No one has yet said why a national ID is any worse than a driver's license, other than "Well, the gov't controls it". That, to me, is not a great reason. While I understand people when they are discontented with the U.S. gov't, look at the bigger picture. We live (If you live in the U.S., I know this is an international board) in the greatest country on the planet, and I know not many people will argue (although some will try). We are greatest country for numerous reasons, one of which is our government. These people, despite their occasional short-comings, random acts of idiocy and such, are, on a whole, a group of people who really do love this country and are trying to make it even better. Is it really that bad to carry an ID card? No. Just remember that despite the multiple party system, most politicians are honestly trying to do what is best. Now I know many of you won't believe that, but as a citizen living in DC, I hear and interact with politics on a regular basis. Many of my friends are politicians, or political students, and their intentions are good.
It is time that we have faith in our gov't. Of course we should question and pay attention to what is happening. Raise issues, and object to things you don't believe in. But, don't argue your opinions with statements like "it is bad becasue our gov't thought of it." That just doesn't fly. And drop that civil liberty crap. We have more civil liberties that anyone, and there are people out there, including the Supreme Court, who will protect those liberties. Let's let the gov't do their job, that is why we elected them.
What do you want to do? If you want to program and do more technical tasks, get a CS or CE degree. If you want to manage or lead, get a CIS or MIS degree. Once you pick, look to see what the school offers. At my college, the MIS program is Business with computers and CIS is Computers with business. I find that the MIS people are less technical than the CIS people, and that the CS people are a lot less business savvy than the CIS folk. The CS people can complete tasks well, but they don't always have the vision needed to manage a task.
I choose CIS because I like managing and technology, and don't see myself programming, but this is up to the individual. I also plan on follwing my CIS degree with a MBA.
If you don't like it, don't read it. No need to waste our time and bitch about something that really doesn't matter in life. Based on the length and time that went into this article, I am sure your schedule looks a bit like this:
10:42 AM - get out of bed.
10:45 AM - first Dr Pepper of the day.
10:46 AM - unglue keyboard from desk, check stock market.
10:56 AM - Search web for web sites I don't like.
11:14 AM - Sit and draft nasty, pointless rants about said sites.
11:08 AM - Start writting rant.
3:00 AM - Post rant.
3:15 AM - go to sleep.
BTW, this only took 3 minutes to write, so don't bother posting some retaliation about my amounts of free time.
If people spent their time to try and fix things that matter, this world would be much better off. However, too many people are like this guy and just complain stuff to complain. Some sort of sickness I think.
I use Yahoo. I have a email address there, registered a domain name for $35 per year, and then I can use that domain for email. I get 5 addresses, and can access my mail on the web through Yahoo's site. I can also Pop my mail (I use Outlook and Lotus Notes). This way I don't have to worry about ISP's going bankrupt, I always have the same email address, and can even get it on the web. The only negative is that there is no server space provided for a website except on GeoCities, but I am using my School's webspace, so it doesn't matter. They even have a decent spam guard installed. I know there may be a few too many restrictions for some people, but it works well for me.
My school is contemplating using a VPN to connect to its network if a student lives off-campus. This is clearly not business related, so there should be no business charge for it. Do they stipulate that only business VPNs are not allowed, or all VPNs are not allowed? This could become a very trickey policy to enforce.
I think everyone here is confusing who is having the software stolen. By coping software, you are not stealing from the person you copied it from, but from the manufacturer. It is intellectual property. Just like using someone's research without permission is theft, using software you didn't pay for without permission is theft. The porche analogy was directed at the guy that said copying software is ok if it cost a lot. So, following his logic, stealing a car is ok if you can't afford to buy it. The law considers software piracy theft, so software piracy is theft.
It is really suited for the server market. It is true that you don't need a dual processor system at home, that is why you can't go to Best Buy and pick one up. They are suited for server environments and men with small -um, I mean- power-hungry users.
I agree. I got extension cables, good enough quality for what I do, and then wrapped them around and taped them to the side of my box. Then they are all right there when I need them. As for USB, I have a USB hub that sits on top of the box, so all of those ports are in the front also.
As an employee in a college computer lab, I get user who can't save files to users who can design and code advanced 3d graphic apps. The trick in teaching any application, from Linux to Windows to whatever, is to know your audience. If you are speaking to a newbie, you must use language they understand, go to their level. I find that some of my coleagues often refuse to lower themselves there, but that is what is required of the job. Not everyone can teach, but out of the ones who can, you will find it is because they are able to make the student understand what is going on, at whatever level the student is at. I am not saying a you can teach everything to everybody, but you can teach the masses a lot. While people can simply do by repitition, they don't learn this way. Learning is done through understanding, and teaching that is the skill of teaching.
The government could buy a box of pencils and put them to bad uses. Since no one has any idea what the government wants with this software, if they want it at all, there really is no issue here.
I agree with you on this. While my comment was not researched, it was meant to point out that people are coming up here and taking their shots while not informed. I was trying to inject some common sense into the discussion, nothing more. I realize you were not singling out my post, but your comment may have been better posted elsewhere, like with all the Anti-hire posts. I think the guy is a great addition.
I agree. I don't know what this guy's job was, but I don't think he had the responsibility of making all the software secure. I am assuming his job was to keep the company secure. While I am sure he was in some way involved in securing their product, I don't think that was his primary job.
OK, first I will take offense to your implication that I don't understand boolean logic. I do program, and I have a very good handle on the subject. Second, I do not consider moving a file modifing the software, so I am sticking by my point. I guess everytime you delete a program your breaking a copy-protection if I follow your logic.
The reason's the gov't wants to ban this is ethical. Since when does the gov't have the right to decide what is ethical. The bottom line is that there is no victim in cloning, however many could benifit. The gov't needs to protect its citizens, and in no way is banning clonning doing this. Not one person is negativly affected by cloning. People just think it is ethically wrong, therefore should be banned. How does the gov't get to decide this?
I agree in terms of the movie. My original posts were up before I saw it, and I admit I was disappointed. I knew what was going on, yet felt that I didn't. I can only imagine someone who has not read the book. The acting was bad, and some important scenes were left out. It is a shame that they needed to stick to the book so much that they couldn't make a decent movie. Imagine what will happen when they get to book 4, all 700 pages of it. It will be 2.5 hours of brooms and Harry fighting a dragon. Sounds like fun. Maybe he would have learned to act by then, and Draco will become a crack addict or something, forcing them to get a real actor. He was awful. The books were great, the movie, not so much.
I once read that if a company sends out 1,000 spam emails on a product that gets them $10 profit, they will have a 2% response. That equals 20 people at $10 a person, an easy $200. Now imagine if that spammer can get out 10,000 or 100,000 spams. The profits grew quickly.
If you really want to stop all of this, I have read a couple things you can do. If you reply to enough lists to unsubscribe eventually, I hear, you get your spam down low. You can also report places to the BBB that sell suspicious products. Many times these companies are not legit. Another place to go in the IRS. How many of these spammers do you think file tax returns?
I am by no means a fan of spam, but I really don't know what the government could do. They could outlaw it, but it is kind of hard to enforce. I just suck it up and live with it.
The whole bottom line I think, is that if you think you're so smart that you don't need to pay attention in class, then you should at least be smart enough to amuse/entertain yourself
Due to insane education requirements, not all of us can always be in an engaging class all the time. If I want x degree, I have to take the classes that correspond. This isn't a matter of being an elitist or know-it-all. Just looking for someway to entertain ourselves without causing a distraction to others. Also, if you noticed, it said prof, referring to a professor, not a high school teacher. In high school you have to pay attention. In college, the profs work a lot differently.
Personal entertainment should not come at the expense of others, unless they are willing participants.
Not all classes require attention. Example: To graduate, I need to take a basic computer class. MS Office and junk like that. The prof has an attendance requirement, so I have to show, but would shoot myself if I had to pay attention. I can understandpaying attention in calculus. Unfortunatly, not all of us can take a bunch of Calculus. Also, only the the biggest prick of a prof would pick on you if he saw you weren't paying attention, especially if he knew you knew your stuff.
I sit with my Palm (A Sony Clie). If the meeting or class or lecture is big enough, no one notices. I play solitare, easy but always engaging. Space Trader is also quite good. They are simple, and allow you to jump back into what the group is doing easily if necessary. I do this mostly in my Intro C++ class (a real joke), but in other places also.
Like I posted in another comment, I am a college student. I have read this past summer and 1st semester alone 4 Harry Potter books, James McDonoughs "Platton Leader", a Systems Analyst text-book, 2 DB administration text-books, 3 James Patterson Novels, 2 war history books, The Mythical Man-Month by Brooks, and more, and have written esseys on many of them, held a full time job, and attended 16 credit classes at a University. I have read Shakespear, Sophicles, Plato, Marx, Mill, and many more, including Dave Barry, one of my favorite. I have read numerous literary masterpieces. I know what good reading is. And I loved the Harry Potter series so far. The problem with your statement is the idea that anything not intelectual is a waste. I also have plenty of material to get through, and not much time to do it in, and occasionally throwing in something fun can make life a whole lot happier.
I agree with you totally. I have read all the books, and am going to see the movie. However, I have not bought any of the merchandise, and have no desire to.
As for urging people to read, I stick to that point. I am a coleege student, and that means I have a lot of other *really* important stuff to read, but they are were a welcome release when I read them. They were quick and just fun. I know not everyone will agree with this, and that is fine. However, a lot of people are knocking it without trying it.
I have never used Linux, thus I am not going to say Linux sucks, because I don't know. The same should hold true books. Read it before you hate it.
I have found that only by reading these books can one fully understand what the hype is. I have yet to meet a person who has not loved Harry Potter. I have, however, met numerous people who have not read them commenting on how the hype is uncalled for.
But until Harry Potter is on your completed reading list, it is impossible to truly understand. While maybe they are not the best written books ever, there is something else about them that takes children into this magical world, and then can take adults back to being children. I urge everyone, if its your thing or not, to try reading these books, and then the movie will really be impressive.
Slashdot Mirror
No one has yet said why a national ID is any worse than a driver's license, other than "Well, the gov't controls it". That, to me, is not a great reason. While I understand people when they are discontented with the U.S. gov't, look at the bigger picture. We live (If you live in the U.S., I know this is an international board) in the greatest country on the planet, and I know not many people will argue (although some will try). We are greatest country for numerous reasons, one of which is our government. These people, despite their occasional short-comings, random acts of idiocy and such, are, on a whole, a group of people who really do love this country and are trying to make it even better. Is it really that bad to carry an ID card? No. Just remember that despite the multiple party system, most politicians are honestly trying to do what is best. Now I know many of you won't believe that, but as a citizen living in DC, I hear and interact with politics on a regular basis. Many of my friends are politicians, or political students, and their intentions are good.
It is time that we have faith in our gov't. Of course we should question and pay attention to what is happening. Raise issues, and object to things you don't believe in. But, don't argue your opinions with statements like "it is bad becasue our gov't thought of it." That just doesn't fly. And drop that civil liberty crap. We have more civil liberties that anyone, and there are people out there, including the Supreme Court, who will protect those liberties. Let's let the gov't do their job, that is why we elected them.
What do you want to do? If you want to program and do more technical tasks, get a CS or CE degree. If you want to manage or lead, get a CIS or MIS degree. Once you pick, look to see what the school offers. At my college, the MIS program is Business with computers and CIS is Computers with business. I find that the MIS people are less technical than the CIS people, and that the CS people are a lot less business savvy than the CIS folk. The CS people can complete tasks well, but they don't always have the vision needed to manage a task.
I choose CIS because I like managing and technology, and don't see myself programming, but this is up to the individual. I also plan on follwing my CIS degree with a MBA.
If you don't like it, don't read it. No need to waste our time and bitch about something that really doesn't matter in life. Based on the length and time that went into this article, I am sure your schedule looks a bit like this:
10:42 AM - get out of bed.
10:45 AM - first Dr Pepper of the day.
10:46 AM - unglue keyboard from desk, check stock market.
10:56 AM - Search web for web sites I don't like.
11:14 AM - Sit and draft nasty, pointless rants about said sites.
11:08 AM - Start writting rant.
3:00 AM - Post rant.
3:15 AM - go to sleep.
BTW, this only took 3 minutes to write, so don't bother posting some retaliation about my amounts of free time.
If people spent their time to try and fix things that matter, this world would be much better off. However, too many people are like this guy and just complain stuff to complain. Some sort of sickness I think.
I use Yahoo. I have a email address there, registered a domain name for $35 per year, and then I can use that domain for email. I get 5 addresses, and can access my mail on the web through Yahoo's site. I can also Pop my mail (I use Outlook and Lotus Notes). This way I don't have to worry about ISP's going bankrupt, I always have the same email address, and can even get it on the web. The only negative is that there is no server space provided for a website except on GeoCities, but I am using my School's webspace, so it doesn't matter. They even have a decent spam guard installed. I know there may be a few too many restrictions for some people, but it works well for me.
My school is contemplating using a VPN to connect to its network if a student lives off-campus. This is clearly not business related, so there should be no business charge for it. Do they stipulate that only business VPNs are not allowed, or all VPNs are not allowed? This could become a very trickey policy to enforce.
I think everyone here is confusing who is having the software stolen. By coping software, you are not stealing from the person you copied it from, but from the manufacturer. It is intellectual property. Just like using someone's research without permission is theft, using software you didn't pay for without permission is theft. The porche analogy was directed at the guy that said copying software is ok if it cost a lot. So, following his logic, stealing a car is ok if you can't afford to buy it. The law considers software piracy theft, so software piracy is theft.
It is really suited for the server market. It is true that you don't need a dual processor system at home, that is why you can't go to Best Buy and pick one up. They are suited for server environments and men with small -um, I mean- power-hungry users.
So taking a porche for a joy-ride is not stealing? Get over it, copying software is against the law. It is stealing.
I agree. I got extension cables, good enough quality for what I do, and then wrapped them around and taped them to the side of my box. Then they are all right there when I need them. As for USB, I have a USB hub that sits on top of the box, so all of those ports are in the front also.
As an employee in a college computer lab, I get user who can't save files to users who can design and code advanced 3d graphic apps. The trick in teaching any application, from Linux to Windows to whatever, is to know your audience. If you are speaking to a newbie, you must use language they understand, go to their level. I find that some of my coleagues often refuse to lower themselves there, but that is what is required of the job. Not everyone can teach, but out of the ones who can, you will find it is because they are able to make the student understand what is going on, at whatever level the student is at. I am not saying a you can teach everything to everybody, but you can teach the masses a lot. While people can simply do by repitition, they don't learn this way. Learning is done through understanding, and teaching that is the skill of teaching.
If I read the article correctly, the issue was not reading data, but editing it. So, this offered solution would work.
The government could buy a box of pencils and put them to bad uses. Since no one has any idea what the government wants with this software, if they want it at all, there really is no issue here.
I agree with you on this. While my comment was not researched, it was meant to point out that people are coming up here and taking their shots while not informed. I was trying to inject some common sense into the discussion, nothing more. I realize you were not singling out my post, but your comment may have been better posted elsewhere, like with all the Anti-hire posts. I think the guy is a great addition.
I agree. I don't know what this guy's job was, but I don't think he had the responsibility of making all the software secure. I am assuming his job was to keep the company secure. While I am sure he was in some way involved in securing their product, I don't think that was his primary job.
OK, first I will take offense to your implication that I don't understand boolean logic. I do program, and I have a very good handle on the subject. Second, I do not consider moving a file modifing the software, so I am sticking by my point. I guess everytime you delete a program your breaking a copy-protection if I follow your logic.
copying, decompiling, reverse engineering, disassembling, modifying or creating derivative works of the Software.
It is just moving a file, and as far as I knew, people are allowed to move files.
The reason's the gov't wants to ban this is ethical. Since when does the gov't have the right to decide what is ethical. The bottom line is that there is no victim in cloning, however many could benifit. The gov't needs to protect its citizens, and in no way is banning clonning doing this. Not one person is negativly affected by cloning. People just think it is ethically wrong, therefore should be banned. How does the gov't get to decide this?
I agree in terms of the movie. My original posts were up before I saw it, and I admit I was disappointed. I knew what was going on, yet felt that I didn't. I can only imagine someone who has not read the book. The acting was bad, and some important scenes were left out. It is a shame that they needed to stick to the book so much that they couldn't make a decent movie. Imagine what will happen when they get to book 4, all 700 pages of it. It will be 2.5 hours of brooms and Harry fighting a dragon. Sounds like fun. Maybe he would have learned to act by then, and Draco will become a crack addict or something, forcing them to get a real actor. He was awful. The books were great, the movie, not so much.
If you really want to stop all of this, I have read a couple things you can do. If you reply to enough lists to unsubscribe eventually, I hear, you get your spam down low. You can also report places to the BBB that sell suspicious products. Many times these companies are not legit. Another place to go in the IRS. How many of these spammers do you think file tax returns?
I am by no means a fan of spam, but I really don't know what the government could do. They could outlaw it, but it is kind of hard to enforce. I just suck it up and live with it.
Due to insane education requirements, not all of us can always be in an engaging class all the time. If I want x degree, I have to take the classes that correspond. This isn't a matter of being an elitist or know-it-all. Just looking for someway to entertain ourselves without causing a distraction to others. Also, if you noticed, it said prof, referring to a professor, not a high school teacher. In high school you have to pay attention. In college, the profs work a lot differently.
Personal entertainment should not come at the expense of others, unless they are willing participants.
Not all classes require attention. Example: To graduate, I need to take a basic computer class. MS Office and junk like that. The prof has an attendance requirement, so I have to show, but would shoot myself if I had to pay attention. I can understandpaying attention in calculus. Unfortunatly, not all of us can take a bunch of Calculus. Also, only the the biggest prick of a prof would pick on you if he saw you weren't paying attention, especially if he knew you knew your stuff.
I sit with my Palm (A Sony Clie). If the meeting or class or lecture is big enough, no one notices. I play solitare, easy but always engaging. Space Trader is also quite good. They are simple, and allow you to jump back into what the group is doing easily if necessary. I do this mostly in my Intro C++ class (a real joke), but in other places also.
Like I posted in another comment, I am a college student. I have read this past summer and 1st semester alone 4 Harry Potter books, James McDonoughs "Platton Leader", a Systems Analyst text-book, 2 DB administration text-books, 3 James Patterson Novels, 2 war history books, The Mythical Man-Month by Brooks, and more, and have written esseys on many of them, held a full time job, and attended 16 credit classes at a University. I have read Shakespear, Sophicles, Plato, Marx, Mill, and many more, including Dave Barry, one of my favorite. I have read numerous literary masterpieces. I know what good reading is. And I loved the Harry Potter series so far. The problem with your statement is the idea that anything not intelectual is a waste. I also have plenty of material to get through, and not much time to do it in, and occasionally throwing in something fun can make life a whole lot happier.
As for urging people to read, I stick to that point. I am a coleege student, and that means I have a lot of other *really* important stuff to read, but they are were a welcome release when I read them. They were quick and just fun. I know not everyone will agree with this, and that is fine. However, a lot of people are knocking it without trying it.
I have never used Linux, thus I am not going to say Linux sucks, because I don't know. The same should hold true books. Read it before you hate it.
But until Harry Potter is on your completed reading list, it is impossible to truly understand. While maybe they are not the best written books ever, there is something else about them that takes children into this magical world, and then can take adults back to being children. I urge everyone, if its your thing or not, to try reading these books, and then the movie will really be impressive.