For what it's worth, the SELinux extensions came from the NSA, so they've had a hand in improving security for all the major platforms. Linux is the only one where the code's visible for the paranoid though.
"An Excel script that manipulates data from external sources isn't going to wait around for you to manually fill in a bunch of worksheet tabs."
And there's the problem right there. CSV can't contain tabs, formatting data, formulas etc, etc.
ODF is an open text-based format that any program capable of outputting ascii can create, and which can contain that metadata. You Reckon you coul write a Perl script to output;
Great, you've just added a formula to your spreadsheet before Calc's even seen it. Adding worksheets, formatting and other stuff's just as easy. That's why you don't need scripting in your spreadsheet.
Now when we've got them to make a humiliating climbdown, you want us to shut up?
They haven't made a humiliating climbdown. Nothing's changed. They haven't revealed the infringing patents. They haven't indemnified anyone. They've just said they won't sue now.
The implied threat still remains to be used as FUD. This is just the start of Microsoft's use of this tactic, and by acting magnanimous and saying they won't sue now, they're storing the threat to be used over and over.
Those ways don't include startup time (amazingly slow even on my Core Duo T2600 system with 2GB RAM
Both Word 2003 and Open Office Writer 2.2 open too quickly for me to measure on my Athlon 64/4600 with 2GB RAM, likewise Calc and Excel open almost instantly.
If it's amazingly slow, there's something wrong with your system.
When I do that, VM Size goes over 150 MB and CPU usage goes over 20% in Firefox, IE, and Opera.
Visiting those sites with the Shockwave plugin disabled added only 28 MB, and 1% cpu to Firefox's existing memory/cpu footprint. Want to guess what's causing the resource use?
You don't have to know MS's patent portfolio to know that -- yes -- F/OSS violates some of them.
No, FOSS doesn't violate any of them, because the patent holder has not notified the maintainers of any infringement.
It's FUD because it is Microsoft's legal responsibility to notify infringers, who then have the opportunity of resolving the issue by removing the infringing software or paying a license fee. In Torvald's own words:
Finding patent infringement has always been a responsibility of the patent holders. I didn't put it there...It is a fact that I do not encourage engineers to look up patent information, for example. You ask any lawyer about it, and they will tell you that I'm right. It's not the job of an engineer to try to find out about other peoples patents, since that just taints them, exactly something you do not want to happen.
Microsoft refuses to allow a resolution. That's because their FUD is more valuable than the licensing fees.
Problem: the language of patents is interpretable only by lawyers.
Problem: most FOSS projects don't have the resources to make sure they don't violate patents.
No, those are not the problems you're looking for.
There are roughly 1,400 (Patent Storm Search) Microsoft patents covering OS kernels. Microsoft says Linux is infringing 45 of them. A quick look through those patents will bring up gems like Patent 6711625, found on the first page of results;
"The method of the invention enables a procedure to handle a large data file, wherein the procedure has a fixed, limited allocation of memory that is less than the size of the data file. The method segments the large data file into one or more subfiles, wherein each subfile is of a datasize that does not exceed the limited allocation. Thereafter, the method sequentially activates the procedure to operate upon each subfile, until all subfiles have been processed.
Microsoft currently has about 24,000 Patent Storm patents in its portfolio, a significant proportion of which should never have been granted. Microsoft is using those dodgy patents to generate FUD, and make businesses less likely to use software which competes with its own products. That's the real problem.
they're being stupid because Vista's NOT doing well for them and costing them dearly.
Yeah, you get the feel there's some sort of end-game being played out here, but it all started well before it became clear Vista was going to be a dog.
The thing is, if Microsoft divulges what the FOSS patent breaches actually are, the community will respond promptly, and that particular bullet will have been fired. Until Microsoft's list is actually available, we don't know how much harm they'll be able to do, but there's not much chance they'll be able to inflict fatal damage to FOSS.
This patent grab is essentially a one-shot hit, and until now, was always more valuable as a FUD threat than an actual tool of coercion. That Microsoft is choosing to use it now is indicative that they believe it's value as FUD has waned, and I suspect that has more to do with the outcome of their their patent proxy SCO's efforts than with Vista's failure.
Hard to say. Do you think this might have something to do with it?
"I'm going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again," the declaration quotes Ballmer. "I'm going to fucking kill Google."
I guess this would mean you would compare IIS 6.0 to Apache 2.0. In that case, IIS 6.0 has 3, and Apache 2.0 has 33.
Another misleading post. Secunia only lists vendor supplied or publicly listed vulnerabilities. After the disaster that was IIS 5, MS stopped making that information available and now silently patches vulnerabilities they detect in-house.
No. Australia agreed to align it's laws to those of the US as a result of the AUSFTA. The legislation, and the legal framework they apply under are Australian.
Hew is in a Virginia prison because our justice minister of the time, Chris Ellison, believed his crime was evil enough to warrant his extradition to stand trial under US law.
This may be shameful, but it most certainly doesn't deserve a "Flamebait" mod.
The US, at the moment, is not behaving as befits a leader in freedom and human rights. It's traditional allies should stand up and refuse to endorse the excesses. We are not helping our friends in the US by pandering to their government and corporate world's ugly abuses.
If you were to suffer a mental illness and set fire to your own house, who would be the better neighbor; the one who tried to stop you, and tried to extinguish the fire, or the one who followed you into the flames?
Slashdot Mirror
No, it's easy.
Upgrade to a new Ubuntu, get a new Firefox.
You're just still. Too. Dumb. Don't worry, you have the rest of your life to get used to that.
It's probably accurate.
From a report back in January;
For what it's worth, the SELinux extensions came from the NSA, so they've had a hand in improving security for all the major platforms. Linux is the only one where the code's visible for the paranoid though.
"An Excel script that manipulates data from external sources isn't going to wait around for you to manually fill in a bunch of worksheet tabs."
And there's the problem right there. CSV can't contain tabs, formatting data, formulas etc, etc.
ODF is an open text-based format that any program capable of outputting ascii can create, and which can contain that metadata. You
Reckon you coul write a Perl script to output;
<formula="oooc:=SUM([.A2:.A4])" office:value-type="float">
Great, you've just added a formula to your spreadsheet before Calc's even seen it. Adding worksheets, formatting and other stuff's just as easy. That's why you don't need scripting in your spreadsheet.
They haven't made a humiliating climbdown. Nothing's changed. They haven't revealed the infringing patents. They haven't indemnified anyone. They've just said they won't sue now.
The implied threat still remains to be used as FUD. This is just the start of Microsoft's use of this tactic, and by acting magnanimous and saying they won't sue now, they're storing the threat to be used over and over.
This is the worst possible outcome for FOSS.
Both Word 2003 and Open Office Writer 2.2 open too quickly for me to measure on my Athlon 64/4600 with 2GB RAM, likewise Calc and Excel open almost instantly.
If it's amazingly slow, there's something wrong with your system.
Even more accurate now.
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=microsoft+ anticompetitive+illegal&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
Fixed that for you.
Just so we know who's really responsible for preventing reasonable competition.
#rm -f
and lets see how far your computer gets?
Still fine.
Probably be different if I was logged in as root, but Linux discourages that.
Visiting those sites with the Shockwave plugin disabled added only 28 MB, and 1% cpu to Firefox's existing memory/cpu footprint. Want to guess what's causing the resource use?
Moron.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,3916 2357,00.htm
No, FOSS doesn't violate any of them, because the patent holder has not notified the maintainers of any infringement.
It's FUD because it is Microsoft's legal responsibility to notify infringers, who then have the opportunity of resolving the issue by removing the infringing software or paying a license fee. In Torvald's own words:
Microsoft refuses to allow a resolution. That's because their FUD is more valuable than the licensing fees."Lets drop some things and then set our overpriced RC toys at him!"
Great job, Guys! Throwing that switch and all, I can see your MIT education really pays for itself
</Barney>
You're feeding a troll.
There's a dozen unsubstantiated anecdotes like this in every discussion of Linux. It's just FUD. Ignore it.
Are you sure? This is what she looks like;
Aussie-American Love
I haven't.
I use technology for fun and profit. If you choose to make yourself a slave, that's your decision.
Problem: most FOSS projects don't have the resources to make sure they don't violate patents.
No, those are not the problems you're looking for.
There are roughly 1,400 (Patent Storm Search) Microsoft patents covering OS kernels. Microsoft says Linux is infringing 45 of them. A quick look through those patents will bring up gems like Patent 6711625, found on the first page of results;
Microsoft currently has about 24,000 Patent Storm patents in its portfolio, a significant proportion of which should never have been granted. Microsoft is using those dodgy patents to generate FUD, and make businesses less likely to use software which competes with its own products. That's the real problem.Yeah, you get the feel there's some sort of end-game being played out here, but it all started well before it became clear Vista was going to be a dog.
The thing is, if Microsoft divulges what the FOSS patent breaches actually are, the community will respond promptly, and that particular bullet will have been fired. Until Microsoft's list is actually available, we don't know how much harm they'll be able to do, but there's not much chance they'll be able to inflict fatal damage to FOSS.
This patent grab is essentially a one-shot hit, and until now, was always more valuable as a FUD threat than an actual tool of coercion. That Microsoft is choosing to use it now is indicative that they believe it's value as FUD has waned, and I suspect that has more to do with the outcome of their their patent proxy SCO's efforts than with Vista's failure.
In Soviet Russia, your butt makes spacesuits look big.
Hard to say. Do you think this might have something to do with it?
SMHHaving someone who is in a position of strength or authority inflict pain on you tells you it's ok to inflict pain on those who are weaker than you.
Society is our way of surpassing our animal nature. Let's use society's tools instead.
Another misleading post. Secunia only lists vendor supplied or publicly listed vulnerabilities. After the disaster that was IIS 5, MS stopped making that information available and now silently patches vulnerabilities they detect in-house.
It was reasonable for VMS to have this feature decades ago. Saved my arse several times back then too.
Why is it unreasonable now?
Hew is in a Virginia prison because our justice minister of the time, Chris Ellison, believed his crime was evil enough to warrant his extradition to stand trial under US law.
The US, at the moment, is not behaving as befits a leader in freedom and human rights. It's traditional allies should stand up and refuse to endorse the excesses. We are not helping our friends in the US by pandering to their government and corporate world's ugly abuses.
If you were to suffer a mental illness and set fire to your own house, who would be the better neighbor; the one who tried to stop you, and tried to extinguish the fire, or the one who followed you into the flames?