That said, how do I do anything but harm Amazon if I use their servers to search for books but never buy from them?
Yes, that is exactly the point. I used to feel "bad" about looking at their reviews and never buying from Amazon (because of pricing and shipping times). Now, thanks to the boycott, I can do the same thing and feel that, morally, it is the right thing to do.
Aside from that, the original poster did have a point. Whenever linking to Amazon, one should remind others of the boycott.
Aargh ! Not again.. Palm is productivity tool, not a game machine. Why do you keep making these.. great.. games for my little organizer ? I can remember the countless days of perfectly good work time I used on playing Ackeron.
It's a good thing that I don't like Quake-like games. That is why I'm not even going to download it.
That's right, I'm not. (Damn, slashdotted already..) Now, I am not going to sit here and wait for the moment the/. effect wears out. Really. Then I'm not going to install it on my Palm and play for two straight days. I did not get these rechargable batteries so I wouldn't have to worry about the costs of hardcore gaming. Really, I didn't..
AFAIK, samba isn't restriced to Linux. Neither are GNOME, KDE, Mozilla or other open source projects.
If we rephrase the question as "when will open source start leading the way" - well, I don't think it needs an answer, unless it is asked by a clueless ZDNet "journalist".
I'm not surprised that the revelations about the truth behind the driving forces of the stock market came as a surprise to Jon Katz. As for others, I would think that any educated person who follows the stock market closely would regard this as common knowledge. This is how the stock market works.
"Shock waves".. oh yeah. Jon, I hope the next "shocking" thing you learn has something to do with "water" and "electricity". Please.
First of all, I liked the balance between *BSD and Linux.
installed FreeBSD on it. This Linux cousin is well-known and loved in the networking community because it's a descendant of the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)
Well said. I want more articles that give an unbiased opinion about both Linux and *BSD. I'm a Linux user myself, having never really used *BSD, but I, too, know that we are in the same boat; if, for example, FreeBSD, is successful, it benefits the free software movement as a whole.
Group Logic has documented several cases where the sendmail program running on the Linux server lost an e-mail message.
Well.. it's possible. This can probably not be compared to the horrors of the people who ran the mail systems at my former employer (it was MS Mail). Legends spoke of lost emails and messages that were days or even weeks late. They upgraded it, though... to MS Exchange;) I have no idea how it fares nowadays.
The folks who know Linux have better things to do than maintain the mail system
Well, what can I say:) Let those incompetent MCSE monkeys run the mail systems...
Just think of the future implications: what if you get paralyzed by watching another round of thoughtless, contentless drivel by Jon Katz ? Then, you sit in front of the monitor, unable to move, your mouth drooping, hands limp at your sides - and all you can think of is "Katz". This is all Katz' fault. Now, the device interprets your thoughts, deciding that you want more of Katz - and brings dozens of browser windows into the foreground, each one displaying a different Katz article. Can you imagine the torment ? You try to scream, but no sounds can be produced..
Personally, I loved the quote from the journalist who said that she was suspicious when she received 5 copies of it, but since the last one was from Dow Jones, she opened it anyway...:-)
Would you like to date a guy who is called "Dow" ? D'oh, I'll say.
While I dislike being forced into redundancy and while there have been other expressing this same opinion, I feel that I have repeat it.
Metallica is right. These users are are pirating music, which is not only illegal, but it is also wrong. They have never paid for those songs.
As for you, Jon - I'm not sure whether this so-called "article" was "written" because you genuinely feel that this is an important issue and that the sequence of events infuriates you, or whether this is just another of your blatant rants of self-promotion. I am willing to give you the benefit of a doubt and assume it is the former.
If Marvin got into a fight with Data (from Star Trek), who would win?
Well, Marvin, of course. The reasoning is this:
Marvin would be more than happy to let Data win, because that way he could end his own miserable experience. He wouldn't have any luck with that, so he would win while being horribly crippled:)
Ah, thanks. Doesn't surprise me that it was a pun on someone he personally knew. I was also a bit puzzled about the person's name in the radio series not sounding like "Paula.."..
No matter what your opinion of Metallica is, the fact is that these users are engaged is piracy, which is, by all accounts, illegal. No amount of loudmouthing is going to change that. Whether or not you consider Metallica's music worth listening - whether you even consider it "music" at all - is irrelevant. They have a right to get paid for their work.
It may be true that they are alienating their fans; it may be true that they are not seeing the "brave new world", powered by the Internet where information "wants to be free". For all those who call upon this so-called revolution, let me ask you: Do you really think that this music-swapping, without anyone paying for it, could go on like this ? Do you really believe that there wasn't going to be an artist who would pick up the sword and - rightly so - proclaim: You are thieves. ?
The impact of MP3s on CD sales (whether the sales will decrease or increase) is, in this case, also irrelevant. The distribution channels of music may be different in the future and the copyrights may be more lenient; changes may be in air. Nevertheless, we would be creating a double economy and fully accepting piracy if we allowed Napster to go on like this under the current jurisdiction.
I will now propose a few exercises that will help you improve your health and increase the quality of your articles.
Step 1. You must realize that your jaws need to be warmed up; if you start talking without warming up you will hurt your jaws. So, whenever you open your mouth to say something, use you brain for a moment, and then close your mouth. Repeat this for a few times. After this your jaws are flexible enough and, contrary to your normal procedure, you have also been thinking. You may now proceed to the next step.
Step 2. Whenever you think of applying your keyboard with your fingers, stop. Your fingers need stretching. Close your hand into a fist and open it again - and while doing this, engage your brain. After having done this for a few times, you may resume writing.
Step 3. You have now written your article. Because of the unprecedented amount of activity you have imposed on your brain, you will realize - after having read the article - that you have no talent at all. You decide to get a job at a local circus because of your amazing jaw-flexing and finger-stretching abilities.
have to admit that I'm part of the problem here - I use Linux OSes because they work well for what they do. While I admire the goals of the free software movement, the bottom line is that Linux is a product that works great and the price is right. If it were not the case, I'd be using something else non-free. I'd guess that's the case with many Linux users, the product (a free unix that runs on your hardware) outweighs the philosophy.
You have a point there. Most people use Linux for purely selfish reasons - not because of ideology. I'm not really sure how I would rate myself here.
On the surface, it is nice to use this free (as in speech) software and be part of the larger movement. On the other hand, I have a lot of proprietary software in my system, and I've even paid for some programs. What would I do if there was no netscape for Linux, or it was commercial ?
Consider mozilla, for example. Unlike netscape, it is free (as in speech). Do I choose to use it ? No, because, for me, it is still not as good as netscape, it doesn't work as well.
I don't agree with many of his views, but as a person who firmly stands up to defend his ideals and who has spent decades trying to change the world, he should be respected. One must realize, though, that he is an extremist, and because of this many people might never see things his way.
Many people mistakenly believe that the reason RMS insists on using GNU/Linux is his seek for fame; that he wants people to give him credit for his work. This is clearly false, as may be seen from his interview. The difference between GNU/Linux and Linux is the same one as between saying free as in "free speech" instead of free as in "free beer" - and it is very important distinction. Even though he may not crave for it, he does deserve recognition, because the free software movement probably wouldn't exist without him.
Like I said, some things he says make me just want to shake my head, and others - well, there are infuriating ones, like his take on Napster. It is rather interesting how he manages to dismiss the whole Napster case as seeing "nothing inethical" in it - but like I said, it's just his steadfast ideology.
It is possible that my memory is failing me:), but as I recall, the Alvin Maker series does also have Mormon influences (the fact that Alvin goes off to build Crystal City)..
But yeah, I've read of most of his stuff, too. His earlier works are better than the recent stuff - I liked Pastwatch, though.
It is rather interesting that you managed to brand Red Mars as "juveline" based on your own opinion, that is, the fact that you find it boring.
It may be boring to some people, but it has nothing to do with it being "juveline". The fact that reading it requires a lot of attention and that it doesn't have a lot of dazzling displays of brutal action means that its target audience doesn't consist of your average adolescents who consume two books of mass-market scifi a day.
Red Mars is an extremely entertaining description of the colonization of Mars, it has a lot of technical details that are easy to believe to be accurate - and the book doesn't forget the social aspects either. It's a very rich book, and I consider it one of the best scifi books I've ever read.
I personally rate Ender's Game the highest, but there are people who consider its first sequel (Speaker for the Dead) better. That one definitely worth reading.
As for the rest, you can safely skip them. The quality dropped as the Ender Saga got longer - the same phenomenon happened with his other longer series, too.
. but if Russia becomes a sort of data haven (ref: some book by William Gibson), someone may start blocking accesses to Russia in their firewalls.
Bruce Sterling wrote an excellent book on this subject; it's called Islands In The Net. I would dare to go as far as to claim that it is an even better reference than Gibson's books concerning data havens.
Slashdot Mirror
The last one is what you are asking. IANAL, but it would seem fair that you should be able to do this.
Offering songs is copyright infringement in both cases (again, IANAL).
Yes, that is exactly the point. I used to feel "bad" about looking at their reviews and never buying from Amazon (because of pricing and shipping times). Now, thanks to the boycott, I can do the same thing and feel that, morally, it is the right thing to do.
Aside from that, the original poster did have a point. Whenever linking to Amazon, one should remind others of the boycott.
It's a good thing that I don't like Quake-like games. That is why I'm not even going to download it.
That's right, I'm not. (Damn, slashdotted already..) Now, I am not going to sit here and wait for the moment the /. effect wears out. Really. Then I'm not going to install it on my Palm and play for two straight days. I did not get these rechargable batteries so I wouldn't have to worry about the costs of hardcore gaming. Really, I didn't..
Sorry, but no go. Amazon has the biggest selection of books and a score of helpful reviews with each one.
Hint: You don't have to pay for the searches, and you're not required to buy the books.
Well, then you haven't been doing your homework. A quick search at amazon shows a couple of books of interest, like this:
If we rephrase the question as "when will open source start leading the way" - well, I don't think it needs an answer, unless it is asked by a clueless ZDNet "journalist".
"Shock waves".. oh yeah. Jon, I hope the next "shocking" thing you learn has something to do with "water" and "electricity". Please.
There supposedly isn't any GPL'd code in the drivers.
Well said. I want more articles that give an unbiased opinion about both Linux and *BSD. I'm a Linux user myself, having never really used *BSD, but I, too, know that we are in the same boat; if, for example, FreeBSD, is successful, it benefits the free software movement as a whole.
Well.. it's possible. This can probably not be compared to the horrors of the people who ran the mail systems at my former employer (it was MS Mail). Legends spoke of lost emails and messages that were days or even weeks late. They upgraded it, though... to MS Exchange ;) I have no idea how it fares nowadays.
Well, what can I say :) Let those incompetent MCSE monkeys run the mail systems...
LAUNCELOT: Look, my liege!
ARTHUR: Camelot!
GALAHAD: Camelot!
LAUNCELOT: Camelot!
PATSY: It's only a model.
Just think of the future implications: what if you get paralyzed by watching another round of thoughtless, contentless drivel by Jon Katz ? Then, you sit in front of the monitor, unable to move, your mouth drooping, hands limp at your sides - and all you can think of is "Katz". This is all Katz' fault. Now, the device interprets your thoughts, deciding that you want more of Katz - and brings dozens of browser windows into the foreground, each one displaying a different Katz article. Can you imagine the torment ? You try to scream, but no sounds can be produced..
Just horrible.
Would you like to date a guy who is called "Dow" ? D'oh, I'll say.
Metallica is right. These users are are pirating music, which is not only illegal, but it is also wrong. They have never paid for those songs.
As for you, Jon - I'm not sure whether this so-called "article" was "written" because you genuinely feel that this is an important issue and that the sequence of events infuriates you, or whether this is just another of your blatant rants of self-promotion. I am willing to give you the benefit of a doubt and assume it is the former.
Well, Marvin, of course. The reasoning is this:
Marvin would be more than happy to let Data win, because that way he could end his own miserable experience. He wouldn't have any luck with that, so he would win while being horribly crippled :)
Ah, thanks. Doesn't surprise me that it was a pun on someone he personally knew. I was also a bit puzzled about the person's name in the radio series not sounding like "Paula .."..
Is she a real person ? If so, did you have something personal against her, or was her poetry really that bad ?
It may be true that they are alienating their fans; it may be true that they are not seeing the "brave new world", powered by the Internet where information "wants to be free". For all those who call upon this so-called revolution, let me ask you: Do you really think that this music-swapping, without anyone paying for it, could go on like this ? Do you really believe that there wasn't going to be an artist who would pick up the sword and - rightly so - proclaim: You are thieves. ?
The impact of MP3s on CD sales (whether the sales will decrease or increase) is, in this case, also irrelevant. The distribution channels of music may be different in the future and the copyrights may be more lenient; changes may be in air. Nevertheless, we would be creating a double economy and fully accepting piracy if we allowed Napster to go on like this under the current jurisdiction.
Step 1. You must realize that your jaws need to be warmed up; if you start talking without warming up you will hurt your jaws. So, whenever you open your mouth to say something, use you brain for a moment, and then close your mouth. Repeat this for a few times. After this your jaws are flexible enough and, contrary to your normal procedure, you have also been thinking. You may now proceed to the next step.
Step 2. Whenever you think of applying your keyboard with your fingers, stop. Your fingers need stretching. Close your hand into a fist and open it again - and while doing this, engage your brain. After having done this for a few times, you may resume writing.
Step 3. You have now written your article. Because of the unprecedented amount of activity you have imposed on your brain, you will realize - after having read the article - that you have no talent at all. You decide to get a job at a local circus because of your amazing jaw-flexing and finger-stretching abilities.
You have a point there. Most people use Linux for purely selfish reasons - not because of ideology. I'm not really sure how I would rate myself here.
On the surface, it is nice to use this free (as in speech) software and be part of the larger movement. On the other hand, I have a lot of proprietary software in my system, and I've even paid for some programs. What would I do if there was no netscape for Linux, or it was commercial ?
Consider mozilla, for example. Unlike netscape, it is free (as in speech). Do I choose to use it ? No, because, for me, it is still not as good as netscape, it doesn't work as well.
Many people mistakenly believe that the reason RMS insists on using GNU/Linux is his seek for fame; that he wants people to give him credit for his work. This is clearly false, as may be seen from his interview. The difference between GNU/Linux and Linux is the same one as between saying free as in "free speech" instead of free as in "free beer" - and it is very important distinction. Even though he may not crave for it, he does deserve recognition, because the free software movement probably wouldn't exist without him.
Like I said, some things he says make me just want to shake my head, and others - well, there are infuriating ones, like his take on Napster. It is rather interesting how he manages to dismiss the whole Napster case as seeing "nothing inethical" in it - but like I said, it's just his steadfast ideology.
But yeah, I've read of most of his stuff, too. His earlier works are better than the recent stuff - I liked Pastwatch, though.
It may be boring to some people, but it has nothing to do with it being "juveline". The fact that reading it requires a lot of attention and that it doesn't have a lot of dazzling displays of brutal action means that its target audience doesn't consist of your average adolescents who consume two books of mass-market scifi a day.
Red Mars is an extremely entertaining description of the colonization of Mars, it has a lot of technical details that are easy to believe to be accurate - and the book doesn't forget the social aspects either. It's a very rich book, and I consider it one of the best scifi books I've ever read.
As for the rest, you can safely skip them. The quality dropped as the Ender Saga got longer - the same phenomenon happened with his other longer series, too.
Dude - the rest of the world lost respect for the US long ago.
Bruce Sterling wrote an excellent book on this subject; it's called Islands In The Net. I would dare to go as far as to claim that it is an even better reference than Gibson's books concerning data havens.