If this is true, then it shows that the big corps have their heads up their collective arses...
I work for a small ISP that provides DSL service (HDSL and RADSL,) and we actually PREFER it if our customers are running linux... it makes troubleshooting very simple.. (no need to guess if the problem is with the RTU or the machine..)
I'm guessing the "large corporation" mentality is to blame here...
Actually, most(?) ISP's in Australia already use transparent proxies, because of the high bandwidth costs they have to endure.. (or so I'm told - been a few years since I've been there..)
This just looks to me as if the Australian government doesn't want thier populace connected to the rest of the world..
Two things leap to mind; the first is that the government has no idea what the internet is or how it works, (in which case they shouldn't be making laws about it.) the second is that they DO know how much work this will be and they're trying to make jobs for more beauracrats (in which case they shouldn't be making laws about it.)
For all you.au people, good luck in fighting this.
I installed RedHat on my desktop machine at work, basically to make printing to our (non-PS) network printers easier...
One of the tools I used on a regular basis (on Slackware) was Tkined/Scotty... I see there is a Scotty RPM, so I try to install it...
All I get (after a few moments of HD activity) is the error message "This package can not be installed." - THat's it - no reason WHY it can't be installed... I do a dependency check - everything is OK there... what the fsck is wrong with this thing???? I go out and buy Maximum RPM.... nothing in there about error messages either...
Not since using Windoze 3.0 have I encountered such a brain-dead error message... if a program has trouble doing something IT SHOULD SAY WHY!
for fscks sake, when making error messages MAKE THEM MEANINGFUL...
I would have to say that RPM is just a pain in the ass..
Well, once the machine is in place, anything can be tested on it:o) - sure, test OS/2... (would be interesting to see..)
As far as what to do with the machine afterwards, I think putting it into full-time service would be the best thing - technology changes so rapidly, it would be pointless to keep it for future benchmarks.. I'd rather see it doing something useful for the community (serving/. pages would cover that, wouldn't it?:o)
So I guess the first thing is to suggest a poll... "I would donate $X towards a high-end benchmark server..." - maybe see how much interest there would be in following this through... so far we have $200 pledged:o)
main reason for the probe was that the small ISP's were taking it up the I/O port by the big Telcos, and Cablecos entering the market. The Telcos definately are not playing fair.
Although part of the same probe, this was not the ruling made today. (The article mentioned that the jury is still out on that one.) This ruling was whether the CRTC should regulate the Internet the same way it regulates TV (ie. with cancon rules) - they were looking at whether they should institute a tax on the Internet to encourage Canadian Internet content. (Yes, I KNOW - totally dumb-ass question.)
Amazingly enough, the panel had a brief interlude with lucidity, and decided that taxing Internet use was a bad thing.
I suggest that we (the "Linux Community") fund our own benchmark... and cook it as much as possible! Get hardware that runs linux WELL - and screw NT if it isn't supported. (Do to them what they're doing to us.)
Let's show the world the TRUE power of Open Source - produce our own patches (if/when needed) to boost the HorsePower... make the tests use Perl/CGI to the nuts if it will make NT look bad.. basically use every trick at our disposal to increase the speed of Linux.
As I see it, the biggest problem with this idea is funding - but considering how many slashdotters there are, this shouldn't be an issue - if we all contributed $100, we could easily afford such a machine - I would happily send $100 to Rob (or some other recognized/responsible person) to buy such a beast (and if Rob was our "president" think what the machine would be used for once the benchmark is finished - making/. faster:) - and considering the motivation, I'm sure corporate sponsorship wouldn't be that hard to get - VA Research could provide funding in the way of a discount on the machine (think of the advertising revenue generated when the MAINSTREAM PRESS reports that a VA Research machine blows the doors off a Dell running NT..)
It's time to turn the table - in the immortal words of Oscar Goldman, "We have the technology"
Am I the only idealist here, or can we make this happen?
I wonder how long it will be before we see a Mindcruft study showing how the new Xerox products are 5 times faster than HP's?
But this is just what every office needs... not only do their computers crash once a day, now thier other office equipment does too! The wonders of a homogenous office.
I wonder... is Xerox going to start telling people that thier stuff is now easier to use? "You don't need a real technician any more, any idiiot can administer your new printer."
Hmm.. I think that about sums up all of the MS slams.. (at least all the ones I can think of..)
I doubt this would be the case, unless the kernel folks didn't read Mindcraft's publication on the matter.. (which is also doubtful, as you'd think that if they were releasing the patches for it, they'd at least have found out what the nitty gritty details..) (hmm, nice circular piece of logic on my part there, but I hope you catch my drift...)
Specifically, the Mindcraft paper stated that the Linux team would be unable to use any patches not publicly available before April 20.
I don't think anybody here would consider this to be novel... but that's not the problem - the problem is that the patent office doesn't employ people who have computer backgrounds, and so (no matter how bright they may or may not be,) they go ahead and approve it anyway.
The patent doesn't have to sound novel to you, it just has to sound novel to the patent office.
Of course, there is the possibility that this could be used against the Linux community as well. They could say somehting like "No one wanted to participate in the third test because they knew NT would still come out on top. They prefer to sit back and criticize and cast doubt than to actually accept the challenge and be shown inferior."
Yes, this it true - which is why any boycott would have to be publicized with a press release (published before Mindcraft published theirs) stating the reasons (that the hardware used for testing is biased towards NT) - cc'ing Mindcraft would ensure that they couldn't use this excuse. paper.
This is nothing more than Mindcraft going into butt-covering mode...
Mindcraft isn't interested in an honest test, they just want to show (to the media) that they know what they're doing.. it's a PR game plain and simple.. they want Linux people to put their stamp of approval on something that they have no real control over...
Why the time restrictions? the Linux experts aren't allowed to use any patch that came out after April 20th... One of the main points about the original test was the unsupported RAID card used... so if someone were to magically release a patch tomorrow that made that card run 3x as fast, they wouldn't be able to use it.
By the terms in the paper, as soon as someone from the Linux camp joins, they're bound to put their name on the PR sheet. (which is essentially just a confirmation of their second test, which they have already run and won't show to anybody.) Since Mindcraft has STILL not levelled the playing field, I strongly urge a boycott of this 'test'.
If Mindcraft REALLY wanted to have an unbiased test, they would invite Redhat and Miscrosoft to sit down and draw up a mutually agreed-upon hardware list; that way no side is at a disadvantage.
When you're at war, you don't allow your opponent to choose the battlefield unless you have no other option. We have another option, which is not to fight. By allowing someone else to choose the hardware, the Linux side is at a disadvantage. Don't give them more ammunition against us.
I think maybe he hasn't used it in a few years... (he's apparently a pretty bright guy - but maybe he tried a pre-v1 or something, and made up his mind there and then?)
I use it everyday for firewalls and gateways (in addition to web & email servers, plus it's my primary desktop OS,) and it's ALWAYS 100% rock solid.. the number of times it's crashed on me: ZERO. (uptime on our main server is over 6 months, and it shows no sign of slowing down... Although as soon as I get my ass in gear and get up early on a Sunday morning when nobody's using it, I'll probably upgrade the kernel...)
Compare this with the SCO server I upgraded today, which the user says has to be rebooted once a week, and I'd that it's pretty reliable...
This is JUST what we need... a bunch of overzealous beaurocrats with delusions of gradeur who can't get their OWN affairs in order deciding to poke their noses in other people's business...
They should just keep their 'contributions' to themselves until AFTER the UN achieves global peace (which ain't gonna happen until long after they've learned to stop squabbling amongst themselves.)
It doesn't surprise me that WIPO is involved though...
Linux does make computing (on a PC at least,) fun.. It's fun to learn about something that works properly..
"You'll take a job that doesn't pay as well because it's more interesting," Torvalds said.
A perfect example.. I've turned down two jobs that pay twice what I'm getting now, simply because they didn't interest me,( and I wouldn't get to use Linux all the time:o)
email is a public communication no different than a letter in the US Mail
This is (generally) true
And no one should be able to tell him he cannot send an email because they don't like what he says
They're not telling him he can't send email; they're telling him he can't send email TO THEM, which is perfectly reasonable.
You're also right about existing protections against harrassment - but other people tried to turn this from a harrassment issue into a 'free speech' issue. Fortunately the courts ruled correctly.
Free speech != right to be heard. You can say anything you like, but you are not allowed to force me to listen. 1984 has nothing to do with it.
Hmm... a technology that would make this possible..
How about lenticular lithography? - Some recent advances in this field provide 3D animated images.. considering how LCD panels are made now, a marriage of the two creates some interesting possibilities...
Is this consistent with common carrier status?
on
ISP Sues Spammer
·
· Score: 2
The problem truly is that there is very little practical way to enforce any spam related legislation. Adopting a law wont prevent the problem, it only punishes the worst of them (should they get caught) after the fact. The only way to limit the misuse of technology, is to build precautions into the technology. I dont simply rely on law enforcement to find people who hack into my site, I install firewalls, use strong encryption, etc. to limit the number of people who *can* get thru (someone always can tho, I just make my site less of an appealing target).
You make an interesting point - but if I were to draw an analogy, it would be this: "Adopting a law won't prevent someone from breaking into your house, it only punishes them after the fact. I don't simply rely on law enforcement to find people who steal from me, I install better locks, put bars on my windows, to limit the number of people who *can* get thru (someone always can tho, I just make my home less of an appealing target.)"
I work for an ISP - we pay by the packet for our upstream bandwidth. When someone sends me spam, it costs us money. Therefore they are stealing from us.
Slashdot Mirror
If this is true, then it shows that the big corps have their heads up
their collective arses...
I work for a small ISP that provides DSL service (HDSL and RADSL,) and
we actually PREFER it if our customers are running linux... it makes
troubleshooting very simple.. (no need to guess if the problem is with
the RTU or the machine..)
I'm guessing the "large corporation" mentality is to blame here...
What kind of software do you use to make your server page you when it is about to go down?
:o)
Try
Big Brother... it works wonderfully for this.. (assuming your UPSd logs things like that
Actually, most(?) ISP's in Australia already use transparent proxies,
.au people, good luck in fighting this.
because of the high bandwidth costs they have to endure.. (or so I'm
told - been a few years since I've been there..)
This just looks to me as if the Australian government doesn't want
thier populace connected to the rest of the world..
Two things leap to mind; the first is that the government has no idea
what the internet is or how it works, (in which case they shouldn't be
making laws about it.) the second is that they DO know how much work
this will be and they're trying to make jobs for more beauracrats (in
which case they shouldn't be making laws about it.)
For all you
I installed RedHat on my desktop machine at work, basically to make
printing to our (non-PS) network printers easier...
One of the tools I used on a regular basis (on Slackware) was
Tkined/Scotty... I see there is a Scotty RPM, so I try to install
it...
All I get (after a few moments of HD activity) is the error message
"This package can not be installed." - THat's it - no reason WHY it
can't be installed... I do a dependency check - everything is OK
there... what the fsck is wrong with this thing???? I go out and buy
Maximum RPM.... nothing in there about error messages either...
Not since using Windoze 3.0 have I encountered such a brain-dead error
message... if a program has trouble doing something IT SHOULD SAY WHY!
for fscks sake, when making error messages MAKE THEM MEANINGFUL...
I would have to say that RPM is just a pain in the ass..
Gates has been silent on the issue, because he doesn't want to be involved
And Ballmer is simply incapable of keeping silent on any topic...
Anyone seen an interview with this guy?
He could be the poster child for Attention Deficit Disorder.
Steve, buddy - some free advice... cut down on the stimulants.. remember, Ritalin is your friend.
Well, once the machine is in place, anything can be tested on it :o) - sure, test OS/2... (would be interesting to see..)
/. pages would cover that, wouldn't it? :o)
:o)
As far as what to do with the machine afterwards, I think putting it into full-time service would be the best thing - technology changes so rapidly, it would be pointless to keep it for future benchmarks.. I'd rather see it doing something useful for the community (serving
So I guess the first thing is to suggest a poll... "I would donate $X towards a high-end benchmark server..." - maybe see how much interest there would be in following this through... so far we have $200 pledged
another insightful NRA self rationalization, on par with the household cold war of "I need a gun to protect myself from other people with guns"
Two reasons one should not dis the NRA:
#1: They are a very powerful lobby organization.
#2: They all have guns.
:o)
main reason for the probe was that the small ISP's were taking it up the I/O port by the big Telcos, and Cablecos entering the market. The Telcos definately are not playing fair.
Although part of the same probe, this was not the ruling made today. (The article mentioned that the jury is still out on that one.) This ruling was whether the CRTC should regulate the Internet the same way it regulates TV (ie. with cancon rules) - they were looking at whether they should institute a tax on the Internet to encourage Canadian Internet content. (Yes, I KNOW - totally dumb-ass question.)
Amazingly enough, the panel had a brief interlude with lucidity, and decided that taxing Internet use was a bad thing.
This is kind of getting out of hand...
/. faster :) - and considering the motivation, I'm sure corporate sponsorship wouldn't be that hard to get - VA Research could provide funding in the way of a discount on the machine (think of the advertising revenue generated when the MAINSTREAM PRESS reports that a VA Research machine blows the doors off a Dell running NT..)
So lets DO something about it..
I suggest that we (the "Linux Community") fund our own benchmark... and cook it as much as possible! Get hardware that runs linux WELL - and screw NT if it isn't supported. (Do to them what they're doing to us.)
Let's show the world the TRUE power of Open Source - produce our own patches (if/when needed) to boost the HorsePower... make the tests use Perl/CGI to the nuts if it will make NT look bad.. basically use every trick at our disposal to increase the speed of Linux.
As I see it, the biggest problem with this idea is funding - but considering how many slashdotters there are, this shouldn't be an issue - if we all contributed $100, we could easily afford such a machine - I would happily send $100 to Rob (or some other recognized/responsible person) to buy such a beast (and if Rob was our "president" think what the machine would be used for once the benchmark is finished - making
It's time to turn the table - in the immortal words of Oscar Goldman, "We have the technology"
Am I the only idealist here, or can we make this happen?
I wonder how long it will be before we see a Mindcruft study showing
how the new Xerox products are 5 times faster than HP's?
But this is just what every office needs... not only do their
computers crash once a day, now thier other office equipment does too!
The wonders of a homogenous office.
I wonder... is Xerox going to start telling people that thier stuff is
now easier to use? "You don't need a real technician any more, any
idiiot can administer your new printer."
Hmm.. I think that about sums up all of the MS slams.. (at least all
the ones I can think of..)
I doubt this would be the case, unless the kernel folks didn't read
Mindcraft's publication on the matter.. (which is also doubtful, as
you'd think that if they were releasing the patches for it, they'd at
least have found out what the nitty gritty details..) (hmm, nice
circular piece of logic on my part there, but I hope you catch my
drift...)
Specifically, the Mindcraft paper stated that the Linux team would be
unable to use any patches not publicly available before April 20.
I really don't see how this patent is novel
I don't think anybody here would consider this to be novel... but
that's not the problem - the problem is that the patent office doesn't
employ people who have computer backgrounds, and so (no matter how
bright they may or may not be,) they go ahead and approve it anyway.
The patent doesn't have to sound novel to you, it just has to sound
novel to the patent office.
Of course, there is the possibility that this could be used against
the Linux community as well. They could say somehting like "No one
wanted to participate in the third test because they knew NT would
still come out on top. They prefer to sit back and criticize and cast
doubt than to actually accept the challenge and be shown
inferior."
Yes, this it true - which is why any boycott would have to be
publicized with a press release (published before Mindcraft published
theirs) stating the reasons (that the hardware used for testing is
biased towards NT) - cc'ing Mindcraft would ensure that they couldn't
use this excuse.
paper.
This is nothing more than Mindcraft going into butt-covering mode...
Mindcraft isn't interested in an honest test, they just want to show
(to the media) that they know what they're doing.. it's a PR game
plain and simple.. they want Linux people to put their stamp of
approval on something that they have no real control over...
Why the time restrictions? the Linux experts aren't allowed to use
any patch that came out after April 20th... One of the main points
about the original test was the unsupported RAID card used... so if
someone were to magically release a patch tomorrow that made that card
run 3x as fast, they wouldn't be able to use it.
By the terms in the paper, as soon as someone from the Linux camp
joins, they're bound to put their name on the PR sheet. (which is
essentially just a confirmation of their second test, which they have
already run and won't show to anybody.) Since Mindcraft has STILL not
levelled the playing field, I strongly urge a boycott of this 'test'.
If Mindcraft REALLY wanted to have an unbiased test, they would invite
Redhat and Miscrosoft to sit down and draw up a mutually agreed-upon
hardware list; that way no side is at a disadvantage.
When you're at war, you don't allow your opponent to choose the
battlefield unless you have no other option. We have another option,
which is not to fight. By allowing someone else to choose the
hardware, the Linux side is at a disadvantage. Don't give them more
ammunition against us.
I think maybe he hasn't used it in a few years... (he's apparently a pretty bright guy - but maybe he tried a pre-v1 or something, and made up his mind there and then?)
I use it everyday for firewalls and gateways (in addition to web & email servers, plus it's my primary desktop OS,) and it's ALWAYS 100% rock solid.. the number of times it's crashed on me: ZERO. (uptime on our main server is over 6 months, and it shows no sign of slowing down... Although as soon as I get my ass in gear and get up early on a Sunday morning when nobody's using it, I'll probably upgrade the kernel...)
Compare this with the SCO server I upgraded today, which the user says has to be rebooted once a week, and I'd that it's pretty reliable...
This is JUST what we need... a bunch of overzealous beaurocrats with
delusions of gradeur who can't get their OWN affairs in order deciding
to poke their noses in other people's business...
They should just keep their 'contributions' to themselves until AFTER
the UN achieves global peace (which ain't gonna happen until long
after they've learned to stop squabbling amongst
themselves.)
It doesn't surprise me that WIPO is involved though...
"... We do recommend that people go to the latest versions of our operating system, but not for year 2000 reasons."
I like this bit of honesty from a PR exec... I'd be interested in knowing the reason they DO recommend going to the latest versions..
" We recommend suckers^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hpeople go to the latest version of our operating system because then we make more money."
Linux does make computing (on a PC at least,) fun..
:o)
It's fun to learn about something that works properly..
"You'll take a job that doesn't pay as well
because it's more interesting," Torvalds said.
A perfect example.. I've turned down two jobs that pay
twice what I'm getting now, simply because they didn't interest
me,( and I wouldn't get to use Linux all the time
email is a public communication no different than a letter in the US Mail
This is (generally) true
And no one should be able to tell him he cannot send an email because they don't like what he says
They're not telling him he can't send email; they're telling him he can't send email TO THEM, which is perfectly reasonable.
You're also right about existing protections against harrassment - but other people tried to turn this from a harrassment issue into a 'free speech' issue. Fortunately the courts ruled correctly.
Free speech != right to be heard. You can say anything you like, but you are not allowed to force me to listen. 1984 has nothing to do with it.
Can you tell me what software they used? - was it a commercial product,
or someting OSS-like?
If (as it appears) he simply exploited it before pointing it out and giving them a chance to fix it, he's cracker scum and deserves to lose
It certainly doesn't appear that way to me... but then I read the article...
Ever hear of the phrase "shoot the messenger" - this is exactly what ebay is doing...
Hmm... a technology that would make this possible..
How about lenticular lithography? - Some recent advances
in this field provide 3D animated images.. considering how
LCD panels are made now, a marriage of the two creates some
interesting possibilities...
The problem truly is that there is very little practical way to enforce any spam related legislation. Adopting a law
wont prevent the problem, it only punishes the worst of them (should they get caught) after the fact.
The only way to limit the misuse of technology, is to build precautions into the technology. I dont simply rely on law enforcement to find people who hack into my site, I install firewalls, use strong encryption, etc. to limit the number of people who *can* get thru (someone always can tho, I just make my site less of an appealing target).
You make an interesting point - but if I were to draw an analogy, it would be this:
"Adopting a law won't prevent someone from breaking into your house, it only punishes them after the fact. I don't simply rely on law enforcement to find people who steal from me, I install better locks, put bars on my windows, to limit the number of people who *can* get thru (someone always can tho, I just make my home less of an appealing target.)"
I work for an ISP - we pay by the packet for our upstream bandwidth. When someone sends me spam, it costs us money. Therefore they are stealing from us.
Where I live there are five television stations (six, if you speak french) that all broadcast on the standard band - all you need is an antenna.
Cable here basically just pipes in content from other cities - you're paying for the sattellite time, not the commercials.
Is that (aside from the obvious errors already pointed out,) is the author referring to "Windows 2000 being released next year"
My guess is that this guy does nothing but read press reports, and doesn't actually do any form of research...