Haven't used VB in several years (same for Windows!:), have they dumped that pathetic text editor they used to lock you into using? I remember the awful gyrations I had to go through bouncing between a DOS version of vi and their GUI design tool.
The DMCA, and now the UCITA, are simple examples of the market regulating itself through the legal use of lobbying. MHO this is a good thing, since more government intervention can only lead to a socialist-like stifling of the market, which is bad for everyone concerned.
So "socialist-like" intervention is a good thing when it's driven by industry, but it is bad when driven by consumers? What he DMCA and UCITA represent are the efforts of a portion of one industry to manipulate the government into giving them an advantage over other businesses and over the consumer. It is a perfect example of Nazi style socialism (as opposed to Marxist style socialism).
This is *not* the way free enterprise is supposed to work.
M$ is actually trying to get it's act together here.
I disagree. More than anything the MCSE is a marketing tool. Today they want sell Windows2000 and convincing everyone that 2000 is a radical change from previous versions is the first step down that road.
It *is* pretty sad and it makes everyone involved look all the more pathetic.
Microsoft up to its old tricks? Has Slashdot finally sunk to such depths that it needs to create bogus headlines like these?
Anyone who has been watching Microsoft operate over the last decade will recognize the maneuver as pure Redmond, ergo the headline is accurate. What *exactly* do you find to be "bogus" or "asinine" about it?
There's a *big* difference between the Civil Rights movement and the ADA. The Civil Rights movement was primarily about ending *government* discrimination against blacks. The public schools and public bus systems were government owned, and Jim Crow laws forced many private store owners to discriminate against blacks.
[snip]
Wrong and wrong. You should have quit when you were ahead. The Jim Crow laws were just one small cog in the mechanism of institutionalized racism. There were plenty of instances of non-governmental organizations and individuals pushing segregation.
It wasn't governments that created contractual bans on selling houses to blacks. It wasn't the government that declared certain businesses "white only". It wasn't the government that went out and lynched people. These issues were every bit as important to the Civil Rights movement as Jim Crow.
Your view of history reeks of Limbaughesque revisionism.
Doesn't this fit entirely with the concept of Open Source?
No. It in no way fits the concept of Open Source. Are they providing source code for *anything*? No. Are they giving anyone a chance to examine or critique their methodology? No.
Microsoft is just doing what they always do - "letting" the user community debug their applications. I guess this time we should be happy that they aren't charging us for the privilege.
Excellent points. It should also be noted that the French are not the only society to come up with their own prime meridian. There once was a day when virtually every country in the world had their own.
"Widely available channels" for those willing to pay the ever-rising cost for cable. On the other hand, if all you have are the broadcast networks PBS is a real asset. As for the "last desparate gasp" crap, PBS has been a leader in bringing new technologies to the market for years. This is just another example.
"In any case, you should be mindful of the distinction. In most contexts where patents are not an issue, clean room methods are legal while reverse-engineering is illegal."
Not to spend too much time quibbling over definitions, but I disagree. To me, the clean-room approach is just a method of reverse-engineering. Sort of like getting a job is one method of earning money. I'm not alone in this belief. For example take the following excerpt from a Wired article (http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/111 19.html)
"Sun's Kannegaard said that HP's move was perfectly legal. Anyone is allowed to work in their own "clean room," as the industry refers to the process of reverse-engineering a technology, using the specifications posted on Sun's Web site."
Isn't there a certain amount of irony in this this ruling? MS has been working hard in the last few years to prevent others from reverse-engineering products - but now a judge has re-affirmed their rights to reverse engineer!
> RMS is not an 'off the wall' type of person, at least my communications with him have not given me that impression.
That's easy for you to say. He wasn't standing behind you at the Atlanta Expo shouting insults at the speaker.
Richard Stallman *is* a bit off the wall. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. He is also "thoughtful, precise, and very stubborn in sticking to his beliefs".
This "insanity" is driven by Microsoft's history. We have all watched them smash, bully, and steal their way into a position of great power in the industry. It is rational to fear a company that is equally willing to destroy partners and competitors. Ever read the story of the frog and the scorpion?:)
As for the possibility of a single party dominating the effort, how many of your partners are vulnerable to Bill's bullying?
> Hmm, I wonder if you are responsible for where your vehicle is left even if it IS stolen.
The first time my car was stolen I called to cancel my insurance. My agent told me that that was a bad idea because:
1) I "could be held responsible" for accidents the car was in - despite the fact that it was stolen.
2) The insurance weasels would raise my rates if I was un-insured for a period. The fact that I was riding the bus during that period didn't seem to matter.
So, who are the bigger goons - The government bureaucrats or the insurance company weasels? The race is too close to call.
One question that has come to mind everytime I've looked at CAJUN is "how will they survive in hot weather?" A local video store has a bunch of tapes on display that were melted by being left in hot trunks. While I know that most logic boards are imade of stouter plastics, but isn't there still a lot of potential for heat related damage?
Slashdot Mirror
Haven't used VB in several years (same for Windows! :), have they dumped that pathetic text editor they used to lock you into using? I remember the awful gyrations I had to go through bouncing between a DOS version of vi and their GUI design tool.
So "socialist-like" intervention is a good thing when it's driven by industry, but it is bad when driven by consumers? What he DMCA and UCITA represent are the efforts of a portion of one industry to manipulate the government into giving them an advantage over other businesses and over the consumer. It is a perfect example of Nazi style socialism (as opposed to Marxist style socialism).
This is *not* the way free enterprise is supposed to work.
Sorry, I missed all this alleged FUD. The frantic hype comming out of Redmond must have drowned it out.
I disagree. More than anything the MCSE is a marketing tool. Today they want sell Windows2000 and convincing everyone that 2000 is a radical change from previous versions is the first step down that road.
It *is* pretty sad and it makes everyone involved look all the more pathetic.
Anyone who has been watching Microsoft operate over the last decade will recognize the maneuver as pure Redmond, ergo the headline is accurate. What *exactly* do you find to be "bogus" or "asinine" about it?
[snip]
Wrong and wrong. You should have quit when you were ahead. The Jim Crow laws were just one small cog in the mechanism of institutionalized racism. There were plenty of instances of non-governmental organizations and individuals pushing segregation.
It wasn't governments that created contractual bans on selling houses to blacks. It wasn't the government that declared certain businesses "white only". It wasn't the government that went out and lynched people. These issues were every bit as important to the Civil Rights movement as Jim Crow.
Your view of history reeks of Limbaughesque revisionism.
No. In fact, I refuse to shop at stores that push that bullshit.
> Do you fill out free magazine subscrition forms? Same thing.
No and I don't know anyone who does.
> Do you fill out product registration forms? Same things. Get over it. There is nothing wrong with the use of cookies.
I don't fill out registration forms either. They have to honor their warantee regardless, so screw them and their f***ing forms.
Get a clue: There are a lot of people out there who *resent* being tracked like elk in a wildlife preserve.
No. It in no way fits the concept of Open Source. Are they providing source code for *anything*? No. Are they giving anyone a chance to examine or critique their methodology? No.
Microsoft is just doing what they always do - "letting" the user community debug their applications. I guess this time we should be happy that they aren't charging us for the privilege.
They may not currently have such contracts, but its not for want of trying.
(I knew I should have hit preview first!)
"Widely available channels" for those willing to pay the ever-rising cost for cable. On the other hand, if all you have are the broadcast networks PBS is a real asset. As for the "last desparate gasp" crap, PBS has been a leader in bringing new technologies to the market for years. This is just another example.
Not to spend too much time quibbling over definitions, but I disagree. To me, the clean-room approach is just a method of reverse-engineering. Sort of like getting a job is one method of earning money. I'm not alone in this belief. For example take the following excerpt from a Wired article (http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/111 19.html)
"Sun's Kannegaard said that HP's move was perfectly legal. Anyone is allowed to work in their own "clean room," as the industry refers to the process of reverse-engineering a technology, using the specifications posted on Sun's Web site."
Can you say pyric victory?
> RMS is not an 'off the wall' type of person, at least my communications with him have not given me that impression.
That's easy for you to say. He wasn't standing behind you at the Atlanta Expo shouting insults at the speaker.
Richard Stallman *is* a bit off the wall. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. He is also "thoughtful, precise, and very stubborn in sticking to his beliefs".
This "insanity" is driven by Microsoft's history. We have all watched them smash, bully, and steal their way into a position of great power in the industry. It is rational to fear a company that is equally willing to destroy partners and competitors. Ever read the story of the frog and the scorpion? :)
As for the possibility of a single party dominating the effort, how many of your partners are vulnerable to Bill's bullying?
> Hmm, I wonder if you are responsible for where your vehicle is left even if it IS stolen.
The first time my car was stolen I called to cancel my insurance. My agent told me that that was a bad idea because:
1) I "could be held responsible" for accidents the car was in - despite the fact that it was stolen.
2) The insurance weasels would raise my rates if I was un-insured for a period. The fact that I was riding the bus during that period didn't seem to matter.
So, who are the bigger goons - The government bureaucrats or the insurance company weasels? The race is too close to call.
One question that has come to mind everytime I've looked at CAJUN is "how will they survive in hot weather?" A local video store has a bunch of tapes on display that were melted by being left in hot trunks. While I know that most logic boards are imade of stouter plastics, but isn't there still a lot of potential for heat related damage?