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User: the_1000th_Monkey

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  1. oh U-CL-A!! on Smart Kindergarten · · Score: 1

    My dyslexia had me reading this as an ACLU guy setting up a bunch of students with monitors and sensors, and part of my brain knew that just wasn't right.

  2. Any massive collection of data has this potential on Grad Student's Work Reveals National Infrastructure · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is the epitome of information is power. A couple people at each of these sensitive points were probably aware of their personal weakness, but this guy's research collects all of them into one place -- kind of making a menu from which attacks can be selected.

    But if you had wide-reaching data on any system/infrastructure you could see its vulnerabilities. For example, just using Rand McNally or some equivalent you could determine what locations on what highways would need to be blocked in some way in order to completely paralyze those in a nearby area from leaving/escaping. Then from this collection choose the one with the most populated area in the center, combined with some form of attack -- voila you've just wreaked more havoc than any attack could alone with a few staged accidents, spills, etc using only Rand McNally to guide you.

  3. coordinating impactful development on Too Much Free Software · · Score: 1

    Not that anyone will ever find this so far into the comments, but here I go:

    What if project hosting/listing sites such as freshmeat or sourceforge had a system to let non-developers decide to close a project.

    It would go something like this:
    A person(s) would announce their serious intention to begin a project, for example a linux media player. This is given a lot of notice on these hosting/listing sites to attract other developers. Now since there are already media players on linux (xmms, mplayer, etc) the project would have to prove itself in a certain amount of time. It would do this by having very active development, or lots of inovation, or filling a niche left open by other projects, or just plain being well liked. If it fails this, the project is converted into a new project to be merged into existing projects -- which is subsequently re-announced to try and gain support for that newer effort. The orphaned developers would then be welcome to join the projects their's was merged into.

    This way all competing projects would be advancing that entire general arena of development when they didn't do it by themselves.

    Am I implying that choice is bad? Absolutely not. However the decision would be made, it should be more than a simple democratic vote. If that were the case, my beloved WindowMaker and Tkdesk would've been swallowed into KDE long ago -- it should be based on how active its community and development is, not the size of its community.

    What about those projects with no competitors with inactive development and user communities -- maybe if they're applications they should be made into libraries for general use, or just closed outright.

    An example where this sort of organization would be helpful is multimedia on Linux. There are hoards of programs which play hoards of different media types -- but no uniform library to do so. XMMS, xine, mplayer, Noatun each reinvented the wheel to output to different devices and sound servers and to input different files and to display different skins and so on -- it would be nice if (not necessarily one of these, but there are certainly lesser known ones in this same vein) one of these sorts of projects diverted their attention from being the One Media Player to Rule Them All and worked with others to better those projects.

  4. sell out? on The Internship That Students Drool Over · · Score: 1

    hey I think they make crap, prop up new bad products with the revenues of old bad products until they become the bad standard, I think they're the people who refused to comment their code in Intro to CS in college, in short they are one of the worst things to happen to the computer industry since its inception -- but I can be bought!

  5. Spontaneous Gun Violence on An Unbiased Analysis of Gun Crime vs. Gun Control? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It strikes me that the answer to whether or not guns should be controlled is as simple as finding out if there is a large percentage of spontaneous gun violence. Because if most gun violence is premeditated, the gun means nothing -- they only opted to use that out of opportunity instead of a knife. But if it turns out that a disproportionate amount of gun violence is spontaneous, then that implies that the gun enables that behavior.

    Unfortunately my in-depth 30-second google searching couldn't turn up any survey/study on this... but if anyone should find it later (including myself) maybe they'll post it in reply.

  6. USA/Joe/BSD/GNU/Linux on FSF Issues GNU/Linux Name FAQ · · Score: 1

    This is so frustratingly old!

    So it should be GNU/Linux because it uses GNU tools? What about the BSD tools that have been there from the beginning in nearly each distro, or that GNU tools were later derived from? Why is it not then BSD/GNU/Linux? And on my personal system, since there are tools of my own conception on it am I obliged to refer to it as Joe/BSD/GNU/Linux? Hell since it's US copyright law that gives all those various licenses their teeth maybe we should show some patriotism with USA/Joe/BSD/GNU/Linux!!

    Stallman has the irritating habit of preaching a minor issue ad naseum.

  7. Re:whats wrong with a click thru license ? on Click-Thru Licensing on Open Source Software? · · Score: 1

    it could be a part of the package management system, I think both deb and rpm have license info fields, it would just be a matter of approving the certain licenses before dpkg or rpm will add the packages to the system.

  8. Re:A sense of identity on Subversive Gifts for New College Students? · · Score: 1

    LOL I couldn't get Konqueror to accept cookies and so I couldn't log in. You're right though, that is pretty funny.

  9. Re:Asking Slashdot? on Seeking Arguments Against the CBDTPA? · · Score: 1

    goatse.cx w00t !!!!!

  10. Crime vs. Tools on Seeking Arguments Against the CBDTPA? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This bill shouldn't go through on the premise that it's misplaced to illegalize the tools used in a crime even if the crime continues. The better solution is to enforce the existing law, rather than infringe on the use of tools. Tools used in a crime often have a legitimate purpose (which we're all aware of (DeCSS, Linux), and also a tool doesn't commit an act of bad intentions to deserve its being punished, the criminal performs the act.

  11. Reiserfs on Next Windows to Have New Filesystem · · Score: 1

    This sounds a lot like what Hans Reiser is trying to accomplish with his FS. I wonder if this will drive the OSS community to try and compete with MS and support Reiserfs, or will it/we try and reverse-engineer it ASAP. If reverse-engineered, it would never find its home as a Linux/BSD user's FS of choice, just because of the loyalty to pure OSS projects.

    Additionally I wonder if Reiser has licensed any of his code to MS, or if MS has even actually "borrowed" some of it themselves.

  12. Re:Gnome can't die on Could Mono Kill Gnome? · · Score: 1

    First off, nothing against GNOME, Miguel != GNOME. With that said, I would have to say that he does rave about MS. Remember the Unix Sucks speech a little while back, in which he compared Unix to Windows and concluded that Windows is where it's at. And as he said himself (in the article at the register I believe) Bonobo was modeled from Microsoft's COM Technology. And then he wrote spreadsheet app that his big victory was that it didn't flicker as much as Excel, and then wrote a "groupware" program mimicking Outlook almost exactly. Remember copying is the biggest form of flattery. And the final MS-loving clue is that the only reason he didn't get a job there is because his visa didn't allow it.

    All these factors have made me think for a long time, though I can't imagine it's the case, that I wouldn't be surprised if Miguel were planted to undermine MS competition in the Free Software community which can't be fought by PR campaigns, buyouts and product markdowns.

    Like I said I don't figure that's true, but if MS were to try and trip up various free software competitors while boosting themselves, they would probably do it just as Miguel has.

  13. Brave New World on Lab Develops Artificial Womb · · Score: 1

    While this sounds fascinating and interesting from a point of view of pure intellectual pursuit, I don't see the practical uses for this technology. Those that are sterile have already established options ranging from the long existing adoption, cloning (though this only passes on one parents genes, and since the DNA used is the older/shorter DNA of an adult, it's probably irresponsible to create a person who'll end up with arthritis or worse before they can drive), and if they're sterile because the embryo can't cling to the walls of the uteris (right organ?) there are women out there more than willing to act as a surrogate.

    After my initial reaction of "this is neat", my next thought is rembering Brave New World where "mother" became a dirty word because everyone was grown in jars rather than in people. Which makes me worry that something like this may only serve to demystify the miracle of life further than the world culture already has, and make us further capable of thinking of people as products and not the complicated emotional intellectual creatures we are.

    This just raises the ever-present concern: "Now that we can, should we?"

  14. Redundant Title on Tom Reviews 13 LCD Displays · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    LCD Display?! That irks me just as bad as PIN Number!! If you must not end a sentence with an acronym, say LCD screen at least. *shudder* I need a cold shower now, thanks!

  15. How could you?!?! on KDE 2.0 Final Released · · Score: 1

    I agree 110% with sister Anne Marie! How could you so blatantly disregard the female gender in such an objectifying fashion? Have you no shame for your actions? You are a heartless, cold, insensitive, sexist, mindless, sex-obsessed, small-dicked, immature, blah, blah, rant, flame, piss, moan, cry, bitch sorry man who must not have gotten enough attention from his father as a child and now disguises it with woman-bashing. As a fellow femi-nazi who seeks out woman-discrimination in all its awful forms even those that didn't realize they were discriminating, I'm offended by your sexism you small-brained and altogether inferior man! I feel that ALL slashdotters should forevermore respect the fact that woman are people just like anyone else, and they should accomplish this by treating them extra-special and police their thoughts ... or else we will! You have been warned by the movement of People Undoing Sanity and Sensibility for You (P.U.S.S.Y.)!!

  16. Re:Good idea, but... on Other Uses For The Linux RAM Disk? · · Score: 1

    Is KDE seriously this bad a memory hog... on my 64MB 366Mhz system I just retired, KDE seemed reasonably snappy, and most apps I ran from it did too; it was StarOffice that always ground my system to a screaming halt. I've heard people mention this before, I just never personally noticed.

  17. Re:Good idea, but... on Other Uses For The Linux RAM Disk? · · Score: 1

    You can free up enough memory for your 15 cool Eterms, and 6 netscapes-a-crashing but not using Staroffice. You can run as many terminals as your little heart could desire in the memory footprint of that behomoth :).

  18. Re:That's just your sick imagination on Qt Going GPL · · Score: 1

    It's that exact phenomenon why I personally view the GPL as unfreeing, by requiring me to license my software one way versus another reduces my freedom. In practice I almost always use the BSD license which gives the users of my software the most freedom: keep it open, close it, or just plain use it. Don't mistake me, I think the GPL is a Good Thing in many cases, for example the Linux kernel, by requiring all of it's derivations to stay open all modifications to it can be absorbed into it as they are deemed worthwhile by Linus; and this sort of mandatory evolution behavior is good for many sorts of projects, I just think it's wrong to refer to it as free, because I really think that's a huge misuse of the word.

    Looking back I trailed off, but that's ok :)

  19. Re:Let the code wars begin!!!!!!!!!!! on KDE Developer on the GNOME Foundation · · Score: 1

    A well-reasoned and very evidence-supported statement. Thank you :)

  20. I can almost see it... through the vapour on Microsoft Porting Applications To Linux (Really!) · · Score: 1

    This has to be the MS retaliation to the GNOME foundation announcement. Though porting would probably very effiently crush every existing or about to exist office suite on Linux, I doubt it's anything more than trying to make developers not want to bother and thus leave Office unopposed on any platform, securing the inertia of Windows users everywhere to stay Windows users.

    This is all of if this even came from Microsoft, or MainSoft, and not some schmuck :)

  21. No really, why not KDE? on 'Gnome Foundation' Takes Aim at MS Office · · Score: 2

    However sarcastic the above comment is, I pose the same question.

    KDE is more stable (in my experience), it _is_ more beautiful (in my opinion), it is more sleek, more intuitive, and more featureful than any other desktop I have ever seen, forget GNOME I mean Windows, I mean MacOS, I mean a small army of window managers.

    I have been beta testing KDE2 for a few months now, and I have been so excited with the prospect that this modular, fast, mega-customizable desktop will one day touch down on a user's desktop after a default installation of their distro, and all they'll be able to say is "WOW!" in their first few hours using it.

    KDE has everything, or has been developed with such elegance that what it doesn't have will be a snap to add. Everything that Miguel said sucked about UNIX and GNOME will solve, KDE is already solving, (code reuse, etc), as far as free office suites, KOffice appears professional and in all ways but some filters very complete (well maybe it doesn't have a paperclip, but whatever).

    All GNOME seems to have is the support of trolls! (I cite a great percentage of the posts to this article, where almost every "Yay GNOME" post was also a "Boo KDE" post; I've just seen it as a bunch of aggitators who like more to flamebait and politic, than to cooperate and code for the common good!

    So despite Mr. planet_hoth's obvious sarcasm, I really am baffled, why not KDE?

    the_1000th_Monkey

  22. ignorance or insult on Let's Make UNIX Not Suck · · Score: 1

    Not meaning to flamebait, but he spoke with a lot of absolutes, referring to code reuse and various things of UNIX GUI. I'm just curious if he's so involved in GNOME that he doesn't pay any attention to KDE or was he trying to disregard their efforts as insubstantial or very non-earth-shaking. Because KParts in KDE is a very elegant to develop for, and speedy to use component architecture which is in effective use extensively throughout KDE2 especially KOffice where there's live embedding of KOffice documents into other documents, and in Konqueror the viewing of images, movies, KOffice documents, PS/PDF files, and tons others are accomplished through KParts. It seems to me that with so much accomplished on at least one of the centerpoints in his Talk/Paper, his ommission of the KDE effort was either ignorant or calculated.

  23. Re:Instead of ICQ? on Official AIM for Linux · · Score: 1

    I'd rather see AOL endorse one of the many clones that exist (the Tk one, the infamous GAIM, there's a KAIM out there somewhere) rather than release a version far less featureful than it's other official counterparts. As for me, and my AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, and MSN (I don't want to hear it about this) SNs, I'll be using everybuddy (http://www.everybuddy.com) to use them all, and nothing AOL could release, be it a slow-ass Java applet, or an even slower Java app, or a gtk-novice-quality binary will make me want to leave it.

    }; // Grand Monkey