So, the bottom line is that the strict form of the Open Source brand has value to you.
No offense... but it doesn't. There is now ay I woudl rely on that little branding as the basis for a legal decision on what I could, or could not, use that code for. Certainly not as long as the GPL counts as "Open Source" and carries with it so many restrictions and "gotchas" about how I can use the code. This will get worse with the GPL3.
The simple reality is that the decision to use, or not use, "open source" code is a complex legal one, and no sticker or "approved by" will change that... especially given the types of licenses that currently count.
Additionally... "open source" is a common term that has common, obvious meanigns aside from yours IN YOUR FIELD. Trying to enforce a trademark on it would be silly and fairly obnoxious.
It would be spun as a tribute to how cool they are and how much they love users.
You know, people can write blog posts about Microsoft being dead, and Slashdot Zealots can spend ANOTHER (its been what, 6+ now) giving each other hand-jobs about how "desperate" Microsoft is... and it won't change reality a bit.
Since Microsoft is a US company, I am unsure by what right the EU shoudl be able to seize their assets.
Personally I think MS shouls just pull out of the EU altogether. Let's face it in all this time the EU hasn't managed to put together a decent competitor to MS and they can just go flounder around for a while living with Open Office.
Their continuing hostility to US corporations and the transparent desperation for money and currying of favor with their home countries makes them unreliable markets anyway. Companies knwo that its only STARTING with MS. If it works they will move on to any other US company they don't like or think they can steal from. The EU will simply decide to fine and (if you have your way) take by force anything you might make over there to fund there so why bother?
Good idea. That way after completely failign to build a competing product (and having all of Europe to try it with) the EU can prevent the working tool the do have from comming in AND show everyoen they are just one step away from being a socialist police state.
Where the fuck do you think Al Gore got his pretty little graph from?
His ass, where Al Gore gets most of his 'facts' from on a regular basis? You do remember that this guy is a politician, with a flat out and obvious agenda for his actions right?
Sheesh, you'll ignore any scrap of evidence that comes from someone who works for a company that works for an oil company, but you'll take a politicians word for something?
The "breadcrumb" bar in explorer makes this much, much easier. Look at the example below.
parent1 > parent2 > parent3 > folder
To go to parent1, 2 or 3 just click on them. Thats it. To see all children of any folder in order to navigate simply click ont he arrow next to the folder and it will show all the children of that folder.
"Finally, do not underestimate the value of the thing actually being oriented towards making calls as its number one app. The contacts list, the ability to conference with a single button push, even the ringer turning down music playback when you have a call, are all reasons why people will buy this just to use as a phone and everything else really will be extra. Although being able to go to the actual Web while on a call is a great calling-feature in its own right."
My Treo 700w already does all that. It will also pause video playback when a call comes in and since it runs a full version of Opera for browsing if I want it does the "full web" thing as well as the iPhone will.
Your iPhone fanboys really, really need to take their head otu fo Jobs backside and look at the tech that is out there already.
My 700w (Windows Mobile 5) has no Verizon imposed restrictiosn that have prevented me from isntalling / running a wide variey of third party applications.
My Treo 700w (Verizon) isn't crippled in any way I can see. I can bluetooth sync it for files, music, audio books, videos (compressed DVD movies) and anythign else I care about. it works over the air with Exchange and POP3 services and has a decent browser. Coupled with the built in Remote Desktop client and a real keyboard it makes a great remote customer service tool. it is trivial to use it as a modem for my laptop as well.
"We should not let the fact that sharing is trivial blind us to this moral truth."
You're not gonna be able to make this point on Slashdot where finding ways to steal the works of others without their consent is basically a moral principle.
Somehow int he rush to fill their drives with free music a lot of peopel have convinced themselves that while labor of the muscles deserves compensation that labor of the intellect is of no value.
"I've never had a problem with MS support. The company has become so tranparent to developers with the developer blogs, Channel 9, Patterns and Practices..."
Agreed. Of course since this is Slashdot this will go mostly unheard except for the rabit down moderators but the truth is the truth. It is not uncommont hese days to have more information and transparency about the status of a project at MS than it is a OSS project.
When the company selling support is the primary developer it gets worse, not better. In that case the few licensees are now supposed to foot the bill for all the development effort when most users are getting a free ride. Why? Out of the goodness of their hearts?
Agreed. Let's face it, providing "full service" OSS software is a potential nightmare this way. The code quality is completely uneven, the documentation is often nonexistent and the roadmaps for the product are entirely outside your control.
At least a company who has been in control of the development process all along knows whats in there.
Slashdot Mirror
So, the bottom line is that the strict form of the Open Source brand has value to you.
No offense... but it doesn't. There is now ay I woudl rely on that little branding as the basis for a legal decision on what I could, or could not, use that code for. Certainly not as long as the GPL counts as "Open Source" and carries with it so many restrictions and "gotchas" about how I can use the code. This will get worse with the GPL3.
The simple reality is that the decision to use, or not use, "open source" code is a complex legal one, and no sticker or "approved by" will change that... especially given the types of licenses that currently count.
Additionally... "open source" is a common term that has common, obvious meanigns aside from yours IN YOUR FIELD. Trying to enforce a trademark on it would be silly and fairly obnoxious.
If there was ever a time when subsidies were a good idea, this would be it
Yes, by all means use our tax dollars to support failure. That will really help!
Microsoft's Virtual Server is a free product now and does a really, really good job.
people actively turning back to XP in droves
Have you people really convinced yourselves of this?
It would be spun as a tribute to how cool they are and how much they love users.
You know, people can write blog posts about Microsoft being dead, and Slashdot Zealots can spend ANOTHER (its been what, 6+ now) giving each other hand-jobs about how "desperate" Microsoft is... and it won't change reality a bit.
Welcome to the FUD zone!
"Seems you're either under-estimating what a $400-$500 PC comes with these days, or you're over-estimating the requirements of Vista."
I am betting on 'C'.. he is a anti-MS zealoty with no actual experiences to back up his FUD.
This is slashdot. They don't want reality. They want to convince themselves that Vista sucks and they will use any FUD they can choke down to do it.
Remember, THIS is the year Linux takes over the Desktop.
Really.
Since Microsoft is a US company, I am unsure by what right the EU shoudl be able to seize their assets.
Personally I think MS shouls just pull out of the EU altogether. Let's face it in all this time the EU hasn't managed to put together a decent competitor to MS and they can just go flounder around for a while living with Open Office.
Their continuing hostility to US corporations and the transparent desperation for money and currying of favor with their home countries makes them unreliable markets anyway. Companies knwo that its only STARTING with MS. If it works they will move on to any other US company they don't like or think they can steal from. The EU will simply decide to fine and (if you have your way) take by force anything you might make over there to fund there so why bother?
Good idea. That way after completely failign to build a competing product (and having all of Europe to try it with) the EU can prevent the working tool the do have from comming in AND show everyoen they are just one step away from being a socialist police state.
Great plan!
Where the fuck do you think Al Gore got his pretty little graph from?
His ass, where Al Gore gets most of his 'facts' from on a regular basis? You do remember that this guy is a politician, with a flat out and obvious agenda for his actions right?
Sheesh, you'll ignore any scrap of evidence that comes from someone who works for a company that works for an oil company, but you'll take a politicians word for something?
We are in serious trouble.
You're kidding right?
The "breadcrumb" bar in explorer makes this much, much easier. Look at the example below.
parent1 > parent2 > parent3 > folder
To go to parent1, 2 or 3 just click on them. Thats it. To see all children of any folder in order to navigate simply click ont he arrow next to the folder and it will show all the children of that folder.
Honestly, it could NOT be any more convenient.
"Finally, do not underestimate the value of the thing actually being oriented towards making calls as its number one app. The contacts list, the ability to conference with a single button push, even the ringer turning down music playback when you have a call, are all reasons why people will buy this just to use as a phone and everything else really will be extra. Although being able to go to the actual Web while on a call is a great calling-feature in its own right."
My Treo 700w already does all that. It will also pause video playback when a call comes in and since it runs a full version of Opera for browsing if I want it does the "full web" thing as well as the iPhone will.
Your iPhone fanboys really, really need to take their head otu fo Jobs backside and look at the tech that is out there already.
My 700w (Windows Mobile 5) has no Verizon imposed restrictiosn that have prevented me from isntalling / running a wide variey of third party applications.
My Treo 700w (Verizon) isn't crippled in any way I can see. I can bluetooth sync it for files, music, audio books, videos (compressed DVD movies) and anythign else I care about. it works over the air with Exchange and POP3 services and has a decent browser. Coupled with the built in Remote Desktop client and a real keyboard it makes a great remote customer service tool. it is trivial to use it as a modem for my laptop as well.
"winhoze"
I for one would like to thank the idiotic fanboys for being so easily identifieable by the froth around their mouths so we can ignore them.
"We should not let the fact that sharing is trivial blind us to this moral truth."
You're not gonna be able to make this point on Slashdot where finding ways to steal the works of others without their consent is basically a moral principle.
Very well said indeed.
"I don't know much about how msn works"
Don't let that stop you from making vague conspiracy accusations.
"Is anyone else thinking that running firefox 2 with noscript installed means this vulnerability is no big deal?"
Firefox - now with no Javascript (or Ajax support of course)!
Less capability - it's not a bug, it's a feature!
Somehow int he rush to fill their drives with free music a lot of peopel have convinced themselves that while labor of the muscles deserves compensation that labor of the intellect is of no value.
Insanity.
If you want to compete with firefox (stop laughing ;-), try putting up api's so that we can add the features we want
You know those API's are available? For free? As are the development tools needed to do the work. You might want to, you know, do some research.
"I've never had a problem with MS support. The company has become so tranparent to developers with the developer blogs, Channel 9, Patterns and Practices..."
Agreed. Of course since this is Slashdot this will go mostly unheard except for the rabit down moderators but the truth is the truth. It is not uncommont hese days to have more information and transparency about the status of a project at MS than it is a OSS project.
When the company selling support is the primary developer it gets worse, not better. In that case the few licensees are now supposed to foot the bill for all the development effort when most users are getting a free ride. Why? Out of the goodness of their hearts?
It's a bad situation.
"It's not quite the same"
Agreed. Let's face it, providing "full service" OSS software is a potential nightmare this way. The code quality is completely uneven, the documentation is often nonexistent and the roadmaps for the product are entirely outside your control.
At least a company who has been in control of the development process all along knows whats in there.