Well, the extra costs incurred to businesses and individuals due to viruses/virii (take your pick) is a bit of a red herring in your argument. I doubt you'd blame the automobile industry because they haven't made cars which can't be stolen, nor would you blame the gun industry because a certain section of the population use their products to kill and maim people. Rather, you blame the criminals - those who are actually at fault. In your example, this would be the authors of the viruses and exploits in question.
You also mention that the good that the Gates Foundation can do can't surpass the alleged harm done by Windows. At most, economic damage has been done by Windows. If you've got examples of any situations where people have been killed due to Microsoft products, then the phrase "right tool for the job" comes to mind. Now, the Gates Foundation is commited to helping people and improving their quality of life.
Are you saying that economic consequences are more important than the people's quality of life?
I remember checking out an OS similar to what you described a few years ago, but I can't remember what it was called.
From what I remember, it was Redhat-based and operated via an XUL interface... I seem to remember the front screen looking quite similar to Google's Personalised Home Page where you could add bits for weather, news, etc and there were a few applications such as Web, Email, and Word Processing. I actually found it extremely limiting in terms of what I could actually do outside the included applications, and very limited for tinkering under the hood.
I don't disagree with you at all, to be honest. I'm sure there will soon be an "operating system" similar to what you describe, which I'm sure will be more than enough for "Joe Consumer". If it's done correctly, I'm sure it would probably be suitable for myself too - right now, the only applications I have open are Firefox (with Gmail in one tab, BBC News in another, and Slashdot in the third), mIRC, Notepad, Live Messenger, Calc, and uTorrent (plus background processes).
Most, if not all, of the above could easily be moved to some sort of web application... I play games on a console and my S60 smartphone handles all my media requirements thanks to wi-fi and uPnP.
They would be forced to sell the starter kit at cost. The cost to develop IE/WMP/ etc.The competition could then also have their own version. The OSS one would obviously be free.
Any particular reason why the man hours used to create OSS software should be valued less than those used by Microsoft employees?
It is absolutely clear that failing to use a seat belt or helmet can in no way directly harm another, and really ought to be outside government's concern.
That's not actually correct. If a passenger sitting in the back of a car doesn't wear a seatbelt, it's likely that upon impact they will be flung forward, head first, into the driver or passenger sitting in one of the front seats. Amongst other purposes, seatbelts help to protect those sitting in the front from the backseat passengers being thrown into them.
And in the same vein, wouldn't you agree that a wireless router/AP accepting a signal and allocating an IP address to a device is simply a proxy action for the owner performing the same authorisation steps manually?
All wireless APs have security features such as WEP and/or WPA, and it's quite unreasonable to assume that the owner would be unaware that his/her AP is authorising devices on their behalf automatically.
As you said, ignorance is no excuse.
On another note, some operating systems have the default setting to connect to unsecured access points automatically. I found this out accidentally when staying at a hotel, and my laptop (with newly installed wifi card) decided to connect to their wireless network.
I did the same thing. Realised that I was using my phone more and more for tasks other than voice calling and texting, so I ditched the iPod Nano and bought a 2GB memory card and decent pair of headphones and saved myself the hassle of carrying more than one device.
Using any kind of third party MP3 player is actually harder in this respect - there's the hassle of pausing the music playback and removing the headphones before you can actually answer a call.
My employer's main Customer Service contact centre is based in Mumbai in India and every single employee in the building has a degree - it's part of the qualifications needed to even get to the interview stage.
Considering that a degree isn't necessary for this type of job in countries such as the UK and the US, I fail to see how you can consider their skill level to be low... unless of course you're talking out of your backside.
It can be useful if you're wanting to perhaps post a comment about the industry you're in, or the employer you work for, without running the risk of your employer seeing what you've posted.
The telephone system is neutral, but some telephone numbers are clearly more popular than others. Yet this hasn't brought down the phone system.
This actually happens more often than you might expect. During big events such as telephone voting etc, it's sometimes difficult to connect to other numbers due to the sheer number of calls going through. Entire telephone exchanges (switches) have actually failed due to occurences like this.
Internet Explorer 3.0 came with my first PC running Windows 95, though I couldn't say whether this was bundled with the OS or bundled with the actual computer, as I remember Netscape 2.0 also came installed.
IIRC, Windows 95 release 2 included Internet Explorer 4.0 and the infamous Active Desktop.
Downoading (which doesn't involve parrots or swashbuckling, so its not piracy)
Well, the term "pirate radio" was used in the UK back in the 60s to describe illegal radio stations which broadcast from boats offshore, hence the "pirate" part of the phrase. So I would imagine this is where the term pirates and piracy to describe the illegal copying/downloading of content originally came from.
In that case, I suppose I don't realise what's happening on my system either. Maybe I should fill out some bug reports for Ad-Aware too, as in all the time I've used it, it's never mentioned any spyware or adware present on my Windows box.
Or just maybe it's you who doesn't know what you're talking about, and are so blinded by your dislike of Windows and Microsoft that you're unwilling to accept that there are users who know how to take care of their computer software.
Maybe not, but I'm sure that music CD to a lossless audio file on a PC would be classified as format shifting, and I'm sure that lossless audio file to CD-R is also format shifting.
And therein lies the problem; I don't trust the Government - not the US Government, not the UK Government, and not the European Parliment. I'm sure others feel the same way. Furthermore, trust is earned, not deserved. And with the various lies and actions carried out by western Governments in recent times, they have a long way to go before they'll even have a chance of convincing me that they're trustworthy.
As much as it pains me to say this, I'd rather have Google store all my personal data than any Government have access to it; hypothetically assuming for a moment that the data could only be subpeoned via a "normal" warrant - like in the olden days before all these new Patriot Act type laws.
Now don't get me wrong, I've nothing against the authorities applying for a warrant to listen into my telephone calls/emails etc if they have reasonable suspicion that I am going to commit a crime, or that I have committed a crime. Blanket monitoring with no consideration of presumed innocence is most definitely a big no-no though.
I do hope the ISPs and telcos over here in the UK dono't include such a provision in their privacy policy.
Under Data Protection regulations, processing of data outside the EU must be permitted by the Data Protection Registrar in the first instance, and notified to subjects in the organisation's privacy policy.
The UK and the USA agreed a bi-lateral extradition treaty meaning that very little evidence was agreed.
The only problem is that the USA backed out when Irish ex-pats complained because they were worried about being extradited for crimes they committed during their IRA days. And unfortunately this British government has no teeth when it comes to standing up to the USA.
Actually, there's many examples of burglars successfully suing the owners of houses they have broken into because they've managed to hurt themselves.
I don't have a link handy, but I seem to remember a case where a burglar got trapped inside a house and successfully sued because there was no food in, and he suffered hunger problems until the owner returned from holiday.
Can someone explain this to me??? I read the whole article and I'm still not sure what super-3G is... is it an unlimited-use wireless broadband service? That's my best guess from the article but I'm still not sure... Can someone clue me in?
"Normal" 3G is a technology which operates on the 2100mhz spectrum (in the UK) and in addition to services such as voice calls and SMS, it allows data connections of upto 384kbps.
This so-called super 3G is actually called HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access); essentially, a software/firmware upgrade to the cellular network equipment the operators use, and is commonly referred to as 3.5G.
It's similar to how some of the mobile networks in the UK upgraded their networks to support EDGE (2.75G) in addition to GPRS (2.5G), and is probably the last significant speed bump mobile data connects get before the introduction of 4G (in the distant future).
The unlimited use idea is something unique to T-Mobile right now. As far as I'm aware, none of the other UK networks offer such a package, and the actual unlimited part of the service isn't anything to do with the actual network equipment itself; merely a service they offer, enabled via their billing systems.
I don't see the relevance of your post to this discussion; the mobile network equipment T-Mobile use (the hardware) to provide mobile data services does not belong to you, rather, it belongs to T-Mobile.
If you're referring to the actual data card belonging to you, then sure. But good luck connecting to anything, let alone VoIP or IM, without using T-Mobile's own hardware.
Here in the UK you can simply change the SMSC setting on most, if not all handsets ever made. However, all the UK mobile networks block access to SMSCs other than their own, and it's been like that since the late 90s.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, the extra costs incurred to businesses and individuals due to viruses/virii (take your pick) is a bit of a red herring in your argument. I doubt you'd blame the automobile industry because they haven't made cars which can't be stolen, nor would you blame the gun industry because a certain section of the population use their products to kill and maim people. Rather, you blame the criminals - those who are actually at fault. In your example, this would be the authors of the viruses and exploits in question.
You also mention that the good that the Gates Foundation can do can't surpass the alleged harm done by Windows. At most, economic damage has been done by Windows. If you've got examples of any situations where people have been killed due to Microsoft products, then the phrase "right tool for the job" comes to mind. Now, the Gates Foundation is commited to helping people and improving their quality of life.
Are you saying that economic consequences are more important than the people's quality of life?
I remember checking out an OS similar to what you described a few years ago, but I can't remember what it was called.
From what I remember, it was Redhat-based and operated via an XUL interface... I seem to remember the front screen looking quite similar to Google's Personalised Home Page where you could add bits for weather, news, etc and there were a few applications such as Web, Email, and Word Processing. I actually found it extremely limiting in terms of what I could actually do outside the included applications, and very limited for tinkering under the hood.
I don't disagree with you at all, to be honest. I'm sure there will soon be an "operating system" similar to what you describe, which I'm sure will be more than enough for "Joe Consumer". If it's done correctly, I'm sure it would probably be suitable for myself too - right now, the only applications I have open are Firefox (with Gmail in one tab, BBC News in another, and Slashdot in the third), mIRC, Notepad, Live Messenger, Calc, and uTorrent (plus background processes).
Most, if not all, of the above could easily be moved to some sort of web application... I play games on a console and my S60 smartphone handles all my media requirements thanks to wi-fi and uPnP.
They would be forced to sell the starter kit at cost. The cost to develop IE/WMP/ etc.The competition could then also have their own version. The OSS one would obviously be free.
Any particular reason why the man hours used to create OSS software should be valued less than those used by Microsoft employees?
"Two wrongs don't make a right".
It is absolutely clear that failing to use a seat belt or helmet can in no way directly harm another, and really ought to be outside government's concern.
That's not actually correct. If a passenger sitting in the back of a car doesn't wear a seatbelt, it's likely that upon impact they will be flung forward, head first, into the driver or passenger sitting in one of the front seats. Amongst other purposes, seatbelts help to protect those sitting in the front from the backseat passengers being thrown into them.
And in the same vein, wouldn't you agree that a wireless router/AP accepting a signal and allocating an IP address to a device is simply a proxy action for the owner performing the same authorisation steps manually?
All wireless APs have security features such as WEP and/or WPA, and it's quite unreasonable to assume that the owner would be unaware that his/her AP is authorising devices on their behalf automatically.
As you said, ignorance is no excuse.
On another note, some operating systems have the default setting to connect to unsecured access points automatically. I found this out accidentally when staying at a hotel, and my laptop (with newly installed wifi card) decided to connect to their wireless network.
I did the same thing. Realised that I was using my phone more and more for tasks other than voice calling and texting, so I ditched the iPod Nano and bought a 2GB memory card and decent pair of headphones and saved myself the hassle of carrying more than one device.
Using any kind of third party MP3 player is actually harder in this respect - there's the hassle of pausing the music playback and removing the headphones before you can actually answer a call.
My employer's main Customer Service contact centre is based in Mumbai in India and every single employee in the building has a degree - it's part of the qualifications needed to even get to the interview stage.
Considering that a degree isn't necessary for this type of job in countries such as the UK and the US, I fail to see how you can consider their skill level to be low... unless of course you're talking out of your backside.
The telephone system is neutral, but some telephone numbers are clearly more popular than others. Yet this hasn't brought down the phone system.
This actually happens more often than you might expect. During big events such as telephone voting etc, it's sometimes difficult to connect to other numbers due to the sheer number of calls going through. Entire telephone exchanges (switches) have actually failed due to occurences like this.
IIRC, Windows 95 release 2 included Internet Explorer 4.0 and the infamous Active Desktop.
Well, the term "pirate radio" was used in the UK back in the 60s to describe illegal radio stations which broadcast from boats offshore, hence the "pirate" part of the phrase. So I would imagine this is where the term pirates and piracy to describe the illegal copying/downloading of content originally came from.
Or just maybe it's you who doesn't know what you're talking about, and are so blinded by your dislike of Windows and Microsoft that you're unwilling to accept that there are users who know how to take care of their computer software.
Or maybe I'm just feeding the troll...
No - I think most people started using Mozilla as it was the successor to Netscape, another browser which did have a lot of mindshare.
Stallman just has a different philosphy about freedom - it's neither right or wrong, just different.
Maybe not, but I'm sure that music CD to a lossless audio file on a PC would be classified as format shifting, and I'm sure that lossless audio file to CD-R is also format shifting.
That is, unless it's a really smart troll...
As much as it pains me to say this, I'd rather have Google store all my personal data than any Government have access to it; hypothetically assuming for a moment that the data could only be subpeoned via a "normal" warrant - like in the olden days before all these new Patriot Act type laws.
Now don't get me wrong, I've nothing against the authorities applying for a warrant to listen into my telephone calls/emails etc if they have reasonable suspicion that I am going to commit a crime, or that I have committed a crime. Blanket monitoring with no consideration of presumed innocence is most definitely a big no-no though.
Under Data Protection regulations, processing of data outside the EU must be permitted by the Data Protection Registrar in the first instance, and notified to subjects in the organisation's privacy policy.
Why should we have our privacy invaded if we aren't doing anything illegal/covert?
The only problem is that the USA backed out when Irish ex-pats complained because they were worried about being extradited for crimes they committed during their IRA days. And unfortunately this British government has no teeth when it comes to standing up to the USA.
I don't have a link handy, but I seem to remember a case where a burglar got trapped inside a house and successfully sued because there was no food in, and he suffered hunger problems until the owner returned from holiday.
Crazy, I know.
"Normal" 3G is a technology which operates on the 2100mhz spectrum (in the UK) and in addition to services such as voice calls and SMS, it allows data connections of upto 384kbps.
This so-called super 3G is actually called HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access); essentially, a software/firmware upgrade to the cellular network equipment the operators use, and is commonly referred to as 3.5G.
It's similar to how some of the mobile networks in the UK upgraded their networks to support EDGE (2.75G) in addition to GPRS (2.5G), and is probably the last significant speed bump mobile data connects get before the introduction of 4G (in the distant future).
The unlimited use idea is something unique to T-Mobile right now. As far as I'm aware, none of the other UK networks offer such a package, and the actual unlimited part of the service isn't anything to do with the actual network equipment itself; merely a service they offer, enabled via their billing systems.
If you're referring to the actual data card belonging to you, then sure. But good luck connecting to anything, let alone VoIP or IM, without using T-Mobile's own hardware.
Here in the UK you can simply change the SMSC setting on most, if not all handsets ever made. However, all the UK mobile networks block access to SMSCs other than their own, and it's been like that since the late 90s.