This is a troll. I know this, not because the poster's name is SlaveTroll (though that adds a reasonable amount of suspicion in itself) but because the logic he uses to obtain his figures is so absurd, his post can be nothing other than a troll.
Don't get me wrong; I love trolls. And I love it even more when they get past the Mods;)
"Honestly, I don't think the fault rests on these kids at all. Sure, I guess they should face punishment if they broke the law, but that's their country's problem. I don't blame them."
"Instead of blaming some kids for playing around with code, why can't we find fault in the people that don't follow their instructions?"
I'm sure I'm not the first person to refute your argument, but your thinking represents a popular sentiment of not blaming the perpetrators who committed the act. Rather you would punish those who did not prevent the act, despite their ignorance.
Using your logic, you would not punish the Columbine shooters (had they not killed themselves) because school officials weren't aware that they were about to snap.
You can't wholly blame unsuspecting workers for opening an innocent-looking attachment. Sure, they shouldn't open unexpected attachments, but you have to understand that many of these people assume that the virus protection software on their machine will (go figure) catch viruses.
We have to keep focused on who knowingly created the problem, not those who unwittingly perpetuated it.
I work for a branch of the government (I don't wish to disclose which one) and we recently purchased Oracle 9i products. All I can say is that I hope the unnamed gov't department has better luck with it than we've had.
So far the website initiative we are developing using Oracle Portal has been one disappointment after another. While I understand the 9i database software is working fine, other components of the package have simply fallen flat on its face, particularly a serious compatibility issue with Solaris servers.
The way I see it, the government is probably, for once, getting what it's paying for. Nothing.
Re:Legally, WE'RE the ones who are wrong.
on
Felten vs. RIAA Hearing
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
"it's like a thief (acting on info that he'll get caught) gives back the stolen goods and then walks because, see, he rectified his wrongdoing."
This is a bad analogy, and here's why:
The RIAA (and friends) did nothing illegal by informing Felton of their intent (threat) to sue. It is well within their right to do so.
The thief in your analogy, however DID do something illegal: he actually committed the theft.
"A more apt comparison might be a mafia hitman threatening to break someone's limbs with a baseball bat he's carrying with him. When brought before a judge, said hitman proceeds to say "But your honor, I was only joking!" and then walks."
Again, this analogy is also inaccurate for the same reason: In this case, the thug committed a crime by threatening physical harm, which is illegal.
The real difference here is that the RIAA committed no (legal) wrongdoing before their retraction, whereas the thief and thug did.
"At the time of the decision to use the Bomb, it was estimated that over 2 million Japanese civilians would be killed along with hundreds of thousands of U.S. Marines." if we were to go ahead with the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland.
I am still not convinced that we would kill thousands of people just for shits and giggles.
The truth of the matter is that the Atomic Bomb was used to REDUCE Japanese civilian casualties. At the time of the decision to use the Bomb, it was estimated that over 2 million Japanese civilians would be killed along with hundreds of thousands of U.S. Marines.
You will also find that, contrary to your statement, the United States demanded Japan's unconditional surrender at the Potsdam Conference on July 26, 1945: over a week before the dropping of the first bomb.
I think if you did some research, you will find that Japan was not yet willing to surrender after the first Bomb was dropped.
I'm optimistic enough to hope that you were referring to the $4.95/mo. as the charge per additional IP, and not for the whole service.
However in the likely (and unfortunate) event that you are asking if the entire service will cost $4.95/mo , the answer is no... the proposed charge for cable modem service will still be ~$50/mo. with the $4.95 charge per additional IP address.
"But once you dropped the bomb and once they knew that you were willing and able to commit wholesale slaughter of civilians they were ready to surrender."
And you know this how? Common, rational sense doesn't apply when yer dealing with fanatics, as we have so recently and painfully learned.
"All US citizens helped kill over a million iraquis including over 500,000 children."
I suppose the fact that the Iraqi government has spent most of its money on weapons projects instead of food and agriculture has nothing to do with the problem over there.
"There was no reason to drop THAT bomb. We did it because we enjoy killing so much."
I guess you would have preferred to have sent hundreds of thousands of American marines to their deaths in an invasion of the Japanese mainland. Actually your reasoning suggests that you'd have preferred that we did not defend ourselves against Japan and let them eventually invade us without a fight, because violence is bad.
Apparently the concept of cause and effect is as foreign to you as the idea of supporting the country that has given you the freedoms you now enjoy.
"first of all, the anthrax cases in NYC are being investigated as a murder, not an act of terrorism."
What the hell are you talking about? This is one case of Anthrax that has not killed anybody at all! Excerpt from Yahoo News: "The NBC employee is being treated with antibiotics and is expected to recover, the network said."
I know people love to post without knowing the facts, but comon, at least try a little!
Mods, this would be a troll if it were simply an unsubstantiated opinion.
The simple matter is that it is easy to deduce that CD's were originally attractive to the music industry because, compared to cassettes, they are both cheaper to produce and (at the time of their invention) impossible to copy.
However, technology has evolved to the point where CD copying and MP3's has gained enormous popularity and is beginning to affect music sales. The fact that the music industry is now forced to take measures to protect their own existence does NOT constitute an inferior product, simply because it makes its theft more difficult.
(Begin Troll)Of course, I wouldn't expect the majority of/. readers to respect the concept of protecting one's property.(End Troll)
Please keep your personal opinions to yoursleves when determing what is worth reading.
Don't be fooled, this is the sort of thing that MADD would love! Contrary to what their acronym implies, MADD is out to criminalize anyone who's had a drink, whether they are over the legal limit and/or driving or not.
It's these kinds of small infractions on our personal freedom that serve as stepping stones to more severe and widespread violations of our rights. In a few years, MADD will be pushing for an outright ban of alcoholic beverages, and because of their "it's for the children" image, I fear they may get what they want at the expense of yet another personal liberty.
Kids today are getting fatter and less healthy by the year - they need some physical activity, or they'll all die of heart disease by the time they're 40.
Perhaps this is more a solution than it is a problem.:)
I think the schools are finally taking a rational preventative measure here.
In addition to the more serious problem of students transmitting data (answers) to each other, think of how little schoolwork would get done in school if everyone had minesweeper/solitaire/DOOM at their fingertips:)
PDAs in schools, like cell phones, are more of a distraction than anything.
Everyone likes to crap on Microsoft and the repeated demonstrations of their security shortcomings. However you have to keep in mind that these worms are targeted specifically at Microsoft systems, so it should be assumed that they won't affect a UNIX system.
If as many people tried to comprimise UNIX systems as often as they do Microsoft systems, you can bet that we'd be seeing some pretty serious UNIX viruses.
I know this is a little offtopic, but I have to dispel the myth that today's musicians should be considered artists.
It is a growing trend to equate any form of creativity or invention with art. Most of the musicians/bands we're talking about here are ENTERTAINERS, not ARTISTS. Allow me to draw a meaningful distinction.
Artists do their work solely out of love of what they do, without the intention of financial or other forms of personal gain. I consider anyone who freely shares their creativity, be it a painting, a song, or a computer application, an artist.
Entertainers, on the other hand, also enjoy what they do, but do so for personal gain. Unfortunately, the music industry is packed with mediocre entertainers, and sorely lacks true artists, and this has become somewhat of a status quo.
The advent of music-sharing applications threatens that status quo, benefitting artists by providing them with a new means of distributing thier work, and hurting entertainers (and consequently thier record p1mps) by cutting into their cash flows.
The recording industry sees this shift in power as a threat, because there is no money to be made from true artists.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't get me wrong; I love trolls. And I love it even more when they get past the Mods ;)
"Instead of blaming some kids for playing around with code, why can't we find fault in the people that don't follow their instructions?"
I'm sure I'm not the first person to refute your argument, but your thinking represents a popular sentiment of not blaming the perpetrators who committed the act. Rather you would punish those who did not prevent the act, despite their ignorance.
Using your logic, you would not punish the Columbine shooters (had they not killed themselves) because school officials weren't aware that they were about to snap.
You can't wholly blame unsuspecting workers for opening an innocent-looking attachment. Sure, they shouldn't open unexpected attachments, but you have to understand that many of these people assume that the virus protection software on their machine will (go figure) catch viruses.
We have to keep focused on who knowingly created the problem, not those who unwittingly perpetuated it.
So far the website initiative we are developing using Oracle Portal has been one disappointment after another. While I understand the 9i database software is working fine, other components of the package have simply fallen flat on its face, particularly a serious compatibility issue with Solaris servers.
The way I see it, the government is probably, for once, getting what it's paying for. Nothing.
This is a bad analogy, and here's why:
The RIAA (and friends) did nothing illegal by informing Felton of their intent (threat) to sue. It is well within their right to do so.
The thief in your analogy, however DID do something illegal: he actually committed the theft.
"A more apt comparison might be a mafia hitman threatening to break someone's limbs with a baseball bat he's carrying with him. When brought before a judge, said hitman proceeds to say "But your honor, I was only joking!" and then walks."
Again, this analogy is also inaccurate for the same reason: In this case, the thug committed a crime by threatening physical harm, which is illegal.
The real difference here is that the RIAA committed no (legal) wrongdoing before their retraction, whereas the thief and thug did.
"At the time of the decision to use the Bomb, it was estimated that over 2 million Japanese civilians would be killed along with hundreds of thousands of U.S. Marines." if we were to go ahead with the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland.
The truth of the matter is that the Atomic Bomb was used to REDUCE Japanese civilian casualties. At the time of the decision to use the Bomb, it was estimated that over 2 million Japanese civilians would be killed along with hundreds of thousands of U.S. Marines.
You will also find that, contrary to your statement, the United States demanded Japan's unconditional surrender at the Potsdam Conference on July 26, 1945: over a week before the dropping of the first bomb.
I think if you did some research, you will find that Japan was not yet willing to surrender after the first Bomb was dropped.
I'm optimistic enough to hope that you were referring to the $4.95/mo. as the charge per additional IP, and not for the whole service.
However in the likely (and unfortunate) event that you are asking if the entire service will cost $4.95/mo , the answer is no... the proposed charge for cable modem service will still be ~$50/mo. with the $4.95 charge per additional IP address.
And you know this how? Common, rational sense doesn't apply when yer dealing with fanatics, as we have so recently and painfully learned.
I second that, why would anyone who is so devoted to *nix care what "M$" is trying to pass off on it's customers?
I suppose the fact that the Iraqi government has spent most of its money on weapons projects instead of food and agriculture has nothing to do with the problem over there.
"There was no reason to drop THAT bomb. We did it because we enjoy killing so much."
I guess you would have preferred to have sent hundreds of thousands of American marines to their deaths in an invasion of the Japanese mainland. Actually your reasoning suggests that you'd have preferred that we did not defend ourselves against Japan and let them eventually invade us without a fight, because violence is bad.
Apparently the concept of cause and effect is as foreign to you as the idea of supporting the country that has given you the freedoms you now enjoy.
What the hell are you talking about? This is one case of Anthrax that has not killed anybody at all! Excerpt from Yahoo News: "The NBC employee is being treated with antibiotics and is expected to recover, the network said."
I know people love to post without knowing the facts, but comon, at least try a little!
The simple matter is that it is easy to deduce that CD's were originally attractive to the music industry because, compared to cassettes, they are both cheaper to produce and (at the time of their invention) impossible to copy.
However, technology has evolved to the point where CD copying and MP3's has gained enormous popularity and is beginning to affect music sales. The fact that the music industry is now forced to take measures to protect their own existence does NOT constitute an inferior product, simply because it makes its theft more difficult.
(Begin Troll)Of course, I wouldn't expect the majority of /. readers to respect the concept of protecting one's property.(End Troll)
Please keep your personal opinions to yoursleves when determing what is worth reading.
It's these kinds of small infractions on our personal freedom that serve as stepping stones to more severe and widespread violations of our rights. In a few years, MADD will be pushing for an outright ban of alcoholic beverages, and because of their "it's for the children" image, I fear they may get what they want at the expense of yet another personal liberty.
I'm pretty sure it means Limited Security, Limited Stability, Limited Performance, Limited... well you get the point.
Out here we refer to an iOpener (or eye-opener) as that first beer of the morning, not a poorly-designed net appliance.
Perhaps this is more a solution than it is a problem. :)
In addition to the more serious problem of students transmitting data (answers) to each other, think of how little schoolwork would get done in school if everyone had minesweeper/solitaire/DOOM at their fingertips :)
PDAs in schools, like cell phones, are more of a distraction than anything.
If as many people tried to comprimise UNIX systems as often as they do Microsoft systems, you can bet that we'd be seeing some pretty serious UNIX viruses.
It is a growing trend to equate any form of creativity or invention with art. Most of the musicians/bands we're talking about here are ENTERTAINERS, not ARTISTS. Allow me to draw a meaningful distinction.
Artists do their work solely out of love of what they do, without the intention of financial or other forms of personal gain. I consider anyone who freely shares their creativity, be it a painting, a song, or a computer application, an artist.
Entertainers, on the other hand, also enjoy what they do, but do so for personal gain. Unfortunately, the music industry is packed with mediocre entertainers, and sorely lacks true artists, and this has become somewhat of a status quo.
The advent of music-sharing applications threatens that status quo, benefitting artists by providing them with a new means of distributing thier work, and hurting entertainers (and consequently thier record p1mps) by cutting into their cash flows.
The recording industry sees this shift in power as a threat, because there is no money to be made from true artists.
I wonder how Wind_Walker would feel if it were his operating system that was GPF'd for the sake of research?