At what point does Amazon start to pick up liability for selling a known defective product without adequate disclosure? If I buy the CD- and Amazon has been warned that the product is defective and likely to damage my computer- are they also a target of the inevitable class-action lawsuits that will follow?
In other words, a geek-only boycott is unlikely to have any affect on Sony- there are way too many Brittney Spears fans out there to sell to. If Sony's distributors are warned off of selling defective, damaging product- and there is legal evidence that they knew about the problem and sold it anyway- they will also face monetary damages. This seems to be the quickest way to get these trojans off the market.
I was thinking letters of marque and reprisal myself- if they break my machine, and I have no other recourse, I want to go loot their freighters.
Actually, I wonder if the RICO act applies, particularly if this was done in collusion with the RIAA- it sure seems like collusion, and the uninstall process described above seems like extortion.
Totalitarian countries- which China aspires to, although they cannot achieve it at the moment- have historically used mental health as a way to subjugate and control dissidents. No stalinist or maoist show trial was complete without a learned doctor explaining that the defendant was almost certainly crazy (and if they weren't, they probably would be by the time the train got back from Siberia). Mental health hospitals were used as prisons for a special class of criminal- those who committed thoughtcrime. These "clinics" are nothing more than an extension of this totalitarian approach.
It's not surprising that China is undergoing an internal struggle over how to handle the internet- the net is the most obvious disease vector for thoughtcrime there could be. It's also the key to unlocking China's economic potential, allowing much simpler commercial integration with the rest of the world. It's hard for the authorities to keep a lid on it- no matter how much companies like google, cisco, and yahoo willingly participate in selling freedom down the river.
I suspect that this is intended to be a warning to dissidents- 200 beds in China won't be terribly effective- and perhaps a symbol for the other members of the politburo as to how sincere their sponsor is in his willingness to crush dissent, particularly people who dare to post anything of significance on their blogs.
Probably has something to do with the US's lax gun control laws- if I were in that situation and could catch the bastards doing that to me, I'd at least consider blowing their heads off- and I'm a nice guy who doesn't even own a gun.
Try to DDOS one of those mafia-owned gambling sites from an IP address in Jersey and see what happens to ya... much safer to have a big ocean in the way.
This is endemic to postgresql's MVCC (multi-version concurrency control) system- they support row-level locking instead of table or page locking. This means that when a transaction is underway, users inside and users outside the transaction will get very different values of count(*). This makes it hard to cache the results of aggregate queries.
So the tradeoff is execution time for count(*) queries versus accuracy and speed for transactions- if you don't use transactions, you'll probably be happier using MySQL anyway... Unlike MySQL, you can't degrade the backing store in postgres to support a simpler, but more dangerous approach.
As always, when picking a DB, YMMV- you need to determine which feature set is most important. Me, I tend to value transaction safety and data integrity pretty highly, but there are certainly applications where counting the number of rows in the database is more important...
The MyEclipseIDE ( http://www.myeclipseide.com/ ) people bundle it into their add-on pack as well. IIRC, it's a slightly tweaked version of the bugzilla integration plugin.
And, if we can't find any, we pay industry analysts to simply make up a fraudulent study... that way, we can compare switching from windows 3.1 to Windows XP on a Dell server against switching from windows 2003 to a Z90 mainframe running Linux! That's why our TCO is so darn low!
yes, actually- they interviewed me by phone, reviewed the signup process, and read through the newsletters in question while I was on the phone with them. They were pretty thorough. They also checked out our DNS / SPF records, and checked that we weren't running an open relay.
They also make you set up a special mail address for members who mark your message as spam- the member's email address is scrubbed off, but they forward the message to your address- if you embed a unique ID into the mail message, you are required to block them from receiving further message.
It helps when you have a reasonably reputable brand name to reference- they figure that you won't want to drag it through the mud and get fired. I assume that's why they were willing to spend the time checking us out and making sure we weren't flogging viagra.
Check out their whitelist guide. For folks who run big lists, it's important to adhere to these rules- and they really do enforce them, particularly the 10% bounce/complaint rule.
I have to agree. We run some very large (1MM subscribers) mailing lists for our customers - not spam, just company announcements and such. AOL had a great process for getting whitelisted with them- they checked that you were legit, that your mail servers handled bounces correctly, and that your systems were rfc whatever compliant.
Compared to Yahoo and MSN/Hotmail, AOL is completely buttoned down and has their act together.
Since the vast majority of the SQL Server codebase is straight from Sybase (that's where MS licensed the database from in the first place), M$ has little to lose by opening the kimono on SQL Server with other BigCo licensees.
Umm... free PR from the easily excitable? He's a washed up political hack who needs some press so he can either run for office or get a few more lucrative speaking engagements.
Stephenson is great and all, but Phillip Jose Farmer had a great short story on a similar topic about twenty years back.
Sail On, Sail On! posited that Francis Bacon turned his experiments toward electromagnetism, inventing the radio- except, that instead of electrons, they refered to them as Cherubim. So the AM radios of the day were tuned to various CW's - Cherubim wavelengths, which where the slope the cherubim's wings described as they flew through the ether.
The story takes place on columbus' ships as he travels to discover America- it's terrific. Strongly recommend digging this one up out of your local library.
I have (and like) the Targus Sport backpack. The best feature is the one-piece waterproof flap that covers the top and zippers.
If you're stuck walking around in the rain with your laptop on your back, this will protect your laptop from water getting in. Too many bag designs don't take inclement weather into account.
The only problem is that the pack is ugly as hell; black and white checked fabric, mesh waterbottle sacks for no apparent reason, and a pointless chest belt.
The good thing is that if you're wearing it, you won't have to look at it.
Actually, IBM's given quite a few things to the community that we linux developers want: Eclipse and JFS leap to mind instantly. A lot of the good stuff from AIX is already in Linux - which is why SCO is suing them in the first place.
So yeah, we agree- they have bought a lot of loyalty with their code contributions, their defense of the GPL, and more.
It's probably appropriate to consider IBM as a services rather than a software company. Distributing software for free enhances the value of the services they provide enormously - it makes the market possible. IMHO, a services business benefits tremendously from open source, while a software business will be inevitably chewed up and spit out without govt. intervention in the form of prior-restraint patent laws. So IBM's switch to outright developer coddling (seen in this context) is less of a dubious religious conversion and more of a practical business necessity- the more stuff I can do for free, the more stuff I can do on customer's behalf without having to sock them with a huge oracle or microsoft tax.
"
How long before... script kiddies decide to get their kicks messing with your air conditioning during a heat wave?"
So what happens when a virus gets into the seventy zillion unsecured windoze boxes out there, and drops every thermostat they can reach to fifty degrees in the middle of august? ConEd in NYC already has a heck of a time keepin gup with mid-day summer loads from all the AC units- you could easily knock out the entire east coast (again) if enough of these thermostats come online.
hope they put at least a userid and a password on it, and set them randomly at the factory.
I find it funny that a old school blue-box hacker like steve jobs has the balls to get pissed at Real for busting into his system, just like he and Woz did to the phone company back in the 70s...
Find me a secret NSA key in Linux like the one in Windows and you have a case; the simple fact is there is no guarantee of source integrity regardless of where it comes from.
IANAL, but I don't belive you can copyright a format- you could patent it, but that's not what's alleged here. Note that the FAT implementation that Microsoft is waving around like a big stick is due to their patent, not a copyright claim.
Unless the code to implement ELF is identical in Linux, I don't see anything like a case here. And if SCOX had a patent on ELF, we'd know it by now.
Well, actually, I think it was Oracle flinging the FUD... not that the FOSS folks don't, but this one has corporate wank written all over it. Check the URL...
Slashdot Mirror
At what point does Amazon start to pick up liability for selling a known defective product without adequate disclosure? If I buy the CD- and Amazon has been warned that the product is defective and likely to damage my computer- are they also a target of the inevitable class-action lawsuits that will follow?
In other words, a geek-only boycott is unlikely to have any affect on Sony- there are way too many Brittney Spears fans out there to sell to. If Sony's distributors are warned off of selling defective, damaging product- and there is legal evidence that they knew about the problem and sold it anyway- they will also face monetary damages. This seems to be the quickest way to get these trojans off the market.
I was thinking letters of marque and reprisal myself- if they break my machine, and I have no other recourse, I want to go loot their freighters.
Actually, I wonder if the RICO act applies, particularly if this was done in collusion with the RIAA- it sure seems like collusion, and the uninstall process described above seems like extortion.
I've been getting 800KB consistently, but I'm in a home office on comcast, so perhaps that isn't getting slammed.
Totalitarian countries- which China aspires to, although they cannot achieve it at the moment- have historically used mental health as a way to subjugate and control dissidents. No stalinist or maoist show trial was complete without a learned doctor explaining that the defendant was almost certainly crazy (and if they weren't, they probably would be by the time the train got back from Siberia). Mental health hospitals were used as prisons for a special class of criminal- those who committed thoughtcrime. These "clinics" are nothing more than an extension of this totalitarian approach.
It's not surprising that China is undergoing an internal struggle over how to handle the internet- the net is the most obvious disease vector for thoughtcrime there could be. It's also the key to unlocking China's economic potential, allowing much simpler commercial integration with the rest of the world. It's hard for the authorities to keep a lid on it- no matter how much companies like google, cisco, and yahoo willingly participate in selling freedom down the river.
I suspect that this is intended to be a warning to dissidents- 200 beds in China won't be terribly effective- and perhaps a symbol for the other members of the politburo as to how sincere their sponsor is in his willingness to crush dissent, particularly people who dare to post anything of significance on their blogs.
These guys don't play games, they kill people.
Probably has something to do with the US's lax gun control laws- if I were in that situation and could catch the bastards doing that to me, I'd at least consider blowing their heads off- and I'm a nice guy who doesn't even own a gun.
Try to DDOS one of those mafia-owned gambling sites from an IP address in Jersey and see what happens to ya... much safer to have a big ocean in the way.
This is endemic to postgresql's MVCC (multi-version concurrency control) system- they support row-level locking instead of table or page locking. This means that when a transaction is underway, users inside and users outside the transaction will get very different values of count(*). This makes it hard to cache the results of aggregate queries.
... Unlike MySQL, you can't degrade the backing store in postgres to support a simpler, but more dangerous approach.
So the tradeoff is execution time for count(*) queries versus accuracy and speed for transactions- if you don't use transactions, you'll probably be happier using MySQL anyway
As always, when picking a DB, YMMV- you need to determine which feature set is most important. Me, I tend to value transaction safety and data integrity pretty highly, but there are certainly applications where counting the number of rows in the database is more important...
The MyEclipseIDE ( http://www.myeclipseide.com/ ) people bundle it into their add-on pack as well. IIRC, it's a slightly tweaked version of the bugzilla integration plugin.
And, if we can't find any, we pay industry analysts to simply make up a fraudulent study... that way, we can compare switching from windows 3.1 to Windows XP on a Dell server against switching from windows 2003 to a Z90 mainframe running Linux! That's why our TCO is so darn low!
yes, actually- they interviewed me by phone, reviewed the signup process, and read through the newsletters in question while I was on the phone with them. They were pretty thorough. They also checked out our DNS / SPF records, and checked that we weren't running an open relay.
They also make you set up a special mail address for members who mark your message as spam- the member's email address is scrubbed off, but they forward the message to your address- if you embed a unique ID into the mail message, you are required to block them from receiving further message.
It helps when you have a reasonably reputable brand name to reference- they figure that you won't want to drag it through the mud and get fired. I assume that's why they were willing to spend the time checking us out and making sure we weren't flogging viagra.
Check out their whitelist guide. For folks who run big lists, it's important to adhere to these rules- and they really do enforce them, particularly the 10% bounce/complaint rule.
Well, it was (several) explicitly opt-in mailing lists. No opt out. I get 500+ spam messages a day- I'm not adding to that.
Don't be a dick.
I have to agree. We run some very large (1MM subscribers) mailing lists for our customers - not spam, just company announcements and such. AOL had a great process for getting whitelisted with them- they checked that you were legit, that your mail servers handled bounces correctly, and that your systems were rfc whatever compliant.
Compared to Yahoo and MSN/Hotmail, AOL is completely buttoned down and has their act together.
The easy answer- just buy ABIT. Not the board. The company.
A minor nit- it isn't Microsoft's absurd pricing, but their abysmally low quality that creates the opportunity.
$250 isn't much to pay for an OS. It's a lot to pay for a crappy, worm-ridden, virus puking cesspool, and that's where the opportunity comes from.
one word-
patents
Since the vast majority of the SQL Server codebase is straight from Sybase (that's where MS licensed the database from in the first place), M$ has little to lose by opening the kimono on SQL Server with other BigCo licensees.
Umm... free PR from the easily excitable? He's a washed up political hack who needs some press so he can either run for office or get a few more lucrative speaking engagements.
Stephenson is great and all, but Phillip Jose Farmer had a great short story on a similar topic about twenty years back.
Sail On, Sail On! posited that Francis Bacon turned his experiments toward electromagnetism, inventing the radio- except, that instead of electrons, they refered to them as Cherubim. So the AM radios of the day were tuned to various CW's - Cherubim wavelengths, which where the slope the cherubim's wings described as they flew through the ether.
The story takes place on columbus' ships as he travels to discover America- it's terrific. Strongly recommend digging this one up out of your local library.
I have (and like) the Targus Sport backpack. The best feature is the one-piece waterproof flap that covers the top and zippers.
If you're stuck walking around in the rain with your laptop on your back, this will protect your laptop from water getting in. Too many bag designs don't take inclement weather into account.
The only problem is that the pack is ugly as hell; black and white checked fabric, mesh waterbottle sacks for no apparent reason, and a pointless chest belt.
The good thing is that if you're wearing it, you won't have to look at it.
Swing isn't hard to learn - it just runs like crap, even on fast hardware.
Actually, IBM's given quite a few things to the community that we linux developers want: Eclipse and JFS leap to mind instantly. A lot of the good stuff from AIX is already in Linux - which is why SCO is suing them in the first place.
So yeah, we agree- they have bought a lot of loyalty with their code contributions, their defense of the GPL, and more.
It's probably appropriate to consider IBM as a services rather than a software company. Distributing software for free enhances the value of the services they provide enormously - it makes the market possible. IMHO, a services business benefits tremendously from open source, while a software business will be inevitably chewed up and spit out without govt. intervention in the form of prior-restraint patent laws. So IBM's switch to outright developer coddling (seen in this context) is less of a dubious religious conversion and more of a practical business necessity- the more stuff I can do for free, the more stuff I can do on customer's behalf without having to sock them with a huge oracle or microsoft tax.
So what happens when a virus gets into the seventy zillion unsecured windoze boxes out there, and drops every thermostat they can reach to fifty degrees in the middle of august? ConEd in NYC already has a heck of a time keepin gup with mid-day summer loads from all the AC units- you could easily knock out the entire east coast (again) if enough of these thermostats come online.
hope they put at least a userid and a password on it, and set them randomly at the factory.
I find it funny that a old school blue-box hacker like steve jobs has the balls to get pissed at Real for busting into his system, just like he and Woz did to the phone company back in the 70s...
Find me a secret NSA key in Linux like the one in Windows and you have a case; the simple fact is there is no guarantee of source integrity regardless of where it comes from.
IANAL, but I don't belive you can copyright a format- you could patent it, but that's not what's alleged here. Note that the FAT implementation that Microsoft is waving around like a big stick is due to their patent, not a copyright claim.
Unless the code to implement ELF is identical in Linux, I don't see anything like a case here. And if SCOX had a patent on ELF, we'd know it by now.
Well, actually, I think it was Oracle flinging the FUD... not that the FOSS folks don't, but this one has corporate wank written all over it. Check the URL...