They should release the source code to some of their middle-level components. Examples: Internet Explorer and its HTML rendering engine common controls OLE/COM solitare minesweeper freecell notepad wordpad paint shell (as in things like shell32.dll and shfolder.dll and etc) internet stuff like wininet richedit etc
basicly, things that they include with windows but which arent used as a "selling point"
Also, if they open-sourced their C runtime (i.e. msvcrt.dll, msvcprt.dll, msvcirt.dll, atl.dll and such), that would probobly be very good. (doubt they would open MFC but certainly if they opened the C/C++ Runtime/STL/etc and mabie ATL, that would be great)
Yep. The telcos (i.e. the Baby Bells) like this because they are the ones being hit by DMCA notices that they then have to process (or fight).
The cable companies dont like this because the DMCA gives them another weapon to use against those who make and distribute "cable unlockers" and "pirate cable boxes" and such like.
just tell the spammer to include in the run in order that you can be sure the spam is actually being sent out. Where are a dozen or so that you can get at. Tell them that if they dont do that, you will find another spammer that does.
1.a 100% standards-complient implementation of PNG 2.a 100% standards-complient implementation of W3C CSS 3.a 100% standards-complient implementation of W3C XHTML 1.0/HTML 4.01 4.sending of HTML email off by default in Outlook with the way to turn it on difficult to find 5.changes to scripting and ActiveX so that by default, only controls signed by someone trustworthy will download, install and be used (and even then have a clear "are you sure you want to let this control have complete access to your system" warning in language and UI that even the most cluless of users can understand) and so that scripting and ActiveX controls are turned off completly in Outlook with no way (not even a registry hack) to turn it back on. 6.changes to Outlook Express so that it wont run executable attachments dierctly (and so that you have to save them to the disk before you can run them) 7.changes to how Internet Explorer handles MIME types to ignore the extention and content of the file and to treat what the server or email message says the MIME type is as gosepel. If there is none, fallback on file extentions and stuff. Also, enhance windows handling so that mime types can be associated with different handlers. (this eliminates any need to use the file extention to determine what handler to use for it) 8.Clear warnings that even the most cluless user can understand when something has changed the search settings, home page or other IE-related settings out from underneath them (e.g. spyware) 9.completly dropping the broken Microsoft Java VM so that when stuff installs (like a new version of IE or a new windows SP), the MS VM is completly removed for good and the SUN VM is installed instead. and 10.make these chages as widely available as possible.
Yes I use Mozilla (1.7 in fact) but for those who are forced to used Intercrap Explorer, this would make the world a better place. It would also make the world a better place for those not using IE as a side effect of he changes to Outlook.
1.Be first to market with a console. 2.Have it so that it has graphics power and hardware better than the PS2/XBOX/GC 3.Implement strong copy protection (for example, have all code encrypted with the decryption being done by circutry thats either in the same plastic package as the CPU, that would probobly thwart most people, even better is if its a public key algorithim so that you need the MS only private key to do anything, remember XBOX private signing key has yet to be leaked/cracked/brute-forced/whatever) 4.Give away the devkits/licences/whatever and simply change the system so that the only thing developers have to pay to MS is a per-unit royalty for every copy that is manufactured
Because they would be first to market and they would have the most powerfull hardware and a lot less up-front costs for developers wanting to produce a game, it would make xbox2 more attractive to developers.
An even better idea would be to offer even further incentives for any developer that will sign on to only produce games for the Microsoft platform (XBOX2) and not for SONY or Nintendo platforms (PS3 or Gamecube 2)
Fact is, if microsoft can get critical mass of developers (particularly if they get exclusitivity), everyone will be forced to buy XBOX if they want the good stuff.
The same thing happened with the origonal PlayStation way back when (SONY offered a better deal than either SEGA or Nintendo were prepeared to offer and got key companies like EA and Square to sign on as a result)
if they actually had a snowballs chance in hell of pulling it off, I would suggest that Microsoft buys Electronic Arts.
Just look at all the EA games and series that are currently on PS2 (some of which are also in some cases xbox/gc/PC) and think about how bad it would be for SONY if those were xbox only.
The other advantage is that hopefully EA would start making better games (say what you like about MS, they make/publish some fun games, zoo tycoon for example) instead of "yet another WW2 first person game".
Oh and further to that, if it was possible, they should also buy Square Enix (now that would REALLY hurt SONY)
What companies like SEGA and Data East did on various arcade boards. Basicly, there is a chip/blob/block that combines the CPU and decryption logic in the one casing (even on the same die in a fair few cases). As of yet, many of the more sophisticated examples of this have yet to be cracked.
Obviously this wont work for music/movies/etc because of the fact that if you can see and/or hear it, you can record it. However, it would certainly be something to consider for code (particularly code on game consoles).
Basicly, microsoft/sony/nintendo/whoever could produce a chip that combines a PPC/x86/whatever they want CPU core on the same die as a hardware implementation of something like RSA or DES or something else with a long enough key length to make brute forcing impractical. Then, all they do is to encrypt the game executables and even the console bios and stuff (keeping the means to do that secret shouldnt be that hard, after all, the secret MS only private key for signing xbox xbe files hasn't yet been released/leaked/cracked/whatever).
Because the CPU will only execute code that is encrypted by the private key held by the console company, running "unauthorized" code wont be possible. (even if you find a way to get it to jump to some area in memory you loaded with your own data, you dotn have the encryption key so you cant turn your code into something the CPU can sucessfully decrypt and execute) Plus, because the only way to get the plaintext or the public key is to take the top off the chip with a powerfull microscope or whatever (and because there arent that many people/companies with the resources and skills to do this), its (theoretically) secure. Another way to make it more secure is to change around the meanings of the decrypted opcodes. For example, on regular x86, 0x90 (I think) means the NOP instruction. if you change things around so that NOP is some other value, its even harder to crack. Plus, since you have no way to know if is the correct one, you cant brute-force it. And, given how special/specific the key is, there are ways to keep it secret. For example, build the encrypting mechanisim as a speical box which doesnt contain the key in software but in hardware instead (thus preventing some hacker from hacking in and stealing it).
However, (as the article says) just because I cant think of any flaws in this system doesnt mean there arent any.
Basicly, the copyright holder must either A.make the work available or B.if the work is unavailable to get copies of, they must pay some money to register the work periodicly (how often would depend on the type of work). Each time you register the work, the cost goes up a bit. That way, if someone wants to retain copyright to stuff, they can either make it available ot they can pay to keep the copyright.
That would mean that for stuff people are still selling/making money off, nothing changes. But for stuff thats not available, if the copyright holder re-registers it (and pays), they get to keep it.
For works where one cant find the copyright anymore or whatever, one of 3 things would happen; 1.the copyright holder would make the work available (thus allowing you to get a copy) 2.the copyright holder would re-register the copyright (thus allowing you to look it up in the database and find out who owns the copyright so you can try to get a copy from them) or 3.the work would not be re-regisered (thus meaning it would fall out of copyright and you could copy it)
the i960 (dont know if its related to the i860 or not) was seen in several arcade machines (specificly the Sega Model 2 hardware that powered classics like Daytona USA and so on)
The problem is that the whole way the USPTO works is that it is geared towards passing patents. Specificly, its better finantially for the PTO to pass a patent than to reject it.
This has to change before anything good will happen. Simply change the way the PTO works so that its no longer finantially better for the PTO to pass a patent than it is to reject it. Then (assuming they do what they are supposed to and use patent examiners who are qualified in the field they are examining patents in), crap like this wont be granted patents anymore.
ISPs should be scanning mail for viruses. If a virus is found, it should NOT notify the "sender" (which is forged anyway). If the virus email is one that is totally virus (i.e. no usefull content), it should be removed completly and not even sent to the user. If its one that might contain usefull content, the virus file should be removed and then the rest of the mail sent on.
If ISPs (small and large) did this, the cluless n00bs wouldnt get the trojan emails in the first place.
As for trojans that infect through known holes in windows, block off ports used by them (e.g. RPC port, windows network drive ports or whatever other ports the zombie/trojan/worm may use)
These 2 measures, if taken by all ISPs, would stop a large chunk of the windows worms and trojans.
I guess the problems are: 1.what ports do you block and how do you handle the issue of ports that have both legitimate and illegitimate uses? 2.the cost of my 2 ideas (cost for a mailserver virus checker, cost for some tech to actualy do the implementation etc) and 3.the tendancy of email virus scanners to email a "youve got a virus" mail to the address in the "from" field (more often than not, its the mailbox of an innocent person whos email the worm/trojan found somewhere and used.
Still, if both these things were done, it would be much harder for cluless n00bs (even those who dont patch and who blindly run exe files they get sent) to avoid or at least minimize the risk that a virus will infect their machine.
Re:Finally an ask slashdot which didn't involve
on
Old Toy Modding?
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If JAVA was GPL'd, microsoft would be reluctant to touch it (we all know how they hate GPL) and certainly they couldnt "fork" it. Anything microsoft added would need to be released under GPL and would be free for the sun VM or anyone else to include.
Even better would be a licence thats essentailly "GPL + a clause that says that if you use this code or contribute to it, you give up the right to sue anyone else using it for patent violations of patents you hold that apply to this code". Such a licence (if wrriten properly) would be more than enough to scare MS from using the code IMO.
Plus, MS has no reason to want to use JAVA, they have.NET.
The right way is to have a certification program where anyone can do whatever with the java codebase but if you want some kind of official "stamp of approval" from sun, you have to go through a compatibility test.
Its likely that as long as SUN was prepared to take patches, ideas and code from others, the SUN distribution of JAVA would remain the one developers use. Even in the case where someone was doing lots of code work (such as a port to a new platform or e.g. a tightly integrated java subsystem for ReactOS say), its likely that they would be concerned about preventing incompatibilities with "JAVA".
As mentioned before, there are other Open Source projects that havent had incompatible forks made (for example, PERL, Pyhton).
Most JAVA developers I know love the run-anywhere features of JAVA and wouldnt use anything that sacrifices that. (the exception is when M$ made that buggy bloated incompatible sun-should-have-forced-them-to-stop-distributing-t his VM that is/was targeted by various short sighted groups for various things e.g. some stupid idiotic banks use(d) it)
Personally, I think that if SUN is worried, they should Open Source some small portion of JAVA and use that as a testbed for Open Sourcing more.
Just look at Mozilla PSM. I know for a fact that that is 100% open and contains a complete implementation of standards-complient SSL with all the various trust models and certificates present.
I suspect that part of the problem is that arcade companies are still making money of old stuff (e.g. the various classic game packs for PS2/XBOX/GC/GBA/etc or the arcade machine with mspac/galaga or the TV joystick thingos) Hence, having the old games downloadable = less people buying the new stuff.
Also, they would be reluctant to allow this because they have no control over the roms being distributed or the emulation engine.
I suspect its popular because it has most of the good elements of other open source licences like GPL but at the same time it doesnt have all the "politics" associated with FSF.
Slashdot Mirror
They should release the source code to some of their middle-level components.l
Examples:
Internet Explorer and its HTML rendering engine
common controls
OLE/COM
solitare
minesweeper
freecel
notepad
wordpad
paint
shell (as in things like shell32.dll and shfolder.dll and etc)
internet stuff like wininet
richedit
etc
basicly, things that they include with windows but which arent used as a "selling point"
Also, if they open-sourced their C runtime (i.e. msvcrt.dll, msvcprt.dll, msvcirt.dll, atl.dll and such), that would probobly be very good. (doubt they would open MFC but certainly if they opened the C/C++ Runtime/STL/etc and mabie ATL, that would be great)
Yep. The telcos (i.e. the Baby Bells) like this because they are the ones being hit by DMCA notices that they then have to process (or fight).
The cable companies dont like this because the DMCA gives them another weapon to use against those who make and distribute "cable unlockers" and "pirate cable boxes" and such like.
Basicly, FBI etc runs an "open relay" that is really a honeypot gobbling up the SPAM.
Leave it going for a while and from there, trace back to the spammers themselves via the logs.
just tell the spammer to include in the run in order that you can be sure the spam is actually being sent out. Where are a dozen or so that you can get at.
Tell them that if they dont do that, you will find another spammer that does.
1.a 100% standards-complient implementation of PNG
2.a 100% standards-complient implementation of W3C CSS
3.a 100% standards-complient implementation of W3C XHTML 1.0/HTML 4.01
4.sending of HTML email off by default in Outlook with the way to turn it on difficult to find
5.changes to scripting and ActiveX so that by default, only controls signed by someone trustworthy will download, install and be used (and even then have a clear "are you sure you want to let this control have complete access to your system" warning in language and UI that even the most cluless of users can understand) and so that scripting and ActiveX controls are turned off completly in Outlook with no way (not even a registry hack) to turn it back on.
6.changes to Outlook Express so that it wont run executable attachments dierctly (and so that you have to save them to the disk before you can run them)
7.changes to how Internet Explorer handles MIME types to ignore the extention and content of the file and to treat what the server or email message says the MIME type is as gosepel. If there is none, fallback on file extentions and stuff. Also, enhance windows handling so that mime types can be associated with different handlers. (this eliminates any need to use the file extention to determine what handler to use for it)
8.Clear warnings that even the most cluless user can understand when something has changed the search settings, home page or other IE-related settings out from underneath them (e.g. spyware)
9.completly dropping the broken Microsoft Java VM so that when stuff installs (like a new version of IE or a new windows SP), the MS VM is completly removed for good and the SUN VM is installed instead.
and 10.make these chages as widely available as possible.
Yes I use Mozilla (1.7 in fact) but for those who are forced to used Intercrap Explorer, this would make the world a better place. It would also make the world a better place for those not using IE as a side effect of he changes to Outlook.
1.Be first to market with a console.
2.Have it so that it has graphics power and hardware better than the PS2/XBOX/GC
3.Implement strong copy protection (for example, have all code encrypted with the decryption being done by circutry thats either in the same plastic package as the CPU, that would probobly thwart most people, even better is if its a public key algorithim so that you need the MS only private key to do anything, remember XBOX private signing key has yet to be leaked/cracked/brute-forced/whatever)
4.Give away the devkits/licences/whatever and simply change the system so that the only thing developers have to pay to MS is a per-unit royalty for every copy that is manufactured
Because they would be first to market and they would have the most powerfull hardware and a lot less up-front costs for developers wanting to produce a game, it would make xbox2 more attractive to developers.
An even better idea would be to offer even further incentives for any developer that will sign on to only produce games for the Microsoft platform (XBOX2) and not for SONY or Nintendo platforms (PS3 or Gamecube 2)
Fact is, if microsoft can get critical mass of developers (particularly if they get exclusitivity), everyone will be forced to buy XBOX if they want the good stuff.
The same thing happened with the origonal PlayStation way back when (SONY offered a better deal than either SEGA or Nintendo were prepeared to offer and got key companies like EA and Square to sign on as a result)
if they actually had a snowballs chance in hell of pulling it off, I would suggest that Microsoft buys Electronic Arts.
Just look at all the EA games and series that are currently on PS2 (some of which are also in some cases xbox/gc/PC) and think about how bad it would be for SONY if those were xbox only.
The other advantage is that hopefully EA would start making better games (say what you like about MS, they make/publish some fun games, zoo tycoon for example) instead of "yet another WW2 first person game".
Oh and further to that, if it was possible, they should also buy Square Enix (now that would REALLY hurt SONY)
What companies like SEGA and Data East did on various arcade boards. Basicly, there is a chip/blob/block that combines the CPU and decryption logic in the one casing (even on the same die in a fair few cases). As of yet, many of the more sophisticated examples of this have yet to be cracked.
Obviously this wont work for music/movies/etc because of the fact that if you can see and/or hear it, you can record it. However, it would certainly be something to consider for code (particularly code on game consoles).
Basicly, microsoft/sony/nintendo/whoever could produce a chip that combines a PPC/x86/whatever they want CPU core on the same die as a hardware implementation of something like RSA or DES or something else with a long enough key length to make brute forcing impractical. Then, all they do is to encrypt the game executables and even the console bios and stuff (keeping the means to do that secret shouldnt be that hard, after all, the secret MS only private key for signing xbox xbe files hasn't yet been released/leaked/cracked/whatever).
Because the CPU will only execute code that is encrypted by the private key held by the console company, running "unauthorized" code wont be possible. (even if you find a way to get it to jump to some area in memory you loaded with your own data, you dotn have the encryption key so you cant turn your code into something the CPU can sucessfully decrypt and execute)
Plus, because the only way to get the plaintext or the public key is to take the top off the chip with a powerfull microscope or whatever (and because there arent that many people/companies with the resources and skills to do this), its (theoretically) secure. Another way to make it more secure is to change around the meanings of the decrypted opcodes. For example, on regular x86, 0x90 (I think) means the NOP instruction. if you change things around so that NOP is some other value, its even harder to crack. Plus, since you have no way to know if is the correct one, you cant brute-force it.
And, given how special/specific the key is, there are ways to keep it secret. For example, build the encrypting mechanisim as a speical box which doesnt contain the key in software but in hardware instead (thus preventing some hacker from hacking in and stealing it).
However, (as the article says) just because I cant think of any flaws in this system doesnt mean there arent any.
better yet, apt-get -purge remove boring-british-tennis
Basicly, the copyright holder must either A.make the work available or B.if the work is unavailable to get copies of, they must pay some money to register the work periodicly (how often would depend on the type of work). Each time you register the work, the cost goes up a bit. That way, if someone wants to retain copyright to stuff, they can either make it available ot they can pay to keep the copyright.
That would mean that for stuff people are still selling/making money off, nothing changes. But for stuff thats not available, if the copyright holder re-registers it (and pays), they get to keep it.
For works where one cant find the copyright anymore or whatever, one of 3 things would happen;
1.the copyright holder would make the work available (thus allowing you to get a copy)
2.the copyright holder would re-register the copyright (thus allowing you to look it up in the database and find out who owns the copyright so you can try to get a copy from them)
or 3.the work would not be re-regisered (thus meaning it would fall out of copyright and you could copy it)
I suspect that even with apple begging, the vs doesnt stack up.
the i960 (dont know if its related to the i860 or not) was seen in several arcade machines (specificly the Sega Model 2 hardware that powered classics like Daytona USA and so on)
Hopefully latham labour and the minor parties in the senate can block this so-called "Free" trade aggreement.
The problem is that the whole way the USPTO works is that it is geared towards passing patents.
Specificly, its better finantially for the PTO to pass a patent than to reject it.
This has to change before anything good will happen.
Simply change the way the PTO works so that its no longer finantially better for the PTO to pass a patent than it is to reject it.
Then (assuming they do what they are supposed to and use patent examiners who are qualified in the field they are examining patents in), crap like this wont be granted patents anymore.
What benifit does this give to the broadcasters?
ISPs should be scanning mail for viruses.
If a virus is found, it should NOT notify the "sender" (which is forged anyway).
If the virus email is one that is totally virus (i.e. no usefull content), it should be removed completly and not even sent to the user.
If its one that might contain usefull content, the virus file should be removed and then the rest of the mail sent on.
If ISPs (small and large) did this, the cluless n00bs wouldnt get the trojan emails in the first place.
As for trojans that infect through known holes in windows, block off ports used by them (e.g. RPC port, windows network drive ports or whatever other ports the zombie/trojan/worm may use)
These 2 measures, if taken by all ISPs, would stop a large chunk of the windows worms and trojans.
I guess the problems are:
1.what ports do you block and how do you handle the issue of ports that have both legitimate and illegitimate uses?
2.the cost of my 2 ideas (cost for a mailserver virus checker, cost for some tech to actualy do the implementation etc)
and 3.the tendancy of email virus scanners to email a "youve got a virus" mail to the address in the "from" field (more often than not, its the mailbox of an innocent person whos email the worm/trojan found somewhere and used.
Still, if both these things were done, it would be much harder for cluless n00bs (even those who dont patch and who blindly run exe files they get sent) to avoid or at least minimize the risk that a virus will infect their machine.
Just get a GB flash cart :)
Most stuff on p2p is MP3.
And most WMA is either streaming and unsavable or protected.
Is there really that much unprotected, downloadable WMA available to make supporting WMA worth it for music players?
If JAVA was GPL'd, microsoft would be reluctant to touch it (we all know how they hate GPL) and certainly they couldnt "fork" it. Anything microsoft added would need to be released under GPL and would be free for the sun VM or anyone else to include.
.NET.
Even better would be a licence thats essentailly "GPL + a clause that says that if you use this code or contribute to it, you give up the right to sue anyone else using it for patent violations of patents you hold that apply to this code". Such a licence (if wrriten properly) would be more than enough to scare MS from using the code IMO.
Plus, MS has no reason to want to use JAVA, they have
The right way is to have a certification program where anyone can do whatever with the java codebase but if you want some kind of official "stamp of approval" from sun, you have to go through a compatibility test.
t his VM that is/was targeted by various short sighted groups for various things e.g. some stupid idiotic banks use(d) it)
Its likely that as long as SUN was prepared to take patches, ideas and code from others, the SUN distribution of JAVA would remain the one developers use. Even in the case where someone was doing lots of code work (such as a port to a new platform or e.g. a tightly integrated java subsystem for ReactOS say), its likely that they would be concerned about preventing incompatibilities with "JAVA".
As mentioned before, there are other Open Source projects that havent had incompatible forks made (for example, PERL, Pyhton).
Most JAVA developers I know love the run-anywhere features of JAVA and wouldnt use anything that sacrifices that. (the exception is when M$ made that buggy bloated incompatible sun-should-have-forced-them-to-stop-distributing-
Personally, I think that if SUN is worried, they should Open Source some small portion of JAVA and use that as a testbed for Open Sourcing more.
I dont know how it is in america but here in australia video stores let you hire out PS2, XBOX and GC games.
So you could hire a game out (only spending a couple bucks), if its good, you can then buy it.
Just look at Mozilla PSM.
I know for a fact that that is 100% open and contains a complete implementation of standards-complient SSL with all the various trust models and certificates present.
What they should do is to Open Source java but retain full control over the name.
You want to call it "java", you gotta pass the comaptility tests.
I suspect that part of the problem is that arcade companies are still making money of old stuff (e.g. the various classic game packs for PS2/XBOX/GC/GBA/etc or the arcade machine with mspac/galaga or the TV joystick thingos)
Hence, having the old games downloadable = less people buying the new stuff.
Also, they would be reluctant to allow this because they have no control over the roms being distributed or the emulation engine.
I suspect its popular because it has most of the good elements of other open source licences like GPL but at the same time it doesnt have all the "politics" associated with FSF.