Couldn't the FSF, or some other good body, just start getting patents for everything that they can think of under the sun and then allow those patents to be used by anybody? This would help keep patents from being used like a club.
I thought that it was interesting what he said about commercial software EULAs. Basically, the EULAs of commercial software deny liability of so many things, excluding installation media, that they are basically licensed "as is", and because of this, are basically no different then most free software.
I have to admit to never having thought of it that way.
Is the GPL the same as an EULA? If so, can it really be enforced?
Let me say that I don't have a problem with the GPL. I only ask because in a recent Slashdot story about EULAs, there were many people with some interesting arguements about why how EULAs are breakable.
I think that there are enough laws already in existance that we don't need new ones. I also don't think that we need the government doing the work of private industry.
I live in the Jacksonville, Florida (USA) area and recently, the BSA has started running radio commercials about software piracy. This is the first time I ever heard of this.
The first commercial goes on about how disgruntled employees often turn in a company for violations and how the fines can be up to $150,000.00 per work violated. "Not just a traffic ticket", the commercial goes on to say.
In the second commercial, it talks about how if you work for a company that illegally copies software, "you are working for a company that steals".
Each commercial provides a toll free number to reports abuses. Are these commercials pretty common in major metro areas?
Please excuse the following silly question but I have always wondered:
If the recording industry truly wants to prevent exact digital copying, why not simply create their own music format and disallow the use of that format in PCs?
Those of you who don't want a live version of Akira don't have to watch it. Besides, there are many people out there who will not watch a animated feature because they have a bias against such things.
Also, does anyone own the new DVD version of Akira? They redid the english dubbing and I it sucks. I miss the dub from the original US release.
I think that the connection between Disney and Hollings should be investigated. I don't know much about Hollings, so I could be wrong, but it would not surprise me if he wasn't getting a kick back somewhere behind closed doors. Maybe a large future campaign contribution? Lifetime tickets to Disney Land, perhaps?
In any case, Mickey Mouse is now a symbol of oppression for me. I'm sure old Walt had no idea his company would become such a piece of shit.
>which would take home machines 1000 >years to complete
Did they take Moore's Law into account when coming up with this estimate? I'm willing to be that we will have some pretty powerful desktop computers in 200 years.
Not too long ago, I tried to find a Unix email client that supported S/MIME. I couldn't. I was told, however, that this might be added to Mutt in the future.
I think Mozilla might support S/MIME but I needed S/MIME for my NetBSD machine, which is free from the detestable X-Window environment, so Mozilla is out for me.
I like using the plain BSD mail command on my NetBSD box. It is simple beyond compare. The only thing that I haven't figured out is how to add a custom header to my outgoing emails.
There is nothing that is offered in current Unix-like systems that would entice me to switch from Windows, based solely on the GUI. Sure, Gnome and KDE are nice but to me, they are cheap Windows clones and are lame.
Of cource, there are other window managers out there but their dependence on X is a problem, IMHO. I think that X is too old and clunky. I can't stand the way they look. But no one seems to want to write a replacement, preferring instead to keep patching ol' X.
Operating systems like MacOS X and NeXTStep prove that a GUI over a Unixlike system can be eliquent. But you will notice that they don't use X-Window either.
>After the ODP caught the Scientologist >editor spamming the directory, they fired >her and savagely edited down the directory, >removing hundreds of spam links and mirrors
Thank you for the info. I am a big fan of DMOZ and this was good to hear.
From what it says, the Pro-Scientology section of DMOZ has a Scientologist for an editor while they refuse to name an editor for the section related to Scientology opponents.
The effect of this, according to the link above, means that Pro-Scientology sites get added quickly and Con-Scientology sites don't, or not at all.
>Unfortunately, there was no violence >before 1952, because we all know that >violence is caused by video games.
I think that you are wrong about that. EC Comics was driven out of business because they were charged with having the very same effect on children with their science fiction and horror comics.
Basically, there has always been assholes out there trying to control what other people can read and do.
>how OpenGL 2.0 is trying to bring >stability and open standards to >programmable graphics and GPUs
The problem is that there are quite a few companies out there that do not want open standards because it gives them a competitive edge over other companies, end users, and organizations; even if it actually helps them as well. (And you know who you are).
Slashdot Mirror
Couldn't the FSF, or some other good body, just start getting patents for everything that they can think of under the sun and then allow those patents to be used by anybody? This would help keep patents from being used like a club.
I like to use Unix old style. You know, console
only. (I can't stand X) But I can't find a single
console financial program.
Any ideas?
I thought that it was interesting what he said
about commercial software EULAs. Basically, the
EULAs of commercial software deny liability of so
many things, excluding installation media, that
they are basically licensed "as is", and because
of this, are basically no different then most
free software.
I have to admit to never having thought of it
that way.
Is the GPL the same as an EULA? If so, can it really be enforced?
Let me say that I don't have a problem with the GPL. I only ask because in a recent Slashdot story about EULAs, there were many people with some interesting arguements about why how EULAs are breakable.
Thanks.
I think that there are enough laws already in existance that we don't need new ones. I also don't think that we need the government doing the work of private industry.
I live in the Jacksonville, Florida (USA) area and recently, the BSA has started running radio commercials about software piracy. This is the first time I ever heard of this.
The first commercial goes on about how disgruntled employees often turn in a company for violations and how the fines can be up to $150,000.00 per work violated. "Not just a traffic ticket", the commercial goes on to say.
In the second commercial, it talks about how if you work for a company that illegally copies software, "you are working for a company that steals".
Each commercial provides a toll free number to reports abuses. Are these commercials pretty common in major metro areas?
Please excuse the following silly question but I have always wondered:
If the recording industry truly wants to prevent exact digital copying, why not simply create their own music format and disallow the use of that format in PCs?
The company responsible for Books In Print probably has a patent on a "list of books". :)
It wasn't for me. Plus, I was used to the old version.
I think that they missed a chance to include the original dubbing, as DVD supports including it.
Those of you who don't want a live version of Akira don't have to watch it. Besides, there are many people out there who will not watch a animated feature because they have a bias against such things.
Also, does anyone own the new DVD version of Akira? They redid the english dubbing and I it sucks. I miss the dub from the original US release.
Sorry but I have to disagree. I think that upper management of these companies are so greedy for money that they would do almost anything.
They are willing to sell us all down the river just so their stock options will go up a few dollars. They are, perhaps, worse then lawyers.
I think that the connection between Disney and Hollings should be investigated. I don't know much about Hollings, so I could be wrong, but it would not surprise me if he wasn't getting a kick back somewhere behind closed doors. Maybe a large future campaign contribution? Lifetime tickets to Disney Land, perhaps?
In any case, Mickey Mouse is now a symbol of oppression for me. I'm sure old Walt had no idea his company would become such a piece of shit.
Maybe they should just hire everybody in the US for a few days; perhaps as a honorary employee.
Then everyone would think that MS isn't not a monopoly and their problems would go away.
>which would take home machines 1000
>years to complete
Did they take Moore's Law into account when coming up with this estimate? I'm willing to be that we will have some pretty powerful desktop computers in 200 years.
Not too long ago, I tried to find a Unix email client that supported S/MIME. I couldn't. I was told, however, that this might be added to Mutt in the future.
I think Mozilla might support S/MIME but I needed S/MIME for my NetBSD machine, which is free from the detestable X-Window environment, so Mozilla is out for me.
Amen brotha!
I like using the plain BSD mail command on my NetBSD box. It is simple beyond compare. The only thing that I haven't figured out is how to add a custom header to my outgoing emails.
There is nothing that is offered in current Unix-like systems that would entice me to switch from Windows, based solely on the GUI. Sure, Gnome and KDE are nice but to me, they are cheap Windows clones and are lame.
Of cource, there are other window managers out there but their dependence on X is a problem, IMHO. I think that X is too old and clunky. I can't stand the way they look. But no one seems to want to write a replacement, preferring instead to keep patching ol' X.
Operating systems like MacOS X and NeXTStep prove that a GUI over a Unixlike system can be eliquent. But you will notice that they don't use X-Window either.
My very lame ISP, AT&T Broadband, blocks my incoming port 80. What can I do to get around this?
Thanks!
>After the ODP caught the Scientologist
>editor spamming the directory, they fired
>her and savagely edited down the directory, >removing hundreds of spam links and mirrors
Thank you for the info. I am a big fan of DMOZ and this was good to hear.
:)
http://www.operatingthetan.com/google/
From what it says, the Pro-Scientology section of DMOZ has a Scientologist for an editor while they refuse to name an editor for the section related to Scientology opponents.
The effect of this, according to the link above, means that Pro-Scientology sites get added quickly and Con-Scientology sites don't, or not at all.
I am very disappointed.
I get a lot of Spam and I am thinking about keeping every piece of Spam that I receive for a whole year, just to see how much I end up with.
Has anyone else does something like this?
Yet another merger where people will lose their jobs so the stock options of a few assholes will go up. Why does the FTC even exist anymore?
Am I the only one tired of hearing from groups like Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and PETA?
I swear, the world is overflowing with whiners.
>Unfortunately, there was no violence
>before 1952, because we all know that
>violence is caused by video games.
I think that you are wrong about that. EC Comics was driven out of business because they were charged with having the very same effect on children with their science fiction and horror comics.
Basically, there has always been assholes out there trying to control what other people can read and do.
>how OpenGL 2.0 is trying to bring
>stability and open standards to
>programmable graphics and GPUs
The problem is that there are quite a few companies out there that do not want open standards because it gives them a competitive edge over other companies, end users, and organizations; even if it actually helps them as well. (And you know who you are).