The question I have is that, since it is pretty obvious that writing to the boot sector is a bad idea. So what should Intuit do?
They should get down on their corporate knees and humbly apologize to every single customer for calling them theives and for installing spyware on their machines. Not that it will make much difference to me. They've lost a long-time paying customer forever. Bugs I'll put up with -- deliberate stupidity, no. Intuit should have realized that people who use illegal copies of their software are never going to pay for it, no matter what they do. They are not going to sell more copies by doing this, they are just losing customers who do pay.
Their customer support email has already flaked out. It just returns an error when you try to use it. I think they are already getting the message. Over and over and over and . . .
I agree that software patents are stupid, but I'm not too sure about the recipe thing. One could call a set of mechanical drawings (often what patents are based on) recipes. You follow the steps and you wind up with a widget. A patented widget.
The difference is that when you follow the directions in software (compile and run it), all you get is a temporary state of electronic gates on a device (computer). As you pointed out, there is no real, er, physical presence. Patenting software is like getting a patent for a car going 30 mph with the left front window down and a flat spare tire in the trunk.
Software should be copyrighted, for those seeking protection, not patented.
Excellent points, but unless IEEE-USA can push this without offending someone in IEEE's massive directorship (and that's unlikely), it will be quashed like before. I had just hoped to manage expectations here (that's what good IT workers do, right) and point out that it is not yet the IEEE supporting this (hopefully, someday it will be).
First, it's not the IEEE leading the fight, it's the IEEE-USA which is a regional organization. The IEEE, which controls the money, has none. The IEEE's bloated directorship has squandered the organization's revenue and led it to near paralysis. The smaller subsections or societies finally demanded an outside review of organization management and policies.
The review condemned the current state of affairs, but unless something is done about it, the IEEE will remain moribund and ineffective.
Initially, the IEEE was pretty wishy-washy about the DMCA, but it seems that they've been listening to their members and have developed a pretty strong anti-DMCA, pro-innovation stance. Including an enlightened view on Fair Use rights!"
...which they quietly published in two position papers. Pardon me for being a wet blanket, but I'll wait until some organization makes the case by loudly publishing a position paper before I start cheering.
Agreed. I also think the poster of the article was somewhat confused. I am a member of both the IEEE and the IEEE-USA since it is the regional organization for U.S. residents. The links in the article are to IEEE-USA pages or the linked articles refer to IEEE-USA positions. IEEE, the parent organization, will remain wishy-washy as always. The only time it takes a position is when IEEE-USA offends someone (like the time it opposed H-1B increases), and the IEEE slapped them down and told them to shut up. IEEE-USA has a new president who hasn't been slapped down yet.
I'm just wondering why people speculate without evidence? Its like people arn't happy with a story until they added their own little insubstantiated (possible, but insubstantiated) twist. I'm all for listening, but why post a "what if" without any proof beyond that it'd be possible?
Whoa. I'm having a severe reality check. I thought I was reading comments on Slashdot.:)
Didn't Dave admit in one column that someone had demonstrated that the low-flush toilet could flush any amount of "legislative business", and they worked?
The only problem in Florida was with people too stupid to figure out how to use a ballot machine that has been used for decades. Just a lack of homework and an excess of money and lawyers.
All corporations are this greedy, it's part of the ethos
I think I'd modify that to "most" corporations. Surely, there must still be some companies that value ethical behaviour in their management and not just ethics training for the low level employees. . . Then again, maybe you're right.
No, I receive a substandard salary compared to most people doing my job in this country. Your Libertarian meanderings will last only as long as you have a job and continue to feel superior to others. I wouldn't expect you to be impressed. That would require rational thought.
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft will be at old age, thus helping the viagra market!
Thanks a lot. Now I can't get rid of this image of Steve Ballmer doing a happy dance in a Viagra commercial.
Does a 4TB hard drive make sense in a personal computer?
If you don't have one, how are you going to install Windows 2010?
The question I have is that, since it is pretty obvious that writing to the boot sector is a bad idea. So what should Intuit do?
They should get down on their corporate knees and humbly apologize to every single customer for calling them theives and for installing spyware on their machines. Not that it will make much difference to me. They've lost a long-time paying customer forever. Bugs I'll put up with -- deliberate stupidity, no. Intuit should have realized that people who use illegal copies of their software are never going to pay for it, no matter what they do. They are not going to sell more copies by doing this, they are just losing customers who do pay.
Their customer support email has already flaked out. It just returns an error when you try to use it. I think they are already getting the message. Over and over and over and . . .
Thanks for pointing that out. I don't know how many others were, but I thought he was talking about ISO images, which was kind of strange.
On the other hand, I've often wondered about the utility of wasting most of the space on a CD for stuff that belongs on the label.
You sentimental softie. I'm gonna go downstairs now and stare at my Atari serial floppy drive for a while. *sniffle*
I agree that software patents are stupid, but I'm not too sure about the recipe thing. One could call a set of mechanical drawings (often what patents are based on) recipes. You follow the steps and you wind up with a widget. A patented widget.
The difference is that when you follow the directions in software (compile and run it), all you get is a temporary state of electronic gates on a device (computer). As you pointed out, there is no real, er, physical presence. Patenting software is like getting a patent for a car going 30 mph with the left front window down and a flat spare tire in the trunk.
Software should be copyrighted, for those seeking protection, not patented.
Excellent points, but unless IEEE-USA can push this without offending someone in IEEE's massive directorship (and that's unlikely), it will be quashed like before. I had just hoped to manage expectations here (that's what good IT workers do, right) and point out that it is not yet the IEEE supporting this (hopefully, someday it will be).
First, it's not the IEEE leading the fight, it's the IEEE-USA which is a regional organization. The IEEE, which controls the money, has none. The IEEE's bloated directorship has squandered the organization's revenue and led it to near paralysis. The smaller subsections or societies finally demanded an outside review of organization management and policies.
The review condemned the current state of affairs, but unless something is done about it, the IEEE will remain moribund and ineffective.
Agreed. I also think the poster of the article was somewhat confused. I am a member of both the IEEE and the IEEE-USA since it is the regional organization for U.S. residents. The links in the article are to IEEE-USA pages or the linked articles refer to IEEE-USA positions. IEEE, the parent organization, will remain wishy-washy as always. The only time it takes a position is when IEEE-USA offends someone (like the time it opposed H-1B increases), and the IEEE slapped them down and told them to shut up. IEEE-USA has a new president who hasn't been slapped down yet.
A note to moderators: A post similar to another but posted one minute later should not be modded redundant. I hope that gets taken care of in M2.
Now, now. You've forgotten to take your medication again. Go take it, and you'll feel better soon. :)
When a duplicate story appears, why do countless morons repeatedly post and re-post to point this out? What do you want, a medal for spotting this?
And you're here reading comments about a dupe and making the obligatory "why do people post this stuff" post. I feel a recursion coming on. :)
I'm just wondering why people speculate without evidence? Its like people arn't happy with a story until they added their own little insubstantiated (possible, but insubstantiated) twist. I'm all for listening, but why post a "what if" without any proof beyond that it'd be possible?
Whoa. I'm having a severe reality check. I thought I was reading comments on Slashdot. :)
You got red pens at work?
Damn. I had to take red pens to work, and I figured the blue ones I got in exchange were small compensation.
Yeah, but you're still using company bandwidth.
No, I'm not. When I work from home, I'm using a DSL connection that I pay for. Be careful of your assumptions.
Thanks for that note of sanity amidst all the flames. :)
Didn't Dave admit in one column that someone had demonstrated that the low-flush toilet could flush any amount of "legislative business", and they worked?
I wish I had mod points today. That would be +1 Insightful.
The only problem in Florida was with people too stupid to figure out how to use a ballot machine that has been used for decades. Just a lack of homework and an excess of money and lawyers.
All corporations are this greedy, it's part of the ethos
I think I'd modify that to "most" corporations. Surely, there must still be some companies that value ethical behaviour in their management and not just ethics training for the low level employees. . . Then again, maybe you're right.
Apparenty I snagged a 12 year-old moderator or a comedian. The correct moderation should have been troll. :)
No, I receive a substandard salary compared to most people doing my job in this country. Your Libertarian meanderings will last only as long as you have a job and continue to feel superior to others. I wouldn't expect you to be impressed. That would require rational thought.
Do you really think you exist in a vacuum?
No. I think you exist in an intellectual vacuum. You haven't considered the ramifications of the things you endorse, puppy.
That is a really great simplification of the whole argument.