It's worse than that. I don't think copyright should even exist. There is not, in nature, a natural protection for one's ideas which, like fire, can be shared with others without diminishing one's own use of the idea (or flame). ----- The monopoly granted to authors is a PRIVILEGE that like all government-granted monopolies is temporary and revocable. The purpose of such monopolies is to enrich the whole of humanity with the creation of art, not just for the sole benefit of one person.
What's with all the strange names? I guess they're trying to emulate Apple. I never bother learning the random words and just say OS 10.5 or Ubuntu Linux 10.0
>>>seriously, there is a way to deal with critters in office; and then there is your style...
So how many times have you changed your Congressperson to change his mind? What's that:? ZERO? Well then I guess your way is no more effective..... just as polls showed 75% of Americans opposed the TARP but the congress passed it anyway. They don't care what we say.
So why bother being polite to them? They deserve no more politeness than a delinquent employee that you fire and toss out on the curb. "Good morning. We've decided to terminate you for not doing what we asked you to do. You have 30 minutes to pack... give me your badge. Goodbye."
Now, instead of just being stuck with kindle, I can buy whatever e-book reader is cheaper. Or offers the best features. Same thing I do with VCRs, DVRs, Bluray, PCs, and so on. Removal of DRM means I am no longer stuck with a proprietary piece of hardware.
I'm no longer allowed to criticize Microsoft or Google, else I will get modded -1 by their loyal fanboys. (Otherwise I'd agree with you... can't trust either of these companies with your uploaded data... especially after CISPA passes.)
>>> I have forever heard publishers whine about printing (especially setting up a run) and shipping being a significant part of the cost of the book.
Link please. I've never heard that.
The U.S. DOJ is currently suing the publishers. It will be interesting to see what kind of evidence they manufacture to justify why e-books should cost as much as print books.
>>>Windows 95's, which you said was co-operative (it was actually pre-emptive)
Only for 32 bit apps, which did not exist at the time. All my apps were still the old 16 bit versions which only ran cooperatively and crashed frequently.
>>>your damn graphics card vendor's fault, not Microsoft
Microsoft in 1995 should have had support nVidia cards... it was only the 2nd most popular brand. AND Microsoft is most certainly to blame for saying Vista can run on 1/2 gig of memory, when that was never the case. As I said it froze-up again and again (hard drive thrashing).
And yes Microsoft sucks. 20 years of using their software, and they are consistently the worst-written programs compared to what other companies have made. But you wouldn't understand because you've probably never tried another OS like Atari TOS or AmigaOS or Classic Mac OS. You have no clue how bad MS truly is, because you're never used anything else.
>>>This is really no different than internet security. If you leave a hole, it will be exploited.
The difference is I have a very high risk of internet malware attacking my computer (probably close to 1 probability). The odds of a terrorist blowing-up a plane, and I happen to be on that plane, is 1 in a billion. That's lower odds than dying in a car accident driving to work.
I'd sooner take the 1 in a billion risk of death by terrorist than the ~1 in 100 odds of being nudebody X-ray scanned, or felt-up by a TSA stranger. I'd rather choose my right-to-travel and not be sexually assaulted in the process.
Oh and before you say something dumb like "Drive or take a train instead," the TSA is now expanding to highways and depots too. Also random searches as post offices and stadiums and big-box stores. There is now no place the TSA (using the name VIPR Teams) can not suddenly appear and accost you.
In the UK turning-off analog only freed-up channels 7-13.... not a drastic difference. In the US it was 52-69 that was freed.
BTW I have no empty channels where I live. It's a side effect of living in the highly-populated northeast, so the whitespace device would be pointless. Every channel has a broadcast TV station.
Does the UK TV have any empty space? I thought all their channels were filled too, using multiplexes that span from former channels 14 to 60?
Scroll down to the review section. Tons-and-tons of book recommendations from professional critics. BTW Speaker for the Dead is a faaaar better book than Ender's Game (imho). I look forward to reading it a second time.:-)
>>>the purpose is to slow down initial piracy enough to make a profit from people who would choose the pirated, free version if they can find it
Not only is that not true now (games are uploaded same day of release), it's never been true. As soon as a game was released in the 80s, pirates would set to work cracking the floppy, rewriting the assembly to ignore the disk errors, maybe add a trainer (infinite lives, skip levels, etc), and upload it to a BBS on day 1 or 2. A few days later you could even download the ripped SID or Paula music.
Actually I'd say you spent about 10 dollars. If you buy the print book for $13, read it carefully so as not to damage it, then sell it on amazon as like "new" for $11, you have only spent 2 dollars overall (instead of 12 for the ebook). This is why for a long time I resisted buying a Kindle... it is more costly to buy kindle books than buying the print versions.
>>>The publisher saved the cost of printing a paperback book, physically transporting it to Amazon.
I've heard that printing and mailing is only a few pennies, because it's all done in bulk, so the publisher didn't really save that much cash with the e-edition. On the other hand the U.S. DOJ is suing the ebook publishers for collusion (forming a price-fixing cartel), so maybe they really aren't charging more than they should.
The only "real" cost of a physical book versus e-book is Amazon mailing it to you for $3..... and you pay that cost, not amazon.
Problem with books is that they are small. That means you can download thousands in just a few minutes..... even over slow connections like dialup. (I downloaded the entire 60-year Analog collection in a few hours, and the Arthur Clarke novels in just one.) It is not at all inconvenient to acquire books/magazines; the pirates have made it exceedingly quick-and-easy.
Maybe the publishers could learn. If they sold Analog in decade-long bundles, that I could buy at a flat rate with just one click, I'd have gone to THEM instead of the pirates.
For those saying you would now buy ebooks from Tor..... do you buy the Sci-Fi magazines? That is where most young authors get their start. If they die out (they lose about 1000 subscribers/year), so too does the paid outlet for future talent. And most of the mags are DRM free too:
White House also said they'd veto NDAA, but they were secretly working behind the scenes to add the 2 sentences that allow Americans to be jailed w/o trial. And then they signed the bill on New Year's Eve, rather than veto it.
As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I doubt the president's word when he says he would veto something..... especially after he went and signed the ACTA (and now refuses to let the Senate see it).
Really? Wasn't XP simply the +0.1 version of Win2000? I would have thought it would be more stable, like how WinSeven (6.1) is more stable/bugfree than Vista (6.0).
Feeling sorry for M$ is like a wife who feels sorry for he husband after he abuses her. I don't feel sorry for mickeysoft.
I wish their OS share dropped to the same level as their browser share (~40%), so we can choose some real alternatives from other companies. I feel like I've been stuck driving a Yugo OS for the last 15 years. Prior to that I used to drive Lexus-level OSes.
"I am dissatisfied with your work. You've already proved you're delinquency by passing the Patriot Act, TARP bailouts, mandatory purchase of insurance (which I don't want), support for destruction of perfectly usable cars via Cash for Clunkers, and the NDAA "Shut up, you don't get a lawyer" provision.
"So I won't be the least surprised if you pass CISPA, giving corporations authority to spy on my internet usage for the benefit of the Homeland Security, and thereby confirming my initial conjecture. I'll be campaigning against you in the fall. Please pack-up your desk and remove your belongs by the end of the year."
(and got modded -1). I think this story proves what I was saying:
Try "Skydrive? [Or hotmail?] "One word: "Microsoft. "How many chances am I supposed to give this company? They've let me down almost every time... the earliest being when I tried to multitask in Windows 3 and 95, but it hung the system repeatedly (cooperative tasking sucks). Then I tried to play Wing Commander and it refused to run due to graphics-card incompatibilities/broken drivers. I ended-up playing the Commodore Amiga version instead (just plug'n'play). More recently MS media player refuses to execute half the movies I throw at it [.....] Windows XP was the first stable OS to come out of that company, so I had high hopes they had turned around... but then I experienced Vista on my brother's brand-new 1/2 gig machine. It was ass..... random freeze-ups for 2-3 minutes.
"Better to avoid MS as much as possible......" No to Hotmail.
Last I heard Google, Microsoft, and other internet companies are supporting CISPA. Which is sad. They were the ones who helped defeat SOPA, but now they are siding with CISPA. It will likely pass.
Slashdot Mirror
It's worse than that. I don't think copyright should even exist. There is not, in nature, a natural protection for one's ideas which, like fire, can be shared with others without diminishing one's own use of the idea (or flame). ----- The monopoly granted to authors is a PRIVILEGE that like all government-granted monopolies is temporary and revocable. The purpose of such monopolies is to enrich the whole of humanity with the creation of art, not just for the sole benefit of one person.
What's with all the strange names? I guess they're trying to emulate Apple. I never bother learning the random words and just say OS 10.5 or Ubuntu Linux 10.0
>>>seriously, there is a way to deal with critters in office; and then there is your style...
So how many times have you changed your Congressperson to change his mind? What's that:? ZERO? Well then I guess your way is no more effective..... just as polls showed 75% of Americans opposed the TARP but the congress passed it anyway. They don't care what we say.
So why bother being polite to them? They deserve no more politeness than a delinquent employee that you fire and toss out on the curb. "Good morning. We've decided to terminate you for not doing what we asked you to do. You have 30 minutes to pack... give me your badge. Goodbye."
Now, instead of just being stuck with kindle, I can buy whatever e-book reader is cheaper. Or offers the best features. Same thing I do with VCRs, DVRs, Bluray, PCs, and so on. Removal of DRM means I am no longer stuck with a proprietary piece of hardware.
I'm no longer allowed to criticize Microsoft or Google, else I will get modded -1 by their loyal fanboys. (Otherwise I'd agree with you... can't trust either of these companies with your uploaded data... especially after CISPA passes.)
>>> I have forever heard publishers whine about printing (especially setting up a run) and shipping being a significant part of the cost of the book.
Link please.
I've never heard that.
The U.S. DOJ is currently suing the publishers. It will be interesting to see what kind of evidence they manufacture to justify why e-books should cost as much as print books.
>>>Windows 95's, which you said was co-operative (it was actually pre-emptive)
Only for 32 bit apps, which did not exist at the time. All my apps were still the old 16 bit versions which only ran cooperatively and crashed frequently.
>>>your damn graphics card vendor's fault, not Microsoft
Microsoft in 1995 should have had support nVidia cards... it was only the 2nd most popular brand. AND Microsoft is most certainly to blame for saying Vista can run on 1/2 gig of memory, when that was never the case. As I said it froze-up again and again (hard drive thrashing).
And yes Microsoft sucks. 20 years of using their software, and they are consistently the worst-written programs compared to what other companies have made. But you wouldn't understand because you've probably never tried another OS like Atari TOS or AmigaOS or Classic Mac OS. You have no clue how bad MS truly is, because you're never used anything else.
>>>This is really no different than internet security. If you leave a hole, it will be exploited.
The difference is I have a very high risk of internet malware attacking my computer (probably close to 1 probability). The odds of a terrorist blowing-up a plane, and I happen to be on that plane, is 1 in a billion. That's lower odds than dying in a car accident driving to work.
I'd sooner take the 1 in a billion risk of death by terrorist than the ~1 in 100 odds of being nudebody X-ray scanned, or felt-up by a TSA stranger. I'd rather choose my right-to-travel and not be sexually assaulted in the process.
Oh and before you say something dumb like "Drive or take a train instead," the TSA is now expanding to highways and depots too. Also random searches as post offices and stadiums and big-box stores. There is now no place the TSA (using the name VIPR Teams) can not suddenly appear and accost you.
In the UK turning-off analog only freed-up channels 7-13.... not a drastic difference. In the US it was 52-69 that was freed.
BTW I have no empty channels where I live. It's a side effect of living in the highly-populated northeast, so the whitespace device would be pointless. Every channel has a broadcast TV station.
Does the UK TV have any empty space? I thought all their channels were filled too, using multiplexes that span from former channels 14 to 60?
Scroll down to the review section. Tons-and-tons of book recommendations from professional critics. BTW Speaker for the Dead is a faaaar better book than Ender's Game (imho). I look forward to reading it a second time. :-)
http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/depts.htm
>>>the purpose is to slow down initial piracy enough to make a profit from people who would choose the pirated, free version if they can find it
Not only is that not true now (games are uploaded same day of release), it's never been true. As soon as a game was released in the 80s, pirates would set to work cracking the floppy, rewriting the assembly to ignore the disk errors, maybe add a trainer (infinite lives, skip levels, etc), and upload it to a BBS on day 1 or 2. A few days later you could even download the ripped SID or Paula music.
>>>So, I saved a dollar.
Actually I'd say you spent about 10 dollars. If you buy the print book for $13, read it carefully so as not to damage it, then sell it on amazon as like "new" for $11, you have only spent 2 dollars overall (instead of 12 for the ebook). This is why for a long time I resisted buying a Kindle... it is more costly to buy kindle books than buying the print versions.
>>>The publisher saved the cost of printing a paperback book, physically transporting it to Amazon.
I've heard that printing and mailing is only a few pennies, because it's all done in bulk, so the publisher didn't really save that much cash with the e-edition. On the other hand the U.S. DOJ is suing the ebook publishers for collusion (forming a price-fixing cartel), so maybe they really aren't charging more than they should.
The only "real" cost of a physical book versus e-book is Amazon mailing it to you for $3..... and you pay that cost, not amazon.
Problem with books is that they are small. That means you can download thousands in just a few minutes..... even over slow connections like dialup. (I downloaded the entire 60-year Analog collection in a few hours, and the Arthur Clarke novels in just one.) It is not at all inconvenient to acquire books/magazines; the pirates have made it exceedingly quick-and-easy.
Maybe the publishers could learn. If they sold Analog in decade-long bundles, that I could buy at a flat rate with just one click, I'd have gone to THEM instead of the pirates.
For those saying you would now buy ebooks from Tor..... do you buy the Sci-Fi magazines? That is where most young authors get their start. If they die out (they lose about 1000 subscribers/year), so too does the paid outlet for future talent. And most of the mags are DRM free too:
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/dellmagazineauthorseBooks.htm?cache
.
>>> I'm certainly not reading a 400 page tome on my phone
Why not?
I used to read e-books on my 8 bit computer at 320x200 resolution. In comparison reading on a hi-res phone would be a luxury.
Why did I type dh0:? I'm not using AmigaOS. I meant c:
White House also said they'd veto NDAA, but they were secretly working behind the scenes to add the 2 sentences that allow Americans to be jailed w/o trial. And then they signed the bill on New Year's Eve, rather than veto it.
As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I doubt the president's word when he says he would veto something..... especially after he went and signed the ACTA (and now refuses to let the Senate see it).
Modded both "troll" and "informative" on the same post. LOL. That's new.
Really?
Wasn't XP simply the +0.1 version of Win2000? I would have thought it would be more stable, like how WinSeven (6.1) is more stable/bugfree than Vista (6.0).
>>>got hit by a dictionary attack.
It sounds like he used a password similar to this: sopatom. I don't see that word in my dictionary.
Feeling sorry for M$ is like a wife who feels sorry for he husband after he abuses her. I don't feel sorry for mickeysoft.
I wish their OS share dropped to the same level as their browser share (~40%), so we can choose some real alternatives from other companies. I feel like I've been stuck driving a Yugo OS for the last 15 years. Prior to that I used to drive Lexus-level OSes.
Just done.
"Dear congressional employee:
"I am dissatisfied with your work. You've already proved you're delinquency by passing the Patriot Act, TARP bailouts, mandatory purchase of insurance (which I don't want), support for destruction of perfectly usable cars via Cash for Clunkers, and the NDAA "Shut up, you don't get a lawyer" provision.
"So I won't be the least surprised if you pass CISPA, giving corporations authority to spy on my internet usage for the benefit of the Homeland Security, and thereby confirming my initial conjecture. I'll be campaigning against you in the fall. Please pack-up your desk and remove your belongs by the end of the year."
Signed,
Your boss,
We the people.
(and got modded -1). I think this story proves what I was saying:
Try "Skydrive? [Or hotmail?]
"One word:
"Microsoft.
"How many chances am I supposed to give this company? They've let me down almost every time... the earliest being when I tried to multitask in Windows 3 and 95, but it hung the system repeatedly (cooperative tasking sucks). Then I tried to play Wing Commander and it refused to run due to graphics-card incompatibilities/broken drivers. I ended-up playing the Commodore Amiga version instead (just plug'n'play). More recently MS media player refuses to execute half the movies I throw at it [.....] Windows XP was the first stable OS to come out of that company, so I had high hopes they had turned around... but then I experienced Vista on my brother's brand-new 1/2 gig machine. It was ass..... random freeze-ups for 2-3 minutes.
"Better to avoid MS as much as possible......" No to Hotmail.
Last I heard Google, Microsoft, and other internet companies are supporting CISPA. Which is sad. They were the ones who helped defeat SOPA, but now they are siding with CISPA. It will likely pass.
Thought that Tor was outlawed by repressive governments like US (backspace, backspace) China, Iran, etc.
Ron Paul says corporations will âact as government spiesâ(TM) under CISPA. "It represents an alarming form of corporatism, as it further intertwines government with companies like Google and Facebook." LINK - http://runronpaul.com/web-media/ron-paul-corporations-will-%E2%80%98act-as-government-spies%E2%80%99-under-cispa/