Do they owe the U.S. anything more than corporate taxes?
They don't have any obligations beyond complying with the contracts they enter into, the laws in the countries where they operate, and their fiduciary responsibilty to their shareholders.
I dont understand why its so important for Microsoft to kill any competition.
It's probably because they're intensely aware of the mediocrity of their products. The only validation they can get is market share, so they fight tooth an nail against any potential threat to that market share. Witness in particular the way they torpedoed Netscape, and made damn sure that BeOS couldn't make any OEM deals.
I once had a boss who was bit of a petty tyrant, too. I not only quit, I convinced two co-workers (which constituted the entire development team) to quit with me.
In Australia, it's fairly easy for a judge to classify an individual (client) as a "vexatious litigant"
That can happen in the USA too, but the courts are usually reluctant to do it, since it actually makes more work for the court.
What the courts are more likely to do, is dismiss the cases they bring, and award costs to the defendant. Eventually, this becomes prohibitively expensive for the vexatious litigant.
I think you could also speak for most database users, and say that it doesn't matter how many MySQL transactions you do, if you can't rely on data integrity.
Until and unless MySQL is fixed, this comparison is meaningless.
But still, why does the hole end up over a magnetic pole?
Its not a matter of magnetism, but sunlight. Ozone forms in the upper atmosphere as a result of sunlight striking oxygen in the air. The atmosphere north of the arctic and south of the antarctic circles is largely blocked from sunlight during the winter.
Ozone's not a very stable molecule, so without the energy input from sunlight to form ozone, ozone tends to break down and become ordinary O2 again.
Slashdot Mirror
someone on Slashdot was telling me all about how at least Microsoft has never cut an American job for one overseas.
That may still be the case. These are new jobs we're talking about in China.
-jcr
So Windows XP was put together by the best brains that money could buy
Well, this is true in a sense, but money can't buy the best brains.
-jcr
Do they owe the U.S. anything more than corporate taxes?
They don't have any obligations beyond complying with the contracts they enter into, the laws in the countries where they operate, and their fiduciary responsibilty to their shareholders.
I say yes, they do.
Guess again, sport. Wishing doesn't make it so.
-jcr
I don't think I'm going out on a limb here when I say the first killer app was probably pr0n.
It probably was for modems, but not for the computers themselves. A modem was quite a luxury for early IMSAI or Apple II owners.
-jcr
Did you see me pointing to Linux as an alternative?
-jcr
I dont understand why its so important for Microsoft to kill any competition.
It's probably because they're intensely aware of the mediocrity of their products. The only validation they can get is market share, so they fight tooth an nail against any potential threat to that market share. Witness in particular the way they torpedoed Netscape, and made damn sure that BeOS couldn't make any OEM deals.
-jcr
I once had a boss who was bit of a petty tyrant, too. I not only quit, I convinced two co-workers (which constituted the entire development team) to quit with me.
-jcr
Give the guy a break.
You know, I'd be a lot more sympathetic towards the Sweaty One, if he wasn't so... What's the word? Oh, yeah: culpable.
-jcr
At least he's passionate about his job.
Bullshit. He's passionate about his status. If he was passionate about his job, then we'd see MS actually fixing their products.
-jcr
Who cares what Nietsche or Ted Kacziski wanted to teach people? Nietsche was a nut, and had nothing to offer to rational people.
-jcr
In Australia, it's fairly easy for a judge to classify an individual (client) as a "vexatious litigant"
That can happen in the USA too, but the courts are usually reluctant to do it, since it actually makes more work for the court.
What the courts are more likely to do, is dismiss the cases they bring, and award costs to the defendant. Eventually, this becomes prohibitively expensive for the vexatious litigant.
-jcr
I think you could also speak for most database users, and say that it doesn't matter how many MySQL transactions you do, if you can't rely on data integrity.
Until and unless MySQL is fixed, this comparison is meaningless.
-jcr
FWIW, Nietzchse was a nutcase.
-jcr
Better still would be getting a judge to set some reasonable numbers for the damages.
-jcr
Read it carefully: If your own kid steals your car, you're responsible for the consequiences.
-jcr
If you own a car and your 14yo kid takes it for a joyride, are you responsible?
Yes, actually, you are. If he gets into a wreck, your insurance will probably not cover the damages, either.
-jcr
The RIAA doesn't need to throw any competent legal talent at this, since most of the defendents just cave in anyway.
-jcr
If you want to know what I have on my computer, ASK ME ABOUT IT. ...and don't bother asking unless you have a warrant.
-jcr
Then just use Disk Utility to make a small encrypted R/W disk image. That's what I used to do before FileVault.
-jcr
For that matter, how hard is it to hide another computer?
-jcr
Don't assume the connector will be the USB-A connector you find on PC-compatible thumb drives.
Ok, fair enough. We'll see when it comes out, I guess.
-jcr
I'd be a bit more worried about the connector wearing out. If this thing breaks, you wouldn't be able to just call a locksmith.
-jcr
But still, why does the hole end up over a magnetic pole?
Its not a matter of magnetism, but sunlight. Ozone forms in the upper atmosphere as a result of sunlight striking oxygen in the air. The atmosphere north of the arctic and south of the antarctic circles is largely blocked from sunlight during the winter.
Ozone's not a very stable molecule, so without the energy input from sunlight to form ozone, ozone tends to break down and become ordinary O2 again.
-jcr
This is the same idiotic logic where we have photographers owning the rights to YOUR wedding pics, even though you paid for them.
Umm... That's just a matter of contract law. If you don't want the photographer to own your wedding shots, you make a different deal.
-jcr
Thanks for adding a bit of much-needed perspective. If I had the points..
-jcr