other departments etc..).
Programmers that can communicate seem to end up being sucked into the vacuum of sales & marketting, never to be seen again. The frequent flier miles can't be all that bad though. Meanwhile the coders that are impossible to talk to sit in their cube and actually get stuff done.
Exactly!
What ever happened to, "if it's too good to be true"? If the technology is so good that it can't possibly fail and you're able to choose your VC's how can you not afford to pay people MORE than they'd make at other places?
As any type of computer technologist, even with today's market, you should still be able to name YOUR price. If you're getting screwed from the get go what makes you think when you strike it rich they're suddenly going to share the wealth? Even with stock options there's not even the hint of a guarentee.
If you're being worked like a dog then you probably are a dog.
Perhaps this could be another use of MS Passport too. Not only would every download be tagged to your NAT device but it would also have all your personal information flagged to it as well. Even, perhaps, a list of other company's software that you might be "violating".
I kinda see a problem when Microsoft has more power than local or even federal law enforcement.
Hey, why not have a shrink wrap agreement on driver's licenses? One that says you give the police the right to rummage through and/or confiscate your vehicle at any time. Then we know we can invade anyone's car because obviously they must agree with that provision.
Lovely.
I always wondered about this. In order to enter without a warrant they'd have to know you have a EULA backed peice of software. But if they haven't already invaded your property how would they know that?
I could see the case where some idiot user actually registered their software, but other than that..?
That is such a ridiculous provision, I can't see why the courts would allow it to go on. Why should I be required to permit M$ to check up on my software just for the "priveledge" of running that software?
So by your reasoning..
If someone sells a gun they should ensure it's constructed in such away that someone can't injur (shoot) themself with it or ensure that the bullet is moving at a slow enough speed in order to reduce the risk of injury.
Cigarette makers should ensure that the packaging of the cigarette can't start a brush fire should a lit cigarette be tossed out a window.
Computer makers should need to ensure that children cannot access violent games or blur the games out to reduce the risk of school shootings.
Weak. That's the kind of reasoning that I'd expect from the "norm" of our society.
>Any other free-beer services you've noticed being shut down
>or leaning suspiciously of late?
1) Photopoint is stopping free picture hosting. Normally I think these sites are useless but they allowed you to link to your pictures from other sites. Very useful for UBB forums. This relates to #2.
2) The ability to link to a picture hosted on a "free web hosting service" from another site. Again, I used to use this feature on UBB forums as you can't upload a picture onto most of 'em. Geocities blocked this type of access several months ago, Tripod followed suit. The rest are doing it as soon as they find out about it.
And that has what to do with the article? You're comparing a PIII vs an Athlon, neither of which is a P4. Besides that, there's a great number of things that can affect performance. The processor is but one of them.
I can't recall seeing a "no drugs allowed" sign on our local CitiBus. Even so, there is also a law against unlawful search and seizure and our right to privacy. IMO, the practice of drug searches on airlines are tolerated for two reasons:
1) They are most likely looking for weapons, explosives, pressurized canisters and anything else that could create havoc in the air. In other words: public safety.
2) This is a weaker point. Some travellers, even on domestic flights either originated their journey or will end their journey in another country. You pretty much give up all your rights in exchange for the priveledge of crossing an international border.
Neither of these points apply on a train/bus/taxi etc.. So what next? How about NYPD or Boston PD installing cameras in the back of cabs? Hey, let's even have the cabbies or the busses drive the bad guys right to jail after we spot 'em. Who really thinks that the government sets up monitoring systems like this "to combat drugs"? I think not.
I bet Amtrak resells the information to advertisers too. Anyone ridden it long distance and ended up with a mailbox full of flyers when they got home?
Come on, hardly any DJ's can be considered artists. They do "work for hire". People listen to radio for music, not the freakin' talk-bots. At least the people I know anyway. Why would the DJ deserve more money?.. unless of course we're paying them to shut the hell up. You don't see many recordings of DJ's surfacing on Napster do you? That probably means they're not in demand, no one wants to hear them!
And just who exactly is going scold Stern for doing that? The average DJ doesn't have .1% of the influence and control that Stern has built up. And hmm, no one is allowed to rebroadcast Stern over the Internet. There's alot of independance going on there!
We're talking about the average DJ who broadcasts at one station, not some media giant who is syndicated all over the planet.
You sure you don't work for Clear Cast?
The parent post was concerned with kids viewing porno while locked in the rooms studying at night. I doubt those kids have serious relationships. The parent poster would have us believe that porn is contributing to those kids having promiscuous sex.
Now to me, a teen boy/girl growing up who occupies their free time surfing for porn isn't going to have the social skills necessary to have sex, be it promiscuous or not. Granted that they're most likely looking at preview porn or usenet porn, not the paid for variety yahoo is selling.
That's my only point, dull as it is.
Sex.
You're taking my comment a little out of context. The comment I was replying to talked about porn leading to promiscuous sex. Sure, many porn lovers have gf's/wives. I'm talking about that select few that "matured" while oogling over nudies.
I guess I should have said.. "geeks who've never been in a relationship who look at porn constantly and spank their monkey off in front of their keyboards probably aren't going to be getting any (sex) anyway".
What total nonsense. The only people surfing for porn on the internet are those that CAN'T GET IT IN REAL LIFE. Therefore kids looking at porn on the Internet should have no chance at a promiscuous lifestyle.
If parents don't want kids looking at porno don't put a computer in their room, put it in a "family spot". Same logic as not having cable TV in their room if you don't want them watching violence. There are far more mediums for porn than just the Internet.
Keep your f$cking morals away from me, I'm offended by them. We need to find a way to regulate your posts.
Cute. Wouldn't it be even funnier if the user was liable for any damages?
:)
I really hate those types of arangements. I own two DirectTV receivers and didn't even know that. With every bit of information like this I hear I realize DirecTV and similar services are no better than the cable companies I use them to get away from.
Now here's a thought: does Hughes offer free replacements for busted cards? I doubt it. So legally, I wonder if they can require to its users to purchase new cards after they purposely fried the first card. They can't prove the fried cards were cracked, there wasn't any two-way communication involved!
Maybe next they'll put a finger-print scanner on the remote
Yea, this sounds a little fishy. First off, why would they have designed the receivers in such a way as to allow damage to the card? A clever cracker could then send out a signal to brain-wipe valid user's cards (if they could figure out how to get that signal out anyway).
Even if it were true, imagine the liability. You cannot damage private property even if that property is in violation of a precious user agreement or even the law. "Yea, this car next to me was speeding so I blew his ass off the road". I don't think so.
Next Gore will want royalties for using his Internet and M$ will want a buck for every window that pops up on a screen.
It's the more extreme abuses of government like this that may promote change. Perhaps it's a good thing? Geeks taking control of government.
Yea, great. I don't think these guys should be responsible for determining what careers are professional and which aren't.
To me it seems similar to the old arguement on whether or not Software Engineers are actually Engineers.
I can't wait to see how many thousand names Verizon tries to register when these new domains become available. I want "verizon-runs-a-lousy.biz".
If they want to spend some money get a T1 and a voice card from either Natural Microsystems (http://www.nmss.com) or Dialogic (http://www.dialogic.com).
A little C or C++ coding and you've got a handy dandy system that can accept touch tones, play back music/voice/whatever, etc..
It'd be far more reliable than crap based on Winblows using analog phone lines.
Get ready to spend some $$$ though, those things aren't cheap.
Tests prove you're a student or that you're good at taking tests.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against college at all. I've been working in the industry for nearly ten years now, I still take college classes to this day and I get alot out of them.
I just don't believe one's degree is a good way to judge their abilities.
It's too easy to pass a course and not understand the material. We all do it. Take cultural classes or history, we pass, but do we get as much out of it as we should? Memorize and forget, there's very little gained that way.
I think alot of students sleep through their whole "education" that way.
I've found that many of the better "engineers" don't hold such degrees. In fact, competence seems to be inversely proprortional to one's academic education.
Why should someone that had the luxury of higher education be granted more rights under the law than one educated by working or by hobby?
This leads to the constant debate on certification or even licensing for so-called "engineers". I think that's another path we don't really need to go down.
As for your comment on MCSE's, CNE's and so forth, which is worse? A PHD or MCSE? I find striking similarities in most.
Society should penalize the individuals that commit the crimes, not the people that study it.
Has anyone ever actually gotten a Verizon DSL circuit? I ordered mine way before the strike, got delayed, delayed, delayed.. strike happens... order gets lost, order gets re-entered, I finally end up screaming at them on the phone at which point they tell me, "we can't provide service in your area at the present time".
Well damn, I worked just a few blocks down and we had several DSL's.. Grrrrr.