Firstly - I will point out that I regularly develop for open source, and run my entire server site on them. The only Win box I have is for gaming.
First - were the games I want to play and reason/cubase (for making music) available for Linux, or runnable on it- that machine would not be running windows.
Now in the artical there were some good points. Ones which perhaps instead of being offended by- the community should take to heart and embrace. Like -in fighting. I personally use KDE - but I have no need to start a holy war about KDE vs Gnome(Qt vs GTK). I agree that between different attempts to code seperate solutions to the same problem - some collaboration between development groups would mean more consistency- and quite likely faster turn arounds.
If there are a few different implementations - why not have a similar interface(plus "extensions").
I often run gnome apps in KDE - along with KDE apps(or in X-Win with KDE on top). That means I must have two large GUI libs installed - why not have them collaborate - and offer alternatives - but with some standardisation. Even just some refactoring between the two libs could pull out a vast amount of cruft for some more efficient shared solution.
One thing I have to say gentoo handled really well is the fact that they do have a hand holding document on their site - and for a newbie - or in fact anyone switching for another dist(I never used portage before - always tarballs or RPM) meant I was quickly able to pick up their way of thinking and have my machine going. Newsgroup responses are not as bad as the document author makes out- but they could be better - but then so could the questions.
The section on MS Bashing is true- but then I have my reasons for MS Bashing - they have done a lot more than simply produce competative software. They have attempted at every turn to stifle/choke off any alternatives. Fine making a better product is fair enough - but creating formats deliberately pitched at destroying inter-operability, and going for the throat against open-licensed software in other ways is not on at all. Now that said - I can bash, and moan all I like - but the only way I could really affect it was to spend more time developing, using and promoting open source software and less comparing it with and fighting MS Products.
I am not pro ms(anything but) - but that is to do with having a third party with almost proxying DDOS protection system running linux in front of their site.
More info on that on netcraft if you search microsoft.com.
Okay - so making a point about ad hominems and then pointing out we are communists in the same sentance pretty much cancels itself out in the same paragraph. Saying that something is a fact by having the word are and the word fact in upper case does not strengthen your argument one bit.
I personally dislike the RIAA and MPAA because of their actions, and what they really stand for. I am not sure that I need to sling mud at them - as there own actions speak measures of magnitude more than I could hope to acheive with such fallacies.
I notice you did not point out that people making claims against Linux, and Open software also use ad hominems - like accusing them of socialism, and other such things. Maybe I am reading to much into you exact words - but I cannot help but feel some bias here.
In your case of the disabled guy or other "little guys" - capitalism helps build developing country sweatshops. After all, for unskilled work - an army of children at less than a penny day is much cheaper, and has more throughput than one disabled person. Large companies who make jobs sound like dream jobs can afford to employ graduates at crap wages - because for every skilled worker who leaves - there are a hundred more trainee ones banging at the door for much less.
As for indoctrinated - I am probably less than the average american by a great deal. Considering I was actually tought Dawkins(on the foundation of Darwin) in school and understand as much about deep physics as I do about the power of theology as a population control system - my usual tack is to question every line of indoctrination. By the way - justifying your last line claim - what kind of education did you get? And what makes you think I had a public education (in the states)?
(flamewar alarms primed - playing advocate is always more fun)
There is nothing socialist about big business screwing people rights. IT is all capitalism. Socialism - in its purist form would not have the big business in the first place. Albeit an idealistic outlook - these things should never occur in that society.
Mean while - in the capitalist ideal - someone has to win, someone has to lose. The whole idea of anti-trust lawsuits is anti-capitalist. Big businesses now do have ultimate power. They can bribe/pay politicians. They can use bad-publicity through media channels to blackmail them. They can buy people into or out of power.
Think of a web server- you dont write the bits of each packet out yourself - but your actions will effect those bits in a very influencial-if indirect way.
Of course - your last line is correct - that were the government to be upholding the constitution properly it could not happen. But it is a capitalist idea to exploit every hole - true socialists would patch the whole for the good of the community - not exploit it for the good of themselves.
In this capacity both are at fault - as are the people of America for not rising and fighting this properly yet. But I can understand how those with smaller brains would rather blame it on one or another in a binary way...
If someone could post it again- I remember someones sig line having a link to a paper decribting what went wrong with the American constitution and when it began to give business the same or more rights than indviduals.
Well considering they already ship Beck, whistler and others in Media Demo's on their windows disks - they could already claim to be a music publisher. Are they on RIAA or MPAA lists?
Just in: "**AA lobby congress for international laws allowing(nay enforcing) removal of ears and eyes - for replacement with DRM controlled digital implants."
Have you ever had to use a MS Office XML export? I was working on some database system - which one of my old companies lovely ex-journo designers provided content for in Excel.
Having had much experience with XML importing - I was shocked at just how unreadable, and unusable XML can be made.
Office XML features - for the record arent worth sh1t. If you need this - you are better off using (ughh) vbasic - and reading the cells/items and exporting them yourself.
Fine - go to openoffice.org and request a solution- let the coders know that it needs improving - add a bug. Better still code it if you can.
It aint going to help moaning about how bad it is on slashdot - not unless your only aim is to rubbish it because you are unwilling to switch from MS Office.
umm - this at least one point of an open source community product. The ability to request those options - or code them yourself(as options). If its not customizable in that way - then someone can MAKE it so. Not so with Office - even if you have the skills - only MS can make those kinda changes.
This is slashdot - its only when it stops beeping that I am surprised...
This whole discussion reminds me of a situation with my old circle of friends in my home town. One of the guys is gay, and as camp as they come. Occasionally one of us may make a gay joke - to which he will laugh as much as the next guy(in fact he tells more of them).
There was a number of occasions where some outsider - not part of our circle - would jump to his defence and accuse us of all being homophobic.
It would be down to Tris to tell them to STFU - as it would wind him up no end.
The way he figured it is that people who still made such an issue of gay jokes and such, were making an "issue" of it. It should not be a taboo thing - if people are actually comfortable with these things.
"How many coders does it take to change a light bulb? None - its a hardware issue" is not a taboo joke (unless you really are an offended coder!?).
The difference is that the FSF will use these to develop software going back INTO the community. Consider them a charity.
After all - someone has to maintain and develop the software. While I occasionally(and I mean very occasionally) find time to bugfix something- a dedicated team and dedicated hardware will mean much more open source is developed.
If I lived in the states and was going to get an MS voucher - I would be sending it to them.
Although - I have to admit- a fully decked out shuttle xpc, a flat panel screen and a projecter connected to a dual-head card would be cool(screw 60-inch tv).
Quote: "Free as In Speech" not "Free as In beer". Though with FSF the two tend to go together.
There is nothing pretentious about the claim that they are fighting for our freedom to use, extend, develop, improve, share, redistribute, modify software. This is what the GPL is all about.
I am glad you mentioned Dawkins. I have studied Dawkins massively.
I will refer to two items. Firstly - in the Simulation - the best possible group were the tit-for-tat. Although short-term gain is greater from a selfish act, if there is no-one to bum off, them you have nothing to gain. I think I pretty much operate a tit-for-tat basis(with mroe complex rules - but similar).
The second is the points about parasite/host relationships. If you consider - the RIAA members do not make music, they just retail it bulk. They are in effect parasites - where the Artists/Listeners are hosts. Now if you kill off, or seriously piss off the host- you will loose out - than quietly draining money off.
Anyway- this fringe benefit may prompt the music industry to host a site similar to last.fm and harvest market data there. They could even allow people to upload Open Music/Stuff they have composed themselves - as long as they do not lay claim to it.
Not everyone has net access - so people will buy, with market data like that - they would have a bigger picture than the charts do now.
Look up "Ramenboy" and similar artists. Many of which are pretty good.
My tack is this - although I disagree with most copyright law - I try to operate within it - I am able to produce CD's for all of my music collection. Other stuff is public domain/dmusic or thecomposition of myself and friends/colleagues.
Have a look at dmusic.org.
Maybe we would be better off stopping anonymous money/bank transfers than trying to prevent these attacks. That would prevent Al Quaida money and extortion mechanisms. Although it is not impossible to send 50 grand in unmarked notes instead. Unfortunately - that would still leave people with politically/competatively motivated attacks to continue.
Why do ISP's, Universities and Companies not do this anyway? I mean as an "acceptable use policy". Suspend user accounts. This might also be the case for packets with IP address's which are spoofed. It might be that software/devices that flag such actions and event automatically suspend accounts - thus meaning the perpetrator will need to contact them for service resuming could make it easier to catch, prevent and discourage such attacks. However it still leaves them open to distributed attacks.
Crossing against the light is downright dangerous. And in built up areas, with lower speed limits(like school crossing areas and residential areas) that few miles per hour more effectively increases the stopping distance - thus increasing your chance of killing a school child. Enforcing these particular laws to the point of pedantry makes sense when car accidents are the number one killer(they are in the UK and the US AFAIK).
To falunt safety laws like this should bring crippling fines, and increased premiums. If you were working in a building, who flaunted health and safety law, and had toxic gases in the air you breath - you would soon make a fuss.
Playing advocate here- but why shouldnt every citizen be responsible for their actions - especially when behind the wheel of a 1 tonne potential killing machine. I dont like a police state any more than the next guy - but people must be responsible, and culpable for their actions.
I have actually once witnessed a gruesome cyclist death - and it was clearly the fault of the trucker. The cyclist was actually decapitated by the truck. The driver had passed a red light at danger. He was convicted - and I dont know what happened after that.
I certainly think that for any commercial/company cars something like that must be fitted. For public cars- I agreee with the insurance premium rule- not to have one will up your premiums vastly - thus encouraging drivers to take responsibility for their actions.
I dont agree with driver seat cameras- or anything that extreme- but if a black box records how fast you are going - and could be accurately checked against signal light timing- then if you werent doing anything wrong you have nothing to fear.
My own extension to that would be RF based safety mechanisms to prevent a driver from skipping lights, and going over speed restrictions depending on the area. Remember - these things are for public safety- not mind control and snooping. Cars are responsible for more deaths than any thing else AFAIK.
Slashdot Mirror
Firstly - I will point out that I regularly develop for open source, and run my entire server site on them. The only Win box I have is for gaming.
First - were the games I want to play and reason/cubase (for making music) available for Linux, or runnable on it- that machine would not be running windows.
Now in the artical there were some good points. Ones which perhaps instead of being offended by- the community should take to heart and embrace. Like -in fighting. I personally use KDE - but I have no need to start a holy war about KDE vs Gnome(Qt vs GTK). I agree that between different attempts to code seperate solutions to the same problem - some collaboration between development groups would mean more consistency- and quite likely faster turn arounds.
If there are a few different implementations - why not have a similar interface(plus "extensions").
I often run gnome apps in KDE - along with KDE apps(or in X-Win with KDE on top). That means I must have two large GUI libs installed - why not have them collaborate - and offer alternatives - but with some standardisation. Even just some refactoring between the two libs could pull out a vast amount of cruft for some more efficient shared solution.
One thing I have to say gentoo handled really well is the fact that they do have a hand holding document on their site - and for a newbie - or in fact anyone switching for another dist(I never used portage before - always tarballs or RPM) meant I was quickly able to pick up their way of thinking and have my machine going. Newsgroup responses are not as bad as the document author makes out- but they could be better - but then so could the questions.
The section on MS Bashing is true- but then I have my reasons for MS Bashing - they have done a lot more than simply produce competative software. They have attempted at every turn to stifle/choke off any alternatives. Fine making a better product is fair enough - but creating formats deliberately pitched at destroying inter-operability, and going for the throat against open-licensed software in other ways is not on at all. Now that said - I can bash, and moan all I like - but the only way I could really affect it was to spend more time developing, using and promoting open source software and less comparing it with and fighting MS Products.
Thats what I am going to do now.... Bye..
I am not pro ms(anything but) - but that is to do with having a third party with almost proxying DDOS protection system running linux in front of their site.
More info on that on netcraft if you search microsoft.com.
Okay - so making a point about ad hominems and then pointing out we are communists in the same sentance pretty much cancels itself out in the same paragraph. Saying that something is a fact by having the word are and the word fact in upper case does not strengthen your argument one bit.
I personally dislike the RIAA and MPAA because of their actions, and what they really stand for. I am not sure that I need to sling mud at them - as there own actions speak measures of magnitude more than I could hope to acheive with such fallacies.
I notice you did not point out that people making claims against Linux, and Open software also use ad hominems - like accusing them of socialism, and other such things. Maybe I am reading to much into you exact words - but I cannot help but feel some bias here.
In your case of the disabled guy or other "little guys" - capitalism helps build developing country sweatshops. After all, for unskilled work - an army of children at less than a penny day is much cheaper, and has more throughput than one disabled person. Large companies who make jobs sound like dream jobs can afford to employ graduates at crap wages - because for every skilled worker who leaves - there are a hundred more trainee ones banging at the door for much less.
As for indoctrinated - I am probably less than the average american by a great deal. Considering I was actually tought Dawkins(on the foundation of Darwin) in school and understand as much about deep physics as I do about the power of theology as a population control system - my usual tack is to question every line of indoctrination. By the way - justifying your last line claim - what kind of education did you get? And what makes you think I had a public education (in the states)?
(flamewar alarms primed - playing advocate is always more fun)
There is nothing socialist about big business screwing people rights. IT is all capitalism. Socialism - in its purist form would not have the big business in the first place. Albeit an idealistic outlook - these things should never occur in that society.
Mean while - in the capitalist ideal - someone has to win, someone has to lose. The whole idea of anti-trust lawsuits is anti-capitalist. Big businesses now do have ultimate power. They can bribe/pay politicians. They can use bad-publicity through media channels to blackmail them. They can buy people into or out of power.
Think of a web server- you dont write the bits of each packet out yourself - but your actions will effect those bits in a very influencial-if indirect way.
Of course - your last line is correct - that were the government to be upholding the constitution properly it could not happen. But it is a capitalist idea to exploit every hole - true socialists would patch the whole for the good of the community - not exploit it for the good of themselves.
In this capacity both are at fault - as are the people of America for not rising and fighting this properly yet. But I can understand how those with smaller brains would rather blame it on one or another in a binary way...
If someone could post it again- I remember someones sig line having a link to a paper decribting what went wrong with the American constitution and when it began to give business the same or more rights than indviduals.
Well considering they already ship Beck, whistler and others in Media Demo's on their windows disks - they could already claim to be a music publisher. Are they on RIAA or MPAA lists?
Just in: "**AA lobby congress for international laws allowing(nay enforcing) removal of ears and eyes - for replacement with DRM controlled digital implants."
Dont forget DMusic.
As soon as I have eq'd it and I am happy with it - my music will be online. Its still a bit rough around the edges...
Have you ever had to use a MS Office XML export? I was working on some database system - which one of my old companies lovely ex-journo designers provided content for in Excel.
Having had much experience with XML importing - I was shocked at just how unreadable, and unusable XML can be made.
Office XML features - for the record arent worth sh1t. If you need this - you are better off using (ughh) vbasic - and reading the cells/items and exporting them yourself.
Excellent - now go post them on the OpenOffice.org bug list. They are gonna be read then by people geniunely interested in fixing them.
Fine - go to openoffice.org and request a solution- let the coders know that it needs improving - add a bug. Better still code it if you can.
It aint going to help moaning about how bad it is on slashdot - not unless your only aim is to rubbish it because you are unwilling to switch from MS Office.
umm - this at least one point of an open source community product. The ability to request those options - or code them yourself(as options). If its not customizable in that way - then someone can MAKE it so. Not so with Office - even if you have the skills - only MS can make those kinda changes.
This is slashdot - its only when it stops beeping that I am surprised...
This whole discussion reminds me of a situation with my old circle of friends in my home town. One of the guys is gay, and as camp as they come. Occasionally one of us may make a gay joke - to which he will laugh as much as the next guy(in fact he tells more of them).
There was a number of occasions where some outsider - not part of our circle - would jump to his defence and accuse us of all being homophobic.
It would be down to Tris to tell them to STFU - as it would wind him up no end.
The way he figured it is that people who still made such an issue of gay jokes and such, were making an "issue" of it. It should not be a taboo thing - if people are actually comfortable with these things.
"How many coders does it take to change a light bulb? None - its a hardware issue" is not a taboo joke (unless you really are an offended coder!?).
The difference is that the FSF will use these to develop software going back INTO the community. Consider them a charity.
After all - someone has to maintain and develop the software. While I occasionally(and I mean very occasionally) find time to bugfix something- a dedicated team and dedicated hardware will mean much more open source is developed.
If I lived in the states and was going to get an MS voucher - I would be sending it to them.
Although - I have to admit- a fully decked out shuttle xpc, a flat panel screen and a projecter connected to a dual-head card would be cool(screw 60-inch tv).
Quote: "Free as In Speech" not "Free as In beer". Though with FSF the two tend to go together.
There is nothing pretentious about the claim that they are fighting for our freedom to use, extend, develop, improve, share, redistribute, modify software. This is what the GPL is all about.
I am glad you mentioned Dawkins. I have studied Dawkins massively.
I will refer to two items. Firstly - in the Simulation - the best possible group were the tit-for-tat. Although short-term gain is greater from a selfish act, if there is no-one to bum off, them you have nothing to gain. I think I pretty much operate a tit-for-tat basis(with mroe complex rules - but similar).
The second is the points about parasite/host relationships. If you consider - the RIAA members do not make music, they just retail it bulk. They are in effect parasites - where the Artists/Listeners are hosts. Now if you kill off, or seriously piss off the host- you will loose out - than quietly draining money off.
Anyway- this fringe benefit may prompt the music industry to host a site similar to last.fm and harvest market data there. They could even allow people to upload Open Music/Stuff they have composed themselves - as long as they do not lay claim to it.
Not everyone has net access - so people will buy, with market data like that - they would have a bigger picture than the charts do now.
Look up "Ramenboy" and similar artists. Many of which are pretty good. My tack is this - although I disagree with most copyright law - I try to operate within it - I am able to produce CD's for all of my music collection. Other stuff is public domain/dmusic or thecomposition of myself and friends/colleagues. Have a look at dmusic.org.
Maybe we would be better off stopping anonymous money/bank transfers than trying to prevent these attacks. That would prevent Al Quaida money and extortion mechanisms. Although it is not impossible to send 50 grand in unmarked notes instead.
Unfortunately - that would still leave people with politically/competatively motivated attacks to continue.
Why do ISP's, Universities and Companies not do this anyway? I mean as an "acceptable use policy". Suspend user accounts. This might also be the case for packets with IP address's which are spoofed.
It might be that software/devices that flag such actions and event automatically suspend accounts - thus meaning the perpetrator will need to contact them for service resuming could make it easier to catch, prevent and discourage such attacks.
However it still leaves them open to distributed attacks.
Dont know why those angle brackets didnt come out- there was supposed to be "Knee Jerk" tags around that first line(it pays to preview).
This must be a bad thing- because you said SCO!
I dont think I have ever played with TurboLinux.
Actually its against both - because open software, and open formats encourage competition - as opposed to monopolies.
Bah - do the freon mod! I am sure you wouldnt hear any fan noise. In fact would it not be better to remove the fans completely with that?
Crossing against the light is downright dangerous. And in built up areas, with lower speed limits(like school crossing areas and residential areas) that few miles per hour more effectively increases the stopping distance - thus increasing your chance of killing a school child. Enforcing these particular laws to the point of pedantry makes sense when car accidents are the number one killer(they are in the UK and the US AFAIK).
To falunt safety laws like this should bring crippling fines, and increased premiums. If you were working in a building, who flaunted health and safety law, and had toxic gases in the air you breath - you would soon make a fuss.
Playing advocate here- but why shouldnt every citizen be responsible for their actions - especially when behind the wheel of a 1 tonne potential killing machine. I dont like a police state any more than the next guy - but people must be responsible, and culpable for their actions.
I have actually once witnessed a gruesome cyclist death - and it was clearly the fault of the trucker. The cyclist was actually decapitated by the truck. The driver had passed a red light at danger. He was convicted - and I dont know what happened after that.
I certainly think that for any commercial/company cars something like that must be fitted. For public cars- I agreee with the insurance premium rule- not to have one will up your premiums vastly - thus encouraging drivers to take responsibility for their actions.
I dont agree with driver seat cameras- or anything that extreme- but if a black box records how fast you are going - and could be accurately checked against signal light timing- then if you werent doing anything wrong you have nothing to fear.
My own extension to that would be RF based safety mechanisms to prevent a driver from skipping lights, and going over speed restrictions depending on the area. Remember - these things are for public safety- not mind control and snooping. Cars are responsible for more deaths than any thing else AFAIK.