Is this to see what happens when there is unlimited bandwidth for a/.ing?
In other news, what happens when Google [well what ever they do?] sends it's people back to/.? After all the top page for Google should be pointing here real-soon-now! Could this be the first ever successful reverse-slashdotting?
Sure it does....the best blocking companies are US based! Yep, US citizens making a buck blocking other countries free speech. Sooner or later, that software will [already is to companies] be sold and enforced here.
After all, the leading companies in internet blocking are AMERICAN! US citizens are already willing to do this for forign govenments against their own people, as soon as the product is ready to play against US hackers, don't think that it won't be used here!
You may have free speech, but you don't own the network...someone else does. All Washington will have to do is pass an FCC ruling, or just make a few phone calls in the name of 'Homeland Security' to CEO's at the major ISPs and boom, instant censorship. Oh, Verisign is APPOINTED to be the domain registar by the US GOVT too. Again, just a phone call to drop you from DNS. ICANN is also a shell company..again at the USGvts will. Once we have working blocking software good enough, then they can use DMCA and TOS to prosecute you for trying to get around the "voluntary" ISP blocks.
If your going to be mad, be mad at the US companies and goverment that allow this to happen....Some symbol for world freedom hun?
Yeah, but for saftey, they should just shutdown and gracefully stop when the battery is too low to sustain all the functions. Like the guy in the article said...Saftey is everything to marketing this. 99.999% of 10 million is still several tens of people on a regular basis. By US standards, that's open season for the Lawyers to pick your carcass clean!
First, you'll get killed on any street in the US outside of a major city...US drivers refuse to yeild any ground to pedestrians or bicycalists...forget horses anymore [illegal in many places]. That's why scooters haven't taken off. I really want one for work, I live just to far to "convienantly" walk, but I'm da## scared to ride on the streets! Segway is trying to get on the sidewalks for this very reason! many people could use cars less if a convienent, portable method of transportation was available...economics may soon demand it!
As for why...ever riden on a hand truck [two-wheeled box dolly]? They would seem to ride better with the handles in front! step on like a box, and you'll be just dying to take off! It's silly, but if you've seen someone do it, you've probably tried it too. It's a simple kid idea. you're not a big enough kid to be on/. if you didn't see the segway for what it was a long time ago!
The problem with almost every walking robot I've seen is that they try to be 100% in control.
Walking [and bike riding] is not about 100% control, but learning to react to being out-of-control. A baby takes so long to learn to walk because they have to learn to fall a little. Riding a bike involves learning not just to pedal, but to "sway" back and forth with each motion..and the terrain.
Someone should build a ot with pairs of linear motors so that it can develop opposing "waves" of motion, against, and free power.
These people quit! It's not Ubisoft's problem where they are employed [or if] as long as they follow the contract they signed.
On another note, sounds like EA also makes employees sign non-competes! If it's so important to EA [or any other employer] then why do the companies poach like this....After all, how loyal will these people be? If they broke one contract for more $$$ why not break another one? Along the same lines, why can't your employer can't continue to "shop" for cheaper workers every 6 months and replace you at will too? How would you feel if your employeer periodically interviewed people for YOUR jobin front of you. After all, they have to have a backup plan. [and it is their right!]
Frankly, I think the judge will ofer Ubisoft something.
There are 4 sides here: State, worker, Ubi, and EA.
Ubi has all the cards. The valid signed contract with the workers. The workers have nothing. They appear to have flagrantly violated the contract. The state has two interests. First to uphold[or not] a legally valid contract presented by Ubi. Second, to keep workers working and not on welfare. EA is a wild-card because they are not actually mentioned in the contract, but could smooth things over.
The judge can:
1. Order the workers to quit by the letter of the contract, and/or pay monetary damage to Ubi for violating the contract and perhaps telling business secrets. [harshest solution,highly unlikely]
Judges like comprimise so...
2. Judge may restrict employees from performing certian functions at EA. Or, enforce the Geography restriction. This keeps Ubi grudged but satisfied, and the workers eating.
at this point the options fall to EA as the wild card. EA can hang them out to dry, and give up any good faith employment arrangements with them, or, EA can offer the employees options they think Ubi would settle for. Remember EA isn't a defendant, so they can't actually deal.
a. EA could offer the [now EA] employees positions at an EA location of approperiate geographic distance. [and of course help with expenses] Being in say, California may be enough for the judge to grace this as outside his juristiction...problem solved.
b. Offer an agreement to the employees to do non-game related work for EA for the 1 year term. Perhaps hell desk, networking support, evangalism, mailroom, etc. Such an agreement is fairly common when the company is sued. Of course this means EA doesn't get the use of the employees. this would be generous.
c. contract them out to a shell company for the year. Send them to work on BeOS or something equally distant and outside EA. Again, requires EA to be nice.
d. Can the guys as usless to the company and too many hassles. Problem solved. No more employment. Contract happy. workers hungry, but it's not the courts problem
3. I don't see the judge tossing this out, per say. Ubisoft has some serious damage done here, after all, it looks like even the hiring manager was from Ubi. The contract was clearly known by everyone involved, and judges don't like to just toss them out on principle of personal responsiblity.
EA clearly led them into this mess, by opening up shop across from Ubisoft. The workers are EA employees right now. This really depends on how will EA will take care of it's workers...rather than the judge's ruling.
I live in Michigan. Michigan is a heavy technology, auto, union state. The legal environment in Michgan is heavily affected by the cutthroat auto industry. We have legal non-competes, IP assignment, work laws and such, but it's been very heavily beat on in the courts.
Non-competes have to be very strict in industry and geographic area to be enforceable. IP assignment is also limited to ideas at work or directly related to your industry. It's a bit harsh to read um, but in the end they are fairly reasonable.
This is why industry moved down south and west! Everyone wants to be the shining flame, big pay, big stocks. But it's also a carefully made effort to slash and burn and undercut the workers. After all, in all of the "right-to-work" states, the pay is half what it is up here for the same job. While it appears that the worker has tons of rights, the employers really have them all...Who do you think sets up all these crazy "employee spy" programs we all hate, drug testing, crazy employee "behavior" policies, etc...After all, you have the "right" to leave their jobs right! [not!]
Realize that what EA is doing is what Microsoft was doing to small software companies in the 90's. EA is actively trying to edge out the other game makers. Again, being really big is cool...being mean about it isn't.
What if your company had the "Big Deal" closing soon, everyone was working on it, it would feed the company for the next whole year. Great! Now the lead sales guy gets a huge offer from a MegaCorp competitor, He takes his contact list...particularly the "Big Deal" ones and instead, uses those contacts to stear the deal away from your company at the last minute. A year of work, and most importantly ALL YOUR JOBS! is on the line here because 1 worker ratted the company out! That's what's happening here...and it sucks!
But this isn't about UNEMPLOYEED programmers, they were actively recruited away by a rival company SPECIFICALLY to take that knowledge away from Ubisoft! No one's right to work is infringed here. This is all about jumping ship for a buck...from a franchise that's soaring high right now.
If it was one or two developers, I'd tend to agree with you, that hey, they need a job maybe they were getting the axe. But EA went after 5 developers all on the same project! A exagurated example would be MS hiring Linus to work on Windows. It's purposfully destructive by a large company over a smaller one.
Non Competes are little more than attempts to steal employees knowledge
Non-competes are to protect the company FROM it's workers! After all, if EA releases a Splinter Cell Clone, with all the cool features planed for the next Ubi game, they all those people at Ubisoft go hungry because a few people squealed for a couple bucks. Companies have rights to the ideas you create while on their time...again, that's all in a contract presented up front...these guys knew that. Ubi is paying them to develop games and cool ideas..they get fat checks! If Ubi don't get the rewards of those ideas developed on Ubi's dime, then the employees are stealing from them.
This is about Ubisoft protecting itself from damages. This is WHY companies make you sign non-competes. To prevent EXACTLY THIS SITUATION. This isn't about employees leaving to start their own company, or about unemployed workers starving, these guys are going to work for a competing company to make a competing game to the one they were working on RIGHT NOW for Ubi.
Non-competes have been standard in Engineering, sales, marketing, and executive management for a long time. Those people tend to work independantly and have the "keys" to the company so to speak. You don't know how many Sales people I see that switch companies and tote along their contacts list as well as inside info on products or company health....non-competes are the answer to this problem. That's why companies don't allow home laptops in, and why they issue work-specific machines to employees...it's not about being 'nice'.
Without them, we'd need the Dilbert Brainwashing machine to erase our brains after leaving an employeer. They'd be sending Lawyers to YOUR HOUSE to look for company secerets in your computer! The non-compete puts you in 'no man's land' typically long enough that whatever you think you know about your employer won't be relevant for your competitor.
In this case, the choice Ubi has is to enforce the non-compete, or to file a civil suit for breach of contract and industrial espinoge/telling company trade secrets. It's clear the intent is to create a "clone" of splinter cell for EA. Legally, those developers cannot discuss ANYTHING they talked about BEFORE they walked out the Ubisoft doors. If EA approached them with Game ideas before they physically left employment, then those ideas would be Ubisoft trade secrets [again, that's why companies have IP assignment policies!] and Ubi could sue for corperate spying by EA and damage by the employees.
In the US [outside CA] there are fairly strict court cases detailing how this all works. One has to be very careful to quit "properly". Perhaps even leaving ideas undocumented until after the "unclean" period is over to avoid legal conflict-of-interest issues. This shows EA is clearly using Brass Balls here to openly attack another company. On the west coast, this is a typical tactic of Silicon Valley, particularly our friends at Microsoft, to bury small companies and lock out competition. We shouldn't be having any pity at all for these people.
This type of employee Poaching is exactly why the clause was in the contract! It looks as though these guys were actively recruited to leave the company for a competitor and work on a perhaps similar product. This isn't even about starting their "own" company...this is outright poaching of the key personel of a company, which the employees expressly agreed NOT to do.
UbiSoft should also demand full disclosure by the effected employees of all communication with EA over the period...After all, if the product was discussed prior to their actual hiring, as is often the case, UbiSoft may have IP claims over the idea...and legal remedy against EA for using "Ubisoft's" IP.
Outside California, employees looking to form a new company or jump ship in mass usually have to take very careful percautions. This sometimes means that they will actually "sit out" of the industry for the full year plotting the new company or working at a partner's company in a different capacity.
Worst part about it is that they don't have jobs at UbiSoft anymore...even if Ubi gets them back. All Ubi is going to have them do is pick and train their replacements! Sucks, but they got caught and that's how these things go. They can still quit the company, but you know Ubi will be attaching that clause to any reference checks that come into their offices for the entire year and forwarding a notice from the lawyer.
Frankly, EA should have known better. Especially if EA has thier own employees sign them. I'd suspect that EA plans to cover the legal expense to win, and then of course force the programmers in to an even LONGER contract at EA. After all, while Ubi may be a "plantation" EA has just blackmailed/extorted the programmers into only being able to work for THEM. Seems just as bad to me.
At my shop, rather than sign individual non-competes [other than directly working for another shop at the same time!] the boss has non-competes with the other bosses of nearby competitors. They agree not to poach each others employees. It mildly bites, but it's a very narrow industry, and things like IT and Office work don't really fit the aggreement anyway, and have plenty of other options.
It's Saturday...and you'll notice the [boss, secretary, coworker] isn't here [like me] to defend his/her self. But you ARE here making things "just work" for Monday morning, often on Salary.
I suspect his fanatisism is because he was personally affected by the "locking away" of code by the Universities and Corporations. Just reading the "ad" for help if you will, I'd bet many of the projects he mentioned in the post were for public research that ended up bottled up where nobody could use them. For a pure researcher [which he was at the time] that's a very, very harsh thing. One goes into research for the persuit of knowlage, not the bucks... Note there is no mention of the GPL here. I'd be interesting to see what incidents happened between implementing the utilities and discovering the need for the GPL. I suspect there's a path of BSD style code swipes by corporations along the way. At the time he was writing this, Bill Gates and Paul Allen were still out dumpster diving for University code...Realize that only 5 years later, almost all code would be locked up tight under copyright and viceously protected.
It's also interesting to note that he saw the need for Free software at the very early stages of the game. It's also interesting to note that the scenerio he was trying to avoid has almost word-for-word come true. MegaMedia corps, Microsoft Monopoly, DMCA. None of that would have been considered reasonable back then...most people thought him crazy. Unfortunately, many still do. But the change has been slow, like a frog set to boil, and many people still don't get it because it hasn't bit them....Yet! [see RIAA!]
Where would he be now if he charged for EMACS all those years ago?...Think about it!
If a state like Mass was to go full-court OSS then there would be companies and projects that would spring up to support them. The first thing they really need to do is to PLAN!
I know PLAN is a four-letter word to management types, but a change like this can't be made overnight or they will fail. They first need to do a full scale study of their state's Goverment computer needs and then seek out the solutions on Sourceforge, perhaps even file a few "Ask Slashdots" too. They'll find some big holes that will need to be filled, and they need to plan around them for a time.
But...Once one state has a mostly OSS system up, The other states can copy away. I'm sure each state has it's own unique methods to implement individually, but states often need to interact. Once it is proven that Mass. can interact successfully with the Feds, other states, & businesses, then many more people will take them seriously.
Hopefully a states-funded OSS software group could form. They could implement the protocols, patch bugs, etc. I've always wondered why the states haven't 'ganged' up together to implement standards on their own...especially to get off the Federal $$$ Teet!
Another example would be public education. We've had nearly 100% available public education for more than 75 years now, yet it's still not really standardized with no created pool of knowladge to draw from. It would seem that OSS would be a solution to that issue as well. The actual material for kindergarden-college soph courses hasn't really changed much [you have to get well thru college before you learn anything "new"]...but schools spend huge amounts of their budgets on new books, software, etc EVERY YEAR..money that should be going to teacher for teaching. Imagine if every Kindergarden teacher simply submitted 1 coloring sheet to the pool. Or if each Science teacher submitted 1 unique experiment or Pop quiz. The sheer quantity would dwarf what's available now!
kinda makes sense. After all, the creator mentioned that people needed to choose to accept the Matrix. Who's to say that they didn't create a second level above it to give the illusion of choice. When too many people are "choosing" and risk corrupting the core Matrix, they isolate them, clean the slate, and start over with a small group. After all, they want people to "find" the next level...only a few will ever choose it. Remember too what Agent Smith about Humans needing suffering to survive. The "second" matrix seems to provide that need for humans to struggle against something.
Perhaps the "Offer" that the creator made was really an opening to the "real" world..or perhaps a world that only "the one" could appreciate. Life with the machines as an equal?
Keep moving...There ain't no performance here. Sorry dude!
Like posters above said, you get about Celeron 600 numbers out of these guys. But the video chipset helps out extra with hardware acceleration for video..basicly the same as any other Via on-board video.
This is meant to be SMALL above all else. There's nobody else that makes a CHEAP embeded PC, espically when this should be in the $100-$200 range at most. SBCs start at $500+!
They have PCI cards for Macs! But not for PC's? Actually most SBC industrial computers use an ISA/PCI backplane that "could" do that, but at $500+ for P3s I'm not rushing out to give it a try now am I!
Actually, it may still have one! Serial only requires 3 lines for most cases, and VIA probably just moved the ports to pin headers rather than wasting board real estate with gigantic DB9 plugs. Via has Serial lines on almost [pretty sure] all of the ITX boards. They even have one [CL series] spec'd out with 4 serials [2 internal], 2 nics, and 6 USBs....I don't think they'd forget all the serial fans. Especially for such a small board that begs to control PLCs, Robots, or home automation type apps!
This is Microsoft's MO for court proceedings. Come in late, file late, burden the other side with tons of meaningless paperwork and court apperances. This was totally about Microsoft being arrogant and showing everyone that GWB was looking out for them.
This is exactly why Judge Jackson tounge-lashed them to the media! He picked up on this outright condecending attitude to the Law and meant to put the hurt to them.
In my opinion, the court should have awarded the case to the other side, and made MS fight for it! Maybe even hold the Lawyers for Contempt of court. The MS lawyers gambeled on filing at the last possible second to tip the scale to their side and LOST! It's really that simple...too bad the judge won a battle because he thought it "silly", but put in another MS victory over the jucidal system.
Frankly, the judge is generous enough to allow filing off-business hours. I typically find that when I wait to pay a ticket till to close to "closing" time, that the court has their clocks 5 minutes faster than the "time Lady". In addition, they always seem to close 10 minutes early on a friday afternoon when I have an important citation due.
Ogg is patent based, but licenesed by a different company to the Ogg guys for GPL usage. The same company [sorry, I forgot the name] also does video codex which the Ogg guys are currently working on. It really doesn't hurt the company as they have several generations newer codex already being sold. I suppose in the Codex world, everyone creates one, and the MPEG group chooses one to use and everyone else pays them. Leaving the loosers to fend for themselfs...perfect canidates for OSS!
After all, geeks will grab the drive and instantly wipe it anyway...After all, most Linux installs boot from CD so we'd never see it anyway! But...It's an added feature Segate can put on the box, Electronic stores can advertize it as a feature. Mostly, it signals the END of seperate OS software sales
It will now be possible to go to a store, buy pieces and have a working computer when you get home with no other work necessary. That's a good thing!! Segate sells a lot of retail drives. If it works out even a little bit for them maybe others will follow suit. I've heard ATI has MMC for Linux in-house somewhere...but that's a big step to sell linux in the retail box. Most mice & keyboards work in linux. Most networking equipment works with linux [heck most home routers RUN linux!] This is a perfect path to getting Linux market share
It's too bad BeOS didn't think of this first! After all, Robertson is making an end-run around the infamous MS bootloader license. Shops can sell pre-tested barebones systems...then conveniantly slip you a pre-formated Linux drive. They are just selling "upgrade" pieces. And they aren't selling Linux at all...the Manufacture just adds that as a "test" feature. Very, very clever.
You have a point, but the GPL only applies AFTER a product is released outside your group. You may have developers working on CVS for unreleased versions..those versions may contain improper code in-process of being fixed. Techincally under GPL, you don't have to open up until you "release" the next version. They appear to be saying that you MUST always be open...even for unreleased versions...and all the parts have to have the exact Pre-approved licenses.
Like he said...If you were adding a BSD module from elsewhere [no need to rewrite to even use it!] to a GPL project you couldn't even add it to the system to work on it as a Group!!! You can only release GPL software and the whole system is ALWAYS released once you start.
This is taking it to extremes a bit, but he has no desire to infringe on what they are asking...he would like it clarified, or else he may not be able to use that software. Seems perfectly fair, and straightforward to me.
Slashdot Mirror
In other news, what happens when Google [well what ever they do?] sends it's people back to /.? After all the top page for Google should be pointing here real-soon-now! Could this be the first ever successful reverse-slashdotting?
Sure it does....the best blocking companies are US based! Yep, US citizens making a buck blocking other countries free speech. Sooner or later, that software will [already is to companies] be sold and enforced here.
You may have free speech, but you don't own the network...someone else does. All Washington will have to do is pass an FCC ruling, or just make a few phone calls in the name of 'Homeland Security' to CEO's at the major ISPs and boom, instant censorship. Oh, Verisign is APPOINTED to be the domain registar by the US GOVT too. Again, just a phone call to drop you from DNS. ICANN is also a shell company..again at the USGvts will. Once we have working blocking software good enough, then they can use DMCA and TOS to prosecute you for trying to get around the "voluntary" ISP blocks.
If your going to be mad, be mad at the US companies and goverment that allow this to happen....Some symbol for world freedom hun?
Yeah, but for saftey, they should just shutdown and gracefully stop when the battery is too low to sustain all the functions. Like the guy in the article said...Saftey is everything to marketing this. 99.999% of 10 million is still several tens of people on a regular basis. By US standards, that's open season for the Lawyers to pick your carcass clean!
As for why...ever riden on a hand truck [two-wheeled box dolly]? They would seem to ride better with the handles in front! step on like a box, and you'll be just dying to take off! It's silly, but if you've seen someone do it, you've probably tried it too. It's a simple kid idea. you're not a big enough kid to be on /. if you didn't see the segway for what it was a long time ago!
Walking [and bike riding] is not about 100% control, but learning to react to being out-of-control. A baby takes so long to learn to walk because they have to learn to fall a little. Riding a bike involves learning not just to pedal, but to "sway" back and forth with each motion..and the terrain.
Someone should build a ot with pairs of linear motors so that it can develop opposing "waves" of motion, against, and free power.
On another note, sounds like EA also makes employees sign non-competes! If it's so important to EA [or any other employer] then why do the companies poach like this....After all, how loyal will these people be? If they broke one contract for more $$$ why not break another one? Along the same lines, why can't your employer can't continue to "shop" for cheaper workers every 6 months and replace you at will too? How would you feel if your employeer periodically interviewed people for YOUR jobin front of you. After all, they have to have a backup plan. [and it is their right!]
something to think about!
There are 4 sides here: State, worker, Ubi, and EA.
Ubi has all the cards. The valid signed contract with the workers.
The workers have nothing. They appear to have flagrantly violated the contract.
The state has two interests. First to uphold[or not] a legally valid contract presented by Ubi. Second, to keep workers working and not on welfare.
EA is a wild-card because they are not actually mentioned in the contract, but could smooth things over.
The judge can:
1. Order the workers to quit by the letter of the contract, and/or pay monetary damage to Ubi for violating the contract and perhaps telling business secrets. [harshest solution,highly unlikely]
Judges like comprimise so...
2. Judge may restrict employees from performing certian functions at EA. Or, enforce the Geography restriction. This keeps Ubi grudged but satisfied, and the workers eating.
at this point the options fall to EA as the wild card. EA can hang them out to dry, and give up any good faith employment arrangements with them, or, EA can offer the employees options they think Ubi would settle for. Remember EA isn't a defendant, so they can't actually deal.
a. EA could offer the [now EA] employees positions at an EA location of approperiate geographic distance. [and of course help with expenses] Being in say, California may be enough for the judge to grace this as outside his juristiction...problem solved.
b. Offer an agreement to the employees to do non-game related work for EA for the 1 year term. Perhaps hell desk, networking support, evangalism, mailroom, etc. Such an agreement is fairly common when the company is sued. Of course this means EA doesn't get the use of the employees. this would be generous.
c. contract them out to a shell company for the year. Send them to work on BeOS or something equally distant and outside EA. Again, requires EA to be nice.
d. Can the guys as usless to the company and too many hassles. Problem solved. No more employment. Contract happy. workers hungry, but it's not the courts problem
3. I don't see the judge tossing this out, per say. Ubisoft has some serious damage done here, after all, it looks like even the hiring manager was from Ubi. The contract was clearly known by everyone involved, and judges don't like to just toss them out on principle of personal responsiblity.
EA clearly led them into this mess, by opening up shop across from Ubisoft. The workers are EA employees right now. This really depends on how will EA will take care of it's workers...rather than the judge's ruling.
Non-competes have to be very strict in industry and geographic area to be enforceable. IP assignment is also limited to ideas at work or directly related to your industry. It's a bit harsh to read um, but in the end they are fairly reasonable.
This is why industry moved down south and west! Everyone wants to be the shining flame, big pay, big stocks. But it's also a carefully made effort to slash and burn and undercut the workers. After all, in all of the "right-to-work" states, the pay is half what it is up here for the same job. While it appears that the worker has tons of rights, the employers really have them all...Who do you think sets up all these crazy "employee spy" programs we all hate, drug testing, crazy employee "behavior" policies, etc...After all, you have the "right" to leave their jobs right! [not!]
Realize that what EA is doing is what Microsoft was doing to small software companies in the 90's. EA is actively trying to edge out the other game makers. Again, being really big is cool...being mean about it isn't.
What if your company had the "Big Deal" closing soon, everyone was working on it, it would feed the company for the next whole year. Great! Now the lead sales guy gets a huge offer from a MegaCorp competitor, He takes his contact list...particularly the "Big Deal" ones and instead, uses those contacts to stear the deal away from your company at the last minute. A year of work, and most importantly ALL YOUR JOBS! is on the line here because 1 worker ratted the company out! That's what's happening here...and it sucks!
If it was one or two developers, I'd tend to agree with you, that hey, they need a job maybe they were getting the axe. But EA went after 5 developers all on the same project! A exagurated example would be MS hiring Linus to work on Windows. It's purposfully destructive by a large company over a smaller one.
Non-competes are to protect the company FROM it's workers! After all, if EA releases a Splinter Cell Clone, with all the cool features planed for the next Ubi game, they all those people at Ubisoft go hungry because a few people squealed for a couple bucks. Companies have rights to the ideas you create while on their time...again, that's all in a contract presented up front...these guys knew that. Ubi is paying them to develop games and cool ideas..they get fat checks! If Ubi don't get the rewards of those ideas developed on Ubi's dime, then the employees are stealing from them.
This is about Ubisoft protecting itself from damages. This is WHY companies make you sign non-competes. To prevent EXACTLY THIS SITUATION. This isn't about employees leaving to start their own company, or about unemployed workers starving, these guys are going to work for a competing company to make a competing game to the one they were working on RIGHT NOW for Ubi.
Without them, we'd need the Dilbert Brainwashing machine to erase our brains after leaving an employeer. They'd be sending Lawyers to YOUR HOUSE to look for company secerets in your computer! The non-compete puts you in 'no man's land' typically long enough that whatever you think you know about your employer won't be relevant for your competitor.
In this case, the choice Ubi has is to enforce the non-compete, or to file a civil suit for breach of contract and industrial espinoge/telling company trade secrets. It's clear the intent is to create a "clone" of splinter cell for EA. Legally, those developers cannot discuss ANYTHING they talked about BEFORE they walked out the Ubisoft doors. If EA approached them with Game ideas before they physically left employment, then those ideas would be Ubisoft trade secrets [again, that's why companies have IP assignment policies!] and Ubi could sue for corperate spying by EA and damage by the employees.
In the US [outside CA] there are fairly strict court cases detailing how this all works. One has to be very careful to quit "properly". Perhaps even leaving ideas undocumented until after the "unclean" period is over to avoid legal conflict-of-interest issues. This shows EA is clearly using Brass Balls here to openly attack another company. On the west coast, this is a typical tactic of Silicon Valley, particularly our friends at Microsoft, to bury small companies and lock out competition. We shouldn't be having any pity at all for these people.
UbiSoft should also demand full disclosure by the effected employees of all communication with EA over the period...After all, if the product was discussed prior to their actual hiring, as is often the case, UbiSoft may have IP claims over the idea...and legal remedy against EA for using "Ubisoft's" IP.
Outside California, employees looking to form a new company or jump ship in mass usually have to take very careful percautions. This sometimes means that they will actually "sit out" of the industry for the full year plotting the new company or working at a partner's company in a different capacity.
Worst part about it is that they don't have jobs at UbiSoft anymore...even if Ubi gets them back. All Ubi is going to have them do is pick and train their replacements! Sucks, but they got caught and that's how these things go. They can still quit the company, but you know Ubi will be attaching that clause to any reference checks that come into their offices for the entire year and forwarding a notice from the lawyer.
Frankly, EA should have known better. Especially if EA has thier own employees sign them. I'd suspect that EA plans to cover the legal expense to win, and then of course force the programmers in to an even LONGER contract at EA. After all, while Ubi may be a "plantation" EA has just blackmailed/extorted the programmers into only being able to work for THEM. Seems just as bad to me.
At my shop, rather than sign individual non-competes [other than directly working for another shop at the same time!] the boss has non-competes with the other bosses of nearby competitors. They agree not to poach each others employees. It mildly bites, but it's a very narrow industry, and things like IT and Office work don't really fit the aggreement anyway, and have plenty of other options.
'nuf said!
It's also interesting to note that he saw the need for Free software at the very early stages of the game. It's also interesting to note that the scenerio he was trying to avoid has almost word-for-word come true. MegaMedia corps, Microsoft Monopoly, DMCA. None of that would have been considered reasonable back then...most people thought him crazy. Unfortunately, many still do. But the change has been slow, like a frog set to boil, and many people still don't get it because it hasn't bit them....Yet! [see RIAA!]
Where would he be now if he charged for EMACS all those years ago?...Think about it!
I know PLAN is a four-letter word to management types, but a change like this can't be made overnight or they will fail. They first need to do a full scale study of their state's Goverment computer needs and then seek out the solutions on Sourceforge, perhaps even file a few "Ask Slashdots" too. They'll find some big holes that will need to be filled, and they need to plan around them for a time.
But...Once one state has a mostly OSS system up, The other states can copy away. I'm sure each state has it's own unique methods to implement individually, but states often need to interact. Once it is proven that Mass. can interact successfully with the Feds, other states, & businesses, then many more people will take them seriously.
Hopefully a states-funded OSS software group could form. They could implement the protocols, patch bugs, etc. I've always wondered why the states haven't 'ganged' up together to implement standards on their own...especially to get off the Federal $$$ Teet!
Another example would be public education. We've had nearly 100% available public education for more than 75 years now, yet it's still not really standardized with no created pool of knowladge to draw from. It would seem that OSS would be a solution to that issue as well. The actual material for kindergarden-college soph courses hasn't really changed much [you have to get well thru college before you learn anything "new"]...but schools spend huge amounts of their budgets on new books, software, etc EVERY YEAR..money that should be going to teacher for teaching. Imagine if every Kindergarden teacher simply submitted 1 coloring sheet to the pool. Or if each Science teacher submitted 1 unique experiment or Pop quiz. The sheer quantity would dwarf what's available now!
Perhaps the "Offer" that the creator made was really an opening to the "real" world..or perhaps a world that only "the one" could appreciate. Life with the machines as an equal?
Like posters above said, you get about Celeron 600 numbers out of these guys. But the video chipset helps out extra with hardware acceleration for video..basicly the same as any other Via on-board video.
This is meant to be SMALL above all else. There's nobody else that makes a CHEAP embeded PC, espically when this should be in the $100-$200 range at most. SBCs start at $500+!
They have PCI cards for Macs! But not for PC's? Actually most SBC industrial computers use an ISA/PCI backplane that "could" do that, but at $500+ for P3s I'm not rushing out to give it a try now am I!
Actually, it may still have one! Serial only requires 3 lines for most cases, and VIA probably just moved the ports to pin headers rather than wasting board real estate with gigantic DB9 plugs. Via has Serial lines on almost [pretty sure] all of the ITX boards. They even have one [CL series] spec'd out with 4 serials [2 internal], 2 nics, and 6 USBs....I don't think they'd forget all the serial fans. Especially for such a small board that begs to control PLCs, Robots, or home automation type apps!
This is exactly why Judge Jackson tounge-lashed them to the media! He picked up on this outright condecending attitude to the Law and meant to put the hurt to them.
In my opinion, the court should have awarded the case to the other side, and made MS fight for it! Maybe even hold the Lawyers for Contempt of court. The MS lawyers gambeled on filing at the last possible second to tip the scale to their side and LOST! It's really that simple...too bad the judge won a battle because he thought it "silly", but put in another MS victory over the jucidal system.
You'll get no sympathy from me!
Ogg is patent based, but licenesed by a different company to the Ogg guys for GPL usage. The same company [sorry, I forgot the name] also does video codex which the Ogg guys are currently working on. It really doesn't hurt the company as they have several generations newer codex already being sold. I suppose in the Codex world, everyone creates one, and the MPEG group chooses one to use and everyone else pays them. Leaving the loosers to fend for themselfs...perfect canidates for OSS!
It will now be possible to go to a store, buy pieces and have a working computer when you get home with no other work necessary. That's a good thing!! Segate sells a lot of retail drives. If it works out even a little bit for them maybe others will follow suit. I've heard ATI has MMC for Linux in-house somewhere...but that's a big step to sell linux in the retail box. Most mice & keyboards work in linux. Most networking equipment works with linux [heck most home routers RUN linux!] This is a perfect path to getting Linux market share
It's too bad BeOS didn't think of this first! After all, Robertson is making an end-run around the infamous MS bootloader license. Shops can sell pre-tested barebones systems...then conveniantly slip you a pre-formated Linux drive. They are just selling "upgrade" pieces. And they aren't selling Linux at all...the Manufacture just adds that as a "test" feature. Very, very clever.
Like he said...If you were adding a BSD module from elsewhere [no need to rewrite to even use it!] to a GPL project you couldn't even add it to the system to work on it as a Group!!! You can only release GPL software and the whole system is ALWAYS released once you start.
This is taking it to extremes a bit, but he has no desire to infringe on what they are asking...he would like it clarified, or else he may not be able to use that software. Seems perfectly fair, and straightforward to me.