This is exactly the kind of thing that makes the open source community so difficult for business types to understand. An excellent service hits the wall, and passes the hat. And it comes back with >$20k in it!
This is also why things like M$ wanting to compete with Google look so damned silly to us. We already have what we need, and we take care of our own.
Don't get me wrong, AC97 is cheap, but it really dragged on the CPUs of the timeframe it came out.
Well, that's not really AC97's fault.
AC97 is really nothing more than a 5 wire signal specification. It has more to do with voltages and waveforms on wires. And a register set in the codec that the wires are talking to.
But that's the idea of AC97 - you don't need to know who made the codec, only that it's AC97. Then it's a drop in replacement, pretty much.
But controllers - everybody and their brother has a different idea how to talk to an AC97 codec. And it's the controller that determines the performance. Are you bit banging your codec? Then performance will suck. Are you using interrupts? Performance will improve. Using DMA? Performance will improve again. Does your DMA engine suck? Performance will drop.
If you're having a drag on your cpu due to audio, it isn't AC97 that's at fault. It's someone's lousy idea for a controller. AC97 is a spec, not a gadget.
I'd second the idea that the reviewer doesn't entirely understand the target audience for this machine.
The article also includes a link to the product's PDF datasheet. Please read before you bash.
But just in case you don't feel like skimming through the PDF, the relevant points seem to be that it:
Is meant to run Solaris
Is compatible with Sun's XVR graphics accelerators
Has built-in 10/100/1000 ethernet capability
To me, this looks like a box intended to do hugely accelerated 3D graphics in a unixish environment. That's it's niche. I'd bet it's 3D rendering performance is nothing short of stunning.
Remember - big companies have marketing departments, entire sections of the building dedicated to answering the question "what should we charge for it?" For someone who needs a machine like this I'll bet that it's worth every penny.
Saying that it sucks because it's dhrystone score is as low as a box 1/5th it's cost is like complaining that a hammer makes a lousy screwdriver. You're not using the tool for its intended job.
RIAA:"A large percentage [of the vendors] are of a Hispanic nature," Langley said. "Today he's Jose Rodriguez, tomorrow he's Raul something or other, and tomorrow after that he's something else. These people change their identity all the time. A picture's worth a thousand words."
Racism, anyone?
How about this gem, regarding parading around looking like cops, but not being cops:
RIAA:If that person feels he was wrongly interrogated or under the false pretense that these people were cops, they should contact their local police station as a victim. We'll sort it all out.
Riiiiiiiight. Make sure you have your receipts on you before you try this one, kids.
It used to be fun to tow the Slashdot line and bash the RIAA for being evil...but you know what? They actually are evil. This is some pretty twisted shit. Racial profiling, impersonating the police, harassment, photographing likely suspects...unbelieveable.
"Lower Windows Staffing Costs Provide a TCO Advantage over Linux"
I'd read it, but it'd probably give me a headache. I mean, how in the world could they possibly tell me that having to have MSCE guys in the building 24-7 just to keep the net up and worm free is less expensive than Linux?
I don't think staffing costs are the best argument to demonstrate windows superior TCO. Kinda like using Little Big Horn to demonstrate Custer's tactical ability.
I do sympathize, but I have to disagree with your logic.
It's a Slashdot axiom, but I'll repeat it here: If your business plan relies upon unbreakable encryption, it's a bad business plan.
That being said, I don't see how this is going to destroy iTunes. Yes, copyright violations are possible using these ideas. But I think you'll find that anyone who is using iTunes in the first place (rather than just nabbing whatever they want from P2P) is going to be the kind of person who wouldn't commit a copyright violation through iTunes, either.
*Not* drinking caffeine (a painkiller) means that now I feel the migraines I've apparently been getting for a few years (according to my doctor). They're pretty infrequent, though, so I just keep a bottle of aspirin around.
Careful which brand you buy. Read the label for a bottle of Excedrin sometime - they're caffeine pills with aspirin added. You might be getting migranes from your old addiction and calming them with caffeine fixes in the form of aspirin pills.
That's because Ray Kawal, a 57-year-old retired engineer, had pried the OnStar unit from behind the glove compartment and customized it to work with his laptop and commercially available mapping software. His wife read him directions right off the laptop that sat between them. The modified unit was no longer connected to the OnStar network, over which representatives could have provided the same service for a fee.
So...this guy pried open his dashboard, just to salvage a GPS unit from it? And then hook it to a laptop??
Here's what I did. I got a NMEA 2.0 compatible GPS mouse from eBay for $50. Then bought a $200 laptop, also from eBay. I can do everything that Ray can do, and I didn't have to tear the hell out of my dashboard to do it.
Guys, past a certain point "because I can" isn't an excuse. =)
That's a really good point. Hadn't thought of that.
All this would do is make them go after people asking for files rather than people sharing the files.
Well, so far it's the people sharing the files that the *AA have been after. The true-and-correct name for piracy is "copyright violation", so it's the sharers who stand to get in trouble. IANAL, so I'd like to know if I'm mistaken.
Maybe this part of the protocol doesn't need to be fixed. It might be ok (or at least safe, anyways) to ask for a file, especially since there's no guarantee you'll get it.
First off, thanks - seriously. I need people to challenge this so that I can spot problems. Too bad you posted as AC. So here goes.
1) Client says "who has this file?" Server says "me" and sends client public key. Client knows IP of sender. Client is RIAA. Server nailed.
In this protocol, only the client would broadcast a public key. Client broadcasts a file request and a public key, and somebody responds. Nobody knows who. The server never directly contacts the client under any circumstances.
2) Client says "who has this file?" Server says to a random computer "Tell client I have this file." and passes along its public key. Random computer is RIAA. Server nailed.
Again, server never broadcasts a public key. And even if the message was "Tell client I have this file," at this point server would have the client's public key and could encrypt the intent to broadcast the file.
Keep it up - keep poking at this. Maybe we can establish a truly anonymous protocol here!
I read the article and can find nothing there suggesting how I can trade anything for unbreakable anonymity, or even how unbreakable anonymity could even be implemented.
Encrypt the packets? Fine. You can still trace their origin.
Let's say that you do RSA key pairs, and build them into some sort of P2P. When two people connect, they swap public keys and encrypt the stream.
There is nothing that says that the person who is leeching a file from you isn't Hillary Rosen. Traceroute, and you're still nailed.
The only way to be truly anonymous in a P2P application would be to have the application auto proxy a neighbor. Here's how that would work.
User WantMusic jumps on the new P2P net and broadcasts a desire to download "myfavoritesong.mp3", and their RSA public key along with the request. Some other user, MusicBank, has the song. Rather than having the client pull the data directly from MusicBank, have MusicBank push the data to the client. Each outbound packet from MusicBank would at random select someone else on the net and say "Take this packet of data and pass it along to user WantMusic at this IP address."
If the someone else happened to be Hillary Rosen, all she would get is a packet of unreadable data - she doesn't have the private key. She could know who it was from, and where it was going but have no idea what it was. Might be music, might be the Linux kernel.
If Hillary jumps on the net and tries to download myfavoritesong.mp3, all she could do is traceroute a bunch of packets to 2nd party proxies. By the definition of the protocol, they don't have the file. They're innocent. She still doesn't know MusicBank has the file.
The disadvantage to this protocol is that it'd be slow. Each packet would have to hit a proxy. Instead of server->client, it'd be server->proxy->client. You could expect downloads to be at least 1/3 slower.
This is likely to mean that a copyright holder who licenses her software under the GPL, and subsequently brings a law suit against an individual who allegedly violated a term under the GPL would sue for copyright infringement rather than breach of contract.
Not exactly encouraging. According to the RIAA, copyright infringement is worse than manslaughter. You'd be better off shooting the original author - you'll do less time.
"the [CRF-created] file would set up a process that automatically delivers files in the right format and potentially triggers an automatic payment system that could be changed moment to moment by the content distributor."
Oh yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
Remember, these are the people you keep reading about that leave their servers open and have lists of credit cards stolen from them. Regularly.
Just imagine DRM and auto billing mixed into that. This will be a nightmare of epic proportions. You heard it here first.
But Luke will be a disadvantaged inner-city kid, struggling to cope with life as an orphan. And the robots will be played by people. Alderaan won't be destroyed either (too non-pc after 9/11). The Death Star will just orbit the planet and drop leaflets on them.
But all the character's names will be the same, so we can still call it Star Wars. Right?
I'd say the difference has to do with the difference between a virus and a spyware program. No virus writer has ever sued anyone for disinfecting their computer.
Imagine (and this'll suck) you're an exec at Gator. You have some money, enough brains to be a programmer and the morals of a spammer. If Dell started recommending a product that erased your product...would you sue?
Now imagine you're an exec at Dell. Are you 100% sure you'd win in a lawsuit, especially with the dippy legal system we've got? And could you live with yourself if you had to cough up cash to those scum?
If you or a family member receive a Dell PC as a gift this Christmas, you may be in for a surprise, if it becomes infected with spyware.
Emphasis mine.
So there's no spyware known to be shipped on Dells. That's good at least. On to the memo.
NOTICE: Use of spyware removal software may conflict with user license agreements of other applications installed on your system. Please consult your user license agreements for further information. Dell does not endorse the use of spyware removal software and cannot provide support on these products.
What?? They won't support third party utilities that muck around in your registry and delete files in your system directory? Those bastards!
Seriously, nothing to see here folks. It's common sense.
Slashdot Mirror
Now, if you could hook one of those Duracell indicators up to your date for the evening...
Already been done. =)This is exactly the kind of thing that makes the open source community so difficult for business types to understand. An excellent service hits the wall, and passes the hat. And it comes back with >$20k in it!
This is also why things like M$ wanting to compete with Google look so damned silly to us. We already have what we need, and we take care of our own.
Weaselmancer
Bingo! Well spoken. It's a windows virus, targeted at SCO. Neither is a part of my universe.
Weaselmancer
It figures that it'd finally get tried in Austraila...
...because Darl knows his only chance is a kangaroo court!
Ba dump bump! I'll be here all week, be sure to try the buffet.
Weaselmancer
Don't get me wrong, AC97 is cheap, but it really dragged on the CPUs of the timeframe it came out.
Well, that's not really AC97's fault.
AC97 is really nothing more than a 5 wire signal specification. It has more to do with voltages and waveforms on wires. And a register set in the codec that the wires are talking to.
But that's the idea of AC97 - you don't need to know who made the codec, only that it's AC97. Then it's a drop in replacement, pretty much.
But controllers - everybody and their brother has a different idea how to talk to an AC97 codec. And it's the controller that determines the performance. Are you bit banging your codec? Then performance will suck. Are you using interrupts? Performance will improve. Using DMA? Performance will improve again. Does your DMA engine suck? Performance will drop.
If you're having a drag on your cpu due to audio, it isn't AC97 that's at fault. It's someone's lousy idea for a controller. AC97 is a spec, not a gadget.
Weaselmancer
I'd second the idea that the reviewer doesn't entirely understand the target audience for this machine.
The article also includes a link to the product's PDF datasheet. Please read before you bash.
But just in case you don't feel like skimming through the PDF, the relevant points seem to be that it:
To me, this looks like a box intended to do hugely accelerated 3D graphics in a unixish environment. That's it's niche. I'd bet it's 3D rendering performance is nothing short of stunning.
Remember - big companies have marketing departments, entire sections of the building dedicated to answering the question "what should we charge for it?" For someone who needs a machine like this I'll bet that it's worth every penny.
Saying that it sucks because it's dhrystone score is as low as a box 1/5th it's cost is like complaining that a hammer makes a lousy screwdriver. You're not using the tool for its intended job.
Weaselmancer
Here's a few choice quotes:
RIAA:"A large percentage [of the vendors] are of a Hispanic nature," Langley said. "Today he's Jose Rodriguez, tomorrow he's Raul something or other, and tomorrow after that he's something else. These people change their identity all the time. A picture's worth a thousand words."
Racism, anyone?
How about this gem, regarding parading around looking like cops, but not being cops:
RIAA:If that person feels he was wrongly interrogated or under the false pretense that these people were cops, they should contact their local police station as a victim. We'll sort it all out.
Riiiiiiiight. Make sure you have your receipts on you before you try this one, kids.
It used to be fun to tow the Slashdot line and bash the RIAA for being evil...but you know what? They actually are evil. This is some pretty twisted shit. Racial profiling, impersonating the police, harassment, photographing likely suspects...unbelieveable.
Weaselmancer
Here's my favorite...one of the papers is called:
"Lower Windows Staffing Costs Provide a TCO Advantage over Linux"
I'd read it, but it'd probably give me a headache. I mean, how in the world could they possibly tell me that having to have MSCE guys in the building 24-7 just to keep the net up and worm free is less expensive than Linux?
I don't think staffing costs are the best argument to demonstrate windows superior TCO. Kinda like using Little Big Horn to demonstrate Custer's tactical ability.
Weaselmancer
I do sympathize, but I have to disagree with your logic.
It's a Slashdot axiom, but I'll repeat it here: If your business plan relies upon unbreakable encryption, it's a bad business plan.
That being said, I don't see how this is going to destroy iTunes. Yes, copyright violations are possible using these ideas. But I think you'll find that anyone who is using iTunes in the first place (rather than just nabbing whatever they want from P2P) is going to be the kind of person who wouldn't commit a copyright violation through iTunes, either.
Weaselmancer
Seriously - how do they come up with this number? Are they packet sniffing the entire internet?
I'd like to know their method before I would worry about their conculsion.
Weaselmancer
*Not* drinking caffeine (a painkiller) means that now I feel the migraines I've apparently been getting for a few years (according to my doctor). They're pretty infrequent, though, so I just keep a bottle of aspirin around.
Careful which brand you buy. Read the label for a bottle of Excedrin sometime - they're caffeine pills with aspirin added. You might be getting migranes from your old addiction and calming them with caffeine fixes in the form of aspirin pills.
Weaselmancer
From the article:
That's because Ray Kawal, a 57-year-old retired engineer, had pried the OnStar unit from behind the glove compartment and customized it to work with his laptop and commercially available mapping software. His wife read him directions right off the laptop that sat between them. The modified unit was no longer connected to the OnStar network, over which representatives could have provided the same service for a fee.
So...this guy pried open his dashboard, just to salvage a GPS unit from it? And then hook it to a laptop??
Here's what I did. I got a NMEA 2.0 compatible GPS mouse from eBay for $50. Then bought a $200 laptop, also from eBay. I can do everything that Ray can do, and I didn't have to tear the hell out of my dashboard to do it.
Guys, past a certain point "because I can" isn't an excuse. =)
Weaselmancer
Also heard it in Two Towers. One of the elves (that shouldn't be at Helm's Deep in the first place) does the Wilhelm falling off the wall.
I did the Wilhelm when Peter Jackson had the elves show up at Helm's Deep. =)
Weaselmancer
That's a really good point. Hadn't thought of that.
All this would do is make them go after people asking for files rather than people sharing the files.
Well, so far it's the people sharing the files that the *AA have been after. The true-and-correct name for piracy is "copyright violation", so it's the sharers who stand to get in trouble. IANAL, so I'd like to know if I'm mistaken.
Maybe this part of the protocol doesn't need to be fixed. It might be ok (or at least safe, anyways) to ask for a file, especially since there's no guarantee you'll get it.
Weaselmancer
First off, thanks - seriously. I need people to challenge this so that I can spot problems. Too bad you posted as AC. So here goes.
1) Client says "who has this file?" Server says "me" and sends client public key. Client knows IP of sender. Client is RIAA. Server nailed.
In this protocol, only the client would broadcast a public key. Client broadcasts a file request and a public key, and somebody responds. Nobody knows who. The server never directly contacts the client under any circumstances.
2) Client says "who has this file?" Server says to a random computer "Tell client I have this file." and passes along its public key. Random computer is RIAA. Server nailed.
Again, server never broadcasts a public key. And even if the message was "Tell client I have this file," at this point server would have the client's public key and could encrypt the intent to broadcast the file.
Keep it up - keep poking at this. Maybe we can establish a truly anonymous protocol here!
Weaselmancer
Not a bad idea, but a statistical attack would bust that protocol.
Traceroute all the packets, and if you find that 25% come from one source, then they have the file. And you're busted.
Weaselmancer
I read the article and can find nothing there suggesting how I can trade anything for unbreakable anonymity, or even how unbreakable anonymity could even be implemented.
Encrypt the packets? Fine. You can still trace their origin.
Let's say that you do RSA key pairs, and build them into some sort of P2P. When two people connect, they swap public keys and encrypt the stream.
There is nothing that says that the person who is leeching a file from you isn't Hillary Rosen. Traceroute, and you're still nailed.
The only way to be truly anonymous in a P2P application would be to have the application auto proxy a neighbor. Here's how that would work.
User WantMusic jumps on the new P2P net and broadcasts a desire to download "myfavoritesong.mp3", and their RSA public key along with the request. Some other user, MusicBank, has the song. Rather than having the client pull the data directly from MusicBank, have MusicBank push the data to the client. Each outbound packet from MusicBank would at random select someone else on the net and say "Take this packet of data and pass it along to user WantMusic at this IP address."
If the someone else happened to be Hillary Rosen, all she would get is a packet of unreadable data - she doesn't have the private key. She could know who it was from, and where it was going but have no idea what it was. Might be music, might be the Linux kernel.
If Hillary jumps on the net and tries to download myfavoritesong.mp3, all she could do is traceroute a bunch of packets to 2nd party proxies. By the definition of the protocol, they don't have the file. They're innocent. She still doesn't know MusicBank has the file.
The disadvantage to this protocol is that it'd be slow. Each packet would have to hit a proxy. Instead of server->client, it'd be server->proxy->client. You could expect downloads to be at least 1/3 slower.
If I had the time, I'd write this sucker.
Weaselmancer
I can now burn 2 CDs at once (multiple burners), at 52x without my CPU load going over 0.2!
That's great! Oh, btw...Hillary Rosen would like to have a word with you. In private.
Weaselmancer
From the article:
This is likely to mean that a copyright holder who licenses her software under the GPL, and subsequently brings a law suit against an individual who allegedly violated a term under the GPL would sue for copyright infringement rather than breach of contract.
Not exactly encouraging. According to the RIAA, copyright infringement is worse than manslaughter. You'd be better off shooting the original author - you'll do less time.
Weaselmancer
"the [CRF-created] file would set up a process that automatically delivers files in the right format and potentially triggers an automatic payment system that could be changed moment to moment by the content distributor."
Oh yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
Remember, these are the people you keep reading about that leave their servers open and have lists of credit cards stolen from them. Regularly.
Just imagine DRM and auto billing mixed into that. This will be a nightmare of epic proportions. You heard it here first.
Weaselmancer
Unlike the blind men, the programmers on a given project know what the finished product is supposed to be.
If you know you're building an elephant, and someone hands you the tail...you're not going to think the whole thing looks like a snake. Sorry.
This strikes me as nothing more than a cutesey metaphor laden book for your PHB.
Weaselmancer
But Luke will be a disadvantaged inner-city kid, struggling to cope with life as an orphan. And the robots will be played by people. Alderaan won't be destroyed either (too non-pc after 9/11). The Death Star will just orbit the planet and drop leaflets on them.
But all the character's names will be the same, so we can still call it Star Wars. Right?
Weaselmancer
That's a good point, AC. Hadn't thought of that.
I'd say the difference has to do with the difference between a virus and a spyware program. No virus writer has ever sued anyone for disinfecting their computer.
Imagine (and this'll suck) you're an exec at Gator. You have some money, enough brains to be a programmer and the morals of a spammer. If Dell started recommending a product that erased your product...would you sue?
Now imagine you're an exec at Dell. Are you 100% sure you'd win in a lawsuit, especially with the dippy legal system we've got? And could you live with yourself if you had to cough up cash to those scum?
Weaselmancer
After a quick RTFA, I see:
If you or a family member receive a Dell PC as a gift this Christmas, you may be in for a surprise, if it becomes infected with spyware.
Emphasis mine.
So there's no spyware known to be shipped on Dells. That's good at least. On to the memo.
NOTICE: Use of spyware removal software may conflict with user license agreements of other applications installed on your system. Please consult your user license agreements for further information. Dell does not endorse the use of spyware removal software and cannot provide support on these products.
What?? They won't support third party utilities that muck around in your registry and delete files in your system directory? Those bastards!
Seriously, nothing to see here folks. It's common sense.
Weaselmancer
Except for the fact that Call of Cthulhu uses mostly d100.
Oh God did I just type that??? =)
Weaselmancer