My company provides many of the aformentioned services, namely, web and email hosting on secure systems (OpenBSD, RAID-5, redundant power and network connections). Email access is through either secure IMAP or web-based using 128-bit SSL. If anyone is interested, visit us at
www.siliconashes.net.
</shameless plug>
I don't understand how making it illegal to break copy protection suddenly means that open source and open content models are doomed.
This statement is being made about the UCITA as well, I think that the gist of the argument is this: Open source projects often need to be able to compete against entreched programs such as Microsoft Word. Using this as an example, a Linux office suite is created, which will read and modify Word files. This Linux software is used to promote Linux as a viable office workstation solution (no need to worry about your office being incompatible with other offices/old documents). Microsoft sees this and decides to encrypt their file format. Now, to be compatible, you would first have to defeat the encryption, but doing do is now illegal. Because Microsoft already has x amount of the word processor market, no one wants to use something that is not compatible, but nothing can be made which is compatible. Translate this to any program which works on data files, and you can see that this could certainly be a problem for getting things like Linux adopted.
This article by Richard Stallman has the situation described well.
Foxfire
Those who can, do. Those who can't, apparently wind up somewhere in Congress.
For heavens sake, it was a _joke_, people. And it was funny.
Half of the beauty of Slashdot is that it is not a normal news site. It can be biased and full of bad grammar. And nobody cares, because it is a great place to have a discussion of ideas and information related to news items. If somebody read the article and misunderstood it (what am I saying, apparently there are plenty of people who did just that), there is no help for it (or them). We shouldn't need to dumb down jokes just to keep everyone happy.
Yes, gramatically, double negatives are wrong. I'm just absolutely certain this could be/proven/. Jolly. Nobody doesn't not give a crap.
First, you can tell if there are some songs you like and some you don't by going to a normal music store and listening to the album. Then, you will determine (at least in my experience) that there are 4-5 songs on it that you like, and 4-5 that you can do without. Options? Well, maybe one of the songs you like is available on CD single. But probably not any of them, and almost certainly not all of them. But for the sake of argument, say the songs you like are all available on CD singles. As far as I can tell from CDNOW (which does not make searching for singles easy...), a CD single costs about $3, as opposed to about $12 for a normal CD. So you get about four singles for the price of one normal CD. Oooh, the savings. You just get gouged harder for buying just the songs you like.
As far as buying CDs, ripping them, and then ignoring the physical media, it makes perfect sense if your main music player is your computer. MP3s are a heck of a lot more convenient than physical CDs.
So, the argument that buying a whole CD to get a few songs is annoying does hold water, and it is perfectly reasonable not to restrict oneself to the physical CD media.
OK people, this really is getting out of hand. All of you claiming how Slashdot has "fallen", how can they even think of interviewing this guy, yadda, yadda. "Slashdot has lost it's vision". What vision? It's a site for people to read about current news, and if they like, to comment on it. Maybe I just haven't been around long enough, but that is what it has always been to me, and still is. So something comes up every once in a while that you don't like? Waah. Don't read it. Some others might actually be interested. As far as Vranesevich goes, so he gets some Slashdot time to answer some questions. Big deal, given the amount of criticism he gets here, it's only fair to let him respond. And a lot of the interviews here have been really good, and I look forward to more in the future.
(This is probably a rehash of other peoples questions, but here goes) For Mr. Vranesevich: There is a strong sentiment against you in the online community. What do you feel are the key reasons for this and how do you respond to them? Do you intend to do anything to try to alter this perception?
For the Slashdot maintainers: There has been a lot of flack thrown out here, but I would ignore it. I do think it would be cool to see some of the people recommeded for interviews in the various postings here, along with possibly some writers such as Steven Levy, or William Gibson (or have they been done already?)
For the people who now hate Slashdot because of this interview: What a stupid reason to leave. I for one won't miss you.
Hmmm... There are tools for every job. The computer is a multi-purpose tool. It will do the job of your stereo, playstation, and umpteen other things. Most people could care less about the slight difference between your 18-year-old stereo and a computer output. And I personally would take my computer over a playstation any day. More inputs, more options. And two words: Multiplayer Starcraft. If that doesn't spell it out for you, lets try this - internet connection. Or would you prefer a web TV?
Still, the use of explosives and the intent to kill 500 people does not strike me as against only jocks, etc, though I agree that these seem to be the primary targets.
As for the persecution in high school, I realize that they were treated poorly, so was I, so were you, so were most of use here. But that does not excuse gunning down unarmed and helpless students and teachers.
Okay, first of all, perhaps you didn't read all of the news articles where people were gunned down at RANDOM. RANDOM means that specific targets were not attacked, but that anyone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time became a victim. The additional placement of explosives proves that the two, even if motiviated by the abuse of their peers, did not really care who they hurt.
Secondly, I'm sorry that you were abused, but you have NO PROOF of what sort of abuses those two killers suffered in their school. And any kind of juvenile harrassment is not now, then, or ever an excuse for the sick shit those two pulled.
If it appears that I am being disrespectful, then I apologize. I have no intention of making light of this situation or these devestating events. However, what I believe is the point of most of these posts is that the problem is much deeper than the media is making it out to be. In addition, most of the posting I have read has very explicitly stated that what the killers did was an act of evil, and that no excuse will suffice. In addition, no one is saying that these two were motivated solely by ostracism in their school. No doubt we will never understand all of the reasons why this happened.
You do have a good point that none of us here could imagine what those people went through.
No one can change what has happened. An terrible tragedy has occured. All we can do now is try to heal and try to keep such things from happening again.
We have to ask ourselves why these people were "angry...ready and willing to kill". And then do something about it.
PS No one has yet proved the allegations that the pair was homosexual.
I have been hearing a lot about schools here in Colorado reacting to the shootings. Trench coats have been banned in many places, and I'm certain that events such as those in the Katz article are occuring here, possibly even more so. I have made up a letter that I would like to send to some of the schools, in the hope that they might realize their actions are simply scratching the surface. However, I would like very much if I could get some of your feedback about this before I send it to anyone. Please let me know what you think. 4/26/99
To whom it may concern:
I have been watching with great sadness the events of the previous days. The actions of the two young men, and any who may have assisted them, cannot be explained or justified. There is nothing that I, or anyone, can say to help those affected by this tragedy. For what it is worth, I am truly sorry for what has happened.
However, I have noticed that in the aftermath of this tragedy there have been a number of responses which I feel are both inappropriate and ineffective.
Many schools have banned trench coats. Others have singled out certain activities, such as computer games or role-playing games, as causes of this type of attack. Students who do not "fit in" with the majority have always been harrassed both by other students and sometimes even the administration. Now this has intensified, as these students are being threatened with suspensions, mandatory counseling, and even verbal and physical abuse, simply based on how they look or dress.
Such harrassment is nothing new. In fact, during my time in high school, I myself was one of the outcasts. I was often verbally abused, and sometimes physically. I know for a fact that my experiences were relativly mild compared to the abuse some of my fellow classmates recieved.
There exist, in every school, those who are popular and those who are not. Typically, people become outcasts because they happen to enjoy intellectual pursuits instead of physical ones. In some cases they are simply shy or reclusive. The high school environment is not friendly to this type of person. Often times members of the "popular" crowd attack the "outcasts", in order to feel better about themselves or to impress their peers. I speak from experience when I say a large amount of resentment builds up in those who are affected by this kind of treatment.
Sadly, in my case, most of the administration appeared to be against us as well. My friends and I did not feel that we could go to them with our problems, because they seemed to be "out to get us", instead of trying to help us. I fear that this rift between "fringe" students and the administration has only worsened in light of the response of some schools to this tragedy.
I do not write this to condone the actions of the murderers, or even to try to reduce their accountability. Ultimatly, the blame for this act rests on their shoulders. However, I would like to ask you, as the administration, to dig deeper into the circumstances surrounding this horrific event. Please don't believe that by placing the blame on video games, rock music, or the internet, you can make the problem go away. The problem is much more difficult than a person's choice of clothing or how well they conform to social norms.
The problem is a few children are persecuted by everyone else, and everyone else gets away with it. The problem is that students do not always treat other students with respect or even decency. The problem is that these school-yard bullies get away with their actions.
Attacking the outcasts is not a viable solution. It will only serve to increase the bitterness that they already hold toward their school. Calling out "witch-hunts" on those who do not fit in will certainly not increase school solidarity or improve relations between the students.
The mainstream media has barely hinted at this deeper cause, despite the notes left by the killers themselves. I would like to point out two articles which I have found on the internet regarding the potential effects of high school on children. These articles are much more eloquent then what I have written here.
Those who have been labeled by society as "outcasts", "misfits", or "fringe", are not evil people. Although the attack on Columbine was perpetrated by a pair of students who fit these descriptions, most of us who were not popular in high school simply did not want to interact with those who did not like us. Please take the initiative to examine all of the aspects of this problem. Please act constructivly to prevent such occurences from happening again, instead of simply repeating the superficial and self-defeating actions that many schools have already taken.
Thank you very much for your time,
Sincerely, Robert Dillon Heritage High School, Littleton, CO Class of 1995
He didn't condone the murders. He pointed out that people are blaming the wrong things. I have not personally seen any of the memorials, but I have seen them on television. I grew up in Littleton. What happened there makes me sick. But for people to ignorantly attack every person who does not fit in with their view of normalacy is also a sort of tragedy.
Hmmm... could it be possible, that this person is on student loans/scholarships, or just barely has enough money to pay tuition etc, or maybe they like to EAT while they attend school. There are a myriad of reasons why someone might not have a few hundred extra dollars around to toss on software. Do you have any idea how hard it is to work while going to school? Or maybe this person does work, but has to spend the money on rent, food, whatever. The point is that free software really helps some people, by shaving a few hundred dollars off the cost of the computer. Windows is $80. But can we stop there? Maybe you want a better OS... NT workstation is only $260 bucks. Plus, beyond the operating system someone might want a word processor, spreadsheet, etc. The full version of Office runs _$450_ these days. Can you buy just the word processor? Heck no! Compilers? Visual C++ is $50 bucks standard, _$500_ if you need professional. There is probably more (would IE be free if Netscape and others werent around?), but even with just this list, equipping standard software on a computer might easily cost more than the hardware.
I agree that highly visible people bickering will hurt peoples perception of linux, open source, etc. However, mostly I just think it's pretty sad that in an article that is supposed to prove that open-source software is not a viable model, the author resorts to personal attacks (on RMS, or "amateur coders"). At least in the first half or so of the article, he tries to point out potential weaknesses (in his opinion). The later half is personal attacks and FUD. "Consider it's cost to the software industry"? Wow, I guess we'd all better stop using that free software.
Slashdot Mirror
My company provides many of the aformentioned services, namely, web and email hosting on secure systems (OpenBSD, RAID-5, redundant power and network connections). Email access is through either secure IMAP or web-based using 128-bit SSL. If anyone is interested, visit us at www.siliconashes.net. </shameless plug>
This Playstation is now the ultimate power in the universe! I suggest we use it...
And the same thing applies to the DCMA, my understanding is that it also prohibits reverse engineering.
Eliminating the ability to reverse engineer things is one of the scarier effects of these laws.
Foxfire
Friendly fire - isn't
This statement is being made about the UCITA as well, I think that the gist of the argument is this: Open source projects often need to be able to compete against entreched programs such as Microsoft Word. Using this as an example, a Linux office suite is created, which will read and modify Word files. This Linux software is used to promote Linux as a viable office workstation solution (no need to worry about your office being incompatible with other offices/old documents). Microsoft sees this and decides to encrypt their file format. Now, to be compatible, you would first have to defeat the encryption, but doing do is now illegal. Because Microsoft already has x amount of the word processor market, no one wants to use something that is not compatible, but nothing can be made which is compatible. Translate this to any program which works on data files, and you can see that this could certainly be a problem for getting things like Linux adopted.
This article by Richard Stallman has the situation described well.
Foxfire
Those who can, do. Those who can't, apparently wind up somewhere in Congress.
For heavens sake, it was a _joke_, people. And it was funny.
/proven/. Jolly. Nobody doesn't not give a crap.
Half of the beauty of Slashdot is that it is not a normal news site. It can be biased and full of bad grammar. And nobody cares, because it is a great place to have a discussion of ideas and information related to news items. If somebody read the article and misunderstood it (what am I saying, apparently there are plenty of people who did just that), there is no help for it (or them). We shouldn't need to dumb down jokes just to keep everyone happy.
Yes, gramatically, double negatives are wrong. I'm just absolutely certain this could be
Foxfire
If it's stupid and it works, it isn't stupid.
Um, OK.
First, you can tell if there are some songs you like and some you don't by going to a normal music store and listening to the album. Then, you will determine (at least in my experience) that there are 4-5 songs on it that you like, and 4-5 that you can do without. Options? Well, maybe one of the songs you like is available on CD single. But probably not any of them, and almost certainly not all of them. But for the sake of argument, say the songs you like are all available on CD singles. As far as I can tell from CDNOW (which does not make searching for singles easy...), a CD single costs about $3, as opposed to about $12 for a normal CD. So you get about four singles for the price of one normal CD. Oooh, the savings. You just get gouged harder for buying just the songs you like.
As far as buying CDs, ripping them, and then ignoring the physical media, it makes perfect sense if your main music player is your computer. MP3s are a heck of a lot more convenient than physical CDs.
So, the argument that buying a whole CD to get a few songs is annoying does hold water, and it is perfectly reasonable not to restrict oneself to the physical CD media.
Foxfire
Friendly fire - Isn't.
(This is probably a rehash of other peoples questions, but here goes)
For Mr. Vranesevich: There is a strong sentiment against you in the online community. What do you feel are the key reasons for this and how do you respond to them? Do you intend to do anything to try to alter this perception?
For the Slashdot maintainers: There has been a lot of flack thrown out here, but I would ignore it. I do think it would be cool to see some of the people recommeded for interviews in the various postings here, along with possibly some writers such as Steven Levy, or William Gibson (or have they been done already?)
For the people who now hate Slashdot because of this interview: What a stupid reason to leave. I for one won't miss you.
Hmmm... There are tools for every job. The computer is a multi-purpose tool. It will do the job of your stereo, playstation, and umpteen other things.
Most people could care less about the slight difference between your 18-year-old stereo and a computer output.
And I personally would take my computer over a playstation any day. More inputs, more options. And two words: Multiplayer Starcraft.
If that doesn't spell it out for you, lets try this - internet connection. Or would you prefer a web TV?
The end. (officious sounding, isnt it?)
Still, the use of explosives and the intent to kill 500 people does not strike me as against only jocks, etc, though I agree that these seem to be the primary targets.
As for the persecution in high school, I realize that they were treated poorly, so was I, so were you, so were most of use here. But that does not excuse gunning down unarmed and helpless students and teachers.
Okay, first of all, perhaps you didn't read all of the news articles where people were gunned down at RANDOM. RANDOM means that specific targets were not attacked, but that anyone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time became a victim. The additional placement of explosives proves that the two, even if motiviated by the abuse of their peers, did not really care who they hurt.
Secondly, I'm sorry that you were abused, but you have NO PROOF of what sort of abuses those two killers suffered in their school. And any kind of juvenile harrassment is not now, then, or ever an excuse for the sick shit those two pulled.
If it appears that I am being disrespectful, then I apologize. I have no intention of making light of this situation or these devestating events. However, what I believe is the point of most of these posts is that the problem is much deeper than the media is making it out to be. In addition, most of the posting I have read has very explicitly stated that what the killers did was an act of evil, and that no excuse will suffice. In addition, no one is saying that these two were motivated solely by ostracism in their school. No doubt we will never understand all of the reasons why this happened.
You do have a good point that none of us here could imagine what those people went through.
No one can change what has happened. An terrible tragedy has occured. All we can do now is try to heal and try to keep such things from happening again.
We have to ask ourselves why these people were "angry...ready and willing to kill". And then do something about it.
PS No one has yet proved the allegations that the pair was homosexual.
To whom it may concern:
I have been watching with great sadness the events of the previous days. The actions of the two young men, and any who may have assisted them, cannot be explained or justified. There is nothing that I, or anyone, can say to help those affected by this tragedy. For what it is worth, I am truly sorry for what has happened.
However, I have noticed that in the aftermath of this tragedy there have been a number of responses which I feel are both inappropriate and ineffective.
Many schools have banned trench coats. Others have singled out certain activities, such as computer games or role-playing games, as causes of this type of attack. Students who do not "fit in" with the majority have always been harrassed both by other students and sometimes even the administration. Now this has intensified, as these students are being threatened with suspensions, mandatory counseling, and even verbal and physical abuse, simply based on how they look or dress.
Such harrassment is nothing new. In fact, during my time in high school, I myself was one of the outcasts. I was often verbally abused, and sometimes physically. I know for a fact that my experiences were relativly mild compared to the abuse some of my fellow classmates recieved.
There exist, in every school, those who are popular and those who are not. Typically, people become outcasts because they happen to enjoy intellectual pursuits instead of physical ones. In some cases they are simply shy or reclusive. The high school environment is not friendly to this type of person. Often times members of the "popular" crowd attack the "outcasts", in order to feel better about themselves or to impress their peers. I speak from experience when I say a large amount of resentment builds up in those who are affected by this kind of treatment.
Sadly, in my case, most of the administration appeared to be against us as well. My friends and I did not feel that we could go to them with our problems, because they seemed to be "out to get us", instead of trying to help us. I fear that this rift between "fringe" students and the administration has only worsened in light of the response of some schools to this tragedy.
I do not write this to condone the actions of the murderers, or even to try to reduce their accountability. Ultimatly, the blame for this act rests on their shoulders. However, I would like to ask you, as the administration, to dig deeper into the circumstances surrounding this horrific event. Please don't believe that by placing the blame on video games, rock music, or the internet, you can make the problem go away. The problem is much more difficult than a person's choice of clothing or how well they conform to social norms.
The problem is a few children are persecuted by everyone else, and everyone else gets away with it. The problem is that students do not always treat other students with respect or even decency. The problem is that these school-yard bullies get away with their actions.
Attacking the outcasts is not a viable solution. It will only serve to increase the bitterness that they already hold toward their school. Calling out "witch-hunts" on those who do not fit in will certainly not increase school solidarity or improve relations between the students.
The mainstream media has barely hinted at this deeper cause, despite the notes left by the killers themselves. I would like to point out two articles which I have found on the internet regarding the potential effects of high school on children. These articles are much more eloquent then what I have written here.
Colorado Denver Post
Jonathan Katz article
Those who have been labeled by society as "outcasts", "misfits", or "fringe", are not evil people. Although the attack on Columbine was perpetrated by a pair of students who fit these descriptions, most of us who were not popular in high school simply did not want to interact with those who did not like us. Please take the initiative to examine all of the aspects of this problem. Please act constructivly to prevent such occurences from happening again, instead of simply repeating the superficial and self-defeating actions that many schools have already taken.
Thank you very much for your time,
Sincerely,
Robert Dillon
Heritage High School, Littleton, CO
Class of 1995
foxfire10@hotmail.com
He didn't condone the murders.
He pointed out that people are blaming the wrong things.
I have not personally seen any of the memorials, but I have seen them on television. I grew up in Littleton. What happened there makes me sick. But for people to ignorantly attack every person who does not fit in with their view of normalacy is also a sort of tragedy.
Hmmm... could it be possible, that this person is on student loans/scholarships, or just barely has enough money to pay tuition etc, or maybe they like to EAT while they attend school. There are a myriad of reasons why someone might not have a few hundred extra dollars around to toss on software. Do you have any idea how hard it is to work while going to school? Or maybe this person does work, but has to spend the money on rent, food, whatever. The point is that free software really helps some people, by shaving a few hundred dollars off the cost of the computer. Windows is $80. But can we stop there? Maybe you want a better OS... NT workstation is only $260 bucks. Plus, beyond the operating system someone might want a word processor, spreadsheet, etc. The full version of Office runs _$450_ these days. Can you buy just the word processor? Heck no! Compilers? Visual C++ is $50 bucks standard, _$500_ if you need professional. There is probably more (would IE be free if Netscape and others werent around?), but even with just this list, equipping standard software on a computer might easily cost more than the hardware.
I agree that highly visible people bickering will hurt peoples perception of linux, open source, etc. However, mostly I just think it's pretty sad that in an article that is supposed to prove that open-source software is not a viable model, the author resorts to personal attacks (on RMS, or "amateur coders"). At least in the first half or so of the article, he tries to point out potential weaknesses (in his opinion). The later half is personal attacks and FUD. "Consider it's cost to the software industry"? Wow, I guess we'd all better stop using that free software.