I can't imagine anyone who's asinine enough to download for free a random piece of software off the Internet, compile it, put it into production use, then when it fails, attempt to sue the author.
I may be wrong here, but wasn't that the exact reason the authors of Broadcast 2000 gave when they pulled the download from their site?
You could try showing her PySol. Just about every known solitaire variant is in there, coupled with beautiful cardsets (some of them scanned versions of antique designs).
If you read what RMS has written, and check out the link, you'll find that for once, he comes across in a way that isn't embarassing to most geeks.
Actually, in general if you read what RMS has written, you'll find out that there is a tremendous difference in what Stallman says and what people say he says.
I find almost all of RMS' public utterings, whether written or spoken, to be as lucid and reasonable as this little piece. It is imperative however that you get his views firsthand, as people have a bad habit of quoting him out of context or misunderstanding him completely. Sometimes this is inadvertent, sometimes this is deliberate.
Check the GNU philosophy page for RMS' views straight from himself.
I specifically submitted the link because some of the articles do mention Linux shortcomings. It's not my fault that overall Linux leaves a positive impression, and I am not surprised as that seems concur with my own experiences. Remember, all software sucks, some just sucks less.
Perhaps something's wrong with your objectivity? Did you discount your own possible bias when reading the articles?
This news item is certainly not part of the deal, as I had forgotten about the Forbes/Slashdot deal when I submitted the link.
I don't know how much input Forbes got from Slashdot. My impression from the articles is that they probably got nothing more than a general idea what to look at, and that these articles are strictly on their own initiative.
Interesting. I got the link from a newsgroup, and I had sheer forgotten about Forbes getting its news from Slashdot.
Anyway, the articles don't sound like the usual stuff found on Slashdot, so I'd rather say they're both signs of a general interest of Forbes in 'alternative technologies'.
She doesn't have to worry, since I told her that there is no way she can screw up the server with hwr level of permissions.
This is it. This is the sticking point. People are afraid of technology these days, and this is the great inhibitor. Linux users of all proficiency levels tend to love technology and not be afraid of it, but their familiarity looks like wizardry to ordinary people.
Getting people over that hurdle, that technology is not scary, and that learning to understand technology, even to a limited degree, will improve the way you use your computer and make it actually enjoyable will make people more likely to become computer savvy. Of course, more computer savvy means also that an Operating System that tries to insulate you from the underlying technology is quickly seen as limited and inadequate.
A nice example that goes along with yours: my flatmate works in childcare and is a complete computer newbie. The first times she used my computer she got the hang of logging in and navigating the Gnome desktop just fine, but she got scared whenever something crashed, thinking it was her fault somehow. After teaching her the rudimentary recovery techniques (Ctrl-Alt-Backspace) and instilling in her the confidence that the occasional crash is not her fault, she has become more confident and enjoys using my computer more and more (judging from my reading of the logs she is starting to spend quite some time behind the keyboard when I'm not around). Heck, she even gets it that the fact that some website doesn't work in Galeon is not her fault, but the dumb webmonkey's. Funny that she doesn't seem to mind just forgetting about those sites and just patronise the ones that do stick to the standards.
A key component of advocating Linux is advocating a basic understanding of technology, as you so rightly pointed out.
Your userID seems to suggest you're in the UK, right? Try getting your hands on a copy of Linux Format.
Not only do you get 2 CDs or 1 DVD full of the latest bleeding edge software, but they run a monthly feature with projects needing help in all areas, from coding to documentation writing, graphics design and advocacy, including instructions on how to contact the developers.
If you're not UK based, Linux Format is also being sold in the U.S., and I can heartily recommend the magazine as one of the best.
Hmm. Regarding the colours, that's probably due to the default Gtk/Gnome theme on your machine.
With some knowledge on how Gtk works you could install a high contrast theme (A3000 is a nice one) to improve it a bit. That requires some.gtkrc hackery though.
The easier (read: GUI) way is to install the Gnome Control Center and use that to install the theme. Just download, untar, and point the control center to the theme directory (the Control Center looks in ~/.themes by default I believe, so you should untar the theme in there).
And don't forget the old and tired 'recompile the kernel to add new hardware' bit.
He even had the gall to say that after mentioning he'd been using Debian. Debian comes with precompiled modules for just about every piece of hardware possible. Heck, in testing and unstable they even give you the 0.9 ALSA drivers. The only other distro to offer those prepackaged is SuSE (AFAIK, how far are Mandrake and Red Hat on the ALSA front?).
This is just a gigantic troll, and I think the only reason it was posted was to generate discussion.
Not that that is a bad thing per se, as a lot of discussion inevitably will lead to some perceptive comments, but I feel that the astroturfers will have a field day today.
Heh. Don't tell me you've only sold three CDs? With your constant advertising for ampcast and the user demographic of Slashdot I'd expected you to do better. My remark was mostly meant to underscore that a generous preview policy is good for sales. Now don't you go robbing me of my good faith in humanity;-)
As for the inner gatefold of 'Wounded Skies', I like it a lot. It looks a lot like the more rural parts of my home country (the Netherlands), where I like to take a bicycle when I need some peace and quiet.
Anyway thanks for the good music, and I'll be watching your work for more good stuff. I mostly like rock in all guises, so I'll skip the electronic stuff if you don't mind.
I can witness to this, as I just bought two of Chris' CDs after downloading one entire, and one song of the other. I had to wait three months between the download and actually buying the stuff, since I am dependent on friends ordering for me (no CC), but I was very happy with this.
As a result, I am now plugging Chris to friends and acquaintances of whom I know they would like his stuff.
BTW Chris, nice piece of mixing on 'Koala'. I could hear the percussion effects literally floating in front of my eyes. Keep up the good work!
Sorry to follow up twice, but if the Chartreux breed piqued your interest, watch out that they don't try to sell you a British Blue as Chartreux. They're different breeds altogether.
You might want to look into the Chartreux (sp?). A beautiful dark blue shorthair, and they do get pretty big. The Maine Coon might have a little more in length, but the Chartreux is supposed to be a well-muscled heavyset cat, and since it's also supposed to have a bit more height, in the end it should be about as big as a Maine Coon.
They're also know as pretty friendly, but be warned that they might turn out to be very active, as they were originally bred as rat hunters. This also explains their rather impressive physique (for a member of felis domesticus), as rats tend to rather aggressive fighters, and these cats should be able to handle that physically.
As you already seem to be considering a cat, here's a few words from a cat lover:
Cats vary greatly in temperament. If you go for a purebred, be sure to avoid the more active breeds like e.g. the Maine Coon. These animals are not suited for small apartments. Of course, a moggie from the local animal shelter will be a complete crapshoot as to its temperament. You might think to end up with a nice lapcat, and instead you might become the proud property* of a serial mouse murderer that prowls the apartment the whole night.
Another part of a cats temperament is how talkative it will be. A slight drop of Siamese (or even a purebred) will talk the ears off of your head. Trust me, my flatmate has one of those, and they can be really irritating when they insist on getting attention. OTOH, a friend of mine has a purebred Persian that is very quiet, just a little low-key meow when the guys enter for our weekly D&D night is all she ever does.
Another thing to watch out for is how the cat reacts to strangers. Some are extremely picky, to the point of actually assaulting strangers that try to pet them. Of course, these are usually very attached to the humans they actually live with (I used to have one of those). The aforementioned Persian on the other hand just loves attention, and she gets plenty of it during our D&D nights.
Cats are nocturnal predators, but they are most active just after dusk, or just before dawn. Great if you're in the habit of doing nightly coding sessions, less so if you want to sleep and you're not an early riser. Sooner or later kitty will find out the sure way to get you out of your bed, either to get some attention, or to get you to prepare some food.
Finally, the one constant in cat behaviour is that they are relatively independent animals. Some may require a little more attention than others, but they all share the same characteristic: if they want to do something, they damn well will do it. It is very hard to teach a cat that you don't want it to do some things. If it's something you really don't want your cat to do, the proper way to teach the cat is to lightly tap it with one or two fingers just behind the ears as it is in the midst of its transgression (punishment after the fact is ineffective). This is the way a mother punishes her kittens, so this should state very clearly to the cat that this is in fact forbidden behaviour. A mother will actually hit harder than just a light tap, but it is the location which matters. A cat will associate a boxed ear with punishment, and even though you may have to repeat it a few times, it will eventually learn. Alternatively, for some cats just saying 'No!' in a stern loud voice may do.
From the description you gave us, and from the few reactions you posted in this thread, I'd say go for a cat. They're great animals, but I personally still think that they are all completely nuts. That of course enhances the entertainment value.
Mart
*Of course, as anyone living with a cat will tell you, humans don't own cats, cats own humans.
Just make the packaging cool, and people will be way more likely to buy a CD rather than copy it.
Amen, brother!
I don't know if this is a European thing or if they are now doing the same thing in the States, but lately I've noticed that the music cartel is issuing remastered CDs with nothing in the case except a fscking brochure hyping their product. No lyrics booklet, just the original cover and lots of marketing hype.
For fscks sake, if they want to push their back catalog, that's what the Web is for. What would it cost them to print lyrics instead of photos and slogans?
What few CDs I buy, I buy either second-hand or from the bargain bin. Full price isn't worth it, not even considering my standard that I should like all tracks on the CD good enough for repeat listening over a period of years
A similar case of a news aggregation service deeplinking to newspaper sites was tried about a year ago in the Netherlands, and was ruled in favour of deeplinking.
Finally got around to answering you, so here goes.
In order to have grounds for civil prosecution, the DOJ has to prove a violation of the Sherman Act. According to this act, these violations are felonies.
So in order to start civil proceedings, the DOJ still has to prove that Microsoft committed a felony crime, violating sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. To start criminal or civil proceedings to address Microsofts acts is up to the discretion of the DOJ, but the definition of those acts is not: they are felony crimes.
This is the way it is done under Dutch law, with which I am very familiar having studied it, and a little research indicates that US legal practice does not differ a lot. First it must be established that a wrongful act (the Dutch term loosely translated) has occurred, before civil proceedings can start. This wrongful act may be a crime, and it is not necessary that this crime be penalised after a criminal prosecution first. However, the fact of the crime must be established to have grounds to prosecute in a civil case. The only difference appears to be that in US anti-trust proceedings the determination of guilt and the civil enforcement proceedings can be rolled into one case, as is the case in the US vs. Microsoft.
So here is my question: did or did not the DOJ prove that Microsoft violated criminal law as grounds for its civil proceedings?
I've been getting SSH scans from a Polish ISP right this week. I don't run BitchX (I use X-Chat), but a backdoor discovered with a Polish IP hardcoded in, and an increase in script kiddie activity from Poland in the same week doesn't sound like a coincidence to me.
From the Sherman Act, as published by the DOJ Antitrust division:
Article 1
...Every person who shall make any contract or engage in any combination or conspiracy hereby declared to be illegal shall be deemed guilty of a felony...
Article 2
Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony...
These were the articles under which Microsoft got sued by the DOJ, and at least partially convicted.
So MS is a convicted felon. But nice to see you still got your blinders on.
Well, you were otherwise doing a wonderful job expounding the argument, and I noticed it came very close to my thinking on the subject, so it made sense to ask you if it was actually the same.
Thanks for the compliment anyway, and I hope you get to see this post (I forgot to check my user info for a couple of days). You've been doing a wonderful job in this discussion, and your posts were a good read.
As for the -1, Flamebait', given the subject of the discussion and my obvious position, I think my sig triggered one of the astroturfers with mod privileges. A shame really, but "them's the breaks" with the moderation. I'm sure I've had a few positive mods I didn't deserve either.
Slashdot Mirror
I may be wrong here, but wasn't that the exact reason the authors of Broadcast 2000 gave when they pulled the download from their site?
MartYou could try showing her PySol. Just about every known solitaire variant is in there, coupled with beautiful cardsets (some of them scanned versions of antique designs).
MartActually, in general if you read what RMS has written, you'll find out that there is a tremendous difference in what Stallman says and what people say he says.
I find almost all of RMS' public utterings, whether written or spoken, to be as lucid and reasonable as this little piece. It is imperative however that you get his views firsthand, as people have a bad habit of quoting him out of context or misunderstanding him completely. Sometimes this is inadvertent, sometimes this is deliberate.
Check the GNU philosophy page for RMS' views straight from himself.
MartI specifically submitted the link because some of the articles do mention Linux shortcomings. It's not my fault that overall Linux leaves a positive impression, and I am not surprised as that seems concur with my own experiences. Remember, all software sucks, some just sucks less.
Perhaps something's wrong with your objectivity? Did you discount your own possible bias when reading the articles?
martThis news item is certainly not part of the deal, as I had forgotten about the Forbes/Slashdot deal when I submitted the link.
I don't know how much input Forbes got from Slashdot. My impression from the articles is that they probably got nothing more than a general idea what to look at, and that these articles are strictly on their own initiative.
MartHey, give me a break, OK? It was 0:10 PM when I submitted the article, and I had a rough day at work.
I will not use the excuse that English is not my native language, as I speak and write that on a native level.
So, where's your contribution to Slashdot?
MartInteresting. I got the link from a newsgroup, and I had sheer forgotten about Forbes getting its news from Slashdot.
Anyway, the articles don't sound like the usual stuff found on Slashdot, so I'd rather say they're both signs of a general interest of Forbes in 'alternative technologies'.
MartMy fault, sorry. I didn't mean software development, but I meant to use the word in the more general sense.
MartThis is it. This is the sticking point. People are afraid of technology these days, and this is the great inhibitor. Linux users of all proficiency levels tend to love technology and not be afraid of it, but their familiarity looks like wizardry to ordinary people.
Getting people over that hurdle, that technology is not scary, and that learning to understand technology, even to a limited degree, will improve the way you use your computer and make it actually enjoyable will make people more likely to become computer savvy. Of course, more computer savvy means also that an Operating System that tries to insulate you from the underlying technology is quickly seen as limited and inadequate.
A nice example that goes along with yours: my flatmate works in childcare and is a complete computer newbie. The first times she used my computer she got the hang of logging in and navigating the Gnome desktop just fine, but she got scared whenever something crashed, thinking it was her fault somehow. After teaching her the rudimentary recovery techniques (Ctrl-Alt-Backspace) and instilling in her the confidence that the occasional crash is not her fault, she has become more confident and enjoys using my computer more and more (judging from my reading of the logs she is starting to spend quite some time behind the keyboard when I'm not around). Heck, she even gets it that the fact that some website doesn't work in Galeon is not her fault, but the dumb webmonkey's. Funny that she doesn't seem to mind just forgetting about those sites and just patronise the ones that do stick to the standards.
A key component of advocating Linux is advocating a basic understanding of technology, as you so rightly pointed out.
MartYour userID seems to suggest you're in the UK, right? Try getting your hands on a copy of Linux Format.
Not only do you get 2 CDs or 1 DVD full of the latest bleeding edge software, but they run a monthly feature with projects needing help in all areas, from coding to documentation writing, graphics design and advocacy, including instructions on how to contact the developers.
If you're not UK based, Linux Format is also being sold in the U.S., and I can heartily recommend the magazine as one of the best.
MartNever thought I'd see myself doing this, but dear God, this is possibly one of the most Insightful things I have read here in months.
MartWith some knowledge on how Gtk works you could install a high contrast theme (A3000 is a nice one) to improve it a bit. That requires some .gtkrc hackery though.
The easier (read: GUI) way is to install the Gnome Control Center and use that to install the theme. Just download, untar, and point the control center to the theme directory (the Control Center looks in ~/.themes by default I believe, so you should untar the theme in there).
MartAnd don't forget the old and tired 'recompile the kernel to add new hardware' bit.
He even had the gall to say that after mentioning he'd been using Debian. Debian comes with precompiled modules for just about every piece of hardware possible. Heck, in testing and unstable they even give you the 0.9 ALSA drivers. The only other distro to offer those prepackaged is SuSE (AFAIK, how far are Mandrake and Red Hat on the ALSA front?).
This is just a gigantic troll, and I think the only reason it was posted was to generate discussion.
Not that that is a bad thing per se, as a lot of discussion inevitably will lead to some perceptive comments, but I feel that the astroturfers will have a field day today.
MartHeh. Don't tell me you've only sold three CDs? With your constant advertising for ampcast and the user demographic of Slashdot I'd expected you to do better. My remark was mostly meant to underscore that a generous preview policy is good for sales. Now don't you go robbing me of my good faith in humanity ;-)
As for the inner gatefold of 'Wounded Skies', I like it a lot. It looks a lot like the more rural parts of my home country (the Netherlands), where I like to take a bicycle when I need some peace and quiet.
Anyway thanks for the good music, and I'll be watching your work for more good stuff. I mostly like rock in all guises, so I'll skip the electronic stuff if you don't mind.
MartI can witness to this, as I just bought two of Chris' CDs after downloading one entire, and one song of the other. I had to wait three months between the download and actually buying the stuff, since I am dependent on friends ordering for me (no CC), but I was very happy with this.
As a result, I am now plugging Chris to friends and acquaintances of whom I know they would like his stuff.
BTW Chris, nice piece of mixing on 'Koala'. I could hear the percussion effects literally floating in front of my eyes. Keep up the good work!
MartSorry to follow up twice, but if the Chartreux breed piqued your interest, watch out that they don't try to sell you a British Blue as Chartreux. They're different breeds altogether.
MartYou might want to look into the Chartreux (sp?). A beautiful dark blue shorthair, and they do get pretty big. The Maine Coon might have a little more in length, but the Chartreux is supposed to be a well-muscled heavyset cat, and since it's also supposed to have a bit more height, in the end it should be about as big as a Maine Coon.
They're also know as pretty friendly, but be warned that they might turn out to be very active, as they were originally bred as rat hunters. This also explains their rather impressive physique (for a member of felis domesticus), as rats tend to rather aggressive fighters, and these cats should be able to handle that physically.
MartBrian,
As you already seem to be considering a cat, here's a few words from a cat lover:
From the description you gave us, and from the few reactions you posted in this thread, I'd say go for a cat. They're great animals, but I personally still think that they are all completely nuts. That of course enhances the entertainment value.
Mart
*Of course, as anyone living with a cat will tell you, humans don't own cats, cats own humans.
Amen, brother!
I don't know if this is a European thing or if they are now doing the same thing in the States, but lately I've noticed that the music cartel is issuing remastered CDs with nothing in the case except a fscking brochure hyping their product. No lyrics booklet, just the original cover and lots of marketing hype.
For fscks sake, if they want to push their back catalog, that's what the Web is for. What would it cost them to print lyrics instead of photos and slogans?
What few CDs I buy, I buy either second-hand or from the bargain bin. Full price isn't worth it, not even considering my standard that I should like all tracks on the CD good enough for repeat listening over a period of years
MartAh, but that's the good news.
A similar case of a news aggregation service deeplinking to newspaper sites was tried about a year ago in the Netherlands, and was ruled in favour of deeplinking.
MartFinally got around to answering you, so here goes.
In order to have grounds for civil prosecution, the DOJ has to prove a violation of the Sherman Act. According to this act, these violations are felonies.
So in order to start civil proceedings, the DOJ still has to prove that Microsoft committed a felony crime, violating sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. To start criminal or civil proceedings to address Microsofts acts is up to the discretion of the DOJ, but the definition of those acts is not: they are felony crimes.
This is the way it is done under Dutch law, with which I am very familiar having studied it, and a little research indicates that US legal practice does not differ a lot. First it must be established that a wrongful act (the Dutch term loosely translated) has occurred, before civil proceedings can start. This wrongful act may be a crime, and it is not necessary that this crime be penalised after a criminal prosecution first. However, the fact of the crime must be established to have grounds to prosecute in a civil case. The only difference appears to be that in US anti-trust proceedings the determination of guilt and the civil enforcement proceedings can be rolled into one case, as is the case in the US vs. Microsoft.
So here is my question: did or did not the DOJ prove that Microsoft violated criminal law as grounds for its civil proceedings?
MartHey. That's interesting.
I've been getting SSH scans from a Polish ISP right this week. I don't run BitchX (I use X-Chat), but a backdoor discovered with a Polish IP hardcoded in, and an increase in script kiddie activity from Poland in the same week doesn't sound like a coincidence to me.
MartAnd obviously Salon massively overrated the demand for those expensive writers.
Which tells us one thing and one thing only: If people are not willing to pay your price, you either drop it or go out of business.
Guess those writers were not so well-respected after all.
MartFrom the Sherman Act, as published by the DOJ Antitrust division:
Article 1
Article 2
These were the articles under which Microsoft got sued by the DOJ, and at least partially convicted.
So MS is a convicted felon. But nice to see you still got your blinders on.
MartWell, you were otherwise doing a wonderful job expounding the argument, and I noticed it came very close to my thinking on the subject, so it made sense to ask you if it was actually the same.
Thanks for the compliment anyway, and I hope you get to see this post (I forgot to check my user info for a couple of days). You've been doing a wonderful job in this discussion, and your posts were a good read.
As for the -1, Flamebait', given the subject of the discussion and my obvious position, I think my sig triggered one of the astroturfers with mod privileges. A shame really, but "them's the breaks" with the moderation. I'm sure I've had a few positive mods I didn't deserve either.
Mart