Phone maker Nokia has come down strongly against warchalking. It has condemned as theft the placing of chalk symbols on walls and pavements at places where people can use wireless net access.
How is WarChalking theft? It is not! This demonisation of WarChalkers in the mass media is akin to the ignorance of the distinction between Hackers and Crackers.
I am a Computer Professional; I am also a WarChalker. I am not a criminal or thief. I have never stolen bandwidth or illegally accessed a computer.
The first issue to remember is WiFi is public spectrum it belongs to everybody not to a particular company simply because they've bought an Access Point.
Secondly most WarChalkers provide internet access via a WarChalked WiFi Access Point out of community spirit or as part of expermental community wireless projects.
At first it appeared to me that some technically ignorant Nokia marketing droid had simple jumped on the sensationaist anti-WarChalking bandwagon as paraded in the mass-media.
However as I write this it is becoming increasing obvious to me that this attack is more insipid. Nokia's problem is that cooperative community based Wireless Access Projects run by WarChalkers are competition that will in future destroy their existing business models.
You seem to be missunderstanding my position. I am AGAINST this tool.
You also seem to be making incorrect assumptions about what WarChalking &| WarDriving are about, it is no more about cracking than hacking is. The majority of people doing these are the very people trying to develop invovative uses of the technology.
I suggest your persue this site: http://www.wardrivingisnotacrime.com/
spectrum used by 802.11b is available for anyone to use but you are still required to follow FCC regulations regarding how you operate within this spectrum
I agree. Though the author of this tool clearly does not. It is essentially an area denial of service attack for 802.11, filling the spectrum with invalid SSID's. This is akin to seeding local DNS servers with invalid domains, are worse hijacking popular domains. I am sure that the FCC would consider that abuse. I know the UK's Radio Communication Agency would.
but if you were to create a base station which prevented your neighbors from using [...]
I am not doing that, though anybody using this tool would be.
We should stop this attitude in its tracks, it is a selfish and irresponsible waste of bandwidth.
1) WarChalking &| WarDriving are not crimes, the bands used by 802.11 are *public airspace* they belong to *everyone* not *anyone*.
2) The vast majority of 802.11 access points are still expermental and like the early days of the Web are *supposed* to be *free* to use by responsible early adopters.
3) If your AP is not intended for public use, it is it's owners responsibility to secure it.
A Comparative Overview of C# [genamics.com] is blatant astroturfing from C# book author. The genamics.com review is riddled with problems, the author has ignored constructive feedback on the article, has a poor appreciation of OO and is inconsistency in his comparison. He also has a history of Atroturfing the forums.java.sun.com in support of C#.
IMHO this is a much higher quality comparative review.
The instustry[sic] is lacking decent metrics right now, so disagreements are popping up all over the place.
Your ignorance is only out weighed by your ego.
Metrics for OO Software Engineering have been around for years. Just because you have never heard of them does not mean they do not exist. If you spent as much time reading as trolling perhaps you would already know this.
Here are a few links to be going on with: http://www.dacs.dtic.mil/databases/url/key.hts?key code=66:101&islowerlevel=1
Software engineering is a dark-grey art (as apposed to a black art). As soon as one realizes this, things will start to look different.
The siren call of hacking and the fundamental difference between an amateur craft discipline and a professional engineering discipline. Let me guess; Self-Taught! The oxymoronic mantra of the incompetant.
That wouldn't be considered piracy since it's legal to record shows off the air for your own private use now. But, for 50 cents, is it really worth the bother of storing it yourself?
Especially when you think of the media cost and shelf space, it hardly seems worth the bother. I've already use this VOD service and have stopped worring about recording Movies. I just hire them for 2-3UKP when I want to watch them.
There is also another advantage for geeks using Content on Demand services, I seem to have more free time, from being able to beter organise me time. I not wasting time waiting for something to come on, or filling a gap between two programmes.
Contrast this with Sky which is almost 100% repeats, and 30% adverts (there's roughly 5 minutes of adverts every 10-12 minutes it seems) for the same price.
Coupled with the fact that Sky charges me a subscription nearly equal to be BBC licence fee and forces ~22-24 mins of Adverts an Hour on me really pisses me off as well. If it was not for the sci-fi I would can my subscription.
Then all the profits go to Rupert Murdock who refuses to pay his TAX bill, I really wish I had another choice, well I say roll on Content on Demand.
unless it's a mere coincidence, most of the satelite channels switch to adverts within seconds of each other, probably to stop channel switching, but I always flip to one of the BBC channels when the ads start for 5 minutes while they're on.
Noticed that as well, and I usually switch to BBC News 24.
The magical "any day now" video on demand is here.
Indeed Content On Demand is the future of consumer TV and is here now.
I work on this Project which as well as subscription DTV provides a comprehensive Content on Demand service that is not just limited to Movies. It includes Local, National and Global News, Local & National Weather, What's On and Documentaries. All high quality content provided by the BBC and Commercial stations. The revenue source is subscription which starts at 9UKP (~15EURO/USD), it includes 15 broadcast DTV channels and a lot of inclusive On-Demand Content, everthing except Movies and Music. Consumers are prepared to pay for high quality content. As a user of this service since launch two years ago I'm gotten increasingly unaccepting of advert breaks.
I should perhaps point out this is not a cable tv system as such, it is delivered using IP over ADSL, to provide a point to point broadband network.
this model bypasses both TiVo's and commercial television's revenue models.
Indeed we are developing a server side PVR system which provides a number of advantages over TIVO. The amount of content that a consumer can store is essentially unlimited, certainly not limited to 35 hours of a TIVO. The consumer does not have to make preset selections, just browse the historical epg. The overall cost is much less, since there is minimal duplication of data and service costs are consequently much lower. IMHO Client side PVR is doomed.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what Tomcat, Jetty, JBoss and J2ee App-Servers. They are not really competative but complementary products. A Java AppServer is composed of [at least] three main components. The HTTP deamon, a Servlet/JSP container and a EJB Container.
Jetty is a primarily HTTP deamon, it is designed to handle HTTP request in a scalable manner.
Tomcat is a Servlet/JSP container, it implements the Servlet API it provides limited HTTP handling and no EJB support. Tomcat is highly reliable more so than most commercial 'industrial strength' App Servers. On the performance side; the Tomcat 3.x architecture is not hot but is adequate for many applications, all but the heaviest loads. Tomcat 4.x is significant better in this regard, because it includes an enhanced HTTP deamon.
JBoss is an EJB container which uses Tomcat 4.0 as it's HTTP deamon and Servlet container.
Firstly remember this is more certainly about company politics than facts.
1) Ask to see the 'proof that IT is waste of money'. The critic won't be able to produce it because the dot-com crash was about the failure of the venture capital system not IT. Dot-com's failed when they lost their VC stream, which is why e-commerce is still growing volume, at a reduced rate. Indeed done well you could use this insight to decry the critics lack of perception/insight even 'deception'. 2) Recognise the critics are almost certainly using this as a tactic to increase their own [Dept] prestige, position and budget during difficult times at your expense. 3) Try to build bridges with the IT critics, try to enlist them to your cause, leverage your department's abilities to aid your allies. When the IT critics come to you for some, reply sorry no budget. Consider giving them some outage, make sure it's planned and during work hours because you don't have the budget to pay overtime. 4) When they come to you for a project, leverage your co-operation. 5) Learn some accounting how to prepare and manipulate cost benefit analysis, learn how to capitalise your expenditure. 6) Cannibalise your existing budgets, particularly closed licences, thin out some of the dead wood. 7) Reduce what deliverables your are prepared to make in keeping with budget restrictions imposed.
'The thing that drives me nuts is not having the "right" answer to check my answers against.'
The point is there is no *single* right answer, sometimes there multiple good answers, sometimes there are none. The point of the question is to examine the candidates problem solving ability, the ability to think under pressure and produce new answers and sometime the ability to be honest and say I don't know the correct answer. Sometimes the test is will you challenge somebody in obvious authority if they are talking b*ll*cks and can you do it diplomatically. Indeed you answer to this problem indicates [to me] you tend to apply cargo cult type solutions. You want to parachute in the correct answer without understanding why it is the 'correct' answer.
Consider a privacy law recently passed by the European Parliament requiring companies anywhere in the world to obtain permission before sending marketing e-mail to Europeans.
Jim Conway of the New York-based Direct Marketing Association worries that U.S. companies may have to scale back U.S. campaigns if they cannot assure that their mailing lists contain no European addresses.
Someone let me know if this DOES happen.. I'll be wanting a European email address the minute it occurs:)
IANAL. However.
In the UK, under section 1 of the 'The Computer Misuse Act 1990', it is illegal to 'causes a computer to perform any function with intent to secure access to any program ' if that access is unauthorised.
To my mind any email, that is not opt-in is illegal, since an SMTP connection is causing my Computer to perform a function, and I have not authorised.
'The Computer Misuse Act 1990' Section 1;
1.--(1) A person is guilty of an offence if-- (a) he causes a computer to perform any function with intent to secure access to any program or data held in any computer; (b) the access he intends to secure is unauthorised; and (c) he knows at the time when he causes the computer to perform the function that that is the case. (2) The intent a person has to have to commit an offence under this section need not be directed at-- (a) any particular program or data; (b) a program or data of any particular kind; or (c) a program or data held in any particular computer. (3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.
they can't use normal CDs, as the machine tells them that the CDs are "expired".
Easy. Use Consumer Activism. Report a fault to the equipment supplier each time it refuses to play a CD. This drives up their costs, therefore their prices and reduces their competitiveness. Eventually Starbucks will get the message and start using not fault equipment.
I can't help think about a strong corollary, where the geek sympathis are like to be reversed.
Hypothetically if somebody where to suggest GM tabacco with low/no nicotine, the established tabacco producers would likly follow a similar path and oppose, probably stating similar reasons. GM is bad, taste, choice, et. all.
Geeks would probably be sympathetic/support a GM change 'for the geater public good', after all nicotine is a dangerous addictive drug.
In this case I think many Geeks would follow pyrrho's lead and oppose the GM, since Caffine is also a rather dangerous addictive drug.
One of the points for using UDP over TCP is where 'guaranteed' data data delivery is not a 'hard' required. i.e. It does not cause a catastrophic failure.
We use Multicasting (IGMP is built on UDP) to 'broadcast' MPEG Video over an IP network for an Interactive DTV (www.kitv.co.uk) project.
This functions largely without problems, because maintaining an MPEG steam is highly time sensitive but it is not catastrophically sensitive to lost or dropped packets. These lost/dropped packets lead to video artifacts and not total loss of data, because the video stream can continue from the next received packet.
The quality issue is governed by *minimising* the lost packets not 'guaranteeing' them
This is not just a problem for PC users, it is a bigger problem for alternative access devices, for example STB's for Digital TV services which are increasingly Web enabled. A large propotion of web-sites do not work [well] because the web developers make assumtions that the access device is a PC.
This plays into Microsoft hands, because most alternative access devices are disruptive technologies that could break the Microsoft monopoly because most IP enabled STB's are Linux based. Some examples: http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS4506518394.html
Consider Slashdot & Google, these render poorly even on fully standardised DTV & STB's.
The biggest problems are:
1) Hardcoded widths in tables and frames instead of proportional. 2) Colour Saturation levels are too high for TV's. 3) Using proprietary web extensions like Flash, PDF, Real. 4) Poor Standards (www.w3c.org) support.
The most common Browser for on DTV systems is ANT's NC Fresco Browser (a Mozilla derrivative).
So if you find 'NCBrowser' or 'NCFresco' in the User Agent, you now know that it is a DTV/STB.
If you want argue that you get few/no visits from STB's, well you won't if you don't support them, so build it and they will come.
Slashdot Mirror
How is WarChalking theft? It is not! This demonisation of WarChalkers in the mass media is akin to the ignorance of the distinction between Hackers and Crackers.
I am a Computer Professional; I am also a WarChalker. I am not a criminal or thief. I have never stolen bandwidth or illegally accessed a computer.
The first issue to remember is WiFi is public spectrum it belongs to everybody not to a particular company simply because they've bought an Access Point.
Secondly most WarChalkers provide internet access via a WarChalked WiFi Access Point out of community spirit or as part of expermental community wireless projects.
At first it appeared to me that some technically ignorant Nokia marketing droid had simple jumped on the sensationaist anti-WarChalking bandwagon as paraded in the mass-media.
However as I write this it is becoming increasing obvious to me that this attack is more insipid. Nokia's problem is that cooperative community based Wireless Access Projects run by WarChalkers are competition that will in future destroy their existing business models.
I'm a narcissistic thrill seeking hedonistic liberal geek.
So where do I collect my 5 Bills ?
Paying the worlds poor to watch me bungie jump from mount rushmore into a vat of beer !!!
I'm a narcissistic thrill seeking hedonistic liberal geek.
So where do I collect my 5 Bills ?
You seem to be missunderstanding my position. I am AGAINST this tool.
You also seem to be making incorrect assumptions about what WarChalking &| WarDriving are about, it is no more about cracking than hacking is. The majority of people doing these are the very people trying to develop invovative uses of the technology.
I suggest your persue this site: http://www.wardrivingisnotacrime.com/
spectrum used by 802.11b is available for anyone to use but you are still required to follow FCC regulations regarding how you operate within this spectrum
I agree. Though the author of this tool clearly does not. It is essentially an area denial of service attack for 802.11, filling the spectrum with invalid SSID's. This is akin to seeding local DNS servers with invalid domains, are worse hijacking popular domains. I am sure that the FCC would consider that abuse. I know the UK's Radio Communication Agency would.
but if you were to create a base station which prevented your neighbors from using [...]
I am not doing that, though anybody using this tool would be.
This tool is essentially conducting an Area DOS attack against peer 802.11 services.
We should stop this attitude in its tracks, it is a selfish and irresponsible waste of bandwidth.
1) WarChalking &| WarDriving are not crimes, the bands used by 802.11 are *public airspace* they belong to *everyone* not *anyone*.
2) The vast majority of 802.11 access points are still expermental and like the early days of the Web are *supposed* to be *free* to use by responsible early adopters.
3) If your AP is not intended for public use, it is it's owners responsibility to secure it.
A Comparative Overview of C# [genamics.com] is blatant astroturfing from C# book author. The genamics.com review is riddled with problems, the author has ignored constructive feedback on the article, has a poor appreciation of OO and is inconsistency in his comparison. He also has a history of Atroturfing the forums.java.sun.com in support of C#.
IMHO this is a much higher quality comparative review.
The instustry[sic] is lacking decent metrics right now, so disagreements are popping up all over the place.
y code=66:101&islowerlevel=1
Your ignorance is only out weighed by your ego.
Metrics for OO Software Engineering have been around for years. Just because you have never heard of them does not mean they do not exist. If you spent as much time reading as trolling perhaps you would already know this.
Here are a few links to be going on with: http://www.dacs.dtic.mil/databases/url/key.hts?ke
Software engineering is a dark-grey art (as apposed to a black art). As soon as one realizes this, things will start to look different.
The siren call of hacking and the fundamental difference between an amateur craft discipline and a professional engineering discipline. Let me guess; Self-Taught! The oxymoronic mantra of the incompetant.
Take your ignorant trolling elsewhere.
That wouldn't be considered piracy since it's legal to record shows off the air for your own private use now. But, for 50 cents, is it really worth the bother of storing it yourself?
Especially when you think of the media cost and shelf space, it hardly seems worth the bother. I've already use this VOD service and have stopped worring about recording Movies. I just hire them for 2-3UKP when I want to watch them.
There is also another advantage for geeks using Content on Demand services, I seem to have more free time, from being able to beter organise me time. I not wasting time waiting for something to come on, or filling a gap between two programmes.
Contrast this with Sky which is almost 100% repeats, and 30% adverts (there's roughly 5 minutes of adverts every 10-12 minutes it seems) for the same price.
Coupled with the fact that Sky charges me a subscription nearly equal to be BBC licence fee and forces ~22-24 mins of Adverts an Hour on me really pisses me off as well. If it was not for the sci-fi I would can my subscription.
Then all the profits go to Rupert Murdock who refuses to pay his TAX bill, I really wish I had another choice, well I say roll on Content on Demand.
unless it's a mere coincidence, most of the satelite channels switch to adverts within seconds of each other, probably to stop channel switching, but I always flip to one of the BBC channels when the ads start for 5 minutes while they're on.
Noticed that as well, and I usually switch to BBC News 24.
The magical "any day now" video on demand is here.
Indeed Content On Demand is the future of consumer TV and is here now.
I work on this Project which as well as subscription DTV provides a comprehensive Content on Demand service that is not just limited to Movies. It includes Local, National and Global News, Local & National Weather, What's On and Documentaries. All high quality content provided by the BBC and Commercial stations. The revenue source is subscription which starts at 9UKP (~15EURO/USD), it includes 15 broadcast DTV channels and a lot of inclusive On-Demand Content, everthing except Movies and Music. Consumers are prepared to pay for high quality content. As a user of this service since launch two years ago I'm gotten increasingly unaccepting of advert breaks.
I should perhaps point out this is not a cable tv system as such, it is delivered using IP over ADSL, to provide a point to point broadband network.
this model bypasses both TiVo's and commercial television's revenue models.
Indeed we are developing a server side PVR system which provides a number of advantages over TIVO. The amount of content that a consumer can store is essentially unlimited, certainly not limited to 35 hours of a TIVO. The consumer does not have to make preset selections, just browse the historical epg. The overall cost is much less, since there is minimal duplication of data and service costs are consequently much lower. IMHO Client side PVR is doomed.
Is anything like [Learning Bots] happening already?
Two examples:
1) Technosphere http://www.technosphere.org.uk/
2) RoboCode http://apps.alphaworks.ibm.com/rumble/
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what Tomcat, Jetty, JBoss and J2ee App-Servers. They are not really competative but complementary products. A Java AppServer is composed of [at least] three main components. The HTTP deamon, a Servlet/JSP container and a EJB Container.
Jetty is a primarily HTTP deamon, it is designed to handle HTTP request in a scalable manner.
Tomcat is a Servlet/JSP container, it implements the Servlet API it provides limited HTTP handling and no EJB support. Tomcat is highly reliable more so than most commercial 'industrial strength' App Servers. On the performance side; the Tomcat 3.x architecture is not hot but is adequate for many applications, all but the heaviest loads. Tomcat 4.x is significant better in this regard, because it includes an enhanced HTTP deamon.
JBoss is an EJB container which uses Tomcat 4.0 as it's HTTP deamon and Servlet container.
Firstly remember this is more certainly about company politics than facts.
1) Ask to see the 'proof that IT is waste of money'. The critic won't be able to produce it because the dot-com crash was about the failure of the venture capital system not IT. Dot-com's failed when they lost their VC stream, which is why e-commerce is still growing volume, at a reduced rate. Indeed done well you could use this insight to decry the critics lack of perception/insight even 'deception'.
2) Recognise the critics are almost certainly using this as a tactic to increase their own [Dept] prestige, position and budget during difficult times at your expense.
3) Try to build bridges with the IT critics, try to enlist them to your cause, leverage your department's abilities to aid your allies. When the IT critics come to you for some, reply sorry no budget. Consider giving them some outage, make sure it's planned and during work hours because you don't have the budget to pay overtime.
4) When they come to you for a project, leverage your co-operation.
5) Learn some accounting how to prepare and manipulate cost benefit analysis, learn how to capitalise your expenditure.
6) Cannibalise your existing budgets, particularly closed licences, thin out some of the dead wood.
7) Reduce what deliverables your are prepared to make in keeping with budget restrictions imposed.
'The thing that drives me nuts is not having the "right" answer to check my answers against.'
The point is there is no *single* right answer, sometimes there multiple good answers, sometimes there are none. The point of the question is to examine the candidates problem solving ability, the ability to think under pressure and produce new answers and sometime the ability to be honest and say I don't know the correct answer. Sometimes the test is will you challenge somebody in obvious authority if they are talking b*ll*cks and can you do it diplomatically. Indeed you answer to this problem indicates [to me] you tend to apply cargo cult type solutions. You want to parachute in the correct answer without understanding why it is the 'correct' answer.
Consider a privacy law recently passed by the European Parliament requiring companies anywhere in the world to obtain permission before sending marketing e-mail to Europeans.
:)
.
0 01 8_en_1.htm
Jim Conway of the New York-based Direct Marketing Association worries that U.S. companies may have to scale back U.S. campaigns if they cannot assure that their mailing lists contain no European addresses.
Someone let me know if this DOES happen.. I'll be wanting a European email address the minute it occurs
IANAL. However.
In the UK, under section 1 of the 'The Computer Misuse Act 1990', it is illegal to 'causes a computer to perform any function with intent to secure access to any program ' if that access is unauthorised.
To my mind any email, that is not opt-in is illegal, since an SMTP connection is causing my Computer to perform a function, and I have not authorised
'The Computer Misuse Act 1990' Section 1;
1.--(1) A person is guilty of an offence if--
(a) he causes a computer to perform any function with intent to secure access to any program or data held in any computer;
(b) the access he intends to secure is unauthorised; and
(c) he knows at the time when he causes the computer to perform the function that that is the case.
(2) The intent a person has to have to commit an offence under this section need not be directed at--
(a) any particular program or data;
(b) a program or data of any particular kind; or
(c) a program or data held in any particular computer.
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1990/Ukpga_1990
they can't use normal CDs, as the machine tells them that the CDs are "expired".
Easy. Use Consumer Activism. Report a fault to the equipment supplier each time it refuses to play a CD. This drives up their costs, therefore their prices and reduces their competitiveness. Eventually Starbucks will get the message and start using not fault equipment.
I can't help think about a strong corollary, where the geek sympathis are like to be reversed.
Hypothetically if somebody where to suggest GM tabacco with low/no nicotine, the established tabacco producers would likly follow a similar path and oppose, probably stating similar reasons. GM is bad, taste, choice, et. all.
Geeks would probably be sympathetic/support a GM change 'for the geater public good', after all nicotine is a dangerous addictive drug.
In this case I think many Geeks would follow pyrrho's lead and oppose the GM, since Caffine is also a rather dangerous addictive drug.
Of course, I always delete the contract text before agreeing to it.
An alternative with possibly interesting legal implications, paste the GPL (or any alternative licence/contract) into the testarea and submit.
Since there are apparently no server side validation, it could be readily argued that they have accepted your change of terms.
I wonder what the legal implications of this would be ?
Why not use a Huge Vacuum cleaner ?
How can we be sure this is really what it appears and that it is not slashdot that his been socially engineered ?
One of the points for using UDP over TCP is where 'guaranteed' data data delivery is not a 'hard' required. i.e. It does not cause a catastrophic failure.
We use Multicasting (IGMP is built on UDP) to 'broadcast' MPEG Video over an IP network for an Interactive DTV (www.kitv.co.uk) project.
This functions largely without problems, because maintaining an MPEG steam is highly time sensitive but it is not catastrophically sensitive to lost or dropped packets. These lost/dropped packets lead to video artifacts and not total loss of data, because the video stream can continue from the next received packet.
The quality issue is governed by *minimising* the lost packets not 'guaranteeing' them
Recently the BBC has had rather a lot to say about ICANN on this subject here are three articles from the last few days.
Net body accused of bullying tactics
Net body under pressure
Reforming the running of the net
This is not just a problem for PC users, it is a bigger problem for alternative access devices, for example STB's for Digital TV services which are increasingly Web enabled. A large propotion of web-sites do not work [well] because the web developers make assumtions that the access device is a PC.
l
This plays into Microsoft hands, because most alternative access devices are disruptive technologies that could break the Microsoft monopoly because most IP enabled STB's are Linux based. Some examples: http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS4506518394.htm
Consider Slashdot & Google, these render poorly even on fully standardised DTV & STB's.
The biggest problems are:
1) Hardcoded widths in tables and frames instead of proportional.
2) Colour Saturation levels are too high for TV's.
3) Using proprietary web extensions like Flash, PDF, Real.
4) Poor Standards (www.w3c.org) support.
The most common Browser for on DTV systems is ANT's NC Fresco Browser (a Mozilla derrivative).
So if you find 'NCBrowser' or 'NCFresco' in the User Agent, you now know that it is a DTV/STB.
If you want argue that you get few/no visits from STB's, well you won't if you don't support them, so build it and they will come.
Funny, how a scientific publication uses 11 pages in attacking the book but only allows a one page rebuttal.
'Funny' perhaps alternatively that could be viewed as an indication of the relative 'weight' of the arguments.