Ah, ah, BUT, the NYT doesn't require any personal information that can be associated with you individually, except an email address, which can easily be taken from an anonymous email service if you're paranoid enough. The only information they require is obviously for statistical purposes, so they know what reader base they have.
It is true that you are not required to give up your "privacy" in order to get content at Slashdot, but even at the NYT, you are not forced to give out anything either. You can make all that shit up and you still get an account. (Oh, it wastes my time then... Well, 15 secs is worth it to me to read their content). If it's such a big deal, then why aren't all the readers here anonymous? Why aren't you posting anonymously? It is NOT a simple difference. Like I said before, I could understand the paranoid statements coming from Anonymous posters, but people who have already chosen to give away their "privacy" saying these things is hypocritical.
This is a GOOD THING. By having a *public institution* own the patents to ALL the stem cell lines, it's going to be MUCH easier for researchers to have access. Despite what many people think, patents actually can be a good thing. It's just we've seen them so many times abused by PRIVATE organizations. Instead of spouting off the normally uneducated response that most of the 15-year-old Slashdot readers here have, try thinking about the issue first.
in the NYT, this is a link to the not free account-requiring Charlotte Observer.
I find it extremely ironic that the people who complain about signing up for accounts at the NYT still have accounts here at Slashdot. I mean, what's the damn difference? I could understand this statement coming from an Anonymous poster... The uneducated hypocritical Slashdot reader rears its ugly head again. Mod me down or flame me all you like, but you know its true.
Sorry, not really. It's still the Warner Brothers who are the main characters. That cartoon would never have existed if not for them. They only threw Dot in there to add the female support role to the male leads. Sorry to burst your bubble, bud.
Exactly, very simple to do. I'm sure my mother would set it up in no time and that the coffee maker will be built in such a way as to find out it's "external" ip address so it can automatically broadcast that information to any "remote control" devices that need to know how to contact it. So, does that also mean that in order to buy an "internet ready coffe maker" I also need to buy a router as well?. Of course, that router will work with ALL devices automatically, right?
We should just give up on IPv6 then, huh? Not needed? What about the built-in security (packet encryption and source authentication). What about policy route specification? What about combination of IPX and NSAP addresses into IP? What about priority routing for "real-time" or "critical" services? What about "local-use addresses that allow companies to not have to renumber their IP addresses if they start out not connected to the internet, but later connect and need to request an address prefix from the global internet address space?
Anything else that is useless and a waste of time with IPv6?
Yeah, YOU can ssh into your firewall and look! there's your network... But how the hell will your personal organizer connect DIRECTLY to your fridge to tell it to order groceries? Huh? Answer that one and then tell us that IPv6 is a waste.
Come on all you Michigan people here! I know there's plenty of you here on Slashdot. Join me in a rousing chorus of the Victors!
Hail to the Victors Valiant
Hail to the Conquering Heroes
Hail! Hail! To Michigan
The Leaders and Best!
Hail! Hail! To Michigan
The Champions of the West!
Seriously, though, you should all check out the trials this team had to go through. 4 weeks ago, their car was completely wrecked after an episode with some potholes and a ditch. They came back from incredible odds to win this one and it just shows what perseverance and hard work can accomplish. Those of you still in high school should really be thinking about going to this school, no matter what field you're interested in. It really has the best resources you could find anywhere in an undergraduate program, not to mention the caliber of the teachers, the students and the projects. From the engineering campus to the sports arena to the halls of history and literature, NOTHING beats Michigan.
Software Engineer (sorry, I don't buy that these are actual engineers)
I would certainly beg to differ on this point. An engineer in the purest sense follows certain procedures, guidelines, ethics and rules in order to develop scientifically sound solutions to complicated problems. They systematically design, implement and test these solutions with the intent that what they have built will function in a manner that is efficient, robust and easily monitored.
A software developer can work in the same way as any other engineer. The guy who built the L337 h4x0r tool may not have followed these strict practices, and therefore, he is a hacker, or computer programmer. The guys who build the software systems for NASA and software engineers, well they go through a very rigorous and scientific process to develop their schtuff and I think they can be titled as software engineers. Maybe people who call themselves software engineers may not be exactly that. But I DO think it is a true profession and that the people who follow it ARE TRULY engineers. And I do think that this is something most, if not all, computer programmers should be striving for, as it will strengthen the field and help turn out BETTER products for consumers. In fact, I believe we need to have a guide of ethics and practices for all true software engineers, just like there are in many of the other engineering professions, and to form engineering societies that you join when you take on the profession of software engineer.
I understand the belief that there are no real software engineers, but I truly believe that is just because most software developers today are not truly practicing within the guidelines of science of engineering. It's not really a question of whether software engineers exist, it's a question of whether the software developers hold themselves to the high standards of engineering practices. And this is where the formal training comes in. Anyone can gain the knowledge to become a software developer, but it takes a bit more to become a true software engineer. I also believe that the label of Software Engineer would come above that of Certified Hacker. That is not a swipe at people who call themselves hackers. It is a reality of the methodologies with which they go about their business and the expectations that their clients will have for their work.
There, enough said. As far as the 15 year old goes, as long as his "clients" understand who they are dealing with and that there is not any misrepresentation of his true skills and experience, I say more power to him, and I hope he takes his knowledge and concern for the law to very great things. It's good to see someone truly caring for people's problems and not for the money they can give him.
I'm better than ALL you folks, cause I'm the best programmer there is: a know-it-all who actually IS pleasant to work with.
I am a confident nerd, smart as a cookie and intent on my technology, yet I also know how to interface with people. I have the skills to make people look to me as a leader, even when I'm programmer #3 in the far right corner. I can problem-solve like there's no tomorrow, not just by myself, but also as a part of a bigger team. I'm fluent in "tech-speak" yet also know how to describe problems for everyone to understand, and often do so, not to show-off, but to make sure everyone's on the same page; to help the overall group achieve progress. I'm knowledgeable about my field, my technologies and my business and know how to interweave different solution options to get the job done. When there's a problem, I know how to fix it, and if I don't know, I'll figure it out. If someone needs help, I am please to help them and I also take it as an opportunity to increase my own abilities by learning how to impart my wisdom on another in the most effective way. I know I'm the best and wake up every day with the knowledge that I am extremely important to the people around me. Yet, I'm not arrogant like most Prima Donna bitches, because I'm confident in my abilities and don't require self-pumping to increase my lowly self-esteem. I'm good with the ladies, witty and funny, handsome and charming, yet smart as a whip and able to tackle any nerdy problem thrown my way. I am the cream of the crop, the ultimate in programmer perfection, the ideal everything. I am the Prima Donna's worst nightmare, the man who does it all, knows he can do it all, but doesn't need others to know he does it all. I am the Egotist!
This is what makes Tomb Raider a faithful evocation of a videogame rather than a conventional movie. It's exactly what many gamers will like about it, and many non-gamers won't.
I'm a gamer and I thought this movie fucking sucked. BIG time. I only went because my fiancee thought it had potential for actually showing a strong female lead character. Instead, I get a same old big boobs, tight shorts, cocky swagger, no-good-acting, up-on-the-screen-to-please-the-15-year-old-horny-b oys, bitch. I ended up wishing I could fall asleep during most of the DULL and BORING action scenes, but I couldn't because the annoying background music was like a screw being drilled into my head. Did someone say this movie had a great SOUNDTRACK? I guess so, if you think music has no purpose but to add a dull drone of sound to the background of mediocre, nay, nauseatingly bad acting.
What the fuck was Jon smoking??? You GO Taco! You're the only one on this site with any integrity. Kick all the rest off and take Slashdot back to what it was in the glory days! At least get rid of that pompous bastard Katz. The man can't get a job at a SERIOUS journal source. Why should we have to read his crap? It's a fucking MOVIE. You don't have to pull your self-righteous geek shit in the review of some 3rd rate MOVIE.
Anyone notice how many fucking times this dude uses the words innovate, innovative, innovation and every other fucking derivative of innovat- in his sentences. They must have sent a god damn memo to every employee reminding them to "please use the word innovate in each and every response to questions regarding Microsoft, its products and its business practices. I would laugh at this bullshit, except for the fact that the public is going to fall for it head over heels and start automatically envisioning Bill Gates' face when they hear the word innovate. Next thing you know, it's gonna be in the god damn verbal section of the SATs!
...are a lot of innovative users in the Chicago area, which is exciting.
We literally have dozens of partners doing very innovative work with customers here.
There has been no legal ruling put into effect. We have and continue to innovate within the spirit and letter of the law.
The inclusion of Internet Explorer with Windows has been absolutely great... for innovation in the software industry.
It will force us to be innovative.
This really isn't anything new of course. They've been associating this word with Microsoft for a while now, but it still irks me that it's so fucking transparent. These guys are absolute leaches, sucking the soul of America dry with their marketing and PR shit. God, I love this country! Build your products and build them well, but don't act like fucking Moses about them, dictating how, where, when, and why people should them and shit like that.
As michael exults: "Yay! more portable drives that are totally incompatible with everything else including all other Iomega drives! Yay!"
Someone slap that idiot. How are they supposed to be compatible with previous drives??? Find a answer to that question and then I'll give you permission to complain. Storage devices are very technology dependent, where the actual PHYSICAL properties of each drive change as they gain the ability to store more data on them. It's not like they're just writing software.
Between that comment and the stupid review of Myst III, someone should really consider kicking "Michael" out of here. He provides absolutely nothing beneficial to this site.
Since they say they are probably underestimating the number of actual DoS attacks because of their limited assumptions, I wonder how many DoS attacks are really happening each day. I was actually surprised at the number they were able to personally witness in their limited study (5,000 distinct hosts over 3 weeks). I figured DoS attacks were just a once in a blue moon kind of thing. It amazes me that all those script kiddies are so bored as to like doing this so much. The actual number of attacks must be like 2-3 times that amount. Crazy. I guess that's why we need more research like this.
Perhaps the most brazen of this behavior was the administrators decision not to speak out about his concern because of the fear he had about his reputation.
From the article: But as a national spokesman for the movement toward standardized assessment, Dr. Crew decided his credibility would be lost. He thought he would be seen as a crybaby.
Yes, it's true he didn't speak up because he feared for his credibility, but in fact, he had made that decision because he accepted the results that the testing company were pushing at him. He was actually doing the right thing and accepting the responsibility that he had thrust upon himself. The testing company was giving him data that showed that kids weren't working up to the levels he wanted them to be working at. He had no other facts to negate the results, so he accepted responsibility and therefore lost his job. I see that as a very honorable thing and worthy of any good leader. NOW, on the other hand, the leadership of the testing company is another matter, and I would agree with everything you state, as long as it is geared towards them and not towards the school administrator.
I personally believe things like this serve no true purpose. The number of meaningful comments you recieve are small compared to the amount of abuse.
In my opinion, it just shows the truly cowardly nature of students who are unable to face their problems head on in a constructive and thoughtful manner. Instead, you get anonymous posts bashing other human beings for no reason except that there is a personal dislike for them. Well, I'm sorry, but take your problems to the problem itself and discuss it... Work it out... Find a solution. Don't go and act in childish ways. Deal with the matter with maturity and respect.
The education system in this country is not the fault of the parents, the government, the schools, the administrations or the teachers. These people are just trying to educate a bunch of kids who have no respect at all for educating themselves, who are the real center of the issue. I feel sorry for the teachers of our country, who are hit from both sides every day, ridiculed by students for just trying to do their job and then lambasted by the parents for not educating their children. It's just a sad state of affairs.
The students cry to be treated like they have important thoughts to say, but websites like the ones you pointed out just go to show the real nature of their minds.
This, of course, brings us back to the "community blackboard," which I foretell will become a breeding ground for hate messages, incoherent scribblings, marketing drivel and goat.sex writings. That's the nature of the beast and just goes to show the truth about who we are as human beings. Once you remove the responsibility from people of standing behind their thoughts and ideas in a face to face medium, they turn into a bunch of raving lunatics.
With two new positions being created, I'd normally call up a few recruiters and go through hundreds of resumes. After a hundred phone calls and a dozen interviews, I might find one guy in five hundred who's sharp, motivated and genuinely interested in games.
What's your real problem here? Seems to me it's the recruiters you use. Focusing on OSS people might help you solve your problem of finding good developers, but perhaps you should try other channels as well, like recruiting directly from colleges, having open houses where interested developers come to you, or various other possibilities. You're probably just dealing with a lot of frustration with regards to having lame recruiters sending you anyone who happens to have C/C++ on their resume. Getting rid of that process in whatever way you can is the first step to enlightenment.
Personally I think this is lame. If you want to see through walls, fine: It makes playing games lame, but thats your choice. But wow have a lot of people cried over this. As if crying is going to make any of this stop. Oh well, Asus will remove the driver, and anyone who wants it will just keep using it.
Sorry, Mr. Cmdr in Chief, but it is NOT lame. In fact it's extremely cool that a big, mean old company actually listened to its users and changed the future of its product because of the input. Everyone here whines about closed source companies not providing outlets for their users to voice concerns about issues with regards to their software and then suddenly we get the opposite and there's MORE whining. What's going on?
The fact of the matter, is that it's not about whether the game player decides whether to be able to see through walls or not. No! It's about whether the game designer wants you to see through walls. If they wanted you to do that, they would have designed it that way.
They created their games for everyone to play against each other on a fairly even playing field (barring obvious performance differences between different hardware). But what they didn't want, is for people to completely go around the basic assumptions of the game world, the major one being that you can't see through walls if the walls are solid. Having hardware drivers circumvent the creative visions of the game designers is a stab in the back and should rightly be shunned.
Sorry bud, but not everyone on this site believe that Open Source is the ONLY way to write software. We don't need to focus on one way being better than the other, or saying the "everything must be free" because there are merits to both ways. What we need is a balanced approach, much like the Bush energy plan...
Holy fucking shit, do we have horrible politicians in charge of this country. From my own state too! I believe this calls for some letter writing. No email for this dude. He needs a nice, long typewritten letter with a strong font, a nice letterhead and an elegant signature. Acts of stupidity like this deserve the best I can give.
You very glibly quote Star Trek (The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few, or the one), but obviously didn't learn anything from the movie.
The boy didn't have to kill himself. Had intervention occurred early enough, he could have been helped and turned into a very productive member of society. Rather than just leave kids like this to the dogs, assuming that if they kill themselves they aren't worth shit to the human race, you should try and help them out. Ignoring the problem takes us a step backwards in our advancement. If you are such a supporter of advancing the human race, you would help out, rather than blindly walk by.
...and you act as if all rules are bad. Who determines which are the "bad" rules? You? The guy who thinks stealing is ok and labels that rule as "wrong?" The teacher who thinks permission slips are "stupid" and aren't needed? The lawyer who considers the mentally incompetent as the dregs of society who should be put out of their misery?
Yeah, rules can be wrong. But you don't solve the problem by working outside of the system to break them. You solve the problem by working within the system to change them. You show understanding and compassion for the needs and reasons for having the rules and then you illustrate to the authorities the reasons against having those rules and show why they do more harm than good.
In reality, ALL software and hardware is built around planned obsolescence. There will always be something better just around the corner and we even build our software with that in mind. What software developer doesn't say, "We'll put that in the next release." If they don't do that, they won't ever deliver anything.
Now, as to Microsoft requiring business customers to pay again after 3 years seems kind of crappy. Decisions about what software to use should be in the customer's hands, not in the seller's. My guess is that this is a customer support based decision - i.e. they don't want to support legacy software products after 3-5 years. They've also probably based the 3 year rule on the fact that most businesses upgrade their software after 3 years anyway. It's just bull that they're not going to let the businesses decide for themselves when the best time for upgrading is. Can you imagine the uproar that's going to happen if everyone's 3-year contract happens to run out smack in the middle of a recession???
Microsoft just seems to be digging itself deeper into a hole, causing people to look at alternate solutions. Either Gates has lost his business savvy or someone else is running the ship, cause this is just stupid.
Slashdot Mirror
You missed the whole point.
It is true that you are not required to give up your "privacy" in order to get content at Slashdot, but even at the NYT, you are not forced to give out anything either. You can make all that shit up and you still get an account. (Oh, it wastes my time then... Well, 15 secs is worth it to me to read their content). If it's such a big deal, then why aren't all the readers here anonymous? Why aren't you posting anonymously? It is NOT a simple difference. Like I said before, I could understand the paranoid statements coming from Anonymous posters, but people who have already chosen to give away their "privacy" saying these things is hypocritical.
in the NYT, this is a link to the not free account-requiring Charlotte Observer.
I find it extremely ironic that the people who complain about signing up for accounts at the NYT still have accounts here at Slashdot. I mean, what's the damn difference? I could understand this statement coming from an Anonymous poster... The uneducated hypocritical Slashdot reader rears its ugly head again. Mod me down or flame me all you like, but you know its true.
Sorry, not really. It's still the Warner Brothers who are the main characters. That cartoon would never have existed if not for them. They only threw Dot in there to add the female support role to the male leads. Sorry to burst your bubble, bud.
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We should just give up on IPv6 then, huh? Not needed? What about the built-in security (packet encryption and source authentication). What about policy route specification? What about combination of IPX and NSAP addresses into IP? What about priority routing for "real-time" or "critical" services? What about "local-use addresses that allow companies to not have to renumber their IP addresses if they start out not connected to the internet, but later connect and need to request an address prefix from the global internet address space?
Anything else that is useless and a waste of time with IPv6?
--
--
Hail to the Victors Valiant
Hail to the Conquering Heroes
Hail! Hail! To Michigan
The Leaders and Best!
Hail! Hail! To Michigan
The Champions of the West!
Seriously, though, you should all check out the trials this team had to go through. 4 weeks ago, their car was completely wrecked after an episode with some potholes and a ditch. They came back from incredible odds to win this one and it just shows what perseverance and hard work can accomplish. Those of you still in high school should really be thinking about going to this school, no matter what field you're interested in. It really has the best resources you could find anywhere in an undergraduate program, not to mention the caliber of the teachers, the students and the projects. From the engineering campus to the sports arena to the halls of history and literature, NOTHING beats Michigan.
GO BLUE BABY!
--
--
I would certainly beg to differ on this point. An engineer in the purest sense follows certain procedures, guidelines, ethics and rules in order to develop scientifically sound solutions to complicated problems. They systematically design, implement and test these solutions with the intent that what they have built will function in a manner that is efficient, robust and easily monitored.
A software developer can work in the same way as any other engineer. The guy who built the L337 h4x0r tool may not have followed these strict practices, and therefore, he is a hacker, or computer programmer. The guys who build the software systems for NASA and software engineers, well they go through a very rigorous and scientific process to develop their schtuff and I think they can be titled as software engineers. Maybe people who call themselves software engineers may not be exactly that. But I DO think it is a true profession and that the people who follow it ARE TRULY engineers. And I do think that this is something most, if not all, computer programmers should be striving for, as it will strengthen the field and help turn out BETTER products for consumers. In fact, I believe we need to have a guide of ethics and practices for all true software engineers, just like there are in many of the other engineering professions, and to form engineering societies that you join when you take on the profession of software engineer.
I understand the belief that there are no real software engineers, but I truly believe that is just because most software developers today are not truly practicing within the guidelines of science of engineering. It's not really a question of whether software engineers exist, it's a question of whether the software developers hold themselves to the high standards of engineering practices. And this is where the formal training comes in. Anyone can gain the knowledge to become a software developer, but it takes a bit more to become a true software engineer. I also believe that the label of Software Engineer would come above that of Certified Hacker. That is not a swipe at people who call themselves hackers. It is a reality of the methodologies with which they go about their business and the expectations that their clients will have for their work.
There, enough said. As far as the 15 year old goes, as long as his "clients" understand who they are dealing with and that there is not any misrepresentation of his true skills and experience, I say more power to him, and I hope he takes his knowledge and concern for the law to very great things. It's good to see someone truly caring for people's problems and not for the money they can give him.
--
I am a confident nerd, smart as a cookie and intent on my technology, yet I also know how to interface with people. I have the skills to make people look to me as a leader, even when I'm programmer #3 in the far right corner. I can problem-solve like there's no tomorrow, not just by myself, but also as a part of a bigger team. I'm fluent in "tech-speak" yet also know how to describe problems for everyone to understand, and often do so, not to show-off, but to make sure everyone's on the same page; to help the overall group achieve progress. I'm knowledgeable about my field, my technologies and my business and know how to interweave different solution options to get the job done. When there's a problem, I know how to fix it, and if I don't know, I'll figure it out. If someone needs help, I am please to help them and I also take it as an opportunity to increase my own abilities by learning how to impart my wisdom on another in the most effective way. I know I'm the best and wake up every day with the knowledge that I am extremely important to the people around me. Yet, I'm not arrogant like most Prima Donna bitches, because I'm confident in my abilities and don't require self-pumping to increase my lowly self-esteem. I'm good with the ladies, witty and funny, handsome and charming, yet smart as a whip and able to tackle any nerdy problem thrown my way. I am the cream of the crop, the ultimate in programmer perfection, the ideal everything. I am the Prima Donna's worst nightmare, the man who does it all, knows he can do it all, but doesn't need others to know he does it all. I am the Egotist!
--
I'm a gamer and I thought this movie fucking sucked. BIG time. I only went because my fiancee thought it had potential for actually showing a strong female lead character. Instead, I get a same old big boobs, tight shorts, cocky swagger, no-good-acting, up-on-the-screen-to-please-the-15-year-old-horny-b oys, bitch. I ended up wishing I could fall asleep during most of the DULL and BORING action scenes, but I couldn't because the annoying background music was like a screw being drilled into my head. Did someone say this movie had a great SOUNDTRACK? I guess so, if you think music has no purpose but to add a dull drone of sound to the background of mediocre, nay, nauseatingly bad acting.
What the fuck was Jon smoking??? You GO Taco! You're the only one on this site with any integrity. Kick all the rest off and take Slashdot back to what it was in the glory days! At least get rid of that pompous bastard Katz. The man can't get a job at a SERIOUS journal source. Why should we have to read his crap? It's a fucking MOVIE. You don't have to pull your self-righteous geek shit in the review of some 3rd rate MOVIE.
God, what has this site turned into?
--
We literally have dozens of partners doing very innovative work with customers here.
There has been no legal ruling put into effect. We have and continue to innovate within the spirit and letter of the law.
The inclusion of Internet Explorer with Windows has been absolutely great ... for innovation in the software industry.
It will force us to be innovative.
This really isn't anything new of course. They've been associating this word with Microsoft for a while now, but it still irks me that it's so fucking transparent. These guys are absolute leaches, sucking the soul of America dry with their marketing and PR shit. God, I love this country! Build your products and build them well, but don't act like fucking Moses about them, dictating how, where, when, and why people should them and shit like that.
--
Someone slap that idiot. How are they supposed to be compatible with previous drives??? Find a answer to that question and then I'll give you permission to complain. Storage devices are very technology dependent, where the actual PHYSICAL properties of each drive change as they gain the ability to store more data on them. It's not like they're just writing software.
Between that comment and the stupid review of Myst III, someone should really consider kicking "Michael" out of here. He provides absolutely nothing beneficial to this site.
--
--
From the article: But as a national spokesman for the movement toward standardized assessment, Dr. Crew decided his credibility would be lost. He thought he would be seen as a crybaby.
Yes, it's true he didn't speak up because he feared for his credibility, but in fact, he had made that decision because he accepted the results that the testing company were pushing at him. He was actually doing the right thing and accepting the responsibility that he had thrust upon himself. The testing company was giving him data that showed that kids weren't working up to the levels he wanted them to be working at. He had no other facts to negate the results, so he accepted responsibility and therefore lost his job. I see that as a very honorable thing and worthy of any good leader. NOW, on the other hand, the leadership of the testing company is another matter, and I would agree with everything you state, as long as it is geared towards them and not towards the school administrator.
--
In my opinion, it just shows the truly cowardly nature of students who are unable to face their problems head on in a constructive and thoughtful manner. Instead, you get anonymous posts bashing other human beings for no reason except that there is a personal dislike for them. Well, I'm sorry, but take your problems to the problem itself and discuss it... Work it out... Find a solution. Don't go and act in childish ways. Deal with the matter with maturity and respect.
The education system in this country is not the fault of the parents, the government, the schools, the administrations or the teachers. These people are just trying to educate a bunch of kids who have no respect at all for educating themselves, who are the real center of the issue. I feel sorry for the teachers of our country, who are hit from both sides every day, ridiculed by students for just trying to do their job and then lambasted by the parents for not educating their children. It's just a sad state of affairs.
The students cry to be treated like they have important thoughts to say, but websites like the ones you pointed out just go to show the real nature of their minds.
This, of course, brings us back to the "community blackboard," which I foretell will become a breeding ground for hate messages, incoherent scribblings, marketing drivel and goat.sex writings. That's the nature of the beast and just goes to show the truth about who we are as human beings. Once you remove the responsibility from people of standing behind their thoughts and ideas in a face to face medium, they turn into a bunch of raving lunatics.
--
What's your real problem here? Seems to me it's the recruiters you use. Focusing on OSS people might help you solve your problem of finding good developers, but perhaps you should try other channels as well, like recruiting directly from colleges, having open houses where interested developers come to you, or various other possibilities. You're probably just dealing with a lot of frustration with regards to having lame recruiters sending you anyone who happens to have C/C++ on their resume. Getting rid of that process in whatever way you can is the first step to enlightenment.
--
Sorry, Mr. Cmdr in Chief, but it is NOT lame. In fact it's extremely cool that a big, mean old company actually listened to its users and changed the future of its product because of the input. Everyone here whines about closed source companies not providing outlets for their users to voice concerns about issues with regards to their software and then suddenly we get the opposite and there's MORE whining. What's going on?
The fact of the matter, is that it's not about whether the game player decides whether to be able to see through walls or not. No! It's about whether the game designer wants you to see through walls. If they wanted you to do that, they would have designed it that way.
They created their games for everyone to play against each other on a fairly even playing field (barring obvious performance differences between different hardware). But what they didn't want, is for people to completely go around the basic assumptions of the game world, the major one being that you can't see through walls if the walls are solid. Having hardware drivers circumvent the creative visions of the game designers is a stab in the back and should rightly be shunned.
--
--
--
The boy didn't have to kill himself. Had intervention occurred early enough, he could have been helped and turned into a very productive member of society. Rather than just leave kids like this to the dogs, assuming that if they kill themselves they aren't worth shit to the human race, you should try and help them out. Ignoring the problem takes us a step backwards in our advancement. If you are such a supporter of advancing the human race, you would help out, rather than blindly walk by.
--
Yeah, rules can be wrong. But you don't solve the problem by working outside of the system to break them. You solve the problem by working within the system to change them. You show understanding and compassion for the needs and reasons for having the rules and then you illustrate to the authorities the reasons against having those rules and show why they do more harm than good.
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Now, as to Microsoft requiring business customers to pay again after 3 years seems kind of crappy. Decisions about what software to use should be in the customer's hands, not in the seller's. My guess is that this is a customer support based decision - i.e. they don't want to support legacy software products after 3-5 years. They've also probably based the 3 year rule on the fact that most businesses upgrade their software after 3 years anyway. It's just bull that they're not going to let the businesses decide for themselves when the best time for upgrading is. Can you imagine the uproar that's going to happen if everyone's 3-year contract happens to run out smack in the middle of a recession???
Microsoft just seems to be digging itself deeper into a hole, causing people to look at alternate solutions. Either Gates has lost his business savvy or someone else is running the ship, cause this is just stupid.
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I think the statement is, "When monkeys fly out of my butt." Yeah, that's the one. Come on guys! Get this thing done already, would ya? Thanks.
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