Yes, Free Software (or Open Source if you're not fussy) is an indirect attack on the BillG model of selling software like blue jeans. Write it once, sell many times. It wasn't originally conceived this way, more a matter of RMS wanting to modify a Xerox printer driver.
However, please recognize the BillG model is not the only, nor the most successful model of software commerce. It is merely the most spectacular. Long before BillG was born, and long after MS-Windows dies there will be custom programming. People happily writing code to meet some customers particular requirements, and being happy to hand over source and rights as "work for hire". What the customer does with the code depends on their circumstances. The GPL carefully protects this business model.
The GPL does attack the "jackpot" BillG model where returns seldom match costs, and when they rarely exceed costs (MS) they do so totally disproportionally.
Jet exhaust is already quite hot, thank you very much. Tell me how adding heat 0.1% to the 70% present in the exhaust will prevent cooling, condensation and crystalization of ice.
Even with lonbg-range microwaves, it'll just recondense since it lost the engine turbulence.
In the past, Democrats who have been very displeased with Republican presidential victories have threatened to move to Canada. And perhaps actually done it.
Where is the escape hatch for Republicans who might be similarly displeased with the Democrat victory?
Thank you. So then this looks most like a court intrique -- a factional fight where dominance is the only thing which counts, and the subject is irrelevant.
It is a crying shame the people who gave the world "The Rights of Man" must now seek protection against their own lords from foreigners in Brussels.
For make no mistake -- corporations are merely updated feudal lords. For they have gathered power and exercise it for profit. And now they wish to enforce it by ritual excommunication.
As I understand the UK legal system, there are some important differences: 1) No class actions; 2) No punative damages; 3) No jury awards.
What, precisely, is the downside for ATARI's troll? Yes, they could have to pay [taxed/controlled] defense legal costs. But the defendant would have to put up all the money first, then try to recover the judge's award included in the verdict.
Please tell me again, what is the downside? Judges may well fume. But they can do nothing. The letters are not extortion, but an "offer to settle" that might even be excluded from evidence as such!
The UK legal system mostly works because of self restraint. And poorly when that fails. Sometimes you can find a barrister who doesn't mind egg on his face. Solicters live there.
At work I'm an SME (Subject Matter Expert) who rates technology according to EAR classifications. Everybody is trained about US Export Compliance and shipping will not send anything without paperwork. People are not supposed to send emails of anything remotely questionable or to/facilitating any Highly-Restricted Country.
Does it work? Sure. Does it fail? Sure. The "bad guys" do get some, but often not everything. And the critical experience is actually pretty easy to control.
Whether the US should or not is a totally different matter. But it dates from 1790, depriving the evil English Navy of pine logs to make into masts & spars.
Thank you for conceeding by namecalling. Yes, of course RFC 3041 could be implemented. Or some other dynamic DHCP-like scheme. And who knows, in some place it just might be. But it will take cooperation of multi-layers of network providers.
But there is NO technical reason to do so, and the implementation causes considerable additional complexity to 128b! routing tables. The purpose behind IPv6 and the overlong addrs was specifically to simplify routing. Which incidentally simplifies traceability.
The more restrictive communications and police authorities quite simply will not allow it, and will have cost and technical arguments on their side. I expect Singapore or China to be the first frogmarched to IPv6. Right now, these same goons have no choice -- for technical reasons (addr shortage) they have to live with DHCP and log backtracing. IPv6 will give them packet stamping.
Sure, you can just use a FW. But a switch will work just as well, cheaper. So the market for IPv6 FWs won't be anything nearly as favorable as IPv4 soho routers/firewalls where you need NAT and the the FW for ~free.
After some misgivings, I've learned to like NAT. It fails safe -- no comms. I'd be worried about a FW failing/being subverted "open".
But there are serious costs to IPv6, both setup and running. Sure, new routers can be paid for. But you'll pay for 128bit addresses forever. Then there are the privacy issues -- DHCP IPv4 provides some masking, while IPv6 provides none whatsoever and likely gets archived.
As for 100% addressibility, sorry, no. I don't want it. I have a home router working as firewall, and I'm not about to give up the security. If I get X10++ ether-over-power lightswitches or appliances, I'll control them via ssh into my main box. Not some webtastic interfarce.
"Better is the enemy of the good". Sure, there are apparent (theoretical?) flaws in the Intarwebs. As there are in all things. The bigger question is whether these flaws are fatal in practice.
IPv6 is an interesting case study. Theoretically better, but largely unadopted. The net benefits cannot be large.
Too many projects have been killed by over-optimizing. And people who say something is impossible should get out of the way of those actually doing it!
Being charged and being convicted should be two different things. American police and persecutors are famously unethical for overcharging, particularly as a means of corrupt plea-bargaining.
I'm not precisely certain what criminal intent the state/federal laws require. Is the mere presence criminal, or is some fraudulent intent required? A good lawyer is necessary.
In any case, he has embarrassed "The Man" and must be made to suffer! Or so run the bureaucratic defensive dinosaur brains reflexes. What "The Man" does not realize is s/he can win the battle and lose the war. Sure, this dude can be made uncomfortable. But they've just warned the rest of us very loudly. So instead of a private word, we'll go straight to the press!
1000 ly is a crude approx made from 38,000 evenly in galactic volume 100,000 dia, 1000 ly thick. Gives spheres 734 ly diam. Rounded to 1000 ly. Probably much greater due to low stellar density near us (vs core).
In contrast to micro-electronics and receivers, I do not believe transmitter efficiency has improved much. The example of Voyager is as transmitter. I don't believe it can receive anything and is running on pgming.
If we accept the 38,000 ETs, that means the average distance between ETs is about 1000 ly.
Take the Voyager data as a nice proxy measure of long-distance communications. With our best RTs looking in exactly the right spot, its 3W of power and moderately directional antenna could barely send 110 baud from the orbit of Pluto. Crunch, crunch... that means that an ET lighthouse at 1000ly needs to be transmitting 75 GW (or have equivalent antenna improvements). How likely?
I cap the time because the technology changes even if we/they continue to use EM such that comms become barely distinguishable from noise. With NTSC analog TV going away next year, one of our big identifiable sources dies. In 50 years (max), they will all be gone.
Then you start relying on deliberate lighthouse efforts.
There is also a small matter of the inverse square-law.
I think I'd rather have an estimate of the total number of stars and time rather than a current "formation rate" which may or may not be representative of the formation rate 4 billion years ago.
Not only is space vast, but so is time. For how long can we assume that an ET civilization will be using/monitoring "conventional" EM band emissions? 1000 years? out of how many? 12 billion (reduced from 16 to allow for multi-generation stars)?
Already our own emissions have "degraded" from an easy-to-identify analog central-frequency, to digital spread-spectrum that is much more difficult to distinguish from white noise. Expect the redundancy to reduce, making identification harder.
Where the US ranks depends entirely on what you expect an educational system to accomplish. In teaching the 3 Rs (let alone formal logic) the US average is well behind other developed nations (but the dispersion is probably higher).
This has been lamented since at least Mark Twain's time and grows rather repetitious. Thousands of school districts across 50 states have tried all sorts of things, and been watched by millions of parents, each other, and hundreds of univerity faculties of education full of "publish or perish" professors.
However, in teaching skepticism towards authority and the evils of arbitrary authority, the US public school system has no equal. It provides daily demonstrations and is of perfect [insufficient] competence to truly squelch many students.
Given the choice between learning skills and learning attitudes/philosophy, I think the latter are more important. Skills can be learned when needed. We got what we got 'cuz we want it.
Well, I'm not sure evolution is limited/driven by mutations. I thought the natural selection (multi-generational differential reproductivity) matters more. But no matter -- even if mutations are the key step, we're in good shape:
For any reduced fecundity of older men reducing degenerate mutations, we have a VAST increase in chemical mutagens present in both males and females. Modern inductrial chemicals are everywhere. Far more variety than the pre-industrial smoke & soot.
Combustion efficiency these days on road vehicles has to be near 100% lest the unconverted fuel exceed what the downstream catalystic converters can handle. But if you want to measure, just put thermocouples on the converter outlet too!
Slashdot Mirror
However, please recognize the BillG model is not the only, nor the most successful model of software commerce. It is merely the most spectacular. Long before BillG was born, and long after MS-Windows dies there will be custom programming. People happily writing code to meet some customers particular requirements, and being happy to hand over source and rights as "work for hire". What the customer does with the code depends on their circumstances. The GPL carefully protects this business model.
The GPL does attack the "jackpot" BillG model where returns seldom match costs, and when they rarely exceed costs (MS) they do so totally disproportionally.
Even with lonbg-range microwaves, it'll just recondense since it lost the engine turbulence.
In the past, Democrats who have been very displeased with Republican presidential victories have threatened to move to Canada. And perhaps actually done it.
Where is the escape hatch for Republicans who might be similarly displeased with the Democrat victory?
Without sufficient safeguards (power sharing), a democracy can easily become an elected dictatorship.
Thank you. So then this looks most like a court intrique -- a factional fight where dominance is the only thing which counts, and the subject is irrelevant.
For make no mistake -- corporations are merely updated feudal lords. For they have gathered power and exercise it for profit. And now they wish to enforce it by ritual excommunication.
What, precisely, is the downside for ATARI's troll? Yes, they could have to pay [taxed/controlled] defense legal costs. But the defendant would have to put up all the money first, then try to recover the judge's award included in the verdict.
Please tell me again, what is the downside? Judges may well fume. But they can do nothing. The letters are not extortion, but an "offer to settle" that might even be excluded from evidence as such!
The UK legal system mostly works because of self restraint. And poorly when that fails. Sometimes you can find a barrister who doesn't mind egg on his face. Solicters live there.
This sounds like the best way to unsubscribe from their services!
Does it work? Sure. Does it fail? Sure. The "bad guys" do get some, but often not everything. And the critical experience is actually pretty easy to control.
Whether the US should or not is a totally different matter. But it dates from 1790, depriving the evil English Navy of pine logs to make into masts & spars.
Would it be feasible to put the lander into a hibernation mode and restart it next [martian] summer?
But there is NO technical reason to do so, and the implementation causes considerable additional complexity to 128b! routing tables. The purpose behind IPv6 and the overlong addrs was specifically to simplify routing. Which incidentally simplifies traceability.
The more restrictive communications and police authorities quite simply will not allow it, and will have cost and technical arguments on their side. I expect Singapore or China to be the first frogmarched to IPv6. Right now, these same goons have no choice -- for technical reasons (addr shortage) they have to live with DHCP and log backtracing. IPv6 will give them packet stamping.
Some swapping, but mostly OK. Kernel 2.6.27 seems to help a bit since it got rid of the big kernel swap lock.
After some misgivings, I've learned to like NAT. It fails safe -- no comms. I'd be worried about a FW failing/being subverted "open".
As for 100% addressibility, sorry, no. I don't want it. I have a home router working as firewall, and I'm not about to give up the security. If I get X10++ ether-over-power lightswitches or appliances, I'll control them via ssh into my main box. Not some webtastic interfarce.
IPv6 is an interesting case study. Theoretically better, but largely unadopted. The net benefits cannot be large.
Too many projects have been killed by over-optimizing. And people who say something is impossible should get out of the way of those actually doing it!
I'm not precisely certain what criminal intent the state/federal laws require. Is the mere presence criminal, or is some fraudulent intent required? A good lawyer is necessary.
In any case, he has embarrassed "The Man" and must be made to suffer! Or so run the bureaucratic defensive dinosaur brains reflexes. What "The Man" does not realize is s/he can win the battle and lose the war. Sure, this dude can be made uncomfortable. But they've just warned the rest of us very loudly. So instead of a private word, we'll go straight to the press!
In contrast to micro-electronics and receivers, I do not believe transmitter efficiency has improved much. The example of Voyager is as transmitter. I don't believe it can receive anything and is running on pgming.
Take the Voyager data as a nice proxy measure of long-distance communications. With our best RTs looking in exactly the right spot, its 3W of power and moderately directional antenna could barely send 110 baud from the orbit of Pluto. Crunch, crunch ... that means that an ET lighthouse at 1000ly needs to be transmitting 75 GW (or have equivalent antenna improvements). How likely?
Then you start relying on deliberate lighthouse efforts.
There is also a small matter of the inverse square-law.
I think I'd rather have an estimate of the total number of stars and time rather than a current "formation rate" which may or may not be representative of the formation rate 4 billion years ago.
Already our own emissions have "degraded" from an easy-to-identify analog central-frequency, to digital spread-spectrum that is much more difficult to distinguish from white noise. Expect the redundancy to reduce, making identification harder.
Yes, I know the press yawns like a hungry, devouring beast. That why we get cr@p in the newspapers and on-air.
However, the web is pull, and you don't need to post when you've got nothing to say. Say it clearly!
This has been lamented since at least Mark Twain's time and grows rather repetitious. Thousands of school districts across 50 states have tried all sorts of things, and been watched by millions of parents, each other, and hundreds of univerity faculties of education full of "publish or perish" professors.
However, in teaching skepticism towards authority and the evils of arbitrary authority, the US public school system has no equal. It provides daily demonstrations and is of perfect [insufficient] competence to truly squelch many students.
Given the choice between learning skills and learning attitudes/philosophy, I think the latter are more important. Skills can be learned when needed. We got what we got 'cuz we want it.
Well, I'm not sure evolution is limited/driven by mutations. I thought the natural selection (multi-generational differential reproductivity) matters more. But no matter -- even if mutations are the key step, we're in good shape:
For any reduced fecundity of older men reducing degenerate mutations, we have a VAST increase in chemical mutagens present in both males and females. Modern inductrial chemicals are everywhere. Far more variety than the pre-industrial smoke & soot.
Combustion efficiency these days on road vehicles has to be near 100% lest the unconverted fuel exceed what the downstream catalystic converters can handle. But if you want to measure, just put thermocouples on the converter outlet too!