... In any case, encouraging profit from a public resource like this is a terrible idea.
Oh sure, give away those IP addresses, then someone else will hoard them and sit on them indefinitely because they might become valuable in the future (and a boss might blame them if they find out they gave them away).
The next thing you'll tell us is that domain names should be given out for free as well I suppose.
My 1GB android devices slug up so fast it is silly.
May be, you should be upgrading your device, or upgrading to Jellybeans if you can. After all, I know many iPhone owners that are having their share of problems (hanging and freezing) for not running on the latest iPhones.
Please note the summary is obviously about the "International" version of the Galaxy SIII.
Actually, Canada which is the country this benchmark was made in, also has faster Android phones.
Selecting (out-of-the-country) phones for this benchmark which have slower processors was most likely a deliberate choice on their part. It's a well known fact that if you post negative news news about Apple (it doesn't matter how big you are), or post negative reviews, you and all your colleagues at your company get blacklisted from their VIP events and most importantly, you and all your colleagues (including your bosses), also get blacklisted from receiving any "freebie" review devices.
For instance, while Chinese students, on average, have twice the number of instructional hours as Americans, both countries have identical scores on tests of scientific reasoning.
So what? One set of students is studying Chinese, which is not easy and a never-ending process. The other set of student is studying English. One set of students is learning how to clean their own classrooms, clean their own toilets, grow their own food, learn good socialist "morals", and learn to behave like a military unit. The other set of students is really not learning any of those things.
Besides even in China, there are vast differences between schools and between the different populations they serve. This guy is really comparing apples and oranges. He already has an opinion, and he's just picking up vague facts that sound like they might support his opinion. That's just too bad, because the question he was asking was actually pretty good. It would have been interesting to read an objective informed opinion on this issue.
If it's so obvious, why has nobody yet done it with more than 5 years of smartphones on the market.
Actually, my Nexus S (which is already a two year old model I think) has been doing this ever since I can remember.
In fact, that's probably why Microsoft used the word "whack", and not "shake" or "move". If they had used any of those other words, a simple bing search (yes, even a bing search I tell you) would have uncovered multiple instances of prior art on both Android and on the iPhone.
No doubt, they'll try to use this little play on words in their commercials to say how unique the feature is, and how they're the only one who have it because they patented the idea.
... when it comes to games. If linux made a performance distro FOR games that was significantly faster then windows in terms of framerates/etc only then would people think of changing.
Do you really think so? Why would people start switching when there are already so many game console games? smartphone/tablet games? online games? and even now new TV-set top box games or smart TV games? Do you really believe that PC-only games are as important a reason to switch to Linux as it was 10 years ago?
The reason most people are not switching to linux is just because they don't see much broken with their current Windows system. And it takes much more energy to try something new then keeping with the status quo. You guys know the saying: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it." (even if there are few little things that are broken here and there, it's not too bad right now)
Right now, Linux distributions just need to look a few steps ahead, not look back in the rear view mirror. God knows, there are many new trends happening right now, if you're a linux developer, you just need to focus on the new trends that you like and that you think will be successful.
And if Aliyun fails to run an Android application, customers will see Aliyun as bad, and the platform will not prosper. Problem solved.
And yet, that's not how people saw Java ME when they couldn't run downloaded Java ME applications on their device. In fact, if there is one distinguishing factor with Java ME, it's that one, it's the mandated compatibility test suite among different device manufacturers and carriers.
Why does Google have to play nanny?
Google is not playing nanny. Google is just watching out who it's partnering with. Acer and Alibaba are free to do what they want. It's not like Google is going to sue them anyhow. Why should Google be forced to provide technical assistance to a competing fork of theirs?
So what? He's not forced to use it. Many game developers don't.
Also, it's not like a pirated copy of x-plane can't easily be obtained elsewhere. There is really no point of using this form of DRM now. It's only an hindrance to the developer (because he's getting sued) and to the people who actually purchase his game, not to the actual people downloading his game through filesharing.
Or they could just issue an update that removes that little animation and replace it with the animation Jellybeans uses (which is not rubber band like, but which achieves the same purpose).
I would say Laminar Research needs to get EFF on the phone but I don't know if they would help defend a commercial product.
The EFF does defend commercial products sometimes, but yes, EFF defending DRM? I certainly hope not. If the EFF did ever start defending things like DRM, they'd lose half their membership.
I've had the displeasure of dealing with this sociopath on a number of occasions (Meyer) and he really is a piece of work (e.g. nutcase.) The cost that he whines about is purely speculative, but of course, we must believe him because his opinions are fact. I hate to say it, but I don't have any sympathy at all.
Also, he's asking for financial contributions to defend the DRM licensing scheme he's using. What is he thinking? Does he even know he's posting on Slashdot? There are plenty of good non-DRM'd flight simulators on Android, both free and paid ones.
Truth is, as most of the code on android is apache licenced or GPL (as the kernel) there is no need to ask google's permission to make anything with it.
Except for two things, some OEMs get advanced access to the code base before it's released to the general public and some OEMs get special access to the core Android developers if they can't get something to work on their own.
This is probably one of the reasons the two other Chinese government-sponsored forks of Android are still stuck at Android 1.6 and Android 2.3. It actually takes time to vet a new release of Android for NSA backdoors and security holes, and introducing your own backdoors into it. And I'm willing to bet that Chinese consumers are as impatient when it comes to getting new releases as American consumers are, many probably will just root their devices, or pay someone to root their device, and just install their own ROMS.
It would be OK because it is clearly not intended to arouse. To be banned "it must reasonably be assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal".
Would the smutty paperback pocket books found at supermarkets qualify too? What "purpose" do you think those books have? And if books like "Pride and Prejudice" have under-aged characters, I would expect those slightly less literary books to contain some under-aged characters as well. Can the UK system really imprison that many women for "3 years"? If you ask me, all those new prisons are going to cost of a lot of money.
Ah ok, what about "Lolita" assuming it had not been a preexisting book yet? Would the MP get aroused by that? The MP clearly gets aroused by things that don't arouse me, so I'm just wandering what he means by his definition of "reasonable".
I notice he has made exceptions for existing works such as "Lolita"...
So I assume Maya Angelou's previous written account of how her uncle molested her would be ok in that case, it's just any new material she writes about that trauma that would get her books burned and her readers prosecuted??
This is Slashdot and nobody seems to have done a simple USPTO search!
[...]
The USPTO search should be compulsory reading before commenting on these issues. It quickly shows whether someone has a case, may have a case, or doesn't understand how trademarks work
Actually, I did a Trademark search as soon as the story was posted.
Even if the money offered was enough for people in the Third World, surely people with the English language skills required could find something better. It's unclear to be just what demographic MTurk is depending on now.
They're mostly doing it for ratings these days, not actual money.
I'm surprised a highly rated Slashdot user such as yourself didn't pick up on that.
If your purpose is really just for "analysis and ultimately functionality, not persistence" then there is really no reason to keep an email or a name. Just assign a unique identifier, and then you're done.
So if for some reason, the user wants to get in touch with you to file a bug report, or what not, then assign a unique identifier for the device to the bug report (in case you get other bug reports coming from the same source), but don't ask for his/her contact information unless the user ticks a box asking specifically for a reply from you. Basically, if you tie your requests for information directly to your user actions, then it will become obvious to your users why you need the information you need.
And if you need their emails for marketing reasons, basically the marketing department wants it -- then be upfront about that too. If you're upfront and honest with the way you're going to handle or mishandle information, and not try to bury it under vague language and pages and pages of terms and conditions, then I think most users will still be willing to share their information with you. That being said, don't forget to research and comply with local laws too, in the regions where your application(s) will be made available.
I think we all got scammed here on Slashdot. I'm willing to bet this Dusty Phillips is the one who originally submitted the story anonymously to Slashdot. Here is why I'd think that.
Summary incorrectly states that he's the author. He only did some editing, the content was written by the community.
Correction: For the paperback version, he did not do **any** editing whatsoever.
Here is the only customer review for his book in paperback version.
What I was hoping for in this book was a little better laid out and explained version of the tutorial from Arch's website. What I received is a verbatim printed version of the website in a pocket sized soft cover book. I wanted a printed version that I could follow along with, and had considered just printing the website in the first place. At least for $11 the book might have cost less than it would have to print out all those pages on my own. Ink is expensive! My biggest complain is that it really is word for word from the website. For example, the VERY FIRST PAGE has an underlined hyper-link to go for more info. Go ahead, try and click it... I dare you
You can actually confirm this by going to his book and 'click[ing] to look inside'. The book is horribly edited. The table of content is misaligned. It's just a very poor print out of the wiki site with blue links all over the place.
Furthermore, he's listed on Amazon for the paperback version of the book as its sole author, which is a listing he has complete control over. And no, I'm not talking about the cover of the book, or inside the book, I'm talking about the way he listed himself in the Amazon index, which is the part almost everyone sees even if most never take a close look at anything else. And yes, even if he didn't want to list Aaron Griffin and Judd Vinet as the main authors/original copyright holders of this work on Amazon, it is indeed possible to list himself as an (editor) only, for instance just like these guys did with the Richard Feynmans' letters.
Another way to think about it: I'm looking for the computer equivalent of teaching my son how to survive in the forest should the zombie apocalypse ever come.
It sounds like he just needs to drop off the little tyke in the middle of nowhere with a slide-ruler, a compass, and a map.
The article says it's because their current contract with their payment processor gives them exclusivity until February. In February, the ban will no longer be in effect, and they'll be free to experiment with new payment systems and taxi-related phone applications that accept payments.
And yes, I know I cheated. I knew I wasn't supposed to read the article, but I just couldn't help myself.
Slashdot Mirror
A strike!
... In any case, encouraging profit from a public resource like this is a terrible idea.
Oh sure, give away those IP addresses, then someone else will hoard them and sit on them indefinitely because they might become valuable in the future (and a boss might blame them if they find out they gave them away).
The next thing you'll tell us is that domain names should be given out for free as well I suppose.
My 1GB android devices slug up so fast it is silly.
May be, you should be upgrading your device, or upgrading to Jellybeans if you can. After all, I know many iPhone owners that are having their share of problems (hanging and freezing) for not running on the latest iPhones.
Imagine if they put a higher clocked, quad-core version of this in an iPad.
Four cores only. That's sooooooo last year.
On my Nexus 7, I already get a quad-core, plus 12 GPUs!
Please note the summary is obviously about the "International" version of the Galaxy SIII.
Actually, Canada which is the country this benchmark was made in, also has faster Android phones.
Selecting (out-of-the-country) phones for this benchmark which have slower processors was most likely a deliberate choice on their part. It's a well known fact that if you post negative news news about Apple (it doesn't matter how big you are), or post negative reviews, you and all your colleagues at your company get blacklisted from their VIP events and most importantly, you and all your colleagues (including your bosses), also get blacklisted from receiving any "freebie" review devices.
For instance, while Chinese students, on average, have twice the number of instructional hours as Americans, both countries have identical scores on tests of scientific reasoning.
So what? One set of students is studying Chinese, which is not easy and a never-ending process. The other set of student is studying English. One set of students is learning how to clean their own classrooms, clean their own toilets, grow their own food, learn good socialist "morals", and learn to behave like a military unit. The other set of students is really not learning any of those things.
Besides even in China, there are vast differences between schools and between the different populations they serve. This guy is really comparing apples and oranges. He already has an opinion, and he's just picking up vague facts that sound like they might support his opinion. That's just too bad, because the question he was asking was actually pretty good. It would have been interesting to read an objective informed opinion on this issue.
Not me, I actually like the Microsoft patent.
It just gives me one more excuse to whack some people on the side of their head while they're on their phone.
If it's so obvious, why has nobody yet done it with more than 5 years of smartphones on the market.
Actually, my Nexus S (which is already a two year old model I think) has been doing this ever since I can remember.
In fact, that's probably why Microsoft used the word "whack", and not "shake" or "move". If they had used any of those other words, a simple bing search (yes, even a bing search I tell you) would have uncovered multiple instances of prior art on both Android and on the iPhone.
No doubt, they'll try to use this little play on words in their commercials to say how unique the feature is, and how they're the only one who have it because they patented the idea.
... when it comes to games. If linux made a performance distro FOR games that was significantly faster then windows in terms of framerates/etc only then would people think of changing.
Do you really think so? Why would people start switching when there are already so many game console games? smartphone/tablet games? online games? and even now new TV-set top box games or smart TV games? Do you really believe that PC-only games are as important a reason to switch to Linux as it was 10 years ago?
The reason most people are not switching to linux is just because they don't see much broken with their current Windows system. And it takes much more energy to try something new then keeping with the status quo. You guys know the saying: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it." (even if there are few little things that are broken here and there, it's not too bad right now)
Right now, Linux distributions just need to look a few steps ahead, not look back in the rear view mirror. God knows, there are many new trends happening right now, if you're a linux developer, you just need to focus on the new trends that you like and that you think will be successful.
And if Aliyun fails to run an Android application, customers will see Aliyun as bad, and the platform will not prosper. Problem solved.
And yet, that's not how people saw Java ME when they couldn't run downloaded Java ME applications on their device. In fact, if there is one distinguishing factor with Java ME, it's that one, it's the mandated compatibility test suite among different device manufacturers and carriers.
Why does Google have to play nanny?
Google is not playing nanny. Google is just watching out who it's partnering with. Acer and Alibaba are free to do what they want. It's not like Google is going to sue them anyhow. Why should Google be forced to provide technical assistance to a competing fork of theirs?
So what? He's not forced to use it. Many game developers don't.
Also, it's not like a pirated copy of x-plane can't easily be obtained elsewhere. There is really no point of using this form of DRM now. It's only an hindrance to the developer (because he's getting sued) and to the people who actually purchase his game, not to the actual people downloading his game through filesharing.
Or they could just issue an update that removes that little animation and replace it with the animation Jellybeans uses (which is not rubber band like, but which achieves the same purpose).
I would say Laminar Research needs to get EFF on the phone but I don't know if they would help defend a commercial product.
The EFF does defend commercial products sometimes, but yes, EFF defending DRM? I certainly hope not. If the EFF did ever start defending things like DRM, they'd lose half their membership.
I've had the displeasure of dealing with this sociopath on a number of occasions (Meyer) and he really is a piece of work (e.g. nutcase.) The cost that he whines about is purely speculative, but of course, we must believe him because his opinions are fact. I hate to say it, but I don't have any sympathy at all.
Also, he's asking for financial contributions to defend the DRM licensing scheme he's using. What is he thinking? Does he even know he's posting on Slashdot? There are plenty of good non-DRM'd flight simulators on Android, both free and paid ones.
Here is my favorite one for instance: F18 Carrier Landing Lite
Truth is, as most of the code on android is apache licenced or GPL (as the kernel) there is no need to ask google's permission to make anything with it.
Except for two things, some OEMs get advanced access to the code base before it's released to the general public and some OEMs get special access to the core Android developers if they can't get something to work on their own.
This is probably one of the reasons the two other Chinese government-sponsored forks of Android are still stuck at Android 1.6 and Android 2.3. It actually takes time to vet a new release of Android for NSA backdoors and security holes, and introducing your own backdoors into it. And I'm willing to bet that Chinese consumers are as impatient when it comes to getting new releases as American consumers are, many probably will just root their devices, or pay someone to root their device, and just install their own ROMS.
It would be OK because it is clearly not intended to arouse. To be banned "it must reasonably be assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal".
Would the smutty paperback pocket books found at supermarkets qualify too? What "purpose" do you think those books have? And if books like "Pride and Prejudice" have under-aged characters, I would expect those slightly less literary books to contain some under-aged characters as well. Can the UK system really imprison that many women for "3 years"? If you ask me, all those new prisons are going to cost of a lot of money.
Ah ok, what about "Lolita" assuming it had not been a preexisting book yet? Would the MP get aroused by that? The MP clearly gets aroused by things that don't arouse me, so I'm just wandering what he means by his definition of "reasonable".
Maybe it has to do with leaving a job that I like (something I've never done) that just doesn't sit well with me.
The guy definitely has problems.
No wonder employer A sucks and employer B sucks even more, but is a little closer. The guy really isn't actively looking for a job.
He should just stay with employer A for now, and actively search to generate job offers from actual software companies.
I notice he has made exceptions for existing works such as "Lolita"...
So I assume Maya Angelou's previous written account of how her uncle molested her would be ok in that case, it's just any new material she writes about that trauma that would get her books burned and her readers prosecuted??
This is Slashdot and nobody seems to have done a simple USPTO search!
[...]
The USPTO search should be compulsory reading before commenting on these issues. It quickly shows whether someone has a case, may have a case, or doesn't understand how trademarks work
Actually, I did a Trademark search as soon as the story was posted.
And this is what I found, not that this told me very much, so I didn't post anything.
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4003:r7b59b.2.1
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4003:r7b59b.2.2
Even if the money offered was enough for people in the Third World, surely people with the English language skills required could find something better. It's unclear to be just what demographic MTurk is depending on now.
They're mostly doing it for ratings these days, not actual money.
I'm surprised a highly rated Slashdot user such as yourself didn't pick up on that.
If your purpose is really just for "analysis and ultimately functionality, not persistence" then there is really no reason to keep an email or a name. Just assign a unique identifier, and then you're done.
So if for some reason, the user wants to get in touch with you to file a bug report, or what not, then assign a unique identifier for the device to the bug report (in case you get other bug reports coming from the same source), but don't ask for his/her contact information unless the user ticks a box asking specifically for a reply from you. Basically, if you tie your requests for information directly to your user actions, then it will become obvious to your users why you need the information you need.
And if you need their emails for marketing reasons, basically the marketing department wants it -- then be upfront about that too. If you're upfront and honest with the way you're going to handle or mishandle information, and not try to bury it under vague language and pages and pages of terms and conditions, then I think most users will still be willing to share their information with you. That being said, don't forget to research and comply with local laws too, in the regions where your application(s) will be made available.
I think we all got scammed here on Slashdot. I'm willing to bet this Dusty Phillips is the one who originally submitted the story anonymously to Slashdot. Here is why I'd think that.
Summary incorrectly states that he's the author. He only did some editing, the content was written by the community.
Correction: For the paperback version, he did not do **any** editing whatsoever.
Here is the only customer review for his book in paperback version.
What I was hoping for in this book was a little better laid out and explained version of the tutorial from Arch's website. What I received is a verbatim printed version of the website in a pocket sized soft cover book. I wanted a printed version that I could follow along with, and had considered just printing the website in the first place. At least for $11 the book might have cost less than it would have to print out all those pages on my own. Ink is expensive! My biggest complain is that it really is word for word from the website. For example, the VERY FIRST PAGE has an underlined hyper-link to go for more info. Go ahead, try and click it... I dare you
You can actually confirm this by going to his book and 'click[ing] to look inside'. The book is horribly edited. The table of content is misaligned. It's just a very poor print out of the wiki site with blue links all over the place.
Furthermore, he's listed on Amazon for the paperback version of the book as its sole author, which is a listing he has complete control over. And no, I'm not talking about the cover of the book, or inside the book, I'm talking about the way he listed himself in the Amazon index, which is the part almost everyone sees even if most never take a close look at anything else. And yes, even if he didn't want to list Aaron Griffin and Judd Vinet as the main authors/original copyright holders of this work on Amazon, it is indeed possible to list himself as an (editor) only, for instance just like these guys did with the Richard Feynmans' letters.
Another way to think about it: I'm looking for the computer equivalent of teaching my son how to survive in the forest should the zombie apocalypse ever come.
It sounds like he just needs to drop off the little tyke in the middle of nowhere with a slide-ruler, a compass, and a map.
Corporate Fraud? Deceptive conduct? Could the lawyers get disbarred?
I would hope so.
Either way, now that the Federal indictment has gotten through -- getting disbarred is the least of their worries right now.
The article says it's because their current contract with their payment processor gives them exclusivity until February. In February, the ban will no longer be in effect, and they'll be free to experiment with new payment systems and taxi-related phone applications that accept payments.
And yes, I know I cheated. I knew I wasn't supposed to read the article, but I just couldn't help myself.