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User: The+Cisco+Kid

The+Cisco+Kid's activity in the archive.

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  1. Re:Origami CD Case on Replacement for Jewel Cases? · · Score: 1

    Some of the sites suggested that you could MAIL a disc in one of these paper cases.

    It would be inappropriate for me to mention my employer, but a word of advice - if you want to mail a disc, and you want it to get where its going unscathed and in one piece - put it in a HARD CASE, taped shut with shipping tape. (You can re-use a case an AOL CD came in, even - some of them are quite sturdy) Then print an address label and stick it on. I would highly advise not to mail discs in anything less, ever. (And I will point out that Netflix and Blockbuster care more about saving money on postage than they do about the discs themselves)

    (Oh, and as for why AOL uses tough packaging, and Netflix/BB use flimsy envelopes - AOL can send the sturdy stuff cheaper by Standard mail [fka Third-class] becuase it sends the same exact item in bulk to LOTS of addresses - since Netflix/BB are sending unique items individually to different folks, they have to use First-class mail [Oh, and the timeliness of arrival is also a factor - AOL is continously shoveling entire pallets of signup CD's out, and doesnt care exactly when they arrive, nor do the recipients - obviously NF/BB customers want their disc to arrive quickly)

  2. Re:as cheap as a piece of paper on Replacement for Jewel Cases? · · Score: 1

    Would be nice to get a version of that that doesnt assume that you already know origami (For instance, wtf is the 'Fujimoto technique'? Or a 'mountain fold'?

    It also seems like it would be easier if there was an 8 1/2 x 11 PDF that was actually a template for the folding, you know with lines and whatnot on it.

  3. Re:There IS a limit on wireless bandwidth on Slashback: Oklahoma Spyware, FSF DRM, Lenovo Linux · · Score: 2, Insightful

    There are phsyical limits with wired connectivity too.

    The point is, the limit should be a specific rate, and unlimited *usage*, as opposed to a per-bit-transferred scheme. People will always be willing to pay for faster connections, but most fear the possibility that some uncontrolled event or fraud will run their bill up to insane amounts - that isn't a factor with a limited rate - all that happens is it will just hit the rate limit and choke.

  4. Strawman on The MPAA and EFF Cross Sabers · · Score: 1
    Would a clothing store give all their clothes for free? Would a car dealership give all its cars for free? Of course not. If they don't make a profit in this world they're out of business. That's just the laws of human nature.

    One big difference - you can't duplicate clothes or cars for no incremental cost. There is certainly economy of scale - a prototype certainly costs a lot more to create than each individual unit on a large production run - but only so far - 100,000 cars will generally cost roughly twice as much to make as 50,000. With something the is information - music and movies - the cost to produce it is fixed, and once you'd done so, the incremental cost of duplicating it is close to zero, especially if many individuals supply their own 'raw materials' (eg bandwidth, blank discs, time, etc) for their own copies. It actually costs the music/movie producer nothing for someone to copy a work, which is why the always couch it in terms of 'lost sales' which is bullshit - they are assuming that everyone who made a copy would have purchased it from them instead, which is certainly not true.

  5. How about this on Policy Wonk Castigates Net Neutrality · · Score: 1


    If you want to create a new fast pipe and charge extra for it, thats fine. But charging extra for the existing pipe, and forcing traffic that doesnt pay into a slower pipe, or no pipe at all, would be wrong.

    I'm not sure how the bill was worded, but perhaps a 'no degradation of existing service' bill would be as appropriate and more likely to pass.

  6. Buy? on Lenovo Backtracks on Linux Support Statement · · Score: 1
    ... said they would continue to work with customers who wanted Linux on ThinkPads - under a process that allows customers to buy the Linux license themselves ...

    BUY a linux license? That just shows how far out of touch with the real world most 'executives' are.

  7. Re:*over the years* on Ballmer Beaten by Spyware · · Score: 1

    How is this different?

    Lets see - Windows spyware is something that most even clueless-end-users are aware of, even if they don't really understand what it does or how it works, or even how to avoid it. And Windows so-called 'experts' know lots about it, and make lots of money off the former.

    A 'kernel trojan on linux', is something that I, someone that switched from MS to linux when they introduced Windows 3.1, and have never looked back, have been the sysadmin at two different ISP's over the course of ten years, have never even *heard* of, and I'd even go so far as to say that its something you pulled out of thin air to make an argument with.

  8. Re:More than 100 pieces of malware and spyware? on Ballmer Beaten by Spyware · · Score: 1

    The only difference is that on Windows - the system does that *for* you, courtesy pop-ups and seamless exploit integration. And there's no privilege seperation, so you dont even need any passwords.

    On Linux you'd have to do it yourself, intentionally. And you'd have to do it as root.

  9. Re:hm.. on First StarOffice Virus Sighted · · Score: 1

    Of course, becuase after all everyone runs StarOffice as a user that has direct write access to their /dev/hdX nodes. Just becuase you are a Windows user that doesnt understand the concept of seperation of privilege becuase MS never bothered, doesnt mean that it doesnt exist. (Er, thats of course assuming you arent running StarOffice on a Windows system, in which case the vulnerability is an MS one anyway)

  10. Which just goes to prove on First StarOffice Virus Sighted · · Score: 1


    That publishing or distributing information in *any* 'word processor' format is just silly. The only time you should send or accept a 'word processor' format file from anyone is when you are specifically collabortating with that person to co-produce that document, and you have agreed in advance to use that specific format.

    And even then it would make sense to use plain text to collaborate on the *content* of the document, and then have one person do the 'typesetting' in an appropriate application once the content is complete. Content update/edits would go back to the plain text, and then re-typeset the new version.

    Oh, and if your document isnt of sufficient size or importance to do it that way - it probably doesnt need fancy fonts and formatting anyway.

  11. Re:Location on Online Revenge · · Score: 1

    Who popped in where? The pictures are from the laptop's hard drive, all stored before the seller shipped it to the buyer, before either the buyer or the seller had anything to report to the police.

  12. Re:DRM does not benefit my life on FSF, Political Activism or Crossing the Line? · · Score: 1

    You are confusing Distribution with Production. *Production* isnt (and is unlikely to ever be) free. *Distrubution* *can* be free, or damn close to it.

  13. Re:NT didn't displace UNIX on Squaring the Open Source/Open Standards Circle · · Score: 1

    So NT being less efficient than NetWare, but cheaper, makes it better.

    How about a linux solution that was more efficient than NT, and a *lot* cheaper?

    Again, the choice of OS was by 'management', who most assuredly had been given the MS marketing treatment.

  14. Re:FUD alert on Squaring the Open Source/Open Standards Circle · · Score: 1

    You are ignoring that if a feature in 'LinuxA' is desirable, then 'LinuxB' can incorporate it, and likewise the other way around.

    That the old Unix was closed is *why* this couldnt happen with them, and why the fragmentation only got worse - becuase AT&T had thier own secret hacks, IBM had theirs, Sun, etc.. And it was all closed and secret, so none of them could implement compatibility with the others.

    The 'hobbyists' are the very people developing the software. In a way, its similar to evolution - what works well gets 'chosen' and merged back into the mainstream, what doesnt gets forgotten.

    Go crawl back into your hole, MS astroturf.

  15. Ah yes but on Squaring the Open Source/Open Standards Circle · · Score: 3, Informative

    Linux has one thing Unix never did - if someone forks it and does something innovative, then ther forks/branches can use it too, thanks to the GPL. The varous 'Unix' flavors didn't allow that.

  16. Re:Working key guards anyone? on Consumers Look For More Utilitarian Cellphones · · Score: 1

    My Nextel i265 requires a two key sequence, which seems to work just fine, My only gripe is that it wont light up the keypad until its unlocked, which makes it a bit harder to see the keys to press the sequence.

  17. Re:missing option: NTP service... on Consumers Look For More Utilitarian Cellphones · · Score: 1

    AFAIK, most modern cellphones do in fact do this. I suppose there were probably any number that didnt, but I cant recall ever having one.

  18. Re:Some concerns... on A DNA Database For All U.S. Workers? · · Score: 1

    Er, duh. I replied before reading your whole post :P

  19. Re:Some concerns... on A DNA Database For All U.S. Workers? · · Score: 1

    So instead of storing the actual DNA code itself, instead perhaps generate something like an MD5 hash of it - this would allow one to identify a person, but not actually inspect the DNA code itself.

  20. Re:I will stop on Microsoft in Talks To Acquire Ebay · · Score: 1

    Banks are subject to intense regulation, and they are insured - if they screw up, wether its MS fault or not, my deposits get replaced. And I do specifically look for banks who at least dont use MS as their front end.

    And as far as the IRS, I have no choice there - I *do* have a choice when it comes to eBay/PayPal.

  21. I will stop on Microsoft in Talks To Acquire Ebay · · Score: 1, Interesting

    If MS acquires any sort of control over eBay/PayPal I will close out my accounts with both. No way I trust anything to do with my money to MS.

  22. Re:You should to use the BSD license for file form on MS Proposes JPEG Alternative · · Score: 1

    GPL and BSD are software licenses. They would both be inappropriate for file formats.

    File formats merely need to be fully and completely documented, and free from patent restrictions, and free for *anyone* to fully implement in software regardless of how they choose to license it.

    In fact, I'd support requiring there to be a public domain 'reference' implementation (in a non-proprietary language) of any format that was going to get 'official standard' status, which could then be used as the basis for implementing it in any other software.

  23. Re:Ummmm why? on MS Proposes JPEG Alternative · · Score: 1

    You need to replace your funny bone - It was a joke (granted a tounge-in-cheek one, but a joke nonetheless)

  24. Re:Big claims indeed! on MS Proposes JPEG Alternative · · Score: 1

    GIF was popular before anyone ever heard of jpeg. And yes, the obnoxious gif animation thing captured the hearts and minds of fools and marketroids alike.

    Flash is ok for entertainment. Nothing in which you want to actually get anything done should ever be done in flash.

    Agreed on text and html (but not MSWord) being far and away better tools for many cases where PDF's are used.

    However, There are some cases where a PDF is exactly the right tool. Now, I'd never open one with a web browser directly - plugins are moronic - I stick with the download the file and open it directly in the appropriate app. Its also possible that some PDF's authored by some apps do in fact suck. Personally I like the 'print as postscript, and then use ps2pdf' method.

  25. Re:Ummmm why? on MS Proposes JPEG Alternative · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you click the 'I agree' it takes you to download some file that ends in ".DOC" - since I couldnt find any specifications for *that* file, I wasnt able to read them.