I'd like to point out that Microsoft usually does a great job of translating to other languages. Here in Mexico, Age of Empires was the hit multiplayer game. Everyone played it and nothing else. Why? It was the only game of its kind translated to spanish.
Yes, but after I've sued to have them drop my face as a background, sign a settlement which explicitly -prohibits- Mircosoft from ever carrying my face again AND which explicitly releases Microsoft of any future liability regarding Java, THEN I whine to a court that I've changed my mind and want Microsoft to distribute my -correct- face, because if it hadn't been for their anticompetitive practices, my face would be "ubiquitous" (from the Judge's opinion) on desktop PCs. Sun flatters itself.
"According to Sun, if Microsoft had not committed its anticompetitive acts directed toward thwarting the implementation of Java, current and compatible Java runtime environments would now be ubiquitous on PCs."
Yes, but after Sun whined that Microsoft had bastardized Java beyond all recognition, Microsoft agreed to drop Java.
Now Sun is whining that Microsoft wants to marginalize Java.
I think Sun should get off their asses and start selling Java like normal software vendors. Or do like AOL and give it away on massive quantities of CDs, but not rely on court-orders for their business to succeed.
Microsoft ordered by court to set my face as default background. Microsoft was found to be ilegally leveraging its monopoly of the operating system market to marginalize my pretty face.
This is just ludicrous. Courts on crack.
Why should Windows carry Java? Every other software vendor has to sell and distribute their own software, not rely on court-orders. Why should Sun be any different? If Windows users want Java they can buy it from Sun or download it.
This is not about legal issues or about "downloading music", as the writeup suggests. This is about a bandwidth crunch. OptimumOnline restricts users from running "servers", and they consider P2P software to be a "server" when used to offer files to the internet.
I still don't agree with restricting people's internet connections, and I know no one reads the articles they comment on, but at least people could read the articles they submit.
Re:Science is open to everyone
on
Who Owns Science?
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
The scientists who actually research and submit papers to journals usually receive no monetary compensation. It's just the opposite. Journals might charge for having eminent "names" in the field "peer-review" your article (the reviewers don't usually get paid), and the journals charge exorbitant subscription fees.
You might notice the common trend: only journals receive money. Much more money than the cost of publication. And they don't want anyone else publishing -their- papers (the ones they didn't write, nor pay for).
Science should be free. Most researchers have to jump through hoops just to get published, and they get no pay for having published, just notice and prestige. I completely agree with the PLoS.
The-Cloak is by far the best service out there. It is not a proxy, but rather an SSL connection. This means your ISP can't see the URL of webpage nor it's content: only that you're surfing through the-cloak. They have a free trial service with every feature the real service has, and they're pretty cheap. They also have special rates for people on broadband (they charge per MB).
About a year ago I was loading up a Macromedia product (Homesite), when I heard my fan stop. It took about 30 seconds for smoke and sparks to fly, and my power supply went dead. Permanently.
I knew Macromedia wrote bloated code, but this? Sheesh.
Reading the article shows that Microsoft is not overlooking "software sharing" in return for anything, as the write-up implies. The article says Microsoft is pledging to invest $750 million in China over three years, but that "China had not made any specific pledges in return".
The Beijing municipal goverment is -still- going to use Linux instead of Microsoft, as the article clearly states, so Microsoft's only benefit in this investment is goodwill. And for a developing country, investment in education, jobs, and research is very important.
It's hard to trust Slashdot these days. That's a bad reputation to build.
Granted, I have not visited Missouri or Arkansas, but I've been to Texas (frequently), which is probably nearly as bad.
You've qualified your statement however. You say every student is denied access to a "good" education. The issue here is not quality, it's existance. Many places in Mexico simply do not have schools.
And those that do lack proper resources to maintain them. We're not talking about qualified teachers, competent admisitrators, or IT infrastructure. These are schools that don't have enough desks for their students (those that actually attend), much less textbooks. The textbooks they do have are all federally-provided, and generally terrible. Care to read about the glories of 72 years of one-party rule from the one-party itself?
The fact is, Americans live in extravagant opulence compared to the rest of the world. Perhaps you need to visit the Taraumara indians in northern Mexico, where every child equally lacks even shoes.
That's hardly a problem. Microsoft's Thought Police are already spreading through Mexico. Everyday it gets harder to acquire gratis Microsoft software, but free software will always be free, and gratis.
Besides, at this point, Mexico hardly has widespread use for free software. Programming languages are all very Anglo-centric. People proficient in English are rare, and in many ways, learning to code is like learning a new language, but based on English. The difficulties for non-native English speaking coders are rather great.
Being a Mexican, a Windows user, and a Linux user, I think some perspective needs to be thrown into the picture.
Most people in Mexico don't speak English, and don't know how to user a computer. In fact, this is what Fox's rival campaigned on: English and Computer education for everyone. He was basically laughed at by anyone with a clue, but it piqued popular interest, and he has the right intentions.
What Mexico needs is education. The public school system is a farce. Most people don't make it to high school. Most of those who do probably haven't ever used a computer. This is unheard of in the US... Who doesn't finish high-school? Who hasn't used a computer by then? In the US, this only happens at the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder. In Mexico, the bottom rung involves living in a rock cave kilometers from any civilized location. Forget electricity, telephones, running water, sewage, or clothespins. They hang their clothes to dry on trees.
If Microsoft offers to drop software and training to go with it, the software might be a leech intent on locking-down an already impoverished country on expensive monopoly-ware, but the training is essential. Getting people to learn and use computers should be the focus of the e-Mexico initiative. I agree free/open software is the better choice. I agree we shouldn't dish out money on a Microsoft-tax. But who is willing to teach Linux to the third-world masses?
I believe free software will spread in Mexico in the face of all barriers to entry exactly because it's free. Training is essential, and if Microsoft gaining a foothold is the cost, then so be it. But once people learn Windows, they might have -personal- incentive (and the new technical know-how) to learn Linux, if it will save them $200. That's a big savings, in Mexico.
Free software will come, but you must teach people any software first.
Blizzard can afford the lawsuits necessary to shut down bnetd because of rave reviews like this one encouraging people to give money to Blizzard.
The MPAA & RIAA can afford to buy legislation like the DMCA and the SSSCA/CBDTPA because of people buying their movies/albums.
When cash (not votes) is the currency that buys legislation, and cash (not justice) is what drives the legal system, you need to vote with your wallets.
Of course you can enjoy the message and hate the messenger. But paying the messenger his liveliehood because of the message really contradicts any moral stance you might take.
China is planned a manned space flight by 2005, to be followed by a manned visit to the moon "at a later date". Check out the BBC for (scarce) details.
Slashdot Mirror
But we all know the virus-scanning cartels are the ones that write viruses in the first place.
More virii == more business.
It's more like a city block.
Just like AOL Time Warner?
Mexicans:
Write your Deputies (by party, unfortunately) and your Senators (by state).
# Imagine a Beowulf cluster...
# In Sovie^H^H^H^H^H Nazi Germany, you don't want a sauna!
# But can it run Linux?
# When Cowboyneal gets one...
I'd like to point out that Microsoft usually does a great job of translating to other languages. Here in Mexico, Age of Empires was the hit multiplayer game. Everyone played it and nothing else. Why? It was the only game of its kind translated to spanish.
Am I the only one aroused by this?
Besides, it's $10,000 -Canadian- dollars. That's like 10 American cents.
*ducks*
Yes, but after I've sued to have them drop my face as a background, sign a settlement which explicitly -prohibits- Mircosoft from ever carrying my face again AND which explicitly releases Microsoft of any future liability regarding Java, THEN I whine to a court that I've changed my mind and want Microsoft to distribute my -correct- face, because if it hadn't been for their anticompetitive practices, my face would be "ubiquitous" (from the Judge's opinion) on desktop PCs. Sun flatters itself.
From the Judge's opinion:
"According to Sun, if Microsoft had not committed its anticompetitive acts directed toward thwarting the implementation of Java, current and compatible Java runtime environments would now be ubiquitous on PCs."
This is hilarious.
In general, I agree.
However, no court order forced Dell, HPaq, and others to carry Windows. Draconian Microsoft licensing maybe, but no court order.
That still does not excuse Sun, or the imbecile judge.
Yes, but after Sun whined that Microsoft had bastardized Java beyond all recognition, Microsoft agreed to drop Java.
Now Sun is whining that Microsoft wants to marginalize Java.
I think Sun should get off their asses and start selling Java like normal software vendors. Or do like AOL and give it away on massive quantities of CDs, but not rely on court-orders for their business to succeed.
Microsoft ordered by court to set my face as default background. Microsoft was found to be ilegally leveraging its monopoly of the operating system market to marginalize my pretty face.
This is just ludicrous. Courts on crack.
Why should Windows carry Java? Every other software vendor has to sell and distribute their own software, not rely on court-orders. Why should Sun be any different? If Windows users want Java they can buy it from Sun or download it.
This is not about legal issues or about "downloading music", as the writeup suggests. This is about a bandwidth crunch. OptimumOnline restricts users from running "servers", and they consider P2P software to be a "server" when used to offer files to the internet.
I still don't agree with restricting people's internet connections, and I know no one reads the articles they comment on, but at least people could read the articles they submit.
Will this save Bnetd?
The scientists who actually research and submit papers to journals usually receive no monetary compensation. It's just the opposite. Journals might charge for having eminent "names" in the field "peer-review" your article (the reviewers don't usually get paid), and the journals charge exorbitant subscription fees.
You might notice the common trend: only journals receive money. Much more money than the cost of publication. And they don't want anyone else publishing -their- papers (the ones they didn't write, nor pay for).
Science should be free. Most researchers have to jump through hoops just to get published, and they get no pay for having published, just notice and prestige. I completely agree with the PLoS.
Check them out: the-cloak.
What is the difference between Republican and Democrat political views?
Yes, I can testify to this working.
About a year ago I was loading up a Macromedia product (Homesite), when I heard my fan stop. It took about 30 seconds for smoke and sparks to fly, and my power supply went dead. Permanently.
I knew Macromedia wrote bloated code, but this? Sheesh.
Reading the article shows that Microsoft is not overlooking "software sharing" in return for anything, as the write-up implies. The article says Microsoft is pledging to invest $750 million in China over three years, but that "China had not made any specific pledges in return".
The Beijing municipal goverment is -still- going to use Linux instead of Microsoft, as the article clearly states, so Microsoft's only benefit in this investment is goodwill. And for a developing country, investment in education, jobs, and research is very important.
It's hard to trust Slashdot these days. That's a bad reputation to build.
Granted, I have not visited Missouri or Arkansas, but I've been to Texas (frequently), which is probably nearly as bad.
You've qualified your statement however. You say every student is denied access to a "good" education. The issue here is not quality, it's existance. Many places in Mexico simply do not have schools.
And those that do lack proper resources to maintain them. We're not talking about qualified teachers, competent admisitrators, or IT infrastructure. These are schools that don't have enough desks for their students (those that actually attend), much less textbooks. The textbooks they do have are all federally-provided, and generally terrible. Care to read about the glories of 72 years of one-party rule from the one-party itself?
The fact is, Americans live in extravagant opulence compared to the rest of the world. Perhaps you need to visit the Taraumara indians in northern Mexico, where every child equally lacks even shoes.
That's hardly a problem. Microsoft's Thought Police are already spreading through Mexico. Everyday it gets harder to acquire gratis Microsoft software, but free software will always be free, and gratis.
Besides, at this point, Mexico hardly has widespread use for free software. Programming languages are all very Anglo-centric. People proficient in English are rare, and in many ways, learning to code is like learning a new language, but based on English. The difficulties for non-native English speaking coders are rather great.
Being a Mexican, a Windows user, and a Linux user, I think some perspective needs to be thrown into the picture.
Most people in Mexico don't speak English, and don't know how to user a computer. In fact, this is what Fox's rival campaigned on: English and Computer education for everyone. He was basically laughed at by anyone with a clue, but it piqued popular interest, and he has the right intentions.
What Mexico needs is education. The public school system is a farce. Most people don't make it to high school. Most of those who do probably haven't ever used a computer. This is unheard of in the US... Who doesn't finish high-school? Who hasn't used a computer by then? In the US, this only happens at the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder. In Mexico, the bottom rung involves living in a rock cave kilometers from any civilized location. Forget electricity, telephones, running water, sewage, or clothespins. They hang their clothes to dry on trees.
If Microsoft offers to drop software and training to go with it, the software might be a leech intent on locking-down an already impoverished country on expensive monopoly-ware, but the training is essential. Getting people to learn and use computers should be the focus of the e-Mexico initiative. I agree free/open software is the better choice. I agree we shouldn't dish out money on a Microsoft-tax. But who is willing to teach Linux to the third-world masses?
I believe free software will spread in Mexico in the face of all barriers to entry exactly because it's free. Training is essential, and if Microsoft gaining a foothold is the cost, then so be it. But once people learn Windows, they might have -personal- incentive (and the new technical know-how) to learn Linux, if it will save them $200. That's a big savings, in Mexico.
Free software will come, but you must teach people any software first.
Blizzard can afford the lawsuits necessary to shut down bnetd because of rave reviews like this one encouraging people to give money to Blizzard.
The MPAA & RIAA can afford to buy legislation like the DMCA and the SSSCA/CBDTPA because of people buying their movies/albums.
When cash (not votes) is the currency that buys legislation, and cash (not justice) is what drives the legal system, you need to vote with your wallets.
Of course you can enjoy the message and hate the messenger. But paying the messenger his liveliehood because of the message really contradicts any moral stance you might take.
It's Clarke in one of the Rama books. The latter ones.
China is planned a manned space flight by 2005, to be followed by a manned visit to the moon "at a later date". Check out the BBC for (scarce) details.