If you want to help that computer science student to survive the real world, at least let him read about the things nobody accepts but all know in ther heart before being hit with it.
The OP did mention that this is for a grad student...
Re:It's Gone Beyond Science Fiction into Mainstrea
on
Open Source Life?
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· Score: 1
Out of curiousity, what exactly is illegal about using someone else's GMO seeds? It's not like he's using whatever gene implanting process they used to create those seeds. It's not like he's manufacturing a product using that patent.
All-in-all, I'm hard pressed to find anything illegal about using patented seeds without a license.
It would be like me leaving thousands of barcode scanners at the side of the road in a bin marked "Free" and then suing everyone for using my patented laser. It makes no sense.
Re:It's Gone Beyond Science Fiction into Mainstrea
on
Open Source Life?
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· Score: 1
Why is it unremarkable?
If someone gives me a vacuum with a patented widget in it, and I use that vacuum to clean my house, did I infringe on Vacuumcorp's patent?
I hate to be the one to bring up Emacs, but I've been craving an Emacs editing widget for ages. Hell, to make both camps happy, it would be nice to see the desktop environments provide an editing widget that could be customized to be either like a Windows edit box, or Vim or Emacs.
It's frustrating as all hell to try to delete a line with ctrl-a ctrl-y and end up with a bunch of selected text. Sigh.
And that drives me nuts, since middle click both enables autoscroll, and then sends me to another site. It would be nice if middle-clicking the "go" button would go to the site in PRIMARY. mmmmm.
See, I always thought that with patents, it's the specific implementation that matters. If I make a widget and use a flux capacitor to power it, and patent it, and then the guy next to me makes a widget and uses a flex capacitor, then he's ok.
That's an easy question. Suppose my computer is in my bedroom, and for whatever reason, I want to leave it on overnight. If I have loud fans, I'm not going to be able to sleep. However, it doesn't matter one iota how loud my keyboard is, seeing as I'm not going to be typing on it.
I wouldn't lump ASP and Perl together. Especially since you can use Perl in ASP....
That said, comparing VBScript to Perl is like comparing Brainfuck to Smalltalk. VBScript is an unholy beast. It's like it was designed to make you do as much kludging as possible to get the simplest job done. It may just be my experience, but I enjoy programming in Perl. VBScript on the other hand, feels like building a house with a hacksaw and a hammer.
I don't know about you, but my linux box can sorta run windows software. Now, their changes wouldn't actually do anything, since it's not actually windows, but at least the RA would be happy.
I'm curious what someone could have been arrested for. What current law is broken by writing a virus?
Making a real virus is murder/attempted. Inciting a riot has specific laws. Is there a law covering virii?
To carry on your SARS analogy.. if someone contracted SARS and were placed under quarantine, would they not be responsible as well? If Alice got SARS from Bob after Bob breaks quarantine, can Alice press charges on Bob? To me, Bob is really at fault for Alice getting SARS, not the original vector of SARS, who really couldn't have known.
I think a lot of people are saying "it's all the skr1pt k1dd13s fault" and everyone else is saying "it's all the vendor's fault" but people are ignoring the end-user. It's not like any end user could not have heard about the viruses in the news or at work, Sobig and Blaster are HUGE. Should they not be accountable for their machines?
I definately agree that releasing it into the wild is a point of note - even if "the wild" just happens to be to a bunch of minions.
The question is, who's responsible after that. Especially for worms like Sobig, which require user interaction. I'm currently holding the person sending me the emails responsible, not the virus writer. Seems to me that that would be like getting mad at a lock-pick manufacturer for letting someone break into my house.
The gun analogy is good. I'm just curious how far the responsibility goes. If I copy a CD for a friend, and then he copies it for a friend, am I responsible for that second copy? No. Why shouldn't it be the same in this case?
And good luck finding the frickin book. I've been hunting it for months now with no luck. Seems that most of the big chains these days don't have it in stock, and the little stores are to small to have it.
Re:Sci-Fi Fantasy books on a 1-10 scale
on
A Good Summer Read?
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Out of curiousity, is that a homebrew script, or what? I'm looking to index my collection and what I've read..
The only problem with Hyperion is finding copies of the sequels. By the time I found the first sequel, I'd forgotten the first, but read it recently enough that re-reading it was frustrating. So, take my advice and have a copy of the whole series before starting... Or, just find a good bookstore.
Oh boy. That was my problem with the later WoT books. Not only did I not remember the names, but I didn't even care.
I haven't found W&P that bad, especially as I get later into the book. As you go, the context generally jogs the memory. For the first couple hundred pages everyone will probably blend together, but I found that eventually my mind sorted things out.
Beyond that, try pronouncing the names. Since they're in a foreign language, it could be that your brain just ignores it and treats it as instead of , you know? If you pronounce it, you force your mind to think about it instead of glossing over it. Works for me.
I'd recommened buying used books over going to the library. It's cheap (for me, cheaper than the fines I always end up paying at the library) and you can pick up the books at your own pace as the mood strikes you.
Plus, when you're done with the book, you can pass it on, burn it, resell it, or put it on the shelf if you ever want to read it again. I like to keep stuff I've read just so I don't accidently buy/borrow it again.
Slashdot Mirror
For the compiler trojan, see the ACM article Reflections on Trusting Trust
If you want to help that computer science student to survive the real world, at least let him read about the things nobody accepts but all know in ther heart before being hit with it.
The OP did mention that this is for a grad student...
Out of curiousity, what exactly is illegal about using someone else's GMO seeds? It's not like he's using whatever gene implanting process they used to create those seeds. It's not like he's manufacturing a product using that patent.
All-in-all, I'm hard pressed to find anything illegal about using patented seeds without a license.
It would be like me leaving thousands of barcode scanners at the side of the road in a bin marked "Free" and then suing everyone for using my patented laser. It makes no sense.
Why is it unremarkable?
If someone gives me a vacuum with a patented widget in it, and I use that vacuum to clean my house, did I infringe on Vacuumcorp's patent?
You cannot patent _USE_. You patent _THINGS_.
I hate to be the one to bring up Emacs, but I've been craving an Emacs editing widget for ages. Hell, to make both camps happy, it would be nice to see the desktop environments provide an editing widget that could be customized to be either like a Windows edit box, or Vim or Emacs.
It's frustrating as all hell to try to delete a line with ctrl-a ctrl-y and end up with a bunch of selected text. Sigh.
wow. thanks.
Out of curiosity, is it possible to have a middle click on the "Go" button load the url in the primary?
And that drives me nuts, since middle click both enables autoscroll, and then sends me to another site.
It would be nice if middle-clicking the "go" button would go to the site in PRIMARY. mmmmm.
Grin. Depends on the pictures.
See, I always thought that with patents, it's the specific implementation that matters. If I make a widget and use a flux capacitor to power it, and patent it, and then the guy next to me makes a widget and uses a flex capacitor, then he's ok.
That was my understanding, at least.
That's an easy question. Suppose my computer is in my bedroom, and for whatever reason, I want to leave it on overnight. If I have loud fans, I'm not going to be able to sleep. However, it doesn't matter one iota how loud my keyboard is, seeing as I'm not going to be typing on it.
I wouldn't lump ASP and Perl together. Especially since you can use Perl in ASP....
That said, comparing VBScript to Perl is like comparing Brainfuck to Smalltalk. VBScript is an unholy beast. It's like it was designed to make you do as much kludging as possible to get the simplest job done. It may just be my experience, but I enjoy programming in Perl. VBScript on the other hand, feels like building a house with a hacksaw and a hammer.
If I was to compare Perl to any language, I'd pick Lisp or Smalltalk at this point.
Can't the university rebut with "Don't walk around telling me I must provide you with internet access."
I don't know about you, but my linux box can sorta run windows software. Now, their changes wouldn't actually do anything, since it's not actually windows, but at least the RA would be happy.
I believe this is the reason that ATi can't release their TV out specs. Contractual obligations to the Macrovision company.
Good analogies.
.. if someone contracted SARS and were placed under quarantine, would they not be responsible as well? If Alice got SARS from Bob after Bob breaks quarantine, can Alice press charges on Bob? To me, Bob is really at fault for Alice getting SARS, not the original vector of SARS, who really couldn't have known.
I'm curious what someone could have been arrested for. What current law is broken by writing a virus?
Making a real virus is murder/attempted. Inciting a riot has specific laws. Is there a law covering virii?
To carry on your SARS analogy
I think a lot of people are saying "it's all the skr1pt k1dd13s fault" and everyone else is saying "it's all the vendor's fault" but people are ignoring the end-user. It's not like any end user could not have heard about the viruses in the news or at work, Sobig and Blaster are HUGE. Should they not be accountable for their machines?
I definately agree that releasing it into the wild is a point of note - even if "the wild" just happens to be to a bunch of minions.
The question is, who's responsible after that. Especially for worms like Sobig, which require user interaction. I'm currently holding the person sending me the emails responsible, not the virus writer. Seems to me that that would be like getting mad at a lock-pick manufacturer for letting someone break into my house.
The gun analogy is good. I'm just curious how far the responsibility goes. If I copy a CD for a friend, and then he copies it for a friend, am I responsible for that second copy? No. Why shouldn't it be the same in this case?
What law is the writer/releaser even breaking?
As a follow-up question, when does he cross into the criminal?
For instance, suppose the author posted the source to some 0day board that he's on. If someone else starts it in the wild, who's at fault?
What crime is committed by writing a virus?
And good luck finding the frickin book. I've been hunting it for months now with no luck. Seems that most of the big chains these days don't have it in stock, and the little stores are to small to have it.
Out of curiousity, is that a homebrew script, or what?
I'm looking to index my collection and what I've read..
The only problem with Hyperion is finding copies of the sequels. By the time I found the first sequel, I'd forgotten the first, but read it recently enough that re-reading it was frustrating. So, take my advice and have a copy of the whole series before starting...
Or, just find a good bookstore.
I second Otherland, it's great. I've had some people complain about it getting weird, but I stand by it as a really enjoyable read.
Oh boy. That was my problem with the later WoT books. Not only did I not remember the names, but I didn't even care.
I haven't found W&P that bad, especially as I get later into the book. As you go, the context generally jogs the memory. For the first couple hundred pages everyone will probably blend together, but I found that eventually my mind sorted things out.
Beyond that, try pronouncing the names. Since they're in a foreign language, it could be that your brain just ignores it and treats it as instead of , you know? If you pronounce it, you force your mind to think about it instead of glossing over it. Works for me.
I'd recommened buying used books over going to the library. It's cheap (for me, cheaper than the fines I always end up paying at the library) and you can pick up the books at your own pace as the mood strikes you.
Plus, when you're done with the book, you can pass it on, burn it, resell it, or put it on the shelf if you ever want to read it again. I like to keep stuff I've read just so I don't accidently buy/borrow it again.