Wait a second. You, as a QA engineer, find a crashing bug in a piece of software you didn't write, you report it to your boss who decides, "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?"... And it's your ass that gets canned?
I repudiate the DMCA, and all who would enforce it. It is a corrupt law, born of a corrupt process, in the service of corrupt people. As such, I will not respect or observe it, and you shouldn't, either.
The media processing key for AACS is: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
Having written my share of device drivers, that's still an accomplishment worthy of note, especially if the documentation was thin or (unjustifiably, all-too often) non-existent.
Could someone read the decision and tell us what it really says? Because the posted summary makes absolutely no sense at all. I can't believe an argument that fatuous would fly in the SCOTUS.
This so-called company looks like complete bullshit. The only "product" they even pretend to claim to have is a patent on the idea of an LED-based tube lamp that's compatible with existing fluorescent tube fixtures.
Whoop-de-shit. $20.00 says they don't even have a prototype, and are just waiting for an actual engineer -- you know, someone who actually makes things -- to develop and market one so they can then sue her for patent infringement and make free money.
I'm sure today's Supreme Court decision has shot a few holes through that business "plan"...
Except that Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle applies only to matter-energy within the Universe, e.g. observing/measuring/interacting with any piece of matter affects both the observer and the observed. By Deistic principles, however, $(GOD) is outside the Universe and therefore a special case. He can observe the Universe and know the position and velocity of everything without affecting it.
As you are aware, Microsoft is selling a dubious protection racket to certain organizations -- notably, Novell and Samsung. Without actually claiming any infringement or offering even the barest shred of evidence of wrongdoing, Microsoft is selling patent indemnity to these companies. Microsoft "promises" not to sue them should patent violations in GPL software come to light.
This "service" is highly dubious, as there is little if any case law suggesting that, if unlicensed patented technology is discovered in a product, end-users of those products must either surrender them or pay licensing fees.
As the de facto arbiters of the GPL, you stand in control of of a large body of software controlled by copyright and a clear license. I suggest you turn this tactic on its head. I suggest you start approaching PC OEMs, ISVs, and anyone else using Windows and start selling GPL Indemnity.
The premise is exactly the same as Microsoft's patent indemnity: Without actually claiming any violation or offering any supporting evidence of such, make it clear that GPL software is of such ubiquity that GPL code may well have found its way into Microsoft's products without a corresponding source code release. As you know, distribution without source immediately terminates GPL licensing, meaning that all copies of Windows so distributed are prima facie unlicensed copies. The indemnity you would offer would be a promise not to sue for contributory infringement.
This threat is more credible than Microsoft's. The case law on redistribution of copyrighted material without a license is well-established: it's a slam-dunk infringement, and many of the remedies are statutory. I daresay you would be able to score a handful of high-profile licensees, earn some well-needed revenue, and clearly illustrate the folly of Microsoft's protection racket.
You can claim that it doesn't matter -- that they were only Doing Their Job/Following Orders -- but the fact is that congruity and integrity matters, most particularly at this juncture in our history, when we're trying to clean up the damage done by most corrupt, criminal Administration this country has seen since Nixon.
Being a professional advocate is a risky job. Lawyers, advertising firms, lobbyists -- they all risk their own personal integrity by inextricably entwining themselves with the integrity of their client. Would you defend a man who serially raped and murdered children? Would you craft an ad campaign for cigarettes? Would you lobby for a bill that lowered clean water standards? What kind of person would do such a thing? The profession is an ethical minefield, and the only way you can totally avoid any kind of crisis of conscience is to become a complete sociopath.
Personally, I think the Democrats should grow their own advocates, rather than out-source it.
Functional languages will let us utilize multiple cores without the headaches and performance is acceptable, to claim otherwise is plain short-sighted.
I've done some rudimentary reading on functional programming languages -- mostly Haskell and LISP (which is sorta FP) -- and I believe you when cite all the claimed benefits. The architecture of the languages certainly enables it.
However, every time I've tried to get a handle on Haskell, all the examples presented tend to be abstract. In other words, they contrive a problem that Haskell is fairly well-suited to solving, and then write a solution in Haskell, using data structures and representations entirely internal to Haskell. "Poof! Elegance!" Well, um...
I'm a gaming, graphics, and device driver geek, and so my explorations of new stuff tend to lean heavily in that direction. I'm interested in more "concrete" expressions of software operation. Could Haskell offer new or interesting possibilities in network packet filtering? Perhaps, but first you have to read reams of text on how to bludgeon the language into reading and writing raw bits.
The other issue with FP is that they tend to treat all problems as a collection of simultaneous equations -- things that can be evaluated at any time in any order. There's a huge class of computing problems that can't be described that way. You can't unprint a page on the line printer. There are facilities for sequencing/synchronizing operations (Haskell's monads, for instance), but I get the impression that FP's elegance starts to fall apart when you start using them.
Understand that my exposure to FP in general and Haskell in particular is less than perfunctory, and am very likely misunderstanding a great deal. I'd like to learn and understand more about FP, but so far I haven't encountered the "Ah-hah!" example yet.
Cool! Show me an example of how to write a spinning OpenGL sphere with procedurally-generated textures and reacts interactively to keyboard/mouse input in Haskell, and I'll take a serious whack at making a go of it.
Extra credit if you can do transaction-level device control over USB.
The 945/950 GMCH is common in notebooks because it's easy to implement (Intel's already done almost all the work for you), it's fairly low-power and, most important of all, it's cheap.
"Makers of software for playing the discs on computers will offer patches containing new keys and closing the hole that allowed observant hackers to discover ways to strip high-def DVDs of their protection. On Monday, the group that developed the Advanced Access Content System said it had worked with device makers to deactivate those keys and refresh them with a new set."
No no no. Let's just tidy that baby up a bit:
"Makers of software for playing the discs on computers are requiring consumers to download patches that will re-apply the product defects that computing professionals had removed in the weeks prior. Despite the fact that nothing is technically wrong with the older versions of the software, it is being intentionally rendered obsolete to force the update -- no new movies will be viewable on the old software."
This is one of the few Slashdot stories where I don't need to RTFA, thanks to the summary.
I echo the sentiments above: NoScript is not useless. NoScript is absolutely essential to force Web sites to behave themselves and maintain a sane browsing experience. It's installed on every machine I use. And I don't regard having to turn JavaScript on and off for certain sites as a problem. Quite the contrary: Any site that can't be used with JavaScript turned off is, with rare exceptions (such as Google Maps), seriously defective.
If you think you "need" JavaScript to create your site, there's a good chance you haven't thought about it enough.
I think it may be the HP 41CV, which was essentially a pocket computer in calculator's clothes.
Personally, I'd much prefer seeing a re-issue of the HP 11C or 15C. Landscape layout (great for two-handed use), compact, RPN, and lasted forever on three button cells.
No no, you're the stupid one. Why not just slipstream all the updates?
Because I mostly work in Linux, try not to contaminate myself with more Windows-think than absolutely necessary, and I never heard of 'slipstreaming'. Is that something like dpkg --set-selections?
Is there a reason to run BeOS? I know it was the media OS of the 1990s - but we're half-way through the 2000s. I would love to know what you are using it for...
There are some crazy people who occasionally pay me money to write device drivers for it.
I've done this a couple of times recently -- once for my new machine, and once for a friend of mine whose machine got pwn3d. My checklist works roughly like this:
Perform an inventory of the hardware in the machine. Note especially the vendor and model number of the major components. You'll need this later.
Establish partitions on the boot drive (only if I'm dual-booting Linux or BeOS or something).
Yank network cable.
Install Windows from installation media. This takes a ridiculous amount of time, considering that most of the work is (should be) simply copying files. Reboot.
Install Service Pack 2, which I conveniently have on a separate CD I burned. Reboot.
Crank up Windows firewall to highest setting, or moral equivalent thereof (I'm behind a NAT router, so that works).
Visit Windows Update, and download all security and bug fixes. Duration depends on connection speed, but it can easily consume an hour. Reboot.
Using the hardware inventory you prepared earlier: for $item in $inventory ; do
Visit hardware vendor's site.
Locate, download, and install latest device driver(s) for $item.
Reboot.
done
At this point, you have a usable machine. If it's my machine (and even if it isn't my machine), I usually install the following software:
I have reinstalled XP a few times, from an SP1 disc. Visit Windows Update. It can't Update until I install some ActiveX stuff so I can use the latest version of the site. That done, it recommends maybe 50 or 60 updates. Reboot. Go back to the site, spend a half hour downloading SP2 and another 2 installing it.
No no. Download the SP2 update on another machine and burn it on to a CD.
Yank the network cable. Install XP from your install media (SP1). Insert SP2 disc and run the update from there. You are now (relatively) safe from network attack -- even better if you're behind NAT. Crank up the Windows firewall to "fsck off, dickweed!" plug in the network cable and visit Windows Update.
By installing SP2 first, you save yourself the trouble of downloading/installing fixes from Windows Update that SP2 already has.
There are all kinds of wonderful quips from that season. I'm sure they're down to Adams' influence.
There's a quote from the episode, "Nightmare of Eden." It's one of my favorite quotes anywhere, and I would be very surprised if it wasn't penned by Adams himself.
Captain Rigg:
Well who do you work for?
The Doctor:
Work for? I don't work for anybody! I'm just having fun.
I hope the keep the music substantially unaltered. It was wonderful stuff. I have it on my MP3 player, and occasionally annoy my passengers by playing it in the car.
Favorite tracks: "Splash Garden: The Amazing Water," and "Soft Museum: Suburban Museum." And, of course, "Twin Seeds: Growing Wings."
Slashdot Mirror
Schwab
Schwab
The media processing key for AACS is: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
Schwab
Schwab
Schwab
Whoop-de-shit. $20.00 says they don't even have a prototype, and are just waiting for an actual engineer -- you know, someone who actually makes things -- to develop and market one so they can then sue her for patent infringement and make free money.
I'm sure today's Supreme Court decision has shot a few holes through that business "plan"...
Schwab
At least, that's how I'd handwave it.
Schwab
Deists don't claim that God doesn't watch over the Universe. They merely postulate that God doesn't interfere or meddle in its day-to-day operation.
Schwab
As you are aware, Microsoft is selling a dubious protection racket to certain organizations -- notably, Novell and Samsung. Without actually claiming any infringement or offering even the barest shred of evidence of wrongdoing, Microsoft is selling patent indemnity to these companies. Microsoft "promises" not to sue them should patent violations in GPL software come to light.
This "service" is highly dubious, as there is little if any case law suggesting that, if unlicensed patented technology is discovered in a product, end-users of those products must either surrender them or pay licensing fees.
As the de facto arbiters of the GPL, you stand in control of of a large body of software controlled by copyright and a clear license. I suggest you turn this tactic on its head. I suggest you start approaching PC OEMs, ISVs, and anyone else using Windows and start selling GPL Indemnity.
The premise is exactly the same as Microsoft's patent indemnity: Without actually claiming any violation or offering any supporting evidence of such, make it clear that GPL software is of such ubiquity that GPL code may well have found its way into Microsoft's products without a corresponding source code release. As you know, distribution without source immediately terminates GPL licensing, meaning that all copies of Windows so distributed are prima facie unlicensed copies. The indemnity you would offer would be a promise not to sue for contributory infringement.
This threat is more credible than Microsoft's. The case law on redistribution of copyrighted material without a license is well-established: it's a slam-dunk infringement, and many of the remedies are statutory. I daresay you would be able to score a handful of high-profile licensees, earn some well-needed revenue, and clearly illustrate the folly of Microsoft's protection racket.
Respectfully submitted,
Schwab
Schwab
Being a professional advocate is a risky job. Lawyers, advertising firms, lobbyists -- they all risk their own personal integrity by inextricably entwining themselves with the integrity of their client. Would you defend a man who serially raped and murdered children? Would you craft an ad campaign for cigarettes? Would you lobby for a bill that lowered clean water standards? What kind of person would do such a thing? The profession is an ethical minefield, and the only way you can totally avoid any kind of crisis of conscience is to become a complete sociopath.
Personally, I think the Democrats should grow their own advocates, rather than out-source it.
Schwab
I've done some rudimentary reading on functional programming languages -- mostly Haskell and LISP (which is sorta FP) -- and I believe you when cite all the claimed benefits. The architecture of the languages certainly enables it.
However, every time I've tried to get a handle on Haskell, all the examples presented tend to be abstract. In other words, they contrive a problem that Haskell is fairly well-suited to solving, and then write a solution in Haskell, using data structures and representations entirely internal to Haskell. "Poof! Elegance!" Well, um...
I'm a gaming, graphics, and device driver geek, and so my explorations of new stuff tend to lean heavily in that direction. I'm interested in more "concrete" expressions of software operation. Could Haskell offer new or interesting possibilities in network packet filtering? Perhaps, but first you have to read reams of text on how to bludgeon the language into reading and writing raw bits.
The other issue with FP is that they tend to treat all problems as a collection of simultaneous equations -- things that can be evaluated at any time in any order. There's a huge class of computing problems that can't be described that way. You can't unprint a page on the line printer. There are facilities for sequencing/synchronizing operations (Haskell's monads, for instance), but I get the impression that FP's elegance starts to fall apart when you start using them.
Understand that my exposure to FP in general and Haskell in particular is less than perfunctory, and am very likely misunderstanding a great deal. I'd like to learn and understand more about FP, but so far I haven't encountered the "Ah-hah!" example yet.
Schwab
Extra credit if you can do transaction-level device control over USB.
Schwab
Schwab
No no no. Let's just tidy that baby up a bit:
"Makers of software for playing the discs on computers are requiring consumers to download patches that will re-apply the product defects that computing professionals had removed in the weeks prior. Despite the fact that nothing is technically wrong with the older versions of the software, it is being intentionally rendered obsolete to force the update -- no new movies will be viewable on the old software."
Schwab
I echo the sentiments above: NoScript is not useless. NoScript is absolutely essential to force Web sites to behave themselves and maintain a sane browsing experience. It's installed on every machine I use. And I don't regard having to turn JavaScript on and off for certain sites as a problem. Quite the contrary: Any site that can't be used with JavaScript turned off is, with rare exceptions (such as Google Maps), seriously defective.
If you think you "need" JavaScript to create your site, there's a good chance you haven't thought about it enough.
Schwab
Personally, I'd much prefer seeing a re-issue of the HP 11C or 15C. Landscape layout (great for two-handed use), compact, RPN, and lasted forever on three button cells.
Schwab
Because I mostly work in Linux, try not to contaminate myself with more Windows-think than absolutely necessary, and I never heard of 'slipstreaming'. Is that something like dpkg --set-selections?
Schwab
There are some crazy people who occasionally pay me money to write device drivers for it.
Schwab
I'm not familiar with this term. Explain?
Schwab
At this point, you have a usable machine. If it's my machine (and even if it isn't my machine), I usually install the following software:
Schwab
No no. Download the SP2 update on another machine and burn it on to a CD.
Yank the network cable. Install XP from your install media (SP1). Insert SP2 disc and run the update from there. You are now (relatively) safe from network attack -- even better if you're behind NAT. Crank up the Windows firewall to "fsck off, dickweed!" plug in the network cable and visit Windows Update.
By installing SP2 first, you save yourself the trouble of downloading/installing fixes from Windows Update that SP2 already has.
Schwab
Seconded. Absolutely brilliant stuff. "Altruizine" is worth the price of admission all by itself.
Schwab
There's a quote from the episode, "Nightmare of Eden." It's one of my favorite quotes anywhere, and I would be very surprised if it wasn't penned by Adams himself.
Captain Rigg: Well who do you work for? The Doctor: Work for? I don't work for anybody! I'm just having fun.Schwab
Favorite tracks: "Splash Garden: The Amazing Water," and "Soft Museum: Suburban Museum." And, of course, "Twin Seeds: Growing Wings."
Schwab