A communications backbone is far different to a wire running via a telephone pole to my house, or indeed the twisted-pair under the ground to my property.
I do, however, have the right to download the songs via an online file-sharing program providing I have paid for a licence to listen to any particular song in question, for example if I have a Vinyl LP, however I want to listen to the songs on my MP3 player.
If I've purchased a Vinyl containing Led Zeppelin tracks, according to the record companies/RIAA then only I'm allowed to use it. Therefore, I've purchased a licence to use their copyrighted material as opposed to an actual product. Stairway to Heaven == Stairway to Heaven, be in on Vinyl/CD/MP3/Cassette.
The record companies can't have it both ways - they can either sell a product, or a licence to use copyrighted materials.
First of all, the author's personal bias is completely obvious in the fact that the article linked every occurence of the word "OpenOffice" to OO.o, and there isn't a single link to Microsoft.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the bias against Microsoft - if the headline is going to make claims about the Microsoft "FUD Machine", they should include reference to the OO.org FUD Machine also.
If you're happy with your office suite running at a snail's pace then yes, OpenOffice is the clear winner. At least Microsoft are honest when recommending a Pentium 3 class processor as a requirement.
* Email client: Microsoft notes that OpenOffice lacks an email client. This, however, would take us to Mozilla, which is a standalone web browser with more features than Internet Explorer (such as tabbed browsing), and is much more secure than Microsoft Outlook as a default.
Mozilla is a brilliant web browser (I use Firefox myself rather than the Mozilla suite), however MS Outlook 2003 seems to be more secure than the Mozilla e-mail client. The author makes reference to security, however security is all down to the individual user. By default, Outlook blocks users from opening any attachments whereas Mozilla doesn't - which e-mail client is most at risk from an e-mail borne virus?
*Limited Compatibility: Microsoft properly asserts that OpenOffice is not 100% compatible with their product. Microsoft, however, has apparently decided not to support the OpenOffice formats either, for which they have no excuse: the standards for OpenOffice documents are publicly available, whereas Microsoft makes it a habit to sue people for reverse engineering their own formats. Richard Stallman wrote about this in 2002.
Office Suite manufacturers should, in my opinion, get their act together and start making their applications compatible with each other. The author quite clearly shows a bias against Microsoft here by stating that they have no excuse for supporting the OpenOffice formats. IIRC, Microsoft Office has been around for quite a bit longer than OpenOffice, and has become a standard in its' own right.
Yes, I like the idea of open source software and I have been known to use it myself. The article written here, is quite clearly biased unfavourably against Microsoft - if this had been the opposite way round, there would've been uproar on slashdot. The headline describes is as an MS FUD Machine - this unfortunately is inaccurate. It's an OpenOffice FUD Machine which is aiming at Microsoft.
I've seen this done before, albeit in the Software Industry.
I once bought a computer game, which had an offer in the manual which went along the lines of: If your CD is lost/damaged then you can obtain a replacement for the cost of postage/packaging + obviously a small fee to cover the cost of producing the CD.
The one major problem my main desktop has is that it doesn't have a floppy drive.
I don't use floppies for storage - never have since about 1996 or 1997, but now I find I really miss it.
I have a server (Read: very old computer which a geek found a use for) which I acquired - it has a floppy drive, but I have no method of making a floppy and due to its age there's no way it can boot from CD or boot from LAN, so I'm stuck with a system I can't use until I get a floppy drive specially installed for the purpose.
"Yeah here's the source code, but don't change it." is almost what they're saying.
No, what they're saying is: "Here's the source code, do as you like with it. But, without our permission you can't use our trademark."
It's just like you buying a Rolls Royce, modifying the engine and several parts of the vehicle, and wanting to sell it (distribute it) as a Rolls Royce (which is a trademarked name).
I realise you're probably kidding, but I would say MySQL is the type of database suitable for someone such as myself.
I think an important thing to remember is that each database has a particular target market - Access, MySQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, etc.
I'd consider myself an amateur web developer - I develop ASP, PHP with MySQL in my spare time as a hobby and run the servers off my SDSL connection (yes I do know how to secure my box) and it's perfect for someone like me who just needs a simple DB server without the bells and whistles which make the likes of Oracle etc expensive.
As for the PHP/Perl "argument" mentioned on other threads - as a full time employee in a non-IT role, I don't have the time to learn C or Perl. PHP/ASP are easier for me to learn, and suit me just fine as a hobbiest.
For the case of F/OSS, tack on a clause that apps where the client can obtain source, and fix it himself (or audit it before using), is not requred to be warrantied by the author.
So commercial companies who provide a product for which source is freely available, let's use Redhat as an example, are exempt? Should we also extend that to Apple as well, if any fault is with their "base" system (Darwin, which is open source)?
Legally, you could be prevented from copying something if you live in the US - all the publisher needs to do is put some sort of crappy encryption, and DMCA prevents you from unencrypting it.
The industry term for it is "Revenue Generation". Each agent is measured upon a range of stats, one of which being Revenue Generation and they must meet a certain percent of targets in a given month.
Also, during an observe-and-coach session, where a manager or a senior monitor's the agent's call, if the agent doesn't try to generate a lead during the call then he/she would be marked down.
Some dictionaries may have picked up on this dysphemism, but that doesn't make it accurate.
Unfortunately, the English language is what we call an evolving language and therefore words take on new meanings, new words are introduced, etc. So while you may not wish to call this activity piracy, it is 100% valid use of the English language.
I would assume it's because the article states that the company who produce the software wish to sell it in the US and have been following the DVD X case very carefully.
Add that to the fact that they have to abide by US law, just as any company who imports goods or services into the US does, and I believe you will realise why they have to "jump through hoops".
I take it you also took time to look into the laws governing electronic contracts, the electronic contract proposed by Microsoft allows you to either accept their conditions imposed by the EULA, or to return the product for a refund.
Even if you wish to be in breach of contract, you still have at the very least copyright law to deal with which allows you to install the software on 1, yes - one machine.
Interested as to why you believe the laws relating to electronic contracts don't apply to you...
Unfortunately, this is counterbalanced by a stigma (not true, but there nonetheless) that "my apps don't run under Linux," as well as the percieved usability issues.
Funny you should mention the fact that the notion is untrue - I used a Linux operating system once. The following software I had already invested in didn't work with it: Microsoft Office Student Edition Dreamweaver Fireworks Photoshop
Champi onship Manager worked most of the time after a lot of tweaking, and even then I wouldn't have classed it as reliable.
I think if you actually look at real world figures and software, you'll see that the opnion of "my apps don't run under Linux" is actually quite true.
+5 Funny, but I'd personally classify a home user as a Windows user/AOL user (sorry for the classifications here) and I'd classify most slashdotters as what I'd call Power Users.
I think Microsoft wanted this shut down ASAP and with the least amount of press. IMHO, they should have been forced to pay for a full blown recall of Windows XP.
And cause hundreds of hours in lost productivity and cause inconvenience to millions of users who use Windows XP?
Slashdot Mirror
I'll pay for shipping costs to the UK, as long as it's reasonable (under $50).
You could consider a site which connects people who are looking to trade/swap/giveaway hardware within their local area.
A communications backbone is far different to a wire running via a telephone pole to my house, or indeed the twisted-pair under the ground to my property.
If I've purchased a Vinyl containing Led Zeppelin tracks, according to the record companies/RIAA then only I'm allowed to use it. Therefore, I've purchased a licence to use their copyrighted material as opposed to an actual product. Stairway to Heaven == Stairway to Heaven, be in on Vinyl/CD/MP3/Cassette.
The record companies can't have it both ways - they can either sell a product, or a licence to use copyrighted materials.
That's why MS Word is described as a word processing application, and not a desktop publishing application - they're two different types of software.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the bias against Microsoft - if the headline is going to make claims about the Microsoft "FUD Machine", they should include reference to the OO.org FUD Machine also.
A few choice quotes:
'Windows (98, NT, 2000, XP) - Pentium-compatible PC,64 MB RAM, 130 MB HD'.
Clear winner: OpenOffice.
If you're happy with your office suite running at a snail's pace then yes, OpenOffice is the clear winner. At least Microsoft are honest when recommending a Pentium 3 class processor as a requirement.
* Email client: Microsoft notes that OpenOffice lacks an email client. This, however, would take us to Mozilla, which is a standalone web browser with more features than Internet Explorer (such as tabbed browsing), and is much more secure than Microsoft Outlook as a default.
Mozilla is a brilliant web browser (I use Firefox myself rather than the Mozilla suite), however MS Outlook 2003 seems to be more secure than the Mozilla e-mail client. The author makes reference to security, however security is all down to the individual user. By default, Outlook blocks users from opening any attachments whereas Mozilla doesn't - which e-mail client is most at risk from an e-mail borne virus?
*Limited Compatibility: Microsoft properly asserts that OpenOffice is not 100% compatible with their product. Microsoft, however, has apparently decided not to support the OpenOffice formats either, for which they have no excuse: the standards for OpenOffice documents are publicly available, whereas Microsoft makes it a habit to sue people for reverse engineering their own formats. Richard Stallman wrote about this in 2002.
Office Suite manufacturers should, in my opinion, get their act together and start making their applications compatible with each other. The author quite clearly shows a bias against Microsoft here by stating that they have no excuse for supporting the OpenOffice formats. IIRC, Microsoft Office has been around for quite a bit longer than OpenOffice, and has become a standard in its' own right.
Yes, I like the idea of open source software and I have been known to use it myself. The article written here, is quite clearly biased unfavourably against Microsoft - if this had been the opposite way round, there would've been uproar on slashdot. The headline describes is as an MS FUD Machine - this unfortunately is inaccurate. It's an OpenOffice FUD Machine which is aiming at Microsoft.
I've never had a problem connecting to any SMTP server which requires authentication.
I once bought a computer game, which had an offer in the manual which went along the lines of:
If your CD is lost/damaged then you can obtain a replacement for the cost of postage/packaging + obviously a small fee to cover the cost of producing the CD.
I was under the impression that it was the actual Outlook applications/Underlying OS which was the problem.
Can you explain how a third-party BIOS/Email client which is able to access Outlook's data can cause Outlook viruses?
I don't use floppies for storage - never have since about 1996 or 1997, but now I find I really miss it.
I have a server (Read: very old computer which a geek found a use for) which I acquired - it has a floppy drive, but I have no method of making a floppy and due to its age there's no way it can boot from CD or boot from LAN, so I'm stuck with a system I can't use until I get a floppy drive specially installed for the purpose.
No, what they're saying is: "Here's the source code, do as you like with it. But, without our permission you can't use our trademark."
It's just like you buying a Rolls Royce, modifying the engine and several parts of the vehicle, and wanting to sell it (distribute it) as a Rolls Royce (which is a trademarked name).
I think an important thing to remember is that each database has a particular target market - Access, MySQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, etc.
I'd consider myself an amateur web developer - I develop ASP, PHP with MySQL in my spare time as a hobby and run the servers off my SDSL connection (yes I do know how to secure my box) and it's perfect for someone like me who just needs a simple DB server without the bells and whistles which make the likes of Oracle etc expensive.
As for the PHP/Perl "argument" mentioned on other threads - as a full time employee in a non-IT role, I don't have the time to learn C or Perl. PHP/ASP are easier for me to learn, and suit me just fine as a hobbiest.
It did take me years to perfect that skill...
So commercial companies who provide a product for which source is freely available, let's use Redhat as an example, are exempt? Should we also extend that to Apple as well, if any fault is with their "base" system (Darwin, which is open source)?
Legally, you could be prevented from copying something if you live in the US - all the publisher needs to do is put some sort of crappy encryption, and DMCA prevents you from unencrypting it.
Also, during an observe-and-coach session, where a manager or a senior monitor's the agent's call, if the agent doesn't try to generate a lead during the call then he/she would be marked down.
Unfortunately, the English language is what we call an evolving language and therefore words take on new meanings, new words are introduced, etc. So while you may not wish to call this activity piracy, it is 100% valid use of the English language.
Add that to the fact that they have to abide by US law, just as any company who imports goods or services into the US does, and I believe you will realise why they have to "jump through hoops".
Even if you wish to be in breach of contract, you still have at the very least copyright law to deal with which allows you to install the software on 1, yes - one machine.
Interested as to why you believe the laws relating to electronic contracts don't apply to you...
How would you run the Aqua GUI and QuartzExtreme?
Isn't an evelator one of the last places someone would want to be in a fire situation?
Funny you should mention the fact that the notion is untrue - I used a Linux operating system once. The following software I had already invested in didn't work with it:
Microsoft Office Student Edition
Dreamweaver
Fireworks
Photoshop
Champi onship Manager worked most of the time after a lot of tweaking, and even then I wouldn't have classed it as reliable.
I think if you actually look at real world figures and software, you'll see that the opnion of "my apps don't run under Linux" is actually quite true.
+5 Funny, but I'd personally classify a home user as a Windows user/AOL user (sorry for the classifications here) and I'd classify most slashdotters as what I'd call Power Users.
If membership is by invitation only, how does one become a member to invite someone?
And cause hundreds of hours in lost productivity and cause inconvenience to millions of users who use Windows XP?