Hello. In the event you missed my previous posts about my Ask Slashdot that was rejected, you may read it's text here. Due to the lack of followup to that post I decided to conduct my own critique of ESR's 'I'm better than you' letter in light of the new happenings with regard to LNUX. (You may read the original letter here)
Now then: A few hours ago, I learned that I am now (at least in theory) absurdly rich....That's interesting," said I to myself. "I didn't think we were going out till tomorrow." And I oughtta know; I'm on VA's Board of Directors
This sentence would explain why he is now, both in theory and in reality, no longer absurdly rich. If the members of the Board don't even know when the company is going public, something is wrong somewhere. Possibly it may be composed of morons.
VA had indeed gone out on NASDAQ -- and I had become worth approximately forty-one million dollars while I wasn't looking.
I don't think I congratulated ESR when that happened, or maybe I did because I was still using my Karma whoring account back then. Anyway, it appears that again, while ESR wasn't paying attention, the company's stock price fell into the crapper. That tends to happen when members of the Board not paying attention becomes a recurring theme.
Well, that didn't last long.
How prophetic.
Trouble with the "keep it quiet" theory is that I've made my bucks in a very public way.
First, ESR didn't make any 'bucks', he already said himself that he was wealthy on paper and not in reality. Given his current situation I'm sure he knows this though. That aside, shouldn't he be losing all of this in a public way as well?
I'm wealthy today because my efforts to spread the idea of open source on behalf of that community helped galvanize the business world
Now that he is broke, does this mean that his efforts were really a failure? Certainly this must be true, if his efforts really had galvanized the business community then what happened to all of these millions he paraded in front of everyone?
Fairness to the hackers who made me bankable demands that I publicly acknowledge this result -- and publicly face the question of how it's going to affect my life and what I'll do with the money.
Yet he hasn't publicly acknowledged the result of the stock price falling into single digits. How is that affecting things?
This is a question that a lot of us will be facing as open source sweeps the technology landscape. Money follows where value leads,
In this particular context he is using market success to validate Open Source's position as a legitimate competitor of proprietary software. Lately, the only sweeping Open Source has been doing in the markets is in the basement. We can also assume that proprietary software is now the value leader, as the money is breaking north for Open Source companies.
Red Hat and VA have created a precedent now, with their directed-shares programs designed to reward as many individual contributors as they can identify
Reward, ruin, whatever. Its all the same I guess.
So while there aren't likely to be a lot more multimillion-dollar bonanzas like mine,
For the sake of the economy I hope not.
Gee. Remember when the big question was "How do we make money at this?
That still is the question. As if anyone ever needed any proof that the people who keep saying that you can make money off of GPL'd software really don't know what the hell they are talking about, you have it right here. Here is a guy declaring a victory when the battle has just begun. He's also equating making money with the stock price of the company. Maybe these guys should take a few business courses, or maybe their mindset has too much of a socialist bend, I'm not sure how to educate them other than letting the market run them out of business over and over. Whatever, that question is yet left unanswered.
The first part of my answer is "I'll do nothing, until next June...I will be wealthy in six months, unless VA or the U.S. economy craters before then. I'll bet on VA; I'm not so sure about the U.S. economy:-).
More prophesy! The economy seems to be doing well but the outlook for VA isn't so rosy. Maybe there is a future for Open Sourcers in the business world: consultants. Whatever they say, just do the opposite. Hope you got out in June.
Assuming the economy does not in fact crater, how is wealth going to affect my life in six months?
Economy = good, VA share price = bad. Enough said.
Reporters often ask me these days if I think the open-source community will be corrupted by the influx of big money
Wonder if they still ask...maybe they ask the question but in past tense. Hard to tell.
And maybe a nice hotrodded match-grade.45 semi for tactical shooting.
This is something we agree on. A nicely modded 1911 is an excellent investment let me tell you. Even though I'm more of a rifle person myself, 1911s are amazingly well crafted guns. I sincerely hope he was able to purchase one before his wealth dried up. I would probably even sell ESR some handloads on the cheap, given his current situation.
I'm not going to minimize my attachments by giving it all away, though, so you evangelists for a zillion worthy causes can just calm down out there and forget about hitting me up for megabucks.
It must be a load off of ESR's mind now that these evangelists have no reason to call him.
Ironically enough, one result of my getting rich is that I will probably start charging for speaking appearances, now that nobody can plausibly accuse me of doing it for the money
Heh, I wonder if he is charging now or no. On one hand, he probably needs the cash, on the other, people can again plausibly accuse him of doing it for the money.
But enough trivialities; I'm going to get back to trolling.
Indeed, I will now do the same. I guess I should stop knocking VA. At least they didn't buy up a bunch of other companies with their overvalued stock (like RHAT) and spread their ruin around any. Oh wait...
Hey, guess what. I don't like Linux. I don't like to read about it, I don't like to see it on people's computers, I don't like to see Linux software for sale at Best Buy.
What I believe I will do, inspired by your post, is to contact my congressman and my local news outlet and suggest to them that software like Linux is the root of all hacking and IP theft. Since it is freely distributed there is no way to track who it is at the other end of the wire when your server is being attacked. Thus, is we write a few laws making it illegal to own a copy of Linux we can have legitimate companies (like Microsoft) distribute operating systems and require that all users register with their personal information. We'll all be safer and the price of goods and services will go down because Ip theft will no longer exist.
Anyway, you have inspired me to stop looking for solutions to my own problems and to instead turn to my government. Obviously, they can be trusted to determine who is right and who is wrong, who is peddling a legitimate operating system and who is really trying to assist criminals. I'm sure they will do this in an efficient manner that is equitable to everyone involved. I'm also sure that it won't cost me a cent (unless you count the taxes that come out of my check, but I never see that money in the first place)
Anyway, thank dude, you helped me see the light. Government control is the answer to all of my problems, not personal responsibility. I have a new found respect for you.
1. A productivity suite. StarOffice is crap. Corel Office is crap. If you people can write something that actually allows normal people to get some work done rather than stuff that lets shutins write worthless code all day, maybe you'll get some users. Until then, nothing MS does is going to matter because there is no viable alternative to Office.
2. A web browser. What piece of software is second in usefulness behind Office apps at the desk of the non-geek? Web browser. While Open Sourcers run around a whine about stability and protected memory and threads, Johnny Lunchpail just wants go to to the Packers web site after his wife is finished making invitations for their kids' birthday party. Johnny doesn't give a damn about whether his software is 'free as in speech'. He only wants the Packers site to render properly and he neither understands, nor cares, about the hows and whys.
3. GUI based administration. Face facts: People are morons. System admins are morons. This is because most people who hire sysadmins don't have the faintest clue about what is important for adminning the network (or they would be doing it themselves) thus not every company can have genuises running the show. Command line is hard, GUI is easy.
4. Easy software installs. Joe Sixpack has absolutely no idea what command he needs to type in to unzip a file, much less where all of the components need to go. He just wants to be able to double click on the little picture of a race car and have NASCAR 2001 install itself.
5. Speed. X os slow. It will always be slow. On a 1.3 Ghz proc it is slow. If you think it is fast maybe you haven't used Windows in a while. I encourage you to go buy a copy of Windows 2000 and see for yourself what a computer can do.
I could go on but it is no fun shooting a dead body.
Yeah, and maybe Microsoft will start giving their shit away for free. The FBI is in this to catch subversives, not to give them work. No way any Federal agency would give work to a bunch of communist hippies.
Question #4: I run a popular geek web forum. How can I increase my page impressions? My bosses have been pressuring me for more ad revenue. - Mr. Taco Answer: The best way to get people to post a lot is to appeal to their emotions. Since this is the domain of geeks you should try to pit two types of geekware that accomplish pretty much the same thing against one another. Like KDE vs. Gnome. That way, people will get really pissed off and feel like they have to voice their opinion. A little FUD never hurt things either. Try to get a topic like 'Your Rights Online' to convince people that their little hobby might be in danger. Be sure to sensationalize whenever possible. If you are having a particularly slow day you can always post the same story twice, just be sure to change the words around a little so you can defend yourself in the event someone notices. Maybe try posting a lot of vaporware article. People love to debate on whether or not some figment of some guy's imagination will ever make it to the market. Too bad you are running a geek site, if you could find a way to work politics in there you'd be sitting on a gold mine.
I for one applaud the foresight of you geeks. First you design operating systems and hardware that can't understand dates beyond 1999. Now, you folks designed the entire Internet so that it will collapse under its own weight. You know, if you weren't so busy trying to get everything from toasters to Furbies an IP you wouldn't run into this problem. I know, I know, you're all thinking: "But we designed an obfuscated OS to foil all of the Johnny Lunchpails who tried to use our Internet!". Not good enough, you efforts go for naught. The thing is getting overloaded and there is nothing you can do about it now.
Given that the Internet has undergone a transformation as of late, what with all of the theft of IP and violent imagery it propagates, I am happy about its demise. This ranks right up there with the inevitable heat death of the universe in terms of things that I look forward to.
Possibly, when your Internet (the Vint Cerf crappy one) is finished, Microsoft will invent you a new one. You will all probably hate it of course because they certainly won't permit any misdeeds that you all seem so fond of. Just nice clean fun and information with a little dash of profit for all.
Run along now children, play on your Internet while you still can. When Daddy builds a new one your decaying 386 machines won't be compatible and you'll all have to revert back to your BBS days.
Obviously this cannot be possible. I'm suprised Slashdot would fall for such a contrived story! This place is really going downhill.
MS couldn't possibly be hacked. Why not? They have no Unix based machines! They are an NT only shop and are thus secure against any type of attack. Only Unix boxes can be hacked because they were not designed on a decent security model (as evidenced by the Morris Worm). NT has been designed to provide Enterprise level security.
Gotta cut the lecture short for today, I'm off to ddos some stuff to simulate the Slashdot effect. Don't believe And0ver pays me to ddos servers to simulate the Slashdot effect? See here!
I thought that IP addresses were translated into alpha addresses so that people could remember URLs more easily. Exactly how much easier does it have to get for people? If you're holding a damn Diet Coke in your hand you can't firgure out how to find their damn web site a barcode scanner is the least of your concerns. You're probably living under some overpass somewhere.
Atlantic Records has even begun to include the Winamp program on some music CDs, such as Matchbox 20's latest release, ``Mad Season.'' This basically provides all the software someone with a CD burner would need to make illegal, high-quality copies.
What kind of dumb shit is that? Does Winamp rip CDs and encode MP3 now? I though it just played MP3s.
Step #2: Convince yourself that bad software is acceptable in the short run because 'more eyes mean faster development' so things have to get better.
Step #3: Buy some old hardware. It might be tough to make yourself run slow equipment but Open Source stuff just doesn't have drivers for anything new.
Step #4: Hit some dimwit venture capitalists up for a little cash.
Step #5: Announce your IPO.
Step #6: Develop a business model. Be sure to avoid any possibility of making a profit (see #1).
Step #7: Realize that good will doesn't buy groceries for the family.
Step #8: Close down the business.
Alternate Step #8: Reorganize as a Microsoft shop and sell Office Solutions.
Nope, I just ddos every link that Slashdot puts up.
Unbeknownst to Taco, Andover pays me to create the impression among Slashdotters that they are cool. One of the many ways I do this is the ddos stuff, it reinforces the mentality that reading Slashdot is the 'in' thing to do because everyone else is doing it. It also help VA sell servers by making it look like Slashdot can handle a lot more traffic than everyone else.
At some point it I will have helped attract a sufficient numbers of visitors to make the Slashdot effect a reality, thus putting myself out of a job. Luckily, I have many other skillz that are in demand at the moment.
Note: This post is encrypted. In order to read it, you would have to break the crypto. You can't mod it without reading it, after all it might be insightful. If you mod this I will be forced to sue you as you will most certainly have circumvented my technological protection.
Although it's unlikely that anything would make me switch from Linux now!
Maybe you will get lucky and MS will have a booth in the parking lot so you can see Win2K. They might even be handing out free copies to the zealots, much like drug dealers do to grade school kids, just to hook you.
By using this web site yuo agree to the following:
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR MICROSOFT SOFTWARE
IMPORTANT - READ CAREFULLY: This Microsoft End-User License Agreement (EULA) is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity) and Microsoft Corporation for the Microsoft software product identified above, which includes computer software and may include associated media, printed materials, and online or electronic documentation (SOFTWARE PRODUCT). The SOFTWARE PRODUCT also includes any updates and supplements to the original SOFTWARE PRODUCT provided to you by Microsoft. Any software provided along with the SOFTWARE PRODUCT that is associated with a separate end-user license agreement is licensed to you under the terms of that license agreement. By installing, copying, downloading, accessing or otherwise using the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, you agree to be bound by the terms of this EULA. If you do not agree to the terms of this EULA, do not install or use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT; you may, however, return it to your place of purchase for a full refund.
Software PRODUCT LICENSE
The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold.
1. GRANT OF LICENSE. This EULA grants you the following rights:
h Applications Software. You may install, use, access, display, run, or otherwise interact with (RUN) one copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, or any prior version for the same operating system, on a single computer, workstation, terminal, handheld PC, pager, smart phone, or other digital electronic device (COMPUTER). The primary user of the COMPUTER on which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is installed may make a second copy for his or her exclusive use on a portable computer.
h Storage/Network Use. You may also store or install a copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on a storage device, such as a network server, used only to RUN the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on your other COMPUTERS over an internal network; however, you must acquire and dedicate a license for each separate COMPUTER on which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is RUN from the storage device. A license for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may not be shared or used concurrently on different COMPUTERS.
h License Pack. If this package is a Microsoft License Pack, you may RUN additional copies of the computer software portion of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT up to the number of copies specified above as Licensed Copies. You are also entitled to make a corresponding number of secondary copies for portable computer use as specified above.
h Reservation of Rights. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by Microsoft.
2. DESCRIPTION OF OTHER RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS.
h Academic Edition Software. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is identified as Academic Edition or AE, you must be a Qualified Educational User to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. If you are not a Qualified Educational User, you have no rights under this EULA. To determine whether you are a Qualified Educational User, please contact the Microsoft Sales Information Center/One Microsoft Way/Redmond, WA 98052-6399 or the Microsoft subsidiary serving your country.
h Not for Resale Software. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is labeled Not For Resale or NFR, then, notwithstanding other sections of this EULA, your use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is limited to use for demonstration, test, or evaluation purposes and you may not resell, or otherwise transfer for value, the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
h Limitations on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, and Disassembly. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.
h Separation of Components. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed as a single product. Its component parts may not be separated for use on more than one COMPUTER.
h Trademarks. This EULA does not grant you any rights in connection with any trademarks or service marks of Microsoft.
h Rental. You may not rent, lease, or lend the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
h Application Sharing. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT may contain Microsoft NetMeeting, a product that enables applications to be shared between two or more COMPUTERS, even if an application is installed on only one of the COMPUTERS. You may use this technology with all Microsoft application products for multi-party conferences. For non-Microsoft applications, you should consult the accompanying license agreement or contact the licensor to determine whether application sharing is permitted by the licensor.
h Support Services. Microsoft may provide you with support services related to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (Support Services). Use of Support Services is governed by the Microsoft policies and programs described in the user manual, in online documentation, and/or in other Microsoft-provided materials. Any supplemental software code provided to you as part of the Support Services shall be considered part of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and subject to the terms and conditions of this EULA. With respect to technical information you provide to Microsoft as part of the Support Services, Microsoft may use such information for its business purposes, including for product support and development. Microsoft will not utilize such technical information in a form that personally identifies you.
h Software Transfer. The initial licensee of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may make a one-time permanent transfer of this EULA and SOFTWARE PRODUCT only directly to an end user. This transfer must include all of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (including all component parts, the media and printed materials, any upgrades, this EULA, and, if applicable, the Certificate of Authenticity). Such transfer may not be by way of consignment or any other indirect transfer. The transferee of such one-time transfer must agree to comply with the terms of this EULA, including the obligation not to further transfer this EULA and SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
h Termination. Without prejudice to any other rights, Microsoft may terminate this EULA if you fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this EULA. In such event, you must destroy all copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and all of its component parts.
3. UPGRADES. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is labeled as an upgrade, you must be properly licensed to use a product identified by Microsoft as being eligible for the upgrade in order to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. A SOFTWARE PRODUCT labeled as an upgrade replaces and/or supplements (and may disable) the product that formed the basis for your eligibility for the upgrade. You may use the resulting upgraded product only in accordance with the terms of this EULA. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is an upgrade of a component of a package of software programs that you licensed as a single product, the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may be used and transferred only as part of that single product package and may not be separated for use on more than one COMPUTER.
4. COPYRIGHT. All title and copyrights in and to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (including but not limited to any images, photographs, animations, video, audio, music, text, and applets incorporated into the SOFTWARE PRODUCT), the accompanying printed materials, and any copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT are owned by Microsoft or its suppliers. All title and intellectual property rights in and to the content which may be accessed through use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is the property of the respective content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright or other intellectual property laws and treaties. This EULA grants you no rights to use such content. If this SOFTWARE PRODUCT contains documentation which is provided only in electronic form, you may print one copy of such electronic documentation. You may not copy the printed materials accompanying the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
5. DUAL-MEDIA SOFTWARE. You may receive the SOFTWARE PRODUCT in more than one medium. Regardless of the type or size of medium you receive, you may use only one medium that is appropriate for your single COMPUTER. You may not RUN the other medium on another COMPUTER. You may not loan, rent, lease, or otherwise transfer the other medium to another user, except as part of the permanent transfer (as provided above) of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
6. BACKUP COPY. After installation of one copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT pursuant to this EULA, you may keep the original media on which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT was provided by Microsoft solely for backup or archival purposes. If the original media is required to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on the COMPUTER, you may make one copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT solely for backup or archival purposes. Except as expressly provided in this EULA, you may not otherwise make copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or the printed material accompanying the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
7. U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. All SOFTWARE PRODUCT provided to the U.S. Government pursuant to solicitations issued on or after December 1, 1995 is provided with the commercial rights and restrictions described elsewhere herein. All SOFTWARE PRODUCT provided to the U.S. Government pursuant to solicitations issued prior to December 1, 1995 is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS as provided for in FAR, 48 CFR 52.227-14 (JUNE 1987) or FAR, 48 CFR 252.227-7013 (OCT 1988), as applicable.
8. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS. This SOFTWARE PRODUCT has been classified by the US Government as exportable under License Exception TSU. Therefore the following terms apply: You agree that you will not export or re-export the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, any part thereof, or any process or service that is the direct product of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (the foregoing collectively referred to as the Restricted Components), to any country, person or entity subject to U.S. export restrictions. You specifically agree not to export or re-export any of the Restricted Components (i) to any country to which the U.S. has embargoed or restricted the export of goods or services, which currently include, but are not necessarily limited to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, or to any national of any such country, wherever located, who intends to transmit or transport the Restricted Components back to such country; (ii) to any person or entity who you know or have reason to know will utilize the Restricted Components in the design, development or production of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons; or (iii) to any person or entity who has been prohibited from participating in U.S. export transactions by any federal agency of the U.S. government. You warrant and represent that neither the BXA nor any other U.S. federal agency has suspended, revoked or denied your export privileges.
9. NOTE ON JAVA SUPPORT. THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS WRITTEN IN JAVA. JAVA TECHNOLOGY IS NOT FAULT TOLERANT AND IS NOT DESIGNED, MANUFACTURED, OR INTENDED FOR USE OR RESALE AS ON-LINE CONTROL EQUIPMENT IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, DIRECT LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES, OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS, IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF JAVA TECHNOLOGY COULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.
MISCELLANEOUS
If you acquired this SOFTWARE PRODUCT in the United States, this EULA is governed by the laws of the State of Washington.
If you acquired this SOFTWARE PRODUCT in Canada, unless expressly prohibited by local law, this EULA is governed by the laws in force in the Province of Ontario, Canada; and, in respect of any dispute which may arise hereunder, you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal and provincial courts sitting in Toronto, Ontario. If this SOFTWARE PRODUCT was acquired outside the United States, then local law may apply.
Should you have any questions concerning this EULA, or if you desire to contact Microsoft for any reason, please contact the Microsoft subsidiary serving your country, or write: Microsoft Sales Information Center/One Microsoft Way/Redmond, WA 98052-6399.
LIMITED WARRANTY
LIMITED WARRANTY FOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ACQUIRED OUTSIDE THE US AND CANADA. FOR THE LIMITED WARRANTIES AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS PERTAINING TO YOUR PARTICULAR JURISDICTION, PLEASE REFER TO YOUR WARRANTY BOOKLET INCLUDED WITH THIS PACKAGE OR PROVIDED WITH THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT PRINTED MATERIALS.
LIMITED WARRANTY FOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ACQUIRED IN THE US AND CANADA. Microsoft warrants that (a) the SOFTWARE PRODUCT will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying written materials for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of receipt, and (b) any Support Services provided by Microsoft shall be substantially as described in applicable written materials provided to you by Microsoft, and Microsoft support engineers will make commercially reasonable efforts to solve any problem issues. Some states and jurisdictions do not allow limitations on duration of an implied warranty, so the above limitation may not apply to you. To the extent allowed by applicable law, implied warranties on the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, if any, are limited to ninety (90) days.
CUSTOMER REMEDIES. Microsoft's and its suppliers' entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Microsoft's option, either (a) return of the price paid, if any, or (b) repair or replacement of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT that does not meet Microsoft's Limited Warranty and which is returned to Microsoft with a copy of your receipt. This Limited Warranty is void if failure of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication. Any replacement SOFTWARE PRODUCT will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. Outside the United States, neither these remedies nor any product support services offered by Microsoft are available without proof of purchase from an authorized international source.
NO OTHER WARRANTIES. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Microsoft and its suppliers disclaim all other warranties and conditions, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement, with regard to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, and the provision of or failure to provide Support Services. This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may have others, which vary from state/jurisdiction to state/jurisdiction.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Microsoft or its suppliers be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or the provision of or failure to provide Support Services, even if Microsoft has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In any case, Microsoft's entire liability under any provision of this EULA shall be limited to the greater of the amount actually paid by you for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or U.S.$5.00; provided, however, if you have entered into a Microsoft Support Services Agreement, Microsoft's entire liability regarding Support Services shall be governed by the terms of that agreement. Because some states and jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability, the above limitation may not apply to you.
Save yourself the worries of mpeg players and the like. If you want to see psychedelic shapes just do what I do: Drop two hits of acid and stare at a tree or something.
You imbecile, this will alleviate that problem by letting people talk to their Palm instead of trying to use graffiti while they drive.
Also, if you type After nearly careening into distracted handheld organizer users, it gives the reader the idea (rightly so) that you are driving poorly, not the person using the handheld.
Many of the posts on this story suggest that no credit card information should ever be stored on a web connected server for a very long period of time. I tend to agree, and have tried to make that point to many of my company's e-commerce clients (I build DBs). The point at which the discussion ends is when I inform them that their customers would be required to enter their CC info every time they visited the site. It seems that most companies feel like their customers would rather take the chance that security is 'good enough' if it means that they will be saved a few seconds of typing.
This feeling seems to be borne out by reality, the few companies who have taken me seriously have provided the customer with the option to retain CC info. (some of those guys store it regardless) Suprisingly, most people choose to store it, security be damned.
Might this be because the general public is ignorant of the way these systems are connected to the internet? People are used to keeping their money in banks, with big physical barriers to theft, not on a computer that is subject to a seemingly endless stream of security holes.
Macs suck, Intel sucks. Mac on Intel is therefore the dreaded double suck. I can't imagine what the engineers were thinking: "You know, our hardware is the only thing that is good about our product, lets see how it does on some lame hardware!"
Slashdot Mirror
Wolfenstein is not even a runner up. Gamespot sucks my bag.
Possibly the investors.
Now then:
A few hours ago, I learned that I am now (at least in theory) absurdly rich....That's interesting," said I to myself. "I didn't think we were going out till tomorrow." And I oughtta know; I'm on VA's Board of Directors
This sentence would explain why he is now, both in theory and in reality, no longer absurdly rich. If the members of the Board don't even know when the company is going public, something is wrong somewhere. Possibly it may be composed of morons.
VA had indeed gone out on NASDAQ -- and I had become worth approximately forty-one million dollars while I wasn't looking.
I don't think I congratulated ESR when that happened, or maybe I did because I was still using my Karma whoring account back then. Anyway, it appears that again, while ESR wasn't paying attention, the company's stock price fell into the crapper. That tends to happen when members of the Board not paying attention becomes a recurring theme.
Well, that didn't last long.
How prophetic.
Trouble with the "keep it quiet" theory is that I've made my bucks in a very public way.
First, ESR didn't make any 'bucks', he already said himself that he was wealthy on paper and not in reality. Given his current situation I'm sure he knows this though. That aside, shouldn't he be losing all of this in a public way as well?
I'm wealthy today because my efforts to spread the idea of open source on behalf of that community helped galvanize the business world
Now that he is broke, does this mean that his efforts were really a failure? Certainly this must be true, if his efforts really had galvanized the business community then what happened to all of these millions he paraded in front of everyone?
Fairness to the hackers who made me bankable demands that I publicly acknowledge this result -- and publicly face the question of how it's going to affect my life and what I'll do with the money.
Yet he hasn't publicly acknowledged the result of the stock price falling into single digits. How is that affecting things?
This is a question that a lot of us will be facing as open source sweeps the technology landscape. Money follows where value leads,
In this particular context he is using market success to validate Open Source's position as a legitimate competitor of proprietary software. Lately, the only sweeping Open Source has been doing in the markets is in the basement. We can also assume that proprietary software is now the value leader, as the money is breaking north for Open Source companies.
Red Hat and VA have created a precedent now, with their directed-shares programs designed to reward as many individual contributors as they can identify
Reward, ruin, whatever. Its all the same I guess.
So while there aren't likely to be a lot more multimillion-dollar bonanzas like mine,
For the sake of the economy I hope not.
Gee. Remember when the big question was "How do we make money at this?
That still is the question. As if anyone ever needed any proof that the people who keep saying that you can make money off of GPL'd software really don't know what the hell they are talking about, you have it right here. Here is a guy declaring a victory when the battle has just begun. He's also equating making money with the stock price of the company. Maybe these guys should take a few business courses, or maybe their mindset has too much of a socialist bend, I'm not sure how to educate them other than letting the market run them out of business over and over. Whatever, that question is yet left unanswered.
The first part of my answer is "I'll do nothing, until next June...I will be wealthy in six months, unless VA or the U.S. economy craters before then. I'll bet on VA; I'm not so sure about the U.S. economy :-).
More prophesy! The economy seems to be doing well but the outlook for VA isn't so rosy. Maybe there is a future for Open Sourcers in the business world: consultants. Whatever they say, just do the opposite. Hope you got out in June.
Assuming the economy does not in fact crater, how is wealth going to affect my life in six months?
Economy = good, VA share price = bad. Enough said.
Reporters often ask me these days if I think the open-source community will be corrupted by the influx of big money
Wonder if they still ask...maybe they ask the question but in past tense. Hard to tell.
And maybe a nice hotrodded match-grade .45 semi for tactical shooting.
This is something we agree on. A nicely modded 1911 is an excellent investment let me tell you. Even though I'm more of a rifle person myself, 1911s are amazingly well crafted guns. I sincerely hope he was able to purchase one before his wealth dried up. I would probably even sell ESR some handloads on the cheap, given his current situation.
I'm not going to minimize my attachments by giving it all away, though, so you evangelists for a zillion worthy causes can just calm down out there and forget about hitting me up for megabucks.
It must be a load off of ESR's mind now that these evangelists have no reason to call him.
Ironically enough, one result of my getting rich is that I will probably start charging for speaking appearances, now that nobody can plausibly accuse me of doing it for the money
Heh, I wonder if he is charging now or no. On one hand, he probably needs the cash, on the other, people can again plausibly accuse him of doing it for the money.
But enough trivialities; I'm going to get back to trolling.
Indeed, I will now do the same. I guess I should stop knocking VA. At least they didn't buy up a bunch of other companies with their overvalued stock (like RHAT) and spread their ruin around any. Oh wait...
What I believe I will do, inspired by your post, is to contact my congressman and my local news outlet and suggest to them that software like Linux is the root of all hacking and IP theft. Since it is freely distributed there is no way to track who it is at the other end of the wire when your server is being attacked. Thus, is we write a few laws making it illegal to own a copy of Linux we can have legitimate companies (like Microsoft) distribute operating systems and require that all users register with their personal information. We'll all be safer and the price of goods and services will go down because Ip theft will no longer exist.
Anyway, you have inspired me to stop looking for solutions to my own problems and to instead turn to my government. Obviously, they can be trusted to determine who is right and who is wrong, who is peddling a legitimate operating system and who is really trying to assist criminals. I'm sure they will do this in an efficient manner that is equitable to everyone involved. I'm also sure that it won't cost me a cent (unless you count the taxes that come out of my check, but I never see that money in the first place)
Anyway, thank dude, you helped me see the light. Government control is the answer to all of my problems, not personal responsibility. I have a new found respect for you.
Goat Sex Mirror.
1. A productivity suite. StarOffice is crap. Corel Office is crap. If you people can write something that actually allows normal people to get some work done rather than stuff that lets shutins write worthless code all day, maybe you'll get some users. Until then, nothing MS does is going to matter because there is no viable alternative to Office.
2. A web browser. What piece of software is second in usefulness behind Office apps at the desk of the non-geek? Web browser. While Open Sourcers run around a whine about stability and protected memory and threads, Johnny Lunchpail just wants go to to the Packers web site after his wife is finished making invitations for their kids' birthday party. Johnny doesn't give a damn about whether his software is 'free as in speech'. He only wants the Packers site to render properly and he neither understands, nor cares, about the hows and whys.
3. GUI based administration. Face facts: People are morons. System admins are morons. This is because most people who hire sysadmins don't have the faintest clue about what is important for adminning the network (or they would be doing it themselves) thus not every company can have genuises running the show. Command line is hard, GUI is easy.
4. Easy software installs. Joe Sixpack has absolutely no idea what command he needs to type in to unzip a file, much less where all of the components need to go. He just wants to be able to double click on the little picture of a race car and have NASCAR 2001 install itself.
5. Speed. X os slow. It will always be slow. On a 1.3 Ghz proc it is slow. If you think it is fast maybe you haven't used Windows in a while. I encourage you to go buy a copy of Windows 2000 and see for yourself what a computer can do.
I could go on but it is no fun shooting a dead body.
Yeah, and maybe Microsoft will start giving their shit away for free. The FBI is in this to catch subversives, not to give them work. No way any Federal agency would give work to a bunch of communist hippies.
HA! I am on a roll today.
Question #4: I run a popular geek web forum. How can I increase my page impressions? My bosses have been pressuring me for more ad revenue. - Mr. Taco
Answer: The best way to get people to post a lot is to appeal to their emotions. Since this is the domain of geeks you should try to pit two types of geekware that accomplish pretty much the same thing against one another. Like KDE vs. Gnome. That way, people will get really pissed off and feel like they have to voice their opinion. A little FUD never hurt things either. Try to get a topic like 'Your Rights Online' to convince people that their little hobby might be in danger. Be sure to sensationalize whenever possible. If you are having a particularly slow day you can always post the same story twice, just be sure to change the words around a little so you can defend yourself in the event someone notices. Maybe try posting a lot of vaporware article. People love to debate on whether or not some figment of some guy's imagination will ever make it to the market. Too bad you are running a geek site, if you could find a way to work politics in there you'd be sitting on a gold mine.
Given that the Internet has undergone a transformation as of late, what with all of the theft of IP and violent imagery it propagates, I am happy about its demise. This ranks right up there with the inevitable heat death of the universe in terms of things that I look forward to.
Possibly, when your Internet (the Vint Cerf crappy one) is finished, Microsoft will invent you a new one. You will all probably hate it of course because they certainly won't permit any misdeeds that you all seem so fond of. Just nice clean fun and information with a little dash of profit for all.
Run along now children, play on your Internet while you still can. When Daddy builds a new one your decaying 386 machines won't be compatible and you'll all have to revert back to your BBS days.
MS couldn't possibly be hacked. Why not? They have no Unix based machines! They are an NT only shop and are thus secure against any type of attack. Only Unix boxes can be hacked because they were not designed on a decent security model (as evidenced by the Morris Worm). NT has been designed to provide Enterprise level security.
Gotta cut the lecture short for today, I'm off to ddos some stuff to simulate the Slashdot effect. Don't believe And0ver pays me to ddos servers to simulate the Slashdot effect? See here!
What kind of dumb shit is that? Does Winamp rip CDs and encode MP3 now? I though it just played MP3s.
Step #2: Convince yourself that bad software is acceptable in the short run because 'more eyes mean faster development' so things have to get better.
Step #3: Buy some old hardware. It might be tough to make yourself run slow equipment but Open Source stuff just doesn't have drivers for anything new.
Step #4: Hit some dimwit venture capitalists up for a little cash.
Step #5: Announce your IPO.
Step #6: Develop a business model. Be sure to avoid any possibility of making a profit (see #1).
Step #7: Realize that good will doesn't buy groceries for the family.
Step #8: Close down the business.
Alternate Step #8: Reorganize as a Microsoft shop and sell Office Solutions.
Unbeknownst to Taco, Andover pays me to create the impression among Slashdotters that they are cool. One of the many ways I do this is the ddos stuff, it reinforces the mentality that reading Slashdot is the 'in' thing to do because everyone else is doing it. It also help VA sell servers by making it look like Slashdot can handle a lot more traffic than everyone else.
At some point it I will have helped attract a sufficient numbers of visitors to make the Slashdot effect a reality, thus putting myself out of a job. Luckily, I have many other skillz that are in demand at the moment.
rweou5y34iut293p
Note: This post is encrypted. In order to read it, you would have to break the crypto. You can't mod it without reading it, after all it might be insightful. If you mod this I will be forced to sue you as you will most certainly have circumvented my technological protection.
Thank you and good day.
Maybe you will get lucky and MS will have a booth in the parking lot so you can see Win2K. They might even be handing out free copies to the zealots, much like drug dealers do to grade school kids, just to hook you.
Microsoft Internet Explorer (a non-Netscape browser) 5.0
English language, Windows 98, Weak or Unknown Encryption
Upgrade Available!
Netscape Communicator 4.75
English language, Windows 98, Strong 128-bit Encryption
Thats the coolest greeting I've ever gotten from a web page.
By using this web site yuo agree to the following:
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR MICROSOFT SOFTWARE
IMPORTANT - READ CAREFULLY: This Microsoft End-User License Agreement (EULA) is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity) and Microsoft Corporation for the Microsoft software product identified above, which includes computer software and may include associated media, printed materials, and online or electronic documentation (SOFTWARE PRODUCT). The SOFTWARE PRODUCT also includes any updates and supplements to the original SOFTWARE PRODUCT provided to you by Microsoft. Any software provided along with the SOFTWARE PRODUCT that is associated with a separate end-user license agreement is licensed to you under the terms of that license agreement. By installing, copying, downloading, accessing or otherwise using the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, you agree to be bound by the terms of this EULA. If you do not agree to the terms of this EULA, do not install or use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT; you may, however, return it to your place of purchase for a full refund.
Software PRODUCT LICENSE
The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold.
1. GRANT OF LICENSE. This EULA grants you the following rights:
h Applications Software. You may install, use, access, display, run, or otherwise interact with (RUN) one copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, or any prior version for the same operating system, on a single computer, workstation, terminal, handheld PC, pager, smart phone, or other digital electronic device (COMPUTER). The primary user of the COMPUTER on which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is installed may make a second copy for his or her exclusive use on a portable computer.
h Storage/Network Use. You may also store or install a copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on a storage device, such as a network server, used only to RUN the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on your other COMPUTERS over an internal network; however, you must acquire and dedicate a license for each separate COMPUTER on which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is RUN from the storage device. A license for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may not be shared or used concurrently on different COMPUTERS.
h License Pack. If this package is a Microsoft License Pack, you may RUN additional copies of the computer software portion of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT up to the number of copies specified above as Licensed Copies. You are also entitled to make a corresponding number of secondary copies for portable computer use as specified above.
h Reservation of Rights. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by Microsoft.
2. DESCRIPTION OF OTHER RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS.
h Academic Edition Software. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is identified as Academic Edition or AE, you must be a Qualified Educational User to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. If you are not a Qualified Educational User, you have no rights under this EULA. To determine whether you are a Qualified Educational User, please contact the Microsoft Sales Information Center/One Microsoft Way/Redmond, WA 98052-6399 or the Microsoft subsidiary serving your country.
h Not for Resale Software. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is labeled Not For Resale or NFR, then, notwithstanding other sections of this EULA, your use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is limited to use for demonstration, test, or evaluation purposes and you may not resell, or otherwise transfer for value, the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
h Limitations on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, and Disassembly. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.
h Separation of Components. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed as a single product. Its component parts may not be separated for use on more than one COMPUTER.
h Trademarks. This EULA does not grant you any rights in connection with any trademarks or service marks of Microsoft.
h Rental. You may not rent, lease, or lend the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
h Application Sharing. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT may contain Microsoft NetMeeting, a product that enables applications to be shared between two or more COMPUTERS, even if an application is installed on only one of the COMPUTERS. You may use this technology with all Microsoft application products for multi-party conferences. For non-Microsoft applications, you should consult the accompanying license agreement or contact the licensor to determine whether application sharing is permitted by the licensor.
h Support Services. Microsoft may provide you with support services related to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (Support Services). Use of Support Services is governed by the Microsoft policies and programs described in the user manual, in online documentation, and/or in other Microsoft-provided materials. Any supplemental software code provided to you as part of the Support Services shall be considered part of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and subject to the terms and conditions of this EULA. With respect to technical information you provide to Microsoft as part of the Support Services, Microsoft may use such information for its business purposes, including for product support and development. Microsoft will not utilize such technical information in a form that personally identifies you.
h Software Transfer. The initial licensee of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may make a one-time permanent transfer of this EULA and SOFTWARE PRODUCT only directly to an end user. This transfer must include all of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (including all component parts, the media and printed materials, any upgrades, this EULA, and, if applicable, the Certificate of Authenticity). Such transfer may not be by way of consignment or any other indirect transfer. The transferee of such one-time transfer must agree to comply with the terms of this EULA, including the obligation not to further transfer this EULA and SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
h Termination. Without prejudice to any other rights, Microsoft may terminate this EULA if you fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this EULA. In such event, you must destroy all copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and all of its component parts.
3. UPGRADES. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is labeled as an upgrade, you must be properly licensed to use a product identified by Microsoft as being eligible for the upgrade in order to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. A SOFTWARE PRODUCT labeled as an upgrade replaces and/or supplements (and may disable) the product that formed the basis for your eligibility for the upgrade. You may use the resulting upgraded product only in accordance with the terms of this EULA. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is an upgrade of a component of a package of software programs that you licensed as a single product, the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may be used and transferred only as part of that single product package and may not be separated for use on more than one COMPUTER.
4. COPYRIGHT. All title and copyrights in and to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (including but not limited to any images, photographs, animations, video, audio, music, text, and applets incorporated into the SOFTWARE PRODUCT), the accompanying printed materials, and any copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT are owned by Microsoft or its suppliers. All title and intellectual property rights in and to the content which may be accessed through use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is the property of the respective content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright or other intellectual property laws and treaties. This EULA grants you no rights to use such content. If this SOFTWARE PRODUCT contains documentation which is provided only in electronic form, you may print one copy of such electronic documentation. You may not copy the printed materials accompanying the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
5. DUAL-MEDIA SOFTWARE. You may receive the SOFTWARE PRODUCT in more than one medium. Regardless of the type or size of medium you receive, you may use only one medium that is appropriate for your single COMPUTER. You may not RUN the other medium on another COMPUTER. You may not loan, rent, lease, or otherwise transfer the other medium to another user, except as part of the permanent transfer (as provided above) of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
6. BACKUP COPY. After installation of one copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT pursuant to this EULA, you may keep the original media on which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT was provided by Microsoft solely for backup or archival purposes. If the original media is required to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on the COMPUTER, you may make one copy of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT solely for backup or archival purposes. Except as expressly provided in this EULA, you may not otherwise make copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or the printed material accompanying the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
7. U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. All SOFTWARE PRODUCT provided to the U.S. Government pursuant to solicitations issued on or after December 1, 1995 is provided with the commercial rights and restrictions described elsewhere herein. All SOFTWARE PRODUCT provided to the U.S. Government pursuant to solicitations issued prior to December 1, 1995 is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS as provided for in FAR, 48 CFR 52.227-14 (JUNE 1987) or FAR, 48 CFR 252.227-7013 (OCT 1988), as applicable.
8. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS. This SOFTWARE PRODUCT has been classified by the US Government as exportable under License Exception TSU. Therefore the following terms apply: You agree that you will not export or re-export the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, any part thereof, or any process or service that is the direct product of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (the foregoing collectively referred to as the Restricted Components), to any country, person or entity subject to U.S. export restrictions. You specifically agree not to export or re-export any of the Restricted Components (i) to any country to which the U.S. has embargoed or restricted the export of goods or services, which currently include, but are not necessarily limited to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, or to any national of any such country, wherever located, who intends to transmit or transport the Restricted Components back to such country; (ii) to any person or entity who you know or have reason to know will utilize the Restricted Components in the design, development or production of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons; or (iii) to any person or entity who has been prohibited from participating in U.S. export transactions by any federal agency of the U.S. government. You warrant and represent that neither the BXA nor any other U.S. federal agency has suspended, revoked or denied your export privileges.
9. NOTE ON JAVA SUPPORT. THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS WRITTEN IN JAVA. JAVA TECHNOLOGY IS NOT FAULT TOLERANT AND IS NOT DESIGNED, MANUFACTURED, OR INTENDED FOR USE OR RESALE AS ON-LINE CONTROL EQUIPMENT IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, DIRECT LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES, OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS, IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF JAVA TECHNOLOGY COULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.
MISCELLANEOUS
If you acquired this SOFTWARE PRODUCT in the United States, this EULA is governed by the laws of the State of Washington.
If you acquired this SOFTWARE PRODUCT in Canada, unless expressly prohibited by local law, this EULA is governed by the laws in force in the Province of Ontario, Canada; and, in respect of any dispute which may arise hereunder, you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal and provincial courts sitting in Toronto, Ontario. If this SOFTWARE PRODUCT was acquired outside the United States, then local law may apply.
Should you have any questions concerning this EULA, or if you desire to contact Microsoft for any reason, please contact the Microsoft subsidiary serving your country, or write: Microsoft Sales Information Center/One Microsoft Way/Redmond, WA 98052-6399.
LIMITED WARRANTY
LIMITED WARRANTY FOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ACQUIRED OUTSIDE THE US AND CANADA. FOR THE LIMITED WARRANTIES AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS PERTAINING TO YOUR PARTICULAR JURISDICTION, PLEASE REFER TO YOUR WARRANTY BOOKLET INCLUDED WITH THIS PACKAGE OR PROVIDED WITH THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT PRINTED MATERIALS.
LIMITED WARRANTY FOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ACQUIRED IN THE US AND CANADA. Microsoft warrants that (a) the SOFTWARE PRODUCT will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying written materials for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of receipt, and (b) any Support Services provided by Microsoft shall be substantially as described in applicable written materials provided to you by Microsoft, and Microsoft support engineers will make commercially reasonable efforts to solve any problem issues. Some states and jurisdictions do not allow limitations on duration of an implied warranty, so the above limitation may not apply to you. To the extent allowed by applicable law, implied warranties on the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, if any, are limited to ninety (90) days.
CUSTOMER REMEDIES. Microsoft's and its suppliers' entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Microsoft's option, either (a) return of the price paid, if any, or (b) repair or replacement of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT that does not meet Microsoft's Limited Warranty and which is returned to Microsoft with a copy of your receipt. This Limited Warranty is void if failure of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication. Any replacement SOFTWARE PRODUCT will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. Outside the United States, neither these remedies nor any product support services offered by Microsoft are available without proof of purchase from an authorized international source.
NO OTHER WARRANTIES. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Microsoft and its suppliers disclaim all other warranties and conditions, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement, with regard to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, and the provision of or failure to provide Support Services. This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may have others, which vary from state/jurisdiction to state/jurisdiction.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Microsoft or its suppliers be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or the provision of or failure to provide Support Services, even if Microsoft has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In any case, Microsoft's entire liability under any provision of this EULA shall be limited to the greater of the amount actually paid by you for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or U.S.$5.00; provided, however, if you have entered into a Microsoft Support Services Agreement, Microsoft's entire liability regarding Support Services shall be governed by the terms of that agreement. Because some states and jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability, the above limitation may not apply to you.
Also, if you type After nearly careening into distracted handheld organizer users, it gives the reader the idea (rightly so) that you are driving poorly, not the person using the handheld.
Moron!
This feeling seems to be borne out by reality, the few companies who have taken me seriously have provided the customer with the option to retain CC info. (some of those guys store it regardless) Suprisingly, most people choose to store it, security be damned.
Might this be because the general public is ignorant of the way these systems are connected to the internet? People are used to keeping their money in banks, with big physical barriers to theft, not on a computer that is subject to a seemingly endless stream of security holes.
-----------------------------------------
..................................
Face it.
..................................
I just ran a poll with a few of my buddies on IRC. It appears that l33t speak has several hundred million speakers.
..................................