Um, actually you can use MythTV. It includes IR Remote and Keyboard interface, can run just about any application (through the PC Games menu), runs on Linux, can play DVD, Video, Music, Images, Live TV, TiVo like live skip, recording, etc. http://mythtv.org
And anything X can be run through it. Setup is a bit of a pain, though if you use RedHat or Mandrake (or another RPM system) you can just URPMI it all.
A few key differences in the GPL and a 'Shrinkwrap" EULA:
1) The GPL is available online, on the site hosting the software, and included in the Zip/Tar/etc. distribution package. Therefore you have more than ample warning and opportunity to read the license before opening/installing the product. Not so with a shrinkwrap EULA. 2) The GPL creates a set of restrictions that are *LESS* restrictive than copyright law. Under US Copyright law, this is entirely permissable, the author of a work has the right to use, retain, or release the work in any way they choose that is equal to or less restrictive than copyright. The EULA seeks to impose additional restrictions onto copyright law.
Based on these two items, the EULA is on far more questionable ground than the GPL. Both should be considered under contract law, as the copyright is already established and they both modify through contract those restrictions. The GPL, being freely available for review prior to obtaining and or using the product has a solid basis under implicit contractual agreement precedents.
An EULA, on the other side, is not availble for review prior to acceptance (you must purchase the package, see First Sale Doctrine) prior to being able to either review or accept the EULA. Due to this, contract law is predisposed to view this as a contract under duress. This is a much more questionable ground than the GPL. Further, many of the clauses in the aforementioned EULA are invalid or illegal under City, County, State, or Federal laws in other areas. (i.e. 'Satire')
While I am not a Lawyer of any other kind of legal expert, I am working with several on various projects on a daily basis involving copyright and contract laws. This information is what they have explained to me of the relevant laws.
As to the DMCA, hardware is covered generally under Patent law rather than Copyright law (with the notable exception of the firmware, drivers, etc.) and as such must be properly registered with the USPTO. This means that the usage of this equipment, being a tangible asset, is governed by the precedents set under the First Sale and Fair Use doctrines. An EULA, therefore, represents an atteempt to contractually abrogate the well recognized First Sale and Fair Use doctrines of the courts after the fact of the First Sale, which has on many occasions been found illegal and invalid in court.
I second the motion. The school I attended for High School was well known as the worst in the state for gang fights, etc. The faculty did not give a f*ck about what happened there, they just wanted to get home alive each day.
Not only did I get picked on, but once I starter fighting back I got an object lesson in what lack of concern really is. I got into a fight between classes right outside the cafeteria by the Principal's office, and all the staff (including the Principal) did was applaud as I kept hitting the kid.
Not much help, and convinced me that my children will never attend a public school.
Ah, but the local 911 will not allow VoIP to connect into their network, and as a taxpayer, I do not see paying for a service I am denied the ability to use.
Am I the only one who thought of the old Flash Gordon, with the flying Jet-Skis replaced by flying Segways, and Ming's troops falling screaming to their doom as Gordon laughs on and points to his 'Energizer' battery?
Linux has many good points in it's favour. It is more secure. I can if I so choose audit code. It is great for a server demanding minimal and well managed downtime. It is free as in speech and free as in beer.
But it also has negative points, at least from my viewpoint. Drivers are not commonly available to provide the full functionality of many pieces of harware. The code for many applications is convoluted, and requires more time than I have to fix. Taking a stock system (Compaq, Dell, etc.) it is difficult many times to get set up to provide the full capabilities of the system. Games are difficult to find and play on Linux.
Windows, likewise, has it's share of ups and downs. But based on what I need and want, I have made a choice using logic rational measures of the effectiveness of both.
At work, I use Windows. It has the stability I need, is fully (and I mean 100%) compatible with our servers and internal network, and most importantly, it is mandated by the company. I program all day at work in C++, Java, Visual Basic, SQL, and whatever else I need to get the project done and accomplish the goals set by my bosses.
When I come home, I boot my PC to Linux, and use Linux for the things I have to have 'just work.' Balancing my checkbook. Checking my e-mail. Managing my home. For these simple tasks, having Linux is a great pleasure. I go in, run the apps I need, and don't suffer feature bloat or downtime. I can rebuild the whole Linux side of my machine in an hour in case of crash, thanks to the wonderful structure of the tree. I keep my data completely seperate from my apps, have a cron job to back it up to the family server daily. All the features Linux advocates are so proud of. But the things I do not want to do when I get home is have to write 500 lines of code to make a feature work, or spend 2 hours compiling a kernel. Some days, when I feel mashochistic, I pull out my spare machine and hack away. But when I need it to work, I need it to work then.
Then I switch to Windows, and play a couple of games, do my artwork. Yes there are games for Linux, but the selection I have for Windows dwarfs the choices for Linux. The graphics capabilities of Linux are still shadowed by the commercial programs I can get in Windows for my artwork.
I look forward to the day when I can ditch Windows completely. And although there are a great many people spending hour upon hour working on perfecting and improving Linux, it still has a few hurdles before I can. I need graphics packages that are on par with AutoCad, capable of complex solids modeling in mutliple 3-D layers, that will not crash when I try to model complex kinematic animations. I need games, simulation games, role playing games, things I can play on the network with my roommates. I need the ability to hook my television to my NVidia and get simultaneous output (without spending an hour editing XF86Config files) to watch our productions.
Linux advocates are very vocal about the virtues of Linux. And equally vocal about the flaws of Windows. Eventually, their hard work will bring Linux to the point I will really have the choice to run it full time. Of that I have no doubt, and I put my money where my mouth is. But I know, for my needs, it is not there yet.
And all I ask is that while extolling the virtues of Linux, please acknowledge it's limitations. Please realize that even some of the geekiest of us would rather go home and play a game instead of hacking a kernel driver.
To all those who have poured hours into Linux, I say one last thing. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
I have had the recent pleasure of watching the V-Com ATM machines being installed in our local convenience stores. They are PC's controlling the system, using Internet connections over TCP/IP to communicate, running Windows NT Workstation 4.0 SP6a. They have a custom keyboard missing the CTRL, ALT, and other state keys, and a touch screen interface to boot. And they can be crashed so easily it goes beyond funny to just plain sad.
The tech doing updates opens the bay, plugs in a regular keyboard, logs on to an e-mail account, and runs the patches distributed that way.
If I had a copper line, how many times do I pay taxes for this wonderful privelage?
1) Income Tax 2) SSI Tax 3) State Tax (some states) 4) Insurance Deduction (taxed through the Insurance Provider, cost passed on to me) 5) Universal Service Fee 6) Line Access Surcharge (taxed and passed on) 7) Federal Tax 8) Long Distance Access Charge (also taxed and passed on) 9) ??? 10) MASSIVE PROFIT!!!
Seems rather excessive that I am taxed at least three times on every dollar I make and spend!
CATs (Completely Autonomous Terrorists) are nature's organics only vacuum cleamers. Much more efficient than a Roomba, and much much faster than an Aibo, they have the superior ability to detect food and catch it before it even hits the floor. The more efficient models can even catch it before it leaves your hand!
Need some kid safe way to drive pests from your home? Get yourself a CAT and spend hours of fun watching it munch mice, assail ants, and eradicate roaches. It will even bring the still wriggling snacks to share with you, its less skilled hunting partner human!
And all CATs come with one must have feature! PURR - The Pleasant Undulating Rotary Rumble feature! This soothing sound and vibration can be used to aid in relaxation, help children sleep, and the CAT will even use this feature on its own to indicate pleasure!
So run out today and get your very own CAT! Don't wiat, supplies are limited (not)!
In addition to the disassembly of retired trucks and very careful disposal of remaining parts, UPS drivers are required to be ready at any time to show their ID proving they are a UPS driver and thus authorized to park in loading/unloading/restricted zones.
As someone who is helping two disabled roommates and who's brother is disabled, I can say that the four of us are more offended by people who spend hours arguing over what to call a disabled person rather than addressing the ways to help them.
While yes, many litigious (sp?) society there are lawsuits galore over those words, I would rather hear from someone who dedicates over 50% of their time to helping people. Making changes in that Vocational Rehabilitation system. (Voc Rehab is a disagreeable name in itself, why are they being 'rehabilitated'?)
I myself would be part of that system if I chose to spend my time complaining that I would prefer to be called a 'person with a disability' instead of finding what I AM able to do and getting my butt out there and doing it. I do not rely on any state, social, or other support, and have spent much of my life learning how to improve my able qualities so that I do not need that support.
My biggest pet peeve is not being called one thing or another, but when I let myself fall short of my abilities. I know I am intelligent, and that there are jobs out there that intelligent people can do. I know some can't hear, but there are jobs at which deaf people would have an advantage (Jet Engine Mechanic, other jobs with high noise levels.) The key is to turn the disability into an asset, and use the OTHER abilities you have. Not waste time telling everyone how you cannot do things. Show them what you can do.
Have no fear, Do Not Call lists are a thing of the past, as are annoying telemarketing calls!
Marketing has been hard at work with R&D and Programming teams and will soon release the Proactive Resupply Operating Base Engine (P.R.O.B.E.) for public use. This wonderful device will provide a complete synergy between the Provider and the Consumer. The merger of market and consumer will no longer be a long painful process; the corporations will be able to easily enter into the consumers needs, and provide them with complete and fulfilling service. Advertising will become a thing of the past, and the package the consumer desires will be directly injected into their life.
So don't wait, sign up in advance for your P.R.O.B.E.!
Count my vote in! Close SlashDot, SourceForge, big sites that make mainstream news. Knowing this would be happening I made sure to have whatever software I would need ready, burned to CD. We need to make our collective voice heard, and this is an effective way IF we can reach the critical mass needed for mainstream media to sit up and take notice.
And to carry it further into reality, the 'Inspectors' woul be a group of rapidly trained low-wage slaves hired from a Staffing company with little or no knowledge of mechanics, using a checklist with items like 6) Is red wire connected to blue connector on black block (see illus. 6A)...
The persons with defeaters will quickly uninstall them, get their inspection and pass with flying colors, reinstall them, and really not give a fsck.
Meanwhile, the DOT and Police will start having to inspect anyone pulled over for an offence, thus writing more tickets, and paying the wage-slave's salaries to do the scheduled inspections.
Or, much more simply put, those who desire to break the law will.
Just find the sensor that measures the road speed, measure the resistance/pulsations/etc and wire in a resistor/NE555 IC/override that subtracts.25*speed MPH and viola...
Using a technological means to attempt to solve a purely sociological problem will just serve to prove the creativity of those determined to continue.
All of which were retractions to prior bulletins because of flaws in the patches for the flaws, like I got?
MS02-040 REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-040: Unchecked Buffer in MDAC Function Could Enable System (Q326573) MS03-030 REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-030: Unchecked Buffer in DirectX Could Enable System Compromise (Q819696) MS03-029 REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-029: Flaw in Windows Function Could Allow Denial of Service (Q823803)
And people wonder why I won't install a MS Patch on a production system without thorough testing.
They have a proven (and documented) track record of breaking things, both intentionally (DR-DOS) and unintentionally. They have been convicted of anticompetetive practices.
And they expect me to believe that this move is for 'Security'? Sounds to me more like the security of their wallets.
Slashdot Mirror
Just remember the really hot cup of fresh trea as the Brownian Motion inducer...
The human body produces over 20000 BTU's of heat... more during vigorous physical activity... perfect chance for us to get girls!
Um, actually you can use MythTV. It includes IR Remote and Keyboard interface, can run just about any application (through the PC Games menu), runs on Linux, can play DVD, Video, Music, Images, Live TV, TiVo like live skip, recording, etc. http://mythtv.org
And anything X can be run through it. Setup is a bit of a pain, though if you use RedHat or Mandrake (or another RPM system) you can just URPMI it all.
A few key differences in the GPL and a 'Shrinkwrap" EULA:
1) The GPL is available online, on the site hosting the software, and included in the Zip/Tar/etc. distribution package. Therefore you have more than ample warning and opportunity to read the license before opening/installing the product. Not so with a shrinkwrap EULA.
2) The GPL creates a set of restrictions that are *LESS* restrictive than copyright law. Under US Copyright law, this is entirely permissable, the author of a work has the right to use, retain, or release the work in any way they choose that is equal to or less restrictive than copyright. The EULA seeks to impose additional restrictions onto copyright law.
Based on these two items, the EULA is on far more questionable ground than the GPL. Both should be considered under contract law, as the copyright is already established and they both modify through contract those restrictions. The GPL, being freely available for review prior to obtaining and or using the product has a solid basis under implicit contractual agreement precedents.
An EULA, on the other side, is not availble for review prior to acceptance (you must purchase the package, see First Sale Doctrine) prior to being able to either review or accept the EULA. Due to this, contract law is predisposed to view this as a contract under duress. This is a much more questionable ground than the GPL. Further, many of the clauses in the aforementioned EULA are invalid or illegal under City, County, State, or Federal laws in other areas. (i.e. 'Satire')
While I am not a Lawyer of any other kind of legal expert, I am working with several on various projects on a daily basis involving copyright and contract laws. This information is what they have explained to me of the relevant laws.
As to the DMCA, hardware is covered generally under Patent law rather than Copyright law (with the notable exception of the firmware, drivers, etc.) and as such must be properly registered with the USPTO. This means that the usage of this equipment, being a tangible asset, is governed by the precedents set under the First Sale and Fair Use doctrines. An EULA, therefore, represents an atteempt to contractually abrogate the well recognized First Sale and Fair Use doctrines of the courts after the fact of the First Sale, which has on many occasions been found illegal and invalid in court.
I second the motion. The school I attended for High School was well known as the worst in the state for gang fights, etc. The faculty did not give a f*ck about what happened there, they just wanted to get home alive each day.
Not only did I get picked on, but once I starter fighting back I got an object lesson in what lack of concern really is. I got into a fight between classes right outside the cafeteria by the Principal's office, and all the staff (including the Principal) did was applaud as I kept hitting the kid.
Not much help, and convinced me that my children will never attend a public school.
Ah, but the local 911 will not allow VoIP to connect into their network, and as a taxpayer, I do not see paying for a service I am denied the ability to use.
See Linux. See Linux compile Solaris source. See GCC choke. Bad code, GCC, bad code.
Am I the only one who thought of the old Flash Gordon, with the flying Jet-Skis replaced by flying Segways, and Ming's troops falling screaming to their doom as Gordon laughs on and points to his 'Energizer' battery?
Just wondering...
Linux has many good points in it's favour. It is more secure. I can if I so choose audit code. It is great for a server demanding minimal and well managed downtime. It is free as in speech and free as in beer.
But it also has negative points, at least from my viewpoint. Drivers are not commonly available to provide the full functionality of many pieces of harware. The code for many applications is convoluted, and requires more time than I have to fix. Taking a stock system (Compaq, Dell, etc.) it is difficult many times to get set up to provide the full capabilities of the system. Games are difficult to find and play on Linux.
Windows, likewise, has it's share of ups and downs. But based on what I need and want, I have made a choice using logic rational measures of the effectiveness of both.
At work, I use Windows. It has the stability I need, is fully (and I mean 100%) compatible with our servers and internal network, and most importantly, it is mandated by the company. I program all day at work in C++, Java, Visual Basic, SQL, and whatever else I need to get the project done and accomplish the goals set by my bosses.
When I come home, I boot my PC to Linux, and use Linux for the things I have to have 'just work.' Balancing my checkbook. Checking my e-mail. Managing my home. For these simple tasks, having Linux is a great pleasure. I go in, run the apps I need, and don't suffer feature bloat or downtime. I can rebuild the whole Linux side of my machine in an hour in case of crash, thanks to the wonderful structure of the tree. I keep my data completely seperate from my apps, have a cron job to back it up to the family server daily. All the features Linux advocates are so proud of. But the things I do not want to do when I get home is have to write 500 lines of code to make a feature work, or spend 2 hours compiling a kernel. Some days, when I feel mashochistic, I pull out my spare machine and hack away. But when I need it to work, I need it to work then.
Then I switch to Windows, and play a couple of games, do my artwork. Yes there are games for Linux, but the selection I have for Windows dwarfs the choices for Linux. The graphics capabilities of Linux are still shadowed by the commercial programs I can get in Windows for my artwork.
I look forward to the day when I can ditch Windows completely. And although there are a great many people spending hour upon hour working on perfecting and improving Linux, it still has a few hurdles before I can. I need graphics packages that are on par with AutoCad, capable of complex solids modeling in mutliple 3-D layers, that will not crash when I try to model complex kinematic animations. I need games, simulation games, role playing games, things I can play on the network with my roommates. I need the ability to hook my television to my NVidia and get simultaneous output (without spending an hour editing XF86Config files) to watch our productions.
Linux advocates are very vocal about the virtues of Linux. And equally vocal about the flaws of Windows. Eventually, their hard work will bring Linux to the point I will really have the choice to run it full time. Of that I have no doubt, and I put my money where my mouth is. But I know, for my needs, it is not there yet.
And all I ask is that while extolling the virtues of Linux, please acknowledge it's limitations. Please realize that even some of the geekiest of us would rather go home and play a game instead of hacking a kernel driver.
To all those who have poured hours into Linux, I say one last thing. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
I have had the recent pleasure of watching the V-Com ATM machines being installed in our local convenience stores. They are PC's controlling the system, using Internet connections over TCP/IP to communicate, running Windows NT Workstation 4.0 SP6a. They have a custom keyboard missing the CTRL, ALT, and other state keys, and a touch screen interface to boot. And they can be crashed so easily it goes beyond funny to just plain sad.
The tech doing updates opens the bay, plugs in a regular keyboard, logs on to an e-mail account, and runs the patches distributed that way.
Not something I really would trust with my money!
Unsinkable.
If I had a copper line, how many times do I pay taxes for this wonderful privelage?
1) Income Tax
2) SSI Tax
3) State Tax (some states)
4) Insurance Deduction (taxed through the Insurance Provider, cost passed on to me)
5) Universal Service Fee
6) Line Access Surcharge (taxed and passed on)
7) Federal Tax
8) Long Distance Access Charge (also taxed and passed on)
9) ???
10) MASSIVE PROFIT!!!
Seems rather excessive that I am taxed at least three times on every dollar I make and spend!
Just my $.02 (after taxes from $1.00)
Probably not (Intentionally LOL)
Don't forget the other notable functions:
CATs (Completely Autonomous Terrorists) are nature's organics only vacuum cleamers. Much more efficient than a Roomba, and much much faster than an Aibo, they have the superior ability to detect food and catch it before it even hits the floor. The more efficient models can even catch it before it leaves your hand!
Need some kid safe way to drive pests from your home? Get yourself a CAT and spend hours of fun watching it munch mice, assail ants, and eradicate roaches. It will even bring the still wriggling snacks to share with you, its less skilled hunting partner human!
And all CATs come with one must have feature! PURR - The Pleasant Undulating Rotary Rumble feature! This soothing sound and vibration can be used to aid in relaxation, help children sleep, and the CAT will even use this feature on its own to indicate pleasure!
So run out today and get your very own CAT! Don't wiat, supplies are limited (not)!
Nothing personal, but spammers and lawyers are both on the list of people I would laugh to see... how shall I say this... eliminated from society.
The list also includes politicians (especially the intersection of that set with lawyers), insurance agents, RIAA executives, MPAA executicves, etc.
And the list grows every day.
For these people, my sympathy has been exhausted, and all that remains is dislike.
Somehow that was an image I just did not need this morning...
The Spice Girls Reunion... with the Great Old Ones (Cth[you know the rest], Gastes, Balmer)...
*SHUDDER*
In the Microsoft Open Office...
Time for coffee... quickly!
In addition to the disassembly of retired trucks and very careful disposal of remaining parts, UPS drivers are required to be ready at any time to show their ID proving they are a UPS driver and thus authorized to park in loading/unloading/restricted zones.
As someone who is helping two disabled roommates and who's brother is disabled, I can say that the four of us are more offended by people who spend hours arguing over what to call a disabled person rather than addressing the ways to help them.
While yes, many litigious (sp?) society there are lawsuits galore over those words, I would rather hear from someone who dedicates over 50% of their time to helping people. Making changes in that Vocational Rehabilitation system. (Voc Rehab is a disagreeable name in itself, why are they being 'rehabilitated'?)
I myself would be part of that system if I chose to spend my time complaining that I would prefer to be called a 'person with a disability' instead of finding what I AM able to do and getting my butt out there and doing it. I do not rely on any state, social, or other support, and have spent much of my life learning how to improve my able qualities so that I do not need that support.
My biggest pet peeve is not being called one thing or another, but when I let myself fall short of my abilities. I know I am intelligent, and that there are jobs out there that intelligent people can do. I know some can't hear, but there are jobs at which deaf people would have an advantage (Jet Engine Mechanic, other jobs with high noise levels.) The key is to turn the disability into an asset, and use the OTHER abilities you have. Not waste time telling everyone how you cannot do things. Show them what you can do.
Have no fear, Do Not Call lists are a thing of the past, as are annoying telemarketing calls!
Marketing has been hard at work with R&D and Programming teams and will soon release the Proactive Resupply Operating Base Engine (P.R.O.B.E.) for public use. This wonderful device will provide a complete synergy between the Provider and the Consumer. The merger of market and consumer will no longer be a long painful process; the corporations will be able to easily enter into the consumers needs, and provide them with complete and fulfilling service. Advertising will become a thing of the past, and the package the consumer desires will be directly injected into their life.
So don't wait, sign up in advance for your P.R.O.B.E.!
Count my vote in! Close SlashDot, SourceForge, big sites that make mainstream news. Knowing this would be happening I made sure to have whatever software I would need ready, burned to CD. We need to make our collective voice heard, and this is an effective way IF we can reach the critical mass needed for mainstream media to sit up and take notice.
Of couirse since this is a Mac vs. PC debate, butterflies should flutter away... especially rainbow butterflies...
And to carry it further into reality, the 'Inspectors' woul be a group of rapidly trained low-wage slaves hired from a Staffing company with little or no knowledge of mechanics, using a checklist with items like 6) Is red wire connected to blue connector on black block (see illus. 6A)...
The persons with defeaters will quickly uninstall them, get their inspection and pass with flying colors, reinstall them, and really not give a fsck.
Meanwhile, the DOT and Police will start having to inspect anyone pulled over for an offence, thus writing more tickets, and paying the wage-slave's salaries to do the scheduled inspections.
Or, much more simply put, those who desire to break the law will.
Just find the sensor that measures the road speed, measure the resistance/pulsations/etc and wire in a resistor/NE555 IC/override that subtracts .25*speed MPH and viola...
Using a technological means to attempt to solve a purely sociological problem will just serve to prove the creativity of those determined to continue.
All of which were retractions to prior bulletins because of flaws in the patches for the flaws, like I got?
MS02-040 REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-040: Unchecked Buffer in MDAC Function Could Enable System (Q326573)
MS03-030 REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-030: Unchecked Buffer in DirectX Could Enable System Compromise (Q819696)
MS03-029 REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-029: Flaw in Windows Function Could Allow Denial of Service (Q823803)
And people wonder why I won't install a MS Patch on a production system without thorough testing.
They have a proven (and documented) track record of breaking things, both intentionally (DR-DOS) and unintentionally. They have been convicted of anticompetetive practices.
And they expect me to believe that this move is for 'Security'? Sounds to me more like the security of their wallets.
3) Microsoft employees have coded more security bugs than I have or ever will
4) ???
5) PROFIT!!!
If in doubt, see #3 and #5