Without making any comment on the previous post, it might be worth mentioning that Jani himself has served as a UN peace keeper in Southern Lebanon and has been at the receiving end of both Israel and Hezbollah fire. This may entitle him to have strong personal feelings about the recent death of a Finnish peace keeper at the same location, along ones from other countries.
Companies that have money in the bank and potential to grow on a market will always poach talent from each other. This happens on every level, not only on the top. Search is such a hot area now that anyone working on a remotely related field is being approached by head hunters. Universities have been drained of information retrieval researhers and there simply aren't enough knowledgeable people around to fill the openings in the key companiess. Only the top names make it to the press releases, though.
It is a problem between your employer and GPL. Let them sort it out. You did not deceive them at any point about the origin of the code, so they cannot blame you. If they think it is a good business decision to patent the inventions, to derive a non-GPL product from the code you wrote, or to dispute the GPL license on code that someone else wrote, let them do it.
One may have private opinions about the patent system but, given what the system is like, it is a legitimate and common thing for companies to patent stuff. Developing a proprietary version of GPL software based on the parts of the code to which they have the rigths (copyright or license from the copyright holder) is equally legitimate and not entirely unusual. Disputing the validity of GPL on code that was written by some unknown persons is not a smart a move and the IP lawyers will eventually tell them that. As long as you are open and honest about the history of the code and the date on which the inventions were made, none of this is your problem.
Finally something sensible. I refuse to buy yet another computer (Mac) download music and carry yet another gadget (iPod) to play it. But if I can use the existing PC and the phone that I would carry anyway for the same purposes, I'm ready to stop inserting CDs into the stereo and join the downloading mania.
The same goes for the Exchange-Nokia integration. My mail happens to be on Exchange (at home too, so flame me) and I should be able to access my calendar, address book and mail from the one mobile device that I have in my pocket. There is no way I would carry around another paperweight (Blackberry) for this, and anything that does not update appointments on the go is totally useless.
Yes, it is two evil corporations getting together but it is what I have prayed for.
But how do we know that this growth isn't just because we happen to be in a fairly prosperous time for the tech-market in general right now?
The increase in server sales is probably sustainable because servers are being deployed in environments where they used not to exist. For example, small businesses used to shut down all the PCs for the nigth. Now they run their own web servers or email and file servers for remote access. I guess it is the broadband Internet connections that make the difference. You first try it on your old PC, then become dependent in it, and finally shell out the money for real server OS and/or hardware.
I have first-hand experience of this because I've just been installing a Windows 2003 server at home, and my housemate has just ordered a new Linux server. It is just so much more convenient to have your data always online.
I think a lot of business models are fashioned after low-risk investments. If someone else has already done the R&D why not "borrow" some from them?
When the product is important enough, the R&D is a minor cost. Either buy a startup that has developed the technology (example) or develop it in-house (example).
The real risk is that the products fails to take off after millions have been invested in marketing and product support. Thus, I would rephrase the above as "If someone else has already tested the market and there is sufficient demand for the product, why not join in to share the profits?"
Relax a bit on the whole condemnation of the legal system thing;-). Lawyers do a very good job of policing themselves, but the nuances of the system are often lost on those without a legal education.
Lawyers do very good job of policing the nuances of the legal system but they cannot be relied to change the system when it is fundamentally on the wrong track. And to a large extent, it is.
Honestly, researcher communities (especially the academic ones) are disdainful to the "achievements" of "industrial research". The reject rates on industrial papers have been pretty high (usually more than 50%).
All good computer science conferences have reject rates somewhere between 75% and 95%. Most academics in the field would give their left arm to have 50% of their submissions accepted to respectable meetings. If all your papers are being accepted, it is time to aim higher and submit to a better forum.
To MS, it is no way they could justify the cost of i18n and l18n Office to "nynorsk", but they did it anyway.
If one didn't know it is a sinister plot by an evil empire, one might mistakenly think that competition is forcing MS improve the product so that it meets customer requirements.
Solving the customers' problems isn't the only purpose for having a technical support line. Tech support is one of the few ways in which manufacturers can learn about problems with their products. Product quality used to be measured as the percentage returning for warranty repair. Now that most of the problems are caused by software, and not by physical failure, the number of support calls is a better metric. Product features that cause most support calls will be imporved first. Thus, it might be worth calling even if you don't get the help you wanted.
Many new banknotes have a special pattern that is designed to be easily detected by photocopiers etc. You can add the same pattern to any document to make copying and editing more difficult. For the details, see the "The EURion Constellation" by Markus Kuhn.
The mistake the journalist makes is to think that the invitation to attend a conference in physics, or the failure by a philosophical journal not to reject the paper outright, is some kind of seal of approval. And if Lynds's submissions were first rejected by a number of forums and then accepted for presentation in one, that does not make him a misunderstood genious. This is what happens to both good and bad scientific papers all the time, especially to bad ones.
It is easy to see why a reviewer would refuse to read the paper past the first two pages. For example, "1.9999..." should be written in the more compact form "2". (This is elementary-school mathematics and has nothing to do with physics. Except that in order to be the next Einstein, one needs to get the maths right.)
The Finnish constitution guarantees everyone the right to choose their trade (elinkeinovapaus). Originally, the idea was the that the son of a farmer is not required to become a farmer, that the blacksmith guild cannot prevent anyone from becoming a blacksmith, and that the state cannot grant someone exclusive rights to do business in some area. But the same law is interpreted to mean that NCAs are unenforceable. If your employer tries to enforce an NCA on you, you can always move to Finland and work there.
If it is true that 1 year limit can be enforced, it is, in fact, a slight erosion of the original freedom. Sounds in line with the way laws are written in Finland, though.
Re:just what I always wanted
on
SAUNAAB
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· Score: 1
Going to the sauna with a woman?
Exactly. I always go to the sauna with a woman. In fact, the kids come too. We bathe. That's quality time for the family.
Your boss likes the work you are doing. Think about the first months as a trial period. Now they know what you are worth and want to keep you. You current employer is simply doing the right thing. Stay with them!
The 10 reasons do not apply to you. A few months on the job is too short a time to become loyal, so no sensible person will judge you as disloyal. Also, they know that you were used to a higher salary and your life-style may depend on it.
Note that the job web sites make money only when people change jobs. They do not get a penny if an applicant accepts a counter offer. That is why they posted the 10 reasons. Some of the reasons may apply to employees who are leaving after years of service but they do not apply to you.
That's why things like open standards and open source exist.
No, that's why physical switches and pullable cable pugs exist.
It beats me why anyone would trust software to turn off the cam/mic. If none of the zillions of virii or freeware downloads on your computer is spying on you, I bet your kids are.
Slashdot Mirror
Without making any comment on the previous post, it might be worth mentioning that Jani himself has served as a UN peace keeper in Southern Lebanon and has been at the receiving end of both Israel and Hezbollah fire. This may entitle him to have strong personal feelings about the recent death of a Finnish peace keeper at the same location, along ones from other countries.
Microsoft and University of Cambridge have been working on the same kind of thing for a while. There was a paper at the SOSP 2005 conference.
Companies that have money in the bank and potential to grow on a market will always poach talent from each other. This happens on every level, not only on the top. Search is such a hot area now that anyone working on a remotely related field is being approached by head hunters. Universities have been drained of information retrieval researhers and there simply aren't enough knowledgeable people around to fill the openings in the key companiess. Only the top names make it to the press releases, though.
One may have private opinions about the patent system but, given what the system is like, it is a legitimate and common thing for companies to patent stuff. Developing a proprietary version of GPL software based on the parts of the code to which they have the rigths (copyright or license from the copyright holder) is equally legitimate and not entirely unusual. Disputing the validity of GPL on code that was written by some unknown persons is not a smart a move and the IP lawyers will eventually tell them that. As long as you are open and honest about the history of the code and the date on which the inventions were made, none of this is your problem.
The same goes for the Exchange-Nokia integration. My mail happens to be on Exchange (at home too, so flame me) and I should be able to access my calendar, address book and mail from the one mobile device that I have in my pocket. There is no way I would carry around another paperweight (Blackberry) for this, and anything that does not update appointments on the go is totally useless.
Yes, it is two evil corporations getting together but it is what I have prayed for.
The increase in server sales is probably sustainable because servers are being deployed in environments where they used not to exist. For example, small businesses used to shut down all the PCs for the nigth. Now they run their own web servers or email and file servers for remote access. I guess it is the broadband Internet connections that make the difference. You first try it on your old PC, then become dependent in it, and finally shell out the money for real server OS and/or hardware.
I have first-hand experience of this because I've just been installing a Windows 2003 server at home, and my housemate has just ordered a new Linux server. It is just so much more convenient to have your data always online.
When the product is important enough, the R&D is a minor cost. Either buy a startup that has developed the technology (example) or develop it in-house (example).
The real risk is that the products fails to take off after millions have been invested in marketing and product support. Thus, I would rephrase the above as "If someone else has already tested the market and there is sufficient demand for the product, why not join in to share the profits?"
All good computer science conferences have reject rates somewhere between 75% and 95%. Most academics in the field would give their left arm to have 50% of their submissions accepted to respectable meetings. If all your papers are being accepted, it is time to aim higher and submit to a better forum.
If one didn't know it is a sinister plot by an evil empire, one might mistakenly think that competition is forcing MS improve the product so that it meets customer requirements.
Solving the customers' problems isn't the only purpose for having a technical support line. Tech support is one of the few ways in which manufacturers can learn about problems with their products. Product quality used to be measured as the percentage returning for warranty repair. Now that most of the problems are caused by software, and not by physical failure, the number of support calls is a better metric. Product features that cause most support calls will be imporved first. Thus, it might be worth calling even if you don't get the help you wanted.
Many new banknotes have a special pattern that is designed to be easily detected by photocopiers etc. You can add the same pattern to any document to make copying and editing more difficult. For the details, see the "The EURion Constellation" by Markus Kuhn.
The mistake the journalist makes is to think that the invitation to attend a conference in physics, or the failure by a philosophical journal not to reject the paper outright, is some kind of seal of approval. And if Lynds's submissions were first rejected by a number of forums and then accepted for presentation in one, that does not make him a misunderstood genious. This is what happens to both good and bad scientific papers all the time, especially to bad ones.
It is easy to see why a reviewer would refuse to read the paper past the first two pages. For example, "1.9999..." should be written in the more compact form "2". (This is elementary-school mathematics and has nothing to do with physics. Except that in order to be the next Einstein, one needs to get the maths right.)
If it is true that 1 year limit can be enforced, it is, in fact, a slight erosion of the original freedom. Sounds in line with the way laws are written in Finland, though.
Exactly. I always go to the sauna with a woman. In fact, the kids come too. We bathe. That's quality time for the family.
The 10 reasons do not apply to you. A few months on the job is too short a time to become loyal, so no sensible person will judge you as disloyal. Also, they know that you were used to a higher salary and your life-style may depend on it.
Note that the job web sites make money only when people change jobs. They do not get a penny if an applicant accepts a counter offer. That is why they posted the 10 reasons. Some of the reasons may apply to employees who are leaving after years of service but they do not apply to you.
No, that's why physical switches and pullable cable pugs exist.
It beats me why anyone would trust software to turn off the cam/mic. If none of the zillions of virii or freeware downloads on your computer is spying on you, I bet your kids are.