That's an excellent reason in a democracy, even if emotionally defective people don't understand it.
No. To say that "it's the right thing to do" does not in any way help us determine why or whether it's "the right thing to do". Calling me "emotionally defective" likewise does nothing at all to support your particular assertion.
Since they are nearly a duopoly, I actually can't.
You can do without the software just as much as Apple and Microsoft "can always dissolve".
I'd much rather use the democratic process to force Apple and Microsoft to do what I consider the right and moral thing to do.
What you consider the "right and moral thing to do" isn't necessarily "right" or "moral". Also, you refer to the "democratic process" as if such a process is inherently good, but the fact is there's nothing about "majority rule" that makes it inherently ethical.
Prove to me that people are entitled to a particular software package and I'll agree that accessibility features should be mandatory. Failing that, show me that the software's creation was publicly funded and I'll agree that accessibility features should be mandatory. Otherwise, I don't think it's the government's place to mandate development of accessibility features. But perhaps I'm wrong, so please tell me: "Why should Apple or Microsoft be required to [make their software accessible]?"
I don't mean to sound like I'm against making software more accessible to disabled users, but what are the details of the Attorney General's involvement in this. Were there any threats made against Apple concerning iTunes accessibility? I thought private companies weren't required to make their software accessible, which is a policy that I fully agree with.
Too much bullying by Attorneys General these days (see NY AG's actions w.r.t. UseNet).
"Since we currently can do genetic engineering, and there's some possibility that intelligent life will be discovered as having existed in the past nearby, maybe some civilization nearby visited Earth and, since we can already do it, went ahead and... oops. Can't propose that, and since I can't propose it, can't ever investigate it. Academic crimestop."
If life on Earth had indeed been created by intelligent beings from outer space and evidence of that fact were provided, I am sure no honest scientist would oppose the teaching of such a theory.
Of course, there is absolutely no evidence for such a claim, so at the moment it's nothing more than pure speculation and therefore does not belong in science class. Speculation is not synonymous with theory, and It's not "academic crimestop" to prevent the teaching of nonsense in our public schools. In fact, preventing its teaching it's the only responsible thing to do.
Considering PayPal wants access to my bank account in order for me to purchase anything through their service, I absolutely refuse to do business with merchants who only take PayPal. Why would anybody trust a company like PayPal with their bank account details?
Now that I can't pay for items via Money Orders, I'll be even less inclined to purchase stuff through eBay.
I intend to avoid downloadable content until it's at least as flexible as physical media. I want the ability to move my copy of a movie from machine to machine, and to lend it, give it or sell it to somebody else once I'm done with it. A one-time download is a sucker's deal.
I'm glad to see Wikileaks is back up, along with the Palin article. For a while I thought it was being censored by the thugs in charge.
What a shame the media is focusing on the hacking angle rather than on Palin's inappropriate use of personal communications channels for government business.
If the stuff you post has no bearing on your ability to be a good student, you do have grounds for complaint. Life shouldn't be limited to whatever is acceptable to admissions officers with an overinflated sense of their ability to judge other people's character. Perhaps you're happy fitting into other people's molds of what people should be, but many people are not. Their personal lives -- even when discussed in public -- should generally have no bearing on your ability to attend college and improve yourself.
The series ends with a look at EA Sports' plans for the future, and how they're trying to create a new business model beyond the micro-payments popularized by iTunes, which Moore calls 'a rip-off.'
Nah. Paying $49.99 for software that incorporates stricter DRM than a 99 cent iTunes song... now that is a rip-off!
If this treaty goes through, citizens of each signatory country will be subject to the longest terms and the strictest restrictions among those of all the countries that sign the treaty. It means Canadians will have to follow the DMCA, and websites such as Project Gutenberg will not be able to publish public domain books if they're otherwise still under copyright in a signatory country.
You are full of shit. This is what you said in another post:
A nation of WHITE immigrants. European immigrants. Thus, the US was a nation of Europeans. Not third world mud races. We are smart and beautiful. They are ugly and stupid (as well as immoral). Is the destruction of our gene pool really worth the short term monetary profit? I don't think so.
Capitalism is destroying the American gene pool for profit. The leaders are destroying the American gene pool in order to balkanize the nation, and thus cement their grip on power.
This is happening in every white nation by the way. Probably the Jews exploiting the weakness of money lust in our leaders in order to fulfill their long time goal of committing genocide against the European and Slavic races. Remember, the jews are the most racist race on the planet. No one else calls themselves god's chosen race. They force mutliculturalism upon everyone else, inorder to destroy them, while marrying only their own race as their racial religion teaches them. Their religion acts as a gene flow barrier. They don't even need their apartheid state of Israel.
I'd call you racist, but you, apparently, are only "biased". Politically-correct racism? Never thought I'd see the day!
"So why is it so absurd to believe that the rest of it's true?"
Even if I thought your list agrees with reality, that question is no better than asking: Harry Potter takes place in the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom is a real place... so why is it so absurd to believe that the rest of Harry Potter is true?
I'm not convinced superstition itself is responsible for our survival. Instead, I think superstition is a necessary but (hopefully) temporary side effect of our cognitive development as a species. The moment our ancestors gained the ability to form mental models of the world they also gained the ability to form false mental models of the world and therefore the ability to hold superstitious beliefs. In the sense that our cognitive abilities have aided our survival it could be argued superstition was a necessary element but not itself a major contributor to our survival.
"... if someone wants to do a policy where there's CD copy protection, but after the first month [consumers] can download a patch that gets rid of it [...] that's a perfectly good solution too."
No, it's not. You're selling me a crippled game on the promise that you'll fix it in the future. A month may as well turn into a century for all a promise is worth.
Slashdot Mirror
No. To say that "it's the right thing to do" does not in any way help us determine why or whether it's "the right thing to do". Calling me "emotionally defective" likewise does nothing at all to support your particular assertion.
You can do without the software just as much as Apple and Microsoft "can always dissolve".
What you consider the "right and moral thing to do" isn't necessarily "right" or "moral". Also, you refer to the "democratic process" as if such a process is inherently good, but the fact is there's nothing about "majority rule" that makes it inherently ethical.
That's not a reason.
If users dislike the fact that software X lacks accessibility features, they can buy a competing package or else do without.
Prove to me that people are entitled to a particular software package and I'll agree that accessibility features should be mandatory. Failing that, show me that the software's creation was publicly funded and I'll agree that accessibility features should be mandatory. Otherwise, I don't think it's the government's place to mandate development of accessibility features. But perhaps I'm wrong, so please tell me: "Why should Apple or Microsoft be required to [make their software accessible]?"
I don't mean to sound like I'm against making software more accessible to disabled users, but what are the details of the Attorney General's involvement in this. Were there any threats made against Apple concerning iTunes accessibility? I thought private companies weren't required to make their software accessible, which is a policy that I fully agree with.
Too much bullying by Attorneys General these days (see NY AG's actions w.r.t. UseNet).
"But that's never going to happen to [DRM service X]. The company behind [DRM service X] is just too big and profitable!"
"Since we currently can do genetic engineering, and there's some possibility that intelligent life will be discovered as having existed in the past nearby, maybe some civilization nearby visited Earth and, since we can already do it, went ahead and... oops. Can't propose that, and since I can't propose it, can't ever investigate it. Academic crimestop."
If life on Earth had indeed been created by intelligent beings from outer space and evidence of that fact were provided, I am sure no honest scientist would oppose the teaching of such a theory.
Of course, there is absolutely no evidence for such a claim, so at the moment it's nothing more than pure speculation and therefore does not belong in science class. Speculation is not synonymous with theory, and It's not "academic crimestop" to prevent the teaching of nonsense in our public schools. In fact, preventing its teaching it's the only responsible thing to do.
Because they make more money when people pay via PayPal, which they own.
Considering PayPal wants access to my bank account in order for me to purchase anything through their service, I absolutely refuse to do business with merchants who only take PayPal. Why would anybody trust a company like PayPal with their bank account details?
Now that I can't pay for items via Money Orders, I'll be even less inclined to purchase stuff through eBay.
eBay is in serious need of competition.
I intend to avoid downloadable content until it's at least as flexible as physical media. I want the ability to move my copy of a movie from machine to machine, and to lend it, give it or sell it to somebody else once I'm done with it. A one-time download is a sucker's deal.
You know what? Kill me. Just... kill me.
I'm glad to see Wikileaks is back up, along with the Palin article. For a while I thought it was being censored by the thugs in charge.
What a shame the media is focusing on the hacking angle rather than on Palin's inappropriate use of personal communications channels for government business.
Their personal lives -- even when discussed in public -- should generally have no bearing on their ability to attend college and improve yourself.
If the stuff you post has no bearing on your ability to be a good student, you do have grounds for complaint. Life shouldn't be limited to whatever is acceptable to admissions officers with an overinflated sense of their ability to judge other people's character. Perhaps you're happy fitting into other people's molds of what people should be, but many people are not. Their personal lives -- even when discussed in public -- should generally have no bearing on your ability to attend college and improve yourself.
Yah. Because bitching about Slashdot posters is soooo original.
Nah. Paying $49.99 for software that incorporates stricter DRM than a 99 cent iTunes song... now that is a rip-off!
If this treaty goes through, citizens of each signatory country will be subject to the longest terms and the strictest restrictions among those of all the countries that sign the treaty. It means Canadians will have to follow the DMCA, and websites such as Project Gutenberg will not be able to publish public domain books if they're otherwise still under copyright in a signatory country.
This is bad.
"Microsoft delivered the pasta!"
"Anonymizing after such a time serves no one's real privacy interest."
Do we really want Google to become a one-stop shop for all of law-enforcement's "what did this person search for this year" needs?
In other words, not at all the same as CDs.
"Your ad hominem attack does not convince me of any fallacies in his arguments any better than the last ad hominem attack."
What makes you think I was making an argument?
You are full of shit. This is what you said in another post:
I'd call you racist, but you, apparently, are only "biased". Politically-correct racism? Never thought I'd see the day!
"So why is it so absurd to believe that the rest of it's true?"
Even if I thought your list agrees with reality, that question is no better than asking: Harry Potter takes place in the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom is a real place... so why is it so absurd to believe that the rest of Harry Potter is true?
I'm not convinced superstition itself is responsible for our survival. Instead, I think superstition is a necessary but (hopefully) temporary side effect of our cognitive development as a species. The moment our ancestors gained the ability to form mental models of the world they also gained the ability to form false mental models of the world and therefore the ability to hold superstitious beliefs. In the sense that our cognitive abilities have aided our survival it could be argued superstition was a necessary element but not itself a major contributor to our survival.
"... if someone wants to do a policy where there's CD copy protection, but after the first month [consumers] can download a patch that gets rid of it [...] that's a perfectly good solution too."
No, it's not. You're selling me a crippled game on the promise that you'll fix it in the future. A month may as well turn into a century for all a promise is worth.
"What would be the big loss for them to only allow people who have purchased the game from them to make a rating?"
The loss of reviews from people who've purchased the game elsewhere.