Microsoft have dropped several products on the hardware side - most notably their SideWinder range. This is a pity since many of the products were good quality and innovative (guess that breached their business model). MS had the first force-feedback joystick that I can recall and the Strategic Commander/Game Voice controllers added handy new features for gamers. There were a couple of misses too (Dual Shock anyone?) but most of the products were worthwhile - unlike their software.
Do you think it's fair to share music created by someone with everyone without their permission?
Hardly a relevant question - the parent poster was arguing against having DRM restrictions applied, noting that "the industry" would try to increase those restrictions as far as possible. In addition, you can legally share music with others under various circumstances - a private performance, selling the media on, etc. without the permission of the writer/musician/singer (the doctrine of first sale).
Do you think that the market would accept a case where it got to the point that you're locked into purchasing appliance from BIGCO?
Hmmm...ever tried buying a PC without a copy of Windows preinstalled? While some vendors will allow it, the vast majority will not which seems pretty close to market lock-in. Linux/BSD's success is, it can be argued, as much to do with their non-commercial nature as Windows' many flaws (since no sensible company would consider going head-to-head with Microsoft - even IBM had to give up on OS/2 - and those that do come up with innovative alternatives could either be bought up or squeezed out).
Ironically, Microsoft's ruthless domination of the commercial market (pushing out OS/2 and BeOS) may be seen as having been of great benefit to Linux/BSD, since it left them as the only alternative. But now I'm starting to ramble...
IronPort own SpamCop - does this not create an ever-so-subtle conflict of interest on their part? (giving them the ability to either ignore reports for favoured customers or create ones for when the money gets tight and a few bonds are wanted...)
The user bought Windows+IE, and knew they were getting it. They consented. And people have known MSIE is unsuitable for internet use since the mid 1990s.
Ever tried buying a new computer recently without a copy of Windows pre-installed? And while I would agree that MSIE has shown itself to be flawed beyond redemption, you can't get rid of it and Microsoft make it compulsory for access to Windows Update (which, surprise, also requires ActiveX). So yes, Windows and Microsoft are a key part of the problem here with stupid design enforced by monopolistic practices - but that problem is then being exploited by third parties. This is analogous to the situation with spam where spammers hijack insecure mail relays. You try to educate the relay administrators but you legislate against the relay abusers.
If they knowingly buy crapware that automatically installs other crapware, then the second wave of crapware isn't the real problem, is it?
Not all "crapware" comes with a neon warning sign - or even an EULA for that matter (reread my example above re Bonzi and iGetNet). Some adware does come with warnings but the really objectionable stuff (see Nasty Malware Fouls PCs With Porn for an example) does not.
But how are you going to get anyone to want to install it? Users will Just Say No. How are you going to get distribution maintainers to include it? They're going to Just Say No also.
You get installations in the same way you do in the Windows world - you piggyback it with a (supposedly) useful utility. If the user is unaware that it comes with spyware and their PC starts acting up later on, how are they supposed to know who to blame?
So obvious really. If burglars and thieves would self-regulate themselves, we could have lower crime rates while saving money by reducing the police force! Self-regulated accountants and auditors would ensure that we never hear ill of such outstanding business achievements like Enron or WorldCom. And self-regulation at the government/state level means that nations could go about their own business without interference like Iraq or Afghanistan...
You would have a valid point if people were always asked. However in many cases such applications are installed surreptitiously, either by "drive-by download" (which exploits ActiveX to download software, just by visiting a Web page using Internet Explorer in its default configuration) or piggy backed onto existing software downloads. For example, I once tried installing a Windows theme - this was delivered via Lycos' FileSubmit which asked to install SaveNow. It then tried without asking or prompting to install BonziBuddy, iGetNet and Lycos SideSearch! (I was running System Safety Monitor, an application firewall which allowed me to trap and prevent these from being installed).
As such, most crapware is not opt-in - only experienced and security-aware users know how to configure their systems to avoid it. Binning Internet Explorer is a good start, but using web-filtering software to block ActiveX, Java and Javascript (like Proxomitron, WebWasher or a firewall like Outpost), an application firewall (like System Safety Monitor) and a crapware scanner like AdAware or Spybot Search and Destroy are also necessary steps.
Linux users should not be complacent here either - almost all crapware currently targets Windows but can be written to run on Linux once it gains signifcant usage amongst mainstream users. Check Adware and Under-Ware - The Definitive Guide for a history of crapware.
For my e-mail server I filter out domains that spammers use.
And how exactly does this cope with 419 scams and pyramid schemes where no website is involved? For that matter, if you are blocking emails that include specific domains, how does this differ from what the blocklists do? (spamvertised domains can include legitimate businesses too so your system can cause collateral damage). Finally do you check to see if a domain is still being used by spammers? Odds on you don't - which makes your method less fair than a responsible blocklist which removes entries when spam stops (check SpamCop's delisting FAQ for an example).
These blacklist runners have just become more desperate and irrational than the spammers.
Pardon me, but given that spammers hijack open relays, compromise third party servers, DoS anti-spam sites and are now releasing viruses that turn PCs into spam relays, this comment smacks of total ignorance (not to mention complacency). When was the last time you saw a PC hacked by a blocklist?
it seems like all it takes is one dimbulb somewhere to decide (usually erroneously) that something is spam, and one of our hosts will wind up on the spamcop list. They've really gone around the bend.
SpamCop uses a weighting system that balances the number of spam reports (with a modifier based on how "fresh" they are) with the number of IP-address checks (to estimate "legitimate" use) - full details here. In short, a single report does not cause a site to be added to the SpamCop list, multiple reports are needed - and sites are dropped after 48 hours without a spam report.
Also consider the SpamHaus Block List which targets known spam operations (details on their ROKSO list).
Also, someone mentioned rear projection. Don't go that way. Rear projection screens are almost 10x more expensive, and, since they are glass, are known to "prism" the image(the image changes as you get to more extreme viewing angles...with the light actualy being like from a prism).
Don't know where you are getting your prices from but the most expensive rear-projection sets should be in the US$4-6,000 region (probably a lot less). The viewing angle is limited in the vertical plane (i.e. you get best results when you are sitting in front of one rather than standing) but most offer a wide angle horizontally (you can be 50-60 degrees off-centre and still get a good image).
Rear-projection is not affected by ambient light to the extent that front projection is - so if you cannot/do not keep your home cinema in permanent blackout then it should be worth considering (as long as you consider the reduced image size an appropriate compromise). Plasma may also be suitable but can suffer from noisy cooling fans and visible pixels when viewed up close.
The choice ultimately is going to be whether you have a room dedicated to home-cinema viewing or not - if it has to be multi-purpose (family living room, etc) then any front projection setup is going to be sub-optimal. Some do get around this by having both a front projection (for films) and a CRT television (for news and general viewing).
The parent's post is technically incorrect but does make a very valid point - for front projection you have to reduce the ambient light levels to the extent that the projector screen does appear perfectly black (or as close to it as possible). Ideally, this would mean having a separate room (or basement or garage) solely for home cinema. While rear projectors can be affected by background light also, it has to fall on the screen itself to be a real problem (like direct sunlight does with CRTs).
As for efficiency, both should be about equal - you have light going through a screen, being reflected and being dispersed in both cases. Rear projection's edge is that everything occurs within its enclosure, front projectors rely on an outside screen for reflection and dispersion.
The choice between the two should come down to whether or not the room is to be dedicated to home cinema with tight control on ambient light (curtains closed, lights off). If so then front projection's greater size rules. For a multi-purpose living room where closing the curtains just to watch the Simpsons is impractical, rear projection or plasma should be considered.
Some people get both types for this reason, a front projector for films and a standard CRT/plasma for "normal" TV viewing.
It's not hard to see why the U.S. has to violently defend our oil interests when we have video cards wastefully burning through electricity like there's no tomorrow.
Strange, I always thought little things like heating and air conditioning took up more power (and if you separate the chip from the heatsink on a 6800, you can get both for that 480 watts...)
Surround gaming! 3 monitors at once with 1600x1200 resolution! The only feature that made the Matrox Parhelia anything more than a wet fart in the graphics world!
Seriously, this is one feature I would pay through the nose for. With PCI-Express and its ability to support mulitple x16 slots for graphics cards, this may become a reality...
If by "current nVidia chip" you are talking about one that is actually on the shelves and can be bought by Joe Consumer, then you're talking FX5950 for possibly the next 3 to 4 months (if this is accurate). Nvidia have had serious fabrication problems resulting in them switching from TSMC to IBM - and then switching back when they found themselves getting yields of 5%. ATI in contrast have had no reported problems and have executed perfectly on product releases since the 9700.
One thing is for sure - if Nvidia have another "paper launch" like they did with NV30 (originally promised in August 2002, launched in November and only available in quantity by February 2003) then they can expect to go the way of 3dfx.
The original D&D game in a box set, only had rules for chracters up to level 3, had fewer classes, monsters, etc
Despite this, the DM's book still included dragons in the monsters section! Just the thing for that 3rd level character with a sense of invincibility ("Yeah! I can cast Web now!").
The "last" addition for the 1st Edition was the Greyhawk Adventures rulebook (which claimed 2nd Edition compatibility and added rules for 0-level characters). This was mainly campaign material though. Other expansions for 1Ed included the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, Wilderness Survival Guide, Oriental Adventures, DragonLance Adventures and Manual of the Planes.
2nd Edition did tidy up a number of problem areas (like the surprise rules) but was more of a consolidation of the 1Ed hardbacks (proficiencies, weapon specialisation, character classes and spells were added to the core rules) and tinker than a radical rewrite. This was then heavily extended with the Complete... Handbooks and the Players/DM Option hardbacks. Aside from the rip-me-to-bits Monstrous Compendium (whose central idea of having a binder with separate pages which could be reordered was rather undone by including a separate monster on each side) I would rate the books an improvement over their 1Ed predecessors.
3rd Edition was the radical rewrite and did clear out a lot of the real oddities (exceptional Strength, negative Armour Classes) while allowing greater variation between characters of the same class (via Skills and Feats).
There are legitimate uses for it - people working from home who need to send email via their company email server being the best example.
Having said that, as long as ISPs provide a simple method of "registering" access to other mail servers (e.g. a web page where you enter your user ID and the names of mail servers you need port 25 access to) and make this information available with their bounce messages, then a block of port 25 would be reasonable. Spam zombies are a problem that is going to get a lot worse...
DRM does not give the people control, it gives the publishers control. And that control can far exceed the basic restrictions needed for copyright enforcement and be used to deny "fair use" rights - and inflate publishers' profits. Certainly anything that artificially limits the longevity of media is a Bad Thing(tm) and the DRM used by most commercial music download sites does just that (by limiting transfers to other computers - so after a couple of PC replacements you can no longer play those tracks you paid for).
Without it, many companies wouldn't share anything.
Not so - companies require money, if they do not sell their content then they will go bankrupt. All this hoo-ha about not having content available is just empty threats by the record/film industry, trying to manufacture arguments for copyright legislation. Ultimately this could be cured by adding a "use it or lose it" provision into law - companies that fail to release content within a certain time forfeit all rights to it. This would ensure the preservation and expansion of our cultural heritage far more than any DRM.
The study chose to disregard "automated" attacks. A standard Windows system can be compromised within minutes of being connected to the Internet by such attacks so ignoring them means that only secured Windows systems are included. This makes the research unbalanced since it fails to apply a similar filter to Linux systems. Malware is not simply a UI/social problem - the Blaster worm and its variants needed no inside assistance.
In addition the study only covered successful attacks. How many unsuccessful ones were there? The measure of vulnerability should surely be the ratio of successful/failed attacks, not just a raw number.
Finally how were these attack figures reached? Where these based on government/company IT figures? (in which case factor in maturity of systems/staff and how much easier breaches can be discovered in Linux using free tools like Tripwire) Or packet sniffing of certain domains? (Linux is used by more domains, some of which are set up deliberately to be hacked).
The only conclusion that can be safely drawn is that Linux appears to be a more popular target for manual attack - whether by necessity (automated attacks being far harder), desire (more of a challenge) or familiarity (easier to learn the internals of a free system, especially if you lack the money/connections needed for commercial counterparts). And security is hardly ignored on Linux either - with tools like ipfilters, tcpwrappers and Bastille, admins have little excuse for running a non-secure system.
That clunking noise may be a due to a head crash or a drive mechanism failure - in either case reformatting may only provide a temporary solution. It would be safer to consider your disk as being on borrowed time and plan to replace it.
Depending on the make of disk, try running the manufacturer's diagnostic utilities - they may give a better idea of any problems.
I'd like to know how they did their calculations there. It seems to be almost a marketing exercise in itself having a credits list in the hundreds, including the tea lady, donut vendor and ice cream salesman. Did they include hours spent by marketing, sales, HR, legal beagles and all the other paraphernalia a company involves? Or take the lead programmers' 70-80 hour weeks and extrapolate them across the whole company?
Having said that, 100,000 hours is a little over 11 man years so it's probably more a case of using silly units to make a project appear more impressive here.
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft have dropped several products on the hardware side - most notably their SideWinder range. This is a pity since many of the products were good quality and innovative (guess that breached their business model). MS had the first force-feedback joystick that I can recall and the Strategic Commander/Game Voice controllers added handy new features for gamers. There were a couple of misses too (Dual Shock anyone?) but most of the products were worthwhile - unlike their software.
Ironically, Microsoft's ruthless domination of the commercial market (pushing out OS/2 and BeOS) may be seen as having been of great benefit to Linux/BSD, since it left them as the only alternative. But now I'm starting to ramble...
IronPort own SpamCop - does this not create an ever-so-subtle conflict of interest on their part? (giving them the ability to either ignore reports for favoured customers or create ones for when the money gets tight and a few bonds are wanted...)
So obvious really. If burglars and thieves would self-regulate themselves, we could have lower crime rates while saving money by reducing the police force! Self-regulated accountants and auditors would ensure that we never hear ill of such outstanding business achievements like Enron or WorldCom. And self-regulation at the government/state level means that nations could go about their own business without interference like Iraq or Afghanistan...
As such, most crapware is not opt-in - only experienced and security-aware users know how to configure their systems to avoid it. Binning Internet Explorer is a good start, but using web-filtering software to block ActiveX, Java and Javascript (like Proxomitron, WebWasher or a firewall like Outpost), an application firewall (like System Safety Monitor) and a crapware scanner like AdAware or Spybot Search and Destroy are also necessary steps.
Linux users should not be complacent here either - almost all crapware currently targets Windows but can be written to run on Linux once it gains signifcant usage amongst mainstream users. Check Adware and Under-Ware - The Definitive Guide for a history of crapware.
Nice try Anonymous Troll^H^H^H^H^HCoward...
Pinging www.ussg.iu.edu [129.79.5.61]:
Ping #1: * [No response]
Ping #2: * [No response]
Ping #3: * [No response]
Ping #4: * [No response]
Done pinging www.ussg.iu.edu!
SpamCop query on 129.79.5.61
Also consider the SpamHaus Block List which targets known spam operations (details on their ROKSO list).
Rear-projection is not affected by ambient light to the extent that front projection is - so if you cannot/do not keep your home cinema in permanent blackout then it should be worth considering (as long as you consider the reduced image size an appropriate compromise). Plasma may also be suitable but can suffer from noisy cooling fans and visible pixels when viewed up close.
The choice ultimately is going to be whether you have a room dedicated to home-cinema viewing or not - if it has to be multi-purpose (family living room, etc) then any front projection setup is going to be sub-optimal. Some do get around this by having both a front projection (for films) and a CRT television (for news and general viewing).
As for efficiency, both should be about equal - you have light going through a screen, being reflected and being dispersed in both cases. Rear projection's edge is that everything occurs within its enclosure, front projectors rely on an outside screen for reflection and dispersion.
The choice between the two should come down to whether or not the room is to be dedicated to home cinema with tight control on ambient light (curtains closed, lights off). If so then front projection's greater size rules. For a multi-purpose living room where closing the curtains just to watch the Simpsons is impractical, rear projection or plasma should be considered.
Some people get both types for this reason, a front projector for films and a standard CRT/plasma for "normal" TV viewing.
Seriously, this is one feature I would pay through the nose for. With PCI-Express and its ability to support mulitple x16 slots for graphics cards, this may become a reality...
One thing is for sure - if Nvidia have another "paper launch" like they did with NV30 (originally promised in August 2002, launched in November and only available in quantity by February 2003) then they can expect to go the way of 3dfx.
The "last" addition for the 1st Edition was the Greyhawk Adventures rulebook (which claimed 2nd Edition compatibility and added rules for 0-level characters). This was mainly campaign material though. Other expansions for 1Ed included the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, Wilderness Survival Guide, Oriental Adventures, DragonLance Adventures and Manual of the Planes.
... Handbooks and the Players/DM Option hardbacks. Aside from the rip-me-to-bits Monstrous Compendium (whose central idea of having a binder with separate pages which could be reordered was rather undone by including a separate monster on each side) I would rate the books an improvement over their 1Ed predecessors.
2nd Edition did tidy up a number of problem areas (like the surprise rules) but was more of a consolidation of the 1Ed hardbacks (proficiencies, weapon specialisation, character classes and spells were added to the core rules) and tinker than a radical rewrite. This was then heavily extended with the Complete
3rd Edition was the radical rewrite and did clear out a lot of the real oddities (exceptional Strength, negative Armour Classes) while allowing greater variation between characters of the same class (via Skills and Feats).
Having said that, as long as ISPs provide a simple method of "registering" access to other mail servers (e.g. a web page where you enter your user ID and the names of mail servers you need port 25 access to) and make this information available with their bounce messages, then a block of port 25 would be reasonable. Spam zombies are a problem that is going to get a lot worse...
Those who do not own their own domain can accomplish the same thing using disposable addresses available from services like SpamGourmet or Sneakemail.
DRM does not give the people control, it gives the publishers control. And that control can far exceed the basic restrictions needed for copyright enforcement and be used to deny "fair use" rights - and inflate publishers' profits. Certainly anything that artificially limits the longevity of media is a Bad Thing(tm) and the DRM used by most commercial music download sites does just that (by limiting transfers to other computers - so after a couple of PC replacements you can no longer play those tracks you paid for).Not so - companies require money, if they do not sell their content then they will go bankrupt. All this hoo-ha about not having content available is just empty threats by the record/film industry, trying to manufacture arguments for copyright legislation. Ultimately this could be cured by adding a "use it or lose it" provision into law - companies that fail to release content within a certain time forfeit all rights to it. This would ensure the preservation and expansion of our cultural heritage far more than any DRM.
In addition the study only covered successful attacks. How many unsuccessful ones were there? The measure of vulnerability should surely be the ratio of successful/failed attacks, not just a raw number.
Finally how were these attack figures reached? Where these based on government/company IT figures? (in which case factor in maturity of systems/staff and how much easier breaches can be discovered in Linux using free tools like Tripwire) Or packet sniffing of certain domains? (Linux is used by more domains, some of which are set up deliberately to be hacked).
The only conclusion that can be safely drawn is that Linux appears to be a more popular target for manual attack - whether by necessity (automated attacks being far harder), desire (more of a challenge) or familiarity (easier to learn the internals of a free system, especially if you lack the money/connections needed for commercial counterparts). And security is hardly ignored on Linux either - with tools like ipfilters, tcpwrappers and Bastille, admins have little excuse for running a non-secure system.
What should be more significant is that TiVo can decide what your box records.
Depending on the make of disk, try running the manufacturer's diagnostic utilities - they may give a better idea of any problems.
t m h tm e x.htm
IBM http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/download.h
Fujitsu http://www.fujitsu.com/au/support/hdd/warranty/
Maxtor http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/index.
Seagate http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/index.html
Western Digital http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp
Samsung http://www.samsung.com/Support/ProductSupport/ind
Having said that, 100,000 hours is a little over 11 man years so it's probably more a case of using silly units to make a project appear more impressive here.