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User: phil+reed

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  1. Re:You're all missing the point on IBM Wants CPU Time To Be A Metered Utility · · Score: 3, Interesting
    This is a great concept. If you guys actually read the (many) articles on Sam's speach, you'd see its nothing like timesharing either.


    No, it's an Application Service Provider, the next step in outsourcing. The idea wasn't all that popular during the dotcom craze; is it any better now?

  2. Re:Did you agree? Yeah, kinda. on What Software Do Cable Installers Place on Your PC? · · Score: 2
    Such an agreement would not be binding unless it included the texts of all the EULAs.


    Not really. There are lots of contracts that refer to other contracts and "incorporate" their terms "by refrence". Those other contracts have to be available to you as well, somehow. And they were in this case - the original submitter said that he saw them on the screen as the cable guy was clicking on them.


    I agree with the premise, however. It's a scummy business practice illustrated here, but it's not surprising.

  3. Did you agree? Yeah, kinda. on What Software Do Cable Installers Place on Your PC? · · Score: 1

    In all probability, one of those forms you signed was an agreement that extended the license agreement to you. So, even though the cable guy was the one "agreeing" to the EULAs, he was doing it on your behalf.

  4. Re:Who controls your machine? on First Worm with a EULA? · · Score: 1
    So what happens when two different EULA's claim 100% control of your machine?


    3. Profit!

  5. Re:Yes but this is **ADVENTURE** on Flash Version of Adventure · · Score: 1

    It's arguably the first RPG in the universe

    Nah. ADVENT beats it by a decade.

  6. Re:Finally... on Berman Retreats, But Only To Regroup · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Not doing something bad" is not the same as "doing something good".

  7. Re:Is it just me ... on ECCp-109 Solved · · Score: 1

    All your cycles are belong to us?

  8. Re:The FULL article on Ian's website on Music and the Internet Reprise · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Perhaps, but USAToday has a much wider audience.

  9. Re:Wait.... on Satellite Radio in Fiscal Trouble · · Score: 1
    The huge up-front expenses are not really the problem for XM and Sirius, since they are now sunk costs. As Sirius stockholders are now finding out to their chagrin, such sunk costs can we wiped away with the stroke of a pen.

    Depends. Are they associated with long-term debt? Or were they financed with a stock offering? If the latter, then yeah, you'd have a bunch of P.O.ed stockholders.

  10. Re:Wait.... on Satellite Radio in Fiscal Trouble · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem with the satellite radio model is the huge up-front costs -- nearly a billion dollars to get the satellites up, ground stations established, and then repeaters in major metropolitian areas to help out when you don't have a good view of the sky. So, these two companies get this far, then this recession hits and people try not to spend too much. It's no wonder they are hurting.

  11. Re:Shh... on Using MAC Address to Uniquely Identify Computers · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well, then I pity your ISP for having to add to their workload by updating the DHCP table whenever a customer get a new or changed Ethernet card. That's essentially the same workload as manually handing out static IP addresses, so DHCP really hasn't not saved your ISP much.

    Also note: DHCP is still usually a local segment function. Yes, I know that there are modifications to various protocols to allow DHCP to function across routers, but that's the router temporarily providing IP service for a local node that hasn't picked up an IP address yet. The actual MAC address is still only used for communications on the local segment.

    Further, anybody who's smart enough to figure out how to change MAC addresses can also figure out that they can assign their own static IP address from the DHCP pool and the DHCP server will often allocate around it.

  12. Re:Shh... on Using MAC Address to Uniquely Identify Computers · · Score: 1
    Again, this is only an issue on the local segment, and it's not only the router that will have trouble - any machine on the local segment will have problems. IP address to MAC only happens on the local segment. Any machine on the other side of the router, including those machines across the country, won't know or care what the MAC address is. All they want is the IP address.

    And remember that the MAC address is 6 bytes long. There's a lot of room for random grabbing of addresses.

  13. Re:Shh... on Using MAC Address to Uniquely Identify Computers · · Score: 5, Informative
    I was referring to people on the same segment. Hardcore gamers in localities generally use the same provider to minimize latency issues. That is when the issue would crop up.

    But if you're on the same segment, then routing is not an issue.

    As noted, the answer is trivial: generate random MAC addresses. They are 6 bytes long - plenty of room for everyone to tumble the address every day and still not collide.

  14. Re:Shh... on Using MAC Address to Uniquely Identify Computers · · Score: 5, Informative
    we could have some major routing issues should people choose the same MAC addresses.

    Uh, no you won't. The only time MAC addresses make a difference is in ARP packets, and the only place MAC addresses make a difference is on your local LAN segment. The fact that two people in different cities have the same MAC address matters not a whit to the routers between them.

  15. Re:you're missing the point on Google Sued over Page Ranking · · Score: 1, Redundant

    arg.

    C/one/own/

  16. Re:you're missing the point on Google Sued over Page Ranking · · Score: 2
    Bob King decided to buy/sell pagerank as a commodity, since it has value, and is there. Very American no?

    What, to sell something you don't one? I suppose, though you should not be surprised when the true owner shows up and takes his property back.

  17. Re:Google has a monopoly on Google Sued over Page Ranking · · Score: 2
    on its PageRank technology.

    But, Google does not have a monopoly on all page ranking technology. There are lots of other search engines out there that rank pages using some other technology. Yours is a very weak objection.

  18. Re:Too Easy on Google Sued over Page Ranking · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Unless Google are deliberately out to get them, then SearchKing don't have a point. If SearchKing is being subjected to the same search algorithm as every other site then I don't see what the problem is. Unless that algorithm was designed specifically to weed out SsearchKing...


    SearchKing doesn't have a point anyway, unless there's a contract between the two obligating Google to do something to benefit Searchking (in exchange for Searchking benefitting Google in return). If SearchKing doesn't have a contract, Google doesn't have an obligation, therefore SearchKing doesn't have a basis to file a suit (and the suit should get tossed relatively quickly).

  19. Re:Sanctions? on Microsoft may Sanction the 'Switcher' PR-Rep · · Score: 3, Funny
    From the article:

    "I got a piece of mail that was vague that the assertion is some marketing person did something that was not entirely straightforward," Ballmer said.

    "If that's right, I will certainly castigate the offender."


    ooooh! Castigated!! That's bad, right?

  20. Re:For the money M$ must be throwing her way: on Microsoft may Sanction the 'Switcher' PR-Rep · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, the one with the "seventh grade" kid has been pulled too.

  21. Re:The Mold of Microsoft on Microsoft Tries a "Switch" Campaign · · Score: 2
    This "person" is obviously an invention of Microsoft marketing..


    Remember "Betty Crocker" ??

  22. Re:no more reminders? on The Internet Society Will Manage .org · · Score: 1

    Depends. Who did you register through? That outfit is the "registrar", who will probably be the ones sending you your renewal notice.

  23. What to do on What Would You Do With a New Form of Encryption? · · Score: 2
    Patent it - you can always issue royalty-free licenses if you want to give it away.


    However, I concur with the other posters - If you reuse any part of the key, it's not a one-time pad. If you generate any part of it algorithmically, it's not a one-time pad. The history of crypography is littered with "replacements" for the one-time pad that turned out to be trivially breakable. This could be the first example that turned out to be worthwhile, but the odds are against you.

  24. Re:"Security" on Still More on News Corp. Hacking Charges · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Do you work for DirecTV? This post sounds like it came from their PR department.

    The card upgrade is for the security of DirecTV's revenue stream. Everything else is secondary.

    Since they are not replacing the receivers, that means the cards will be as hackable as before. Somebody will get a legit card, pop it in a debugger and watch the communications between the card and the receiver, then get to work on reverse-engineering the card. It will take a while, but the new cards will ultimately be hacked too.

  25. "Security" on Still More on News Corp. Hacking Charges · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's interesting to note that DirecTV is in the process of sending out new smart cards for all of their satellite receivers nationwide. The letter announcing that fact cites "security", but it doesn't say whose security they are worried about. Unsophisticated DirecTV users will, of course, assume it's the user's security that's at stake.