Well, when you've enjoyed a freedom for so long, and suddenly someone wants to take it away, doesn't it make sense to try to fight to keep the freedom, rather than to just sit back and let it be taken?
>It THEIR video which they GAVE you. Maybe they do not WANT you to save it? Maybe they are dependent on ad revenues. Maybe they have other reasons to let you download it from their site. Who the fuck are you to tell them what to do with their property anyways??!!
For as long as I can remember, I have had the right to record content I see on TV onto videotape for safekeeping. I have been able to keep files I download from the net (or in older times, BBSs) on my disk and use them forever I want.
Basically, data I download stays on my disk and I can keep accessing it whenever I want.
DRM is trying to take away something I've always been able to do. If they don't want me to be able to save the video, then don't put it on the web. Yes, it sounds crass, but trying to restrict what I can do with my own equipment is just an invasion of basic property rights that I won't put up with.
If you don't want people saving something, don't put it on the net. I'd rather do without the video than to have an unsaveable version.
>What about the fact that DRM allows Napster to offer an excellent service like Napster-to-Go?
I'm sure the same service can be offered with open MP3 or OGG files.
>Or how about DRM allows video producers to have a video be playable only from their web site and for a certain amount of time before it expires?
But I don't want that! I want to be able to download and save video I view on the net. Web sites don't stick around forever, and if you see something cool, there's no guarantee it'll be there tomorrow. Therefore, I want to be able to save it.
I have archives of several pages that I wouldn't be able to see anymore if I hadn't been able to save. We must not let DRM-proponents get their way, because if they do, media archives will be a thing of the past. Look at archive.org and the prelinger archives -- if all those movies had been DRMed and expired, we wouldn't have them today, right?
AMEN to this. I don't understand why folks don't just use credit cards for all purchases. If you pay off the balance every month, you don't have to pay interest, and the risks to your money are much lower.
Not to mention, you still get a nice summarized statement every month with every single one of your purchases. The only disadvantage I can think of is having to write one check a month, but really, if you're that lazy, you probably have more pressing issues. }:)
I've always found it odd that first-class tickets are so outrageously priced. You'd think if someone is smart enough to become rich, they'd be smart enough not to throw away so much money on a first-class ticket.
If more rich folk were smart enough to not shred their money in this fashion, perhaps first-class tickets wouldn't be so outrageously priced?
I never liked the design of AWstats. Webstats are something that should run from a cron job and generate static pages, like Webalizer does.
I'm not sure what the advantage to generating a dynamic page for web stats is, especially when you still need a regular cron job to update the database. Just generate static pages too.
Actually, the Linux Flash player has some rather serious bugs with audio sync, which Macromedia STILL hasn't fixed, even though they've known about the bugs for years.
I'm a bit annoyed at Macromedia; sure it's nice of them to support Linux, but if you're going to support us, please do it all the way, and not half-assed!
Note that the truetype hinting code is included in every version of Freetype, and a quick recompile is all you need in order to enable it.
The nice thing about software patents is they can only be enforced on a "product", source code isn't a "product" so you can distribute the code and end users can compile it themselves without worry.
In fact, the RedHat/Fedora spec file for the Freetype libraries has the option right at the top. You can flip it, rebuild the SRPM and you're all set!
So how come these funky SMS numbers never work on my phone? I can send SMS to other phones just fine, but these 5 digit services never work, it always says "NUMBER NOT SUPPORTED". I use MetroPCS in Miami.
Is this a special service outside the normal SMS that providers have to opt into, or what?
But.. HDTV devices manufactured before the deadline don't pay attention to the broadcast flag... so the pirates will just keep on doing TV rips using their pre-flag equipment.
This whole broadcast flag makes no sense. It's like closing the barn door after the horses leave. There's TONS of pre-flag HDTV capture equipment out there.
Google recently went public. This means that they are now accountable to stockholders. Stockholders want only two things: Profit and growth.
Once a company goes public, the fact that the board is accountable to anonymous stockholders sucks most of the humanity out of the company. The company devolves from "How can we do something really cool and innovative" to the very cold "How can we make as much money as possible to keep stockholders happy?"
This is what I worry will happen to Google. Lots of companies have lost their human side after going IPO; I don't have much faith that Google will be an exception.
What gets me is that advertisers must realize how incredibly irritating popups are, and how much people hate them, yet they continue to use them to advertise. Won't this build ill-will against the product/company being advertised?
If folks go through so much trouble to block the darn things, advertisers should realize that it's not a good way to advertise, and switch to a less annoying method.
Same idea applies with spammers and spam filters. Why do spammers try so hard to get through to people who hate spam enough to block it? They're definitely not going to be customers!
>You should be able to make some of your own files >available on the Web, by running a web server on >your machine. Not allowing such things is as >limiting as an outgoing-calls-only phone line would >be. You have a pale shadow of an Internet >connection, and are missing some of the Internet's >most important capabilities.
This is one of the reason ISPs that ban servers bother me so much. Half the point of having an internet connection is being able to serve content, as well as consume it.
It's as if the ISPs want us to only be consumers, and not producers as well. This has to be the reason, because BitTorrent consumes many times the bandwidth your typical personal webserver consumes, and it's allowed.
I really do hope this silliness goes away. At least some providers, like SpeakEasy, Bellsouth, and so on don't seem to mind servers, but a lot still do. }:P
That's for the "Free iPod" thing in your sig. Dude, when you do this you're just as bad as a spammer. These companies giving away "free stuff" are just using you as a pawn to advertise for their clients.
>(nice to know they had no qualms profiting off these items)
Yes, that is nice to know.
These items are part of history, and should not be banned. Just because you think a German coin from the Nazi area is a cool collectible doesn't mean you are a Nazi.
They were rented from the phone company. When they broke, the phone company had to SPEND money to send a guy out to repair them. Hence, they had the ultimate push to create reliable products.
The old Western Electric phones are a great example of what manufacturers are capable of, if they put quality and durability first. Since making people buy a new X every couple of years is profitable, they design X to fail after a couple of years; preferably after the warranty.
One of the advantages of only using MacOS X and Linux is I can just tell people who ask me for help "Sorry, but I don't do Windows" and they generally leave me alone after that.
I'm happy to help other Mac users, as their problems tend to be trivial and un-frustrating. Fellow Linux users get help too, depending on how involved it is. But Windows users get zilch. }:)
So it's selfish when I pay $2400 for a Powerbook G4? Or when I spend $900 on a nice flat panel monitor?
If I can't spend any of my money on myself, and on things that I like, WHAT'S THE POINT?
Every good person has their own way of giving back to society and the planet. I volunteer at an animal sanctuary; others donate lots of money to charity, and so on.
But I still feel we should have the right to spend money on ourselves without being called "selfish". Sheesh.
This makes me wonder... When ARE they going to fork 2.7 and stop piling feature after feature into 2.6? There's been all kinds of stability issues with 2.6; anyone who wants a rock solid system has to still run 2.4.
We need to finalize 2.6 already and move onto 2.7, so critical servers can get a much needed kernel upgrade once it's stable. I even have a couple of Fedora Core 2 based servers running 2.4 because 2.6 kept randomly crashing.
When I used to do individual windows updates, I would just install them all, and leave the "You must reboot" dialogs sitting behind the other windows, piling up until I'm done... then I'd hit reboot on one of them and the machine would reboot.
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Well, when you've enjoyed a freedom for so long, and suddenly someone wants to take it away, doesn't it make sense to try to fight to keep the freedom, rather than to just sit back and let it be taken?
-Z
>It THEIR video which they GAVE you. Maybe they do not WANT you to save it? Maybe they are dependent on ad revenues. Maybe they have other reasons to let you download it from their site. Who the fuck are you to tell them what to do with their property anyways??!!
For as long as I can remember, I have had the right to record content I see on TV onto videotape for safekeeping. I have been able to keep files I download from the net (or in older times, BBSs) on my disk and use them forever I want.
Basically, data I download stays on my disk and I can keep accessing it whenever I want.
DRM is trying to take away something I've always been able to do. If they don't want me to be able to save the video, then don't put it on the web. Yes, it sounds crass, but trying to restrict what I can do with my own equipment is just an invasion of basic property rights that I won't put up with.
If you don't want people saving something, don't put it on the net. I'd rather do without the video than to have an unsaveable version.
-Z
>What about the fact that DRM allows Napster to offer an excellent service like Napster-to-Go?
I'm sure the same service can be offered with open MP3 or OGG files.
>Or how about DRM allows video producers to have a video be playable only from their web site and for a certain amount of time before it expires?
But I don't want that! I want to be able to download and save video I view on the net. Web sites don't stick around forever, and if you see something cool, there's no guarantee it'll be there tomorrow. Therefore, I want to be able to save it.
I have archives of several pages that I wouldn't be able to see anymore if I hadn't been able to save. We must not let DRM-proponents get their way, because if they do, media archives will be a thing of the past. Look at archive.org and the prelinger archives -- if all those movies had been DRMed and expired, we wouldn't have them today, right?
DRM is evil. Sorry, no ifs, ands, or buts here.
-Z
This is Steve Jobs, though. He can probably get Xserves for Pixar at cost from Apple.
Must be nice to be the CEO two companies, one of which can make extensive use of the other's products!
-Z
AMEN to this. I don't understand why folks don't just use credit cards for all purchases. If you pay off the balance every month, you don't have to pay interest, and the risks to your money are much lower.
Not to mention, you still get a nice summarized statement every month with every single one of your purchases. The only disadvantage I can think of is having to write one check a month, but really, if you're that lazy, you probably have more pressing issues. }:)
-Z
I've always found it odd that first-class tickets are so outrageously priced. You'd think if someone is smart enough to become rich, they'd be smart enough not to throw away so much money on a first-class ticket.
If more rich folk were smart enough to not shred their money in this fashion, perhaps first-class tickets wouldn't be so outrageously priced?
Hmm. Makes ya wonder. }:)
-Z
I never liked the design of AWstats. Webstats are something that should run from a cron job and generate static pages, like Webalizer does.
I'm not sure what the advantage to generating a dynamic page for web stats is, especially when you still need a regular cron job to update the database. Just generate static pages too.
-Z
Actually, the Linux Flash player has some rather serious bugs with audio sync, which Macromedia STILL hasn't fixed, even though they've known about the bugs for years.
I'm a bit annoyed at Macromedia; sure it's nice of them to support Linux, but if you're going to support us, please do it all the way, and not half-assed!
-Z
I did; they seemed clueless. I wouldn't stick with them if it weren't for the amazing deal they give me (unlimited monthly minutes for $50/mo.)
Things like this are only a slight annoyance, but I'm still curious about it...
-Z
Note that the truetype hinting code is included in every version of Freetype, and a quick recompile is all you need in order to enable it.
The nice thing about software patents is they can only be enforced on a "product", source code isn't a "product" so you can distribute the code and end users can compile it themselves without worry.
In fact, the RedHat/Fedora spec file for the Freetype libraries has the option right at the top. You can flip it, rebuild the SRPM and you're all set!
So how come these funky SMS numbers never work on my phone? I can send SMS to other phones just fine, but these 5 digit services never work, it always says "NUMBER NOT SUPPORTED". I use MetroPCS in Miami.
Is this a special service outside the normal SMS that providers have to opt into, or what?
-Z
But.. HDTV devices manufactured before the deadline don't pay attention to the broadcast flag... so the pirates will just keep on doing TV rips using their pre-flag equipment.
This whole broadcast flag makes no sense. It's like closing the barn door after the horses leave. There's TONS of pre-flag HDTV capture equipment out there.
-Z
Google recently went public. This means that they are now accountable to stockholders. Stockholders want only two things: Profit and growth.
Once a company goes public, the fact that the board is accountable to anonymous stockholders sucks most of the humanity out of the company. The company devolves from "How can we do something really cool and innovative" to the very cold "How can we make as much money as possible to keep stockholders happy?"
This is what I worry will happen to Google. Lots of companies have lost their human side after going IPO; I don't have much faith that Google will be an exception.
-Z
What gets me is that advertisers must realize how incredibly irritating popups are, and how much people hate them, yet they continue to use them to advertise. Won't this build ill-will against the product/company being advertised?
If folks go through so much trouble to block the darn things, advertisers should realize that it's not a good way to advertise, and switch to a less annoying method.
Same idea applies with spammers and spam filters. Why do spammers try so hard to get through to people who hate spam enough to block it? They're definitely not going to be customers!
-Z
So, these folks put their LIVES on the line for their country, yet they're still raped on phone charges for calling their loved ones at home?
Something is really, really wrong with this picture.
$1 per minute? Sheesh. That's obscene.
Calls home should be free. Perhaps limited (or everyone would spend their time on the phone), but free.
>You should be able to make some of your own files >available on the Web, by running a web server on >your machine. Not allowing such things is as >limiting as an outgoing-calls-only phone line would >be. You have a pale shadow of an Internet >connection, and are missing some of the Internet's >most important capabilities.
This is one of the reason ISPs that ban servers bother me so much. Half the point of having an internet connection is being able to serve content, as well as consume it.
It's as if the ISPs want us to only be consumers, and not producers as well. This has to be the reason, because BitTorrent consumes many times the bandwidth your typical personal webserver consumes, and it's allowed.
I really do hope this silliness goes away. At least some providers, like SpeakEasy, Bellsouth, and so on don't seem to mind servers, but a lot still do. }:P
-Z
*THWAP*.
That's for the "Free iPod" thing in your sig. Dude, when you do this you're just as bad as a spammer. These companies giving away "free stuff" are just using you as a pawn to advertise for their clients.
-Z
>(nice to know they had no qualms profiting off these items)
Yes, that is nice to know.
These items are part of history, and should not be banned. Just because you think a German coin from the Nazi area is a cool collectible doesn't mean you are a Nazi.
Sheesh.
-Z
They were rented from the phone company. When they broke, the phone company had to SPEND money to send a guy out to repair them. Hence, they had the ultimate push to create reliable products.
The old Western Electric phones are a great example of what manufacturers are capable of, if they put quality and durability first. Since making people buy a new X every couple of years is profitable, they design X to fail after a couple of years; preferably after the warranty.
-Z
Gee, I'm surprised they didn't think to just disconnect the keyboard lock from the motherboard.
Either that or they never figured out how they failed. }:)
-Z
One of the advantages of only using MacOS X and Linux is I can just tell people who ask me for help "Sorry, but I don't do Windows" and they generally leave me alone after that.
I'm happy to help other Mac users, as their problems tend to be trivial and un-frustrating. Fellow Linux users get help too, depending on how involved it is. But Windows users get zilch. }:)
-Z
So it's selfish when I pay $2400 for a Powerbook G4? Or when I spend $900 on a nice flat panel monitor?
If I can't spend any of my money on myself, and on things that I like, WHAT'S THE POINT?
Every good person has their own way of giving back to society and the planet. I volunteer at an animal sanctuary; others donate lots of money to charity, and so on.
But I still feel we should have the right to spend money on ourselves without being called "selfish". Sheesh.
-Z
This is why I don't play these games. When it stops being fun and becomes work, I'd rather just... well, go to work. }:)
-Z
This makes me wonder... When ARE they going to fork 2.7 and stop piling feature after feature into 2.6? There's been all kinds of stability issues with 2.6; anyone who wants a rock solid system has to still run 2.4.
We need to finalize 2.6 already and move onto 2.7, so critical servers can get a much needed kernel upgrade once it's stable. I even have a couple of Fedora Core 2 based servers running 2.4 because 2.6 kept randomly crashing.
-Z
When I used to do individual windows updates, I would just install them all, and leave the "You must reboot" dialogs sitting behind the other windows, piling up until I'm done... then I'd hit reboot on one of them and the machine would reboot.
This saved several craploads of time. }:)
-Z