Glider was interfering with Blizzard's contractual relationship with its customers
So basically, if you wanted to use this software as a reference for something completely unrated to WoW, no, it's not illegal. However, if you use it in full or part to interact with WoW, you're likely going to be sued (contact/civil law, not criminal) or your project shut-down. Being FOSS doesn't make a project immune to such things, look at the unfortunate situation with BNETd
Yup, but the problem is that unless it's overturn in appeal, then the judgment stands that this software (in whatever incarnation of licensing) is illegal. Open-sourcing online would basically be a war-call, basically putting it beyond anyone's ability to contain or control. However, doing so might also taint any other projects that make use of the code, as the argument "this software X uses software Y which was already ruled illegal in the courts."
Basically, opening the source would be just be a revenge move. It's good for those that want to mod/hack WoW, but bad for blizzard, not overly beneficial to the creator (not going to make them any cash), and not really beneficial to the image of FOSS community either.
This isn't about inspection. If some DHS guy wants to give my laptop the once-over, well enough. If he wants to take away for an "indefinite" time, hell no!
Longer? That implies that the laptop is coming back and that "Bob the DHS border guard" didn't just give his girlfriend a shiny new macbook for their recent anniversary.
Indefinitely in this case might as well often mean "forever"
Competing companies can in some instances band together for common good. If Nvidia/ATI/Intel/VIA/etc all use fairly common suppliers, and those suppliers are giving out crap parts, then it's in the interest of graphics manufacturers in general to trace the problem down.
I've seen a few different cases where companies that compete against each other on-the-shelf contribute to standards-bodies or QA groups that benefit them all.
If it gets to 68C (which almost never happens, and is quite hot for a CPU)
Depends a lot on the CPU, I've seen CPU's that were rated safe up to temperatures almost high enough to boil water. Some have better heat tolerances/dissipation than others. I don't know about others, but AMD chips usually have a code you can look up to see the nominal heat-range no the CPU (old Athlons often ran hot as hell, 60-65c was pretty common).
And do these problems, in turn, have something to do with RoHS [wikipedia.org] certification, due to lead-free solders being less durable?
This might apply to more than just cars. I had an issue with my old HP ZD7000 laptop while under warranty. When I contacted HP about it, they said they were working on a fix and to check back with them in about four months. As the laptop was still fairly usable, I waited.
After four months I called back and got the "oh yeah, there's a fix for that now, but sorry you're out of warranty." I had to get on their case about it, but once they tracked my old ticket # to the same issue the accepted the laptop for warranty service.
I'd suggest that if you have a problem that doesn't get fixed ASAP, write down the ticket # and details of the problem. Hell, even if it's "fixed" then it's a good idea to do so, that way you have evidence that the problem existed and was reported before the end of the warranty period.
"I doubt that, even with this improvement, electrolysis-gas storage-fuel cell will beat even lead-acid batteries, let alone lithium ion (with efficiences close to 100%"
It would take a *lot* of lithium ion batteries to power a house, particularly a stove or heater. Hell, the hydrogen could probably be burned directly for these in place of piped "natural gas." The discharge required for Li+ batteries to intentionally create heat would be pretty much the equivalent of shorting them intentionally
Also, batteries degrade over time, and aren't the greatest for disposal. I'd imagine that a hydrogen storage tank might have to be replaced within a set period, but not so often as batteries (inspection or leak sensors are important though). I've seen plenty of hefty-size gas storage cylinders that have likely been around for a few decades, and they should be performing pretty much the same as when they were new. Batteries, even efficient ones, can't likely compete on this level.
What I was pondering on the way home today was something similar. Basically this is seems to be a really effective electrolysis configuration. Yes, it's more formal than the ones from back in High School, but the results are much the same. So it seems to me that you could something along the following:
a) Use solar or some other "renewable" power to separate water into components of hydrogen and oxygen using the new method, and distill any other impurities
b) Use the hydrogen as a fuel source for some form of motor, which should give you energy and nice clean water as an output of the reaction
c) The reaction in b will produce mechanical energy, but also likely a good deal of heat. Use that heat to boil the water
d) Use the boiled water to power an additional steam turbine
e) Water exiting the turbine is probably still nice and hot, use some in place of a home-water tank and the rest can go back to the same process or be used as drinking water.
I tend not to believe MIT because of their "popularity" so much as because of their "reputation."
The latter could be rather heavily damaged by making unsupportable claims in regards to their research.
Not that we shouldn't wait to see this in action, but at the very least I'll be waiting eagerly to see these experiments repeated in a controlled environment.
I've seen a lot of issues with "popular" cellular providers taking a dump in customer service. Previously, Telus was the big dog in town and would regularly screw customers over. In my hometown their grid was becoming overloaded, and I had a period of 4-5 months where calls mysteriously never made it through (straight to voicemail, and not due to my phone because others experienced the same issue).
Now I'm on Rogers - as with many I made the switch - and while my actual phone service is improved I'm starting to see the same disregard for customer service.
A contract is one thing, but if you're stuck in a contract paying for a service that doesn't work as intended.... the contract should be voidable.
I'm unsure as to the specifics of this case, but it seems that most telcos are happy to let customers rot once they're stuck in a contract.
I recently tried to get my girlfriend signed up with Roger's, using an existing phone, sans-contract.
Rogers no longer seems to allow *any* of their (weekend/evening/friends/etc) rate plans other than a by-the-minute plan without a contract. This doesn't work for my girlfriend, as she'll be out of the country for 4-6 months near the end of this year and early next, and doesn't want to be paying for a phone that's unused.
So we had to go with Telus, which tends to have much crappier building penetration (the Telus phone doesn't work indoors near as well as my Rogers phone), but allows you to sign up for any plan sans-contract so long as you already have a phone.
VMWare supports multiple CPUs (2 cores visible on Guest OS) and also supports hardware accelerated 3D
I don't know about the multi-CPU thing, but the 3d hardware acceleration is only available on VMWare Workstation, not the free version (VMWare Server).
I believe that this guide would probably be a good guide for a defending lawyer as well. If the RIAA's claim violated the above, try that as grounds to throw it out.
But in addition to that, one wishes there were similar guide for the defendants or their legal representatives (other than, of course, to get a legal representative)? I'm guessing both would share a lot of material, but a "how to fight an RIAA suite" guide would go well.
Heck, with all that's going on, I'm guessing that you could write a book/guide on this and make some decent money on the side.
I'm with the parent on this. Why would the GP demonify somebody who's been doing such good work?
It appears that he's getting paid for it.
Well, no shit! Is there something wrong with getting paid? I suppose you work entirely gratis (and if so, you've likely either got a big existing stockpile of money or lean on the public dollar to get by)?
Guess what. I get paid for my job as a SysAdmin too. However, how I do my job is somewhat irrelevant of that fact. I can be one of the "helpful" type sysadmins, or I could be a BOFH-style class-A jerk.
NYCL gets to choose his cases. He could choose to support those like the RIAA, using dirty pressure tactics and dubious legal practices to further his career and likely make a lot of money doing so. Instead, he's chosen to support those that are being screwed by the RIAA and their lawyers.
he has done far more than just sit on slashdot and bitch about the MAFIAA like the rest of us do
And thus I ask the grandparent: what's your contribution?
Somewhat OT, but one thing I've been wondering for awhile. Suppose the RIAA loses a number of cases, gets whacked around in court a fair bit for their dubious legal practices, and in the end clues in that they've alienated a hefty portion of their customer base. What happens next?
What kind of cases did you work before the RIAA shenanigans, and what would you see for the future? I don't see the RIAA finding a cure to their current case of cranial-rectal inversion anytime too soon, but should that ever happen what cases would you focus on in the future. IP? IT?
As you've become somewhat of a "crusader" here for the slashdot crowd, I'm sure many would be happy to see your name crop up in defending similar cases in the IT realm.
A lot of games nowadays have a bit more in the way of "dimensions" than the old classics. Yes, the old sierra games, etc had various layers for a 3d-esque environment, but playing many modern games with not only the compass directions but also up-down and various angles in-between... things can get rather confusing without some form of mapping. Not to mention that modern storage can allow for a lot more space than in previous titles.
I've been hearing a fair bit about leaked trailers, etc. I wonder if these are really "leaked" or if they're intentionally let out as a form of viral marketing...
[Ballmer running around in the background screaming about "developers" and throwing chairs...]
sj: Hello, I'm Steve Jobs
md: And I'm a Mac
sj: *cough* *cough* *gassspp* **thud** md: As you can see, unlike Microsoft, Apple always has a trendy, hip replacement available, as well as advanced contingency plans.
sj: *cough* I'm not dead yet!
sb: [hits Jobs with a chair] **thud**
... later...
md: Hello, I'm a Mac
??: And I'm the new Apple iDroid, wired with Steve Jobs' brain.
md: As you can see, Apple's new innovations protect not only your data, but your whole life.
[a large baboon with lobotomy stitches runs by screaming about "developers", then trips over a chair]
md: Looks like the PC crowd hasn't quite worked the bugs out of that one...
Both of my newer via (C7) boards are being used as mini-servers right now, so I don't have much use for any graphics drivers, but prior to that I found that my Epia M and other unichrome-based boards worked fine with the via-provided, and later kernel-inherent drivers. They worked nicely for watching movies, some 3d games, etc, and no crashes. This was on a Debian-based system but being that Ubuntu is debian-based and the kernel is cross-distro I'd imagine they should be similar.
I've been using Via boards for awhile in lower-power (as in watts) webservers and media machines. In terms of power return on low-consumption machines they rock.
One thing I've wondered is why the newer "lower power" rigs are using the Atom processor, which from I can tell in stats is inferior to - say - the C7 in terms of CPU-power-per-watt output.
Slashdot Mirror
Do any phone companies have a contract that includes provisions that you won't unlock or use unlocked phones?
One of the arguments was that:
Glider was interfering with Blizzard's contractual relationship with its customers
So basically, if you wanted to use this software as a reference for something completely unrated to WoW, no, it's not illegal. However, if you use it in full or part to interact with WoW, you're likely going to be sued (contact/civil law, not criminal) or your project shut-down. Being FOSS doesn't make a project immune to such things, look at the unfortunate situation with BNETd
If the program itself is ruled as illegal in a court of law, then it is, even if the arguments therefore and the verdict itself seem stupid.
If it's overturned in court, not illegal anymore, but I'd hate to see the release and use of this software taint legit FOSS projects.
Yup, but the problem is that unless it's overturn in appeal, then the judgment stands that this software (in whatever incarnation of licensing) is illegal. Open-sourcing online would basically be a war-call, basically putting it beyond anyone's ability to contain or control. However, doing so might also taint any other projects that make use of the code, as the argument "this software X uses software Y which was already ruled illegal in the courts."
Basically, opening the source would be just be a revenge move. It's good for those that want to mod/hack WoW, but bad for blizzard, not overly beneficial to the creator (not going to make them any cash), and not really beneficial to the image of FOSS community either.
Is still illegal software. Closed or open source.
This isn't about inspection. If some DHS guy wants to give my laptop the once-over, well enough. If he wants to take away for an "indefinite" time, hell no!
Longer? That implies that the laptop is coming back and that "Bob the DHS border guard" didn't just give his girlfriend a shiny new macbook for their recent anniversary.
Indefinitely in this case might as well often mean "forever"
Competing companies can in some instances band together for common good. If Nvidia/ATI/Intel/VIA/etc all use fairly common suppliers, and those suppliers are giving out crap parts, then it's in the interest of graphics manufacturers in general to trace the problem down.
I've seen a few different cases where companies that compete against each other on-the-shelf contribute to standards-bodies or QA groups that benefit them all.
If it gets to 68C (which almost never happens, and is quite hot for a CPU)
Depends a lot on the CPU, I've seen CPU's that were rated safe up to temperatures almost high enough to boil water. Some have better heat tolerances/dissipation than others. I don't know about others, but AMD chips usually have a code you can look up to see the nominal heat-range no the CPU (old Athlons often ran hot as hell, 60-65c was pretty common).
And do these problems, in turn, have something to do with RoHS [wikipedia.org] certification, due to lead-free solders being less durable?
Does anyone else smell irony?
Lead-free solder=environmentally friendly=
faster breaking electronics=more electronic waste=
less environmentally friendly...
This might apply to more than just cars. I had an issue with my old HP ZD7000 laptop while under warranty. When I contacted HP about it, they said they were working on a fix and to check back with them in about four months. As the laptop was still fairly usable, I waited.
After four months I called back and got the "oh yeah, there's a fix for that now, but sorry you're out of warranty." I had to get on their case about it, but once they tracked my old ticket # to the same issue the accepted the laptop for warranty service.
I'd suggest that if you have a problem that doesn't get fixed ASAP, write down the ticket # and details of the problem. Hell, even if it's "fixed" then it's a good idea to do so, that way you have evidence that the problem existed and was reported before the end of the warranty period.
"I doubt that, even with this improvement, electrolysis-gas storage-fuel cell will beat even lead-acid batteries, let alone lithium ion (with efficiences close to 100%"
It would take a *lot* of lithium ion batteries to power a house, particularly a stove or heater. Hell, the hydrogen could probably be burned directly for these in place of piped "natural gas." The discharge required for Li+ batteries to intentionally create heat would be pretty much the equivalent of shorting them intentionally
Also, batteries degrade over time, and aren't the greatest for disposal. I'd imagine that a hydrogen storage tank might have to be replaced within a set period, but not so often as batteries (inspection or leak sensors are important though). I've seen plenty of hefty-size gas storage cylinders that have likely been around for a few decades, and they should be performing pretty much the same as when they were new. Batteries, even efficient ones, can't likely compete on this level.
What I was pondering on the way home today was something similar. Basically this is seems to be a really effective electrolysis configuration. Yes, it's more formal than the ones from back in High School, but the results are much the same. So it seems to me that you could something along the following:
a) Use solar or some other "renewable" power to separate water into components of hydrogen and oxygen using the new method, and distill any other impurities
b) Use the hydrogen as a fuel source for some form of motor, which should give you energy and nice clean water as an output of the reaction
c) The reaction in b will produce mechanical energy, but also likely a good deal of heat. Use that heat to boil the water
d) Use the boiled water to power an additional steam turbine
e) Water exiting the turbine is probably still nice and hot, use some in place of a home-water tank and the rest can go back to the same process or be used as drinking water.
I tend not to believe MIT because of their "popularity" so much as because of their "reputation."
The latter could be rather heavily damaged by making unsupportable claims in regards to their research.
Not that we shouldn't wait to see this in action, but at the very least I'll be waiting eagerly to see these experiments repeated in a controlled environment.
I've seen a lot of issues with "popular" cellular providers taking a dump in customer service. Previously, Telus was the big dog in town and would regularly screw customers over. In my hometown their grid was becoming overloaded, and I had a period of 4-5 months where calls mysteriously never made it through (straight to voicemail, and not due to my phone because others experienced the same issue).
Now I'm on Rogers - as with many I made the switch - and while my actual phone service is improved I'm starting to see the same disregard for customer service.
A contract is one thing, but if you're stuck in a contract paying for a service that doesn't work as intended.... the contract should be voidable.
I'm unsure as to the specifics of this case, but it seems that most telcos are happy to let customers rot once they're stuck in a contract.
I recently tried to get my girlfriend signed up with Roger's, using an existing phone, sans-contract.
Rogers no longer seems to allow *any* of their (weekend/evening/friends/etc) rate plans other than a by-the-minute plan without a contract. This doesn't work for my girlfriend, as she'll be out of the country for 4-6 months near the end of this year and early next, and doesn't want to be paying for a phone that's unused.
So we had to go with Telus, which tends to have much crappier building penetration (the Telus phone doesn't work indoors near as well as my Rogers phone), but allows you to sign up for any plan sans-contract so long as you already have a phone.
VMWare supports multiple CPUs (2 cores visible on Guest OS) and also supports hardware accelerated 3D
I don't know about the multi-CPU thing, but the 3d hardware acceleration is only available on VMWare Workstation, not the free version (VMWare Server).
Think "prepaid licensing/signup code" included with the PC.
I wonder if MS would then allow vendors to preinstall their own crapware in the user's online "cloud" associated with the code?
I believe that this guide would probably be a good guide for a defending lawyer as well. If the RIAA's claim violated the above, try that as grounds to throw it out.
But in addition to that, one wishes there were similar guide for the defendants or their legal representatives (other than, of course, to get a legal representative)? I'm guessing both would share a lot of material, but a "how to fight an RIAA suite" guide would go well.
Heck, with all that's going on, I'm guessing that you could write a book/guide on this and make some decent money on the side.
I'm with the parent on this. Why would the GP demonify somebody who's been doing such good work?
It appears that he's getting paid for it.
Well, no shit! Is there something wrong with getting paid? I suppose you work entirely gratis (and if so, you've likely either got a big existing stockpile of money or lean on the public dollar to get by)?
Guess what. I get paid for my job as a SysAdmin too. However, how I do my job is somewhat irrelevant of that fact. I can be one of the "helpful" type sysadmins, or I could be a BOFH-style class-A jerk.
NYCL gets to choose his cases. He could choose to support those like the RIAA, using dirty pressure tactics and dubious legal practices to further his career and likely make a lot of money doing so. Instead, he's chosen to support those that are being screwed by the RIAA and their lawyers.
he has done far more than just sit on slashdot and bitch about the MAFIAA like the rest of us do
And thus I ask the grandparent: what's your contribution?
Somewhat OT, but one thing I've been wondering for awhile. Suppose the RIAA loses a number of cases, gets whacked around in court a fair bit for their dubious legal practices, and in the end clues in that they've alienated a hefty portion of their customer base. What happens next?
What kind of cases did you work before the RIAA shenanigans, and what would you see for the future? I don't see the RIAA finding a cure to their current case of cranial-rectal inversion anytime too soon, but should that ever happen what cases would you focus on in the future. IP? IT?
As you've become somewhat of a "crusader" here for the slashdot crowd, I'm sure many would be happy to see your name crop up in defending similar cases in the IT realm.
A lot of games nowadays have a bit more in the way of "dimensions" than the old classics. Yes, the old sierra games, etc had various layers for a 3d-esque environment, but playing many modern games with not only the compass directions but also up-down and various angles in-between... things can get rather confusing without some form of mapping. Not to mention that modern storage can allow for a lot more space than in previous titles.
I've been hearing a fair bit about leaked trailers, etc. I wonder if these are really "leaked" or if they're intentionally let out as a form of viral marketing...
sj=Steve Jobs
sb:Steve Ballmer
md:Mac Dude
[Ballmer running around in the background screaming about "developers" and throwing chairs ...]
sj: Hello, I'm Steve Jobs
md: And I'm a Mac
sj: *cough* *cough* *gassspp* **thud**
md: As you can see, unlike Microsoft, Apple always has a trendy, hip replacement available, as well as advanced contingency plans.
sj: *cough* I'm not dead yet!
sb: [hits Jobs with a chair] **thud**
md: Hello, I'm a Mac
??: And I'm the new Apple iDroid, wired with Steve Jobs' brain.
md: As you can see, Apple's new innovations protect not only your data, but your whole life.
[a large baboon with lobotomy stitches runs by screaming about "developers", then trips over a chair]
md: Looks like the PC crowd hasn't quite worked the bugs out of that one...
Both of my newer via (C7) boards are being used as mini-servers right now, so I don't have much use for any graphics drivers, but prior to that I found that my Epia M and other unichrome-based boards worked fine with the via-provided, and later kernel-inherent drivers. They worked nicely for watching movies, some 3d games, etc, and no crashes. This was on a Debian-based system but being that Ubuntu is debian-based and the kernel is cross-distro I'd imagine they should be similar.
I've been using Via boards for awhile in lower-power (as in watts) webservers and media machines. In terms of power return on low-consumption machines they rock.
One thing I've wondered is why the newer "lower power" rigs are using the Atom processor, which from I can tell in stats is inferior to - say - the C7 in terms of CPU-power-per-watt output.