Should not the response been "Prove it."? Then DMCA takes over and they have to follow all that mess, meanwhile the wifi connection would remain operable until final discovery and remediation.
Here's what I did: in place upgrade, not a wipe and replace. Found that two issues cropped up (really low end annoyances). (1) prboom no longer worked correctly, causing Doom and Doom2 to crash on launch with "signal 8" error; and (2) Quake 1 didn't work either. Both were working under the previous Ubuntu. I tracked down the prboom issue to the version of prboom being broken. Replace with a only slightly newer build fixes it. Quake required me to rename the ID1 folder to id1. Not a big deal. Silly really. At first I thought it was WINE messing up, but that wasn't it. (Yes, I play Quake using WINE, so sue me.)
I will tell you they fixed an issue I had with Google Earth flickering, so a trade up in my opinion. Otherwise everything went ok.... Cannot explain why acidrip was uninstalled as a mandatory part of the upgrade when it's in the Karmic repository and all I had to do was reinstall it...perhaps some dependency? (Same deal with mencoder and Mplayer.) Just weird.
He completed the contract, and assuming there were no statements indicating any unused material reverted in ownership to Sony, then they (Sony) are in some serious trouble. Having used their weight to press for massive charges with the RIAA over infringement, they now must pay the piper for their own actions--you simply cannot have it both ways; or if I can be allowed to channel Johnnie Cochran for a moment, "If they stole his shit, you cannot acquit!" Loos to me Sony will be forced to pony up. Don't you love it when a draconian law come to bite the creators in the ass? (I do.)
Seriously I say this: let this bring an uttermost end to the music industry and music radio. Let their greed be their dying gasp. And when they (and the RIAA and their other-national counterparts) are dead and blowing in the breeze, the REAL meaning of music will return. That being, entertainment, enjoyment, and the performance itself. Music, like any art, was never meant to be "hey, I can get rich!" but more like "hey, look at this! I made a song! I hope you like it!"
Gordon Gecko was wrong, dead wrong: greed is not "good", rather it is the means to an end that is in itself wholly bad and ruinous.
True, true. However, there is one flaw in that argument, which is one that I used all the time: corner office syndrome. People who have "rank" and are things like "President of such-and-such" seem to think they are immune to policy. We had one who signed (I was a witness) the official PC and computer use policy agreement, where it said that not following directives would result in penalties, up to and including termination of employment. He was the President of the company and answered literally to only two people. Guess what? The dude didn't care, and did what he wanted all the time. We ended up wiping and restoring his data almost monthly. Policies are worthless unless they can be applied to everyone, regardless of rank, equally. My opinion: the guy should have been fired. Reality: every 6 months we bought him a brand new laptop (he controlled the purse-strings too). Brilliant.
Where I used to work we had about 400 employees and workstations for each, along with about 6 Linux servers, and a smattering of Win2003 for things here and there. We eventually went with Sophos and their Enterprise Manager software. Centrally administratable, auto updating, pretty much "set and forget." Still expensive, but well worth the initial setup.
Look, you are well within your rights to tell them "no," on any obviously unreasonable request and to request from senior management the authority to punish wrongdoers against company policy. If senior management doesn't take it seriously, then, honestly, neither should you. If they turn half the company to zombies, give them the "oh, that's unfortunate..." line UNTIL they wise up and realize that this is serious business and there are consequences to their actions or lack thereof. You are one guy, you clearly need an assistant, and if they won't hire another then they have to understand that the service level they get is what you are able to give after prioritizing reuests and general firefighting. But the most important word for an IT pro is simply "no." If someone in authority asks "why not?" explain why, be simple and honest, but there are times (a lot of them, actually) when you will simply have to refuse a request. Bummer for them. An emergency on their part does not constitute an emergency on your's.
(1) GeorgeB and the 3DR crew go to Microsoft; and,
(2) They tell MS that for $10 million they will make DNF run only on Windows 7 with a release date to exactly coinside with Windows 7 release date; and,
(3) Take-Two still has sole publishing rights, so they're happy.
Everyone wins, the game comes out, MS get's an exclusive to their new OS, making people upgrade to Seven if they want to play DNF, Take-Two gets their money's worth in sales, and 3DR doesn't die the laughing stock they would have.
(1) did this guy commit a crime or otherwise break an existing law?
(1a) No.
(2) was the Loomis guy a dick?
(2a) Yes.
(3) is there possible grounds for a lawsuit?
(3a) Fuck yes. I'd get the ACLU on the horn, a lawyer, and go to fucking town. If for no other reason to see all the people involved lose their jobs. Ahh, the satisfaction of civil-rights slamdunks.
There was a nice addin that let me clear the history, but in 3.1.0 that addin no longer works. I wish OOo would just add that in (if they did, I missed it somehow.) That would really be nice to have.
This is one of those times I have to say "give the developers a chance," it really is only a matter of time before they crack the Exchange code needed for full functionality. But, in the name of fairness, you can convert and import a PST to Evolution...it's just not as easy as with Outlook.
Are you kidding? When is the last time you used OpenOffice.org? If the version number was earlier than 2.4.0, I might agree with you; but OOo is at 3.0.1 now and it's quite good and fully integrated as a replacement for all MS Office -- the only thing it doesn't do well are Excel macros, and that's for a reason: they're broken and easily replaced. As for database apps, with Office you have Access, which is fine for very small databases, but more than a few thousand records you need to look at SQL anyway, which if you recall is a standard array of functionality (designed on purpose), so MySQL can do the job pretty well as MS' SQL Server, and sometimes better.
...and drawing apps
What MS Office drawing app are you referring to? Would that be Paint? Paint is a POS, and even MS knows that (they really ought to replace it with Paint.NET)
I can replace all my Office apps with free alternatives:
MS Word = OpenOffice.org Writer
MS Excel = OpenOffice.org Calc
MS Access = OpenOffice.org Base
MS PowerPoint = OpenOffice.org Impress
MS Publisher = Scribus
MS Outlook = Evolution
MS Paint = GIMP or OpenOffice.org Draw
Adobe Illustrator = Inkscape
Adobe Acrobat = (practically any Linux application can create a PDF or PS file)
The list can go on, and others here can easily tell you more applications, I only wanted to harp in on a few that you might be interested in (or didn't even think about.) The days of MS Office being the be-all-end-all of office application suites is over and has been for a while now.
You bet we should tell perspective employers to STFU about what we do off-hours; however, they will also be the first to tell you that how you act away from the office reflects on them since it will become known for whom you are employed. By taking a stand in this manner, you effectively tell them "Don't hire me, I like to express myself." Also, keep in mind there are "right to work" states, that allow for hiring and firing for no reason whatsoever.
So, if you're going to post on Slashdot, Digg, or wherever, use a name that isn't who you are. Do you think my mother named me "Fudgefactor7?" Get real.
Doesn't Acrobat do TTS as well? Are they going to sue Adobe? MS makes a similar item for their usability suite....are they in the sights as well? Or are they being selective, knowing that they'd get hammered?...
My WAP doesn't have the ability to produce a log of use at all (and it was purchased new last summer) and there's no newer FW update to support logs....so....who will be buying me a new WAP? The GOP, I presume? Or the Government? Someone other than me, because I should not have to suffer financially because they're on a power trip.
What if, instead of making the body more resistant to HIV infection, we take the track of forcing HIV to mutate into a non-viable form in vivo? Surely, there has to be some genetic sequence that says "Hey, I'm HIV and not soemthing else." Why not then tailor a genetic enzyme (or some such) to endemically locate anything with the proper genetic markers, alter those cells so infected, and grant not immunity but rather elimination? Or would that just not work?
I'm just wondering, I have no bio degree but always thought if we took a different track we might be more successful. Ideas, anyone?
This kind of always irked me. Why can't there be a way to convert a partition to Ext4 from whatever-it-might-be without having to reformat? For instance, FAT can be converted to NTFS (I know this example sucks, but give me a break, I'm reaching here), so why can't there be a convert for Ext2/3 to 4? Surely, this has to be something that is "doable."
...A "teacher" who doesn't know shit... Let's hope she's not the one instructing the computer class. I hope Slashdot can keep up with this and that Helios will post the results of that meeting with the Superintendant after the holiday break.
US and KY law stops at the border. How the hell can they hand over a domain name owned OUTSIDE THE USA to the state of KY... Hey, it occurs to me that someone needs to lube up, so perhaps KY isn't such a bad idea at the moment.
(1) I would have told Nielsen to go fuck themselves, followed by "See you in court, asshole!";
(2) As previously stated, facts like these are public domain and not copyrightable;
(3) DMCA is a fucked up law that never should have seen the light of day anyway;
(4) It is for bullshit reasons just like this that Wiki is doomed and shitty.
Slashdot Mirror
Should not the response been "Prove it."? Then DMCA takes over and they have to follow all that mess, meanwhile the wifi connection would remain operable until final discovery and remediation.
How is their argument even valid? You reduce the native functionality of an item or service and thereby claim to have enhanced the featureset? WTF?
Here's what I did: in place upgrade, not a wipe and replace. Found that two issues cropped up (really low end annoyances). (1) prboom no longer worked correctly, causing Doom and Doom2 to crash on launch with "signal 8" error; and (2) Quake 1 didn't work either. Both were working under the previous Ubuntu. I tracked down the prboom issue to the version of prboom being broken. Replace with a only slightly newer build fixes it. Quake required me to rename the ID1 folder to id1. Not a big deal. Silly really. At first I thought it was WINE messing up, but that wasn't it. (Yes, I play Quake using WINE, so sue me.)
I will tell you they fixed an issue I had with Google Earth flickering, so a trade up in my opinion. Otherwise everything went ok.... Cannot explain why acidrip was uninstalled as a mandatory part of the upgrade when it's in the Karmic repository and all I had to do was reinstall it...perhaps some dependency? (Same deal with mencoder and Mplayer.) Just weird.
He completed the contract, and assuming there were no statements indicating any unused material reverted in ownership to Sony, then they (Sony) are in some serious trouble. Having used their weight to press for massive charges with the RIAA over infringement, they now must pay the piper for their own actions--you simply cannot have it both ways; or if I can be allowed to channel Johnnie Cochran for a moment, "If they stole his shit, you cannot acquit!" Loos to me Sony will be forced to pony up. Don't you love it when a draconian law come to bite the creators in the ass? (I do.)
Seriously I say this: let this bring an uttermost end to the music industry and music radio. Let their greed be their dying gasp. And when they (and the RIAA and their other-national counterparts) are dead and blowing in the breeze, the REAL meaning of music will return. That being, entertainment, enjoyment, and the performance itself. Music, like any art, was never meant to be "hey, I can get rich!" but more like "hey, look at this! I made a song! I hope you like it!"
Gordon Gecko was wrong, dead wrong: greed is not "good", rather it is the means to an end that is in itself wholly bad and ruinous.
...Writer detained for possessing "harmful materials" while real terrorist plans actual harm. Clueless TSA Agents FTL!
True, true. However, there is one flaw in that argument, which is one that I used all the time: corner office syndrome. People who have "rank" and are things like "President of such-and-such" seem to think they are immune to policy. We had one who signed (I was a witness) the official PC and computer use policy agreement, where it said that not following directives would result in penalties, up to and including termination of employment. He was the President of the company and answered literally to only two people. Guess what? The dude didn't care, and did what he wanted all the time. We ended up wiping and restoring his data almost monthly. Policies are worthless unless they can be applied to everyone, regardless of rank, equally. My opinion: the guy should have been fired. Reality: every 6 months we bought him a brand new laptop (he controlled the purse-strings too). Brilliant.
Where I used to work we had about 400 employees and workstations for each, along with about 6 Linux servers, and a smattering of Win2003 for things here and there. We eventually went with Sophos and their Enterprise Manager software. Centrally administratable, auto updating, pretty much "set and forget." Still expensive, but well worth the initial setup.
Look, you are well within your rights to tell them "no," on any obviously unreasonable request and to request from senior management the authority to punish wrongdoers against company policy. If senior management doesn't take it seriously, then, honestly, neither should you. If they turn half the company to zombies, give them the "oh, that's unfortunate..." line UNTIL they wise up and realize that this is serious business and there are consequences to their actions or lack thereof. You are one guy, you clearly need an assistant, and if they won't hire another then they have to understand that the service level they get is what you are able to give after prioritizing reuests and general firefighting. But the most important word for an IT pro is simply "no." If someone in authority asks "why not?" explain why, be simple and honest, but there are times (a lot of them, actually) when you will simply have to refuse a request. Bummer for them. An emergency on their part does not constitute an emergency on your's.
Here's the plan:
(1) GeorgeB and the 3DR crew go to Microsoft; and,
(2) They tell MS that for $10 million they will make DNF run only on Windows 7 with a release date to exactly coinside with Windows 7 release date; and,
(3) Take-Two still has sole publishing rights, so they're happy.
Everyone wins, the game comes out, MS get's an exclusive to their new OS, making people upgrade to Seven if they want to play DNF, Take-Two gets their money's worth in sales, and 3DR doesn't die the laughing stock they would have.
Ok, this is really simple:
(1) did this guy commit a crime or otherwise break an existing law?
(1a) No.
(2) was the Loomis guy a dick?
(2a) Yes.
(3) is there possible grounds for a lawsuit?
(3a) Fuck yes. I'd get the ACLU on the horn, a lawyer, and go to fucking town. If for no other reason to see all the people involved lose their jobs. Ahh, the satisfaction of civil-rights slamdunks.
There was a nice addin that let me clear the history, but in 3.1.0 that addin no longer works. I wish OOo would just add that in (if they did, I missed it somehow.) That would really be nice to have.
You have no sense of fun at all.
This is one of those times I have to say "give the developers a chance," it really is only a matter of time before they crack the Exchange code needed for full functionality. But, in the name of fairness, you can convert and import a PST to Evolution...it's just not as easy as with Outlook.
As I do not use Visio, I would normally answer "none," however I hear that Kivio is pretty good....
Are you kidding? When is the last time you used OpenOffice.org? If the version number was earlier than 2.4.0, I might agree with you; but OOo is at 3.0.1 now and it's quite good and fully integrated as a replacement for all MS Office -- the only thing it doesn't do well are Excel macros, and that's for a reason: they're broken and easily replaced. As for database apps, with Office you have Access, which is fine for very small databases, but more than a few thousand records you need to look at SQL anyway, which if you recall is a standard array of functionality (designed on purpose), so MySQL can do the job pretty well as MS' SQL Server, and sometimes better.
...and drawing apps
What MS Office drawing app are you referring to? Would that be Paint? Paint is a POS, and even MS knows that (they really ought to replace it with Paint.NET)
I can replace all my Office apps with free alternatives:
MS Word = OpenOffice.org Writer
MS Excel = OpenOffice.org Calc
MS Access = OpenOffice.org Base
MS PowerPoint = OpenOffice.org Impress
MS Publisher = Scribus
MS Outlook = Evolution
MS Paint = GIMP or OpenOffice.org Draw
Adobe Illustrator = Inkscape
Adobe Acrobat = (practically any Linux application can create a PDF or PS file)
The list can go on, and others here can easily tell you more applications, I only wanted to harp in on a few that you might be interested in (or didn't even think about.) The days of MS Office being the be-all-end-all of office application suites is over and has been for a while now.
You bet we should tell perspective employers to STFU about what we do off-hours; however, they will also be the first to tell you that how you act away from the office reflects on them since it will become known for whom you are employed. By taking a stand in this manner, you effectively tell them "Don't hire me, I like to express myself." Also, keep in mind there are "right to work" states, that allow for hiring and firing for no reason whatsoever.
So, if you're going to post on Slashdot, Digg, or wherever, use a name that isn't who you are. Do you think my mother named me "Fudgefactor7?" Get real.
Doesn't Acrobat do TTS as well? Are they going to sue Adobe? MS makes a similar item for their usability suite....are they in the sights as well? Or are they being selective, knowing that they'd get hammered?...
My WAP doesn't have the ability to produce a log of use at all (and it was purchased new last summer) and there's no newer FW update to support logs....so....who will be buying me a new WAP? The GOP, I presume? Or the Government? Someone other than me, because I should not have to suffer financially because they're on a power trip.
What if, instead of making the body more resistant to HIV infection, we take the track of forcing HIV to mutate into a non-viable form in vivo? Surely, there has to be some genetic sequence that says "Hey, I'm HIV and not soemthing else." Why not then tailor a genetic enzyme (or some such) to endemically locate anything with the proper genetic markers, alter those cells so infected, and grant not immunity but rather elimination? Or would that just not work?
I'm just wondering, I have no bio degree but always thought if we took a different track we might be more successful. Ideas, anyone?
This kind of always irked me. Why can't there be a way to convert a partition to Ext4 from whatever-it-might-be without having to reformat? For instance, FAT can be converted to NTFS (I know this example sucks, but give me a break, I'm reaching here), so why can't there be a convert for Ext2/3 to 4? Surely, this has to be something that is "doable."
Could be worse...Ubuntu could have eaten your balls!
...A "teacher" who doesn't know shit... Let's hope she's not the one instructing the computer class. I hope Slashdot can keep up with this and that Helios will post the results of that meeting with the Superintendant after the holiday break.
US and KY law stops at the border. How the hell can they hand over a domain name owned OUTSIDE THE USA to the state of KY... Hey, it occurs to me that someone needs to lube up, so perhaps KY isn't such a bad idea at the moment.
(1) I would have told Nielsen to go fuck themselves, followed by "See you in court, asshole!";
(2) As previously stated, facts like these are public domain and not copyrightable;
(3) DMCA is a fucked up law that never should have seen the light of day anyway;
(4) It is for bullshit reasons just like this that Wiki is doomed and shitty.