I wonder if the threat of a big $$$ (er.. $EU) settlement will finally piss a few of the large MS stockholders into applying a little pressure on MS management to change tactics.
Ermmm, most of the large stockholders are Microsoft executives, so I rather doubt it.:) Then there's always Warren Buffet, but he's not likely to make much of a stink given that he's pretty much in lock-step with BillG himself.
Actually, some of the @Home users will probably be bought by AOL/TW's RoadRunner. AOL still has a lot of cash, and I think they see RoadRunner as being a large part of their future success as an ISP. (Why else would they have bought TimeWaner?:)
The lines haven't crossed for photographies, but I'm sure that won't take too long.
Really? So I take it you've never heard of a scanner? Companies like have developed technologies like "digital watermarking" which makes embeds copyright information into photographs in such a way that they are not visible to the naked eye, but scanners and other copying devices will pick them up. Put into an application like Photoshop, this copyright information can be read, and information about the copyright owner can be displayed. If all image editing and viewing applications supported such technology, it would be possible to prevent copying and modifying these copyrighted images.
Unethical? I believe there was a case where it was ruled that Intel had monopoly power a couple of years back. That would make it not only unethical but downright *illegal*.
It is essentially not unlike the game that M$ played with the OEMS: Sell only our OS and your price is x, sell other OSes and your price x*10...
Is anybody at the DoJ paying ATTENTION!!!! AHEM!!!!
I don't mind increase survelance powers in order to fight terrorism. However, scrawling "I love you Crystal" or some such on some web page is not terrorism.
I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. The laws that apply in the real world should apply in the cyber world.
Defacing a web face is the same as spraying some grafitti on a wall. Stealing credit card numbers or private information is the same as theft. Bringing down a government web site is sabotage. These should be dealt with the same as they are in the real world.
Defacing a web site is vandalism, and therefore should be treated as a misdemeanor. Stealing credit card numbers or private information would be a misdemeanor or a felony depending on how much was stolen and how much it's worth. Sabotage, deliberate, willful destruction of government property, including websites, *is* terrorism and should be dealt with as such.
A cashless society would be no more or less anonymous than the current society.
First off all, your cash purchases *can* be tracked, reglardless of the existence of a mechanism for tracking them. For instance, if prior to committing a crime, you purchased a knife, which was used as the murder weapon, from a local store. Suppose the knife you bought from that store was only sold in your area at the store you bought it from. It is a simple matter for the police to track you down. They simply ask the store personnel to describe the person or persons who bought a similar knife in the last few days... it helps if they already have a picture of you, of course.:)
Now, secondly, it could be possible to use your credit or debit card to purchase a "smart card" that just contains a certain dollar amount and no identifying characteristics...such cards in widespread use in Europe.
So? There is no federal law against purchasing drugs (since such a law would be unconstitutional). I don't know of any state or local law against purchasing drugs, although such a law would be constitutional.
But there are laws against *selling* drugs and *possessing* drugs, both on a federal and on a state level.
That's just the problem. It's not hiding the trail. It's not hiding who you bought it from, just what you bought. When the DEA or local law enforcement finally busts the "Relaxation Service" all they need to do is subpoena their Visa records and you can be identified.
Sounds like that would be a reason *in favor* of a cashless society to me. After all, selling Marijuana is *illegal*. If you have a problem with this, then the problem is not with the cashless society, but rather a problem with the illegality of marijuana. Make marijuana legal, and there is no problem, right?
I'm a systems administrator for an engineering company that designs and builds tooling for automotive and aerospace. Not a terribly exciting industry in my mind, but the work is enjoyable.
They're always giving me new, challenging assignments, including some coding and other systems projects we're working on. IT is important in this industry, where computers and math are heavily involved in the design (particularly with 3D modeling and imaging) and construction (such as running NC milling machines).
I get a lot of enjoyment from my work. And it's a company with a viable business model that isn't going the way of the dot-bombs... as long as there is a need for automated manufacturing processes, there will always be a need for tooling.
The EULA in question applies to FrontPage. In fact, it doesn't even apply to FrontPage the application, but the FrontPage Web Components
I suppose it depends on what you deem to be "the Web components." This provision is very vaguely worded, probably on purpose. Microsoft says that it includes the MSN Stock Ticker, the MSNBC headlines, Expedia maps, and so on. However, where do you draw this line? Perhaps FrontPage extensions such as the Forms component (which displays HTML forms and then e-mails their contents to a specified e-mail address without writing any code), could be construed as being a "Web Component." Microsoft's definition of Web components does not specifically state what this includes and what this excludes, again, probably on purpose.
While IANAL, whether the transaction crosses state lines is immaterial. All that has to happen under recent interpretations of the Commerce Clause in the U.S. Constitution is that the activity *could* impact interstate trade, not whether or not it actually *does*.
That being said, it's unlikely, in my mind, that Congress actually has authority to enforce limits on crypto under the Commerce Clause because it would violate the 1st Amendment,and possibly your right against unwarrantable searches and seizures, but that's more of a stretch, IMHO.
On the other hand, the fact that crypto is classified as "munitions" (this means that seemingly harmless stuff, such as the Mozilla source code or the DeCSS T-Shirts are actually classified as munitions! scary stuff!) means that actually, Congress probably *can* regulate it via export control. But since you have a Constitutional right to bear arms (heh), they can't regulate it's use by citizens. So there's another reason Congress wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Again, I'm not a lawyer, I'm just going on what I know from reading, experience and a Businss Law class or two.:)
Americans do give up half their paychecks to be redistributed around the world. What are you talking about? Have you looked at your paycheck?
Sure, a lot of those tax dollars go to things inside the U.S., like roads and infrastructure, but a good amount of that money also goes to humanitarian aid that the U.S. has given out around the world. There was a little radio piece called "The Americans" where it is pointed out how much generosity the U.S. does do to help humanitarian causes around the world and how, when we have problems, nobody lifts a finger.
Fortunately, so far that doesn't seem to be the case in this instance, but where was the humanitarian aid when the Missippi flooded? We have been there time and time again when the Nile flooded.
Yes, Microsoft can be that stupid. The problem is that I think that they really believe that Windows NT and Windows 2000 Server are robust enough for mission critical applications.
They've managed to convince much of corporate America of that quite nicely...and it is my theory that they managed to do that by believing it themselves.
So what high-end tricks are available to make the grep process not be I/O-bound? Enquiring minds want to know! The only thing I could imagine would involving a separate thread that caches the whole the thing in "real time" to the memory while the grep process looks through memory. Even then, you'd be waiting on that cache, wouldn't you?
Another take on this: Apple sued companies (particularly Franklin Computer Corp.) that violated it's patents. IBM *encouraged* people to hack and clone their BIOS.
Guess which type of computer became the most successfuL?:-)
The two things I would say are, when you really reach the point where all the old crap is really clogging up the veins, fix it all at once. Make a clean break. Then people can at least keep in mind what is happening, what works with 2.x and what is still only for 1.x.
So what you're saying is, Microsoft should've given up on backward compatibility a long time ago?:-P
Hmmmm...I wonder why they don't capitalize on that? A notebook that TRULY lasts 6 hours on batteries would be a *great* selling point. I have yet to see a notebook with all the goodies that can last much over 4 hours on batteries.
I am quite afraid of who is watching. I don't like to give out my name to Radio Shack, but the god damn government already has it. It's not Radio Shack I need to be worried about!
No, you don'tneed to be that worried about Radio Shack. The worst thing they do with that information is use it to track what you buy at Radio Shack and send customized flyers to your house announcing sales. I give them my info, despite my usual privacy stance, because I rather like the flyers and I know that they don't sell their mailing lists. (Aside from the fact that I've worked there before to earn extra cash for the holidays, I do little tricks like spell my name or address different ways to see where mailing list information comes from. It's quite amusing to find out who sells your information.)
Yeah, in PA they have "This is a future VMS site" and what they are going to do is track traffic patterns, right. "We will not track speeders, or other traffic violators".
Here in the Detroit metro area, we were among the first in the country to get traffic cameras on the freeways. So far they have only used them to analyze traffic patterns. "So far" being the operative words in that sentence.:) You can see what these cameras can see every morning on the local news, and these particular cameras are not high-resolution enough to read license plates. The ones I'm concerned with are the ones mounted at intersections of surface streets. Considering the local news doesn't use them in their traffic reports, I'd have says these probably are and they don't want anyone to know that.:)
Slashdot Mirror
*nix is dead
MS-DOS is dead
the RIAA is dead
MP3 is dead
Slashdot is dead.
I wonder if the threat of a big $$$ (er.. $EU) settlement will finally piss a few of the large MS stockholders into applying a little pressure on MS management to change tactics.
:) Then there's always Warren Buffet, but he's not likely to make much of a stink given that he's pretty much in lock-step with BillG himself.
Ermmm, most of the large stockholders are Microsoft executives, so I rather doubt it.
Actually, some of the @Home users will probably be bought by AOL/TW's RoadRunner. AOL still has a lot of cash, and I think they see RoadRunner as being a large part of their future success as an ISP. (Why else would they have bought TimeWaner? :)
Is this list available on the Net somewhere? Please post a URL! I would find this interesting!
The lines haven't crossed for photographies, but I'm sure that won't take too long.
Really? So I take it you've never heard of a scanner? Companies like have developed technologies like "digital watermarking" which makes embeds copyright information into photographs in such a way that they are not visible to the naked eye, but scanners and other copying devices will pick them up. Put into an application like Photoshop, this copyright information can be read, and information about the copyright owner can be displayed. If all image editing and viewing applications supported such technology, it would be possible to prevent copying and modifying these copyrighted images.
The 19861541313544111 BTU cryogenic freezer necessary to keep this chip cool is, of course, not included.
The Intel Shiitakeum Processor. Mushrooms Inside.
And the Republicans call Dan Rather biased!
:-P
So do Libertarians, FWIW.
Well, if nothing, you have to admit that engraving your correspondence on stone tablets would garner attention. :-)
I consider this very unethical.
Unethical? I believe there was a case where it was ruled that Intel had monopoly power a couple of years back. That would make it not only unethical but downright *illegal*.
It is essentially not unlike the game that M$ played with the OEMS: Sell only our OS and your price is x, sell other OSes and your price x*10...
Is anybody at the DoJ paying ATTENTION!!!! AHEM!!!!
I don't mind increase survelance powers in order to fight terrorism. However, scrawling "I love you Crystal" or some such on some web page is not terrorism.
:-)
I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. The laws that apply in the real world should apply in the cyber world.
Defacing a web face is the same as spraying some grafitti on a wall. Stealing credit card numbers or private information is the same as theft. Bringing down a government web site is sabotage. These should be dealt with the same as they are in the real world.
Defacing a web site is vandalism, and therefore should be treated as a misdemeanor. Stealing credit card numbers or private information would be a misdemeanor or a felony depending on how much was stolen and how much it's worth. Sabotage, deliberate, willful destruction of government property, including websites, *is* terrorism and should be dealt with as such.
I don't see why this is so frickin' hard.
A cashless society would be no more or less anonymous than the current society.
:)
First off all, your cash purchases *can* be tracked, reglardless of the existence of a mechanism for tracking them. For instance, if prior to committing a crime, you purchased a knife, which was used as the murder weapon, from a local store. Suppose the knife you bought from that store was only sold in your area at the store you bought it from. It is a simple matter for the police to track you down. They simply ask the store personnel to describe the person or persons who bought a similar knife in the last few days... it helps if they already have a picture of you, of course.
Now, secondly, it could be possible to use your credit or debit card to purchase a "smart card" that just contains a certain dollar amount and no identifying characteristics...such cards in widespread use in Europe.
So? There is no federal law against purchasing drugs (since such a law would be unconstitutional). I don't know of any state or local law against purchasing drugs, although such a law would be constitutional.
But there are laws against *selling* drugs and *possessing* drugs, both on a federal and on a state level.
That's just the problem. It's not hiding the trail. It's not hiding who you bought it from, just what you bought. When the DEA or local law enforcement finally busts the "Relaxation Service" all they need to do is subpoena their Visa records and you can be identified.
Sounds like that would be a reason *in favor* of a cashless society to me. After all, selling Marijuana is *illegal*. If you have a problem with this, then the problem is not with the cashless society, but rather a problem with the illegality of marijuana. Make marijuana legal, and there is no problem, right?
I agree 1000%
I'm a systems administrator for an engineering company that designs and builds tooling for automotive and aerospace. Not a terribly exciting industry in my mind, but the work is enjoyable.
They're always giving me new, challenging assignments, including some coding and other systems projects we're working on. IT is important in this industry, where computers and math are heavily involved in the design (particularly with 3D modeling and imaging) and construction (such as running NC milling machines).
I get a lot of enjoyment from my work. And it's a company with a viable business model that isn't going the way of the dot-bombs... as long as there is a need for automated manufacturing processes, there will always be a need for tooling.
The EULA in question applies to FrontPage. In fact, it doesn't even apply to FrontPage the application, but the FrontPage Web Components
I suppose it depends on what you deem to be "the Web components." This provision is very vaguely worded, probably on purpose. Microsoft says that it includes the MSN Stock Ticker, the MSNBC headlines, Expedia maps, and so on. However, where do you draw this line? Perhaps FrontPage extensions such as the Forms component (which displays HTML forms and then e-mails their contents to a specified e-mail address without writing any code), could be construed as being a "Web Component." Microsoft's definition of Web components does not specifically state what this includes and what this excludes, again, probably on purpose.
Yup. You are obviously NAL. :) The Commerce Clause can't be unconstitutional, because it's IN the Constitution. :-)
While IANAL, whether the transaction crosses state lines is immaterial. All that has to happen under recent interpretations of the Commerce Clause in the U.S. Constitution is that the activity *could* impact interstate trade, not whether or not it actually *does*.
:)
That being said, it's unlikely, in my mind, that Congress actually has authority to enforce limits on crypto under the Commerce Clause because it would violate the 1st Amendment,and possibly your right against unwarrantable searches and seizures, but that's more of a stretch, IMHO.
On the other hand, the fact that crypto is classified as "munitions" (this means that seemingly harmless stuff, such as the Mozilla source code or the DeCSS T-Shirts are actually classified as munitions! scary stuff!) means that actually, Congress probably *can* regulate it via export control. But since you have a Constitutional right to bear arms (heh), they can't regulate it's use by citizens. So there's another reason Congress wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Again, I'm not a lawyer, I'm just going on what I know from reading, experience and a Businss Law class or two.
Americans do give up half their paychecks to be redistributed around the world. What are you talking about? Have you looked at your paycheck?
Sure, a lot of those tax dollars go to things inside the U.S., like roads and infrastructure, but a good amount of that money also goes to humanitarian aid that the U.S. has given out around the world. There was a little radio piece called "The Americans" where it is pointed out how much generosity the U.S. does do to help humanitarian causes around the world and how, when we have problems, nobody lifts a finger.
Fortunately, so far that doesn't seem to be the case in this instance, but where was the humanitarian aid when the Missippi flooded? We have been there time and time again when the Nile flooded.
Yes, Microsoft can be that stupid. The problem is that I think that they really believe that Windows NT and Windows 2000 Server are robust enough for mission critical applications.
:)
They've managed to convince much of corporate America of that quite nicely...and it is my theory that they managed to do that by believing it themselves.
How else would anyone else believe it?
So what high-end tricks are available to make the grep process not be I/O-bound? Enquiring minds want to know! The only thing I could imagine would involving a separate thread that caches the whole the thing in "real time" to the memory while the grep process looks through memory. Even then, you'd be waiting on that cache, wouldn't you?
According to CNN, The Pentagon and the Washington Mall were also hit!
This is definitely a carefully planned deliberate attack by some large terrorist organization!
Another take on this: Apple sued companies (particularly Franklin Computer Corp.) that violated it's patents. IBM *encouraged* people to hack and clone their BIOS.
:-)
Guess which type of computer became the most successfuL?
The two things I would say are, when you really reach the point where all the old crap is really clogging up the veins, fix it all at once. Make a clean break. Then people can at least keep in mind what is happening, what works with 2.x and what is still only for 1.x.
:-P
So what you're saying is, Microsoft should've given up on backward compatibility a long time ago?
Hmmmm...I wonder why they don't capitalize on that? A notebook that TRULY lasts 6 hours on batteries would be a *great* selling point. I have yet to see a notebook with all the goodies that can last much over 4 hours on batteries.
I am quite afraid of who is watching. I don't like to give out my name to Radio Shack, but the god damn government already has it. It's not Radio Shack I need to be worried about!
:) You can see what these cameras can see every morning on the local news, and these particular cameras are not high-resolution enough to read license plates. The ones I'm concerned with are the ones mounted at intersections of surface streets. Considering the local news doesn't use them in their traffic reports, I'd have says these probably are and they don't want anyone to know that. :)
No, you don'tneed to be that worried about Radio Shack. The worst thing they do with that information is use it to track what you buy at Radio Shack and send customized flyers to your house announcing sales. I give them my info, despite my usual privacy stance, because I rather like the flyers and I know that they don't sell their mailing lists. (Aside from the fact that I've worked there before to earn extra cash for the holidays, I do little tricks like spell my name or address different ways to see where mailing list information comes from. It's quite amusing to find out who sells your information.)
Yeah, in PA they have "This is a future VMS site" and what they are going to do is track traffic patterns, right. "We will not track speeders, or other traffic violators".
Here in the Detroit metro area, we were among the first in the country to get traffic cameras on the freeways. So far they have only used them to analyze traffic patterns. "So far" being the operative words in that sentence.