Since when did you buy a shelf-full of books for $9.95?
You must live in a darn cramped space if your bookshelf can only hold five books, which is what the $9.95 per month gets you access to. Using your logic, I can fill my shelf with ORA books for free. Using a library. At least until the publishers find a way to outlaw them.
. . . that says the show will only be available in a streaming-only, proprietary format like Real, Quicktime, or WMA and that they won't see the irony of that.
Let's be realistic here. We're not some super special group in society. We're (most of us, anyway), are employees for companies, and to maintain that employment, we do the job we're given. If we disagree with it in principle, we have the option of pursuing other work.
As a non-programmer, I'd be the first to admit that programmers aren't supermen. That said, remember that, say, HMO physicians are just "employees for companies" and are just as beholden to them as programmers are with respect to being able to do as they're told or find another job.
What would an "oath" do anyway? Would it keep sleazy programmers from working for sleazy companies? Would it get the guy who writes a virus to not write a virus?
Would it keep sleazy doctors from working for sleazy HMO's? Would it get the guy who develops a biological weapon to not create a biological weapon?
Doctors are a different story. Many of them deal with life and death on a regular basis. We programmers, generally, do not.
I'll give you that one as a freebie, though I think if you look around, you'll be surprised at just how many life-critical systems depend on software. Start with Therac-25 in your searches.
And to what should this theoretical oath extend? What about a programmer who works on a guidance system for a cruise missile? Some may find that unethical, others may not.
What about a doctor that works for the CIA developing effective interrogation techniques that involve torture? Some may find that unethical, others may not.
I think the motive is good, but I just don't think that it could amount to anything of importance, unfortunately. I think we ought to teach more about computer ethics in schools. A computer is like any other tool. It can be used for good or it can be used for bad. We need to find a way to stop young people from indulging their tendencies to destroy things (a.k.a. writing a virus or hacking into systems to deface web pages or do real damage), and we ought to be teaching it early on. This, I think, would have a more direct effect.
I pretty much concur. The ACM's code of ethics is a good start--it would be even better without all the toadyism to "intellectual property."
I'll concur with your take on IBM "marketing." I wasn't aware of the developer rules, though the idea does strike me as particularly like Microsoft's anti-competitiveness.
I'm not sure I agree with the idea that Macs become obsolete more slowly--at least with regard to newly shipping apps. How well will your G3-350 (guessing) run Photoshop 7.0 under OSX?
BTW, I also have a G3-350 iMac, upgraded to 256M of RAM, which runs OSX nicely. It's mostly for the wife and kids, though I use it now and then.
and of course the warranty does not cover damage from non-approved cartridges/refills
This is only enforceable if the manufacturer supplies the ink for free (except in the unlikely event the service provider can prove the third party ink caused the damage (i.e. using refills ipso facto isn't considered to have caused the printer to fail). See the Magnasun-Moss Warranty Act, a law written to prevent these kind of abuses (at the time by automobile dealers).
Of course, this would require someone to bitch really loud and/or take a printer manufacturer to court, which would be a big hassle. My plan would be to sue the warranty service provider that refused on those grounds in small claims.
. . . there would be less incentive for developers to write native Mac software . . .
That's what they said about Windows under OS/2. And where's OS/2 now that it can't run Windows 32-bit programs? Reality is that Apple has 5% of the market. That's an attractive target for niche developers, developers that emphasize cross-platform capability, and those that want to maintain the appearance of competition, and can lose money doing so (cough, Microsoft, cough). It's not an attractive target for all the others.
If that directory entry contains even one piece of personally identifiable information about you (e.g. your name; some hard-asses on the subject even say the email address itself constitutes personally identifiable information), it is subject to FERPA. This means that once you notify your school in writing that you no longer wish your directory information released, they must cease doing so.
And even the Ivy League takes federal money in the form of financial aid. Assuming there's an appropriate firewall between academics and the administration (so you don't find yourself suddenly not doing so well in school), you may wish to bring this to the administration's attention. Start with those maintaining the directory and the registrar. Work your way up through legal and the trustees.
The end justifies the means. Do you honestly think bnetd will get a fair hearing anyway?
And you apparently missed the "if you're a copyright infringer" part of the post.You should work on your sarcasm. You come off looking like a witless dolt.
-Vivendi/Blizzard are jackbooted thugs.
-Jackbooted thugs need to be stomped.
-Companies are stomped by being put out of -business.
-Companies can't stay in business without customers.
-If they stay in business, we let them.
Action: boycott Blizzard. Tell your non-technical gaming friends--explain what has happened here, and how V/B intend to milk them as cash cows with a rent-a-game scheme, and tried to crush an innocent software project in the process.
If you're a copyright infringer, make sure WC3 is out there, along with the patched bnetd for WC3 support. Bring pop-in-and-play CDR's and put them on the benches at the mall outside Electronics Botique.
DO WHAT IT TAKES TO KILL THESE BASTARDS IN THE MARKETPLACE!
Stolen? How can software be stolen? The creator's copyright can be infringed, I guess, but I don't see how that would deprive the copyright holder of his copy. I guess the SPA, BSA, et al have been somewhat successful in co-opting the language to make it seem like stealing to the ignorant, but it isn't. At least the newspeak they tried to push in the 80's, "softlifting," didn't manage to stick.
"intellectual" "property" "rights" are none of the three.
You mean like the horrible transition from DOS to Windows that destroyed organizations? Or the horrific migration of millions of secretaries from WordPerfect to MS Word? Or was it the scrapping of Multiplan for Excel?
People can adapt to change. And this district would only have to change once. I think the best course of action for them to pay the $500k, wait a few months for the publicity to blow over (bad politics to appear to "waste" money), then scorched earth every piece of Microsoft software from the district.
Although the idea of making Microsoft enter by force to conduct an audit in the presence of media is an entertaining thought, it's probably the more expensive option.
Ah, but I bet he's paid a salary. Not like those low class proles whose computers he watches over like a little Napoleon over his hegemonic PC empire, who are paid by the hour.
Perhaps you would do well to educate yourself on the difference between satire and namecalling. You are sufficiently educated to not need to resort to ad hominem, yet you do. Out of laziness? Or perhaps it fulfills some sort of deep-seated psychological need for you?
Another heads-up. There are black boxes in cars right now. My Trans Am has one. The XTerra I daily drive has one. Do they monitor speed and narc me out? No. Do keep track of that happens when the car is in an accident? Uh, yeah. 'Cause that's what they do. And that's all they do.
That's because they're not ubiquitous, and the network effect hasn't made it worthwhile for the insurance "industry" to misuse them yet. Thus, your example is yet another misguided (or disingenuous?) attempt to prove a lack of ill intent on the part of insurers, and is incorrect.
Drivers would receive a financial benefit for obeying the law even when they mistakenly think the risk of an accident is low.
And then Santa will bring us all toys, and the Easter Bunny will give eggs in the spring time. A "discount" for the black box is a surcharge for not submitting (you know, like the "discount for cash" at the shadier electronics vendors), and rates won't go down one cent.
I'll drive my late 1990s car until it literally falls apart if the alternative is being tracked like a tagged doe by insurace companies or armed forces of the state (aka police).
The community cares, and has in fact worked hard to get him released.
If that were true, Adobe's stock would be in the toilet from lack of sales. I agree that the community worked hard to get him released, but we seem to have given Adobe a pass. And if all it takes to be able to engage in wanton malicious prosecution and get by with it is "cool products," I guess there really is no community.
so that they could wash their hands of it but still have it happen.
This is exactly what I think happened. They saw the bad PR rolling in, the people dishing on their stock on the investment weblogs, and realized they had a problem. Then they figured out they could have their cake, and eat it too, by walking away knowing full well that the FBI, wanting to increase funding to fight "cybercrime," would hang on like bulldogs.
Sadly enough, it seems to have fooled much of the technically literate community. Or worse, not much of that community cares.
The rub is the pumping (requires some source of energy) and the photovoltaics. While, theoretically, you only pay for them once, solar cells are not cheap. If they were economical to use as opposed to other energy sources, we'd see them used by other than environmentalists or people who want to be trendy. But since they're so expensive, it actually ends up cheaper, for example, for individuals to pay the electric utility company for electricity.
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You must live in a darn cramped space if your bookshelf can only hold five books, which is what the $9.95 per month gets you access to. Using your logic, I can fill my shelf with ORA books for free. Using a library. At least until the publishers find a way to outlaw them.
. . . that says the show will only be available in a streaming-only, proprietary format like Real, Quicktime, or WMA and that they won't see the irony of that.
My guess would be Harlan Ellison.
As a non-programmer, I'd be the first to admit that programmers aren't supermen. That said, remember that, say, HMO physicians are just "employees for companies" and are just as beholden to them as programmers are with respect to being able to do as they're told or find another job.
What would an "oath" do anyway? Would it keep sleazy programmers from working for sleazy companies? Would it get the guy who writes a virus to not write a virus?
Would it keep sleazy doctors from working for sleazy HMO's? Would it get the guy who develops a biological weapon to not create a biological weapon?
Doctors are a different story. Many of them deal with life and death on a regular basis. We programmers, generally, do not.
I'll give you that one as a freebie, though I think if you look around, you'll be surprised at just how many life-critical systems depend on software. Start with Therac-25 in your searches.
And to what should this theoretical oath extend? What about a programmer who works on a guidance system for a cruise missile? Some may find that unethical, others may not.
What about a doctor that works for the CIA developing effective interrogation techniques that involve torture? Some may find that unethical, others may not.
I think the motive is good, but I just don't think that it could amount to anything of importance, unfortunately. I think we ought to teach more about computer ethics in schools. A computer is like any other tool. It can be used for good or it can be used for bad. We need to find a way to stop young people from indulging their tendencies to destroy things (a.k.a. writing a virus or hacking into systems to deface web pages or do real damage), and we ought to be teaching it early on. This, I think, would have a more direct effect.
I pretty much concur. The ACM's code of ethics is a good start--it would be even better without all the toadyism to "intellectual property."
I'm not sure I agree with the idea that Macs become obsolete more slowly--at least with regard to newly shipping apps. How well will your G3-350 (guessing) run Photoshop 7.0 under OSX?
BTW, I also have a G3-350 iMac, upgraded to 256M of RAM, which runs OSX nicely. It's mostly for the wife and kids, though I use it now and then.
This is only enforceable if the manufacturer supplies the ink for free (except in the unlikely event the service provider can prove the third party ink caused the damage (i.e. using refills ipso facto isn't considered to have caused the printer to fail). See the Magnasun-Moss Warranty Act, a law written to prevent these kind of abuses (at the time by automobile dealers).
Of course, this would require someone to bitch really loud and/or take a printer manufacturer to court, which would be a big hassle. My plan would be to sue the warranty service provider that refused on those grounds in small claims.
That's what they said about Windows under OS/2. And where's OS/2 now that it can't run Windows 32-bit programs? Reality is that Apple has 5% of the market. That's an attractive target for niche developers, developers that emphasize cross-platform capability, and those that want to maintain the appearance of competition, and can lose money doing so (cough, Microsoft, cough). It's not an attractive target for all the others.
If that directory entry contains even one piece of personally identifiable information about you (e.g. your name; some hard-asses on the subject even say the email address itself constitutes personally identifiable information), it is subject to FERPA. This means that once you notify your school in writing that you no longer wish your directory information released, they must cease doing so.
And even the Ivy League takes federal money in the form of financial aid. Assuming there's an appropriate firewall between academics and the administration (so you don't find yourself suddenly not doing so well in school), you may wish to bring this to the administration's attention. Start with those maintaining the directory and the registrar. Work your way up through legal and the trustees.
I would be too. So he can watch Arafat's sentencing.
And you apparently missed the "if you're a copyright infringer" part of the post.You should work on your sarcasm. You come off looking like a witless dolt.
That's because they have no right to do it, obscure clause buried in an "agreement" no one reads or not.
-Jackbooted thugs need to be stomped.
-Companies are stomped by being put out of -business.
-Companies can't stay in business without customers.
-If they stay in business, we let them.
Action: boycott Blizzard. Tell your non-technical gaming friends--explain what has happened here, and how V/B intend to milk them as cash cows with a rent-a-game scheme, and tried to crush an innocent software project in the process.
If you're a copyright infringer, make sure WC3 is out there, along with the patched bnetd for WC3 support. Bring pop-in-and-play CDR's and put them on the benches at the mall outside Electronics Botique.
DO WHAT IT TAKES TO KILL THESE BASTARDS IN THE MARKETPLACE!
"intellectual" "property" "rights" are none of the three.
Once. But extortion is forever.
Aren't they serialized? I've never seen one :).
Where else, exactly, do you expect Biff and Muffy to park the Beamer?
People can adapt to change. And this district would only have to change once. I think the best course of action for them to pay the $500k, wait a few months for the publicity to blow over (bad politics to appear to "waste" money), then scorched earth every piece of Microsoft software from the district.
Although the idea of making Microsoft enter by force to conduct an audit in the presence of media is an entertaining thought, it's probably the more expensive option.
Ah, but I bet he's paid a salary. Not like those low class proles whose computers he watches over like a little Napoleon over his hegemonic PC empire, who are paid by the hour.
Perhaps you would do well to educate yourself on the difference between satire and namecalling. You are sufficiently educated to not need to resort to ad hominem, yet you do. Out of laziness? Or perhaps it fulfills some sort of deep-seated psychological need for you?
Maybe troll would have been more appropriate.
Pot, kettle, and all that, Davie.
That's because they're not ubiquitous, and the network effect hasn't made it worthwhile for the insurance "industry" to misuse them yet. Thus, your example is yet another misguided (or disingenuous?) attempt to prove a lack of ill intent on the part of insurers, and is incorrect.
And then Santa will bring us all toys, and the Easter Bunny will give eggs in the spring time. A "discount" for the black box is a surcharge for not submitting (you know, like the "discount for cash" at the shadier electronics vendors), and rates won't go down one cent.
I'll drive my late 1990s car until it literally falls apart if the alternative is being tracked like a tagged doe by insurace companies or armed forces of the state (aka police).
If that were true, Adobe's stock would be in the toilet from lack of sales. I agree that the community worked hard to get him released, but we seem to have given Adobe a pass. And if all it takes to be able to engage in wanton malicious prosecution and get by with it is "cool products," I guess there really is no community.
This is exactly what I think happened. They saw the bad PR rolling in, the people dishing on their stock on the investment weblogs, and realized they had a problem. Then they figured out they could have their cake, and eat it too, by walking away knowing full well that the FBI, wanting to increase funding to fight "cybercrime," would hang on like bulldogs.
Sadly enough, it seems to have fooled much of the technically literate community. Or worse, not much of that community cares.
The rub is the pumping (requires some source of energy) and the photovoltaics. While, theoretically, you only pay for them once, solar cells are not cheap. If they were economical to use as opposed to other energy sources, we'd see them used by other than environmentalists or people who want to be trendy. But since they're so expensive, it actually ends up cheaper, for example, for individuals to pay the electric utility company for electricity.
Not to mention the annoying reminders at the refinery to Get QuickLime Pro!