Or, at least, every genuine expert in the various branches of the computer industry that I know became experts through experimentation, study of source code, simply trying to do something, and reading books. You can't spoonfeed this stuff.
That said, some of us got our introduction in formal settings, but the substantial learning was self-directed.;)
Agreed. Violent criminals should rank higher on the FBI's lists than mere vandals, even computerized ones.
And, your suggestion for punishment is a good one, IMO. The ego-driven cracker/vandal would be appropriately punished in a way that diminishes their prestige and matches the crime.
Meanwhile, there would be room in the prisons for longer sentences for murderers and rapists... Unfortunately, those evil pot-smokers are sucking up so many cells as to make this cracker problem vanishingly small.
"the reason the first Pentium Pro's didn't do so well when they came out was due to the fact that they didn't support 16-bit code very well."
Not exactly, but close. The Pentium Pro's run 16-bit code like a screaming demon. The problem is that Win95/8 frequently switch between 16 and 32 bit mode (thunking?) and that operation was very slow on the PP's.
I think Amnesty International publishes such a ranking annually.
However, I'm sure we would all have cause to quibble with their methodology.
As for your points, yes, taxation must be considered in any reasonable measure. Even export controls would have to be counted, although they might not be weighted very heavily for some obscure items. Cryptography, however, is so central to liberty that it must get some extra consideration.
I live in the U.S. and encounter the limits of my liberty regularly. One of my interests is cryptography, btw, so I just basically sit on my source code. bleah.
"...I think that the government could easily throw enough computing resources to crack *any* imaginable encryption in a surprisingly short time."
heh. You might want to do the math on that. Forget RSA for a moment, as the keylength|security ratio is a special case, and consider a conventional private key system. A 128-bit key has 340282 decillion possibilities. That's 340282000000000000000000000000000000000 if you like digits, or 3.4*10^38. Get out your calculator and see how fast and large a cluster of computers it would take to crack one of those in a year. Then, consider that you'll need 3.4*10^38 times as many such computers to crack a 256-bit key in a year.
Disclaimer:...uh, you might want to check my math on that!;)
This is it, guys. It sounds like your huge opportunity to dominate the ISP business is about to start slipping away.
The RBOC's would rather enjoy their monopolies than expand into this strange "new" market. I guess they would rather sell extra phone lines at the local ISP's than do it themselves...;)
but made less funny by the fact that they don't run hotmail on MS-ware, as of the last I heard. Yipes!
The best puff piece I've read in years.
on
The Life of Linus
·
· Score: 2
I can't believe I read the whole thing!;)
Funny how Linus understands the proprietary software business better than many people in data centers who've been immersed in it for years. His comments about IBM's (and the seven dwarfs') historical business model was so understatedly right on the money that it ranks as the best (and shortest) description I've heard. I guess from his diametrically opposed niche he has perspective that others don't.
All in all, an excellent slice of Linus' life story.
Your site's popularity is truely amazing. My agents have scrutinized your numbers and used all the industry-standard metrics to assess its value. We are convinced that your site is worth considerably more than $12 million.
We originally became interested when our Sysadmin, while reading some news site, spontaneously spouted "Shoeboy.org ain't worth a fsckin' fart in a whirlwind, much less $12 million!" Naturally, we were a little surprised that something "worthless" was being purchased for millions. We assigned the problem to a crack team of MBA's and market analysts. After very thorough research, backed by reams of solid documentation, they assessed your site's value at $47 million -- and even more if you are willing to obligate yourself to two years of supporting the site with our company.
Admittedly, our CEO was skeptical -- until we told him it was "on the web". Then we presented him with our research documents, detailing just how much similar sites have sold for. Now he is fully committed to the acquisition of your important site.
Please reconsider your hasty decision to sell Shoeboy.org. The company you are dealing with does not truely understand the value of such a landmark site as Shoeboy.org and has undervalued it to the point of insult.
Indeed! On the [no link was provided -ed.], the clue for the clueless was "...and set your threshold low." Now, I wonder what he could have possibly meant by "threshold", eh?;)
Well, yes, but that stuff is compounded by the acute shortage of females... That, combined with the males doing all those geeky things instead of going dancing is a deadly combination!
My question: are the ladies going to go on tours of data centers, development shops, and hardware laboratories? Considering your point, that's where the boys are!;)
Any responsible accounting for confiscated equipment would show that returning a modern computer five years later would represent a loss of the majority of value. Is there a constitutional loophole for this or is it simply another violation of the takings clause of the fifth admendment?
At least in the cases where charges are dropped or the defendant is acquitted, shouldn't compensation for taken property be required?
Slashdot Mirror
Or, at least, every genuine expert in the various branches of the computer industry that I know became experts through experimentation, study of source code, simply trying to do something, and reading books. You can't spoonfeed this stuff.
;)
That said, some of us got our introduction in formal settings, but the substantial learning was self-directed.
"It's only the shonks and cowboys who will have a problem." - IIA Executive Director Peter Coroneos
Well, that sure sounds complementary to libertarians. WTF is a "shonk" anyway?
"...none of the Linux systems has ever failed." ;)
...for he is tattooed with the number of the BEAST! He just looks like a troll. ;-)
Indeed. I hope they get what they deserve.
Agreed. Violent criminals should rank higher on the FBI's lists than mere vandals, even computerized ones.
And, your suggestion for punishment is a good one, IMO. The ego-driven cracker/vandal would be appropriately punished in a way that diminishes their prestige and matches the crime.
Meanwhile, there would be room in the prisons for longer sentences for murderers and rapists... Unfortunately, those evil pot-smokers are sucking up so many cells as to make this cracker problem vanishingly small.
"Did I forget anything ? ;-)"
;)
You might add an internal UPS so that case-breach disk destruction could continue happily even when the power cord is pulled.
Minor quibble with your post:
"the reason the first Pentium Pro's didn't do so well when they came out was due to the fact that they didn't support 16-bit code very well."
Not exactly, but close. The Pentium Pro's run 16-bit code like a screaming demon. The problem is that Win95/8 frequently switch between 16 and 32 bit mode (thunking?) and that operation was very slow on the PP's.
"...slower than molasass"
;)
I wonder if it's significant that the URL is in the subdirectory "teasers".
The server is not pumping out many bits...
As a computer hobbiest, programmer, gamer, webmaster (sorta), and a sysadmin, getting a life is not an option for me. What should *I* do??
I think Amnesty International publishes such a ranking annually.
However, I'm sure we would all have cause to quibble with their methodology.
As for your points, yes, taxation must be considered in any reasonable measure. Even export controls would have to be counted, although they might not be weighted very heavily for some obscure items. Cryptography, however, is so central to liberty that it must get some extra consideration.
I live in the U.S. and encounter the limits of my liberty regularly. One of my interests is cryptography, btw, so I just basically sit on my source code. bleah.
"...I think that the government could easily throw enough computing resources to crack *any* imaginable encryption in a surprisingly short time."
...uh, you might want to check my math on that! ;)
heh. You might want to do the math on that. Forget RSA for a moment, as the keylength|security ratio is a special case, and consider a conventional private key system. A 128-bit key has 340282 decillion possibilities. That's 340282000000000000000000000000000000000 if you like digits, or 3.4*10^38. Get out your calculator and see how fast and large a cluster of computers it would take to crack one of those in a year. Then, consider that you'll need 3.4*10^38 times as many such computers to crack a 256-bit key in a year.
Disclaimer:
This is it, guys. It sounds like your huge opportunity to dominate the ISP business is about to start slipping away.
;)
The RBOC's would rather enjoy their monopolies than expand into this strange "new" market. I guess they would rather sell extra phone lines at the local ISP's than do it themselves...
heheh! I thought he was talking about Florida... I guess we all got hit with the same scam, eh?
I see lots of Anonymous Coward postings signed by you! ;)
but made less funny by the fact that they don't run hotmail on MS-ware, as of the last I heard.
Yipes!
I can't believe I read the whole thing! ;)
Funny how Linus understands the proprietary software business better than many people in data centers who've been immersed in it for years. His comments about IBM's (and the seven dwarfs') historical business model was so understatedly right on the money that it ranks as the best (and shortest) description I've heard. I guess from his diametrically opposed niche he has perspective that others don't.
All in all, an excellent slice of Linus' life story.
Your site's popularity is truely amazing. My agents have scrutinized your numbers and used all the industry-standard metrics to assess its value. We are convinced that your site is worth considerably more than $12 million.
We originally became interested when our Sysadmin, while reading some news site, spontaneously spouted "Shoeboy.org ain't worth a fsckin' fart in a whirlwind, much less $12 million!" Naturally, we were a little surprised that something "worthless" was being purchased for millions. We assigned the problem to a crack team of MBA's and market analysts. After very thorough research, backed by reams of solid documentation, they assessed your site's value at $47 million -- and even more if you are willing to obligate yourself to two years of supporting the site with our company.
Admittedly, our CEO was skeptical -- until we told him it was "on the web". Then we presented him with our research documents, detailing just how much similar sites have sold for. Now he is fully committed to the acquisition of your important site.
Please reconsider your hasty decision to sell Shoeboy.org. The company you are dealing with does not truely understand the value of such a landmark site as Shoeboy.org and has undervalued it to the point of insult.
Please contact me at our headquarters.
Embedded Linux on machines from one of the largest computer makers in the world. MS is not gonna like this...
Indeed! On the [no link was provided -ed.], the clue for the clueless was "...and set your threshold low." Now, I wonder what he could have possibly meant by "threshold", eh? ;)
Congrats, Abe. You've taken a bad situation and made it work for you. That is the secret to success in this world. ;)
Well, yes, but that stuff is compounded by the acute shortage of females... That, combined with the males doing all those geeky things instead of going dancing is a deadly combination!
;)
My question: are the ladies going to go on tours of data centers, development shops, and hardware laboratories? Considering your point, that's where the boys are!
Any responsible accounting for confiscated equipment would show that returning a modern computer five years later would represent a loss of the majority of value. Is there a constitutional loophole for this or is it simply another violation of the takings clause of the fifth admendment?
At least in the cases where charges are dropped or the defendant is acquitted, shouldn't compensation for taken property be required?
Surely they mean pageviews. Anybody got any real stats? ;)