It would be nice to have the openness of linux, the speed and simplicity of BE, the guts of plan9, and a gui with the portability of X, as well as a remote-terminal systme a-la sun's sunray setup..... and all open-source. THEN we would have an OS.
My sun4 has a fan in it.. but it's so quiet, you have to get your ear near it to hear at all. It's just there to provide minimal airflow.
Many computers are actually not noisy.. Peoples lust for the next fastests best thing means more heat, which means more fans....
The other thing, of course, is having all noisemaking equipment (main cpu, motherboard, drives) all in a closet or other room even, and simply have the rest neworked over some kidn of high speed bus.
I think we're getting back to one of those situations where something is a 'standard' because people are using it. DivX is like that... it's the preferred format for pirated online video now.... so, therefore, it's a 'standard'.
The same thing happened with mp3 you know.. it really had nothing to do with mpeg (i mean, it *IS* mpeg II layer 3, but that's not why it was popular). THink about it. How many of the mp3 players actually are full mpeg II players? basically none.
mp3 is a standard in it's own right sipmly because it emerged as a popular way to ship music around the net. Period. This would have happeend whether it was a rock-solid ISO standard, or whether it was something hacked up by geeks.
Barring interference (noise) in the analog signal (in other words, things over short distances, or long distance with lots of extra engineering), analog will always sound better or equal to digital. Digital cannot sound better than analog....
however, when it comes to replicating signal, with analog there is always the possibility (and the reality) of signal degradation.
It is much cheaper to broadcast a superior quality digital signal throughout, say, all of north america, than it is analog. It is much easier to make limitless copies of digital audio and keep the quality the same.
With analog, certainly, the quality could be better, but it does not have this property.
The digital revolution may be upon us.. but it seems to me we're in the very beginnings of it, not near the end.
Many geeks can see it, we dream it.. sci-fi predicts it in a way..... the real digital revolution is barely even started... we're just getting the seeds in now.
Of course it hasn't radically changed the world yet.. the industrial revolution took more than 5 years..... this one will probably take 20!
Re:I wrote that code - I'll tell you what it does
on
Mattel Spyware
·
· Score: 2
Uh... lots of software *might* do this.
What should you do? you should configure your dial on demand server to not trigger ont his kind of traffic... just like you do with icmp ping, dns, etc.. (or whatever you happened to do).
You know what? this is just like when we get the media telling us that our 'innocent' hacker tools are 'illegal, malicious' hacker tools.
Like the guys aid.. once a day this app runs, and simply says to the server 'got any new images?' and that's *ALL*.
Could the same framework be used for spyware? Sure. So could *any* software for that matter.
Oh my god! when you run ICQ, it fetches a MOTD from icq's server! INVASION OF PRIVACY!
Oh no.. when I run Unreal Tournament, it fetches a web page from the UT site and tells me if I have upgrades! EVERY TIME I RUN IT! what a violation of privacy!
Oh no... you mean, with mattel software, once in a while it fetches new banners? umm..
2.4 Ghz , in respect to 802.11b and such, is actually a band from 2.4 to 2.49 or something.. I forget exactly. Microwave ovens operate right in the middle of this.. and there is a reason.... that's why ISM is the Industry, Science, and Medical band..... and the reason it is unlicensed is mainly because of this. 2.4 Ghz has all kinds of industrial uses, so it's 'dirty'.
So.. first off, your microwave oven is 100% shielded basically... there should be absolutely no leakage.. (not that it would be a big deal if there was a bit).
I can operate a 2.4 Ghz DSSS router right next to 2 microwave ovens and it continues to pump out 11Mbps.
Uh.. no.. we're talking, unless I'm mistaken, about 3 different releases of the doom source under 3 different licenses.... not half under one, and half under another..
Anything that is commonly available on the target platform would be considered 'integral'.
ie: Sun libc... sun socket library...
Or Mandrake QT (on mandrake) Or... get the picture? non-gpl librraries are fine as long as they are generally available on the author's desired target. So if he is wrigint software and saying 'this is for Mandrake 7.1' then the fact that non-gpl libraries are required to make it work under debian is moot.. that's not what he's distributing.
Yes. The BSD license. Where others using *my* code are under absolutely no obligation to share their changes, period, and they can even go make a *billion* dollars off it without showing me a red cent, or even telling me.
If that's how you want to release your own code, please do! Don't tell me what to release mine under.
Actually.. that linking thing is not quite so absolute.
I could not, for instance, distribute binaries that are linked against non-GPL libraries... unless (and this is a big unless) those libraries are a common, standard part of the OS. And this *is* an important point.
You can use GPL software on a Solaris box, where everything is linked against libc... even though libc is proprietary, closed-source Sun code.
You can also link it against other system-level includes, like the socket library and such, even though they, too, are non-GPL. Why? because.. if you say 'this software is for solaris', then *every* solaris box already has those libraries. they are part of the platform.
Now.. it *could* just be me, but if someone were to, say, write software, specifically for Mandrake, and link it against (never mind current events) QT.. and GPL it.. why can't they? The software is intended for Mandrake, that is the author's intent.. and QT is a standard part of any mandrake installations, therefore the libraries are common to all instances of the target platform. Period.
You just described more or less direct-sequence spread spectrum. 802.11 can also, Ibelieve, work over frequency-hopping spread spectrum, which works differently.
You don't need a license for the 2.4Ghz ISM band. This is the band that your microwave oven works in (though that is supposed to be shielded)
Really, it's only licensed for spread spectrum use, either FHSS or DSSS.
And yes, it is possible for the two to smash each other. fhss devicess will tend to not smash each other.. and dsss won't either, as long as power levels are reasonable, but if you mix them.......
Well.. valenti could also answer 'I assume that Sony has the appropriate license. If they do not have such licenses, then it would be agains the law' or, simply, 'I am not aware'.
It means that, if the witness only knows about the answer to the question through discussions with his attorney (and not from prior experiences), that he should answer 'yes' or 'no' only, and refrain from giving away any information that was actually discussed between him and his attorney, as they have attorney-client privelege.
I'm all hoping the the mpaa or whoever loses badly...this whole thing is BS.. but this guy, Velenti, *does* answer honestly and truthfully.. it seems.
For a great many of his 'i don't know' he is simply being asked for the record whether or not he is aware of certain things.
As for whenever he is asked about something illegal... he re-states over and over again, that 'circumventing the encryption on a DVD is illegal according to DMCA, plain and clearly'..and he *is* correct.. it is clear in the DMCA that circumventing an effective copy control mechanism (which this can be construed to be) is illegal.
The thing on trial here is really the DMCA, not the defendant.
As for 'fair use' and all that crap.. I had a thought.
First, 'fair use' does not mean 'absolute right to undertand and use any technical means necessary to make copies in whatever form you want', it simply means that you can't be prosecuted for what is construed as 'fair use' of a copyrighted work.
Copying a DVD digitally, for your own personal use, may be fair use, and having that copy is probably not illegal. However, according to DMCA, circumventing the encryption *IS* illegal, and posessing the tool to do so is also illegal, even if the end product is not.
You know, what joe average is buying when he gets a dvd is a 'movie'. If you say in a court 'they can always make analog snippets of it in a classroom or whatever'.. they are right. If the 'product' that falls under copyright, as the people percieve it, is simply 'the movie'.
To us geeks, though.. the 'product' under copyright is a collection of bits, that when decrypted a certain way and run through the appropriate codec produces a movie. See the difference? They are buying a movie.. we are buying bits. So.. to us, fair use should extend to manipulating bits on the dvd.. I own the physical dvd and all it's bits outright, and I can do *whatever* I want with those bits in the privacy of my own home.
Perhaps you need to read the 'how to make a bootdisk' document. There is nothing at all wrong.. and all linux boot disks are exactly 1440k. 1440k is how much a floppy holds.
I started using mandrake 7.1 the day after it was released. My main reason for doing this was to use Xfree864.0.. it is integrated into mandrake 7.1 (as an install option).
I was building a 3 headed computer, you see.
Now.. my first impression, as always, with mandrake, is the level of integration of all the GUI components. THey do a rather good job of this, and also do a good job of making sure a great many tools are available.
Oh.. but rpmdrake won't allow me to add a remote ftp or http site.. it just exits, restarts, and nothing has changed if I try to add one... oh, and no errors anywhere, period.
Oh.. and I tried downloading staroffice from sun, and loading it up.. but the installer just sits there and then exits after a while.. I don't know about the rest of the world, but this is a *BIG* pain in the butt for me. Without staroffice, I lose touch with all those MS Office using coworkers.
Wine seems to have some kind of font problem.. though I'm not sure what it is...
And perhaps it's my own ignorance, but trying to compile upgraded versions of gnome stuff, nothing ever seems to be able to find the headers or libraries where it expects to. gnome.h is nowhere to be found.
And it has locked on occasion, though I won't attribute that to Mandrake until I spend some more quality time with it.
And why doesn't it understand the wheelie on my mouse using xfree864.0? It *said* on the site that it did, for almost all apps.. but it sure doesn't.
All in all.. I think they did a great job of integrating things.. but have gone a bit too far and actually broken some key elements.
Let me tell you about my little problem with a cellular phone company. Cantel (biggest cellular provider in Canada).
Several years ago (1996 or so?) I went into a cantel agent's office near my apartment and picked up a cellular phone... contract and all. I used this phone for several months, and then (and it's all my fault) stopped paying the bill. Things built up, and after a couple months of non-payment, they cut me off. That's fine.. like I said.. my fault. 6 months or so later, I started getting calls from a collection agency (a big, reputable one, used by many large companies). FCS (financial collection services) in Vancouver. I brushed them off for as long as I could (like I said.. i was dumb) Now.. he (collection agent) was trying to collect about $500 off me. I knew I also had a contract (3 yhear I believe) that I probably had to pay out.. and didn't really have any money. THe guy called me one day and sayd 'look, I can't put this off any more. Tell you what. You come in here and pay us $300 cash, and I'll give you a letter absolving you of all debt on this cantel account (and he IS legally authorized to do this.. it's legit). I believe this is a standard tactic they use. Anyway.. I *PAID* him. Got the letter.
Now.. it's several years later. I've definately lost that letter... and one day I went in to get a phone from cantel. They did their background check and said 'I'm sorry sir.. you owe us $500'. I said 'okay, look.. I *paid* that money to your collection agent, FCS in Vancouver, several years ago. You know what he said? He said 'Well, bring us proof of payment, and we'll cancel the debt'. What???? Anyway.. I politely called the collection agency, and they were very polite and helpful, and tried for an hour to locate the information on my payment. Now, they admit that occasionally, it does happen that there is a mixup between them and Cantel (in other words, they believed what I was saying). They also admitted that finding the record in their archives without knowing the cantel account number was next to impossible.. so if I could call cantel and get the account number and get back to them, it would help greatly. SURE! no problem, I thought.. thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. So.. I called Cantel. I explained the situation politely to the agent on the phone. She seemed to understand.. I was transferred around a lot.. and all I got was 'Well sir, if you knew your account number, we could help you ' and 'if you knew the phone number you had back then, we could dig it up', but otherwise.. nobody could help me. So, I explained to her.. look.. the agent at the office when I go to get a phone, whoever it is that he calls to validate that info is going to find out about the money I owe in about 5 minutes on the phone.. so can't we talk to wheover HE talks to and find out what the account number is? "I'm sorry sir, I'm not allowed to give out that numbe, only sales agents can call that number'
"shipment" of antimatter? I dunno about that... as far as I can recall, we have yet to produce anything but infinitesmal quantities of anti-particles, and those are wiped out instantly. WE have yet to even be able to create any of note, let alone isolate and contain them. Certainly, they *could* be contained within some kind of magnetic field or something.. but sheesh.
Believe me.. if they had the ability to actually 'store' antimatter in any kind of quantity, someone would have one *HELL* of a bomb on their hand. It would meak nukes look like firecrackers.
Slashdot Mirror
It would be nice to have the openness of linux, the speed and simplicity of BE, the guts of plan9, and a gui with the portability of X, as well as a remote-terminal systme a-la sun's sunray setup.....
and all open-source.
THEN we would have an OS.
My sun4 has a fan in it.. but it's so quiet, you have to get your ear near it to hear at all. It's just there to provide minimal airflow.
Many computers are actually not noisy..
Peoples lust for the next fastests best thing means more heat, which means more fans....
The other thing, of course, is having all noisemaking equipment (main cpu, motherboard, drives) all in a closet or other room even, and simply have the rest neworked over some kidn of high speed bus.
I think we're getting back to one of those situations where something is a 'standard' because people are using it. DivX is like that... it's the preferred format for pirated online video now.... so, therefore, it's a 'standard'.
The same thing happened with mp3 you know.. it really had nothing to do with mpeg (i mean, it *IS* mpeg II layer 3, but that's not why it was popular).
THink about it. How many of the mp3 players actually are full mpeg II players? basically none.
mp3 is a standard in it's own right sipmly because it emerged as a popular way to ship music around the net. Period. This would have happeend whether it was a rock-solid ISO standard, or whether it was something hacked up by geeks.
Why is it even an issue?
It seems so obvious.
Barring interference (noise) in the analog signal (in other words, things over short distances, or long distance with lots of extra engineering), analog will always sound better or equal to digital. Digital cannot sound better than analog....
however, when it comes to replicating signal, with analog there is always the possibility (and the reality) of signal degradation.
It is much cheaper to broadcast a superior quality digital signal throughout, say, all of north america, than it is analog.
It is much easier to make limitless copies of digital audio and keep the quality the same.
With analog, certainly, the quality could be better, but it does not have this property.
The digital revolution may be upon us.. but it seems to me we're in the very beginnings of it, not near the end.
Many geeks can see it, we dream it.. sci-fi predicts it in a way..... the real digital revolution is barely even started... we're just getting the seeds in now.
Of course it hasn't radically changed the world yet.. the industrial revolution took more than 5 years..... this one will probably take 20!
Uh... lots of software *might* do this.
What should you do? you should configure your dial on demand server to not trigger ont his kind of traffic...
just like you do with icmp ping, dns, etc.. (or whatever you happened to do).
You know what? this is just like when we get the media telling us that our 'innocent' hacker tools are 'illegal, malicious' hacker tools.
Like the guys aid.. once a day this app runs, and simply says to the server 'got any new images?' and that's *ALL*.
Could the same framework be used for spyware? Sure. So could *any* software for that matter.
Oh my god! when you run ICQ, it fetches a MOTD from icq's server! INVASION OF PRIVACY!
Oh no.. when I run Unreal Tournament, it fetches a web page from the UT site and tells me if I have upgrades! EVERY TIME I RUN IT! what a violation of privacy!
Oh no... you mean, with mattel software, once in a while it fetches new banners? umm..
Beowulf?
Why do so many people misunderstand? it's not simply like having a 300 processor machine.
2.4 Ghz , in respect to 802.11b and such, is actually a band from 2.4 to 2.49 or something.. I forget exactly.
Microwave ovens operate right in the middle of this.. and there is a reason....
that's why ISM is the Industry, Science, and Medical band..... and the reason it is unlicensed is mainly because of this.
2.4 Ghz has all kinds of industrial uses, so it's 'dirty'.
So.. first off, your microwave oven is 100% shielded basically... there should be absolutely no leakage.. (not that it would be a big deal if there was a bit).
I can operate a 2.4 Ghz DSSS router right next to 2 microwave ovens and it continues to pump out 11Mbps.
Uh.. no..
we're talking, unless I'm mistaken, about 3 different releases of the doom source under 3 different licenses.... not half under one, and half under another..
And what defines 'integral system libraries'.
Anything that is commonly available on the target platform would be considered 'integral'.
ie: Sun libc... sun socket library...
Or Mandrake QT (on mandrake)
Or... get the picture? non-gpl librraries are fine as long as they are generally available on the author's desired target. So if he is wrigint software and saying 'this is for Mandrake 7.1' then the fact that non-gpl libraries are required to make it work under debian is moot.. that's not what he's distributing.
Okay. I'm stumped. What's the problem?
That the doom source was released on 3 separate occasions under 3 separate licenses? So what?
What.. do people just get doom source and not read the license, assume it's GPL, and then get mad? That would be rather dumb...
Pardon?
If I am an author, I can re-release under whatever terms I want, whenever I want.
What do you mean, they can't do it the other way around?
Yes. The BSD license. Where others using *my* code are under absolutely no obligation to share their changes, period, and they can even go make a *billion* dollars off it without showing me a red cent, or even telling me.
If that's how you want to release your own code, please do! Don't tell me what to release mine under.
Actually.. that linking thing is not quite so absolute.
I could not, for instance, distribute binaries that are linked against non-GPL libraries... unless (and this is a big unless) those libraries are a common, standard part of the OS. And this *is* an important point.
You can use GPL software on a Solaris box, where everything is linked against libc... even though libc is proprietary, closed-source Sun code.
You can also link it against other system-level includes, like the socket library and such, even though they, too, are non-GPL. Why? because.. if you say 'this software is for solaris', then *every* solaris box already has those libraries. they are part of the platform.
Now.. it *could* just be me, but if someone were to, say, write software, specifically for Mandrake, and link it against (never mind current events) QT.. and GPL it.. why can't they? The software is intended for Mandrake, that is the author's intent.. and QT is a standard part of any mandrake installations, therefore the libraries are common to all instances of the target platform. Period.
You just described more or less direct-sequence spread spectrum.
802.11 can also, Ibelieve, work over frequency-hopping spread spectrum, which works differently.
You don't need a license for the 2.4Ghz ISM band.
This is the band that your microwave oven works in (though that is supposed to be shielded)
Really, it's only licensed for spread spectrum use, either FHSS or DSSS.
And yes, it is possible for the two to smash each other. fhss devicess will tend to not smash each other.. and dsss won't either, as long as power levels are reasonable, but if you mix them.......
Isn't it funny.. that when it comes to the masses and technology, those who use technology in it's purest form are the ones who are prosecuted?
Well.. valenti could also answer 'I assume that Sony has the appropriate license. If they do not have such licenses, then it would be agains the law'
or, simply, 'I am not aware'.
It means that, if the witness only knows about the answer to the question through discussions with his attorney (and not from prior experiences), that he should answer 'yes' or 'no' only, and refrain from giving away any information that was actually discussed between him and his attorney, as they have attorney-client privelege.
I'm all hoping the the mpaa or whoever loses badly.. .this whole thing is BS.. but this guy, Velenti, *does* answer honestly and truthfully.. it seems.
.and he *is* correct.. it is clear in the DMCA that circumventing an effective copy control mechanism (which this can be construed to be) is illegal.
For a great many of his 'i don't know' he is simply being asked for the record whether or not he is aware of certain things.
As for whenever he is asked about something illegal... he re-states over and over again, that 'circumventing the encryption on a DVD is illegal according to DMCA, plain and clearly'.
The thing on trial here is really the DMCA, not the defendant.
As for 'fair use' and all that crap.. I had a thought.
First, 'fair use' does not mean 'absolute right to undertand and use any technical means necessary to make copies in whatever form you want', it simply means that you can't be prosecuted for what is construed as 'fair use' of a copyrighted work.
Copying a DVD digitally, for your own personal use, may be fair use, and having that copy is probably not illegal.
However, according to DMCA, circumventing the encryption *IS* illegal, and posessing the tool to do so is also illegal, even if the end product is not.
You know, what joe average is buying when he gets a dvd is a 'movie'. If you say in a court 'they can always make analog snippets of it in a classroom or whatever'.. they are right. If the 'product' that falls under copyright, as the people percieve it, is simply 'the movie'.
To us geeks, though.. the 'product' under copyright is a collection of bits, that when decrypted a certain way and run through the appropriate codec produces a movie. See the difference?
They are buying a movie.. we are buying bits.
So.. to us, fair use should extend to manipulating bits on the dvd.. I own the physical dvd and all it's bits outright, and I can do *whatever* I want with those bits in the privacy of my own home.
Perhaps you need to read the 'how to make a bootdisk' document. There is nothing at all wrong.. and all linux boot disks are exactly 1440k.
1440k is how much a floppy holds.
I started using mandrake 7.1 the day after it was released. My main reason for doing this was to use Xfree864.0.. it is integrated into mandrake 7.1 (as an install option).
I was building a 3 headed computer, you see.
Now.. my first impression, as always, with mandrake, is the level of integration of all the GUI components. THey do a rather good job of this, and also do a good job of making sure a great many tools are available.
Oh.. but rpmdrake won't allow me to add a remote ftp or http site.. it just exits, restarts, and nothing has changed if I try to add one... oh, and no errors anywhere, period.
Oh.. and I tried downloading staroffice from sun, and loading it up.. but the installer just sits there and then exits after a while.. I don't know about the rest of the world, but this is a *BIG* pain in the butt for me. Without staroffice, I lose touch with all those MS Office using coworkers.
Wine seems to have some kind of font problem.. though I'm not sure what it is...
And perhaps it's my own ignorance, but trying to compile upgraded versions of gnome stuff, nothing ever seems to be able to find the headers or libraries where it expects to. gnome.h is nowhere to be found.
And it has locked on occasion, though I won't attribute that to Mandrake until I spend some more quality time with it.
And why doesn't it understand the wheelie on my mouse using xfree864.0? It *said* on the site that it did, for almost all apps.. but it sure doesn't.
All in all.. I think they did a great job of integrating things.. but have gone a bit too far and actually broken some key elements.
Let me tell you about my little problem with a cellular phone company.
Cantel (biggest cellular provider in Canada).
Several years ago (1996 or so?) I went into a cantel agent's office near my apartment and picked up a cellular phone... contract and all.
I used this phone for several months, and then (and it's all my fault) stopped paying the bill. Things built up, and after a couple months of non-payment, they cut me off. That's fine.. like I said.. my fault.
6 months or so later, I started getting calls from a collection agency (a big, reputable one, used by many large companies). FCS (financial collection services) in Vancouver. I brushed them off for as long as I could (like I said.. i was dumb)
Now.. he (collection agent) was trying to collect about $500 off me. I knew I also had a contract (3 yhear I believe) that I probably had to pay out.. and didn't really have any money.
THe guy called me one day and sayd 'look, I can't put this off any more. Tell you what. You come in here and pay us $300 cash, and I'll give you a letter absolving you of all debt on this cantel account (and he IS legally authorized to do this.. it's legit). I believe this is a standard tactic they use. Anyway.. I *PAID* him. Got the letter.
Now.. it's several years later. I've definately lost that letter... and one day I went in to get a phone from cantel. They did their background check and said 'I'm sorry sir.. you owe us $500'. I said 'okay, look.. I *paid* that money to your collection agent, FCS in Vancouver, several years ago.
You know what he said? He said 'Well, bring us proof of payment, and we'll cancel the debt'.
What????
Anyway.. I politely called the collection agency, and they were very polite and helpful, and tried for an hour to locate the information on my payment. Now, they admit that occasionally, it does happen that there is a mixup between them and Cantel (in other words, they believed what I was saying). They also admitted that finding the record in their archives without knowing the cantel account number was next to impossible.. so if I could call cantel and get the account number and get back to them, it would help greatly.
SURE! no problem, I thought.. thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.
So.. I called Cantel. I explained the situation politely to the agent on the phone. She seemed to understand.. I was transferred around a lot.. and all I got was 'Well sir, if you knew your account number, we could help you ' and 'if you knew the phone number you had back then, we could dig it up', but otherwise.. nobody could help me.
So, I explained to her.. look.. the agent at the office when I go to get a phone, whoever it is that he calls to validate that info is going to find out about the money I owe in about 5 minutes on the phone.. so can't we talk to wheover HE talks to and find out what the account number is?
"I'm sorry sir, I'm not allowed to give out that numbe, only sales agents can call that number'
Isn't this rediculous?
"shipment" of antimatter? I dunno about that...
as far as I can recall, we have yet to produce anything but infinitesmal quantities of anti-particles, and those are wiped out instantly. WE have yet to even be able to create any of note, let alone isolate and contain them.
Certainly, they *could* be contained within some kind of magnetic field or something.. but sheesh.
Believe me.. if they had the ability to actually 'store' antimatter in any kind of quantity, someone would have one *HELL* of a bomb on their hand. It would meak nukes look like firecrackers.