The GPL does have its problems, and this is one of them.:-)
Did you mean "The GPL does have its problems, but this isn't one of them"? Because I don't see how a couple RedHat programmers borrowing code and not crediting the author is a problem with the GPL.
I never said it was a GOOD law...please...quote where I said that? Don't get overdefensive there...go have a "bongrip" and calm down. I am not going to defend things I didn't say.
No, you didn't say it was a good law. But you critsized people for breaking that law, and sugested they stop. This could either mean you (a) agree with the law, or (b) think people should be docile and do what they are told even if the law sucks.
I am kinda puzzled as to why you are still on the pot issue, as my second and third statements had exactly nothing to do with it. Because it is an excellent example of citizens being docile in regard to losing their liberties, and that has very much to do with your comments.
My own views on it are definitely not what you would find favorable, but I can debate that subject with more arguments than just saying that it's against the law. You say you canbut you don't. The only solid argument you can make on the pot issue is "its the law". You mock people who are prosecuted under this law (" I broke the law...I was prosecuted...I am a victim....right.") but you can't give a good reason the law exists in the first place! Make your argument. I want to hear it!
Well...my take on it, is that there is a RIGHT way to approach a problem, and a wrong way. The wrong way to approaching the drug debate is by just doing them all over the place anyway, and then crying "victim" when you get caught. Actually..."sitting around grinning" seems to be a pretty docile approach...
I agree those who smoke "all over the place" are taking unneeded risks. I smoke in the comfort of my home. But people should be able to sit down in the park and have a puff! What happened to the pursuit of happiness?
Pot is ilegal for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is taxation. If pot was legal, people could grow it all over the place (it's not called 'weed' for nothing!). Liquor and Tobacco can't be so eaisily produced, so most consumers purchase those items through traditional means. As such, they pay taxes on it! Pot is so easy to grow, it would be much harder to tax.
This is another law that is to the advantage of government, not the people being governed.
I agree.
Apple couldn't meet their much-hyped january date, so they released a commercial beta instead.
As both a customer and a stockholder, I think releasing a beta, even a buggy beta, was much better than not releasing anything at all. Like they did the previous january (OS X was demoed when many expected a release).
I agree that 2 or more buttons are better than one, but if that factor alone kept someone from buying a mac laptop they probably wern't to set on it in the first place. The mac is different enough from other computers that once you decide to buy one a little thing like a mouse button (or lack threof) probably isn't going to stop you.
...It's a good example of people who broke a law because they wanted to get toasted...very little else. (The occasional "medical" case...) So many pro drug people make them sound like victim saints, and they occasionally need a reality check. I broke the law...I was prosecuted...I am a victim....right. It's not a hard law not to break folks...it's not like jaywalking or something. If you need it so bad that you can't wait until a legalization effort reaches a conclusion, and risk so much, then you've already made their point that you have a problem.
Why shouldn't people "get toasted"? Hows it hurting anyone else? It's a bad law! It was written in a different time (for different reasons, too, if you want to go into those...) and should be changed. Why should my tax dollars pay for thousands (probably millions) of people to be jailed for something I don't see as a crime? These people are in jail because they got caught doing something I do on a regular basis. Pot is less harmfull to your health than liquor, and doesn't lead to domestic violence. It leads to sitting around grinning. Whats the harm in that? You tell me why I shouldn't be allowed a bongrip after a long day a work! Now onto your next insight...
If the government hurts the people, their rage will shift to the government. They aren't stupid docile animals
Sadly, many people are stupid docile animals. You, for example, sugest that people who enjoy pot should "wait until a legalization effort reaches a conclusion". People accross america with that same mindset will happily bend over when GWB asks them to "sacrifice a little freedom". And you'll probably respond to this post and tell me marijuna is bad because "its the law". Are you sure people aren't stupid docile animals?
Doesn't the CIA employ many, many crackers to bust into their stuff? Yes, and they also employ professional murders but that doesn't make murder legal.
(someone had to take that bait...;-)
How about growing marijuana? That is an excellent example of a victimless "crime" that numerous goodhearted American people are rotting in jail for right now.
Ashcroft's new proposals, though, go far beyond making computer-crime 'crime'. It already is. What he's doing is making it terrorism. People could be jailed for life for the electronic equivilent of graffitti.
"I don't believe that our definition of terrorism is so broad," said Ashcroft. "It is broad enough to include things like assaults on computers, and assaults designed to change the purpose of government."
The irony is that he wants to fight assaults designed to change the purpose of government by changing laws in direct response to a terrorist attack.
The long-term damage from the terror attacks will come from our leaders as they exploit public rage to slip new crap like this into federal law.
If something is an absolute it doesn't need to be "determined." It just is.
I agree slavery is 100% wrong. But you can't say "it just is." because it hasn't always been seen that way. It was considered OK at one time, and they probably considered it as just right as we now consider it wrong.
If we forget how and why it was determined that it was wrong, that it is not acceptable in our society, we lose understanding of our own past.
Speaking in more general terms:
Morals are not black and white; what you see as a given others will not.
And it is only through arogant certaintity that you can deem them wrong and yourself right.
I like cash. I also like paper. I'll bet i'm not the only one.
Nope. Lots of people love to feel their money in their hands, love to count it, love to smell it, etc. A buddy of mine keeps all his money he intends on spending in a month in cash form on him at all times.
I think it's a matter of preference though. Personally, I use my Visa CheckCard or my PayPal account for just about everything. Paychecks go in the bank, and anything that comes out can come out electronically.
99% of what I buy can be paid for by visa, and I like leaving myself a clear record of what I spend money on. Sure, I have to hit the atm from time to time (the anonyminity of cash is nice for certain purchases)... but I've probably made it through a month before without spending more than $40 of actual green cash (drug expenses aside).
So, I think it's a matter of preference. Some people like the modern cashlessness. But I think the feel of money in a person's hand is powerfull enough that we won't be entirely cashless for a long time.
For the price, however, it would be a good choice for a regular user (read: non-hacker). Most of the people who use it probably won't care that it's Linux anyway.
I disagree. I think a lot of linux fans would love to get their hands on a linux pda, and at that price I know I won't pass it up. Anyone know when they go on sale?
Home users would probably rather stick with a winCE device, since it looks like what they're used to.;-)
the most important thing when it comes to new OS's will be ease of use. for all the idiots out there. thats for it to be succesful anyways, not neccesarily good.
In response to a lengthy descrption of a drastically different computing paradigm, jimarndt responds that it should be 'easy to use'.
I'll bet jimarndt didn't read the article at all.
What Microsoft Research is sugesting is a network computing model unlike anything I've previously heard of.
Read this (from the article):
A user purchases and installs a new personal computer or workstation. The hardware vendor has done a good job with the cables and connectors, so plugging the system together is easy. The user plugs the power and network cables into the wall and flips the power switch. From the moment that a boot ROM, or perhaps a boot loader on disk, downloads code from the network, the new machine joins the Millennium system. The user has full access to Millennium with no human-managed configuration activities required. Millennium evaluates the hardware resources of the new computing device that it has acquired and starts to shift computations and data in response.
Wow! I'm all for a web-services model. I like the idea of having the line between an application and a really usefull website be blurred. But this is sugesting something much much more! Who controls the "Millennium" system? Obviously, they've got a certain company in mind.
Think about privacy on a system like this!
Think about the potential security risk (sure, security is on their list of goals, but that doesn't really make the problem go away!) on a system like this! In the "A new network" example, the reseachers say "The administrator inserts a Millennium installation DVD disk into one of the machines and the system propagates across the network." Imagine that I insert that dvd, only I'm not the administrator and the dvd isn't the system update. Think it won't happen? As we saw during CodeRed the windows update servers aren't even properly protected! Hackers would have a field day if the Milenium system were ever made a reality.
I think a much better paradigm for the "new millenium" (how long does it stay new?;-) is to make more web-services and make them with better web standards. That way everyone has access to them regardless of OS. Also, they should be spread out over many companies.
Microsoft wants the end-users of the world to put all their eggs in one basket and I don't think thats a good idea.
It sounds like a "Only in America" story - what do you americans think, does something like this have a realistic change of going through? And if something like that goes through, is there any reason to stay in that country any more.
A lot of people said that about the DMCA, and a lot of those people are still living in America.
This isn't like boycotting a certain piece of software because you don't like the EULA (as discussed earlier today in the frontpage story)- moving to a different country is a bit more difficult.
I could imagine something like this passing - afterall, this is a nation that wants to fight terrorists with counter-terrorism!
In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few. --Suzuki-roshi
So being certain and closed mined makes one an expert? I don't like that quote at all!
Maybe it should read In the young mind there are many possibilities. In the elderly mind there are few.
(yes I know replying to sigs is passe and even modbait, but I just couldn't resist. At least I'm not using my +1 bonus!)
Maybe you don't know about them because you aren't a bsd user.
I'm not a bsd user myself, and I'm curious to see what thas to offer (when I get home from work;-)
Slashdot Mirror
Why post this on Slashdot when the issue is nearly resolved?
So you think if the news has already happened, it isn't news?
This is clearly relevant.
This story clearly belongs on slashdot, regardless of if everyone made up.
Uncredited BSD code in the Linux Kernel! Think about it!!
Not that it is material to this argument, but how the hell would you know?
Because as noted, microsoft has credited BSD before!
The GPL does have its problems, and this is one of them. :-)
Did you mean "The GPL does have its problems, but this isn't one of them"? Because I don't see how a couple RedHat programmers borrowing code and not crediting the author is a problem with the GPL.
RedHat has been caught with their pants down and I expect they will make a full apology. This is a pretty clear cut case.
I never said it was a GOOD law...please...quote where I said that? Don't get overdefensive there...go have a "bongrip" and calm down. I am not going to defend things I didn't say.
No, you didn't say it was a good law. But you critsized people for breaking that law, and sugested they stop. This could either mean you (a) agree with the law, or (b) think people should be docile and do what they are told even if the law sucks.
I am kinda puzzled as to why you are still on the pot issue, as my second and third statements had exactly nothing to do with it.
Because it is an excellent example of citizens being docile in regard to losing their liberties, and that has very much to do with your comments.
My own views on it are definitely not what you would find favorable, but I can debate that subject with more arguments than just saying that it's against the law.
You say you can but you don't. The only solid argument you can make on the pot issue is "its the law". You mock people who are prosecuted under this law (" I broke the law...I was prosecuted...I am a victim....right.") but you can't give a good reason the law exists in the first place! Make your argument. I want to hear it!
Well...my take on it, is that there is a RIGHT way to approach a problem, and a wrong way. The wrong way to approaching the drug debate is by just doing them all over the place anyway, and then crying "victim" when you get caught. Actually..."sitting around grinning" seems to be a pretty docile approach...
I agree those who smoke "all over the place" are taking unneeded risks. I smoke in the comfort of my home. But people should be able to sit down in the park and have a puff! What happened to the pursuit of happiness?
Pot is ilegal for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is taxation. If pot was legal, people could grow it all over the place (it's not called 'weed' for nothing!). Liquor and Tobacco can't be so eaisily produced, so most consumers purchase those items through traditional means. As such, they pay taxes on it! Pot is so easy to grow, it would be much harder to tax.
This is another law that is to the advantage of government, not the people being governed.
A slashdot political party?
I can hear the rallies now....
AC 4 PREZ!!
woot! woot!
hot grits!
down my pants!
no, that can't be a good idea!
I agree.
Apple couldn't meet their much-hyped january date, so they released a commercial beta instead.
As both a customer and a stockholder, I think releasing a beta, even a buggy beta, was much better than not releasing anything at all. Like they did the previous january (OS X was demoed when many expected a release).
I agree that 2 or more buttons are better than one, but if that factor alone kept someone from buying a mac laptop they probably wern't to set on it in the first place. The mac is different enough from other computers that once you decide to buy one a little thing like a mouse button (or lack threof) probably isn't going to stop you.
...It's a good example of people who broke a law because they wanted to get toasted...very little else. (The occasional "medical" case...) So many pro drug people make them sound like victim saints, and they occasionally need a reality check. I broke the law...I was prosecuted...I am a victim....right. It's not a hard law not to break folks...it's not like jaywalking or something. If you need it so bad that you can't wait until a legalization effort reaches a conclusion, and risk so much, then you've already made their point that you have a problem.
Why shouldn't people "get toasted"? Hows it hurting anyone else? It's a bad law! It was written in a different time (for different reasons, too, if you want to go into those...) and should be changed. Why should my tax dollars pay for thousands (probably millions) of people to be jailed for something I don't see as a crime? These people are in jail because they got caught doing something I do on a regular basis. Pot is less harmfull to your health than liquor, and doesn't lead to domestic violence. It leads to sitting around grinning. Whats the harm in that? You tell me why I shouldn't be allowed a bongrip after a long day a work! Now onto your next insight...
If the government hurts the people, their rage will shift to the government. They aren't stupid docile animals
Sadly, many people are stupid docile animals. You, for example, sugest that people who enjoy pot should "wait until a legalization effort reaches a conclusion". People accross america with that same mindset will happily bend over when GWB asks them to "sacrifice a little freedom". And you'll probably respond to this post and tell me marijuna is bad because "its the law". Are you sure people aren't stupid docile animals?
who gives a floating orange colored brick shaped shit?
clearly, a good number of people. Many, even, are so close in society to you that they hangout on the same internet message boards.
good argument, but the bill in question is specific about electronic devices.
Constitutionality will be questioned and laws like these, along with the careers of the idiots who propose them, will go the way of the dodo.
I only wish you were right.
Did the lawmakers who quietly stole civil liberties away during previous nationial crisi have their careers ruined?
Doesn't the CIA employ many, many crackers to bust into their stuff? ;-)
Yes, and they also employ professional murders but that doesn't make murder legal.
(someone had to take that bait...
How about growing marijuana?
That is an excellent example of a victimless "crime" that numerous goodhearted American people are rotting in jail for right now.
Ashcroft's new proposals, though, go far beyond making computer-crime 'crime'. It already is. What he's doing is making it terrorism. People could be jailed for life for the electronic equivilent of graffitti.
"I don't believe that our definition of terrorism is so broad," said Ashcroft. "It is broad enough to include things like assaults on computers, and assaults designed to change the purpose of government."
The irony is that he wants to fight assaults designed to change the purpose of government by changing laws in direct response to a terrorist attack.
The long-term damage from the terror attacks will come from our leaders as they exploit public rage to slip new crap like this into federal law.
If something is an absolute it doesn't need to be "determined." It just is.
I agree slavery is 100% wrong. But you can't say "it just is." because it hasn't always been seen that way. It was considered OK at one time, and they probably considered it as just right as we now consider it wrong.
If we forget how and why it was determined that it was wrong, that it is not acceptable in our society, we lose understanding of our own past.
Speaking in more general terms:
Morals are not black and white; what you see as a given others will not.
And it is only through arogant certaintity that you can deem them wrong and yourself right.
I like cash. I also like paper. I'll bet i'm not the only one.
Nope. Lots of people love to feel their money in their hands, love to count it, love to smell it, etc. A buddy of mine keeps all his money he intends on spending in a month in cash form on him at all times.
I think it's a matter of preference though. Personally, I use my Visa CheckCard or my PayPal account for just about everything. Paychecks go in the bank, and anything that comes out can come out electronically.
99% of what I buy can be paid for by visa, and I like leaving myself a clear record of what I spend money on. Sure, I have to hit the atm from time to time (the anonyminity of cash is nice for certain purchases)... but I've probably made it through a month before without spending more than $40 of actual green cash (drug expenses aside).
So, I think it's a matter of preference. Some people like the modern cashlessness. But I think the feel of money in a person's hand is powerfull enough that we won't be entirely cashless for a long time.
what it comes down to for me is if it can get online.
For the price, however, it would be a good choice for a regular user (read: non-hacker). Most of the people who use it probably won't care that it's Linux anyway.
;-)
I disagree. I think a lot of linux fans would love to get their hands on a linux pda, and at that price I know I won't pass it up. Anyone know when they go on sale?
Home users would probably rather stick with a winCE device, since it looks like what they're used to.
the most important thing when it comes to new OS's will be ease of use. for all the idiots out there. thats for it to be succesful anyways, not neccesarily good.
;-) is to make more web-services and make them with better web standards. That way everyone has access to them regardless of OS. Also, they should be spread out over many companies.
In response to a lengthy descrption of a drastically different computing paradigm, jimarndt responds that it should be 'easy to use'.
I'll bet jimarndt didn't read the article at all.
What Microsoft Research is sugesting is a network computing model unlike anything I've previously heard of.
Read this (from the article):
A user purchases and installs a new personal computer or workstation. The hardware vendor has done a good job with the cables and connectors, so plugging the system together is easy. The user plugs the power and network cables into the wall and flips the power switch. From the moment that a boot ROM, or perhaps a boot loader on disk, downloads code from the network, the new machine joins the Millennium system. The user has full access to Millennium with no human-managed configuration activities required. Millennium evaluates the hardware resources of the new computing device that it has acquired and starts to shift computations and data in response.
Wow! I'm all for a web-services model. I like the idea of having the line between an application and a really usefull website be blurred. But this is sugesting something much much more! Who controls the "Millennium" system? Obviously, they've got a certain company in mind.
Think about privacy on a system like this!
Think about the potential security risk (sure, security is on their list of goals, but that doesn't really make the problem go away!) on a system like this! In the "A new network" example, the reseachers say "The administrator inserts a Millennium installation DVD disk into one of the machines and the system propagates across the network." Imagine that I insert that dvd, only I'm not the administrator and the dvd isn't the system update. Think it won't happen? As we saw during CodeRed the windows update servers aren't even properly protected! Hackers would have a field day if the Milenium system were ever made a reality.
I think a much better paradigm for the "new millenium" (how long does it stay new?
Microsoft wants the end-users of the world to put all their eggs in one basket and I don't think thats a good idea.
It seems to me that most american polititians that get in the news are part of the demipublican party. Anyone else notice that?
(i'm serious! think about it for a sec before you mod me down...)
It sounds like a "Only in America" story - what do you americans think, does something like this have a realistic change of going through? And if something like that goes through, is there any reason to stay in that country any more.
A lot of people said that about the DMCA, and a lot of those people are still living in America.
This isn't like boycotting a certain piece of software because you don't like the EULA (as discussed earlier today in the frontpage story)- moving to a different country is a bit more difficult.
I could imagine something like this passing - afterall, this is a nation that wants to fight terrorists with counter-terrorism!
While reading a review for a hacking book on this VA-Linux-owned site, I saw a banner ad for hacking books at another VA-Linux-owned site (thinkgeek).
While one might think ThinkGeek would be selling the book, they are not.
Oh well, over to amazon I guess....
Personally I can't wait till the day when my laptop has a wireless 3G card that can connect at high speed whenever and where ever I want.
I think you might have to wait, since the military just changed their mind about opening a large part of the spectrum.
In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few. --Suzuki-roshi
So being certain and closed mined makes one an expert? I don't like that quote at all!
Maybe it should read In the young mind there are many possibilities. In the elderly mind there are few.
(yes I know replying to sigs is passe and even modbait, but I just couldn't resist. At least I'm not using my +1 bonus!)
Maybe you don't know about them because you aren't a bsd user. ;-)
I'm not a bsd user myself, and I'm curious to see what thas to offer (when I get home from work