I'm all for protecting children from harm, but protecting children from information is a parent's job, not the state. Anybody know what the laws are like in Scandinavia?
Well, at the moment, there's a big debate in Sweden as to whether membership in a fascist organisation should be made illegal. (A result of fascist gangs blowing up police cars, journalists and almost anyone else who seems to say anything against their views).
I'm not going to get into the ins-and-outs of this, but suffice to say that I think such a move is *extremely* dangerous, whilst at the same time I would like to silence every fascist out there!
It seems to me that existing criminal laws should cover such sitations, restricting freedom of speech is *always* wrong in my opinion.
Oh... and regarding peaceful protest, at a street party about a month ago in Stockholm, held to protest capitalism, the police blocked off all escape routes and then arrested 240 people, hospitalised several people (one of whom suffered crushed testicles) and then later released everyone without charges - completely illegal behaviour here in Sweden!
I'll accept that on the whole Sweden is a much more relaxed place when it comes to government attitudes than most places, but it just goes to show that such crap goes down everywhere!
(And I moved to Sweden to get away from the UK's attitudes!! It's an improvement, but it's still not utopia:-)
I wonder how well such a situation will really work. I would be curious to know how effective such systems have been in other countries that have tried to repress "unapproved" Internet usage?
As far as I am aware, it should be possible for people to work their way around these systems quite easily - whether people will choose to take the "risk" (however slight it may be) of doing this remains to be seen. From what I have read (http://www.aba.gov.au/what/online/overview.htm) of the scheme, it sounds like there at least isn't a countrywide firewall in place, it's more of a scheme whereby ISP's are held responsible for the viewing habits of their customers (No common carrier status there then) and that in practise this will mean they need to introduce some kind of filtering system.
There have been several suggestions I have read about in earlier discussions on this topic to try and make the system unworkable - deluging the classification board with material, people in other countries mirroring prohibited content etc. What it is really going to take to stop this bill though is some form of mass protest - and that unfortunately sounds like it is unlikely to happen. It seems as though people in Australia just aren't spreading the word properly, or there aren't enough people who care about the subject to put up much of a fight.
One problem that I have encountered in discussions about censorship is countering the argument that anyone who opposes such a scheme is in some way condoning pornography. In this particular case it seems important to counter such an argument with arguments about the failure of filtering software to be accountable, about how almost all filtering software in the marketplace has had problems with the blocking of legitimate information sites. Warn people that the next step in such filtering is the filtering of viewopints that are unpopular. Explain to people that filtering should be something that is used as a tool to help parents keep bounds on what their children are up to and not as a method of controlling the whole population.
I guess a lot of people are hoping that this bill will go away, or be proved unworkable. I would just like to finally say that mass resistance *does* work sometimes. Look at the fight against the Poll Tax that happened in the UK, where mass civil disobedience (non-payment of the tax by over 30% of the population) led to the government backing down and withdrawing the tax.
Above all else, if you are Australian, don't just sit back and let this happen - because if it is implemented successfully in Australia, it won't take long before the idea gets exported - and I don't want a similar system in my country!
I am all against frivolous lawsuits is the first thing I would like to say...
... however the software and hardware industries need to be more accountable for their products. As I work for a smaller web and multimedia-design company, we are very aware that delivering our clients a reliable, working product is very important.
I have read some discussion lately of new laws that would potentially allow US software companies to supply warranties that absolve them of all responsibility from bugs their software causes.
Personally, I feel that I would rather have soft(/hard)ware companies be held *more* responsible for their products than less. However a lawsuit of this type seems ridiculous as well. We need something inbetween - but if companies have warranties that protect them when they ship faulty products, what can we do to threaten them with the message that delivering reliable products is what the consumers want?
Thankfully the Open Source and Free Software movements seem to be helping increase software reliability through peer checking. Let's just hope that such systems become more pervasive in the next millennium and filter through to the hardware companies as well. It would be nice (though unrealistic) if we could make lawyers redundant through cooperation and open working methods;-)
OK, I've been thinking for some time about how I could get into hardware hacking. I haven't touched a soldering iron for over 15 years though, since I built a crystal radio at school.
Question is, where can I find some good starters material to wet my toes in hardware construction?
I look at the circuit that guy designed and it doesn't look so difficult to put together, but I wouldn't know where to begin.
I think I've confused the UK authorities still further - I've moved to Sweden:-)
Anyway, I think you raise valid points - at the end of the day, I truly believe privacy is a personal issue. In Sweden there is a national ID card system such as is stronlgly resisted in the UK, but I haven't seen any real evidence of it being misused yet.
Good luck in keeping yourself hidden - and don't get caught doing anything naughty now:-)
I have read the article and I understand all the concepts presented. However I'm still having a hard time convincing myself that this is something I should be worried about.
Y'see I don't particularly mind seeing banner ads. Hell, I even click through occasionally. I completely sympathise with those who hate banner ads however, especially on the grounds of bandwidth.
However opting out of DoubleClick's system isn't going to stop you from receiving banner ads. It just means that they won't be able to serve you the banner ads that their system thinks you will be most interested in.
At the same time, there are commercial organisations collecting and storing information about my habits every day - supermarket club-cards, Visa spending patterns, online book purchases etc. I truly hope that for the most part they are doing so, in order to learn more about my habits as one of their many customers. To be honest, unless they start sending me unsolicited spam, I don't find it too much of a hassle.
I also sometimes think it must be quite amusing, as I live a fairly unconventional lifestyle.
I spent a few years hiding from all the lists I could. I was avoiding the "poll tax" in England. Every 6 months I moved house, I worked so I wouldn't be on the unemployment register, I never filled in official forms.
The tactic worked, but it was hard work. It also meant no credit, difficulty getting banking facilities, difficulty getting utilities connected when I moved house - everything was a lot of hassle. In the end the Poll Tax went away and I was able to come back into normal life and start building up a credit rating etc. Much easier to manage life.
In short - I understand people's privacy concerns, but how serious is it really, to have targeted advertising pointed in your direction??
We do what we're interested in, what's fun, and what's within our resources, plain and simple. And we try to keep it funny.
Well said!! It was this kinda attitude that got me into the Internet long ago and it's this kinda attitude that the web needs more of.
Reading this article made me realise how much things have changed in the last 5 years. On the one hand I'm making money creating coroprate sites - on the other hand I miss the days when every time you turned your head, you found another FTP repository of bizarre text files ranging from Blue Box plans to ideas for wolrd domination.
(Whatever happened to the idea of paving the earth anyway??)
Alan wrote; In the Linux world you have things like the Red Hat Certified Engineer and you have approved support partners.
Certainly this is true, however I would point out that this is not something that I feel currently applies better to the Open Source world than the Closed Source world. Seriously, there are more people out there who have heard of a Microsoft Certified Professional than have heard of a Red Hat Certified Engineer. (Unfortunate, but true).
Here is a place where the closed source people currently have the jump, though in time that could be changed.
How could it be changed? Simple - by being better. While many more people have heard of Microsoft Certified Professionals, they also know that the certification is relatively easy. It doesn't *actually* say much about a person's ability. I have met MCP's who have been worth their weight in gold but I have also met those to whom I would like to attach their weight in lead and drop them in the Thames!
I personally work for a small company, but we get great clients because of word of mouth that we deliver - and deliver reliably and well. This is what companies need to remember as their number one priority if their goal is to be in the support business.
With luck, the Open Source support guys can build up a way better reputation than the closed sourec guys and with time become better know - for quality.
Doubt it will accomplish much, but I sent the following polite letter to feedback@amazon.com - maybe you would like to send a POLITE letter too??
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing to complain about Amazon's use of overreaching software patents.
Patent No. 5960411 for 1-Click, is an example of a patent that has been awarded completely out of place. The concept that lies behind 1-Click is in no way new to Amazon, or unique. Using such a patent simply to harass your business competitors is in my opinion an extremely low way of doing business. Such patents serve simply to supress programmers from finding more effective solutions to problems. Do you really expect that anyone who wishes to develop such a system must come to you for permission before commencing programming? Especially when there are so many existing versions of this system on the net?
It is a shame that a company who symbolise for many the success of the Web as a business medium feel compelled to resort to such low tactics to stay ahead in the race for market share.
I hope that the use of this patent by Amazon will result in so much negative publicity, that you will not be tempted to use such crass measures in the future. How much more positive it would have been if Amazon could instead have joined in lobbying the US Patent Office against the granting of such broad patents.
No, it's true. Something like this DOES take thousands of hours - as long as you factor in the coffee breaks, reading the manuals, designing the right gif buttons, etc...
... and especially so if you count in the lawyer's hours:-)
Seriously, this sounds awfully like the claims of companies who have had software source downloaded by hackers and who have then had to put a value on the property that was "taken". The sooner that something like this gets exposed in court as the scam it is, the better.
It seems to me that IPv6 needs an evangelist - someone like RMS who can tirelessly poke and prod people to sit up and take notice of the requirements of this new, but incredibly important protocol.
I have read posts here pointing out that programmers need to be educated to write their apps to support methods that have IPv6 support and that word needs to be gotten out to ISP's, network admins etc about how to integrate a changeover to the new protocol.
Now, in the true spirit of the Internet community, I should be offering my services instead of just suggesting this, but whoever takes on this is going to need *way* more free time and money that I have unfortunately. They'll also need to be prepared to dive in and build up a deep understanding of the programming and technical issues involved.
Of course, an evangelist isn't the only thing that will be required to muster up support and readiness for the changeover, but it's one of the ingredients that I feel is lacking at the moment.
I have seen in several postings here some confusion about the differences between Open Source and Free Software (as in GNU licensed according ot the Free Software movement).
I too mixed these two definitions up in an article I wrote a while back about GIFs. However I got a mail from RMS who put me straight about which is which. I'll leave the general population to argue about which is best etc, but here's a snippet from the mail I received from RMS:
------------------------ The Open Source movement is a different group, started in 1998. We and they do similar activites, but we do them for completely different philosophical reasons. The Open Source movement aims to get support from business, by mentioning only practical advantages, and never talking about deeper issues. The Free Software movement says that freedom and community are important in themselves.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-fr eedom.html for more explanation. -----------------------------
Seems like a bit of a "Bite Me!" comment to me, but it explains why QT, Netscape et al are not included in this Free Software version of Red Hat.
Hope it helps clear up some confusion.
(and RMS - if you are reading this, does this atone for my earlier confusion?:-)
---------------------------- If by 'innovation', you largely mean 'dumbing-down and pretty pictures', yes. ----------------------------
No, by innovation I mean converting the Internet from a grey hell, to a place bursting with colour, packed with free tools, free advice and free information. Bearing in mind of course that if you *want* to revert to a text-based Gopher / HTML 1.0 info space you are more than welcome to. Ther's nothing stopping you at all, it's all a part of the whole.
---------------------------- The amount of Useful Stuff on the net has increased since the GUM came. The trouble is that the amount of dross has increased many, many times faster, to the point where you're searching for pennies in a mountain of shit. ----------------------------
Sure - this is true, but the information is still there. Personally I don't feel I have as much trouble finding info I want these days, as I did 5 years ago where the info just plain wasn't there!
---------------------------- No. *A few* of those clueless newbies, those who have any interest in learning and are prepared to work at it, become experienced users. The vast majority remain clueless, but because they've been here so long now can make it seem to clueless newbies that cluelessness is the natural and correct state of the net. ----------------------------
Also true, but the Internet is ephemeral. I've been following web-design information on the Web for years. At first the newsgroups were the place for discussion, nowadays, it's best to find a solid mailing list. Be prepared to change every now and again. Not ideal perhaps, but it works - I currently am on a list with fantastic signal to noise.
---------------------------- To get back on topic, I do worry that the same could happen to Linux. Imagine Linux newsgroups, web sites and mailing lists being full of the whinings of the people who can't manage to understand the difference between 'left click' and 'right click' under Windows, who now face the possibility of having to *shock* type something. (Those of you who have done tech support will know what I mean). ----------------------------
What are you talking about? They *are*! This is how things are now. What will happen? Those who value talking about in-depth matters will create their own lists and perhaps more importantly, thos who have the patience to listen and give advice will stay there and try to thin-out the crowds. This is evolution in action and it's the way the net works.
As regards how this will affect Linux - it's true that many developers may choose to move on to new projects. And many more developers will be (and are being) attracted to Linux and to Open Source / GNU principles. Who do you think has been behind the huge expansion of the Internet? Developers is who! And they were atracted to it by the critical mass.
I think you raised some interesting points in your post - but I would suggest that while newbie influx may be responsible for the death of small localised pockets of information/netspace/call-it-what-you-will, overall it benefits all of us and drives innovation.
I have often been frustrated using Mutt at the remote server where I collect my mail. It's not astoundingly inconvenient to cut & paste a URL, but "insta-click"(tm:-) is a much better solution.
I wonder how it will handle URL's that have broken across a line?? Anyone got the answers?
I can see why many long term Linux users would fear an announcement of this sort. Linux is being dragged kicking and screaming in the the realm of consumer O/S and with that comes the threat of even more clueless newbies.
However, I would point out that exactly the same thing happened 4-5 years ago with the Internet. I remember the cries of horror and the constant allegations that the influx of newbies would destroy the fabric of the Internet as we knew it.
Indeed, that flood *did* destroy the Internet as we knew it - it drove innovation, swelled the Internet's infospace exponentially and led to Internet access becoming a simple matter instead of the complicated mess it was at the time.
... and with time, those clueless newbies became experienced users, the effects of the newbies were distributed around the expanded infospace and those of use who use the Internet as a serious tool created our own communities and areas where we can get on with using the Internet in the way we want to.
IMHO, anything which drives Linux development is a "Good Thing"(tm), in time Linux will spawn more new distributions that make it easier of the newbies to get on their feet, while those of use who use Linux because it is the best tool for the job at hand will still have the option to hand-install and tweak to our hearts content. And in those rare moments of relaxation, we'll also have the option to kick back with a round of whatever game of the moment has just reached shipping:-)
We're on the third series here in Sweden. First one began in 1997.
... and there was me thinking the US got all the good TV first.
Actually it's a rilly good series. People have almost died on it! Unfortunately, people have also become local TV celebrities here from appearing on the program.
So I guess in about 3 years time,/. will be announcing "The Search For The Desert Gold", which is the latest Robinson clone to have been dreamt up by Swedish TV.
This is a very interesting ethical question which is going to become more and more important as time goes by. As we become more involved in online communities and the power of the Internet as a search tool becomes stronger, we will see more occurrences of this sort.
How will it be though for people like Jenni (Jennicam) who live their lives completely openly. Judging from her diary, I gather that there is some evidence to say that her life has already been affected hugely to the extent where she finds it very difficult to find employment - despite having shown that she is one of the most marketing savvy people on the net.
Will our online words become something we guard closely, afraid of repercussions in later life, or will society's views change, so that people's private lives and work lives become more divorced from each other.
In Sweden where I live, it's common (relatively) to sauna in mixed groups. The trick is to sit and NOT stare at someone else's private parts. (I'm British, so it's a learnt trait;-) I feel this is much the same issue - who cares if you've posted viewpoints on the web advocating bull spanking, as long as that is divorced from what you do in the office, it shouldn't be anyone else's business.
Wishful thinking I'm afraid, but an extremely interesting ethical question in any case.
I'm an English person living in Sweden and I'm looking to get a.org domain in the next week or so (birthday present:-)
If anyone has a recommendation for the best way to reserve a domain from the UK or Sweden that wouldbe appreciated. The problem is that someone in the UK will be paying for the domain, but I want to be listed as billing contact to make the future payments.
I'm looking for the best price I can find (of course) and hopefully the possibility to pay by cheque (UK) or Postgiro (SE). I will be hosting the domain on a friend's server so it's simply name reservation I am looking for.
Hell by that measure, it sounds like you had it too easy as well! My first computer was a ZX81 with 1Kb of RAM, black and white blocky (4 bit?) graphics and a membrane keyboard. And I'm sure there are people reading/. who can go all the way back to Altairs and beyond.
It's not so much the computer though as what you do with it. Sure, Win 98 is a lousy tool for kids to learn much about programming, but there are thousands of kids out there who are having just as much fun with their machines as you and I had with ours. They are downloading Linux and reformatting their hard-drives and playing with beta software and building websites and making music and all sorts of cool things that we *couldn't* do in our day and age because our computers ran like treacle;-)
Sure, there's great nostalgia value in our first computers, but what wouldn't I have given for a Celeron 333 in those days...
The court in Skövde said that the 17 year old who had links from his homepage to MP3 files is acquitted. The reason is that the 17 year old didn't spread the files, but simply linked to them.
Today the verdict was delivered in the highly publicised case against a 17 year old who linked to MP3 files. The charge was crime against copyright laws using MP3 digital media.
Although he is now free, the court said he was guitly as an accessory to copyright infringements. But because he was not charged, he can go free.
First legal case in Europé
The case deals with the music industry's worries about pirate copying of music and the case is unique - the first time that an MP3 case case been taken up in Europe.
It was the recording insutry's IFPI, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, who prosecuted the 17 year old. The organisation has pressed for a fine, but copyright violations can carry a sentence of up to two years in prison. The IFPI has not said that it will not appeal the decision.
The court followed the line given by lawyer Per-Olof Almers. He argued that the case was not a crime. The 17 year old only showed interest in other's MP3 files.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm all for protecting children from harm, but protecting children from information is a parent's job, not the state. Anybody know what the laws are like in Scandinavia?
... and regarding peaceful protest, at a street party about a month ago in Stockholm, held to protest capitalism, the police blocked off all escape routes and then arrested 240 people, hospitalised several people (one of whom suffered crushed testicles) and then later released everyone without charges - completely illegal behaviour here in Sweden!
:-)
Well, at the moment, there's a big debate in Sweden as to whether membership in a fascist organisation should be made illegal. (A result of fascist gangs blowing up police cars, journalists and almost anyone else who seems to say anything against their views).
I'm not going to get into the ins-and-outs of this, but suffice to say that I think such a move is *extremely* dangerous, whilst at the same time I would like to silence every fascist out there!
It seems to me that existing criminal laws should cover such sitations, restricting freedom of speech is *always* wrong in my opinion.
Oh
I'll accept that on the whole Sweden is a much more relaxed place when it comes to government attitudes than most places, but it just goes to show that such crap goes down everywhere!
(And I moved to Sweden to get away from the UK's attitudes!! It's an improvement, but it's still not utopia
I wonder how well such a situation will really work. I would be curious to know how effective such systems have been in other countries that have tried to repress "unapproved" Internet usage?
As far as I am aware, it should be possible for people to work their way around these systems quite easily - whether people will choose to take the "risk" (however slight it may be) of doing this remains to be seen. From what I have read (http://www.aba.gov.au/what/online/overview.htm) of the scheme, it sounds like there at least isn't a countrywide firewall in place, it's more of a scheme whereby ISP's are held responsible for the viewing habits of their customers (No common carrier status there then) and that in practise this will mean they need to introduce some kind of filtering system.
There have been several suggestions I have read about in earlier discussions on this topic to try and make the system unworkable - deluging the classification board with material, people in other countries mirroring prohibited content etc. What it is really going to take to stop this bill though is some form of mass protest - and that unfortunately sounds like it is unlikely to happen. It seems as though people in Australia just aren't spreading the word properly, or there aren't enough people who care about the subject to put up much of a fight.
One problem that I have encountered in discussions about censorship is countering the argument that anyone who opposes such a scheme is in some way condoning pornography. In this particular case it seems important to counter such an argument with arguments about the failure of filtering software to be accountable, about how almost all filtering software in the marketplace has had problems with the blocking of legitimate information sites. Warn people that the next step in such filtering is the filtering of viewopints that are unpopular. Explain to people that filtering should be something that is used as a tool to help parents keep bounds on what their children are up to and not as a method of controlling the whole population.
I guess a lot of people are hoping that this bill will go away, or be proved unworkable. I would just like to finally say that mass resistance *does* work sometimes. Look at the fight against the Poll Tax that happened in the UK, where mass civil disobedience (non-payment of the tax by over 30% of the population) led to the government backing down and withdrawing the tax.
Above all else, if you are Australian, don't just sit back and let this happen - because if it is implemented successfully in Australia, it won't take long before the idea gets exported - and I don't want a similar system in my country!
I am all against frivolous lawsuits is the first thing I would like to say...
;-)
... however the software and hardware industries need to be more accountable for their products. As I work for a smaller web and multimedia-design company, we are very aware that delivering our clients a reliable, working product is very important.
I have read some discussion lately of new laws that would potentially allow US software companies to supply warranties that absolve them of all responsibility from bugs their software causes.
Personally, I feel that I would rather have soft(/hard)ware companies be held *more* responsible for their products than less. However a lawsuit of this type seems ridiculous as well. We need something inbetween - but if companies have warranties that protect them when they ship faulty products, what can we do to threaten them with the message that delivering reliable products is what the consumers want?
Thankfully the Open Source and Free Software movements seem to be helping increase software reliability through peer checking. Let's just hope that such systems become more pervasive in the next millennium and filter through to the hardware companies as well. It would be nice (though unrealistic) if we could make lawyers redundant through cooperation and open working methods
OK, I've been thinking for some time about how I could get into hardware hacking. I haven't touched a soldering iron for over 15 years though, since I built a crystal radio at school.
Question is, where can I find some good starters material to wet my toes in hardware construction?
I look at the circuit that guy designed and it doesn't look so difficult to put together, but I wouldn't know where to begin.
Any tips at all appreciated.
No Dave,
it's because we and thousands like us *didn't* pay that there is no Poll Tax now.
... either that or because you lived in a Labour borough instead of in Tory Wandsworth.
I think I've confused the UK authorities still further - I've moved to Sweden :-)
:-)
Anyway, I think you raise valid points - at the end of the day, I truly believe privacy is a personal issue. In Sweden there is a national ID card system such as is stronlgly resisted in the UK, but I haven't seen any real evidence of it being misused yet.
Good luck in keeping yourself hidden - and don't get caught doing anything naughty now
I have read the article and I understand all the concepts presented. However I'm still having a hard time convincing myself that this is something I should be worried about.
Y'see I don't particularly mind seeing banner ads. Hell, I even click through occasionally. I completely sympathise with those who hate banner ads however, especially on the grounds of bandwidth.
However opting out of DoubleClick's system isn't going to stop you from receiving banner ads. It just means that they won't be able to serve you the banner ads that their system thinks you will be most interested in.
At the same time, there are commercial organisations collecting and storing information about my habits every day - supermarket club-cards, Visa spending patterns, online book purchases etc. I truly hope that for the most part they are doing so, in order to learn more about my habits as one of their many customers. To be honest, unless they start sending me unsolicited spam, I don't find it too much of a hassle.
I also sometimes think it must be quite amusing, as I live a fairly unconventional lifestyle.
I spent a few years hiding from all the lists I could. I was avoiding the "poll tax" in England. Every 6 months I moved house, I worked so I wouldn't be on the unemployment register, I never filled in official forms.
The tactic worked, but it was hard work. It also meant no credit, difficulty getting banking facilities, difficulty getting utilities connected when I moved house - everything was a lot of hassle. In the end the Poll Tax went away and I was able to come back into normal life and start building up a credit rating etc. Much easier to manage life.
In short - I understand people's privacy concerns, but how serious is it really, to have targeted advertising pointed in your direction??
We do what we're interested in, what's fun, and what's within our resources, plain and simple. And we try to keep it funny.
Well said!! It was this kinda attitude that got me into the Internet long ago and it's this kinda attitude that the web needs more of.
Reading this article made me realise how much things have changed in the last 5 years. On the one hand I'm making money creating coroprate sites - on the other hand I miss the days when every time you turned your head, you found another FTP repository of bizarre text files ranging from Blue Box plans to ideas for wolrd domination.
(Whatever happened to the idea of paving the earth anyway??)
Alan wrote; In the Linux world you have things like the Red Hat Certified Engineer and you have approved support partners.
Certainly this is true, however I would point out that this is not something that I feel currently applies better to the Open Source world than the Closed Source world. Seriously, there are more people out there who have heard of a Microsoft Certified Professional than have heard of a Red Hat Certified Engineer. (Unfortunate, but true).
Here is a place where the closed source people currently have the jump, though in time that could be changed.
How could it be changed? Simple - by being better. While many more people have heard of Microsoft Certified Professionals, they also know that the certification is relatively easy. It doesn't *actually* say much about a person's ability. I have met MCP's who have been worth their weight in gold but I have also met those to whom I would like to attach their weight in lead and drop them in the Thames!
I personally work for a small company, but we get great clients because of word of mouth that we deliver - and deliver reliably and well. This is what companies need to remember as their number one priority if their goal is to be in the support business.
With luck, the Open Source support guys can build up a way better reputation than the closed sourec guys and with time become better know - for quality.
Doubt it will accomplish much, but I sent the following polite letter to feedback@amazon.com - maybe you would like to send a POLITE letter too??
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing to complain about Amazon's use of overreaching software patents.
Patent No. 5960411 for 1-Click, is an example of a patent that has been awarded completely out of place. The concept that lies behind 1-Click is in no way new to Amazon, or unique. Using such a patent simply to harass your business competitors is in my opinion an extremely low way of doing business. Such patents serve simply to supress programmers from finding more effective solutions to problems.
Do you really expect that anyone who wishes to develop such a system must come to you for permission before commencing programming? Especially when there are so many existing versions of this system on the net?
It is a shame that a company who symbolise for many the success of the Web as a business medium feel compelled to resort to such low tactics to stay ahead in the race for market share.
I hope that the use of this patent by Amazon will result in so much negative publicity, that you will not be tempted to use such crass measures in the future. How much more positive it would have been if Amazon could instead have joined in lobbying the US Patent Office against the granting of such broad patents.
Yours sincerely
Steve Cook
No, it's true. Something like this DOES take thousands of hours - as long as you factor in the coffee breaks, reading the manuals, designing the right gif buttons, etc...
:-)
... and especially so if you count in the lawyer's hours
Seriously, this sounds awfully like the claims of companies who have had software source downloaded by hackers and who have then had to put a value on the property that was "taken". The sooner that something like this gets exposed in court as the scam it is, the better.
Excellent article :-)
/.
Now this is the sort of thing that should be making the top page of
:-)
It seems to me that IPv6 needs an evangelist - someone like RMS who can tirelessly poke and prod people to sit up and take notice of the requirements of this new, but incredibly important protocol.
I have read posts here pointing out that programmers need to be educated to write their apps to support methods that have IPv6 support and that word needs to be gotten out to ISP's, network admins etc about how to integrate a changeover to the new protocol.
Now, in the true spirit of the Internet community, I should be offering my services instead of just suggesting this, but whoever takes on this is going to need *way* more free time and money that I have unfortunately. They'll also need to be prepared to dive in and build up a deep understanding of the programming and technical issues involved.
Of course, an evangelist isn't the only thing that will be required to muster up support and readiness for the changeover, but it's one of the ingredients that I feel is lacking at the moment.
Anyone feel a call to action???
I have seen in several postings here some confusion about the differences between Open Source and Free Software (as in GNU licensed according ot the Free Software movement).
r eedom.html for
:-)
I too mixed these two definitions up in an article I wrote a while back about GIFs. However I got a mail from RMS who put me straight about which is which. I'll leave the general population to argue about which is best etc, but here's a snippet from the mail I received from RMS:
------------------------
The Open Source movement is a different group, started in 1998. We and they do similar activites, but we do them for completely different philosophical reasons. The Open Source movement aims to get support from business, by mentioning only practical advantages, and never talking about deeper issues. The Free Software movement says that freedom and community are important in themselves.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-f
more explanation.
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Seems like a bit of a "Bite Me!" comment to me, but it explains why QT, Netscape et al are not included in this Free Software version of Red Hat.
Hope it helps clear up some confusion.
(and RMS - if you are reading this, does this atone for my earlier confusion?
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If by 'innovation', you largely mean 'dumbing-down and pretty pictures', yes.
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No, by innovation I mean converting the Internet from a grey hell, to a place bursting with colour, packed with free tools, free advice and free information. Bearing in mind of course that if you *want* to revert to a text-based Gopher / HTML 1.0 info space you are more than welcome to. Ther's nothing stopping you at all, it's all a part of the whole.
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The amount of Useful Stuff on the net has increased since the GUM came. The trouble is that the amount of dross has increased many, many times faster, to the point where you're searching for pennies in a mountain of shit.
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Sure - this is true, but the information is still there. Personally I don't feel I have as much trouble finding info I want these days, as I did 5 years ago where the info just plain wasn't there!
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No. *A few* of those clueless newbies, those who have any interest in learning and are prepared to work at it, become experienced users. The vast majority remain clueless, but because they've been here so long now can make it seem to clueless newbies that cluelessness is the natural and correct state of the net.
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Also true, but the Internet is ephemeral. I've been following web-design information on the Web for years. At first the newsgroups were the place for discussion, nowadays, it's best to find a solid mailing list. Be prepared to change every now and again. Not ideal perhaps, but it works - I currently am on a list with fantastic signal to noise.
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To get back on topic, I do worry that the same could happen to Linux. Imagine Linux newsgroups, web sites and mailing lists being full of the whinings of the people who can't manage to understand the difference between 'left click' and 'right click' under Windows, who now face the possibility of having to *shock* type something. (Those of you who have done tech support will know what I mean).
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What are you talking about? They *are*! This is how things are now. What will happen? Those who value talking about in-depth matters will create their own lists and perhaps more importantly, thos who have the patience to listen and give advice will stay there and try to thin-out the crowds. This is evolution in action and it's the way the net works.
As regards how this will affect Linux - it's true that many developers may choose to move on to new projects. And many more developers will be (and are being) attracted to Linux and to Open Source / GNU principles. Who do you think has been behind the huge expansion of the Internet? Developers is who! And they were atracted to it by the critical mass.
I think you raised some interesting points in your post - but I would suggest that while newbie influx may be responsible for the death of small localised pockets of information/netspace/call-it-what-you-will, overall it benefits all of us and drives innovation.
Hey - this sounds completely brilliant!
:-) is a much better solution.
I have often been frustrated using Mutt at the remote server where I collect my mail. It's not astoundingly inconvenient to cut & paste a URL, but "insta-click"(tm
I wonder how it will handle URL's that have broken across a line?? Anyone got the answers?
I can see why many long term Linux users would fear an announcement of this sort. Linux is being dragged kicking and screaming in the the realm of consumer O/S and with that comes the threat of even more clueless newbies.
:-)
However, I would point out that exactly the same thing happened 4-5 years ago with the Internet. I remember the cries of horror and the constant allegations that the influx of newbies would destroy the fabric of the Internet as we knew it.
Indeed, that flood *did* destroy the Internet as we knew it - it drove innovation, swelled the Internet's infospace exponentially and led to Internet access becoming a simple matter instead of the complicated mess it was at the time.
... and with time, those clueless newbies became experienced users, the effects of the newbies were distributed around the expanded infospace and those of use who use the Internet as a serious tool created our own communities and areas where we can get on with using the Internet in the way we want to.
IMHO, anything which drives Linux development is a "Good Thing"(tm), in time Linux will spawn more new distributions that make it easier of the newbies to get on their feet, while those of use who use Linux because it is the best tool for the job at hand will still have the option to hand-install and tweak to our hearts content. And in those rare moments of relaxation, we'll also have the option to kick back with a round of whatever game of the moment has just reached shipping
Thanks for the link man - even if the moderators haven't seen fit to give you an "Informative" mark-up I was buzzed to read "Cyberpunk".
I'd even heard of the story before , but had no idea that it was available online.
Cool beans!
We're on the third series here in Sweden. First one began in 1997.
/. will be announcing "The Search For The Desert Gold", which is the latest Robinson clone to have been dreamt up by Swedish TV.
... and there was me thinking the US got all the good TV first.
Actually it's a rilly good series. People have almost died on it! Unfortunately, people have also become local TV celebrities here from appearing on the program.
So I guess in about 3 years time,
This is a very interesting ethical question which is going to become more and more important as time goes by. As we become more involved in online communities and the power of the Internet as a search tool becomes stronger, we will see more occurrences of this sort.
;-) I feel this is much the same issue - who cares if you've posted viewpoints on the web advocating bull spanking, as long as that is divorced from what you do in the office, it shouldn't be anyone else's business.
How will it be though for people like Jenni (Jennicam) who live their lives completely openly. Judging from her diary, I gather that there is some evidence to say that her life has already been affected hugely to the extent where she finds it very difficult to find employment - despite having shown that she is one of the most marketing savvy people on the net.
Will our online words become something we guard closely, afraid of repercussions in later life, or will society's views change, so that people's private lives and work lives become more divorced from each other.
In Sweden where I live, it's common (relatively) to sauna in mixed groups. The trick is to sit and NOT stare at someone else's private parts. (I'm British, so it's a learnt trait
Wishful thinking I'm afraid, but an extremely interesting ethical question in any case.
I'm an English person living in Sweden and I'm looking to get a .org domain in the next week or so (birthday present :-)
If anyone has a recommendation for the best way to reserve a domain from the UK or Sweden that wouldbe appreciated. The problem is that someone in the UK will be paying for the domain, but I want to be listed as billing contact to make the future payments.
I'm looking for the best price I can find (of course) and hopefully the possibility to pay by cheque (UK) or Postgiro (SE). I will be hosting the domain on a friend's server so it's simply name reservation I am looking for.
Thanks in advance for any tips.
Hell by that measure, it sounds like you had it too easy as well! My first computer was a ZX81 with 1Kb of RAM, black and white blocky (4 bit?) graphics and a membrane keyboard. And I'm sure there are people reading /. who can go all the way back to Altairs and beyond.
;-)
It's not so much the computer though as what you do with it. Sure, Win 98 is a lousy tool for kids to learn much about programming, but there are thousands of kids out there who are having just as much fun with their machines as you and I had with ours. They are downloading Linux and reformatting their hard-drives and playing with beta software and building websites and making music and all sorts of cool things that we *couldn't* do in our day and age because our computers ran like treacle
Sure, there's great nostalgia value in our first computers, but what wouldn't I have given for a Celeron 333 in those days...
I would go for the Barbie one myself. All those trippy flowers and that superb silvery plastic...
Someone should make some money from repackaging those babies with a bunch of cool dust-head software titles-
Kai's power goo
Fractint
A bunch of trancey MP3's
MAME with all the ROMs
that old DOS drug dealer game
etc..
I liked the inclusion of Myst though!
.. to have Transmeta get all the Linux nerds frothing at the mouth to go to this year's Comdex.
This is the best advertising stunt going - wish I had thought of it.
17 year old freed in Swedish MP3 case
The court in Skövde said that the 17 year old who had links from his homepage to MP3 files is acquitted. The reason is that the 17 year old didn't spread the files, but simply linked to them.
Today the verdict was delivered in the highly publicised case against a 17 year old who linked to MP3 files. The charge was crime against copyright laws using MP3 digital media.
Although he is now free, the court said he was guitly as an accessory to copyright infringements. But because he was not charged, he can go free.
First legal case in Europé
The case deals with the music industry's worries about pirate copying of music and the case is unique - the first time that an MP3 case case been taken up in Europe.
It was the recording insutry's IFPI, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, who prosecuted the 17 year old. The organisation has pressed for a fine, but copyright violations can carry a sentence of up to two years in prison. The IFPI has not said that it will not appeal the decision.
The court followed the line given by lawyer Per-Olof Almers. He argued that the case was not a crime. The 17 year old only showed interest in other's MP3 files.
(Very quick translation indeed)