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User: handsomepete

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  1. Hmmmm.... on LinuxWorld Report, Day 2 · · Score: 1

    This appears to have some source code, but I don't know if that's all of it or anything. I'd be surprised if Microsoft was not GPL compliant and the whole world didn't know about it already.

  2. Re:Trouble Ticket System on Improving Your Help Desk? · · Score: 1

    And to continue the chain of plugs, we use Liberium Help Desk which is web based and free (as in beer and freedom). It works surprisingly well even though it requires IIS to run.

  3. Re:Apache 2.x and PHP on Apache 2.0.44 Released · · Score: 1

    I'm using Apache 2.x w/ PHP and MySQL in an intranet work environment for a medium scale documentation creation/archiving service. No problems yet (after a mere 6 months of decent usage), but no real compelling reasons to upgrade if you don't need to.

    What I want to know is what exactly are the current showstoppers that are keeping everyone away from 2.x? Does everyone know something I don't?

  4. Watch HardOCP for news tomorrow. on Phantom Game Console · · Score: 2, Informative

    They've got a man who may or may not have the goods. If he hops next door and finds out anything interesting, they'll be the first to give us the lowdown (that it's a PC running emulators for old consoles).

  5. I'm not very hip on Bad News From Canada On NetTV And Media Levies · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    "Despite strong opposition by the Canadian Alliance to these and other aspects of the bill, the Minister of Canadian Heritage won the day "

    Would someone please explain how the Canadian Alliance and this Minister relate? I'll gladly admit my ignorance as to how Canadian government works in order to get an answer. Is this one individual overruling a lobbying type group or a governmental group? Or something else? Who represents what?

  6. Just a minute... on Rosen Floats ISP Fee Idea -- Charge Everybody! · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They're planning on charging the ISPs and telecom companies for giving us access to file sharing networks. So instead of money changing hands (since internet access prices are already pretty bloated and they won't want to pass on additional costs to the customer at risk of losing business), the ISPs will probably just start port blocking and not pay the RIAA. The RIAA can't charge them retroactively. What never makes sense to me is that whenever these charges come up, shouldn't it give us a guilt-free pass to pirate music since we're now officially paying for it?

    They're going to milk this whole "sales going to be down 6%" junk for all it's worth. I bet we'll see it in every related article until 2004.

  7. You might not be far off... on Microsoft Introduces Its Own CD Copy-Inhibition Scheme · · Score: 2, Informative

    This sounds like some of the things Microsoft has been kicking around for a while...

    Wonder if they're somehow making it WMA based on top of the whole layering thing... crazy old Microsoft.

  8. Info on Frost on SBC Demands Royalties for Links in Frames · · Score: 1

    Here. Seems strange that he refers to himself as president in the letter but the SBC TRI website refers to him as vice president... maybe the site is just outdated.

  9. Re:Google on Honeymoon Over For Google? · · Score: 4, Funny

    about:blank gets Google laid? I think if I about:blanked a girl, I'd get about:slapped.

  10. Re:So.. on Internet Taxation May Be Imminent · · Score: 1

    "So if there were no taxes at all, would you look at things and say, "Hey, Amazon is treated unfairly because you have to pay shipping. We should create some artificial charge against BestBuy so things are even!" Shipping is a real cost (and one you pay for a B&M store, though it's hidden and lower). Taxes are an artificial cost, and so they should be spread evenly."

    Two things:
    1.) I wasn't saying anything about fairness. I was just saying that the advantage to buying online is the lack of taxes. I don't really care that much about the internet taxation because I'm generally too much of an instant gratification guy to buy things online.
    2.)Shipping and "handling" charges are real costs, but often artificially inflated. I worked at a car parts warehouse. The cost to us to ship an item ground the size of a muffler (packaging and factored in labor costs to the farthest contiguous US location) was ~$7-$8. We charged about $20-$30. We actually had a minimum charge of $5 (which sucked if the customer was buying just nuts and bolts or something). They're real costs insomuch as they are arbitrary costs decided upon by the business that are balanced somewhere between actual costs and how much extra profit they can make off of it. Besides, I imagine shipping costs from distributor to warehouse to shop are often included in the profit margin of the item at both B&M and online stores (since costs are often comparable if not equal).

    Honestly, not trying to be argumentative. Just making conversation.

  11. Re:So.. on Internet Taxation May Be Imminent · · Score: 1

    "The biggest argument I hear against taxing internet goods is that it would hurt the internet companies. That same argument can be used against anything that is taxed."

    Not exactly, because you don't have to pay for shipping when you go down to Best Buy and buy a stereo. The perceived advantage to buying something online is that often times shipping is less than local sales tax (and sometimes free after a certain dollar amount). If you have to pay shipping and taxes, you're better off buying something locally. I understand your point about the continual taxation, I'm just sayin'... Of course, if they just instated a national 20% tax and stopped taking it out of our paychecks, we wouldn't even be having this conversation (joking joking)...

    "And besides, I'm already paying taxes on a lot of my internet commerce."

    Whaaaaaaaaaaaa???

  12. Forgive me if this one's already been asked... on Discuss BIOS and Palladium Issues With an AMIBIOS Rep · · Score: 2

    Will AMI, for the forseeable future, be producing only TCPA-enabled bioses, or will a TCPA-free (as in without TCPA) bios version be available to companies who want it? If, for example, a motherboard manufacturer says, "We would like to produce this motherboard. There will be one revision called the K8-XVG-T which will have TCPA and one just called K8-XVG which is normal." would you be able to provide that or would they have to go a different route?

    I'd also like to ask when a major visual overhaul of the ami bios is due, because I'm getting tired of seeing that same old menu setup, but I have a feeling the answer will be never :) I wish I hadn't gotten here so late...

  13. Re:Forking? on Prentice Hall To Publish Open Content Licensed Books · · Score: 1
    "How are you going to handle forking of the text? If two different authors both make mods will their versions be merged or left to exist as separate entities? Will there be a CVS (or other source control system) tree of the books?"
    I bet it'll be like those 'choose your own adventure' books.
  14. Ok with me. on Proposed Set-Top MAME Emulation Console · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Considering the horsepower that's required to do everything post 1997, Xbox level hardware may not cut it for the folks who like the Metal Slug/Capcom Vs. games/etc. For those of us who just want to sit around and play Burgertime or the Ninja Turtles arcade game, I'm all for it.

    I have a feeling this may cause more problems than it's worth, though. The last thing I want to see is some company decide that this is the last straw and really persue shutting down the mame project. I imagine getting permission from more than a couple companies to distribute rom images will be pretty hard, even if they're offered compensation. I can't get to the thread right now - what do the mamedevs think about all this?

    Has anyone bought that single player X-arcade joystick?

  15. Re:Just one question..... on Matt Groening on Internet and Cartoons · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Obviosuly I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but let me put this out there (mainly because I'm bored and feel like ranting):

    The Simpsons: A nuclear family stars - a married couple with 2.5 kids (is a baby half a kid in that deal? I dunno). A formula that has been done a million times and, IMHO, the family characters have become about as one-dimensional as you can ask for:

    Homer - All he does is go on wacky adventures now. The writers have even pointed out that he hardly ever goes to work anymore. He's almost always a jerk or uncaring to everyone around him (family included).

    Marge - The writers attempted to inject some "life" into Marge by adding some sexuality to her part in recent seasons, but it's mostly just seemed uncomfortable. She has been, and always will be, the loving mother and wife. She cleans and cooks but generally doesn't want much more out of life than her family. I've got no problems with that, really, but not much too her.

    Lisa - Standard issue know-it-all. "No one gets me because I'm too smart!"

    Bart - Standard issue trouble maker. "No one gets me because I'm slow. That's why I act out!"

    Maggie - Can't talk/do much. I still find her amusing.
    As far as other characters, almost everyone fills similar one-dimensional stereotypes (and they're really pushing Lenny and Carl on us now - they were much more fun as peripheral characters). That's not to say that they're not interesting or amusing stereotypes, but after 13 seasons they do tend to be played out.

    Futurama: A young adult from 1,000 years in the past stars, along with a disturbingly old professor and his delivery crew.

    Fry - You've got to enjoy a semi-geeky 90's boy who seems to fall for every woman he comes across. It hits so close to home. :)

    Leela - Similar to Lisa in the "I don't fit in!" sort of way only with one eye and as an adult. She also has the mystery of where she came from and an on again/off again flirtation with Fry. Note that, with the bizarre exception of Skinner and Krabapple, the Simpsons almost prides itself on its lack of continuity (how many times has Bart has a last day of school? 5?). I find that I enjoy characters when there is actually some sort of continual timeline happening, not just random weekly events that everyone forgets about the following week. That's just me.

    Bender - A bending robot who likes drinking and stealing. Yep.

    Professor - Old, forgetful but supposedly brilliant professor. Even if you don't find him amusing, some of his inventions are.

    Hermes - Ok, there's really not much to Hermes. They can't all be winners.

    Zoidberg - A lobster creature who acts a little like a Jewish mother. A doctor who doesn't know a whole lot about human anatomy.

    Amy - Rich future girl. Fun.

    Honorable mention - Celebrity heads. I hate guest stars on the Simpsons, but when they're in glass cases, it seems so much more tolerable.

    So, I'm not really expecting you to change your mind (If you've given Futurama a fair shot, you probably don't need to read this anyways). Don't get me wrong, I love the Simpsons (I've been moderating the forums at The Simpsons Sourcebook for a couple years at least), but for the past couple years I've been enjoying Futurama a lot more. Ok. I'm done. Sorry about the long reply.

  16. Re:Just one question..... on Matt Groening on Internet and Cartoons · · Score: 1

    Now if only they could get Conan to write some Futurama episodes...

    I completely agree with that. Hopefully he'll find a way to get in on the Simpsons movie(s). Just to clarify, if we were talking Simpsons pre-season 10, then that would definitely get my vote. Basically I was just saying Simpsons right now sucks. I like 'em both too. *shrug*

  17. No, *this* is an illegal post on EFF Report: Four Years Under the DMCA · · Score: -1, Troll

    This is an illegal post (Score:0)
    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 12, @08:15 (#5066383)

  18. Re:Just one question..... on Matt Groening on Internet and Cartoons · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's better, in my opinion at least, because it's better written, more thought out with more interesting characters than current Simpsons episodes. The Simpsons have traded their old wit/biting satire in for unfunny sex humor, Saturday morning slapstick, and a shitload of bad bad guest stars. I'm sure it's funny to some people to see Homer getting cut up and bleeding in every episode and then yelling boobies, but not me.

    Hmmmm.... that sounds a lot funnier when I describe it than in practice...

  19. Re:You have to wonder... on News on TiVo, "God's Machine" · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "So TiVo is going out of it's way to assure it's customers that the device has been purposely and explicitely designed so as to be less useful to them. What the fuck is going on here?????"

    I'd say they're covering their asses to make sure they can stay in business. They know that the hackers can figure out ways to extract video from it and send it wherever they please. As long as they stay on the good side of the DMCA/copyright law/whatever they won't have to deal with 500lb media gorillas flinging feces at them. Can you blame them? I'd much rather find a hack on the internet to extract/share video than risk having my Tivo go lifeless because of lawsuits.

    (Although I've heard there's a 'plan B' if Tivo does go under...)

  20. Just an opinion. on 160,000 Join Massachusetts Do-Not-Call List · · Score: 1

    I think that these state based no-call lists are just a money grab. Last year Missouri made about 1 million dollars off of fines (here's a small play by play - we went after Miss Cleo!). Yeah, I know, it's not much in a government budget, but that was after the first year and not many people had signed up.

    After that 'success', Attorney General Nixon announced his desire to start a No-Spam list, which is kind of silly but it does give the state another group of people to fine. A pretty large group, assuming that they're actually ever able to hunt a spammer down. Granted, it doesn't cost me anything and I have received substantially fewer telemarketing calls (but a lot more calls with silence on the other end...) and I'm not complaining, but what's the real point of this? And why now? This could've been started years ago. Why the sudden push? Anyone else?

  21. Re:blizzard job - OT on Slashback: Disputes, Clones, Audio · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I saw that too. I doubt that the ad guarantees much out of this crowd because:
    a.) Probably half of the visitors here use ad blockers (or... subscribe).
    b.) A decent portion of the other half are probably underage or don't have the experience asked for by the job requirements (they really aren't requiring *that* much).
    c.) Everyone that's left likes working on BNETD too much or thinks Blizzard 'jumped the shark' or something like that... OR realizes that times are tough and quitting your already not terrible job to go work for a videogame company may not be the best decision you make this year.

    But I dunno. It might be worth it to see what kind of wacky race they decide to include in Warcraft 4.

    Relevant link

  22. Here's the Japanese take on that event... on Why IE Is So Fast ... Sometimes · · Score: 1

    Er, if you can read Japanese. Here. I ran it through Babelfish the other day and got some fun results.

  23. I wasn't sure before... on Lindows CEO Funds XBox Hacking Contest · · Score: 1

    You seem to have a perfectly normal posting history, but I'd swear you're trolling.

    The full quote from me was "Actually, you said they were anti-Linux, which they mostly weren't. And they weren't really pro-Windows (the last 4 that is) because all they talked about was Linux." This was in response to you saying, "But still pro-Windows. I never said those posts rip Linux apart, I said they are pro-Windows." after I quoted the third or fourth post (under the anti-Linux heading).

    You responded with "Sure, ignore the fact that I explicitly stated that the last few links are anti-Linux instead of pro-Windows...". What the hell? I surrender, I have been outwitted.

  24. Sorta OT... on Hollywood's DRM Agenda Moving Forward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Is it possible that the MPAA is intentionally pushing the home theater as the Theater of the Future(tm)? Just like the extinction of arcades has begun due to home entertainment catching up, will the movie theaters also start to thin because the experience will be just as good at home? The line in the article (un: payyourauthors pw: abouttime):

    "The digital future, hailed as more convenient and of higher quality than the scratchy, fuzzy analog past, is coming with multiple strings attached"
    made me wonder what they're actually offering us in exchange for what's being taken away - that is basically, easy to tape television and easy to copy movies. Is the picture going to get much better on DVDs? Will large, widescreen/wall TVs get cheaper? Will there a be a point where first run movies are released simultaneously in theaters and Best Buy? Or submitted directly to our homes via a set top box for 7 bucks (for each person in the room, of course)? Will Jack Valenti live to be an unholy 300 years old? Just thinking.
  25. Re:Pro-windows? Never! on Lindows CEO Funds XBox Hacking Contest · · Score: 1
    "Are you high? What exactly are you trying to prove anyways?"

    "That, in contradiction to popular belief, Slashdot is NOT an anti-Windows pro-Linux place. Duh. There are only very few pro-Linux-anti-Windows people, in spite of what you think. Ditto for "elitists", "zealots", or whatever people come up with tomorrow. They're like 5% of the entire community."
    Why are you trying to prove that? This seems to have become really important recently... I've seen several people trying this kinder, gentler we-accept-everyone slashdot idea on for size recently. Coinceidence, fiction or truth? I dunno.

    "But still pro-Windows. I never said those posts rip Linux apart, I said they are pro-Windows."
    Actually, you said they were anti-Linux, which they mostly weren't. And they weren't really pro-Windows (the last 4 that is) because all they talked about was Linux. Besides that, even if you could find some way to prove, outside of some poll (if you're using these numbers to do anything important, you're insane :) ) and poorly chosen quotes, that the comment posters of this site love Windows and aren't super freaky pro-Linux, that's still discounting the editors. Which stories the editors choose to post is what the bulk of the bazillion daily visitors see, although I'm sure Taco and company really appreciate your myth debunking.

    Like I said, I don't really care, I just thought the proof you presented was flaky. As far as I'm concerned there's definitely a Linux bias here, but it doesn't bother me. For the record, I voted for Windows on that poll because I was at work, but I don't actually have a Windows machine at home. Now, if you could figure out the number of slashdot accounts that are throw away troll accounts, then I'd be impressed (I'd guess there's ~9,000).