If only they had opposable fins... they could pick up tools. And serve us, we could enslave them... they would revolt and enslave us.. Planet of the Fish... I have to stop, this is too scary.
With power comes responsibility. I welcome more information and control over the packages that are installed. I have tried many of the popular distributions, and I often find packages that I never use but are installed by default in the distributions. These packages are potential security risks and uses up valuable disk space.
I have used SuSE 6.x - 7.x in production and have found the tools included to be better and more comprehensive than the most popular distributions. And SuSE does not charge for online updating.
If you don't know which packages you want to use, use a default selection.
I think that Sun coming out with a commercial version of an open source product is a good thing. Open source companies, including Linux distribution companies are groping for a viable product model. Sun is struggling with finding a business model the same way that other open source companies are struggling to find a sustainable business model.
Other companies are using a variation of this strategy by sell commercial versions and providing consulting services around their product, including Sendmail, Covalent and Tripwire. Having a proven product model for open source software will only increase investment and acceptance of open source software.
I use Openoffice 641C. I found it to be much faster than 5.2, and staying productive across operating environments much easier. Nothing is ever done until the paperwork is finished.
It is interesting that engineering feats are not necessarily good financially. Case and point is the underground (subways). The original London underground was a financial disaster. But subways are an integral part of many cities today.
Hopefully, Linux's business analogy will be more like the oil industry. There are lots of mom+pop operators until a "Rockefella" transforms it into an industry. Can anyone say "RedHatefella"?
A little off topic but frightening is: What if Red Hat were to be acquired by a hardware vendor, ie IBM, HP or SGI.
Red Hat is one of the most widely used Linux distributions, and if a hardware vendor were to acquire them, other hardware vendors may scramble to acquire their own distribution to keep from being dependent on another hardware vendor.
Red Hat has been cosy with several hardware vendors, and with their stock price so depressed, they may be an attractive take over target.
This could create a situation where different hardware vendors own and market their own particular linux distro. Hey it happened with ATT and BSD UNIX, why not Linux?
Side-effects of solutions to practical problems
on
Longitude
·
· Score: 1
It interesting that few people realize importance of longitude and the impact it has history. As a sailor, I marvel that an abstract instrument can give me information that is totally unrelated and totally necessary. A watch ticking away at a fix interval can tell me where I am.
The interesting side effect is that its importance as a tool made it ubiquitous. Think of how may things rely on time. Because watches to tell time solved the longitude problem, it became an indispensable tool. Because of the demand for watches, it created volumes which sparked an industry for watches. And because it was common place people used it to solve other problems. To the point where every computer and networking device depend on time to communicate.
I think few people also realize the many modern consumer electronic were things developed for the space programs. Things developed to solve a practical problem which changes our lives.
So, if our members are hacking from their homes, on their own computers, and they own the connection, ie broadband or dialup, they are OK. What about if they did it at work. Would it be OK if they had permission from their company? What if they did not have permission from their company, but telnetted out to another system to run diagnostics on a test machine?
I think you're right, we should have a statement to clarify the group's intent. Nothings is done without paperwork.
I am involved in a linux security group. We are working on cracking our own boxes, to learn about security and hardening of systems.
What implications does the law have on us? Under the law, are we allowed to crack our computers? After all if we force our way into our own house, is that breaking and entering?
One important implication would be, what happens if one of our members should be suspected of cracking system(s). Do we automatically become liable in any way?
How do hacking sites handle this problem?
Conspiracy theories and Urban Legend
on
Microsoft Cracked
·
· Score: 2
Now that news of a penetration at microsoft has been reported, whether or not any facts emerge, there will always be conspiracy theories and urban legends of people who hacked MS or own the code.
I love it.
Unfortunately, even if investigators catch the crackers "red handed" with the MS password files and Windows source code, there is no way anyone can be absolutely sure that the code has not been distributed.
Conspiracy theories and legends of rogue cracker terrorists, foreign power "Echelon" projects, and talented grade-schoolers will emerge.
As other readers have pointed out, this is a perfect way for MS to attack all projects aimed at MS compatibility. They will always be able to point at how it is impossible for others to get their programs to work with Windows without having access to the source code. Wow.... all this is a incredible conspiracy on MS's part!
Lockard brings up some interesting points, but to say that cyber-communities is not perfect does not mean they will not evolve in the future. The democratic system of government did not exist before the American revolution. Every country on Earth at that time was ruled as an monarch or autocracy. It does exist in varying forms now.
I think that technology has changed the way we interact and the way we impact the real world. I would agree that in some ways virtual communities can be considered an extension of older communities in the form of a communications media. In the past groups communicated in person or via mail and journal publications. Now we do it online.
I also agree that there is no substitute for human contact, but virtual communities have changed the scope which we can have contact. People hang out in chat rooms, people meet spouses, and people fight except we do it with people around the world.
I am currently working on starting a community, which is both real world and virtual, each enhances the other. The question is can my group/community sustain itself, in the form of members and effort, and survive. Hmmm... that's pretty real world; Survival of the fittest community.
Do light sails only push the ship away from the light source? If so, how does a ship get back from where it came?
In sailing on earth, sailboats can sail into the wind using the same principal as the airplane wing, pressure differental between the sail surfaces. But in space there is no medium to create the pressure differential.
Does this mean, using light ships, you can go out, but you can't come back? This could be a real bummer for manned exploration.
Slashdot Mirror
If only they had opposable fins... they could pick up tools. And serve us, we could enslave them... they would revolt and enslave us.. Planet of the Fish... I have to stop, this is too scary.
Ahhhh....... I would definitely have chipped in to sue.
Hey that's an interesting idea, Open Source litigation, or open source patent trolling..... We can have tyranny of the masses!
You forgot
Goto Phase 1.
With power comes responsibility. I welcome more information and control over the packages that are installed. I have tried many of the popular distributions, and I often find packages that I never use but are installed by default in the distributions. These packages are potential security risks and uses up valuable disk space.
I have used SuSE 6.x - 7.x in production and have found the tools included to be better and more comprehensive than the most popular distributions. And SuSE does not charge for online updating.
If you don't know which packages you want to use, use a default selection.
I think that Sun coming out with a commercial version of an open source product is a good thing. Open source companies, including Linux distribution companies are groping for a viable product model. Sun is struggling with finding a business model the same way that other open source companies are struggling to find a sustainable business model.
Other companies are using a variation of this strategy by sell commercial versions and providing consulting services around their product, including Sendmail, Covalent and Tripwire. Having a proven product model for open source software will only increase investment and acceptance of open source software.
I use Openoffice 641C. I found it to be much faster than 5.2, and staying productive across operating environments much easier. Nothing is ever done until the paperwork is finished.
It is interesting that engineering feats are not necessarily good financially. Case and point is the underground (subways). The original London underground was a financial disaster. But subways are an integral part of many cities today.
Hopefully, Linux's business analogy will be more like the oil industry. There are lots of mom+pop operators until a "Rockefella" transforms it into an industry. Can anyone say "RedHatefella"?
A little off topic but frightening is: What if Red Hat were to be acquired by a hardware vendor, ie IBM, HP or SGI.
Red Hat is one of the most widely used Linux distributions, and if a hardware vendor were to acquire them, other hardware vendors may scramble to acquire their own distribution to keep from being dependent on another hardware vendor.
Red Hat has been cosy with several hardware vendors, and with their stock price so depressed, they may be an attractive take over target.
This could create a situation where different hardware vendors own and market their own particular linux distro. Hey it happened with ATT and BSD UNIX, why not Linux?
It interesting that few people realize importance of longitude and the impact it has history. As a sailor, I marvel that an abstract instrument can give me information that is totally unrelated and totally necessary. A watch ticking away at a fix interval can tell me where I am.
The interesting side effect is that its importance as a tool made it ubiquitous. Think of how may things rely on time. Because watches to tell time solved the longitude problem, it became an indispensable tool. Because of the demand for watches, it created volumes which sparked an industry for watches. And because it was common place people used it to solve other problems. To the point where every computer and networking device depend on time to communicate.
I think few people also realize the many modern consumer electronic were things developed for the space programs. Things developed to solve a practical problem which changes our lives.
So, if our members are hacking from their homes, on their own computers, and they own the connection, ie broadband or dialup, they are OK. What about if they did it at work. Would it be OK if they had permission from their company? What if they did not have permission from their company, but telnetted out to another system to run diagnostics on a test machine?
I think you're right, we should have a statement to clarify the group's intent. Nothings is done without paperwork.
I am involved in a linux security group. We are working on cracking our own boxes, to learn about security and hardening of systems.
What implications does the law have on us? Under the law, are we allowed to crack our computers? After all if we force our way into our own house, is that breaking and entering?
One important implication would be, what happens if one of our members should be suspected of cracking system(s). Do we automatically become liable in any way?
How do hacking sites handle this problem?
Now that news of a penetration at microsoft has been reported, whether or not any facts emerge, there will always be conspiracy theories and urban legends of people who hacked MS or own the code.
I love it.
Unfortunately, even if investigators catch the crackers "red handed" with the MS password files and Windows source code, there is no way anyone can be absolutely sure that the code has not been distributed.
Conspiracy theories and legends of rogue cracker terrorists, foreign power "Echelon" projects, and talented grade-schoolers will emerge.
As other readers have pointed out, this is a perfect way for MS to attack all projects aimed at MS compatibility. They will always be able to point at how it is impossible for others to get their programs to work with Windows without having access to the source code. Wow.... all this is a incredible conspiracy on MS's part!
Don't cloud the issues with the facts.
Everyone is out to get YOU. Have a nice day.
Lockard brings up some interesting points, but to say that cyber-communities is not perfect does not mean they will not evolve in the future. The democratic system of government did not exist before the American revolution. Every country on Earth at that time was ruled as an monarch or autocracy. It does exist in varying forms now.
I think that technology has changed the way we interact and the way we impact the real world. I would agree that in some ways virtual communities can be considered an extension of older communities in the form of a communications media. In the past groups communicated in person or via mail and journal publications. Now we do it online.
I also agree that there is no substitute for human contact, but virtual communities have changed the scope which we can have contact. People hang out in chat rooms, people meet spouses, and people fight except we do it with people around the world.
I am currently working on starting a community, which is both real world and virtual, each enhances the other. The question is can my group/community sustain itself, in the form of members and effort, and survive. Hmmm... that's pretty real world; Survival of the fittest community.
Hi all,
Do light sails only push the ship away from the light source? If so, how does a ship get back from where it came?
In sailing on earth, sailboats can sail into the wind using the same principal as the airplane wing, pressure differental between the sail surfaces. But in space there is no medium to create the pressure differential.
Does this mean, using light ships, you can go out, but you can't come back? This could be a real bummer for manned exploration.
Regards
wen