If they are so in favor of spam, then I'll just send them mine. I wonder how they would like receiving over 100 peices of shit every day. These guys act as if it's no issue to constantly be deleting hundreds crap e-mail just to get to a few of the ones that are legitimate.
I wonder how they would like their mail boxes flooding with crap?
I have seen many that do not (have the clause). In fact, every company I've ever worked for in 15+ years in California had no such disclaimer. I also refused to sign ANY such agreement. I have worked for several companies throughout the years that had such IP agreements and I have either not signed them, or had them changed to suit me and abide by CA law. I even had a couple companies thank me for pointing out the incorrect contracts and change them appropriately company wide.
I have no problem with allowing a comapny to own any idea I come up with on their time and/or with their equipment, but they do NOT own me on MY time and they certainly have no rights to what I do on/with MY equipment.
I couldn't get to the article to read it (it requires cookies which I refuse to allow in most cases). I wouldn't be surprised if the person in this case failed to research the applicable laws in his state and address the contract appropriately before he signed it.
People really need to learn to pay attention and know their rights and the law.
Not voting is often worse than uninformed voting. An informed voter makes a decision and goes to the polls, even if all the candidates suck. In such a case, the informed voter votes for the lesser of the evils. In addition, we mustn't forget the many laws on a ballot that always accompany the candidates.
Take for example the last US President. He boasted, in 2 successive elections, at how the people had spoken and clearly voted for him. In reality, the majority that actually voted, voted AGAINST him. He was elected with less than 50% of the population voting in favor of him. No one really wanted him in office, but no one wanted anyone else either. The problem was that too many uninformed people voted incorrectly and too many informed people didn't bother to vote at all. The majority voted against him, but instead of also voting against the system which they dislike (the two main parties) they split their votes amongst all the other candidates.
I'd venture to say that the people in this country really do not like either party, but the informed ones can't decide on an alternative, and the uninformed don't know there is one. The two main parties would love to keep it that way.
An informed voter that doesn't go to the polls is worse than the uninformed who votes unwisely. At least the uninformed tried to make a difference.
Try not being anonymous, tell us who you are, and maybe we'll find enough value in your work to pay you for it, and pull your head out a little.
1. A lot of file sharing is illegal. 2. We already have laws against it. 3. There are valid reasons people share this illegal software. 4. The RIAA is *NOT* your friend. 5. The RIAA is *NOT* looking out for you. 6. P2P networks have NOT harmed record or movie sales. 7. Studies show that P2P networks have HELPED record/movie sales. 8. Try actually reading Janis Ian's articles. If she's off base, tell us how, why, and provide data to back it up. 9. Do you REALLY think Congress would make a statement like this if not from the pressure and millions of dollars thown at them by the likes of the RIAA? 10. The labels already get paid for copied music: they get a cut of every blank CD sold.
The DoJ has more important things to do than fight a battle for the RIAA, and THAT is what this is about. The DoJ does enough to invade our privacy now, they don't need an excuse to do more of it. If the labels didn't charge so damn much for music, then they would sell a hell of a lot more of it. As I stated in another post on a similar/. topic. I refuse to support the labels any longer. If you have music I like, and are not affiliated or selling through a label, then I would like to hear it and purchase it. I would even attend a concert, though the ticket prices for concerts are often outrageous as well.
I suppose the next thing will be to arrest people for playing music at parties, in their car for friends, etc. few people dispute the fact that some file sharing is illegal, but the methods proposed to combat the problem are only addressed at the symptoms, not the root causes.
People want to use their computers for entertainment. They want to use them for the entertainment media they (usually) have already purchased. They want to use them to view/listen to entertainment as per Fair Use.
The RIAA and MPAA want to try and circumvent Fair Use yet again in order to continue to line there increasingly large coffers with yet more gold. They don't give a rats ass if what you or I do is within the law or not. They want more laws they say they have a right to make more money at YOUR expense even more than mine.
Maybe you should talk to the labels and/or congress about where your part of the profits from CD sales are.
Their 60 year old business plans do not work in this technological age, so they are fighting tooth and nail to stop the technlogical age and push things back to the '30s again.
Alas, I think it is true, most corporate execs are indeed clueless, incompetent, PHBs that need a swift kick in the ass and a belt in the chops.
Of course the fault lies with the citizens. To take an example from the US, only something like 35% of *registered* voters actually voted in the last major election (I can't remember the actual numbers, but I know they were much lower than 50%). How many of those are uninformed and/or believe everything they hear on TV instead of actually researching what they are voting on and who they are voting for? Maybe 50%? So, only ~17% of the registered voters in the US made informed decisions as to how are government would be run for the next 2-4 years.
Now how many of the other 87% of the *registered* voters sit and bitch about how messed up the government is? How many of the eligible, unregistered voters in the US bitch about it? Now, does the fault lie entirely with them?
Hell no. It's not just the responsibility of every free eligible citizen to register and vote, but it's the responsibility of those of us that are registered and informed to *educate* the rest as to the issues and promote their involvement. I for one will come down hard on ANYONE with the audacity to bitch about government and laws when they have not voted or have voted without doing their homework first. If you can't pay attention in class, do your homework, or even show up, you have no right to complain about failing.
If a teacher doesn't teach, only lets the students hang out and play in class, and never gives a test, he has no right to complain about having uninformed students.
For all those that have failed to do anything about these things, despite being informed about them, I say you have no right to open your mouth and complain about them, but you DO have the right to do something NOW.
For those that still fail to pay attention and still do nothing, though you be perfectly capable, I say you deserve what's coming (whatever it may be), but I pity the rest of us all the more.
I purchase no CDs, DVDs, tapes of any sort, pay-per-view movies. No rentals here either. I wanted to go see the next LotR movie (as well as others), but I refuse. I was chomping at the bit to buy LotR:FotR when it came out on DVD, but now I will not. I can name many more movies amounting to well over $500 that I will not buy now. Not to mention CDs I'd like to have (many of my CDs were stolen and I've been building my collection back up), but will not pay for now. I can probably list over $1000 in CDs I'd like to have, but the RIAA has priced me out of the market as well.
I'm tired of supporting these Draconian assholes in their ultimate quest to control what I watch/listen to, when I do it, how I do it, and pay them every time I do it. After all, they are not the *REAL* owners of the material they are so concerned about. They did what amounts to steal it from the singers and writers out there with the *REAL* brains and talent.
The only music/movie entertainment I buy now is that of people like Janis Ian. If more people would get a clue and a) realize what the entertainment industry is about, and b) stop supporting them until they get a clue and change their ways, then this crap would stop dead in its tracks.
In addition, I was not one to D/L pirated content from the net. Those songs/movies I do have on my computer I have at one time or another paid for (I have the entire Styx "Paradise Theater" album in MP3 format on my PC. I did not pay for that, but I did buy the CD some years ago.) However, since these assholes are so intent on not only screwing the artists they "represent", but screwing the public that lines their pockets with gold, I might as well D/L everything I can and not pay for it. And when an artist I like is doing a show somewhere, I'll pay for the show and allow them to actually make a buck (since the labels sure as hell don't allow them to). I won't be lining any RIAA or MPAA members pockets any longer.
So, Ms. Hilary Rosen, am I your best friend now or what? Are you happy that you quite possibly have turned me into the person you fight so adamantly against?
I should have qualified my statements a little. I'll buy a CD or other such entertainment media as long as I am not paying a major record label for it. I fully support the authors and musicians themselves. Being a musician myself (no, not professionally), and having family members that are and were professional musicians (one of which is on an independent label), I am quite aware of the time, effort, and irreplaceable talent it takes.
It sickens me that the labels take advantage of them like they do, and screw the listeners at the same time.
Upon quickly reviewing the DMCA again, I have found that HP probably has no case whatsoever. The DMCA specifically allows Security Testing and information publication.
Section 1201(c) states that the DMCA does not circumvent Fair Use. Section 1201(f) allows Reverse Engineering. Section 1201(g) allows Encryption Research. Section 1201(j) allows for Security Testing
Several sections allow publishing information.
I see no references to exceptions for viruses, trojans, worms, etc. written for the purposes of testing and exposing security flaws. In fact, such software seems to be PROTECTED under the DMCA.
So, I say to HP and all others trying to use the DMCA in this fashion: KMA!!
Even though the DMCA does NOT prohibit reverse engineering of anything, it has been INTERPRETED in just that way. There are three types of law: the written law, the interpreted law, and case law. To date, the DMCA has not really been used to protect against illegal use of copyrighted material. Instead it has been used to prohibit perfectly legal use of material. As written, the DMCA doesn't prohibit Fair Use and reverse engineering under existing law. As INTERPRETED, at least to date, it does.
This is one big problem with laws such as this. It's not necessarily the written law that's bad, it's the way it's interpreted. Some laws are written so vague that once argued in court, there is a chance that a judge (or jury) will interpret the law incorrectly. This then leads to case law which is later used in support of further rulings on the incorrectly interpreted written law. Some laws are purposefully written poorly so as to make it easily passed and then interpreted to mean something different, or something skewed, from what those who passed it were thinking.
Often laws are used against those who lack the understanding of said law, and used in a venue that may also lack such understanding, in order to dupe the defendant into submission. I've had this tried on me many times (and most people who've ever gotten a traffic ticket, gone to a family court in CA, or have had to deal with other courts) have as well. I am one who does not take even what my own lawyer has to say for granted. I am one who wants to see the text of the law, all references, and who does his own research.
IANAL, but I am educated and know how to read quite well, and I've spent enough time in court and with lawyers to have done some research into the law as a whole. I've also read the DMCA and copyright law. Apparently (IMHO) either someone at HP hasn't, or they're hoping others haven't.
PGA -- Paul G. Allen Owner, Sr. Engineer, Security Specialist Random Logic/Dream Park www.randomlogic.com
Just to show that I put my money where my mouth is, and the possibilty that from leading by example others will follow, here's the letter I wrote to the HP CEO (it may never actually get read, and may get ignored, but at least I tried:)
"First of all, I'd like to say that my product experience with HP and Compaq products has varied. Over all, Compaq products leave a lot to be desired, and though I like and used to recommend HP printers and other peripherals to clients, their reliance upon specific Microsoft software for installation is rather maddening.
Recently it has come to my attention that HP is in some fashion using the DMCA to suppress the reporting of valid security holes in some of its software. As a computer and security professional of over 24 years, I must say that this policy, as well as the DMCA itself, is severely flawed. A customer has a right to know what they are purchasing and in this case they have the right to know if their data is secure. They also have the right to make certain it is secure by any means possible. As a company providing important software (and hardware) to customers, not the least of which are large corporations, you have an obligation to see to it that the software and hardware you sell them is secure, to the best of your abilities. This obligation must not be thrown aside in a pitiful attempt to protect IP rights (or whatever HP is attempting to protect) and put your customers at risk.
In addition, this type of stance will only hurt HP in the long run, and make HP more of a target for hate and discontent in the PC market. Because of this announcement, I have removed HP from my list of recommended companies and products, as I'm sure many others will as well.
The DMCA should never have been allowed to pass, as it has only come to hurt the digital industry worldwide, including the portions that large corporations such as yours bank upon. To date, the DMCA and other such laws governing digital media have only been used to suppress the rights of certain individuals, hamper innovation, and slow technological advances to a crawl. In the future, such poorly thought out laws will further damage the industry and assist in the decline of the US and worldwide economy.
Companies that support these types of laws are not helping themselves, but only hurting themselves. After all, even large corporations such as HP are consumers and must, in the end, abide by the same laws as the consumer.
I urge you to take the correct and responsible stance of supporting public knowledge of security flaws and fixing any and all those that your products may have. By suppressing such information, you only put your customers at greater risk because by doing so only those who wish to do harm with the information will have it. Those who wish to help secure systems will not, and those that are subject to the attacks will lose billions in lost time and data. As a security professional formerly with a large corporation, I was constantly under the gun to keep our systems secure. If not for the information freely available to me through public venues, my job would have been an impossible one. My company had over 11,000 systems on public networks. Every one of these had to be secure from crackers (also known as a "malicious hacker", which is the REAL term for the media word "hacker"). It was the responsibility of an entire team of people to keep track of current security holes and make sure they were fixed on ALL systems before the crackers could use them. In many cases, the exploits were never reported to us by the software mfg., but by someone unrelated party when they posted the exploit to a public web site. In some cases where we actually found the exploit, and reported them to the mfg., we were ignored until we were forced to report it to the public. Once we had reported it, it did nothing for the companies in question but cause hate and distrust from their customers.
So you see, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You either must take the responsibility for your product up front and honestly, or reap the consequences of your inaction and attempts at hiding (or whatever it is) later. I often feel that lawyers need to be kept out of technological discussions as most of them have no clue in the area. I would be willing to bet, and in fact I have seen evidence of this, that the reason most laws such as the DMCA are passed are due to the number of people in and out of congress who really know nothing about technology. it is the responsibility of those of us who are in the know, to educate those who are not as to what should be done and why. Unfortunately, most of us are either not in a high enough position (e.g. - the CEO of a large corporation) to make our voices heard, don't care to take the responsibility (and instead sit around and bitch about stupid laws), or are in a position to make a statement but have a specific stake in the passage of said laws.
I would also urge you to take a stance against all such repressive laws regarding technology. Yes, there are legitimate concerns of copyright infringement, piracy, etc., but there are already laws to deal with these issues. There is also something called "fair use", which includes the right to reverse engineer for educational purposes, edification, personal use, and to innovate. We need to see that these laws are enforced properly, and get away from treating the digital realm as if it is of a completely different universe.
It is a small minority in the digital world that actually steal copyrighted material, and if the suppressive laws continue to roll, that minority will quickly become a majority. Most that actually steal only do it because they are priced right out of the precious markets that the large corporations are trying so hard to protect. As if making several billion a year is not enough, the prices for such products MUST be raised and we MUST be forced to pay for every second of their use.
PGA -- Paul G. Allen Owner, Sr. Engineer, Security Specialist Random Logic/Dream Park www.randomlogic.com"
Well, I don't know if I'll be calling you, but I WILL be sending a nasty-gram to the HP CEO. I've also removed HP from my list of preferred PC peripheral mfgs. (and placed them on my s**t list)
As someone who is a security professional and owns an Alpha system, this pisses me off. (though I did see this type of thing coming a LONG time ago)
Whoever did it, kudos to you. Give the a-holes a taste of their own proposed medicine.
Is the MPAA next? How about the individual corporations who are members?
FWIW, my entire family no longer see movies, buys DVDs, CDs, or anything else RIAA or MPAA. I know many others who feel the same. Their crap is not that good anyway, and there are other ways to be entertained. There are also other ways to see movies and listen to music.
I actually submitted to LKML - on 8/1/2001 - that the DMCA could be used in this manner, and I also submitted several posts regarding other warnings about other laws. I hate to say I told you/them so, but I did:
[SNIP of e-mail quote I replied to] "It's very simple, and something like this is done all the time in the security industry by people who not only enjoy it, but who get paid to do it.
1) Discover an exploit or a new way of using a known exploit. 2) Write a trojan, virus, worm, etc. that takes advantage of the exploit. 3)* Report the exploit to the applicable compan(y/ies), Security Focus, etc. and provide the BINARY of your trojan, virus, or whatever so they can test the exploit and find a fix.
* Usually people provide the source code as open software. In this case (for this argument) we release it as binary only and keep full rights.
No law was broken when the trojan, virus, etc. was written and no one can (technically) seek prosecution. Under DMCA (at least the way the writers of it have used it), anyone attempting to reverse engineer your virus (or whatever) and provide an antigen, is liable to you and you can sue them.
To take another angle, those of us who actively look for exploits in software (because companies like M$ fail to do so themselves) risk being sued for doing so. This makes jobs like mine EXTREMELY difficult because on the one hand I don't want my company using software that will allow Joe Cracker to take over our machines, and on the other I don't want the company sued just because I did some necessary reverse engineering in order to prevent it (again, because the software mfg. can't be trusted to do it themselves).
PGA
-- Paul G. Allen UNIX Admin II/Programmer Akamai Technologies, Inc. www.akamai.com Work: xxx-xxx-xxxx Cell: xxx-xxx-xxxx"
(Note: I no longer work for the above referenced company as my office was closed late last year. My statements and views are mine alone and do not, nor ever have, represented the views of Akamai Technologies, Inc. or any of it's officers and/or representatives.)
So, what do _I_ get for my warnings to the kernel developers? Blackballed from the list by the maintainer, in a rather rude fashion IMO. (despite the fact that I've received many a thank you for the information I had provided)
So, to all those who have read, heard, and seen such warnings, wherever you've read, seen, or heard them, and were asked to take action and do not, I say stop whining, shut up, and suffer. The same thing I tell people who don't vote - if you can't do your part to fight the problem, you have no right to bitch and moan about it.
My solution to many of these issues is not to support the companies promoting them. I no longer buy CDs, DVDs, or go to movies (yes, I will be missing the second in the LotR series - which I have long awaited.) I do not buy Compaq, and will never buy another HP device. I do not buy M$ products or anoything that runs on M$ platforms either. I have written letters to congress critters, etc. as well.
How many others can say they've actually done their part to fight the DMCA, US Patriot Act, CDBTPA, etc. and/or whatever equivalent laws you may have in your own countries?
I for one wish more folks in Alan's position would speak up. I commend him for doing his part, and he's not even a US citizen, is he?
I knew the assholes at M$ would start cracking the IP whip on OpenGL as soon as I heard that SGI sold some of the patent rights to them. I would not be surprised if they slowly either killed OpenGL in order to push people into using Direct3D (inherently forcing them into using an M$ OS), or began charging licensing fees for the use of OpenGL. The purchase should NEVER have been allowed, as they have been PROVEN to be an aggressive, anti-competitive, monopolistic company.
I fear the computer world will not learn or take heed until it is too late. Most people just Do Not Get It.
I will not look at a site if it requires IE, no matter what the content. In fact, I have removed IE from ALL the Windows machines in my house - my single game box, my wif'e game box, and my son's game box - due to security concerns, so none of us even can if we wanted to. IMEO, any web designer that designs a site that will only work on a single browser, no matter what browser it is, does not deserve his/her job. There is absolutely no excuse other than not being qualified for the job in the first place.
Come on web designers, there is a "standard" (come on, say it with me, slowly...Good, now spell it out: s-t-a-n-d-a-r-d) for a reason. It's a big world, and it is NOT a M$, AOL, world, though each of these companies may want it to be theirs.
Another peeve of mine is web "designers" that have to use tools like Front Page (what an abomination THAT is), have to put every multi-media bell and whistle on the planet on a site, and can't make a site that is usable for the masses. Hello? The masses do NOT have high-speed Internet access. The masses are still on low-speed dialup and don't want to be sitting in front of their computer for days waiting to see your bloated, artsy-fartsy site. They want the info it contains, not the pretty pictures and cute sounds and crap.
I won't even go into the millions of sites that are out of the reach of the handicapped. Text to speach systems are few and far between and screen readers just plain suck and are expensive. These people can't see your pretty pictures and hear your cute sounds, and can't view your site and your content because they are hearing/sight impaired and you don't have a plain text, straight HTML version for them to convert.
Get a grip, follow the standards, provide some damn text for the less fortunate (though since they aren't subjected to the garbage on the 'net these days, they may very well be considered MORE fortunate!), think, and open up your site to the masses, instead of bowing to the corporate, Internet elite, few.
Before you speak, know what you speak about, and stop trolling.
I do not "depend" upon WINSUCKS, and I barely tolerate it (more often I don't). Based upon your misinformed comments, I have probably written more Linux code in my life than you have even seen. I have written Linux code for Crystal Space, for the Torque engine for Linux, Quake II for Linux, ported Quake II into a complete 32-bit engine for Linux, have tweaked the Linux kernel so it would work with dual Athlons, worked for almost 2 years in a Real Job(tm) as a Linux programmer and administrator, have had more than a couple software contracts for Linux, have an 11 computer Linux LAN in my home office, and continue to write Linux code today.
Bioware has more to earn from me, and those I know, and many I don't know, than you or they may think. If the Linux client is NOT released, I will seek a refund (fat chance I get it, but that won't stop me and others from trying:). In addition, I do not have to ever purchase a game from them again. I have not purchased BG2 because it is WINSUCKS only, nor will I purchase any other game that does not or will not support Linux. In addition, when I purchased NWN, the advertisment said "...Windows, Mac and Linux." I purchased a Linux game, and got a WINSUCKS game so far (aside from the server, which runs FAR better on Linux than on WINSUCKS, and if it does crash it doesn't take the entire OS down like apps do on WINSUCKS).
I have exactly 2 games on WINSUCKS, compared to 11 on Linux. I do all my development on Linux, and 0 on WINSUCKS. I do all my e-mail, browsing, responding to misinformed trolls, and documentation on Linux. I make money off Linux related work, and 0 from that other OS.
Now tell me again how much I depend upon WINSUCKS. Tell me again I'm not a Linux gamer.
Oh, and next time have a little guts and don't post anonymously when you're trolling.:)
For Simon Brooke: Buy it, you'll like it if you like RPGs and/or D&D.
For those who love to comment without knowing WTF they're talking about:
I have the game, and am running it on Winsucks ONLY because I want to play it more than I want to wait for the Linux client. I will convert to 100% Linux when the client is out.
In the mean time, I have been following the forums and keeping up to date as much as possible on what's up. My take is that it requires a Windows installation because it is in sync with the latest Windows patch, 1.19. In order to get the patch, you must update the game online, and in order to do that, you must have a client. There is no Linux client, so the ONLY way to update is via Winsucks.
So, you update the Winsucks version, copy the necessary files to Linux, install the Linux server, run the check program (fixinstall), and you're all set.
Many people have purchased the game because it supports Linux. There has been a LONG thread in the NWN forums, and given that only about 1 out of 1000 people will actually take part in an online discussion, statistics say that Bioware stands to make (and has made) a load of $$ from Linux gamers like me.
I now have the server installed and running, and I can connect to it from my Winsucks box. Once I get the Linux client, I will be using the Linux version exclusively. I just hope the toolset will be ported to Linux as well (I've heard it's supposed to be) so that I will have no need for Winsucks NWN at all (the damn thing is unstable as hell on Winsucsk, like everything else I have is.)
For those saying that someone should tar up the game after installing on Linux:
I say you need to be flogged and your Linux privledges removed. Linux needs more game companies like Bioware/Atari/Infogames supporting it, but if this is the attitude of Linux users, than it serves us right if we never get another game for Linux ever again. Oh, and please refrain from D/L my game engine. Though it is GPL, I shudder at the thought of you (and you know who you are) tainting it with your electronic touch.
I have 2 Athlon systems, a dual Thundirbird 1.4GHz (Tyan Thunder K7) and a single Thunderbird 1.4GHz (Asus A7V133). The former runs a GeForce 3 and kernel 2.4.17, the later TNT2 and RH 7.2 (kernel 2.4.9 I believe). Both systems run semi-custom NVidia drivers (release 2313). By semi-custom, I mean I tweaked them to use SBA, the NVIDIA AGP driver (NOT agpgart) and to run in 4x mode. The later has never had a problem, the former (the dual) had some problems until kernel 2.4.14.
The problems I had were frequent lockups with everything X, especially Q3A and Tribes 2. Some experimenting proved what worked and what didn't, and here's what I found:
agpgart never worked worth a damn even with kernel 2.4.17, despite several attempts by me to make it work (I don't maintain it, so I gave up on messing with it). Earlier NVIDIA drivers were less stable, but the latest is great (although it does not support FW, which blows). Tweaking the NVIDIA driver to use SBA and it's own AGP driver instead of agpgart, along with kernel 2.4.14 - 2.4.17 makes for a very stable and fast system. Older kernels just did not work worth a damn whenever I enabled DMA on my IDE drive - they locked every time. These newer kernels don't exhibit this problem, and the NVIDIA driver works nicely with all 3D games as well as 3D development tools like Blender.
My kernels have always been compiled as Athlon kernels as well. The bottom line is: don't blame this bug and/or the NVIDIA driver if your system is unstable and/or slow. There are other things at work, and in my case I seem to have found them all.
Many people confuse OOP with C++. The two are not the same. C++ contains enhancements that are _supposed_ to help OOP, but often don't.
I've been programming for more than 24 years and have dealt with languages from assembly to FORTRAN. I learned to program in assembly before PC's were even invented. I have always written code as modular and reusable and in a sense in an OO style. I've solved many problems, some large, some small, using OO programming without using C++. In fact, I try to avoid OO C++ for many reasons, though I prefer to use a C++ compiler and a smattering of C++ functions/keywords and style.
I think you will find that many problems have been solved using OOP, but that the definition and composition of OOP is often misunderstood. For a good example of an application that is written using OO techniques, but does NOT use OO C++, see the Quake II source code.
The reasons I avoid using OO C++ is due to inefficient compilers, the tendency to generate hard to find/fix bugs, excessive overhead, and the tendency for other programmers (if I'm working in a team) to overuse/misuse OO C++ features (e.g. - operator overloading). To date I have been able to accomplish the same tasks, with the same OO designs, using straight C, with less hassle and greater efficiency.
Akamai Technologies uses Linux in a BIG way across its network of over 11,000 servers. NASA uses it, JPL, Lawrence Livermore (sp?), and the list goes on. With Linux comes free apps. like NetSaint, Snort, iptraf, etc., etc. How does one track the usage of free software when there is no registration/licensing required? One can't, so one may never know to what extent free software has consumed the enterprise unless the companies using it give out real numbers. Many companies don't, and some can't because they just don't keep track of it.
Considering the multiple security holes that are present in Oracle 9i, DB2 would be the far better choice. Either way, I will not submit to the system no matter what DB system it uses. Especially if it's as wide open as Oracle 9i is.
I suppose M$ is going to give them copies of Windows 2000 to make the system a complete mess.:)
Slashdot Mirror
If they are so in favor of spam, then I'll just send them mine. I wonder how they would like receiving over 100 peices of shit every day. These guys act as if it's no issue to constantly be deleting hundreds crap e-mail just to get to a few of the ones that are legitimate.
I wonder how they would like their mail boxes flooding with crap?
PGA
I have seen many that do not (have the clause). In fact, every company I've ever worked for in 15+ years in California had no such disclaimer. I also refused to sign ANY such agreement. I have worked for several companies throughout the years that had such IP agreements and I have either not signed them, or had them changed to suit me and abide by CA law. I even had a couple companies thank me for pointing out the incorrect contracts and change them appropriately company wide.
I have no problem with allowing a comapny to own any idea I come up with on their time and/or with their equipment, but they do NOT own me on MY time and they certainly have no rights to what I do on/with MY equipment.
I couldn't get to the article to read it (it requires cookies which I refuse to allow in most cases). I wouldn't be surprised if the person in this case failed to research the applicable laws in his state and address the contract appropriately before he signed it.
People really need to learn to pay attention and know their rights and the law.
PGA
Not voting is often worse than uninformed voting. An informed voter makes a decision and goes to the polls, even if all the candidates suck. In such a case, the informed voter votes for the lesser of the evils. In addition, we mustn't forget the many laws on a ballot that always accompany the candidates.
Take for example the last US President. He boasted, in 2 successive elections, at how the people had spoken and clearly voted for him. In reality, the majority that actually voted, voted AGAINST him. He was elected with less than 50% of the population voting in favor of him. No one really wanted him in office, but no one wanted anyone else either. The problem was that too many uninformed people voted incorrectly and too many informed people didn't bother to vote at all. The majority voted against him, but instead of also voting against the system which they dislike (the two main parties) they split their votes amongst all the other candidates.
I'd venture to say that the people in this country really do not like either party, but the informed ones can't decide on an alternative, and the uninformed don't know there is one. The two main parties would love to keep it that way.
An informed voter that doesn't go to the polls is worse than the uninformed who votes unwisely. At least the uninformed tried to make a difference.
PGA
Try not being anonymous, tell us who you are, and maybe we'll find enough value in your work to pay you for it, and pull your head out a little.
/. topic. I refuse to support the labels any longer. If you have music I like, and are not affiliated or selling through a label, then I would like to hear it and purchase it. I would even attend a concert, though the ticket prices for concerts are often outrageous as well.
1. A lot of file sharing is illegal.
2. We already have laws against it.
3. There are valid reasons people share this illegal software.
4. The RIAA is *NOT* your friend.
5. The RIAA is *NOT* looking out for you.
6. P2P networks have NOT harmed record or movie sales.
7. Studies show that P2P networks have HELPED record/movie sales.
8. Try actually reading Janis Ian's articles. If she's off base, tell us how, why, and provide data to back it up.
9. Do you REALLY think Congress would make a statement like this if not from the pressure and millions of dollars thown at them by the likes of the RIAA?
10. The labels already get paid for copied music: they get a cut of every blank CD sold.
The DoJ has more important things to do than fight a battle for the RIAA, and THAT is what this is about. The DoJ does enough to invade our privacy now, they don't need an excuse to do more of it. If the labels didn't charge so damn much for music, then they would sell a hell of a lot more of it. As I stated in another post on a similar
I suppose the next thing will be to arrest people for playing music at parties, in their car for friends, etc. few people dispute the fact that some file sharing is illegal, but the methods proposed to combat the problem are only addressed at the symptoms, not the root causes.
People want to use their computers for entertainment. They want to use them for the entertainment media they (usually) have already purchased. They want to use them to view/listen to entertainment as per Fair Use.
The RIAA and MPAA want to try and circumvent Fair Use yet again in order to continue to line there increasingly large coffers with yet more gold. They don't give a rats ass if what you or I do is within the law or not. They want more laws they say they have a right to make more money at YOUR expense even more than mine.
Maybe you should talk to the labels and/or congress about where your part of the profits from CD sales are.
Their 60 year old business plans do not work in this technological age, so they are fighting tooth and nail to stop the technlogical age and push things back to the '30s again.
Alas, I think it is true, most corporate execs are indeed clueless, incompetent, PHBs that need a swift kick in the ass and a belt in the chops.
PGA
A nice $.02 it was too.
Of course the fault lies with the citizens. To take an example from the US, only something like 35% of *registered* voters actually voted in the last major election (I can't remember the actual numbers, but I know they were much lower than 50%). How many of those are uninformed and/or believe everything they hear on TV instead of actually researching what they are voting on and who they are voting for? Maybe 50%? So, only ~17% of the registered voters in the US made informed decisions as to how are government would be run for the next 2-4 years.
Now how many of the other 87% of the *registered* voters sit and bitch about how messed up the government is? How many of the eligible, unregistered voters in the US bitch about it? Now, does the fault lie entirely with them?
Hell no. It's not just the responsibility of every free eligible citizen to register and vote, but it's the responsibility of those of us that are registered and informed to *educate* the rest as to the issues and promote their involvement. I for one will come down hard on ANYONE with the audacity to bitch about government and laws when they have not voted or have voted without doing their homework first. If you can't pay attention in class, do your homework, or even show up, you have no right to complain about failing.
If a teacher doesn't teach, only lets the students hang out and play in class, and never gives a test, he has no right to complain about having uninformed students.
For all those that have failed to do anything about these things, despite being informed about them, I say you have no right to open your mouth and complain about them, but you DO have the right to do something NOW.
For those that still fail to pay attention and still do nothing, though you be perfectly capable, I say you deserve what's coming (whatever it may be), but I pity the rest of us all the more.
PGA
I purchase no CDs, DVDs, tapes of any sort, pay-per-view movies. No rentals here either. I wanted to go see the next LotR movie (as well as others), but I refuse. I was chomping at the bit to buy LotR:FotR when it came out on DVD, but now I will not. I can name many more movies amounting to well over $500 that I will not buy now. Not to mention CDs I'd like to have (many of my CDs were stolen and I've been building my collection back up), but will not pay for now. I can probably list over $1000 in CDs I'd like to have, but the RIAA has priced me out of the market as well.
I'm tired of supporting these Draconian assholes in their ultimate quest to control what I watch/listen to, when I do it, how I do it, and pay them every time I do it. After all, they are not the *REAL* owners of the material they are so concerned about. They did what amounts to steal it from the singers and writers out there with the *REAL* brains and talent.
The only music/movie entertainment I buy now is that of people like Janis Ian. If more people would get a clue and a) realize what the entertainment industry is about, and b) stop supporting them until they get a clue and change their ways, then this crap would stop dead in its tracks.
In addition, I was not one to D/L pirated content from the net. Those songs/movies I do have on my computer I have at one time or another paid for (I have the entire Styx "Paradise Theater" album in MP3 format on my PC. I did not pay for that, but I did buy the CD some years ago.) However, since these assholes are so intent on not only screwing the artists they "represent", but screwing the public that lines their pockets with gold, I might as well D/L everything I can and not pay for it. And when an artist I like is doing a show somewhere, I'll pay for the show and allow them to actually make a buck (since the labels sure as hell don't allow them to). I won't be lining any RIAA or MPAA members pockets any longer.
So, Ms. Hilary Rosen, am I your best friend now or what? Are you happy that you quite possibly have turned me into the person you fight so adamantly against?
PGA
I should have qualified my statements a little. I'll buy a CD or other such entertainment media as long as I am not paying a major record label for it. I fully support the authors and musicians themselves. Being a musician myself (no, not professionally), and having family members that are and were professional musicians (one of which is on an independent label), I am quite aware of the time, effort, and irreplaceable talent it takes.
It sickens me that the labels take advantage of them like they do, and screw the listeners at the same time.
PGA
Upon quickly reviewing the DMCA again, I have found that HP probably has no case whatsoever. The DMCA specifically allows Security Testing and information publication.
Section 1201(c) states that the DMCA does not circumvent Fair Use.
Section 1201(f) allows Reverse Engineering.
Section 1201(g) allows Encryption Research.
Section 1201(j) allows for Security Testing
Several sections allow publishing information.
I see no references to exceptions for viruses, trojans, worms, etc. written for the purposes of testing and exposing security flaws. In fact, such software seems to be PROTECTED under the DMCA.
So, I say to HP and all others trying to use the DMCA in this fashion: KMA!!
Even though the DMCA does NOT prohibit reverse engineering of anything, it has been INTERPRETED in just that way. There are three types of law: the written law, the interpreted law, and case law. To date, the DMCA has not really been used to protect against illegal use of copyrighted material. Instead it has been used to prohibit perfectly legal use of material. As written, the DMCA doesn't prohibit Fair Use and reverse engineering under existing law. As INTERPRETED, at least to date, it does.
This is one big problem with laws such as this. It's not necessarily the written law that's bad, it's the way it's interpreted. Some laws are written so vague that once argued in court, there is a chance that a judge (or jury) will interpret the law incorrectly. This then leads to case law which is later used in support of further rulings on the incorrectly interpreted written law. Some laws are purposefully written poorly so as to make it easily passed and then interpreted to mean something different, or something skewed, from what those who passed it were thinking.
Often laws are used against those who lack the understanding of said law, and used in a venue that may also lack such understanding, in order to dupe the defendant into submission. I've had this tried on me many times (and most people who've ever gotten a traffic ticket, gone to a family court in CA, or have had to deal with other courts) have as well. I am one who does not take even what my own lawyer has to say for granted. I am one who wants to see the text of the law, all references, and who does his own research.
IANAL, but I am educated and know how to read quite well, and I've spent enough time in court and with lawyers to have done some research into the law as a whole. I've also read the DMCA and copyright law. Apparently (IMHO) either someone at HP hasn't, or they're hoping others haven't.
PGA
--
Paul G. Allen
Owner, Sr. Engineer, Security Specialist
Random Logic/Dream Park
www.randomlogic.com
Just to show that I put my money where my mouth is, and the possibilty that from leading by example others will follow, here's the letter I wrote to the HP CEO (it may never actually get read, and may get ignored, but at least I tried :)
"First of all, I'd like to say that my product experience with HP and Compaq products has varied. Over all, Compaq products leave a lot to be desired, and though I like and used to recommend HP printers and other peripherals to clients, their reliance upon specific Microsoft software for installation is rather maddening.
Recently it has come to my attention that HP is in some fashion using the DMCA to suppress the reporting of valid security holes in some of its software. As a computer and security professional of over 24 years, I must say that this policy, as well as the DMCA itself, is severely flawed. A customer has a right to know what they are purchasing and in this case they have the right to know if their data is secure. They also have the right to make certain it is secure by any means possible. As a company providing important software (and hardware) to customers, not the least of which are large corporations, you have an obligation to see to it that the software and hardware you sell them is secure, to the best of your abilities. This obligation must not be thrown aside in a pitiful attempt to protect IP rights (or whatever HP is attempting to protect) and put your customers at risk.
In addition, this type of stance will only hurt HP in the long run, and make HP more of a target for hate and discontent in the PC market. Because of this announcement, I have removed HP from my list of recommended companies and products, as I'm sure many others will as well.
The DMCA should never have been allowed to pass, as it has only come to hurt the digital industry worldwide, including the portions that large corporations such as yours bank upon. To date, the DMCA and other such laws governing digital media have only been used to suppress the rights of certain individuals, hamper innovation, and slow technological advances to a crawl. In the future, such poorly thought out laws will further damage the industry and assist in the decline of the US and worldwide economy.
Companies that support these types of laws are not helping themselves, but only hurting themselves. After all, even large corporations such as HP are consumers and must, in the end, abide by the same laws as the consumer.
I urge you to take the correct and responsible stance of supporting public knowledge of security flaws and fixing any and all those that your products may have. By suppressing such information, you only put your customers at greater risk because by doing so only those who wish to do harm with the information will have it. Those who wish to help secure systems will not, and those that are subject to the attacks will lose billions in lost time and data. As a security professional formerly with a large corporation, I was constantly under the gun to keep our systems secure. If not for the information freely available to me through public venues, my job would have been an impossible one. My company had over 11,000 systems on public networks. Every one of these had to be secure from crackers (also known as a "malicious hacker", which is the REAL term for the media word "hacker"). It was the responsibility of an entire team of people to keep track of current security holes and make sure they were fixed on ALL systems before the crackers could use them. In many cases, the exploits were never reported to us by the software mfg., but by someone unrelated party when they posted the exploit to a public web site. In some cases where we actually found the exploit, and reported them to the mfg., we were ignored until we were forced to report it to the public. Once we had reported it, it did nothing for the companies in question but cause hate and distrust from their customers.
So you see, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You either must take the responsibility for your product up front and honestly, or reap the consequences of your inaction and attempts at hiding (or whatever it is) later. I often feel that lawyers need to be kept out of technological discussions as most of them have no clue in the area. I would be willing to bet, and in fact I have seen evidence of this, that the reason most laws such as the DMCA are passed are due to the number of people in and out of congress who really know nothing about technology. it is the responsibility of those of us who are in the know, to educate those who are not as to what should be done and why. Unfortunately, most of us are either not in a high enough position (e.g. - the CEO of a large corporation) to make our voices heard, don't care to take the responsibility (and instead sit around and bitch about stupid laws), or are in a position to make a statement but have a specific stake in the passage of said laws.
I would also urge you to take a stance against all such repressive laws regarding technology. Yes, there are legitimate concerns of copyright infringement, piracy, etc., but there are already laws to deal with these issues. There is also something called "fair use", which includes the right to reverse engineer for educational purposes, edification, personal use, and to innovate. We need to see that these laws are enforced properly, and get away from treating the digital realm as if it is of a completely different universe.
It is a small minority in the digital world that actually steal copyrighted material, and if the suppressive laws continue to roll, that minority will quickly become a majority. Most that actually steal only do it because they are priced right out of the precious markets that the large corporations are trying so hard to protect. As if making several billion a year is not enough, the prices for such products MUST be raised and we MUST be forced to pay for every second of their use.
PGA
--
Paul G. Allen
Owner, Sr. Engineer, Security Specialist
Random Logic/Dream Park
www.randomlogic.com"
PGA
Well, I don't know if I'll be calling you, but I WILL be sending a nasty-gram to the HP CEO. I've also removed HP from my list of preferred PC peripheral mfgs. (and placed them on my s**t list)
As someone who is a security professional and owns an Alpha system, this pisses me off. (though I did see this type of thing coming a LONG time ago)
Paul G. "I don't do Windows or HP" Allen
Whoever did it, kudos to you. Give the a-holes a taste of their own proposed medicine.
Is the MPAA next? How about the individual corporations who are members?
FWIW, my entire family no longer see movies, buys DVDs, CDs, or anything else RIAA or MPAA. I know many others who feel the same. Their crap is not that good anyway, and there are other ways to be entertained. There are also other ways to see movies and listen to music.
PGA
I actually submitted to LKML - on 8/1/2001 - that the DMCA could be used in this manner, and I also submitted several posts regarding other warnings about other laws. I hate to say I told you/them so, but I did:
[SNIP of e-mail quote I replied to]
"It's very simple, and something like this is done all the time in the security industry
by people who not only enjoy it, but who get paid to do it.
1) Discover an exploit or a new way of using a known exploit.
2) Write a trojan, virus, worm, etc. that takes advantage of the exploit.
3)* Report the exploit to the applicable compan(y/ies), Security Focus, etc. and provide
the BINARY of your trojan, virus, or whatever so they can test the
exploit and find a fix.
* Usually people provide the source code as open software. In this case (for this
argument) we release it as binary only and keep full rights.
No law was broken when the trojan, virus, etc. was written and no one can (technically)
seek prosecution. Under DMCA (at least the way the writers of it have
used it), anyone attempting to reverse engineer your virus (or whatever) and provide an
antigen, is liable to you and you can sue them.
To take another angle, those of us who actively look for exploits in software (because
companies like M$ fail to do so themselves) risk being sued for doing so.
This makes jobs like mine EXTREMELY difficult because on the one hand I don't want my
company using software that will allow Joe Cracker to take over our
machines, and on the other I don't want the company sued just because I did some
necessary reverse engineering in order to prevent it (again, because the
software mfg. can't be trusted to do it themselves).
PGA
--
Paul G. Allen
UNIX Admin II/Programmer
Akamai Technologies, Inc.
www.akamai.com
Work: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Cell: xxx-xxx-xxxx"
(Note: I no longer work for the above referenced company as my office was closed late last year. My statements and views are mine alone and do not, nor ever have, represented the views of Akamai Technologies, Inc. or any of it's officers and/or representatives.)
So, what do _I_ get for my warnings to the kernel developers? Blackballed from the list by the maintainer, in a rather rude fashion IMO. (despite the fact that I've received many a thank you for the information I had provided)
So, to all those who have read, heard, and seen such warnings, wherever you've read, seen, or heard them, and were asked to take action and do not, I say stop whining, shut up, and suffer. The same thing I tell people who don't vote - if you can't do your part to fight the problem, you have no right to bitch and moan about it.
My solution to many of these issues is not to support the companies promoting them. I no longer buy CDs, DVDs, or go to movies (yes, I will be missing the second in the LotR series - which I have long awaited.) I do not buy Compaq, and will never buy another HP device. I do not buy M$ products or anoything that runs on M$ platforms either. I have written letters to congress critters, etc. as well.
How many others can say they've actually done their part to fight the DMCA, US Patriot Act, CDBTPA, etc. and/or whatever equivalent laws you may have in your own countries?
I for one wish more folks in Alan's position would speak up. I commend him for doing his part, and he's not even a US citizen, is he?
I for one never did laugh at him.
PGA
All crop circles are man-man. All it takes is a 2x4 and a couple inventive guys with nothing better to do with there nights.
PGA
"I am Paul G. Allen and I don't do Windows."
I knew the assholes at M$ would start cracking the IP whip on OpenGL as soon as I heard that SGI sold some of the patent rights to them. I would not be surprised if they slowly either killed OpenGL in order to push people into using Direct3D (inherently forcing them into using an M$ OS), or began charging licensing fees for the use of OpenGL. The purchase should NEVER have been allowed, as they have been PROVEN to be an aggressive, anti-competitive, monopolistic company.
I fear the computer world will not learn or take heed until it is too late. Most people just Do Not Get It.
PGA
I will not look at a site if it requires IE, no matter what the content. In fact, I have removed IE from ALL the Windows machines in my house - my single game box, my wif'e game box, and my son's game box - due to security concerns, so none of us even can if we wanted to. IMEO, any web designer that designs a site that will only work on a single browser, no matter what browser it is, does not deserve his/her job. There is absolutely no excuse other than not being qualified for the job in the first place.
Come on web designers, there is a "standard" (come on, say it with me, slowly...Good, now spell it out: s-t-a-n-d-a-r-d) for a reason. It's a big world, and it is NOT a M$, AOL, world, though each of these companies may want it to be theirs.
Another peeve of mine is web "designers" that have to use tools like Front Page (what an abomination THAT is), have to put every multi-media bell and whistle on the planet on a site, and can't make a site that is usable for the masses. Hello? The masses do NOT have high-speed Internet access. The masses are still on low-speed dialup and don't want to be sitting in front of their computer for days waiting to see your bloated, artsy-fartsy site. They want the info it contains, not the pretty pictures and cute sounds and crap.
I won't even go into the millions of sites that are out of the reach of the handicapped. Text to speach systems are few and far between and screen readers just plain suck and are expensive. These people can't see your pretty pictures and hear your cute sounds, and can't view your site and your content because they are hearing/sight impaired and you don't have a plain text, straight HTML version for them to convert.
Get a grip, follow the standards, provide some damn text for the less fortunate (though since they aren't subjected to the garbage on the 'net these days, they may very well be considered MORE fortunate!), think, and open up your site to the masses, instead of bowing to the corporate, Internet elite, few.
PGA
Before you speak, know what you speak about, and stop trolling.
:). In addition, I do not have to ever purchase a game from them again. I have not purchased BG2 because it is WINSUCKS only, nor will I purchase any other game that does not or will not support Linux. In addition, when I purchased NWN, the advertisment said "...Windows, Mac and Linux." I purchased a Linux game, and got a WINSUCKS game so far (aside from the server, which runs FAR better on Linux than on WINSUCKS, and if it does crash it doesn't take the entire OS down like apps do on WINSUCKS).
:)
I do not "depend" upon WINSUCKS, and I barely tolerate it (more often I don't). Based upon your misinformed comments, I have probably written more Linux code in my life than you have even seen. I have written Linux code for Crystal Space, for the Torque engine for Linux, Quake II for Linux, ported Quake II into a complete 32-bit engine for Linux, have tweaked the Linux kernel so it would work with dual Athlons, worked for almost 2 years in a Real Job(tm) as a Linux programmer and administrator, have had more than a couple software contracts for Linux, have an 11 computer Linux LAN in my home office, and continue to write Linux code today.
Bioware has more to earn from me, and those I know, and many I don't know, than you or they may think. If the Linux client is NOT released, I will seek a refund (fat chance I get it, but that won't stop me and others from trying
I have exactly 2 games on WINSUCKS, compared to 11 on Linux. I do all my development on Linux, and 0 on WINSUCKS. I do all my e-mail, browsing, responding to misinformed trolls, and documentation on Linux. I make money off Linux related work, and 0 from that other OS.
Now tell me again how much I depend upon WINSUCKS. Tell me again I'm not a Linux gamer.
Oh, and next time have a little guts and don't post anonymously when you're trolling.
'nough said on my part.
- Rohan
For Simon Brooke: Buy it, you'll like it if you like RPGs and/or D&D.
For those who love to comment without knowing WTF they're talking about:
I have the game, and am running it on Winsucks ONLY because I want to play it more than I want to wait for the Linux client. I will convert to 100% Linux when the client is out.
In the mean time, I have been following the forums and keeping up to date as much as possible on what's up. My take is that it requires a Windows installation because it is in sync with the latest Windows patch, 1.19. In order to get the patch, you must update the game online, and in order to do that, you must have a client. There is no Linux client, so the ONLY way to update is via Winsucks.
So, you update the Winsucks version, copy the necessary files to Linux, install the Linux server, run the check program (fixinstall), and you're all set.
Many people have purchased the game because it supports Linux. There has been a LONG thread in the NWN forums, and given that only about 1 out of 1000 people will actually take part in an online discussion, statistics say that Bioware stands to make (and has made) a load of $$ from Linux gamers like me.
I now have the server installed and running, and I can connect to it from my Winsucks box. Once I get the Linux client, I will be using the Linux version exclusively. I just hope the toolset will be ported to Linux as well (I've heard it's supposed to be) so that I will have no need for Winsucks NWN at all (the damn thing is unstable as hell on Winsucsk, like everything else I have is.)
For those saying that someone should tar up the game after installing on Linux:
I say you need to be flogged and your Linux privledges removed. Linux needs more game companies like Bioware/Atari/Infogames supporting it, but if this is the attitude of Linux users, than it serves us right if we never get another game for Linux ever again. Oh, and please refrain from D/L my game engine. Though it is GPL, I shudder at the thought of you (and you know who you are) tainting it with your electronic touch.
PGA (AKA Rohan)
I can't help but wonder if any of my Linux code from the Torque engine got into this patch.
- Rohan
I have 2 Athlon systems, a dual Thundirbird 1.4GHz (Tyan Thunder K7) and a single Thunderbird 1.4GHz (Asus A7V133). The former runs a GeForce 3 and kernel 2.4.17, the later TNT2 and RH 7.2 (kernel 2.4.9 I believe). Both systems run semi-custom NVidia drivers (release 2313). By semi-custom, I mean I tweaked them to use SBA, the NVIDIA AGP driver (NOT agpgart) and to run in 4x mode. The later has never had a problem, the former (the dual) had some problems until kernel 2.4.14.
The problems I had were frequent lockups with everything X, especially Q3A and Tribes 2. Some experimenting proved what worked and what didn't, and here's what I found:
agpgart never worked worth a damn even with kernel 2.4.17, despite several attempts by me to make it work (I don't maintain it, so I gave up on messing with it). Earlier NVIDIA drivers were less stable, but the latest is great (although it does not support FW, which blows). Tweaking the NVIDIA driver to use SBA and it's own AGP driver instead of agpgart, along with kernel 2.4.14 - 2.4.17 makes for a very stable and fast system. Older kernels just did not work worth a damn whenever I enabled DMA on my IDE drive - they locked every time. These newer kernels don't exhibit this problem, and the NVIDIA driver works nicely with all 3D games as well as 3D development tools like Blender.
My kernels have always been compiled as Athlon kernels as well. The bottom line is: don't blame this bug and/or the NVIDIA driver if your system is unstable and/or slow. There are other things at work, and in my case I seem to have found them all.
- Rohan
Many people confuse OOP with C++. The two are not the same. C++ contains enhancements that are _supposed_ to help OOP, but often don't.
I've been programming for more than 24 years and have dealt with languages from assembly to FORTRAN. I learned to program in assembly before PC's were even invented. I have always written code as modular and reusable and in a sense in an OO style. I've solved many problems, some large, some small, using OO programming without using C++. In fact, I try to avoid OO C++ for many reasons, though I prefer to use a C++ compiler and a smattering of C++ functions/keywords and style.
I think you will find that many problems have been solved using OOP, but that the definition and composition of OOP is often misunderstood. For a good example of an application that is written using OO techniques, but does NOT use OO C++, see the Quake II source code.
The reasons I avoid using OO C++ is due to inefficient compilers, the tendency to generate hard to find/fix bugs, excessive overhead, and the tendency for other programmers (if I'm working in a team) to overuse/misuse OO C++ features (e.g. - operator overloading). To date I have been able to accomplish the same tasks, with the same OO designs, using straight C, with less hassle and greater efficiency.
- Rohan
Akamai Technologies uses Linux in a BIG way across its network of over 11,000 servers. NASA uses it, JPL, Lawrence Livermore (sp?), and the list goes on. With Linux comes free apps. like NetSaint, Snort, iptraf, etc., etc. How does one track the usage of free software when there is no registration/licensing required? One can't, so one may never know to what extent free software has consumed the enterprise unless the companies using it give out real numbers. Many companies don't, and some can't because they just don't keep track of it.
Rohan
Considering the multiple security holes that are present in Oracle 9i, DB2 would be the far better choice. Either way, I will not submit to the system no matter what DB system it uses. Especially if it's as wide open as Oracle 9i is.
:)
I suppose M$ is going to give them copies of Windows 2000 to make the system a complete mess.
Rohan
Note: This is not supposed to be a stable release.
- Rohan