The rose parade is over, Linux and the open source community is now directly in the sights of the MS monster. Prepare to be boarded!
Yearg, me matie! They'll not be taking us without a fight, yarg!
Does anyone remember seeing the political cartoon of Standard Oil (probably in history books) where the company is represented as an octopus? Perhaps someone should rehash that image with MS. Maybe that will make an impact on people. But then again, probably not.
Does anyone know of a school that actually uses Free Software? I know that back when I was in high school all we used was NT and Mac OS. Why? Because that's what the teachers knew. Even the teachers that tought computer classes only knew Windows. No school district is going to use a system that only the students are capable of using with any skill. Also, no district is going to pay for teachers to go learn computer skills. The vast majority of teachers are not there to know computers. They are there to teach and don't have the time to learn something new. The education about Free Software has to occur while the teachers are still learning...in college. Get the colleges and universities to promote this in their classrooms. Then the districts must attract these new teachers. But because teachers are so underpaid (at least in the US) anyone with any computer skills is probably going to go for a higher paying job. So these school districts need to raise teacher salaries. But they can't because they can't afford it (and buying MS licenses isn't helping). It's a horribly vicious cycle. The solution? RAISE TAXES!!! (got your attention, didn't I?) Then the schools will have more money to attract technology-savvy teachers and you, the Slashdot reader, will have your Free Software in public schools. ---
When you re-activate, naturally you'll have to generate a new Installation Key and they'll be able to see exactly what components you changed out. Fun, huh?
Just imagine the marketing research power of this knowledge. Microsoft could sell this information to hardware manufacturers so they can then specifically target markets worldwide. Here's an example: Analysis determines that people in the southeastern United States upgrade memory on average twice as much as people in the midwestern United States. Where is Kingston going to focus their ads? They are going to advertise the latest technology to the southerners and are going to preach the necessities of a memory upgrade to the midwesterners. Say WD learns that people in Scotland like to upgrade HDs by buying a second drive while the Germans prefer to upgrade HDs and CPU at the same time. The potential for targeted ads is staggering. Now combine this with cable boxes that send viewer information back to the cable company and Amazon's individual pricing and you get individually targeted computer ads.
::TV ad starts:: "Hello, Mr. Thompson. We at ATI have noticed that you have not upgraded your display adapter to the latest in video technology as you did the last two times we released a new card. Please take this opportunity to review a special deal we've created just for you. Oh, looks like The Big Breakfast is coming back on. I'll be back at the next commercial break with more deals for you."
Do what I did in high school when they installed security cameras....walk around with a sign and hold it up every time you walk by a camera (like at sporting events where they put the camera on people holding signs). Be creative (Dear Big Brother, how is Winston? Did he enjoy the rat cage?) or be funny (Hi Mom! or John 3:16 or something) or both (TPD==Thought Police Department). ---
Tsk, tsk. The so called 'Loch Ness' phenomenon is caused by the interaction between neutrinos and drowned haggis.
Mmm, Haggis. I once had a friend in Scotland tell me that Haggis is a small mountain animal where two legs are shorter than the others from running around the mountains all the time (to which I responded, "You tell all the tourists that, don't you?"). Perhaps Nessie eats the little Haggises that run too close to the water's edge? ---
Anyway, SmartTags sUx, M$ did not think about this before implement! Where are the dam developers???
The problem is not that they lack developers. It's that they lack thinkers. They are the ostriches with heads in the sand. It's like how people joke about engineers building something "because they can" without thinking whether anyone will actually use it or not. The other problem is that marketing promotes products without thinking whether it is practical or not.
//Rant on
I'm all for freedom from oppression. I'm all about freedom of speech. But sitting on Slashdot and bitching about what Microsoft is doing today doesn't accomplish squat. Sure, I can sit here all day and give reasons to use Linux and why you, too, should release your next project under the GPL, or the BSDL, or anything of quality (hell, write your own damn open-source licence) but just sitting and talking doesn't actually DO anything. You need to get up off your lazy butts and get out and preach to the masses. If all you do is post to/. then you're preaching to the choir. Start small. Tell your sister, teach your parents. Just do something. We can't change the world by ourselves. We need the help of the masses but they need to be educated masses. Shift the balance of power from the Corporate Republic back to the people. Go forth and teach. //Rant off
Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade for real political revolution. People are too complacent now. ---
Of the 50 most requested sites, only 11 run windows. Of the 50 longest uptimes, none run windows. Perhaps this should tell Billy-boy about what people think about his server software. ---
The success of Microsoft's.Net Web services plan relies on the company controlling the server operating-system market, analysts say
Well, I don't see this happening. To gain control MS is going to have to combat more than just Linux and the GPL. The have to fight BSD and more importantly, Sun. My read of this is that.NET isn't a threat because it requires total control of the internet by MS. ---
I want one! Hook a little Palm keyboard into the device (with wireless networking built in) and have a terminal displayed in my eye. How cool is that? If you look at nature at the same time it's like having the ultimate desktop resolution and color-depth. ---
It's the local government's responsibility to deal with speeding. It's a crime and the car rental company doesn't have any jurisdiction in handing out citations. I think he probably has a case because it seems that the rental company is impersonating a police officer. On a related topic, in the Atlanta area recently I've seen DOT cars pulling over motorists for speeding. Doesn't the DOT have other things to worry about and isn't this, again, under local jurisdiction? ---
Slashdot Mirror
The rose parade is over, Linux and the open source community is now directly in the sights of the MS monster. Prepare to be boarded!
Yearg, me matie! They'll not be taking us without a fight, yarg!
Does anyone remember seeing the political cartoon of Standard Oil (probably in history books) where the company is represented as an octopus? Perhaps someone should rehash that image with MS. Maybe that will make an impact on people. But then again, probably not.
Yarg!
---
Napster will never achieve 99.999% removal just as Microsoft will never achieve the 99.999% uptime they advertise.
---
Does anyone know of a school that actually uses Free Software? I know that back when I was in high school all we used was NT and Mac OS. Why? Because that's what the teachers knew. Even the teachers that tought computer classes only knew Windows. No school district is going to use a system that only the students are capable of using with any skill. Also, no district is going to pay for teachers to go learn computer skills. The vast majority of teachers are not there to know computers. They are there to teach and don't have the time to learn something new. The education about Free Software has to occur while the teachers are still learning...in college. Get the colleges and universities to promote this in their classrooms. Then the districts must attract these new teachers. But because teachers are so underpaid (at least in the US) anyone with any computer skills is probably going to go for a higher paying job. So these school districts need to raise teacher salaries. But they can't because they can't afford it (and buying MS licenses isn't helping). It's a horribly vicious cycle. The solution? RAISE TAXES!!! (got your attention, didn't I?) Then the schools will have more money to attract technology-savvy teachers and you, the Slashdot reader, will have your Free Software in public schools.
---
When you re-activate, naturally you'll have to generate a new Installation Key and they'll be able to see exactly what components you changed out. Fun, huh?
::TV ad starts:: "Hello, Mr. Thompson. We at ATI have noticed that you have not upgraded your display adapter to the latest in video technology as you did the last two times we released a new card. Please take this opportunity to review a special deal we've created just for you. Oh, looks like The Big Breakfast is coming back on. I'll be back at the next commercial break with more deals for you."
Just imagine the marketing research power of this knowledge. Microsoft could sell this information to hardware manufacturers so they can then specifically target markets worldwide. Here's an example: Analysis determines that people in the southeastern United States upgrade memory on average twice as much as people in the midwestern United States. Where is Kingston going to focus their ads? They are going to advertise the latest technology to the southerners and are going to preach the necessities of a memory upgrade to the midwesterners. Say WD learns that people in Scotland like to upgrade HDs by buying a second drive while the Germans prefer to upgrade HDs and CPU at the same time. The potential for targeted ads is staggering. Now combine this with cable boxes that send viewer information back to the cable company and Amazon's individual pricing and you get individually targeted computer ads.
Scary
---
Do what I did in high school when they installed security cameras....walk around with a sign and hold it up every time you walk by a camera (like at sporting events where they put the camera on people holding signs). Be creative (Dear Big Brother, how is Winston? Did he enjoy the rat cage?) or be funny (Hi Mom! or John 3:16 or something) or both (TPD==Thought Police Department).
---
A classic case of Pavlov's engineer.
---
Q: What's worn under a kilt?
A: Nothing, it's all in perfect working order
da dum dum
---
Woohoo!
---
Tsk, tsk. The so called 'Loch Ness' phenomenon is caused by the interaction between neutrinos and drowned haggis.
Mmm, Haggis. I once had a friend in Scotland tell me that Haggis is a small mountain animal where two legs are shorter than the others from running around the mountains all the time (to which I responded, "You tell all the tourists that, don't you?"). Perhaps Nessie eats the little Haggises that run too close to the water's edge?
---
Is this a marketing ploy or a legal ploy?
There's a difference?
---
There's very little that the home user needs that kinda bandwidth for
Speak for yourself. I can always use more bandwidth at home. Reminds me of this Userfriendly cartoon when Stef gets on Napster at work.
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What about attaching piezos to the shock absorbers?
Or somehow combining them with tires. There is some squishing going on there as you drive.
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All this for $1000-2000 depending on how much power you want.
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I have better things to do...like working on my Silly Walk. Almost 4pm, time for my argument appointment.
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Who actually pays attention to the EULA? Especially when it's quite dumb.
---
I can finally determine the outcome of a battle between Luke Skywalker and Brave Sir Robin.
---
Anyway, SmartTags sUx, M$ did not think about this before implement! Where are the dam developers???
//Rant on /. then you're preaching to the choir. Start small. Tell your sister, teach your parents. Just do something. We can't change the world by ourselves. We need the help of the masses but they need to be educated masses. Shift the balance of power from the Corporate Republic back to the people. Go forth and teach.
//Rant off
The problem is not that they lack developers. It's that they lack thinkers. They are the ostriches with heads in the sand. It's like how people joke about engineers building something "because they can" without thinking whether anyone will actually use it or not. The other problem is that marketing promotes products without thinking whether it is practical or not.
I'm all for freedom from oppression. I'm all about freedom of speech. But sitting on Slashdot and bitching about what Microsoft is doing today doesn't accomplish squat. Sure, I can sit here all day and give reasons to use Linux and why you, too, should release your next project under the GPL, or the BSDL, or anything of quality (hell, write your own damn open-source licence) but just sitting and talking doesn't actually DO anything. You need to get up off your lazy butts and get out and preach to the masses. If all you do is post to
Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong decade for real political revolution. People are too complacent now.
---
Just another reason not to vote Republican in 2004.
---
Of the 50 most requested sites, only 11 run windows. Of the 50 longest uptimes, none run windows. Perhaps this should tell Billy-boy about what people think about his server software.
---
Time to buy stock. Time for a turn-around in the US economy (especially Tech stocks). Or is this just another sign of the apocalypse?
---
The success of Microsoft's .Net Web services plan relies on the company controlling the server operating-system market, analysts say
.NET isn't a threat because it requires total control of the internet by MS.
Well, I don't see this happening. To gain control MS is going to have to combat more than just Linux and the GPL. The have to fight BSD and more importantly, Sun. My read of this is that
---
I want one! Hook a little Palm keyboard into the device (with wireless networking built in) and have a terminal displayed in my eye. How cool is that? If you look at nature at the same time it's like having the ultimate desktop resolution and color-depth.
---
It's the local government's responsibility to deal with speeding. It's a crime and the car rental company doesn't have any jurisdiction in handing out citations. I think he probably has a case because it seems that the rental company is impersonating a police officer. On a related topic, in the Atlanta area recently I've seen DOT cars pulling over motorists for speeding. Doesn't the DOT have other things to worry about and isn't this, again, under local jurisdiction?
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Syncing with Microsoft's software sortof defeats the purpose of a Linux handheld, don't you think?
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Darth Vader has his name on it 19 times and Luke Skywalker has his 20. I guess the light side of the force is currently winning.
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