You don't use KDE because one person whose priorities you do not like uses it? I heard Linus drives a Mercedes Benz. Only BMWs for you? I also heard Linus uses gcc.
I don't think anybody considers DJB a leader of the Free Software movement.
They consider him a brilliant man, and excellent programmer, and generous to let people download his code. They consider him a hero for taking on and beating the US government. They consider him a jerk. I've never heard anybody call him a leader of the Free Software Movement. I've never even heard his license-free software to be considered Free Software.
As an aside, many people call him a jerk for his style of writing information and documentation. I had to install a DNS server, and I found his you-must-be-a-moron-so-I-will-explain-everything-in-very-simple-terms documentation very informative, clear, and helpful. The security advantage is nice, but to me, tinydns' greatest advantage was the DJB's documentation.
The article did not say it was the technology's fault. The market for simple STBs is not large enough to make selling them to consumers worth it for the manufacturers.
Or perhaps it is an issue of the length of the patent. At the time the current term of 14 years was set, it took a long time to develop something, and it would be in use for a long time. Now with many software systems, the development period is much shorter and the time between introduction and obsolescence is less than a decade in most cases, and less than a few years in some; compared to many decades of use of, say, the cotton gin.
Or maybe it is an issue of interoperability. If only one company can produce a cotton gin, that doesn't prevent anybody from using other products to plant, grow, and pick the cotton, or to make clothes with it. Can somebody give an example of a software patent that covers one thing, but prevents competition (stifling innovation) in regards to products that work before, after, and in conjunction with the patented piece?
The code itself if covered by copyright. The system architecture is not.
You seem to think that patent protection on physical goods encourages innovation, but patent protection on system architecture does not. Why do you think that is?
If you spend 5 years developing a physical machine that takes some physical input, does something to it in a novel way, and produces output, you can get a patent on it.
Why shouldn't you be able to patent software which takes some electronic input, does something to it in a novel way, and produces output?
I just checked out their website, and their stuff looks good. Except the pointing devices. I will only buy a laptop with a track point 3 mouse buttons that can be reached without moving my hands from the keyboard. An email to MPC confirmed that none of their laptops have a third button nor a track point; and they have no plan to add them.
I've seen an iBook go flying off of a table into a wall 6 feet away, courtesy of a 3 year old girl fleeing from her 5 year old sister. Cracked the case, but it still works fine 2 years later.
Don't buy a Thinkpad anyway, the quality has gone through the floor in the last few years. My company bought some new T43's, and they are pieces of crap.
I moved to a new county fewer than 30 days before the 2006 elections and promptly registered to vote in my new county. Thus, by law, I was not able to vote anywhere. Does that mean I am not allowed to complain?
Why can't there be public cables terminating into a patch bay in a public utility building, so the providers just connect their customers to their network right there. Could not telephone and cable wiring be handled this way?
Have very stiff fines for "accidentally" disconnecting another carrier's customer. Large monetary fine, and whoever did it is not allowed back in that building, ever. The downside is that a company could see exactly which customers use their competitors. If the switching were done electronically or electromechanically (or by a public employee), that information could be hidden.
Right. In real capitalism, companies offer variety if they think it will make them more money. Why not, instead of trying to force the monopoly to do what they likely would if it were not a monopoly, remove the government-sanctioned monopoly?
You want to demand that a company offers to sell you a product in a way it doesn't want to sell. We should demand that record stores be required to sell the CD only with no case or liner notes for less! We should demand that McDonalds sell you the burger without the bun for less! We should demand that car companies sell the car without the rear seats for less! We should demand that pasta sauce companies sell the sauce without the garlic for less!
Seriously. Why do you want to legislate that private corporations sell something they don't want to?
Slashdot Mirror
Walk in, slap a big yellow sticker on it that says "Repair Ticket" in big letters, and carry it out.
You don't use KDE because one person whose priorities you do not like uses it? I heard Linus drives a Mercedes Benz. Only BMWs for you? I also heard Linus uses gcc.
In Soviet Russia, high UID users correct low UID users.
I don't think anybody considers DJB a leader of the Free Software movement.
They consider him a brilliant man, and excellent programmer, and generous to let people download his code. They consider him a hero for taking on and beating the US government. They consider him a jerk. I've never heard anybody call him a leader of the Free Software Movement. I've never even heard his license-free software to be considered Free Software.
As an aside, many people call him a jerk for his style of writing information and documentation. I had to install a DNS server, and I found his you-must-be-a-moron-so-I-will-explain-everything-in-very-simple-terms documentation very informative, clear, and helpful. The security advantage is nice, but to me, tinydns' greatest advantage was the DJB's documentation.
Fixed it for you.
Did you RTFA?
The article did not say it was the technology's fault. The market for simple STBs is not large enough to make selling them to consumers worth it for the manufacturers.
Ooh, the Storm-infected one has that blinking red HDD light. Pretty!
Guns are shiny, have moving parts, and make lots of noise. Of _course_ /.ers like them.
Let's see you last for 4 years when out-manned, out-gunned, out-fed, and out-funded.
How about "burning library of congresses"
I print selection more often than I print [the whole document].
Are there any iPod users who aren't at the mall?
Or perhaps it is an issue of the length of the patent. At the time the current term of 14 years was set, it took a long time to develop something, and it would be in use for a long time. Now with many software systems, the development period is much shorter and the time between introduction and obsolescence is less than a decade in most cases, and less than a few years in some; compared to many decades of use of, say, the cotton gin.
Or maybe it is an issue of interoperability. If only one company can produce a cotton gin, that doesn't prevent anybody from using other products to plant, grow, and pick the cotton, or to make clothes with it. Can somebody give an example of a software patent that covers one thing, but prevents competition (stifling innovation) in regards to products that work before, after, and in conjunction with the patented piece?
The code itself if covered by copyright. The system architecture is not.
You seem to think that patent protection on physical goods encourages innovation, but patent protection on system architecture does not. Why do you think that is?
If you spend 5 years developing a physical machine that takes some physical input, does something to it in a novel way, and produces output, you can get a patent on it.
Why shouldn't you be able to patent software which takes some electronic input, does something to it in a novel way, and produces output?
I just checked out their website, and their stuff looks good. Except the pointing devices. I will only buy a laptop with a track point 3 mouse buttons that can be reached without moving my hands from the keyboard. An email to MPC confirmed that none of their laptops have a third button nor a track point; and they have no plan to add them.
I've seen an iBook go flying off of a table into a wall 6 feet away, courtesy of a 3 year old girl fleeing from her 5 year old sister. Cracked the case, but it still works fine 2 years later.
Don't buy a Thinkpad anyway, the quality has gone through the floor in the last few years. My company bought some new T43's, and they are pieces of crap.
I moved to a new county fewer than 30 days before the 2006 elections and promptly registered to vote in my new county. Thus, by law, I was not able to vote anywhere. Does that mean I am not allowed to complain?
Plural. It would require that _two_ people bought them.
Spam doesn't need to work. The spammers just need to convince a bunch of clueless manager, of which there seem to be no shortage, that it works.
Of course these same clueless managers probably _do_ buy from spam.
Why can't there be public cables terminating into a patch bay in a public utility building, so the providers just connect their customers to their network right there. Could not telephone and cable wiring be handled this way?
Have very stiff fines for "accidentally" disconnecting another carrier's customer. Large monetary fine, and whoever did it is not allowed back in that building, ever. The downside is that a company could see exactly which customers use their competitors. If the switching were done electronically or electromechanically (or by a public employee), that information could be hidden.
Right. In real capitalism, companies offer variety if they think it will make them more money. Why not, instead of trying to force the monopoly to do what they likely would if it were not a monopoly, remove the government-sanctioned monopoly?
You want to demand that a company offers to sell you a product in a way it doesn't want to sell. We should demand that record stores be required to sell the CD only with no case or liner notes for less! We should demand that McDonalds sell you the burger without the bun for less! We should demand that car companies sell the car without the rear seats for less! We should demand that pasta sauce companies sell the sauce without the garlic for less!
Seriously. Why do you want to legislate that private corporations sell something they don't want to?