Re:Who cares? You can't redistribute it anyway.
on
SuSE 8.2 Announced
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· Score: 2, Informative
What are you smoking? Other than YaST and perhaps a few other proprietary apps SuSE is as free as any other commercial Linux. The sources are available for download at the same time the rest of the distro is put out on their FTP servers, if that's not fast enough for you they're also included on the DVD/CD sets that SuSE sells. Recompile and distribute to your hearts content.
Better, use Debian ya deadbeat and stop raggin on people that like to make a few bucks off of their hard work.
There's a ton of double-talk bullshit in US law like this.
There's a ton of double-talk bullshit in ANY legal system. Shakespeare penned the lines "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" for a reason.
Your trite simplifications of the US legal system are worth less than the number of active brain cells that you possess, which I guarantee to be a single digit number.
First, I didn't notice that you had asked what they could do to you in the UK.
Second, I am not delusional nor US-centric.
Third, not being a law enforcement body does not mean that they can't get a judge to issue a warrant that must then be carried out by a law enforcement agency.
They can take me to court for copyright infringement if they like, but when they lose (since I don't have any illegally copied software) it's very likely the court will award me costs.
Why would they take you to court if your company is properly licensed? Court action would only be taken if they performed an audit and found non-compliant software, and even then they attempt to negotiate a settlement first. But don't think they can't get a judge to allow them to audit you.
There is a difference in obtaining a product legally and utilizing it legally. It doesn't matter if I bought my copy of Office at Best Buy or from Lou's Just Fell Off The Truck Bargains, if it's installed in a way that violates the license then it's still not legal.
It's your rights being taken away. You choose if you lose them. If you act weak, you lose. Period.
Reality check here. Right or wrong doesn't matter. Microsoft has more than enough money to sue most companies to bankruptcy 10 times over. Even if you did win, they could tie you up in appeals and litigation for so long your grand-children will be arguing the case.
The only realistic way to get out of meeting the licensing requirements that Microsoft and the BSA as their agents require is to use products with more open licensing like the GPL and BSD licenses.
Legally they have the same power to haul you into court that they have with a Fortune 500 company. Copyright infringement is copyright infringement. There's no special statute that says broke students get a free pass.
If they can convince a judge that you have software that was made by one of the companies they represent then they can get a warrant. Whether they would bother with a single person is another question, although you could get caught up in a school wide audit (if you're in a college dorm).
Doesn't that innocent until proven guilty apply anylonger in the US?
Land of the free my ass - at least they don't claim that here
Always nice to see people from another country chime in on the intricacies of a 200 year old legal system with absolutely no idea of what they are talking about.
There is criminal law and there is civil law, certain rights and expectations apply in the one but not the other. Then there is the fact that property, being not a person, has no legal rights and is therefore guilty until proven innocent.
They show up at your door with a warrant and several federal marshals. They then force your employees to stand away from their computers while they perform a system audit. Then they check on the licenses and reciepts that you have, and match those to their audit. If things don't match they negotiate a settlement. If you don't feel like negotiating, they take you to federal court for copyright infringement.
Suits generally do not come with legal documents attached to them.
It's really your responsability to keep track of the documentation to legally binding contracts that you agree to, the "Who knew?" defense doesn't really work in court.
The main thing to remember is that you do not actually own your software, according to the EULAs, you are merely licensed to use it. Mere possession of it gives them the right to force you to prove you are adhering to the license agreement.
While you're playing Doom3 on your GeForceFX, I'll be playing it on my ATI 10,000 Pro which will probably be released the day after nVidia starts selling the GeForceFX.
The longer nVidia delays getting their product out the door, the more time ATI has to trump it.
Even if ATI doesn't release a new card right away, they'll drop their prices when the GeForceFX does hit store shelves.
Sci-fi is an abbreviation of "science" and "fiction". Not much of that can be found in a souped-up version of a western. Myself, I am not interested in cattle, dances around fire, or various other intrigues of the sort.
Well, when they get around to making Junkyard Wars in Space, I guess you'll be in heaven. No character development, no plot, just a bunch of rewired tech for the sake of rewiring tech.
For me, one of the wonderful things about Firefly was the fact that they treated technology naturally, just something that you used and no big deal about it. Nobody goes about their daily lives discussing how to rework a dilithium matrix to increase efficiency that extra.001%.
The fun was seeing how this Universe worked, how there could be a vastly technological core of planets vs. outer colonies reduced to using wagons and horses. Sometimes the interesting bits are the most overlooked.
Lexx is interesting
Okay, you bitch about the representation of technology in Firefly and then say that Lexx was interesting? WTF?!? Have you no values?
Okay, by that statement I take it that you watch Enterprise due to its loose connections to previous Trek series rather than any pretense that it is a well written and acted series, of which it is neither.
Enterprise is the worst crap that I have ever seen and I curse B&B for squeezing it out of their flaming assholes and subjecting us to it. Voyager was high art compared to Enterprise, and while they accentuated 7of9's body they didn't have to resort to Decon-goo rubdowns with hard-nippled Vulcans to gain viewership.
But then why resort to well written characters and plots when a little T&A brings in the crowds. Throw enough boobies at the audience and maybe they won't notice glaring contradictions like cowardly Klingons, emotional Vulcans, Romulans with cloaking devices prior to established canon, Ferengi, retread plots, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
Many more of us will have access to a book than an experienced sysadmin. Besides, self-learning is a valuable and viable process, after all, who taught all the guru's?
The key to getting the people to invest in expensive space exploration and development programs is in keeping them interested. It's sad that NASA has to learn a lesson from the Russians on this one.
You cannot get funding for a program if it doesn't capture the hearts of those paying for it. NASA had that with the moon landings, but they've let the public's imagination slip away to the point that most people don't consider space exploration worthwhile.
They can send NSync, the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears up all at the same time for a weightless concert, who cares if it gets other more vital projects necessary funding? If the ISS isn't kept in the public's view, if they're not reminded on a daily basis how important and exciting it is, then it'll end up just another SkyLab with it's most noteworthy event being it's fiery re-entry.
Actually I think it'd go more mainstream if a large PC vender started seriously backing it and started selling Linux PC's at Best Buy, then all the whining about installers would go away.
Not many people actually install Windows, they just live with what's on their PC when they buy it.
Why is it that whenever you have a conversation about Debian someone always has to jump in with the the APT vs RPM stuff?
APT might be a floor wax and a dessert topping, I don't care and it has nothing to do with what I posted.
I would really like to see ATI release drivers (binary or otherwise) for linux.
This must be your happy day then, cause XFree86 4.2 comes with Radeon 8500 drivers (has since it was released, I use it with my 8500 every day) and ATI just released some really sweet FireGL drivers for XFree86 4.1 & 4.2 that also work with the Radeon 8500's.
Heads - wait 3 years for games to be developed that can actually take advantage of the features of a new card (good luck finding a 9700 or GeForce5 in 3 years) - or - Tails - buy that card now and know that it'll be good for at least 3 years
Of course If you leave them in a car they can melt... but we've been likening software and media to cars for as long as I've read/. (for liability, warranties, etc.) and if your car should somehow melt or be snapped in half, you don't get a free replacement. Part of owning something is taking care of it.
Ah, but there is a significant difference in how a car is viewed and how a CD/DVD is viewed legally. When I purchase a car, it is mine. I can modify it in any fashion that I choose, I can legally cut bits of it off and attach them to other cars or build a completely new car from various bits of other cars.
When you buy a CD/DVD then you are buying the 'right' to listen/view the material within, with the understanding that you do not own that material, only the right to experience it. That is why most people feel that if the container of said media becomes damaged for any reason, it should be replaced at no fee to the consumer.
Now, let's look at the rest of your statement:
there really isn't any good reason why we need to be able to copy DVDs. Is there?
DVD's have a limited shelf life, just as any other media. Being able to make an archival copy of my DVD's ensures that I can enjoy them for as long as I own them.
DVD's are susceptible to damage. So again, haveing a copy ensures that I can easily replace a damaged disk at no additional cost to myself.
DVD's are not the final storage media that will be presented to consumers. Why should I have to buy a huge movie library over and over again simply because the industry changes the format that they will support?
Then there's the idea of cultural archival. Consider that many classic movies have been altered in various ways by the studios. Guns removed from ET, editing changes made to Star Wars, etc. In 30 years, if you want to get a copy of the original version of these movies, you won't be able to purchase them from the studios.
So yes, the capability to copy a DVD is not only necessary, but vital. Casual consumer piracy is not the threat that industry pundits would have us believe it to be, nor should it be confused with concerted piracy.
Even if the actual voter doesn't recieve a reciept, there should be some hard data trail for use in lawsuits and such. "It's true because I say so" will only get you so far in a court of law, or in public opinion.
So what if the public wants to whine about changes in the way they interface with the government they elected to represent them? In a democracy the government is responsible to us, not the other way around. Large changes like this should be able to stand up to any public scrutiny and prove its reliability and accountability.
It's not like anyone would even THINK of altering the software in these machines so they automatically chose the winner based on whichever party has paid off the manufacturer the most. Nah, such underhanded tactics wouldn't get past the high ethical standards that our elected officials and business executives in the US are known for.
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What are you smoking? Other than YaST and perhaps a few other proprietary apps SuSE is as free as any other commercial Linux. The sources are available for download at the same time the rest of the distro is put out on their FTP servers, if that's not fast enough for you they're also included on the DVD/CD sets that SuSE sells. Recompile and distribute to your hearts content.
Better, use Debian ya deadbeat and stop raggin on people that like to make a few bucks off of their hard work.
Perhaps that's why Mandrake has to beg the community to fork over some money every few months.
Soon to be available at your local S-Mart, Boomstick Linux. Hail to the King baby.
Your trite simplifications of the US legal system are worth less than the number of active brain cells that you possess, which I guarantee to be a single digit number.
Second, I am not delusional nor US-centric.
Third, not being a law enforcement body does not mean that they can't get a judge to issue a warrant that must then be carried out by a law enforcement agency.
Why would they take you to court if your company is properly licensed? Court action would only be taken if they performed an audit and found non-compliant software, and even then they attempt to negotiate a settlement first. But don't think they can't get a judge to allow them to audit you.The only realistic way to get out of meeting the licensing requirements that Microsoft and the BSA as their agents require is to use products with more open licensing like the GPL and BSD licenses.
If they can convince a judge that you have software that was made by one of the companies they represent then they can get a warrant. Whether they would bother with a single person is another question, although you could get caught up in a school wide audit (if you're in a college dorm).
There is criminal law and there is civil law, certain rights and expectations apply in the one but not the other. Then there is the fact that property, being not a person, has no legal rights and is therefore guilty until proven innocent.
They show up at your door with a warrant and several federal marshals. They then force your employees to stand away from their computers while they perform a system audit. Then they check on the licenses and reciepts that you have, and match those to their audit. If things don't match they negotiate a settlement. If you don't feel like negotiating, they take you to federal court for copyright infringement.
Oh, and they make you pay for the audit too.
Suits generally do not come with legal documents attached to them.
It's really your responsability to keep track of the documentation to legally binding contracts that you agree to, the "Who knew?" defense doesn't really work in court.
The main thing to remember is that you do not actually own your software, according to the EULAs, you are merely licensed to use it. Mere possession of it gives them the right to force you to prove you are adhering to the license agreement.
While you're playing Doom3 on your GeForceFX, I'll be playing it on my ATI 10,000 Pro which will probably be released the day after nVidia starts selling the GeForceFX.
The longer nVidia delays getting their product out the door, the more time ATI has to trump it.
Even if ATI doesn't release a new card right away, they'll drop their prices when the GeForceFX does hit store shelves.
Ah, but then they could go A.I.!! Cringe factor at 11!!
For me, one of the wonderful things about Firefly was the fact that they treated technology naturally, just something that you used and no big deal about it. Nobody goes about their daily lives discussing how to rework a dilithium matrix to increase efficiency that extra .001%.
The fun was seeing how this Universe worked, how there could be a vastly technological core of planets vs. outer colonies reduced to using wagons and horses. Sometimes the interesting bits are the most overlooked.
Okay, you bitch about the representation of technology in Firefly and then say that Lexx was interesting? WTF?!? Have you no values?Enterprise is the worst crap that I have ever seen and I curse B&B for squeezing it out of their flaming assholes and subjecting us to it. Voyager was high art compared to Enterprise, and while they accentuated 7of9's body they didn't have to resort to Decon-goo rubdowns with hard-nippled Vulcans to gain viewership.
But then why resort to well written characters and plots when a little T&A brings in the crowds. Throw enough boobies at the audience and maybe they won't notice glaring contradictions like cowardly Klingons, emotional Vulcans, Romulans with cloaking devices prior to established canon, Ferengi, retread plots, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
Many more of us will have access to a book than an experienced sysadmin. Besides, self-learning is a valuable and viable process, after all, who taught all the guru's?
The key to getting the people to invest in expensive space exploration and development programs is in keeping them interested. It's sad that NASA has to learn a lesson from the Russians on this one.
You cannot get funding for a program if it doesn't capture the hearts of those paying for it. NASA had that with the moon landings, but they've let the public's imagination slip away to the point that most people don't consider space exploration worthwhile.
They can send NSync, the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears up all at the same time for a weightless concert, who cares if it gets other more vital projects necessary funding? If the ISS isn't kept in the public's view, if they're not reminded on a daily basis how important and exciting it is, then it'll end up just another SkyLab with it's most noteworthy event being it's fiery re-entry.
Actually I think it'd go more mainstream if a large PC vender started seriously backing it and started selling Linux PC's at Best Buy, then all the whining about installers would go away.
Not many people actually install Windows, they just live with what's on their PC when they buy it.
Why is it that whenever you have a conversation about Debian someone always has to jump in with the the APT vs RPM stuff? APT might be a floor wax and a dessert topping, I don't care and it has nothing to do with what I posted.
This must be your happy day then, cause XFree86 4.2 comes with Radeon 8500 drivers (has since it was released, I use it with my 8500 every day) and ATI just released some really sweet FireGL drivers for XFree86 4.1 & 4.2 that also work with the Radeon 8500's.
More people buy console games than PC games.
More people buy Windows PC games than Apple Mac games.
More people buy Mac games than Linux games.
Yet oddly, poor 'bribed' Carmack supports all 4 platforms. He almost built Quake3 on a JavaVM.
Hell, there was a Sega Dreamcast version of Quake 3.
It's always a coin toss:
Heads - wait 3 years for games to be developed that can actually take advantage of the features of a new card (good luck finding a 9700 or GeForce5 in 3 years)
- or -
Tails - buy that card now and know that it'll be good for at least 3 years
Decisions, decisions.....
When you buy a CD/DVD then you are buying the 'right' to listen/view the material within, with the understanding that you do not own that material, only the right to experience it. That is why most people feel that if the container of said media becomes damaged for any reason, it should be replaced at no fee to the consumer.
Now, let's look at the rest of your statement:
DVD's have a limited shelf life, just as any other media. Being able to make an archival copy of my DVD's ensures that I can enjoy them for as long as I own them.DVD's are susceptible to damage. So again, haveing a copy ensures that I can easily replace a damaged disk at no additional cost to myself.
DVD's are not the final storage media that will be presented to consumers. Why should I have to buy a huge movie library over and over again simply because the industry changes the format that they will support?
Then there's the idea of cultural archival. Consider that many classic movies have been altered in various ways by the studios. Guns removed from ET, editing changes made to Star Wars, etc. In 30 years, if you want to get a copy of the original version of these movies, you won't be able to purchase them from the studios.
So yes, the capability to copy a DVD is not only necessary, but vital. Casual consumer piracy is not the threat that industry pundits would have us believe it to be, nor should it be confused with concerted piracy.
Even if the actual voter doesn't recieve a reciept, there should be some hard data trail for use in lawsuits and such. "It's true because I say so" will only get you so far in a court of law, or in public opinion.
So what if the public wants to whine about changes in the way they interface with the government they elected to represent them? In a democracy the government is responsible to us, not the other way around. Large changes like this should be able to stand up to any public scrutiny and prove its reliability and accountability.
It's not like anyone would even THINK of altering the software in these machines so they automatically chose the winner based on whichever party has paid off the manufacturer the most. Nah, such underhanded tactics wouldn't get past the high ethical standards that our elected officials and business executives in the US are known for.
Pretty much every state in the US is the same.