I can't be the only one who looks for negative reviews, can I? There are too many ways that corporations could rig reviews, even at sites with paid reviewers (as opposed to reader/user reviews). My goal is to always find the negative reviews and see what they said. On any good product, you'll find that the majority of negative reviewers fall into 2 categories...people for whom the reviewed item didn't meet their need or people for whom the item was never intended, either because of the target audience or the reviewer was just plain stupid.
Positive reviews only help to accent features that I haven't read about before. If I'm already looking at a review of something, chances are I know I want it so a positive isn't going to sway me into buying it.
I'd like to know why a loss that cannot be claimed for the IRS, can be the basis of a lawsuit
I'm with you in spirit, but not in practice.
There's a difference here, though, between actual losses (ie, your investments are worth as much as they used to be) and 'theoretical' losses (because of person XYZ's acts, we lost this much revenue). They're claiming it like it was a burglary...someone breaks into your house and steals your Monet, you can bring them before a court but I doubt the IRS will let you claim losses on your tax refund for the painting.
This is one of the reasons I don't understand the music business...how to make money in the music biz as a performer is by doing just that; performing. Look at any band that makes it really big and stays around for a long time...they did it by touring nonstop. Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, the Stones. You can make the argument that these groups were all around before copying music was 'easy', but I would make the argument that they were also around before music distribution was easy. The simple fact seems to remain that the successful, good bands tour nonstop in order to get a following...oh, and they have one helluva stage show without 14 vans worth of equipment. They can be great with them, their instruments and a bottle of jager.
I bought a 20" Dell Trinitron at a computer show for $200 and have loved it. Excellent quality, great features, the casing was a little beat up for the price a year ago, I couldn't have beaten it. I would recommend Dell refurbs to anyone looking for a monitor.
No, not really. I have no problem when my girlfriend asks me who I'm talking to on the phone because I'm not insecure. If she disapproves, that's fine, she can dump me. If the government disapproves, there are laws to protect me that say I can talk to whomever the hell I want. They don't like the fact that I checked out a book at THEIR library called "How to Make Black Powder"? They can't arrest me, I'm allowed to read it. Until you break a law, they can't touch you. If they look at my reading list it would be very boring to them (mostly Democratic political commentary, but stuff on Communism and Fascism as well), but even if they cared they can't do squat. It's a freedom we're afforded, until I act on my terrorist readings and make a bomb, I'm in the green.
Isn't Trusted Solaris basically just this? At an OS level, you associate trust levels that permeate throughout your network. Two (or more) people can work on the same box at the same time and view completely different boxes because of their trust level. One trust level can't talk to or look at another's processes without the proper authorization. Like Unix file privs only much, much more controllable.
Actually, trusted computing is a pain in the ass for standard development...we always wound up creating a super user program that can run stuff anything to get around priv issues during development. I can see using a system such as this post beta development or for production, but developing under it is a bitch.
Like abortion clinics? Doctors are killed because they provide abortions (which are perfectly legal), but I don't think they should rethink what they're doing...they're providing, in my opinion, a very necessary service.
I'll agree that they don't have the right to be anonymous. Public business records are, in fact, public. But nobody has the legal right to brake the law...threatening phone calls/letters are illegal under most states' stalking laws. Harass this man to the fullest extent of the law (email would be a good start;) but don't step over the line or else you're facing charges yourself.
I'll bet Sprint is shaking in their boots...they have pretty horrible service, with sections of Fairfax (just west of Washington D.C.) not getting any service at all. There's no reason that in a large, suburban area I should get service drops on my cell phone. Verizon phones don't seem to have this problem, they can get service just about anywhere around this area.
Were I allowed to keep my phone number, I would have swithced long ago to Verizon's service plans. Considering now Verizon is offering all the things that only Sprint had awhile ago (free long distance, for one) for the same price, I'd definitely switch.
...I think that would be completely ironic in discussion about two things that are offtopic from each other.
Was the news THAT slow today that we needed to post a comparison between an (albeit nice) camera and the newest portable game system? I guess if you're in a money crunch, I can see not getting both, but they why don't you at least suggest alternatives for the camera (since the GBA/SP is about the only portable out there).
I have no idea if there is software out there to do it (probably, I haven't Googled for it though), but find some software that permits a file to be used by one person at a time. This would typically be done by using a config file in the directory, setting a permission bit on the mp3, etc.
I imagine that once you look into the law (I can't possibly stress enough that IANAL) you'll find it's a matter of preventing multiple people from using the same copy of something at the same time. This would possibly limit your liability in the matter.
What's happened to Muslims "all over the US" after 9/11? I work with a bunch, not one has mentioned any opression. Ramadan went by without a hitch, twice.
The FBI cable odem thing was a bit odd, I'll grant you.
Apparently you misunderstand that public libraries are PUBLIC. Meaning they should be open to anyone and so should the list of what you check out. Don't want to get caught? Buy the book.
I don't recall the RIAA/MPAA ever coming by and breaking my legs (or anyone else's) or killing someone. They're trying to protect their business just like Microsoft is. I don't like either terribly much, but I don't think they're trying to go around the law.
our failing economy...was started under previous presidents and is in no way the president's fault. We had a lot of money invested in vapor, and all of a sudden people realized there was no substance.
unemployment...while bad is still at a relative low, especially around the world.
lack of health care...okay, I kinda agree with you here, but I won't cede to you that it's a feasible option unless we want outrageous taxes.
poor education system...with the best college system in the world. Elementary suffers, but it's getting better, not worse.
and ever decreasing number of civil rights name 5. You can't, we still have the Constitution. Stop griping about rights you never were given and that corporations are trying to get legislated now. You can still duplicate a copyrighted CD, download music and pirate software without the mafia breathing down your neck...we don't have it that bad.
cracked me up...i get back from a hockey game last night and here "We're 150 miles across the border coming from camp ". Now, I'm no genius, but given a map and knowing their source and destination, I can figure out their position. I don't think we're hiding anything in this war; in fact, I think we're purposely being pretty obvious where our troops are massed so that the Iraqis aren't surprised and can surrender accordingly.
Remember...the anticipation of an event is often enough to get you completely worked up. Try being told a 20mile carravan of tanks is coming at you, and they're 50 miles away. I'd be thinking 'surrender', wouldn't you?
No, you might as well say that cloning someone is illegal, which is currently being debated and looks as though it will be made as such very shortly.
Remember, in the digital world copying is reproduction, since it's just a transfer of information. As the FBI warning on movies says (paraphrase), "Reproduction in any form is explicitly illegal".
True, it is by AutoDesk, but it only runs on Windows, meaning you have to have a Windows license to run it. With Linux only, you're not going to have the product or the name recognition.
There'd be nothing stopping them from having their own MS-computers, would there?
Technically, no. But most people buy a computer when they enter college based on what the university mandates. If the college is using Linux only, they're going to need to provide the students with machines that run Linux. Dual boot is a nightmare and costly because you still have to buy the licenses and you have to deal with Linux support.
My suggestion would be what we did at school...teach the CS classes C/Java/whatever on Linux, but have the MS machines around to write papers on, do AutoCad, Visual C++, etc. Let them choose to go off and explore if they want, but I can guarantee you a busines major won't give a rats ass about it if it doesn't have "MS" before the app name.
Excel - I don't care what program you name, employers of business students will want to see the word Excel, prefixing it such as "MS-Excel" may also be necessary.
AutoCad - I don't know of any programs that work as well and have the name recognition. AutoCad is essential to all engineers and architechts. Wine usage doesn't count either.
Aside from the above, almost any MS product is goign to be essential for name recognition to an employer. You have to remember that a large portion of business majors will actually put "Excel, Word" on their resumes coming out of school. That's what they consider computer experience. Visual Basic is an amazing addition to a business majors resume. There is nothing as well known and comparable in their world as MS products.
It's not necessarily just the IDE that students need to learn...imagine trying to write a substantial GUI app on Windows and getting the concept of shared/conflicting DLLs, the MFC class hierarchy and specialized Visual C++ components down. That's a lot of stuff to work with. Granted, you program for X and you have your own worries, but I consider myself a decent programmer and the MFC crap is still daunting.
If you're talking straight console apps, yeah, any sufficiently talented programmer should be able to migrate between the systems.
I dunno, I remember being a kid in the BBS days and finding those sites that had porn available and getting lots of it. I was able to 'outsmart' the system, so to speak, but nothing that a kid with their father's Playboy stash couldn't do. The difference being that my mother raised me to respect women and that sex/relationship issues were not to be displayed out in public. I turned out fine (relatively), normal relationships, etc.
A parent can't protect their children, all they can hope to do is teach them how to make decisions. That's why I feel those kids with little to no common sense are in such danger...their parents won't be around to help make decisions all their life.
Okay, replace 'terrorists' with 'militant organizations' and you can trace issues going centuries back involving massive, uncalled for civil disobedience. Bombing buildings, hijacking airplanes, blowing up railroads, dynamiting ships, sieging forts, torching villages...causing disorder is not a recent action. It's a common act when a group decides they don't like the popular opinion or ruling class.
Okay, I'll cede your Canada point, but my counterpoint would be that Canada has never had any effect on them. The United States way of life affects people across the world; how people live, how they want to live and how they think. Compare it to desegregation in the 50's...it was an afront to the way a large group of people thought we should live. There were riots, protests, everything except an invasion (of our own country? draw the parallels...). While we aren't trying to write their laws for them, we still draw a substantial number of immigrants from their area, not to mention convincing people within their country that it's okay to live like Americans.
Nobody that knows me would think that I sympathize with terrorist views...they have perverted their own religion similar to how the knights did during the crusades. But there are reasons why they do what they do, and until we actually unite our own world and eliminate self-destruction (ha!), a space elevator is going to have problems.
I am sure the terrorist strikes will stop themselves if the US gains a reputation for a R&D
One of the principle reasons that the Islamic terrorist groups despise the US is because we've walked away from the 'Religious Path' that they follow...I'm a Christian and therefore not really in touch with the Koran or any other Islamic doctrine, but I'm imagining that an elevator 'reaching into the heavens' could be seen as a threat to their beliefs.
No matter what the US does, some well funded group will not like this idea and try to destroy it. That is, unfortunately, human nature.
Actually, flying cars would open up the possibility of many, many more lanes of traffic. Imagine instead of a 4 lane highway, you had 12 lanes, each direction, stacked on top of each other instead of next to each other. There's a lot of space going 'up' for us to use, we're confined left to right on the ground.
Slashdot Mirror
I can't be the only one who looks for negative reviews, can I? There are too many ways that corporations could rig reviews, even at sites with paid reviewers (as opposed to reader/user reviews). My goal is to always find the negative reviews and see what they said. On any good product, you'll find that the majority of negative reviewers fall into 2 categories...people for whom the reviewed item didn't meet their need or people for whom the item was never intended, either because of the target audience or the reviewer was just plain stupid.
Positive reviews only help to accent features that I haven't read about before. If I'm already looking at a review of something, chances are I know I want it so a positive isn't going to sway me into buying it.
--trb
I'd like to know why a loss that cannot be claimed for the IRS, can be the basis of a lawsuit
I'm with you in spirit, but not in practice.
There's a difference here, though, between actual losses (ie, your investments are worth as much as they used to be) and 'theoretical' losses (because of person XYZ's acts, we lost this much revenue). They're claiming it like it was a burglary...someone breaks into your house and steals your Monet, you can bring them before a court but I doubt the IRS will let you claim losses on your tax refund for the painting.
--trb
This is one of the reasons I don't understand the music business...how to make money in the music biz as a performer is by doing just that; performing. Look at any band that makes it really big and stays around for a long time...they did it by touring nonstop. Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, the Stones. You can make the argument that these groups were all around before copying music was 'easy', but I would make the argument that they were also around before music distribution was easy. The simple fact seems to remain that the successful, good bands tour nonstop in order to get a following...oh, and they have one helluva stage show without 14 vans worth of equipment. They can be great with them, their instruments and a bottle of jager.
--trb
I bought a 20" Dell Trinitron at a computer show for $200 and have loved it. Excellent quality, great features, the casing was a little beat up for the price a year ago, I couldn't have beaten it. I would recommend Dell refurbs to anyone looking for a monitor.
--trb
It doesnt bug you right..
No, not really. I have no problem when my girlfriend asks me who I'm talking to on the phone because I'm not insecure. If she disapproves, that's fine, she can dump me. If the government disapproves, there are laws to protect me that say I can talk to whomever the hell I want. They don't like the fact that I checked out a book at THEIR library called "How to Make Black Powder"? They can't arrest me, I'm allowed to read it. Until you break a law, they can't touch you. If they look at my reading list it would be very boring to them (mostly Democratic political commentary, but stuff on Communism and Fascism as well), but even if they cared they can't do squat. It's a freedom we're afforded, until I act on my terrorist readings and make a bomb, I'm in the green.
--trb
Isn't Trusted Solaris basically just this? At an OS level, you associate trust levels that permeate throughout your network. Two (or more) people can work on the same box at the same time and view completely different boxes because of their trust level. One trust level can't talk to or look at another's processes without the proper authorization. Like Unix file privs only much, much more controllable.
Actually, trusted computing is a pain in the ass for standard development...we always wound up creating a super user program that can run stuff anything to get around priv issues during development. I can see using a system such as this post beta development or for production, but developing under it is a bitch.
--trb
Like abortion clinics? Doctors are killed because they provide abortions (which are perfectly legal), but I don't think they should rethink what they're doing...they're providing, in my opinion, a very necessary service.
;) but don't step over the line or else you're facing charges yourself.
I'll agree that they don't have the right to be anonymous. Public business records are, in fact, public. But nobody has the legal right to brake the law...threatening phone calls/letters are illegal under most states' stalking laws. Harass this man to the fullest extent of the law (email would be a good start
--trb
Seriously, children are great and it gives you a chance to play with all the new TOYS!!! Gi-Joe, Barbie, Legos, Erector sets, etc.
Some of us just skip the kid and go right for the toys...
--trb
I'll bet Sprint is shaking in their boots...they have pretty horrible service, with sections of Fairfax (just west of Washington D.C.) not getting any service at all. There's no reason that in a large, suburban area I should get service drops on my cell phone. Verizon phones don't seem to have this problem, they can get service just about anywhere around this area.
Were I allowed to keep my phone number, I would have swithced long ago to Verizon's service plans. Considering now Verizon is offering all the things that only Sprint had awhile ago (free long distance, for one) for the same price, I'd definitely switch.
--trb
...I think that would be completely ironic in discussion about two things that are offtopic from each other.
Was the news THAT slow today that we needed to post a comparison between an (albeit nice) camera and the newest portable game system? I guess if you're in a money crunch, I can see not getting both, but they why don't you at least suggest alternatives for the camera (since the GBA/SP is about the only portable out there).
--trb
I have no idea if there is software out there to do it (probably, I haven't Googled for it though), but find some software that permits a file to be used by one person at a time. This would typically be done by using a config file in the directory, setting a permission bit on the mp3, etc.
I imagine that once you look into the law (I can't possibly stress enough that IANAL) you'll find it's a matter of preventing multiple people from using the same copy of something at the same time. This would possibly limit your liability in the matter.
--trb
What's happened to Muslims "all over the US" after 9/11? I work with a bunch, not one has mentioned any opression. Ramadan went by without a hitch, twice.
The FBI cable odem thing was a bit odd, I'll grant you.
Apparently you misunderstand that public libraries are PUBLIC. Meaning they should be open to anyone and so should the list of what you check out. Don't want to get caught? Buy the book.
I don't recall the RIAA/MPAA ever coming by and breaking my legs (or anyone else's) or killing someone. They're trying to protect their business just like Microsoft is. I don't like either terribly much, but I don't think they're trying to go around the law.
--trb
I call FUD.
...was started under previous presidents and is in no way the president's fault. We had a lot of money invested in vapor, and all of a sudden people realized there was no substance.
...while bad is still at a relative low, especially around the world.
...okay, I kinda agree with you here, but I won't cede to you that it's a feasible option unless we want outrageous taxes.
...with the best college system in the world. Elementary suffers, but it's getting better, not worse.
our failing economy
unemployment
lack of health care
poor education system
and ever decreasing number of civil rights
name 5. You can't, we still have the Constitution. Stop griping about rights you never were given and that corporations are trying to get legislated now. You can still duplicate a copyrighted CD, download music and pirate software without the mafia breathing down your neck...we don't have it that bad.
sheesh.
cracked me up...i get back from a hockey game last night and here "We're 150 miles across the border coming from camp ". Now, I'm no genius, but given a map and knowing their source and destination, I can figure out their position. I don't think we're hiding anything in this war; in fact, I think we're purposely being pretty obvious where our troops are massed so that the Iraqis aren't surprised and can surrender accordingly.
Remember...the anticipation of an event is often enough to get you completely worked up. Try being told a 20mile carravan of tanks is coming at you, and they're 50 miles away. I'd be thinking 'surrender', wouldn't you?
--trb
No, you might as well say that cloning someone is illegal, which is currently being debated and looks as though it will be made as such very shortly.
Remember, in the digital world copying is reproduction, since it's just a transfer of information. As the FBI warning on movies says (paraphrase), "Reproduction in any form is explicitly illegal".
--trb
True, it is by AutoDesk, but it only runs on Windows, meaning you have to have a Windows license to run it. With Linux only, you're not going to have the product or the name recognition.
--trb
There'd be nothing stopping them from having their own MS-computers, would there?
Technically, no. But most people buy a computer when they enter college based on what the university mandates. If the college is using Linux only, they're going to need to provide the students with machines that run Linux. Dual boot is a nightmare and costly because you still have to buy the licenses and you have to deal with Linux support.
My suggestion would be what we did at school...teach the CS classes C/Java/whatever on Linux, but have the MS machines around to write papers on, do AutoCad, Visual C++, etc. Let them choose to go off and explore if they want, but I can guarantee you a busines major won't give a rats ass about it if it doesn't have "MS" before the app name.
--trb
Excel - I don't care what program you name, employers of business students will want to see the word Excel, prefixing it such as "MS-Excel" may also be necessary.
AutoCad - I don't know of any programs that work as well and have the name recognition. AutoCad is essential to all engineers and architechts. Wine usage doesn't count either.
Aside from the above, almost any MS product is goign to be essential for name recognition to an employer. You have to remember that a large portion of business majors will actually put "Excel, Word" on their resumes coming out of school. That's what they consider computer experience. Visual Basic is an amazing addition to a business majors resume. There is nothing as well known and comparable in their world as MS products.
--trb
It's not necessarily just the IDE that students need to learn...imagine trying to write a substantial GUI app on Windows and getting the concept of shared/conflicting DLLs, the MFC class hierarchy and specialized Visual C++ components down. That's a lot of stuff to work with. Granted, you program for X and you have your own worries, but I consider myself a decent programmer and the MFC crap is still daunting.
If you're talking straight console apps, yeah, any sufficiently talented programmer should be able to migrate between the systems.
--trb
Keep them on the phone as long as possible, play them music, whatever, just to run up their phone bill.
--trb
I dunno, I remember being a kid in the BBS days and finding those sites that had porn available and getting lots of it. I was able to 'outsmart' the system, so to speak, but nothing that a kid with their father's Playboy stash couldn't do. The difference being that my mother raised me to respect women and that sex/relationship issues were not to be displayed out in public. I turned out fine (relatively), normal relationships, etc.
A parent can't protect their children, all they can hope to do is teach them how to make decisions. That's why I feel those kids with little to no common sense are in such danger...their parents won't be around to help make decisions all their life.
--trb
Okay, replace 'terrorists' with 'militant organizations' and you can trace issues going centuries back involving massive, uncalled for civil disobedience. Bombing buildings, hijacking airplanes, blowing up railroads, dynamiting ships, sieging forts, torching villages...causing disorder is not a recent action. It's a common act when a group decides they don't like the popular opinion or ruling class.
--trb
Okay, I'll cede your Canada point, but my counterpoint would be that Canada has never had any effect on them. The United States way of life affects people across the world; how people live, how they want to live and how they think. Compare it to desegregation in the 50's...it was an afront to the way a large group of people thought we should live. There were riots, protests, everything except an invasion (of our own country? draw the parallels...). While we aren't trying to write their laws for them, we still draw a substantial number of immigrants from their area, not to mention convincing people within their country that it's okay to live like Americans.
Nobody that knows me would think that I sympathize with terrorist views...they have perverted their own religion similar to how the knights did during the crusades. But there are reasons why they do what they do, and until we actually unite our own world and eliminate self-destruction (ha!), a space elevator is going to have problems.
--trb
I am sure the terrorist strikes will stop themselves if the US gains a reputation for a R&D
One of the principle reasons that the Islamic terrorist groups despise the US is because we've walked away from the 'Religious Path' that they follow...I'm a Christian and therefore not really in touch with the Koran or any other Islamic doctrine, but I'm imagining that an elevator 'reaching into the heavens' could be seen as a threat to their beliefs.
No matter what the US does, some well funded group will not like this idea and try to destroy it. That is, unfortunately, human nature.
--trb
Actually, flying cars would open up the possibility of many, many more lanes of traffic. Imagine instead of a 4 lane highway, you had 12 lanes, each direction, stacked on top of each other instead of next to each other. There's a lot of space going 'up' for us to use, we're confined left to right on the ground.
--trb