As the media makes a mountain out of a molehill on this one, I cannot help but be reminded of Y2K. Yeah, there could be some hiccups. Yeah, TiVo might have to be patched. Yeah, I might have to adjust the time on my five year old watch and then adjust it back once it auto-adjusts a month later (or would it be earlier?).
There is plenty of time for technology makers to solve this 'problem'. But rational thinking will not win out. Products not labeled "2007 Daylight Savings Compliant" will sit on the store shelves with consumers afraid not to buy them. Marketing teams are going to eat through their budgets on this one, recreating product package complete with a new-fangled, neon colored sticker proclaiming compliance. Not to mention the TV ads they're going to have to produce.
It will be a Y2K scare all over again. I better start restocking the bomb shelter and stockpiling weaponry.
...we just don't want some of that information out there.
"Amongst the Slashdot commentariat, one often hears that information wants to be free, almost as a catchcry of the open source, copyfight and related info-libertarian movements. OTOH, these same Slashdot readers stridently guard their privacy, so presumably information about their shopping preferences or websurfing does not 'want to be free'. How does the intelligent and functional Slashdot crowd reconcile the liberty of other people's information with the privacy of their own?"
As a catchcry, "Info wants to be free" refers to the ability of information to spread beyond control. Once the information is out there, its out there for good and you really cannot take it back. (Look at the Cisco-Lynn news from last week). As far as websurfing and shopping habits, that information wants to be free as well. It is the 'creator' of that information that does not want it to be free (ie public, out there for everyone to know).
They release the new versions for download before they release it for auto-upgrade. It is usually several days behind the download version (this will be changed when Deer Park is released). Before they had a chance to get 1.0.5 setup for the upgrade, the bug was reported and they held off (why have people update to 1.0.5 when 1.0.6 is days away?). If 1.0.6 was released today, my next Monday it should be released to the auto-update system.
There is an option to change this. In Tools|Options under the Tabbed Browsing section the top lets users define how to open links and external links. I have mine set to "New Tab" and do not have any external windows popping up.
Again, I do not have the answers. Any true world government would have to be created by all nations turning control over to that organization. Only by shredding our national identities will a world government truly be able to function and control the world. I don't see that happening any time soon. I think something cataclysmic would have to occur to unite the world population in such a way that nationality could be put aside and humanity be the only uniting force.
I do think there exists the ability to set up limited International bodies that can run a narrowed scope of policies/duties. One example would be some sort of group to control the backbone of the internet. The UN can't do it because of all the problems it has handling the other crap that has been dumped on it/it has grabbed for itself. Set up an organization that is independent and responsible only for the internet. Governments can weight in, businesses and corporations can weigh in, and also individuals.
I didn't say I had the solution or that my framework would be possible. I just outlined what I'd want to see in a world government. I'm all for the UN being reformed back to its strictly diplomatic duties, but then we would still need an internation institution to handle things such as the internet, world issues, etc.
Following last weeks announcement by the U.S. that it would not turn over DNS servers it controls to ICANN (U.S. Won't Let Go of Master Domain Servers), the U.N. is set to report next week that it should control the internet backbone.
If there's one organization that I can name that shouldn't have control of the Internet, it is the United Nations. I think the UN has outlived its useful life and needs to either be drastically reformed or replaced completely. If we're ever going to have a united world government, that institution needs actual power, protection for member states, and freedom from corruption (or what the best safeguards can allow).
The UN has no business asking to regulate something, when it can't even regulate itself. Granted, I don't necessarily think the U.S. government should be in charge of the DNS backbone. I think it needs to be an un-national and un-political organization that has a limited focus on running the internet with feedback, not only from world-wide governments, but from businesses and individual users, as well. A model based off of the open-source movement could work.
With all the crap that is readily available on television, it is good to see a show that might actually have a chance at being decent. I'll watch the first couple installments and see how it goes.
Good to see the use of the Creative Commons License as well as the online availability. Anyone who can get the network (even PBS) to agree to those two conditions has to have a good head on his shoulders.
59 million people who have had their computer usage disrupted by spyware, adware, malware. What about the many more who are infected and just don't know it? What about those that have had data stolen and it just hasn't hit their credit statements yet?
I'd like to say I am shocked and surprised by this, but as with the rest of you, I pretty much expected MS to yield to the all-powerful dollar. Trusted Computing my ass.
This is why I use more than one Anti-Spyware program (I usually keep three installed - none of them are perfect).
Seriously, is anyone actually surprised by this story? I mean you have to figure that criminal organizations worldwide would traffic personal information in this manner. I'd imagine you could go into any major city and find a place to by such data at cheap prices (Ok, maybe not quite that cheap, but cheap in the spectrum of what you get by using the info you purchase).
Isn't there a statute of limitations regarding this? I mean wasn't that like 10 years ago or something? I think the guy is just out to try and recoup some of his losses from a failed business (not that I doubt MS tried to put him out of business).
Slashdot Mirror
As the media makes a mountain out of a molehill on this one, I cannot help but be reminded of Y2K. Yeah, there could be some hiccups. Yeah, TiVo might have to be patched. Yeah, I might have to adjust the time on my five year old watch and then adjust it back once it auto-adjusts a month later (or would it be earlier?).
There is plenty of time for technology makers to solve this 'problem'. But rational thinking will not win out. Products not labeled "2007 Daylight Savings Compliant" will sit on the store shelves with consumers afraid not to buy them. Marketing teams are going to eat through their budgets on this one, recreating product package complete with a new-fangled, neon colored sticker proclaiming compliance. Not to mention the TV ads they're going to have to produce.
It will be a Y2K scare all over again. I better start restocking the bomb shelter and stockpiling weaponry.
As a catchcry, "Info wants to be free" refers to the ability of information to spread beyond control. Once the information is out there, its out there for good and you really cannot take it back. (Look at the Cisco-Lynn news from last week). As far as websurfing and shopping habits, that information wants to be free as well. It is the 'creator' of that information that does not want it to be free (ie public, out there for everyone to know).
They release the new versions for download before they release it for auto-upgrade. It is usually several days behind the download version (this will be changed when Deer Park is released). Before they had a chance to get 1.0.5 setup for the upgrade, the bug was reported and they held off (why have people update to 1.0.5 when 1.0.6 is days away?). If 1.0.6 was released today, my next Monday it should be released to the auto-update system.
There is an option to change this. In Tools|Options under the Tabbed Browsing section the top lets users define how to open links and external links. I have mine set to "New Tab" and do not have any external windows popping up.
Again, I do not have the answers. Any true world government would have to be created by all nations turning control over to that organization. Only by shredding our national identities will a world government truly be able to function and control the world. I don't see that happening any time soon. I think something cataclysmic would have to occur to unite the world population in such a way that nationality could be put aside and humanity be the only uniting force.
I do think there exists the ability to set up limited International bodies that can run a narrowed scope of policies/duties. One example would be some sort of group to control the backbone of the internet. The UN can't do it because of all the problems it has handling the other crap that has been dumped on it/it has grabbed for itself. Set up an organization that is independent and responsible only for the internet. Governments can weight in, businesses and corporations can weigh in, and also individuals.
I didn't say I had the solution or that my framework would be possible. I just outlined what I'd want to see in a world government. I'm all for the UN being reformed back to its strictly diplomatic duties, but then we would still need an internation institution to handle things such as the internet, world issues, etc.
Right, I would like to turn over the internet to OBL. Sure, that's what I meant...
With all the crap that is readily available on television, it is good to see a show that might actually have a chance at being decent. I'll watch the first couple installments and see how it goes. Good to see the use of the Creative Commons License as well as the online availability. Anyone who can get the network (even PBS) to agree to those two conditions has to have a good head on his shoulders.
As a long time reader, I am saddened by this. Hopefully, someone will step up and take the reigns and continue the work the PHRACK team started.
I think what the author meant was that the responders would pay for the software if it meant getting an ad-free application.
59 million people who have had their computer usage disrupted by spyware, adware, malware. What about the many more who are infected and just don't know it? What about those that have had data stolen and it just hasn't hit their credit statements yet?
I'd like to say I am shocked and surprised by this, but as with the rest of you, I pretty much expected MS to yield to the all-powerful dollar. Trusted Computing my ass.
This is why I use more than one Anti-Spyware program (I usually keep three installed - none of them are perfect).
Seriously, is anyone actually surprised by this story? I mean you have to figure that criminal organizations worldwide would traffic personal information in this manner. I'd imagine you could go into any major city and find a place to by such data at cheap prices (Ok, maybe not quite that cheap, but cheap in the spectrum of what you get by using the info you purchase).
Isn't there a statute of limitations regarding this? I mean wasn't that like 10 years ago or something? I think the guy is just out to try and recoup some of his losses from a failed business (not that I doubt MS tried to put him out of business).
So now when BT is found to be illegal because of the Grokster ruling, Opera will be liable too. Great!