Because the few songs I have ripped are in that format, and the few songs I get from friends now and then, are also mp3.
I don't really play "clog the modem", so I guess I am the wrong person to answer that.
But I am not going to play the elitist game of switching to Ogg because it has better compression (cheap HD, cheap bandwidth) or because it preserves some frequencies more (come on, you can't hear it either).
I could think to switch just because of the licensing and the patent issues, I am like that sometimes... but right now it is too much trouble to make a point noone will notice (as I share my music as much as I DC for new - almost never).
I do personally hope that for those that this really matters to, that something like Ogg will come and take over, so we can see AOL buy that too. Just kidding.:)
Even if tons of now GPL'd code would be made closed source in the future, there would still be no hindrance to use the source code and programs that are out there now, is there? I mean, once someone has released their program in one specific version under a certain license, they can't very well call it back? Or?
Sure, the next versions might not be released publically, but that would be up to any copyright owner, or so you would think. I don't think that would matter whether the GPL holds in court or not in this case.
The Linux community could just take the last free versions and continue to build upon them, sadly lacking quite a number of old contributers, but it wouldn't mean that the programs as of today would be illegal to use?
Since I am not very good at the finer points in license/law stuff, and certainly not American copyright/law (and how it would affect overseas) I don't know, but anything else would be too strange to consider, and it would effectively make it more or less a total gamble to trust such a system of licenses if they could be revoked at any point.
What if Larry Wall took a nasty hit to his head and decided he, and only he should be able to use perl, so he revokes the license (or at least, his substantial parts of the core and lots of modules)? Would noone ever be able to use it then, no matter what old version? I think not.
Then again, the guys with the money seems to make the rules in the courts where it matters, so I can't be too sure. Can anyone enlighten me?
Thus, when you get modded down (or up), the people (of the "state Slashdot" on this case) speaks their mind, much like they do when they vote on what a politician says, effectively getting him on or out of office (reducing/increasing his karma).
Of course right-wing dudes doesn't seem to care much for democracy, unless it is the one where the rich guys gets more or all votes (one way or the other, officially or behind the scenes). That includes lobbying and suchlike. So I am not surprised that you get modded down in a society that likes democracy, and I am not surprised you don't like the system.
As for flaming the US, well it is hardle the land of the free anymore, is it - if it ever was. In some ways it seems very "big brotherish" and not that democratic at all. Reminds me of the explanation I heard someone give an European on how the election of the president went: "You have these two right-wing politician, one wants the death penalty, and one is against. Now you vote."
As I don't live there myself, only speak to people who do, I am not one to judge. If what the media shows me is even mildly correct however, it is no country for me.
Actually, the most important part behind that kind of thinking is simply to (c) get it into people's heads that it isn't "right" or that the society doesn't deem it "acceptable". That has more impact than most would think. Most people (Joe Sixpack) don't want to do "wrong" things, and they don't want to be "criminals". The possible punishment or difficulty is lots less of any issue to them.
Agreed. Several years ago, one of my countrys "popular science" magazines ran an article about "the new encryption", which basically was about the technology that PGP and all other uses.
Looking at that article now today, and mind you it was not very technical, and it only described the math involved pretty sweeping, my biggest problem offhand from doing my own encryption would be generating big enough primes.
That is where any "advanced math algorithms" book, or for that matter site comes in. They are not gonna put restrictions on exporting prime numbers, are they?:)
It is stupid. A talented 15-year old with enough determination and time on his/her hands can hack something good enough together, if it wasn't already available out there. You think huge terrorist networks with tons of cash couldn't find someone to do it for them, if they needed it?
Don't you think that broke terrorists have at least a few among them that would do it for free?
We have a 'server' OS that differs from the 'Ooo, SHINY!' home version by virtue of just a few registry settings! Why does a server need Media Player, DirectX, Active Desktop, and all the other home-version 'shell-upgrade' tweaks, anyway?!?)
Ask Apple. They were first with this kind of "features" after all. (As a bonus, you get the 'Ooo SHINY!' hardware to run it on aswell, complete with DVD player, huge gfx card and all (I kid you not).
All Apple users love to point out that they were first with everything anyway, well here you do have one you can take credit for without anyone protesting.:)
That is, if you subscribe to these upgrades, you kind of feel you will have to upgrade when something new comes along, even though you do not have to. That takes time, especially in larger offices/companies/megacorporations. Time often much better spent on actually getting some work done. Hehe. No, I don't speak of necessary patches and such - although that is a huge cost (in time) when dealing with MS products too.
So there is no reason at all to subscribe for the newest software, I would upgrade when I must (or when it pays off in better efficiency). I really understand why these big customers don't want to have their IT administrators get their timetable from another company (MS).
And I really understand those that see a bit further and refuse simply because they don't want to be (even more) locked in.
So, since I'm closing in on 30, you be the 12-year old then?;)
"Elitest" is not a word at all. But it could be a bad grammar form of "most elite" (as if that would be good grammar heh).
What the poster meants was "Elitist" which would mean that they are "on high horses", so to speak, and only speaks to other "elite" people. It was a bad joke man. Like I said, I was bored.
If I would really try to nitpick someone about grammar, I would choose my mother-tongue, which is not English. I suggest you do too. Thanks.
And no, no comment about my favourite trolls. Have a nice flaming.:)
My Opera (www.
opera.com) browser has a space in the menu bar where I can enter Google searches, too, so I don't have to go to Google's site first.
Just thought I'd mention that the Google toolbar offers this for IE aswell. It is even better, because it comes with some capability that should be in every browser - such as the button for "up one level", search history (clearable) and some other nifty tools for searching the found page(s) for the keywords you looked for.
The linux version of opera has some very nice special bars for searching linux-specific topics and such too, though.
Dammit! If your boss tries to sneak away some of your paycheck, and you catch him, do you say "good job, boss" when he finally pays you the rest?
I could do a dozen of these (lame) examples, but you get the point. You do not say "Good boy" to the dog who bit you just because he decided to release his jaws. It is still "Ba-ad doggie".
They tried to sneak in something very, very bad in their license, and while it is good that they remove it, they are not doing it out of benevolence - they would keep it if they could. The old Borland was way cool, I do not know about this post-Inprise though. Seems they have turned bad on the community in lots of other areas, such as reasonable pricing and such as well.
... an amendment that makes your license more harsh? I mean, copy/paste kinda implies that there was some other license(s) that already had these clauses.
Agreed. That is the exact same thing that makes it virtually impossible to give, or for that matter find, reasonable technical support.
In all cases I can think of right now, dealing with for instance my cable company and such, the user (you, me, anyone with a computer and some basic knowledge) is the one that has to explain to the support guy or girl what is happening. They have a little binder with questions 1-20 that they ask and then follow some kind of chart depending on what the answer is. If you skip 1-18 by telling them "Hi, I have no connection. I have rebooted computer and modem, one at the time and simultaneously. I have refreshed DHCP manually. The lights on the modem blinks OK, so there is a connection to your server." - well go figure. They panic, because they have no idea what you are talking about, or what that means in terms of their questions.
Now, if it was a fun (and challenging job working at the patent office, or with telephone support, there would be competent people manning those jobs, and maybe things would work once in a while.
Sorry for the slightly off-topic post, I was trying to make a point by analogy.
... I live in a country with some common sense, (although not enough). Around here, you are allowed to patent only innovations, and if they have substance at all.
What's next over there? Patenting "communication by varying the air pressure" or something?;) (One of the adaptions are called speech, another music...)
These books are usually pretty good at what they set out to do, that is trying to cover the basics of any subject from perl to xml to icq(!). The problem with them, and why I don't buy them (anymore) is simple: they never leave the bookshelf after you've read it the first time. Take it from me. They are standing there, gloating.:) They all make worthless references, with a poor chance of finding that fact you needed afterwards. It's the same thing as the "dummies"-books. Really, in them selves, in that small world, they are usually good. It just isn't enough for the second lap.
Grab some online tutorials, experiment some on your own and if you want to buy books - buy comprehensive references.
While $100 isn't much money, seriously, I still would like to try before I buy, hopefully there will be such an option. It should not take more than a week or so to get the feel of the system after all.
But. Considering that I more or less feel I must purchase another system, because dual-booting is ridicolous when trying to get something done, and I don't feel I have an option of choosing either system, $100 is a bargain. I won't get under $3-400 in parts I lack to put up the minimum system I need to run two, and that is if I use my old 14" monitor or get some kind of switch.
To be perfectly clear, I can't do without Windows, and I don't want to do without Linux (I don't actually need Linux, but it sure makes life easier to test certain stuff, and it is lots and lots more fun).
If it is any good, I would definetely try and get a copy at work too, because it would make my life a lot easier there too. Being able to use the corporate-specific applications (yeah, you know the ones) and a few of my own specials alongside with running in a *nix environment would certainly brighten up my day. The applications I use in Windows are few, but extremely necessary, some according to me, and some according to guys that don't know shit, but does pay me cash. Heh.
And yes, I do love open-source, it has saved the day for me countless times, but I also believe in making money, so I understand the guy. Just possibly, this could add to the flora of open-source programs out there, as more people would possibly be able to write stuff on a *nix environment. I don't feel that whether the OS costs money is that important. Consider it a part of your computer, much like memory chips or the motherboard. It is a natural part of the system, and some prefer Intel, while some prefer AMD or Motorola. What you run on it is more important in my opinion (and in this imperfect world I might add).
Anyone know what the upgrades will cost if you buy this first version?
Yes, we have those ATMs in Sweden for instance. They did misbehave a little in the start (low on virtual mem and stuff), but now it seems to work alright.
And I have had one crash I remember the last two years running w2k at home and at work (which makes it almost 24-7). That crash was related to bad memory. Some applications have hung on occassion, but that is the applications that do that, not the OS. It happens on my/works Linux or Solaris or Apple boxes aswell.
I'm not a big Windows fan, (out of principle not out of usability) but there is Windows, and then there is Windows. Know the difference.:)
I think it will be a long time before I'll use Linux exclusively, although I do have that as a sort of ultimate goal.
Imagine getting a seat in the cinema next to two guys that have lived in the street for over four months - I mean, it is bad enough when some local hobo is taking the seat in front of you on the bus.
They are gonna have their own Stench Wars going there.:)
Much like Forte and JEdit it is too slow on my 500MHz machine - they are really cool and shows great potential, but it is very painful to try and work with. My 1GHz at work managed Eclipse pretty well though, so all hope is not out. But that was a very clean version, with no plugins, and I didn't have a semi-sized project open either, just tried a few classes to see how it worked.
I see the potential, but so far it is just not up to speed for me. Maybe I'll just need to upgrade my equipment, I am always looking for excuses to spend money I don't really have on my gear.:)
Slashdot Mirror
All of you unbeleivers that were talking about "dot-com death" and such. Take that!
Because the few songs I have ripped are in that format, and the few songs I get from friends now and then, are also mp3.
:)
I don't really play "clog the modem", so I guess I am the wrong person to answer that.
But I am not going to play the elitist game of switching to Ogg because it has better compression (cheap HD, cheap bandwidth) or because it preserves some frequencies more (come on, you can't hear it either).
I could think to switch just because of the licensing and the patent issues, I am like that sometimes... but right now it is too much trouble to make a point noone will notice (as I share my music as much as I DC for new - almost never).
I do personally hope that for those that this really matters to, that something like Ogg will come and take over, so we can see AOL buy that too. Just kidding.
I thought it worked like this:
Even if tons of now GPL'd code would be made closed source in the future, there would still be no hindrance to use the source code and programs that are out there now, is there? I mean, once someone has released their program in one specific version under a certain license, they can't very well call it back? Or?
Sure, the next versions might not be released publically, but that would be up to any copyright owner, or so you would think. I don't think that would matter whether the GPL holds in court or not in this case.
The Linux community could just take the last free versions and continue to build upon them, sadly lacking quite a number of old contributers, but it wouldn't mean that the programs as of today would be illegal to use?
Since I am not very good at the finer points in license/law stuff, and certainly not American copyright/law (and how it would affect overseas) I don't know, but anything else would be too strange to consider, and it would effectively make it more or less a total gamble to trust such a system of licenses if they could be revoked at any point.
What if Larry Wall took a nasty hit to his head and decided he, and only he should be able to use perl, so he revokes the license (or at least, his substantial parts of the core and lots of modules)? Would noone ever be able to use it then, no matter what old version? I think not.
Then again, the guys with the money seems to make the rules in the courts where it matters, so I can't be too sure. Can anyone enlighten me?
... the Mongolian hordes which the original wall was built to stop, didn't have rootkits and port scanners. :)
Thus, when you get modded down (or up), the people (of the "state Slashdot" on this case) speaks their mind, much like they do when they vote on what a politician says, effectively getting him on or out of office (reducing/increasing his karma).
Of course right-wing dudes doesn't seem to care much for democracy, unless it is the one where the rich guys gets more or all votes (one way or the other, officially or behind the scenes). That includes lobbying and suchlike. So I am not surprised that you get modded down in a society that likes democracy, and I am not surprised you don't like the system.
As for flaming the US, well it is hardle the land of the free anymore, is it - if it ever was. In some ways it seems very "big brotherish" and not that democratic at all. Reminds me of the explanation I heard someone give an European on how the election of the president went: "You have these two right-wing politician, one wants the death penalty, and one is against. Now you vote."
As I don't live there myself, only speak to people who do, I am not one to judge. If what the media shows me is even mildly correct however, it is no country for me.
they spy on us... why not spy on them for a change.
:)
For a change? That's a new one. You either have to go for the big sarcasm price or be the most naive person alive.
Not that it is necessarily a bad thing to spy on the Chinese, that judgement I leave to others.
"Hey, wait! That is not a planet." either.
Actually, the most important part behind that kind of thinking is simply to (c) get it into people's heads that it isn't "right" or that the society doesn't deem it "acceptable". That has more impact than most would think. Most people (Joe Sixpack) don't want to do "wrong" things, and they don't want to be "criminals". The possible punishment or difficulty is lots less of any issue to them.
:)
That said, I think it is stupid in this case.
Agreed. Several years ago, one of my countrys "popular science" magazines ran an article about "the new encryption", which basically was about the technology that PGP and all other uses.
:)
Looking at that article now today, and mind you it was not very technical, and it only described the math involved pretty sweeping, my biggest problem offhand from doing my own encryption would be generating big enough primes.
That is where any "advanced math algorithms" book, or for that matter site comes in. They are not gonna put restrictions on exporting prime numbers, are they?
It is stupid. A talented 15-year old with enough determination and time on his/her hands can hack something good enough together, if it wasn't already available out there. You think huge terrorist networks with tons of cash couldn't find someone to do it for them, if they needed it?
Don't you think that broke terrorists have at least a few among them that would do it for free?
We have a 'server' OS that differs from the 'Ooo, SHINY!' home version by virtue of just a few registry settings! Why does a server need Media Player, DirectX, Active Desktop, and all the other home-version 'shell-upgrade' tweaks, anyway?!?)
:)
Ask Apple. They were first with this kind of "features" after all. (As a bonus, you get the 'Ooo SHINY!' hardware to run it on aswell, complete with DVD player, huge gfx card and all (I kid you not).
All Apple users love to point out that they were first with everything anyway, well here you do have one you can take credit for without anyone protesting.
That is, if you subscribe to these upgrades, you kind of feel you will have to upgrade when something new comes along, even though you do not have to. That takes time, especially in larger offices/companies/megacorporations. Time often much better spent on actually getting some work done. Hehe. No, I don't speak of necessary patches and such - although that is a huge cost (in time) when dealing with MS products too.
So there is no reason at all to subscribe for the newest software, I would upgrade when I must (or when it pays off in better efficiency). I really understand why these big customers don't want to have their IT administrators get their timetable from another company (MS).
And I really understand those that see a bit further and refuse simply because they don't want to be (even more) locked in.
So, since I'm closing in on 30, you be the 12-year old then? ;)
:)
"Elitest" is not a word at all. But it could be a bad grammar form of "most elite" (as if that would be good grammar heh).
What the poster meants was "Elitist" which would mean that they are "on high horses", so to speak, and only speaks to other "elite" people. It was a bad joke man. Like I said, I was bored.
If I would really try to nitpick someone about grammar, I would choose my mother-tongue, which is not English. I suggest you do too. Thanks.
And no, no comment about my favourite trolls. Have a nice flaming.
...A lot of kernel hackers are very elitest...
:)
Shouldn't that be "most elite", or simply "best"?
And no, I couldn't hack a kernel if it "grokked" me in the ass, so I'm not one of them either way...
(Ok, sorry, I was bored).
From the article:
My Opera (www.
opera.com) browser has a space in the menu bar where I can enter Google searches, too, so I don't have to go to Google's site first.
Just thought I'd mention that the Google toolbar offers this for IE aswell. It is even better, because it comes with some capability that should be in every browser - such as the button for "up one level", search history (clearable) and some other nifty tools for searching the found page(s) for the keywords you looked for.
The linux version of opera has some very nice special bars for searching linux-specific topics and such too, though.
Dammit! If your boss tries to sneak away some of your paycheck, and you catch him, do you say "good job, boss" when he finally pays you the rest?
I could do a dozen of these (lame) examples, but you get the point. You do not say "Good boy" to the dog who bit you just because he decided to release his jaws. It is still "Ba-ad doggie".
They tried to sneak in something very, very bad in their license, and while it is good that they remove it, they are not doing it out of benevolence - they would keep it if they could. The old Borland was way cool, I do not know about this post-Inprise though. Seems they have turned bad on the community in lots of other areas, such as reasonable pricing and such as well.
... an amendment that makes your license more harsh? I mean, copy/paste kinda implies that there was some other license(s) that already had these clauses.
Agreed. That is the exact same thing that makes it virtually impossible to give, or for that matter find, reasonable technical support.
In all cases I can think of right now, dealing with for instance my cable company and such, the user (you, me, anyone with a computer and some basic knowledge) is the one that has to explain to the support guy or girl what is happening. They have a little binder with questions 1-20 that they ask and then follow some kind of chart depending on what the answer is. If you skip 1-18 by telling them "Hi, I have no connection. I have rebooted computer and modem, one at the time and simultaneously. I have refreshed DHCP manually. The lights on the modem blinks OK, so there is a connection to your server." - well go figure. They panic, because they have no idea what you are talking about, or what that means in terms of their questions.
Now, if it was a fun (and challenging job working at the patent office, or with telephone support, there would be competent people manning those jobs, and maybe things would work once in a while.
Sorry for the slightly off-topic post, I was trying to make a point by analogy.
... I live in a country with some common sense, (although not enough). Around here, you are allowed to patent only innovations, and if they have substance at all.
;) (One of the adaptions are called speech, another music...)
What's next over there? Patenting "communication by varying the air pressure" or something?
These books are usually pretty good at what they set out to do, that is trying to cover the basics of any subject from perl to xml to icq(!). The problem with them, and why I don't buy them (anymore) is simple: they never leave the bookshelf after you've read it the first time. Take it from me. They are standing there, gloating. :) They all make worthless references, with a poor chance of finding that fact you needed afterwards. It's the same thing as the "dummies"-books. Really, in them selves, in that small world, they are usually good. It just isn't enough for the second lap.
Grab some online tutorials, experiment some on your own and if you want to buy books - buy comprehensive references.
While $100 isn't much money, seriously, I still would like to try before I buy, hopefully there will be such an option. It should not take more than a week or so to get the feel of the system after all.
But. Considering that I more or less feel I must purchase another system, because dual-booting is ridicolous when trying to get something done, and I don't feel I have an option of choosing either system, $100 is a bargain. I won't get under $3-400 in parts I lack to put up the minimum system I need to run two, and that is if I use my old 14" monitor or get some kind of switch.
To be perfectly clear, I can't do without Windows, and I don't want to do without Linux (I don't actually need Linux, but it sure makes life easier to test certain stuff, and it is lots and lots more fun).
If it is any good, I would definetely try and get a copy at work too, because it would make my life a lot easier there too. Being able to use the corporate-specific applications (yeah, you know the ones) and a few of my own specials alongside with running in a *nix environment would certainly brighten up my day. The applications I use in Windows are few, but extremely necessary, some according to me, and some according to guys that don't know shit, but does pay me cash. Heh.
And yes, I do love open-source, it has saved the day for me countless times, but I also believe in making money, so I understand the guy. Just possibly, this could add to the flora of open-source programs out there, as more people would possibly be able to write stuff on a *nix environment. I don't feel that whether the OS costs money is that important. Consider it a part of your computer, much like memory chips or the motherboard. It is a natural part of the system, and some prefer Intel, while some prefer AMD or Motorola. What you run on it is more important in my opinion (and in this imperfect world I might add).
Anyone know what the upgrades will cost if you buy this first version?
Yes, we have those ATMs in Sweden for instance. They did misbehave a little in the start (low on virtual mem and stuff), but now it seems to work alright.
:)
And I have had one crash I remember the last two years running w2k at home and at work (which makes it almost 24-7). That crash was related to bad memory. Some applications have hung on occassion, but that is the applications that do that, not the OS. It happens on my/works Linux or Solaris or Apple boxes aswell.
I'm not a big Windows fan, (out of principle not out of usability) but there is Windows, and then there is Windows. Know the difference.
I think it will be a long time before I'll use Linux exclusively, although I do have that as a sort of ultimate goal.
That it is possible to overclock... who could live with a bare 2GHz? Not that I would know, fastest I have accessible is 1GHz. :)
Lab Worker: I don't know answers, I just do eyes. You Nexus, huh? I design your eyes.
Roy Batty: Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes.
Imagine getting a seat in the cinema next to two guys that have lived in the street for over four months - I mean, it is bad enough when some local hobo is taking the seat in front of you on the bus.
:)
They are gonna have their own Stench Wars going there.
Much like Forte and JEdit it is too slow on my 500MHz machine - they are really cool and shows great potential, but it is very painful to try and work with. My 1GHz at work managed Eclipse pretty well though, so all hope is not out. But that was a very clean version, with no plugins, and I didn't have a semi-sized project open either, just tried a few classes to see how it worked.
:)
I see the potential, but so far it is just not up to speed for me. Maybe I'll just need to upgrade my equipment, I am always looking for excuses to spend money I don't really have on my gear.