So, they're going to make provision for names only as long as 128 characters? What are they going to do with the people whose names are longer than that? It's not legal to use abbreviations or nicknames. What if I change my name to "Russsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssss Nelson"? Oh, but I won't have the freedom to do that, because they'll make it illegal (rather than doing the obvious and allowing for database fields of unlimited length). Why do I want such a stupid freedom? Because that is what freedom is all about: the freedom to do stupid things. Freedom is not about the actions other people don't mind. Freedom is about being able to do things that Other People Object To.
I have no record that you donated $100 to the Open Source Initiative. If you had, then surely you would have received your membership card by now. -russ
If society exists, what is its address? How do I send it email? Society exists in the same sense that air exists. But air is not an entity. It doesn't have needs, goals, dreams, or any other attributes that you hear "society" has. Anything that "society" wants is exactly equal to what the individuals living in a society want; there is nothing left over to attribute to "society". The whole is exactly the sum of its parts; no more. -russ
Um... the original design of the US (small central government with most laws enacted by states) doesn't exist anymore. That ball stopped rolling a long time ago. -russ
Perhaps software will want to be free when software has feelings. Until then, we need to consiider what is best for users. If free software isn't being produced in an area, is it still "software hoarding"? -russ
David is right, but dinosaurs do not die prettily. There is no obvious path from here to a world where all digital data is freely copyable AND people are compensated for producing it. -russ
The problem with DRM is that it inherently disrupts proper operation of your computer. A general purpose computer cannot both stop you from playing digital data off media, and copying it. DRM is incompatible with reliability. -russ
It would be a good start if the USPTO could start by not issuing invalid patents. For example, patents which are patently obvious, or patents with well-known but not published prior art, or patents for devices that don't work, or patents which rely on techniques that haven't been invented yet -- but when they are, this patent will have priority.
For example, you could require that a functioning device which implements the claims of the patent must be sold within a year of the granting of the patent.
You'll not soon find an open source GPS receiver with routing like TomTom. The routing databases sell for substantial amounts of money and even if you could buy them as a stand-alone product, they're in a proprietary undocumented format.
I'm going to port pygps to the 770, but it uses pixmaps, not vector maps. Then again, I WANT pixmaps and not vector maps. -russ
No company EVER wants to lower their margins. They ONLY reason they do it is because competition in a free market forces them to. All hail free markets! -russ
I'm glad to see you express the idea that we have everything to fear from the people with guns, including the people nominally protecting us. For many people, their worst enemy is their own government. We have it good in democratic countries. Non-free governments have killed hundreds of millions of their own citizens (documented fact, not statistic pulled from my butt). -russ
Sorry, your EDIT is wrong. You can see this by comparing the poor in societies with free markets to the poor in societies without free markets.
And your second paragraph is also wrong. In a truly free market, the participants will create rules. Do some research on "law merchant". Or don't, but you'll continue to post nonsense. -russ
It's much more interesting to me to hear about what Barne will be taking OUT of C++. Adding features is the easy, wimpy part of the job. Removing them is the part that takes cohones. -russ
The trouble with that joke ("I went to the free market but nothing was free") is that some idiots say that there is no such thing as a free market. In essence that's true just as there is no such thing as an object at absolute zero. Markets are never "free"; they are always more or less free than other markets. As you observed, markets which are more free produce more wealth for the participants than markets which are interfered with to achieve some nominally desirable purpose like equality or justice. -russ
Are you kidding me? It's called "least cost call routing" and is pretty much a no-brainer.
You don't understand how this scam works: first, get a patent. It should be something broadly written so that everything plausibly infringes it. Then you go to a small company and say "You infringe this patent. We will sue you, or you can settle for $100." Obviously the small company settles; it would be insane to do anything else. You keep going go more and more companies, increasing the settlement offer; but always keeping it below the price of winning a lawsuit.
One of these days some Attorney General planning to run for Governor will wise up to this scam, and go after these firms for criminal extortion. -russ
"cash settlement and free downloads?" How much do you want to bet that the lawyers will get the cash settment, and the much buyers (aka victims) will get the free downloads? -russ p.s. yes, I AM that cynical.
Slashdot Mirror
Shhhhhh! I'm reading TFA, so don't anybody post until I'm done.
-russ
So, they're going to make provision for names only as long as 128 characters? What are they going to do with the people whose names are longer than that? It's not legal to use abbreviations or nicknames. What if I change my name to "Russsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssss
Nelson"? Oh, but I won't have the freedom to do that, because they'll make it illegal (rather than doing the obvious and allowing for database fields of unlimited length). Why do I want such a stupid freedom? Because that is what freedom is all about: the freedom to do stupid things. Freedom is not about the actions other people don't mind. Freedom is about being able to do things that Other People Object To.
I have no record that you donated $100 to the Open Source Initiative. If you had, then surely you would have received your membership card by now.
-russ
If society exists, what is its address? How do I send it email? Society exists in the same sense that air exists. But air is not an entity. It doesn't have needs, goals, dreams, or any other attributes that you hear "society" has. Anything that "society" wants is exactly equal to what the individuals living in a society want; there is nothing left over to attribute to "society". The whole is exactly the sum of its parts; no more.
-russ
Um ... the original design of the US (small central government with most laws enacted by states) doesn't exist anymore. That ball stopped rolling a long time ago.
-russ
Perhaps software will want to be free when software has feelings. Until then, we need to consiider what is best for users. If free software isn't being produced in an area, is it still "software hoarding"?
-russ
David is right, but dinosaurs do not die prettily. There is no obvious path from here to a world where all digital data is freely copyable AND people are compensated for producing it.
-russ
The problem with DRM is that it inherently disrupts proper operation of your computer. A general purpose computer cannot both stop you from playing digital data off media, and copying it. DRM is incompatible with reliability.
-russ
If I see one more 9 track tape in a movie involving computers, I'm gonna puke.
-russ
You forgot "Open Source is not Free Software", as long as we're listing silly ideas.
-russ
you realize, of course, that you just increased the hit count for each of those strings, meaninglessly.
-russ
It would be a good start if the USPTO could start by not issuing invalid patents. For example, patents which are patently obvious, or patents with well-known but not published prior art, or patents for devices that don't work, or patents which rely on techniques that haven't been invented yet -- but when they are, this patent will have priority.
For example, you could require that a functioning device which implements the claims of the patent must be sold within a year of the granting of the patent.
You're only getting 5 hours of sleep a night?? And you think there's something wrong with your monitor or glasses?
-russ
So ... they funded leftists in order to reduce leftism?? Are you confused or just confused?
-russ
You'll not soon find an open source GPS receiver with routing like TomTom. The routing databases sell for substantial amounts of money and even if you could buy them as a stand-alone product, they're in a proprietary undocumented format.
I'm going to port pygps to the 770, but it uses pixmaps, not vector maps. Then again, I WANT pixmaps and not vector maps.
-russ
No company EVER wants to lower their margins. They ONLY reason they do it is because competition in a free market forces them to. All hail free markets!
-russ
I'm glad to see you express the idea that we have everything to fear from the people with guns, including the people nominally protecting us. For many people, their worst enemy is their own government. We have it good in democratic countries. Non-free governments have killed hundreds of millions of their own citizens (documented fact, not statistic pulled from my butt).
-russ
Sorry, your EDIT is wrong. You can see this by comparing the poor in societies with free markets to the poor in societies without free markets.
And your second paragraph is also wrong. In a truly free market, the participants will create rules. Do some research on "law merchant". Or don't, but you'll continue to post nonsense.
-russ
It's much more interesting to me to hear about what Barne will be taking OUT of C++. Adding features is the easy, wimpy part of the job. Removing them is the part that takes cohones.
-russ
Maybe we should call them Open Markets instead? But then RMS would start inveighing against that, saying "Free Markets are not Open Markets!"
-russ
The trouble with that joke ("I went to the free market but nothing was free") is that some idiots say that there is no such thing as a free market. In essence that's true just as there is no such thing as an object at absolute zero. Markets are never "free"; they are always more or less free than other markets. As you observed, markets which are more free produce more wealth for the participants than markets which are interfered with to achieve some nominally desirable purpose like equality or justice.
-russ
class-based analysis of society leads to misconceptions.
-russ
Are you kidding me? It's called "least cost call routing" and is pretty much a no-brainer.
You don't understand how this scam works: first, get a patent. It should be something broadly written so that everything plausibly infringes it. Then you go to a small company and say "You infringe this patent. We will sue you, or you can settle for $100." Obviously the small company settles; it would be insane to do anything else. You keep going go more and more companies, increasing the settlement offer; but always keeping it below the price of winning a lawsuit.
One of these days some Attorney General planning to run for Governor will wise up to this scam, and go after these firms for criminal extortion.
-russ
The trouble is that so often these days, the "invention" is obvious, or has prior art.
-russ
"cash settlement and free downloads?" How much do you want to bet that the lawyers will get the cash settment, and the much buyers (aka victims) will get the free downloads?
-russ
p.s. yes, I AM that cynical.