Okay, I thought, I'll have to sort my PC out, so I'll upgrade to IE5.02. I only have IE on there because InstallShield for Windows Installer requires IE4 or above to work. I have no problem with this, reusing components is a good thing, right?
Well, that's all fine, until installing IE5.02 shafts the software I use to earn money. As it happens, I only wasted a morning sorting this problem. I hardly minded this, as I was suffering an immense hangover from my stag days and nights, and couldn't cope with anything demanding.
Still, if I had a deadline, I would have been mightily pissed off!
It just hit me, looking at the changelog (that soooo many people have thoughtfully posted here) how fantastic this whole open source actually is. How many of you guys and gals have every stiopped to think about that shitty bug that's always annoyed you, then been fixed. It's due to the hard work and effort of people working on the problem because they want to.
Step back. Think about the effort that's gone into this product. Find some way to say thank you.
Monsanto, love 'em or hate 'em (I choose the former) are being clearly unreasonable about this. No farmer can be expected to ensure that his farm is free of contamination from other farms in this manner. It could be argued that indeed, he doesn't have the right to sow the seed produced from the plants (but I personally despise that sort of idea), but this ruling extends further, saying that if any seed should happen to grow in an unauthorised (i.e. non-license payer's) land, that person is responsible for destoying that plant. I this the onus here should be on the license payer, forcing them to ensure that they do not either willfully or negligently distribute material where they do not have a right to do so?
Could a farmer bill another for letting his seed contaminate his land?
Another poster mentioned that a computer virus/worm writer could do a similar thing. Hell, why not? Because a virus/trojan is specifically engineered to propagate? Well, what's a seed meant to do.
At school, I was subject to bullying for a period of time. I am not as a rule violent, I'm scared of it, to be quite honest, but I found myself fantasising about punishing my bullies. Of course, if I had actually tried to stand up to them, it would have either worked, or made my life hell. I certainly wasn't going to take the chance of retaliation. Of course, if I had a gun, would I have gone for it, knowing 'they' couldn't do anything about it? I sincerely hope not, but who knows.
Note that if I had a gun. Fat chance. I'm in England. It's probably a good thing, really. You have to ask yourself, how many school massacres are there in the UK compared to the US.
I'll be honest, I'm against private ownership of guns. I don't like guns. If I had access to a gun when younger, I may have been sufficiently incensed to kill someone. If I had access to a gun only a few years ago, things may have been different in another way entirely....
At a friend's band's site, I noticed that banners had started to appear. That's no problem, as I've developed a blindness to banners.
After following the fourth or fifth link, instead of seeing the page I expected, I was taken to a page telling me that "This site has been brough to be with the help of one of our sponsors....". This changed (using a <meta> tag, I guess) to being the page I expected after abpout five seconds.
Naturally I told all of this to my friend, but the band's unlikely to change ISP.
The upshot is that I'm unlikely to go to this site again. Sadly, I think that other people will accept this sort of advertisement, as yes, it's what they're used to. I don't watch TV (don't have one, don't want one), and I only listen to Radio 4 (BBC - non-commercial), so I don't have to put up with that sort of advertising.
So, I'm not typical. I don't like blatant advertising in this manner, and I'll do my damnedest to avoid it. Will the average user? No. Most general web users probbanbly still maximise their windows and only have one browser window open at a time. They will read those bloody advertisements, because I'm sure it will become standard practice to ahave an awkwardly placed 'click to continue' link.
The only people this will affect are the ones dumb enough to have installed bind and not used it, or incompetent sysadmins who deserve to get burned.
...or perhaps the average Joe Schmo user who's been somehow persuaded that Linux is a viable alternative to Windows for their desktop, and expects it to work out of the box....
I admit though, a decent sysadmin should not be affected by this problem, Linux or other *nix.
Tom.
Re:How is this a Linux problem?
on
New Linux Worm
·
· Score: 1
I guess it's because most people who run Solaris et al bother to ensure their systems are secure.... not that the avarage linux-kiddie hasn't written a kewl little script that they think ensures their system is uncrackable.
<p>(Why does that tag show up in preview?<p>
Tom.
The (ex)MD of my company insisted that in all company publications, we refer to e-commerce (as eCommerce, because (in his words) "this will be the way it is spelled". It appears that one of our third party conractors persuaded him that this spelling was the way forward and to adopt it would position us at the forefront of... (yadda yadda yadda...)
Because we did this when he insisted - and yes, R&D did object - all our brochures etc. still say eCommerce.
Bloody stupid....and he didn't even have pointy hair!
The interesting question is why is this considered "sad" when other activities which involve just as much dedication/obsession are considered differently
Okay, very true. The obsessiveness in itself isn't that bad. The problem was the lack of social skills (for relating to people outide their set) many of these guys had. And some of these were that stereotypical CS guy - BO and all the rest. Well, sadly that's the image of CS blokes that people see and it remains is the mind. By which I mean that I admit that there must have been plenty that weren't quite like that, it's just that they aren't the ones I remember.
But the opposite is also true: guys would love to see more girls/women in the technology-related fields, and would go pretty far to help them out. (Far from discriminating against women). I have a female friend at MIT in the Intro CS program, and essentially, when she walks into the lab(s), there's this mental 'OMG, it's a GIRL! YAY!' thing that all the guys go through. From what she's told me, at least, everyone (all guys, as it were) have been extremely helpful, etc.
Umm... from what I remember from my University courses that happened because most the guys there were sad types who spent most of their time on MUDs, and sitting in small circles muttering Trek-talk (when they deigned to leave the terminal), wondering why females weren't interested. This is sadly true - maybe my place was unique in its quotient of that type of guy?
One year at University I was living on a floor with a load of Muslims from Malaysia, who showed me a certificate they had from Coca-Cola affirming that there were minute (and I mean, minute) quantities of ethanol in Coca-Cola. These guys never drank Coke because of this. A bit extreme, you might think, but it's their choice....
No, I am middle class white trash! I know this - I know myself, and I'm quite glad of the fact, it gives me something to work and improve upon. Believe me, knowing who you are is an eye-opener.....
Re:Its proponents would of course be called...
on
AtheOS
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· Score: 1
Now that's just silly!
The Gnostics were a sect who knew, not just believed in God. Agnostics deny they know any God exists - they know nothing.
There is a subtlety here. Lack of knowledge is actually quite nice;-)
Sorry, but no - it's a nice flowery phrase, but it just doesn't cut the mustard.
For those who grow up in an environment where they cannot receive a decent education, and have to find a low paid job (read exploitative) just to keep warm dry and fed, being told that "You have the power to educate yourself to a level that is commensurate with what ever endeavour you wish to partake in" would sound like a piss-take at best, a mindless insult otherwise. I've been out of work in the past, mostly through my own laziness, but there are plenty who have no choice but to accept the crumbs of jobs thrown down to them.
Please think outside your narrow middle-class background. To you, people who end up in crap jobs may just "have no ambition and just want to sit on the couch smoking pot all day long", but not all people fit into the stereotypes assumed by you and your friends.
Sorry if this is a little irate or off-topic (which most of the dicussion is....), but outright stupidity and thoughtlessness annoys my somewhat.
Tom.
Re:Chickenpox / cowpox -- wrong bug!
on
Living Terrors
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· Score: 1
That strange circlular scar on my upper arm is from the BCG immunisastion, against tuberculosis. These are still carried out in the UK on all children (who need them) of the age of 13 or 14 or so.
Slashdot Mirror
Tom.
Well, that's all fine, until installing IE5.02 shafts the software I use to earn money. As it happens, I only wasted a morning sorting this problem. I hardly minded this, as I was suffering an immense hangover from my stag days and nights, and couldn't cope with anything demanding.
Still, if I had a deadline, I would have been mightily pissed off!
Tom.
buggerbuggerbuggerbugger
Tom.
Preview is your friend.
Tom.
Step back. Think about the effort that's gone into this product. Find some way to say thank you.
Tom.
Monsanto, love 'em or hate 'em (I choose the former) are being clearly unreasonable about this. No farmer can be expected to ensure that his farm is free of contamination from other farms in this manner. It could be argued that indeed, he doesn't have the right to sow the seed produced from the plants (but I personally despise that sort of idea), but this ruling extends further, saying that if any seed should happen to grow in an unauthorised (i.e. non-license payer's) land, that person is responsible for destoying that plant. I this the onus here should be on the license payer, forcing them to ensure that they do not either willfully or negligently distribute material where they do not have a right to do so?
Could a farmer bill another for letting his seed contaminate his land?
Another poster mentioned that a computer virus/worm writer could do a similar thing. Hell, why not? Because a virus/trojan is specifically engineered to propagate? Well, what's a seed meant to do.
I despair.
Tom.
Silly boy.
Note that if I had a gun. Fat chance. I'm in England. It's probably a good thing, really. You have to ask yourself, how many school massacres are there in the UK compared to the US.
I'll be honest, I'm against private ownership of guns. I don't like guns. If I had access to a gun when younger, I may have been sufficiently incensed to kill someone. If I had access to a gun only a few years ago, things may have been different in another way entirely....
Just my thoughts,
Tom.
At a friend's band's site, I noticed that banners had started to appear. That's no problem, as I've developed a blindness to banners.
After following the fourth or fifth link, instead of seeing the page I expected, I was taken to a page telling me that "This site has been brough to be with the help of one of our sponsors....". This changed (using a <meta> tag, I guess) to being the page I expected after abpout five seconds.
Naturally I told all of this to my friend, but the band's unlikely to change ISP.
The upshot is that I'm unlikely to go to this site again. Sadly, I think that other people will accept this sort of advertisement, as yes, it's what they're used to. I don't watch TV (don't have one, don't want one), and I only listen to Radio 4 (BBC - non-commercial), so I don't have to put up with that sort of advertising.
So, I'm not typical. I don't like blatant advertising in this manner, and I'll do my damnedest to avoid it. Will the average user? No. Most general web users probbanbly still maximise their windows and only have one browser window open at a time. They will read those bloody advertisements, because I'm sure it will become standard practice to ahave an awkwardly placed 'click to continue' link.
Oh, what's the use.
Tom.
Surely that would hurt your foot, and by the time you actually moved the damn thing anywhere, it would be pretty smelly too.
I can't think of any OS that hurts your foot and smells....but I'll admit to never having used OS/390.
Are there any other OSes that have these properties?
Tom.
I admit though, a decent sysadmin should not be affected by this problem, Linux or other *nix.
Tom.
I guess it's because most people who run Solaris et al bother to ensure their systems are secure.... not that the avarage linux-kiddie hasn't written a kewl little script that they think ensures their system is uncrackable.
<p>(Why does that tag show up in preview?<p>
Tom.
I don't give an iota......
Because we did this when he insisted - and yes, R&D did object - all our brochures etc. still say eCommerce.
Bloody stupid....and he didn't even have pointy hair!
One thing is that amused me is that Nintendo started off as a playing card manufacturer....
Tom.
If you had the same stuff on paper and were careless/stupid enough not to delete it then the same would happen.
If you have broken the law, and get caught (and have your naughtiness proved against you) you suffer. Period.
Okay, very true. The obsessiveness in itself isn't that bad. The problem was the lack of social skills (for relating to people outide their set) many of these guys had. And some of these were that stereotypical CS guy - BO and all the rest. Well, sadly that's the image of CS blokes that people see and it remains is the mind. By which I mean that I admit that there must have been plenty that weren't quite like that, it's just that they aren't the ones I remember.
Tom.
Umm... from what I remember from my University courses that happened because most the guys there were sad types who spent most of their time on MUDs, and sitting in small circles muttering Trek-talk (when they deigned to leave the terminal), wondering why females weren't interested. This is sadly true - maybe my place was unique in its quotient of that type of guy?
Tom.
One year at University I was living on a floor with a load of Muslims from Malaysia, who showed me a certificate they had from Coca-Cola affirming that there were minute (and I mean, minute) quantities of ethanol in Coca-Cola. These guys never drank Coke because of this. A bit extreme, you might think, but it's their choice....
Tom.
What is a bitchslapping?
Who is natalie portman, and what is this fascination? I'd rather not have to find out by visiting tawdry fan-sites.....
Tom.
Nintendo started out making playing cards....
No, I am middle class white trash! I know this - I know myself, and I'm quite glad of the fact, it gives me something to work and improve upon. Believe me, knowing who you are is an eye-opener.....
The Gnostics were a sect who knew, not just believed in God. Agnostics deny they know any God exists - they know nothing.
There is a subtlety here. Lack of knowledge is actually quite nice ;-)
Tom.
For those who grow up in an environment where they cannot receive a decent education, and have to find a low paid job (read exploitative) just to keep warm dry and fed, being told that "You have the power to educate yourself to a level that is commensurate with what ever endeavour you wish to partake in" would sound like a piss-take at best, a mindless insult otherwise. I've been out of work in the past, mostly through my own laziness, but there are plenty who have no choice but to accept the crumbs of jobs thrown down to them.
Please think outside your narrow middle-class background. To you, people who end up in crap jobs may just "have no ambition and just want to sit on the couch smoking pot all day long", but not all people fit into the stereotypes assumed by you and your friends.
Sorry if this is a little irate or off-topic (which most of the dicussion is....), but outright stupidity and thoughtlessness annoys my somewhat.
Tom.
Here's a link if you want it, concerning the use of the BCG in the US: http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00041 047.htm
Tom.