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User: freebe

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Comments · 137

  1. Finding reasons to keep the copyright on RIAA Reversal On 'Work For Hire' Legislation · · Score: 2

    I wish that the RIAA would actually state their intentions instead of just attacking the problem without telling people what they're doing. The RIAA is obviously trying to extend copyright on the music as long as possible. If they granted copyright to the artist, it would run out sooner then if the RIAA member companies kept it. They fear the music reverting to the anarchist public domain, and would like to keep the industry together (this is an industry organization, isn't it?). Is there anything so wrong with that?

  2. Pick me! Pick me! on University to Review Carnivore · · Score: 2
    I need a good thesis topic... pick me! pick me!

    Seriously, do you want to end up with a bunch of students reading through (Ada, no doubt) obfuscated (wait, I already said Ada) source code and trying to figure out what it does? After all, the researchers are all too busy working on corporate research to be able to do this...

    Anyway, all there needs to be is ONE buffer overflow/security hole in the code, and then the FBI can get in and push bits around on the stack until it's reading everybody's email. Remember to check for that!

  3. Re:Please Freebe, we know all about you.... on Academe: Technology For Sale · · Score: 2

    Where's the insult generator?

  4. Re:Jon Katz - duller than a roomful of UFO nuts on Academe: Technology For Sale · · Score: 2

    Yes, but how many other slashdot opinion collumnists are there... oh, that's right, none other. If Katz is so dull, perhaps Slashdot ought to give us another voice to listen to?

  5. Re:Purpose of Copyright on Abandonware And Copyright Laws · · Score: 2

    Yes. No. It wasn't in the jacket of a book.

  6. Researchers need to eat, too on Academe: Technology For Sale · · Score: 4
    Just because some paradims do change in the way we think about Academia, does that mean that it's all wrong? Until recently (relatively speaking), slavery was right - does that mean that it's wrong to say that slavery is wrong? Same goes from researchers making money from their research. Capatalism has long been accepted as the best model for the development of society - universally since the fall of Communism. The point of research is to develop technology for the good of society, right? So what's wrong with combining that with capatalism?

    This isn't about the Corporate Republic - instead, it's the early Free Market pioneer's dream. We have systems that prevent abuses of the market - Microsoft, for instance. Our judicial system decides on these. In the meantime, that which can be sold, will be sold - it's simply an extended bartering. It fosters intellectual growth, and encourages new product development. Ultamitely, people will buy what people want; and the corporations will make what the people want. If jorunalism is what the people want, the corporations will make that. And note the plural - because of that, we can have several voices in the marketplace. Indeed, this is the dream of the early Free Market pioneers.

  7. Re:Enforcing Copyrights on Abandonware on Abandonware And Copyright Laws · · Score: 2

    You're right. That's why the makers of the new Asteriods wouldn't let the old version be distributed for free - because the new version includes the old version! As long as there are opportunities like that, I fail to see how opening abandonware can be good for the companies in question.

  8. Re:Purpose of Copyright on Abandonware And Copyright Laws · · Score: 2
    Imagine going down to the library to check out the latest Redhat CD.

    I don't have to imagine. I installed Linux first from a set of CD's for checkout from the library. You just need a better library.

  9. Shell games... on ICANN At-Large Candidates Nominated · · Score: 2
    from the don'tcha-hope-it's-not-all-a-shell-game? dept.

    I'll see your C Shell, and raise you a Korn Shell.

    (Insert sound of a thousand slashdot readers groaning here...)

  10. Re:Purpose of Copyright on Abandonware And Copyright Laws · · Score: 3
    Make money slow!

    I don't understand your sig. Money doesn't have a speed value associated with it. Usually I can say "My car is slow" or "My pet turtle is slow", but "My money is slow" doesn't have any meaning without some context. For instance, when talking about distribution of money, and it's discovered that it takes a year for a dollar bill to move from one side of the country to the other, you could say "Money is slow". However, in absence of context, money has no speed value.

    That said, I think it's time you got yourself a new sig.

  11. Re:Legally very interesting indeed. on Abandonware And Copyright Laws · · Score: 2
    Sure, sure, sure, just like Mitnick's stolen copy of the Solaris source "cost" Sun the entire cost of engineering the source code.

    I'm certain the copyright holder could use such an argument to the court - and claim about $10 million in damages. And they would get away with it, because they have expensive lawyers.

    Disclaimer: Do not construe my comment as defending or attacking Mitnick.

  12. Re:Purpose of Copyright on Abandonware And Copyright Laws · · Score: 2

    To quote Golias's sig: Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  13. Re:Purpose of Copyright on Abandonware And Copyright Laws · · Score: 2
    Intellectual property is intellectual property, no matter if it's not being sold. Just because a certain issue of a magazine is no longer on the shelves, does that give you the right to go out and copy it? This is the same issue - while it would be nice for some of the old code were made avialable, it is still the intellectual property of the copyright holder.

    For instance, what if you want Microsoft to open up Win 3.1? It's old code, right? Well, Win 3.1 is still capable of being a competitor to Win 9x if it evolves in the right direction.

    How many out of print movies and books are there? Hard to find - but they always have a legitimate reason for not "opening it up" - the copyright owner still wants to get something from any distribution of this, and would prefer to keep that right for themselves.

  14. Re:64 bit processing is just a "check box" feature on AMD Releases X86-64 Architecture Programmers Overview · · Score: 2

    Umm... there is a 64-bit PowerPC backed by a 64-bit AIX that IBM sells... you need to do more research!

  15. Re:Huzzah! Huzzah! on NY DeCSS Case: Final Briefs Online · · Score: 2

    Yes, we were. B&N has the one-click suit against Amazon.com, remember?

  16. Re:Linux86. on Official AIM for Linux · · Score: 2

    Oh, if you wanna be like that, maybe people would realize that AIM has been on Linux for ages through Java... of course, people wouldn't know that if it hit them on the head...

  17. Re:Linux86. on Official AIM for Linux · · Score: 2

    Linux might boot in bochs... actually, what needs to be done is the UAE 68k emulator (used in Basilisk II) needs to be made a kernel module... and then everybody just compiles their apps for Linux/68k. Woohoo!

  18. Re:Linux86. on Official AIM for Linux · · Score: 2

    Actually, it just runs from an ext2 partition. You could have Linux/SPARC installed on that partition, though it would do you no good because it would have to be for x86 (FreeBe only works on x86).

  19. Re:Linux86. on Official AIM for Linux · · Score: 2

    I heartily suggest that there be some company that goes out and buys a bunch of other hardware - Alphas, Suns, PPC's, 68ks, etc. and just compiles Linux software for a nominal fee on those architectures. Remember, you heard that here first, too...

  20. Linux86. on Official AIM for Linux · · Score: 4

    It's annoying to see XYZ for Linux! when it's really Linux/x86. Years ago, people came up with the word Wintel to describe Windows on Intel. Perhaps we should coin Linux86 to describe Linux on x86 so people understand what platform of Linux you're talking about. Remember - you heard it here first!

  21. Re:That's nothin' on Linux In A Box · · Score: 2

    Yup - but if you're user #7423, why don't you have the bonus? Anyway, if you whore yourself up to 50 points, then your karma gets stuck.

  22. Re:Is Bill Gates Next? on NY DeCSS Case: Final Briefs Online · · Score: 2

    Think about it: If I'm allowed to de-encrypt DVD's to play them on my computer, then I should be allowed to de-compile software to port it to other operating systems, right? I should be allowed to distribute this de-compiler at large so that people can run their software under unintended operating systems? I don't hardly think so.

  23. Re:Summary on NY DeCSS Case: Final Briefs Online · · Score: 2

    You forgot one of the Plantiff's points:
    - Plantiff has really expensive lawyers and at one point paid the judge's rent.

  24. Re:DeCSS is cool on NY DeCSS Case: Final Briefs Online · · Score: 2

    You have an abnormally low user number for somebody so clueless. Defend your on-topicness. Tell why what you said has to do with the issue of the legality of DeCSS. Perhaps you should have drawn that out more in your post... if you weren't going for #1? Your post was basically worthless.

  25. Re:Huzzah! Huzzah! on NY DeCSS Case: Final Briefs Online · · Score: 1

    *click* *click* *click*
    Are you still touching me?
    *click* *click* *click*
    My hovercraft is full of eels...