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User: Dr.+Evil

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Comments · 2,657

  1. Re:Licensing on SCO Claims Kernel Contains UnixWare Code · · Score: 1

    If what you are saying is that you "can't undo" a piece of code that has been "GPL'd" by an unauthorized third party...

    If the code is patented in a particular way, then the GPL intentionally stops all distribution. If the code is copyrighted, i.e. not the author's work, then the code was never actually GPL'd. But if the code is a "secret" protected by "licenses", then once the secret is out, the secret is out... even though you violated the license, you haven't committed a crime, you only broke a contract. All those afterwards who come upon the intellectual property aren't bound by the contract.

  2. Re:Licensing on SCO Claims Kernel Contains UnixWare Code · · Score: 1

    I don't disagree with the accuracy of what you're saying. What bugs me is that corporations are treated differently than everyone else.

    If I had an unpatented recipie for shortbread and I licensed it to someone, and they violated the license by publishing the recipie in a book, my only recourse would be the license they signed. (Of course you can't copyright a method for making shortbread... but you can patent it)

    On the other hand, SCO is saying that they can license their shortbread recipie to someone, and if that person shares it with the world, then regardless of patents or copyright, SCO can impose the terms of the license on everyone who used, is using, or will ever use that recipie.

    Rake the person who broke the law over the coals, but the courts aren't there to force the world to treat widely published information as a "secret." If the perpetrator can't pay the damages, then maybe SCO shouldn't have been trusting them.

  3. Re:Licensing on SCO Claims Kernel Contains UnixWare Code · · Score: 1

    That's copyright... if the code meets the requirements for fair use, it doesn't apply.

    I would be astounded if you could copyright an algorithm. That would be like copyrighting a literary device.

    If it is a shameless copy of the original without abiding by fair use, then I could see copyright applying.

  4. Licensing on SCO Claims Kernel Contains UnixWare Code · · Score: 1

    The odd part to me is that even if the rogue coder violated SCO's license by GPLing SCO's IP, they still GPL'ed the code. You can't undo that. The rogue coder is at fault, but SCO is at fault for trusting them.

    SCO doesn't have a licensing agreement with every Linux user, and they can't sue every Linux user for violating IP agreements which have nothing to do with them.

    IANAL of course.

  5. It's not about who wrote the code... on IBM Denies Charges of Unix Theft · · Score: 1

    ...it's about who holds the patents.

    If successful, this would be the most staggering example of innovation being stifled by the patent system. The complete abandonment of open source software for fear of patent violations.

  6. What a dumb idea on DSL Hardware for Wiring Condos? · · Score: 1

    You don't know how to run an ISP, so you're going to try to force a building into becoming your captive customer base?

    What's the advantage? Why would you want to raise everyone's condo fees? Don't you have an ISP around to do this stuff?

  7. Same configuration on A Truly Silent Desktop PC · · Score: 1

    I'm using the same configuration but with a travelstar notebook HDD. It's very quiet but not silent.

    I was doing a network boot for a while, but I got sick of fighting for hours to get clear fonts and multiple streams of audio to work under Linux. That ended my latest attempt to use Debian on the desktop. Besides, I can serve X to XFree86 on Cygwin without any trouble.

    I'm going to try to find a bendy or very short PCI riser to get a DVD card in the PCI slot of my machine... that will solve my video issues.

  8. Re:why not just buy a thin client? on A Truly Silent Desktop PC · · Score: 1

    I've tried it both ways... for most applications it is faster to do root on NFS than to do X. If you do have an I/O intensive app, then you can always still use X.

    The real problem is local RAM. Although you can, you don't want to swap over NFS.

  9. Re:Better Windows than Windows... on Crossover Office 2.0 Released · · Score: 1

    as for the licenses, what, it's easier to develop commercial apps for windows/mac than it is for QT? give me a break !!!

    That's a pretty weak argument when I ask my employer for $2k/developer to create a QT app... and I can't guarantee that the terms won't change.

  10. Re:Better Windows than Windows... on Crossover Office 2.0 Released · · Score: 1

    Linux is free as long as you're not developing commercial apps for KDE and you understand the assortment of free software licenses... and you understand that liability for patent issues fall upon yourself.

    In all other ways, it is just an OS without a stable GUI or API.

    Win32 is an API. A horrible and convoluted API, but that's more of an API than anything Linux has.

    Compare KDE and Gnome to Win3.1 for stuff like fonts, printing and sound. Then remember that Win3.1 is over 10 years old.

    OTOH, console and server apps in Linux have a stable API.

  11. Better Windows than Windows... on Crossover Office 2.0 Released · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... removed all incentive for developers to create OS/2 native applications.

  12. Re:yeah, but a real world solution.... on Women Need Larger Screens for Desktop Navigation? · · Score: 0

    Whoever moderated this as insightful just wants a bigger screen.

  13. Yep, Crimes make Criminals on Should You Hire a Hacker? · · Score: 1

    This isn't a bank robber, embezeller or even a thief.

    Ok... he's a thief because crimes have been written to make him a thief. That doesn't mean he's going to actually steal anything... I suppose it depends on your definition of theft and how it applies to the legal definition of theft.

    And of course... all criminals were law-abiding citizens before they broke the law.... then depending on circumstances, they either became criminals or former law-abdiding citizens...

    You always have to use caution, even with people who have a clear record. At least Mitnick, with all the power he had at his fingertips didn't do anything with it... other than to gain more power.

  14. Optical as in opto-mechanical? on 3-button Optical Mice? · · Score: 1

    Almost all the old mice were "optical" too, they used plastic rollers on the balls which sensed movement with LEDs... optically.

  15. Pencil IN Mars on US & Russia Pencil in Mars Launch by 2018 · · Score: 1

    They're not putting a pencil on Mars. It's going in the Mars launch.

    It's also not any old pencil. It's a US & Russia pencil.

  16. Re:but it's irritating on "Case Modding" a Nissan Sentra · · Score: 1

    I live on one of the local impromptu drag strips. I'm trying to figure out how to stop them from racing at 3:00am.

    Time to write the city... blah. Maybe somebody will build these kids a drag strip. I would, but I don't know anything about running a track, and the kids would probably shoot me unexpectedly for letting rival gangs race.

  17. Re:Perhaps a New System... on How Broad is Broadband? · · Score: 1

    People are always ignoring that one. Also to split hairs is kilo 2^10 or 10^3?

  18. Re:Unfortunately... on Legacy-Free PCs · · Score: 1

    It's not that everyone wants to run stuff which is 20 years old (although watching Space Quest 1 fly on modern hardware is funny), it is that you need to be able to run the previous generation of software... which means supporting its previous generation of software... which means... etc.

    To make a clean break you need to write a software emulator, or throw out all your old software. BeOS, NT Alpha/PPC/Mips were good examples of what happens when you make such a clean break. (I left out OS/2 because it is a little weird... )

  19. You can't touch a license on Microsoft Pirating Their Own Software? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Those papers Microsoft gives out are "End User License Agreements" and "Certificate[s] of Authenticity", they are not "Licences".

    The EULA says you must have a licence, but it doesn't say what constitutes a license.

    The best evidence you can provide of licensing is a receipt for the software from an authorized retailer. Otherwise you can hold up all the Certificates of Authenticity, original media and EULAs you want and you still could have bought the package from Bob down the street... which violates the terms of the EULA.

  20. Re:Open Source Blows on OpenOffice.org SDK Released · · Score: 1

    Insert, Footnote works well for me.

    OpenOffice Draw is nice too. So far it hasn't let me down. I have the full MS Office suite at work, and I had to download OpenOffice to be able to do some good work with vector graphics.

    In regard to footnotes, you must have been thinking of Abiword. That thing really shouldn't claim to compete with anything other than Wordpad.

    Openoffice really is quite full featured. IMHO it still lacks the polish of Office XP, but it's quite capable.

  21. Re:A good step on OpenOffice.org SDK Released · · Score: 1

    Managing Microsoft's upgrade & support cycle is like walking up the down escalator. Businesses are becoming resentful of lock-in.

    Microsoft might act to correct this, but people may have grown too distrustful of them in how they have treated standards and provided support in the past.

  22. Re:Bad for Who? on Pennsylvania Refuses to Disclose Banned Website List · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Furthermore, they argue that by allowing existing child pornography to be obtained, even though it causes no further harm to the child, it encourages the phedophile to think about his problem even more, and ultimately, will result in more sexual child abuse.

    I know you're just summarizing key points, but don't forget that those photos are of people who are still alive and/or have families. I think it could be easily argued that the act of distributing this stuff continues to victimize the survivor, even if no money changes hands, no other children are touched etc.

    But your sentiment seems to be that this whole thing is a savage witch hunt... which I agree with.

    If they really want to stop child pornography and child abuse, they should have a two-sided message. The other side being "if you have a problem..." But everyone seems to be more interested in projecting their hatred... It is socially encouraged to demand that pedophiles be dragged through the streets by their testicles, flayed to the bone, drawn, quartered then set on fire.

    (Pause for cheers from the peanut gallery)

    As it is now, the severe punishments and public shaming means that for a pedophile, it is in their best interest to beat or threaten a child into silence, or to kill them.

    (Pause for morbid silence)

    It's a sad and screwed up situation.

  23. Re:Not quite...... on The Googlewashing Of Our Language · · Score: 1

    I have little doubt that China would be similarly unable to resist the meddling impulse if they became as powerful as the USA.

    I smell a pre-emptive self-defense action brewing!

  24. Re:Pay Cuts on Post-crash Salary Survey · · Score: 1

    You probably pay more in rent than most of us make in income.

    You probably pay more in rent than you make in income.

    My team has halved in size and my modest pay has increased modestly. It's only slightly better than inflation. So not all of us are dying, but I somehow managed to miss the boom.

    I like what I do and I have a good team, so it's not that big a deal.

    People who made the big bucks wound up unemployed an awful lot. I think they did better in the long run, as long as they tucked money away... especially those who managed to make the big bucks around '98 - '99, buy a house and ride the real-estate market.

  25. Re:Under-appreciated movie on Meteor Over Midwest · · Score: 1

    Crocodile Dundee is not an Australian film.

    You're talking about the U.S. like it is your favourite sports team. Nobody says "Where are the Americans?". WWII was the only exception, where staying neutral for most of the war, the U.S. finally joined after France was long conquored, the British were being bombed into submission and the war reached its own shores.

    BTW, Pearl Harbour is an American film.