But just try holding any software vendor liable for a poor product. Even before UCITA, most licenses specifically preclude any problems with claimed performance as grounds for suing. To put it very bluntly, take M$ Winxx (where xx= 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, NT 3, NT 3.5, NT 3.51, NT 4.0, 2000, etc) and boot up the machine. Run NO programs. If it crashes, tough shit. You can't sue M$. Can't sue anyone. The idea that someone is accountable is the biggest joke. Soon, maybe, some PHB's will finally start figuring it out.
But, let's not forget that most PHB's have their own PHB's. And that looking at the world through a particular set of rose-colored glasses works even better the higher up the corporate food chain you go.
No, but if the licensee thinks the licensor has 'apparant authority', it might be able to stand up. Certainly it would for Gnutella, as I doubt AOL et al. was planning a commercial release. Now, if it were a M$ employee who posted the source to Excel, that would likely be a very different situation.
>>>>Now IANAL, but i dont think that you can retroactivly remove the license from a product, so the people who have it get the GPL, the others,,, sucks to be you
I thought the UCITA allowed for just this sort of thing (or, at worst, your software could be disabled, forcing you to buy again, or 'upgrade' to the new license)
Speaking of DOS, why are people screwing around with/.?? Why not take on:
www.whitehouse.gov (or.com:) www.senate.gov www.fbi.gov www.doj.gov (that would be funny) etc, etc, etc.
Let's face it, the sites they have been hitting haven't been that interesting in a global sense. And for all the world citizens who are pissed off at Uncle Sam and his jack booted brigade, instead of mouthing off, get an AOL disk, get a free account for a month, and go to work. There should be tons of places from which you can dl a DOS master.
Heck, if a little Outlook/VBS script/bug/worm can take out an NSA (or was it CIA) server, you should certainly be able to do something.
BTW, you don't have to be a psychotic USA hating nutball. Same thing goes for American script kiddies: if you want Jodie Foster (although I guess it's Natalie Portman these days?:) to love you, you need a higher profile target than Slashdot. I suggest www.mpaa.org. Word has it that Jodie has been in a few movies, and might notice this.
Your API argument sounds good. Maybe it's to test the waters for M$'s proposal to the DOJ (to whit: we will release the API to everybody). They can release the API, shout it from the mountains, take out a front page ad in the NY Times. But, only for 'security testing' purposes.
Having looked at both a Mac 128 and an iMac, is it any wonder that Apple is HQ'ed at 'one infinite loop'?
(Back off Mac zealots. I've got a Mac II (800k drives, no pmmu), a Classic, a P476, and a P6200. They've sold me enough road apples to have earned my feelings towards them.)
What about those of us who own the CD, but have a bum track? I NEED to dl the last track of the black album. Where to get it? Oh, yeah, I can spend $18 and replace the entire thing.
You read/. and are willing to accept that a 'partnership' with M$ is a meeting of two equals. THAT is news. Were it not for a pesky little thing called the FTC, I'm sure that M$ would have long ago made a bid for all of NBC. But, as the popular parlance goes, why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?
M$NBC has by far the most uneven biased programming of the the cable news networks (not sure about FoxNews, as I don't get that. But given Rupert Murdoch's hands off style management...:) Tech issues on CNBC and NBC are frequently 'analysed' by M$ employees, or at least 'Friends of Bill'.
They may have a disclaimer, but that merely explains their bias; it does not erase it.
No, M$ doesn't 'own' M$NBC, CNBC, or NBC in the financial, legal sense; they 0wn them in the hax0r sense (as in, 'kuhl d00dz 0wn y0 @55 b3y@+ch!').
The point is, it is Saturday, CT was in the office, and saw a nice, fairly light hearted thing to put online. Kinda like the difference between NPR's Morning Edition that runs through the week, and the one that runs on the weekends. While lighter, it isn't flippant, it is relevant, and it can be thought provoking.
Yeah, I imagine that M$NBC, CNBC, and NBC will be reporting tomorrow that Bill Gates personally helped cause the problem/feature/bug. Why buy Ralph Reed when you own 1/3 (at least) of the media market in the US.
Oh, it must have been empeg's business plan crashing into flames. Hope you guys have broke even already (FWIW, I still and always have liked their product. Just not $1000 worth.)
Oops. It would make Washington the third state to pass UCITA. Va. was first, Md. followed like a whipped dog (like they always do when Va. does something stupid. They only show backbone when not following Va's lead with intelligent things)
You need to carry a portable generator. Two choices:
Get the luggable kind, carry in right arm, carry monitor in left hand. After a few weeks, your arms should be stretched out to the point where they drag on the ground.
Get the kind with wheels. Put the monitor on top of it. Of course, I don't think this will fit in the overhead bin.
Now there is an interesting point: if OSS is financially better, how long until some company switches to predominately OSS, and a competitor stay's with binary only? By most arguments, Ford will be in a better position at some point in time. Sooner or later, it will show up on the balance sheet, and then in stock prices.
I agree that it's a great rebuttal (and the correct one). But there's also a flaw: ever try to find a good mechanic? When I first started my current job, I watched two MCSE's waste a day trying to solve a problem. After they left, I solved it in about 10 minutes.
What does this mean? ASE certified, RHCE, MCSE, are all nice, but let's not tell the general public that it might be tough to find a good software 'mechanic', despite their fancy certifications; let's get the code opened first (burn one bridge at a time as an old friend of mine used to put it)
An earlier poster mentioned that you can be a fanatic and not come across as a nutcase. I use Linux almost exclusively at home (Win 98 only for games) and 70% at work. My workstation at work is also our intranet server, DNS, time server, and about a dozen other things. The boss asked why all of these things seemed to work all the time, whereas our NT DB server and PDC were down all the time. Answer: Penguin inside.
Nothing succeeds like success. Results speak volumes. But, like Apple before it, screaming ninnies don't help. It's not bad to be a worshipper at the temple of Jobs/Gates/Torvolds/Gassee, but far more success is achieved with either well thought out commentary (Young's article was magnificent, and better written than that of the 'professional journalist') and plain simple results.
What would help the cause would be if IT people would let the PHB's know that those machines in the basement or server closet aren't all NT boxes.
If you want to twiddle with engines, there are two easy answers:
Vintage racing. Drag racing, circle track, AutoX, etc. Pick your era, pick your machine and go. Or, build older cars (Camaros, Mustangs, Escorts (GB version), BMWs, etc.) and hit the street.
Motorcycles. Still only a handful are injected. Either buy a new one (and bet that you can't tweak even a new carburetted bike) or buy an older one (Honda V45, Harley of any sort, Kawi Z1) and get to work.
I do not bother reading the license for upgrading software (ie Netscape 4.7 -> 4.72) as I already agreed to a license, and am not modifying it.
I do not bother reading the license for software where I do not have the opportunity to modify and agree to a license.
I do read the licenses on software from companies that will deal with me (and/or my lawyer) and modify the license to accomodate both of us.
If I 'break' a license from Microsoft, let them sue me. They can't squeeze blood from a turnip. It won't take me long to move everything to my wife's name and then declare bankruptcy. They won't get anything. And if they try... Well, I'm a believer in the 2nd amendment.
Re:What about VA/MD residents?
on
Fighting UCITA
·
· Score: 1
This is precisely what I did/am doing. After about 20 years of supporting one local representative, I almost have my parents convinced to vote against him (already convinced him not to send any more campaign contributions). I'd vote against him too, but he's not in my district. But, luckily, I can vote against some other bastards who voted for the law.
I see two other possible solutions:
If you are buying something with a contract you actually have to sign (just did it last week) get the state of jurisdiction changed to a friendly state.
Second, if you are buying software, head to Pennsylvania or Deleware. Sure, they will pass UCITA eventually (probably) but in the meantime, you are covered because of purchasing in a different state.
Good luck, and happy voting. (Oh, don't forget to let your local reps know why you are voting against them)
A $20 difference is way too much given the nature of the product. Perhaps a $5 difference would make more sense. This isn't a huge product, and it doesn't require that much in the way of documentation. Now, a $20 difference for WP, Gnome, Windows 2000, or something of that size would make more sense. Provided there are at least two pounds of paper in there.
Slashdot Mirror
But just try holding any software vendor liable for a poor product. Even before UCITA, most licenses specifically preclude any problems with claimed performance as grounds for suing. To put it very bluntly, take M$ Winxx (where xx= 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, NT 3, NT 3.5, NT 3.51, NT 4.0, 2000, etc) and boot up the machine. Run NO programs. If it crashes, tough shit. You can't sue M$. Can't sue anyone. The idea that someone is accountable is the biggest joke. Soon, maybe, some PHB's will finally start figuring it out.
But, let's not forget that most PHB's have their own PHB's. And that looking at the world through a particular set of rose-colored glasses works even better the higher up the corporate food chain you go.
No, but if the licensee thinks the licensor has 'apparant authority', it might be able to stand up. Certainly it would for Gnutella, as I doubt AOL et al. was planning a commercial release. Now, if it were a M$ employee who posted the source to Excel, that would likely be a very different situation.
>>>>Now IANAL, but i dont think that you can retroactivly remove the license from a product, so the people who have it get the GPL, the others,,, sucks to be you
I thought the UCITA allowed for just this sort of thing (or, at worst, your software could be disabled, forcing you to buy again, or 'upgrade' to the new license)
Speaking of DOS, why are people screwing around with /.?? Why not take on:
.com:)
:) to love you, you need a higher profile target than Slashdot. I suggest www.mpaa.org. Word has it that Jodie has been in a few movies, and might notice this.
www.whitehouse.gov (or
www.senate.gov
www.fbi.gov
www.doj.gov (that would be funny)
etc,
etc,
etc.
Let's face it, the sites they have been hitting haven't been that interesting in a global sense. And for all the world citizens who are pissed off at Uncle Sam and his jack booted brigade, instead of mouthing off, get an AOL disk, get a free account for a month, and go to work. There should be tons of places from which you can dl a DOS master.
Heck, if a little Outlook/VBS script/bug/worm can take out an NSA (or was it CIA) server, you should certainly be able to do something.
BTW, you don't have to be a psychotic USA hating nutball. Same thing goes for American script kiddies: if you want Jodie Foster (although I guess it's Natalie Portman these days?
Your API argument sounds good. Maybe it's to test the waters for M$'s proposal to the DOJ (to whit: we will release the API to everybody). They can release the API, shout it from the mountains, take out a front page ad in the NY Times. But, only for 'security testing' purposes.
Crafty. (Or is that 'crufty'?)
Having looked at both a Mac 128 and an iMac, is it any wonder that Apple is HQ'ed at 'one infinite loop'?
(Back off Mac zealots. I've got a Mac II (800k drives, no pmmu), a Classic, a P476, and a P6200. They've sold me enough road apples to have earned my feelings towards them.)
What about those of us who own the CD, but have a bum track? I NEED to dl the last track of the black album. Where to get it? Oh, yeah, I can spend $18 and replace the entire thing.
NOT.
You read /. and are willing to accept that a 'partnership' with M$ is a meeting of two equals. THAT is news. Were it not for a pesky little thing called the FTC, I'm sure that M$ would have long ago made a bid for all of NBC. But, as the popular parlance goes, why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?
M$NBC has by far the most uneven biased programming of the the cable news networks (not sure about FoxNews, as I don't get that. But given Rupert Murdoch's hands off style management...:) Tech issues on CNBC and NBC are frequently 'analysed' by M$ employees, or at least 'Friends of Bill'.
They may have a disclaimer, but that merely explains their bias; it does not erase it.
No, M$ doesn't 'own' M$NBC, CNBC, or NBC in the financial, legal sense; they 0wn them in the hax0r sense (as in, 'kuhl d00dz 0wn y0 @55 b3y@+ch!').
The point is, it is Saturday, CT was in the office, and saw a nice, fairly light hearted thing to put online. Kinda like the difference between NPR's Morning Edition that runs through the week, and the one that runs on the weekends. While lighter, it isn't flippant, it is relevant, and it can be thought provoking.
Yeah, I imagine that M$NBC, CNBC, and NBC will be reporting tomorrow that Bill Gates personally helped cause the problem/feature/bug. Why buy Ralph Reed when you own 1/3 (at least) of the media market in the US.
What was that loud explosion?
Oh, it must have been empeg's business plan crashing into flames. Hope you guys have broke even already (FWIW, I still and always have liked their product. Just not $1000 worth.)
Oops. It would make Washington the third state to pass UCITA. Va. was first, Md. followed like a whipped dog (like they always do when Va. does something stupid. They only show backbone when not following Va's lead with intelligent things)
You need to carry a portable generator. Two choices:
Get the luggable kind, carry in right arm, carry monitor in left hand. After a few weeks, your arms should be stretched out to the point where they drag on the ground.
Get the kind with wheels. Put the monitor on top of it. Of course, I don't think this will fit in the overhead bin.
Now there is an interesting point: if OSS is financially better, how long until some company switches to predominately OSS, and a competitor stay's with binary only? By most arguments, Ford will be in a better position at some point in time. Sooner or later, it will show up on the balance sheet, and then in stock prices.
THAT is when OSS will get noticed.
I've heard Young mention it before.
I agree that it's a great rebuttal (and the correct one). But there's also a flaw: ever try to find a good mechanic? When I first started my current job, I watched two MCSE's waste a day trying to solve a problem. After they left, I solved it in about 10 minutes.
What does this mean? ASE certified, RHCE, MCSE, are all nice, but let's not tell the general public that it might be tough to find a good software 'mechanic', despite their fancy certifications; let's get the code opened first (burn one bridge at a time as an old friend of mine used to put it)
Probably they looked at what site you were referred from and decided not to allow the zealots to speak:)
An earlier poster mentioned that you can be a fanatic and not come across as a nutcase. I use Linux almost exclusively at home (Win 98 only for games) and 70% at work. My workstation at work is also our intranet server, DNS, time server, and about a dozen other things. The boss asked why all of these things seemed to work all the time, whereas our NT DB server and PDC were down all the time. Answer: Penguin inside.
Nothing succeeds like success. Results speak volumes. But, like Apple before it, screaming ninnies don't help. It's not bad to be a worshipper at the temple of Jobs/Gates/Torvolds/Gassee, but far more success is achieved with either well thought out commentary (Young's article was magnificent, and better written than that of the 'professional journalist') and plain simple results.
What would help the cause would be if IT people would let the PHB's know that those machines in the basement or server closet aren't all NT boxes.
If you want to twiddle with engines, there are two easy answers:
Vintage racing. Drag racing, circle track, AutoX, etc. Pick your era, pick your machine and go. Or, build older cars (Camaros, Mustangs, Escorts (GB version), BMWs, etc.) and hit the street.
Motorcycles. Still only a handful are injected. Either buy a new one (and bet that you can't tweak even a new carburetted bike) or buy an older one (Honda V45, Harley of any sort, Kawi Z1) and get to work.
>Hands up if you have some software to filter out banner ads.
IPchains. IPfwadm. Not necessarily the right hammer to use, but it is effective.
VC=venture capitalist
Is it possible to have FSF be a joint owner of the code, or must it be totally signed over?
Hmm, 2:00 am. Guess I'll probably find out myself before there is a reply:)
I do not bother reading the license for upgrading software (ie Netscape 4.7 -> 4.72) as I already agreed to a license, and am not modifying it.
I do not bother reading the license for software where I do not have the opportunity to modify and agree to a license.
I do read the licenses on software from companies that will deal with me (and/or my lawyer) and modify the license to accomodate both of us.
If I 'break' a license from Microsoft, let them sue me. They can't squeeze blood from a turnip. It won't take me long to move everything to my wife's name and then declare bankruptcy. They won't get anything. And if they try... Well, I'm a believer in the 2nd amendment.
This is precisely what I did/am doing. After about 20 years of supporting one local representative, I almost have my parents convinced to vote against him (already convinced him not to send any more campaign contributions). I'd vote against him too, but he's not in my district. But, luckily, I can vote against some other bastards who voted for the law.
I see two other possible solutions:
If you are buying something with a contract you actually have to sign (just did it last week) get the state of jurisdiction changed to a friendly state.
Second, if you are buying software, head to Pennsylvania or Deleware. Sure, they will pass UCITA eventually (probably) but in the meantime, you are covered because of purchasing in a different state.
Good luck, and happy voting. (Oh, don't forget to let your local reps know why you are voting against them)
A $20 difference is way too much given the nature of the product. Perhaps a $5 difference would make more sense. This isn't a huge product, and it doesn't require that much in the way of documentation. Now, a $20 difference for WP, Gnome, Windows 2000, or something of that size would make more sense. Provided there are at least two pounds of paper in there.