I left a job I had as an underpaid administrator one Monday after my clueless boss gripped about a missing report the morning after I had pulled a working weekend getting the Netware server upgraded to version 4 (this was several years ago).
I grabbed my briefcase and immediately left, being careful to go nowhere near my console.
Two days later, the president of the company demanded that I come back and fix the network (the average education in the company apart from myself and the accounting department was High School/GED, btw). He came very close to accusing me of sabatoging the network. I basically told him to go fuck himself.
I still talked to the vendor who had sold us most of our hardware (and wound up doing some contracting for him a month or so later), and fortunately for the "president", the vendor explained to him how making accusations like that without evidence would result in my suing the living shit out of him and the company.
1.5 months later, they were still running blind ads (no mention of the company or the pay scale, just a phone number and the position), and I was employed as a contracter at the company I now work for.
8 months or so after that, the owner of my former employer sold to a larger company. 3 months after that, the plant was closed, and everyone there laid off (including my ex-boss, who, if she hadn't been boinking the pres would have been working the deep fryer at McDonalds for a career). Seems they never could get another Admin to work for ~$22K/year (did I mention that I had been hourly, and their idea of a raise was a big 23 cents/hour?), and the system that designed their product, together with the sales database, fell apart.
They are trying to figure out if this scheme will work or not. By putting copies of a "sample DVD" out there with this dye, they can find out if the content will still be around after the samples have "degraded".
Once they're convinced that its bullet proof and noone can reverse it, they'll start doing this with general distribution disks. Unlike DivX (the circuit city scheme, not the compresion) these do not require a special player.
It's still doomed to failure though. The people behind this apparently think it was the proprietary players that killed DivX, rather than the limited usage. As someone else said, when I purchase something, I expect to KEEP it. I'm a collector, and I won't be buying these when they hit the market.
From what I understand, Roadrunner isn't doing that (charging for multiple PCs) yet. I refer to it as a firewall when I have to interact with them.
I was originally going to get DSL, but I am (was, I'm told its improved) too far from the CO to get ADSL. At the time they offered me SDSL through a contractor, but the contractor wanted to charge business rates, and claimed to be able to "check" for routers. I told them to get stuffed, since cable was available.
Now the contractor (can't remember who they were, but they were a major DSL player) is out of business, and Sprint keeps calling asking me to sign up for their "improved" service.
If RR doesn't do something about the customer at 65.35.62.22 thats spewing port scans and probing for Netbus, et al, I'll have to take a look at Sprint. The scanner is no real threat, but since I've notified security several times and the same address is scanning more and more frequently, I'm losing what little confidence I had in them... Service has been rock solid though.
At the time, they weren't providing much apart from a standard service agreement regarding the hardware (cable modem). The software was apparently optional anyhow, for supports benefit, but I wasn't too interested in having an installer messing with my machine.
The machine in question was a throw away install (my real machine is no-where near the cable connection), but I was just as happy not to have to blow it away.
My experience (in discussing with others) the use of a Linux machine in the capacity you describe is that if the software is "required", an installer will simply leave, telling you that only Windows is supported. Another case for the self install kit (not available when I got hooked up, although it is now).
"Just give me the network info. I'll do it. You have no business touching my machine"
"but that's what my instructions say to do."
"are you bonded?"
"Whats that?"
"It means are you insured in case I have to sue you personally for screwing something up"
"oh.... Here's the info."
Besides, I connect through a router. What possible good would THEIR software do me?
Re:Suit and Tie do not make the programmer.
on
Suit Up Or Ship Out?
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
The only people calling for programmers to wear suits are the sales weasels and functionless middle managers that already have to wear them. They want everyone to be as miserable as they (and hey, those things aint cheap either)
Fortunately none of the companies in Florida that I'm aware of have such a stupid requirement. I see some old guys in Sales that wear suits out of stubborn habit, but most people seem to realise that being pitted out and sweaty is even worse than *gasp* not conforming to made up corporate costume requirements...
Certainly not the one I work for. If they tried to enforce that on the programmers, they would quickly have no product. Yea they'd have the source code, but good luck getting someone who really understood it and was willing to wear a monkey suit at the same time.
Agreed. I've seen a big upswing in hostile portscans on my firewall the past month or so. I've reported the ones specific to Roadrunner with no response. Particularly the two that have been the most persistent:
65.35.6.87
65.35.62.22
Sure looked to me as if someone was rounding up thier zombies...
Interesting point. I can't imagine anyone who could afford a decent Toyota actually buying a Hyundai by choice. I've seen 25 year old Toyotas on the road that still run like tops (paint's not in great shape though). I can't imagine the Hyundais that I've seen lasting THAT long.
Agreed. I've already decided against buying Unreal Tournament 2K3 based on the reports of problems with Copy Protection. I went through too much crap with NWN to bother with it. Once the protection is eventually removed (I believe they finally removed it from NWN, although I haven't played it in a while) I'll think about it. Probably won't bother though.
I had to find the no-CD crack the day NWN came out (I paid for it. TWO copies so that I'd have a spare for a guest). It wouldn't work on my hardware otherwise.
Supports suggested solution? "Buy another CD drive and keep buying 'em until you find one that works. Oh and take the CD burner off your machine. It pisses off the copy protection".
The CD drive was my "working set" backup device at the time. Uh no, not going to stop backing up the recently changed files to make the fucking copy protection happy.
Interestingly enough to keep this on topic: you know that the chinese word for computer translates to "electric brain," right? (dian nao) I wonder what the internals are called..
Gee, I don't know... Simple book keeping? COmplex book keeping? who the fuck cares HOW... it's completely possible to find some representation of the value that is acceptable to both parties. simply do it and put it in the contract.
Artists and inventors are creative people. Screw them and you'll eventually find a creative payback. You'll wish you hadn't screwed them then, but it will be too late. Hopefully it won't be fatal to you...
Re:Where, exactly, is modding prohibited?
on
XBox Linux HOWTOs
·
· Score: 1
No they do NOT. I bought it. I'm not using it to break a law (like deface property or get high). It is MY property and they have NO fucking business LOOKING at it.
The Government has some lee-way in making sure things are not used illegally.
The Manufacturer surrenders all right to the device once money is paid. Period.
As to the DMCA issue they only have that to stand on if the device is actually being USED to circumvent copyright, not if it's "theoretically possible. Beyond that, see the original point. It's my property now, and none of thier goddamned business what I've done to it. If they want to know, they can just TRY to enter my residence and find out.
Given Florida's law regarding shooting of trespassers though, I'd recommend against that...
And no a judge is not going to give them a court order to inspect something thats not thier property, so put that thought out of your head.
I'm sure it is a great place to raise kids. Just not tourism material for the most part:). Certainly the type of place I'd want to raise kids. Far from tourists.
Actally the noise I'm getting is more of the video noise variety. I should have been more specific.
Here Here. If the boy wants to play on weekends, why shouldn't he? At least he has taken an interest in something like Fencing. I mean what if his tournaments are in someplace like Des Moines? who the frell wants to run around a town like that?
Besides, I'm looking for LCD transport tips myself. I took my 18" panel to ONE lan party and now it's got an odd problem where it gets some sort of "noise" for the first minute or two until it warms up. Back to hauling a tube around until I figure out how to avoid that. LCDs are still to expensive (compared to tube monitors) to risk.
Since he's working as a writer, I'm taking the cell phone thing as a narrative tool, since he uses the people crossing at intersections to reference his feelings for and contentment with his family.
At least I hope so, or that he was using a hands-free if he really did call from the car...
Then I sincerely hope that their principles and management are beaten to death and their property destroyed. I lost thousands to a furniture store that pulled that crap. If I see the sales weasel that sold me the stuff I never got jaywalking, I'll run his ass over without a second thought.
Actually I found it quite interesting. I had guessed that the balance was adjusted for ice (I managed a couple of restaurants in the dark recesses of my past that I've almost burned out of my memory) but never really discussed it with the rep that used to adjust our mix.
Back when we had soda fountains and free drinks at my current office, I figured out that iceless was too syrup-rich (and no, to whoever said it's cold enough out of the fountain, it's not. At least not unless you drink it in about 10 minutes)
I read that as a poorly worded version of the standard disclaimers I used while doing security consulting for BBSs back in the late 80's. It could be interpereted as a shakedown, I suppose, but it's an unfortunate hedge against conflict between consultancy and ethical disclosure. Any time I wrote a disclaimer to protect myself, I always felt like I was doing something weasley.
While I agree that what HP is doing is wrong, I should point out that the First Amendment only protects citizens against censorship by the Government, not by other citizens or corporations.
Slashdot Mirror
I left a job I had as an underpaid administrator one Monday after my clueless boss gripped about a missing report the morning after I had pulled a working weekend getting the Netware server upgraded to version 4 (this was several years ago).
I grabbed my briefcase and immediately left, being careful to go nowhere near my console.
Two days later, the president of the company demanded that I come back and fix the network (the average education in the company apart from myself and the accounting department was High School/GED, btw). He came very close to accusing me of sabatoging the network. I basically told him to go fuck himself.
I still talked to the vendor who had sold us most of our hardware (and wound up doing some contracting for him a month or so later), and fortunately for the "president", the vendor explained to him how making accusations like that without evidence would result in my suing the living shit out of him and the company.
1.5 months later, they were still running blind ads (no mention of the company or the pay scale, just a phone number and the position), and I was employed as a contracter at the company I now work for.
8 months or so after that, the owner of my former employer sold to a larger company. 3 months after that, the plant was closed, and everyone there laid off (including my ex-boss, who, if she hadn't been boinking the pres would have been working the deep fryer at McDonalds for a career). Seems they never could get another Admin to work for ~$22K/year (did I mention that I had been hourly, and their idea of a raise was a big 23 cents/hour?), and the system that designed their product, together with the sales database, fell apart.
They are trying to figure out if this scheme will work or not. By putting copies of a "sample DVD" out there with this dye, they can find out if the content will still be around after the samples have "degraded".
Once they're convinced that its bullet proof and noone can reverse it, they'll start doing this with general distribution disks. Unlike DivX (the circuit city scheme, not the compresion) these do not require a special player.
It's still doomed to failure though. The people behind this apparently think it was the proprietary players that killed DivX, rather than the limited usage. As someone else said, when I purchase something, I expect to KEEP it. I'm a collector, and I won't be buying these when they hit the market.
From what I understand, Roadrunner isn't doing that (charging for multiple PCs) yet. I refer to it as a firewall when I have to interact with them.
I was originally going to get DSL, but I am (was, I'm told its improved) too far from the CO to get ADSL. At the time they offered me SDSL through a contractor, but the contractor wanted to charge business rates, and claimed to be able to "check" for routers. I told them to get stuffed, since cable was available.
Now the contractor (can't remember who they were, but they were a major DSL player) is out of business, and Sprint keeps calling asking me to sign up for their "improved" service.
If RR doesn't do something about the customer at 65.35.62.22 thats spewing port scans and probing for Netbus, et al, I'll have to take a look at Sprint. The scanner is no real threat, but since I've notified security several times and the same address is scanning more and more frequently, I'm losing what little confidence I had in them... Service has been rock solid though.
At the time, they weren't providing much apart from a standard service agreement regarding the hardware (cable modem). The software was apparently optional anyhow, for supports benefit, but I wasn't too interested in having an installer messing with my machine.
The machine in question was a throw away install (my real machine is no-where near the cable connection), but I was just as happy not to have to blow it away. My experience (in discussing with others) the use of a Linux machine in the capacity you describe is that if the software is "required", an installer will simply leave, telling you that only Windows is supported. Another case for the self install kit (not available when I got hooked up, although it is now).
That was my fall back if a flat "NO" wasn't good enough.
"Just give me the network info. I'll do it. You have no business touching my machine"
"but that's what my instructions say to do."
"are you bonded?"
"Whats that?"
"It means are you insured in case I have to sue you personally for screwing something up"
"oh.... Here's the info."
Besides, I connect through a router. What possible good would THEIR software do me?
The only people calling for programmers to wear suits are the sales weasels and functionless middle managers that already have to wear them. They want everyone to be as miserable as they (and hey, those things aint cheap either) Fortunately none of the companies in Florida that I'm aware of have such a stupid requirement. I see some old guys in Sales that wear suits out of stubborn habit, but most people seem to realise that being pitted out and sweaty is even worse than *gasp* not conforming to made up corporate costume requirements... Certainly not the one I work for. If they tried to enforce that on the programmers, they would quickly have no product. Yea they'd have the source code, but good luck getting someone who really understood it and was willing to wear a monkey suit at the same time.
Agreed. I've seen a big upswing in hostile portscans on my firewall the past month or so. I've reported the ones specific to Roadrunner with no response. Particularly the two that have been the most persistent: 65.35.6.87 65.35.62.22 Sure looked to me as if someone was rounding up thier zombies...
Interesting point. I can't imagine anyone who could afford a decent Toyota actually buying a Hyundai by choice. I've seen 25 year old Toyotas on the road that still run like tops (paint's not in great shape though). I can't imagine the Hyundais that I've seen lasting THAT long.
Agreed, those are a complete waste of money. Most products they try to sell those on will be upgraded before they ever have a chance to break...
Agreed. I've already decided against buying Unreal Tournament 2K3 based on the reports of problems with Copy Protection. I went through too much crap with NWN to bother with it. Once the protection is eventually removed (I believe they finally removed it from NWN, although I haven't played it in a while) I'll think about it. Probably won't bother though.
I had to find the no-CD crack the day NWN came out (I paid for it. TWO copies so that I'd have a spare for a guest). It wouldn't work on my hardware otherwise.
Supports suggested solution? "Buy another CD drive and keep buying 'em until you find one that works. Oh and take the CD burner off your machine. It pisses off the copy protection".
The CD drive was my "working set" backup device at the time. Uh no, not going to stop backing up the recently changed files to make the fucking copy protection happy.
Interestingly enough to keep this on topic: you know that the chinese word for computer translates to "electric brain," right? (dian nao) I wonder what the internals are called..
Electric Head Cheese?
Gee, I don't know... Simple book keeping? COmplex book keeping? who the fuck cares HOW... it's completely possible to find some representation of the value that is acceptable to both parties. simply do it and put it in the contract.
Artists and inventors are creative people. Screw them and you'll eventually find a creative payback. You'll wish you hadn't screwed them then, but it will be too late. Hopefully it won't be fatal to you...
No they do NOT. I bought it. I'm not using it to break a law (like deface property or get high). It is MY property and they have NO fucking business LOOKING at it.
The Government has some lee-way in making sure things are not used illegally.
The Manufacturer surrenders all right to the device once money is paid. Period.
As to the DMCA issue they only have that to stand on if the device is actually being USED to circumvent copyright, not if it's "theoretically possible. Beyond that, see the original point. It's my property now, and none of thier goddamned business what I've done to it. If they want to know, they can just TRY to enter my residence and find out.
Given Florida's law regarding shooting of trespassers though, I'd recommend against that...
And no a judge is not going to give them a court order to inspect something thats not thier property, so put that thought out of your head.
"Gateway Subject"? is that like a Gateway Drug?
Won't someone think of the children?
I'm sure it is a great place to raise kids. Just not tourism material for the most part :). Certainly the type of place I'd want to raise kids. Far from tourists.
Actally the noise I'm getting is more of the video noise variety. I should have been more specific.
Thank you for the input though.
Here Here. If the boy wants to play on weekends, why shouldn't he? At least he has taken an interest in something like Fencing. I mean what if his tournaments are in someplace like Des Moines? who the frell wants to run around a town like that?
Besides, I'm looking for LCD transport tips myself. I took my 18" panel to ONE lan party and now it's got an odd problem where it gets some sort of "noise" for the first minute or two until it warms up. Back to hauling a tube around until I figure out how to avoid that. LCDs are still to expensive (compared to tube monitors) to risk.
Since he's working as a writer, I'm taking the cell phone thing as a narrative tool, since he uses the people crossing at intersections to reference his feelings for and contentment with his family.
At least I hope so, or that he was using a hands-free if he really did call from the car...
Then I sincerely hope that their principles and management are beaten to death and their property destroyed. I lost thousands to a furniture store that pulled that crap. If I see the sales weasel that sold me the stuff I never got jaywalking, I'll run his ass over without a second thought.
Actually I found it quite interesting. I had guessed that the balance was adjusted for ice (I managed a couple of restaurants in the dark recesses of my past that I've almost burned out of my memory) but never really discussed it with the rep that used to adjust our mix.
Back when we had soda fountains and free drinks at my current office, I figured out that iceless was too syrup-rich (and no, to whoever said it's cold enough out of the fountain, it's not. At least not unless you drink it in about 10 minutes)
Alas the free soda is gone with the boom.
And THERE we have the important point in the matter. This could be the case that gets the DMCA thrown out.
I don't disagree with you. Just stating what the Bill of Rights defined.
I read that as a poorly worded version of the standard disclaimers I used while doing security consulting for BBSs back in the late 80's. It could be interpereted as a shakedown, I suppose, but it's an unfortunate hedge against conflict between consultancy and ethical disclosure. Any time I wrote a disclaimer to protect myself, I always felt like I was doing something weasley.
While I agree that what HP is doing is wrong, I should point out that the First Amendment only protects citizens against censorship by the Government, not by other citizens or corporations.
I agree with everything else you said, though.