Another buzzword of it's day, whose single trick was to save every file requested as a file on the docroot.
The URL can be pulled apart to show the caching technique: 0,1759,1819422,00.asp
0 = cache|don't cache
1759 = template id to use... the template is bound to the path so you don't need to send this in
1819422 = some ID used to fetch whatever you want on the page, article in this case
00 = features... consider them flags for other platforms, re-format for WML, etc
The.asp is irrelevant, as even if this is a IIS box you can map the extension to fit Vignette.
The way vignette works is thus: Check that a file exists, if it does not, throw a 404, intercept the 404, if the intercepted URL exists in the Vignette database, fetch the template relating to the path, generate the page, write it onto the docroot, serve page to requestee.
All very useless... as frankly anyone worth anything wouldn't spend that much money on such a product when a reverse proxy cache like Squid could do it much better for very little... and you could have many Squid boxes for a fraction of the cost.
To clear the cache you merely delete the files!
What fun.
Erm... to explain the IIS thing... I've seen many IIS sites that live behind iPlanet proxies, and vice versa... just because the extension says.asp and headers say so, this does not mean that it is so. Obfuscation isn't good security on it's, but it's a useful tool in stopping script kiddies and amateurs.
And who else here has Adblock installed and blocks tracking elements as much as adverts?
I've installed Firefox on three workmates computers, most of my family's computers... and all have Adblock installed using my filters as a starting point... not one of them would load the Red Sherrif code.
He can only make 12 regenerations (13 bodies)... the BBC must be slightly frustrated with having used this body for only the 1 series and burning yet another regeneration to do so.
I guess they'll balance that with feeling smug that they pulled off the comeback.
Wonder what they'll do when they run out of them though?
Probably think of a complicated plot device to explain why it's suddenly possible to have any number of changes as revenue streams dictate;)
What you're missing is two parts of Microsoft strategy that can be realised through creating a monopoly using Windows Media.
Part 1:
Make Microsoft Digital Rights Management the de facto standard for digital rights.
Benefit: Server sales (issuing licenses), OS sales (consuming licenses), license fee on using the tools, government medical and military implementations (guise of securing information, reality = hard to remove later).
How: DRM isn't yet being used to protect documents or emails widely, but the demand is high from those representing content owners (RIAA + MPAA, etc) to protect those industries from the sea change the internet brings to their business models.
So by playing on the inherent fear in the media industry Microsoft can appear to be a big enough player to be able to help those entities protect their media and thus their business model. The media conglomerates sign up to this because the fear of piracy exceeds the fear of getting in bed with a monopoly.
As the Windows Media DRM was shipping by default on every Windows PC, Microsoft are given a monopoly on DRM and the assumption can be made by most companies, governments, etc... that when they start needing DRM for documents, emails, etc... that they can assume that Microsoft DRM is already installed on the system.
Thus Microsoft can win the DRM market before the market is truly born or has healthy competition. The advantages to them being long term financial security and growth.
Part 2:
Make Microsoft Windows Media the de facto standard for encoding and decoding multimedia.
Benefits: License fees mostly. Just imagine Microsoft earning a few cents of every DVD sold, every MP3 player sold, every DVD player sold. And imagine what this would do to Linux distros who won't pay to license the technology or wish to ship an encumbered piece of software.
How: It's already happening, convert cinemas to digital projectos and ship Windows Media files. DRM protected of course to ensure no piracy in the cinema supply chain. Encourage the studios to use that same platform for packaging media for re-sale later (via online rental and DVD's, and other media). Promote an encode once ship many times basis where the protection is just a given and subtitles, languages, etc are embedded from the outset.
That's the top down... but then we also have the bottom up: Put Windows Media on all Windows desktop, make it a safe assumption that WMP is installed, so that when companies make technology decisions there is a given advantage to WMP in that you don't have to worry about having to have something shipped.
So... Windows Media is a bitter pill to swallow indeed. It has two objectives, and two means of hurting other companies now and in the future, both of which serve to reinforce the existing monopoly.
Sure, the consumer doesn't give a shit that much, and frankly I don't care too deeply about what format something comes in.
However it is plain what they are trying to do and how they are doing it... and it is a VERY GOOD THING that the EU have forced them to remove WMP. As this erodes a lot of the basis for the above two points.
You don't want ANYONE making the assumption that WMP just exists, and you do want an open competition in DRM, media player and media format markets.
clearly i cannot type... ignore the spelling mistakes you grammar/spelling nazis... instead think of better input devices to prevent so many silly typos;)
Not all adverts do have div ID's though, but thankfully we're still well within the realm of being able to use Adblock to nuke them.
The adverts are usually served up by third party advert servers and thus looking at the adblock list of blockable elements... just block all items that are not on the domain for the site you're looking at.
That takes care of 99% of floaters, popups, etc.
The real problem is the next stage of advert evolution, which will be when content providers still use third parties to sell and supply adverts, but start to act as proxies for the adverts.
When content providers are acting as proxies and adverts appear to come from the same domain and content management system as the content... then adverts will be VERY hard to block.
The prevalence of adblock is going to increasingly push companies towards such solutions.
They'll still need to monetise their sites, and whilst it used to be that they didn't care for a minority of people blocking adverts, when that is a fast growing minority and it's affecting their revenues... they will find ways around it.
Just as the DRM rules state that if you can see and hear it you can bypass DRM and copy it... maybe a rule should be created for adverts: If you can see or hear the content, then advertisers CAN find a way to make you see or hear advertisements.
Output Stacker plugin has been pulled from the WinAmp site, but you can still get it in their forums.
The details on the plugin are cached here, this is the PULLED page: http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:zsalMv FLX6QJ: www.winamp.com/plugins/details.php%3Fid%3D86033+wi namp+output+stacker+plugin&hl=en&client=firefox-a
This thread lists where it can be found NOW: http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?thre adid=3 5627
And this contains the plugin: http://forums.winamp.com/attachment.php?p ostid=159 3266
Google is a wonderful thing when companies wish to backtrack like that.
The plugin has tons of geniune uses... pulling it, well yeah I understand AOL/Time Warner's motives... but they're kinda dumb.
Every site that they visit will have embedded Flash, embedded Java, embedded QuickTime, embedded Real, embedded midi (FFS!).
They are taught on their first few days to trust everyone, and that nothing that they want to achieve can be done without trusting that the site is legit in asking you to download and install stuff.
And when they speak to their geek friends (or friends of their kids), they get told dismissively and condescendingly that YES, they must install to see the site properly, to do what they want. You can bet that they won't ask a second time!
Is it really a surprise then, that we have a problem later with dumb users downloading spyware, adware, and malware in general?
The problem could be much alleviated by simply pre-installing all of the key technologies in advance.
Some Linux distros do this... my mother knew from the first moment she used Simply Mepis that she didn't need to download anything else... I told her this, and because nearly all of her sites worked (just not pogo.com) she hasn't downloaded anything else.
But you can't do this with Windows... because Windows gives you nothing, and certainly nothing from Apple, Real, Macromedia, Sun, etc... and then to compound it, Windows is an open playground for malware once downloaded.
If Windows RME were permitted to be shipped with not just alternatives and pre-configured competitor offerings for media, but also with common plugins for the web... and... maybe even Firefox to give choice... then this would do more to prevent malware spreading than Verisign being forced to change their practices.
Of course... hell would freeze over, pigs would fly, and the Bush would have an epiphany on social welfare before all of the above happened.
Except Verdana was designed for lower resolution, to replace small fonts.
I love the way Verdana looks, but when I make pages using it and switch from a Windows environment to my home Linux environment, all the fonts are the wrong size!
Verdana does suck because of they way in which it is disproportionately sized relative to other font sizes... which is why it is great when small, but it does indeed suck when increased in size.
I can hardly imagine that they would be happy about such a thing.
I'm surprised that they haven't offered an API for the adverts to let some content sites serve the adverts from their server (act as proxy) so that content and adverts come from the same domain and CMS (thus making it harder for AdBlock and other blockers to kill them).
Well I had emailed several MEP's, of which several were Labour.
Labour have been the only party to response, though the text was almost identical in both of their responses and thus I suspect that they have a memo from on high that they merely re-word for each applicable response (a form letter type thing).
To their emails I have now compiled links to sources from various messages in this thread, and great thanks go to those who responded to my post.
It may be ineffective, but it might at least open their eyes a little to the concerns... besides, at least my voice helps raise the volume that 1 person louder that we may yet be heard.
Slashdot Mirror
They're running Vignette.
.asp is irrelevant, as even if this is a IIS box you can map the extension to fit Vignette.
.asp and headers say so, this does not mean that it is so. Obfuscation isn't good security on it's, but it's a useful tool in stopping script kiddies and amateurs.
Another buzzword of it's day, whose single trick was to save every file requested as a file on the docroot.
The URL can be pulled apart to show the caching technique:
0,1759,1819422,00.asp
0 = cache|don't cache
1759 = template id to use... the template is bound to the path so you don't need to send this in
1819422 = some ID used to fetch whatever you want on the page, article in this case
00 = features... consider them flags for other platforms, re-format for WML, etc
The
The way vignette works is thus:
Check that a file exists, if it does not, throw a 404, intercept the 404, if the intercepted URL exists in the Vignette database, fetch the template relating to the path, generate the page, write it onto the docroot, serve page to requestee.
All very useless... as frankly anyone worth anything wouldn't spend that much money on such a product when a reverse proxy cache like Squid could do it much better for very little... and you could have many Squid boxes for a fraction of the cost.
To clear the cache you merely delete the files!
What fun.
Erm... to explain the IIS thing... I've seen many IIS sites that live behind iPlanet proxies, and vice versa... just because the extension says
http://del.icio.us/popular/
Where you will find a guide on how to embed Google Maps, a guide on How to get Slashdotted, details of the Google Translator and numerous other goodies.
del.icio.us/popular - Your source for all slashdot stories before the rush starts!
Yes, but will it generate the 2.21 gigawatts of energy needed to Marty back to the future?
I hope that they have a policy whereby they can't hang up on you.
Multimap
Google != first to everything.
They just do it better when they get there... kinda similar to Apple I suppose.
And who else here has Adblock installed and blocks tracking elements as much as adverts?
I've installed Firefox on three workmates computers, most of my family's computers... and all have Adblock installed using my filters as a starting point... not one of them would load the Red Sherrif code.
I shouldn't worry, the dupes will fool people tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and...
He can only make 12 regenerations (13 bodies)... the BBC must be slightly frustrated with having used this body for only the 1 series and burning yet another regeneration to do so.
;)
I guess they'll balance that with feeling smug that they pulled off the comeback.
Wonder what they'll do when they run out of them though?
Probably think of a complicated plot device to explain why it's suddenly possible to have any number of changes as revenue streams dictate
Ah, I'll bite.
What you're missing is two parts of Microsoft strategy that can be realised through creating a monopoly using Windows Media.
Part 1:
Make Microsoft Digital Rights Management the de facto standard for digital rights.
Benefit: Server sales (issuing licenses), OS sales (consuming licenses), license fee on using the tools, government medical and military implementations (guise of securing information, reality = hard to remove later).
How: DRM isn't yet being used to protect documents or emails widely, but the demand is high from those representing content owners (RIAA + MPAA, etc) to protect those industries from the sea change the internet brings to their business models.
So by playing on the inherent fear in the media industry Microsoft can appear to be a big enough player to be able to help those entities protect their media and thus their business model. The media conglomerates sign up to this because the fear of piracy exceeds the fear of getting in bed with a monopoly.
As the Windows Media DRM was shipping by default on every Windows PC, Microsoft are given a monopoly on DRM and the assumption can be made by most companies, governments, etc... that when they start needing DRM for documents, emails, etc... that they can assume that Microsoft DRM is already installed on the system.
Thus Microsoft can win the DRM market before the market is truly born or has healthy competition. The advantages to them being long term financial security and growth.
Part 2:
Make Microsoft Windows Media the de facto standard for encoding and decoding multimedia.
Benefits: License fees mostly. Just imagine Microsoft earning a few cents of every DVD sold, every MP3 player sold, every DVD player sold. And imagine what this would do to Linux distros who won't pay to license the technology or wish to ship an encumbered piece of software.
How: It's already happening, convert cinemas to digital projectos and ship Windows Media files. DRM protected of course to ensure no piracy in the cinema supply chain. Encourage the studios to use that same platform for packaging media for re-sale later (via online rental and DVD's, and other media). Promote an encode once ship many times basis where the protection is just a given and subtitles, languages, etc are embedded from the outset.
That's the top down... but then we also have the bottom up: Put Windows Media on all Windows desktop, make it a safe assumption that WMP is installed, so that when companies make technology decisions there is a given advantage to WMP in that you don't have to worry about having to have something shipped.
So... Windows Media is a bitter pill to swallow indeed. It has two objectives, and two means of hurting other companies now and in the future, both of which serve to reinforce the existing monopoly.
Sure, the consumer doesn't give a shit that much, and frankly I don't care too deeply about what format something comes in.
However it is plain what they are trying to do and how they are doing it... and it is a VERY GOOD THING that the EU have forced them to remove WMP. As this erodes a lot of the basis for the above two points.
You don't want ANYONE making the assumption that WMP just exists, and you do want an open competition in DRM, media player and media format markets.
Hope that helps enlighten a little.
clearly i cannot type... ignore the spelling mistakes you grammar/spelling nazis... instead think of better input devices to prevent so many silly typos ;)
keyboards, how antiquated
Will they mutate over several seasons back towards their original form?
Insightful right up to the last sentence maybe.
Damn, I'll even burn some karma to say this.
Not all adverts do have div ID's though, but thankfully we're still well within the realm of being able to use Adblock to nuke them.
The adverts are usually served up by third party advert servers and thus looking at the adblock list of blockable elements... just block all items that are not on the domain for the site you're looking at.
That takes care of 99% of floaters, popups, etc.
The real problem is the next stage of advert evolution, which will be when content providers still use third parties to sell and supply adverts, but start to act as proxies for the adverts.
When content providers are acting as proxies and adverts appear to come from the same domain and content management system as the content... then adverts will be VERY hard to block.
The prevalence of adblock is going to increasingly push companies towards such solutions.
They'll still need to monetise their sites, and whilst it used to be that they didn't care for a minority of people blocking adverts, when that is a fast growing minority and it's affecting their revenues... they will find ways around it.
Just as the DRM rules state that if you can see and hear it you can bypass DRM and copy it... maybe a rule should be created for adverts: If you can see or hear the content, then advertisers CAN find a way to make you see or hear advertisements.
You know... this should really be made part of the editors task.
If a news story is screenshots... especially if it's 10+ high res... tar + gzip them all and make a torrent somewhere.
Then sure, post the source... but more importantly... post the torrent link.
This happens way too often not to be something that could be done.
What about a slashdot tracker? Have rules on things only being addable by editors, and they can only do so via submitting a story.
Isn't this what it's about? Damn... where's that Slashcode site again? Sounds like the time to merge Blog Torrent and Slash together.
As puns go they don't baguette much better than that. We can't all have an in-bread ability to come out with such wheaticisms.
I can see how a bakery chain would knead to branch out it's offerings though.
Damn, I thought of another pun but now it's scone!
* Thanks to a few mates for coming up with these truly breadful puns.
about:config
browser.xul.error_pages.enabled
Set that to true
Output Stacker plugin has been pulled from the WinAmp site, but you can still get it in their forums.
v FLX6QJ: www.winamp.com/plugins/details.php%3Fid%3D86033+wi namp+output+stacker+plugin&hl=en&client=firefox-a
e adid=3 5627
p ostid=159 3266
The details on the plugin are cached here, this is the PULLED page:
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:zsalM
This thread lists where it can be found NOW:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?thr
And this contains the plugin:
http://forums.winamp.com/attachment.php?
Google is a wonderful thing when companies wish to backtrack like that.
The plugin has tons of geniune uses... pulling it, well yeah I understand AOL/Time Warner's motives... but they're kinda dumb.
...is to trust everyone.
They have to.
Every site that they visit will have embedded Flash, embedded Java, embedded QuickTime, embedded Real, embedded midi (FFS!).
They are taught on their first few days to trust everyone, and that nothing that they want to achieve can be done without trusting that the site is legit in asking you to download and install stuff.
And when they speak to their geek friends (or friends of their kids), they get told dismissively and condescendingly that YES, they must install to see the site properly, to do what they want. You can bet that they won't ask a second time!
Is it really a surprise then, that we have a problem later with dumb users downloading spyware, adware, and malware in general?
The problem could be much alleviated by simply pre-installing all of the key technologies in advance.
Some Linux distros do this... my mother knew from the first moment she used Simply Mepis that she didn't need to download anything else... I told her this, and because nearly all of her sites worked (just not pogo.com) she hasn't downloaded anything else.
But you can't do this with Windows... because Windows gives you nothing, and certainly nothing from Apple, Real, Macromedia, Sun, etc... and then to compound it, Windows is an open playground for malware once downloaded.
If Windows RME were permitted to be shipped with not just alternatives and pre-configured competitor offerings for media, but also with common plugins for the web... and... maybe even Firefox to give choice... then this would do more to prevent malware spreading than Verisign being forced to change their practices.
Of course... hell would freeze over, pigs would fly, and the Bush would have an epiphany on social welfare before all of the above happened.
Except Verdana was designed for lower resolution, to replace small fonts.
I love the way Verdana looks, but when I make pages using it and switch from a Windows environment to my home Linux environment, all the fonts are the wrong size!
Verdana does suck because of they way in which it is disproportionately sized relative to other font sizes... which is why it is great when small, but it does indeed suck when increased in size.
"Can't anybody make an honest dollar anymore."
;)
Hehe... loved your pyramid scheme signature
Javascript yet again.
;)
Very very cool stuff too.
I can't wait for the dissection of that stuff
And that attitude would have scuppered Mozilla and Firefox work quite early.
Many alternatives to IE is not a bad thing at all, embrace and extend should work from our side too I reckon.
Not quite.
I just lost my textpad window... maybe I'm floating over it.
Very strange experience this is!
I can hardly imagine that they would be happy about such a thing.
I'm surprised that they haven't offered an API for the adverts to let some content sites serve the adverts from their server (act as proxy) so that content and adverts come from the same domain and CMS (thus making it harder for AdBlock and other blockers to kill them).
Well I had emailed several MEP's, of which several were Labour.
Labour have been the only party to response, though the text was almost identical in both of their responses and thus I suspect that they have a memo from on high that they merely re-word for each applicable response (a form letter type thing).
To their emails I have now compiled links to sources from various messages in this thread, and great thanks go to those who responded to my post.
It may be ineffective, but it might at least open their eyes a little to the concerns... besides, at least my voice helps raise the volume that 1 person louder that we may yet be heard.
Ah well... time for bed methinks.