I've been saying for years that the IRS needs to replace the "Contribution to the Presidential Campaign Fund" box on tax forms with a "Write in your desired donation to NASA" box.
If this were made possible I'm sure thousands of people would gladly donate money every year.
Buying an OK-quality iTMS audio file for 99 is much cheaper and easier than buying the song on CD-ROM (as opposed to a CD-DA disc), incriminating myself (the DMCA) bypassing the copy protection, and ripping the one track I want at a higher quality.
The Beastie Boys completely forget that the magic that makes computing happen occurs in.....(drum roll)... RAM. It's bad enough Windows and it's litany of services and helper applications are sucking up my RAM, just so I can use my PC, but it's another thing for some vampiric CD-ROM to just load an application into my system's memory without my consent.
How do I know if the program has terminated without rebooting? What if I run software or have other needs that requires keeping my PC on 24/7?
Whether or not an application hitchiking on a trojan CD-ROM installs to hard disk or to a RAM drive, it's still unacceptable behavior.
Even though I live in the US and not subject to the DRM'd versions of the album, I think I'll cease purchasing any more Capitol Records/EMI releases, be it CD-DA or CD-ROM.
In addition, if you're actually deleting IE (not just removing the icon) you're probably breaking a lot of apps
I think he meant that he deleted "iexplore.exe", the UI that throws the "Internet Explorer" interface on top of the standard explorer.exe shell.
Even if you were to uninstall "Internet Explorer" from the Add/Remove Programs applet or delete the "Internet Explorer" folder in Program Files, it would not affect applications reliant on Internet Explorer web services.
The Explorer.exe shell requires MSHTML.DLL and other IE web services/files that are all located in the SYSTEM32 folder. Windows would never allow you to remove them, even with System File Protection turned off, as it would be unable to load its own shell.
I thought Linspire used Click N Run as its primary means of software acquisition and installation.
I doubt the software being sold at the store would be instantly installable on Linspire machines from CD -- they're probably sourceforge/freshmeat CDRs. The software would have to be compiled first -- something Linspire's target market (Joe SixpackWindowsSwitcher) doesn't regularly do...
All it takes is one annoyed customer who suddenly can't run his copy of DeerHunter Solitaire for Windows 3.1 to get pissed off.
Next thing you know, the whole town is pissed off.
The only leverage Microsoft has in the OS industry is that its backwards-compatability encourages customers to keep upgrading to modern versions of their software with some level of confidence. Especially those who upgrade their version of Windows through new computer purchases.
People want their software investments from 1990 to continue to work in 2004. Whether or not this is a realistic expectation is another story.
The moment enough old/discontinued software no longer works, people might consider alternative options.
...between the RIAA (don't share music with friends & family), shift-key-bypassing DRM (don't rip our CD-ROMs so you can play them on Linux), and SCO (you can't use Linux, it's illegal), what's a tech-oriented consumer audiophile to do?
I still say the best way to de-DRM iTunes purchases is to burn then to an Audio CD-RW, then rip back as MP3s. Grab the album art from WalMart.com and you're all set.
Scotty would always overestimate how long he could get the shields or warp drive back online. Then, just before the Enterprise is about to get destroyed and his original estimate is still due, Scotty whips out the miracle and saves the day.
He even revealed his secret of actually doing this to Geordi LaForge during a ST:TNG episode.
i don't see what the big deal is. im sure if they droped $100 into each computer for a 80gig+ drive there would be plenty of space for -gasp- email
Obviously you have never had to manage an IT budget in the commercial or government sector. IT spending is way down. Buying (and installing) a $100 hard disk drive for each employee at the City of Baltimore would be a horrendous expense, let alone for your typical company of 200 users.
There's also a bigger problem with client-side archiving: workstations go down. Be it from OS/software failures to hardware failure, the client-side solution is a nightmare waiting to happen when it comes to the protection of important data.
A better idea would be to write a script to go through each user's mailboxes every month, export any old emails to text, store the files on a server that uses a journaling filesystem, index the emails, and compress them.
One or two XServe G5s could do the trick quite well.
Anyone notice that WMP10 follows it's close predecessors in giving you the ability to not turn off the automatic checking for new updates? Instead you get "once a day," "once a week," and "once a month." (see flexbeta screenshots in parent article.)
I wonder if XP SP2's on-by-default firewall will automatically not block this update checking traffic? (sarcasm)
This post is not meant to Troll, but can't Microsoft release a post-WMP6.4-era media player that's not constantly calling home?
I mean, at least iTunes lets you turn off update checking and iTunes Internet usage in general...
In today's time and age, 40MB of RAM is a drop in the bucket. Most WinXP computers today ship with 512MB of RAM. Computer enthusiasts tend to boost that to upwards of 1GB.
The only time 40MB of RAM being consumed would be a problem is if you were running iTunes on a server, which is clearly not the target audience for the app.
Software Thieves Will Rejoice
on
60GB iPod Coming?
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Eversince the first iPods came out, thieves have used them to connect to store display Macs so they can drag & drop software to it. Most commonly, Microsoft Office v.X. and Adobe Creative Suite products.
With 60GBs at their disposal, the possibilities are endless.
...I kind of expect the functionality of my iPod, my Palm, and my cell phone to converge by then.
You never know, with iPod development now in its own department, and with Movie Trailers and Music Videos now at the iTMS, perhaps the Newton will make a comeback, this time as a video/music/iRadio player + PDA and cell abilities.
Honestly, what use does one have for such a large mailbox?
Once you've maxxed out your 255 ban-able domains in Hotmail, all you can do is start deleting messages.
At least with 1TB of storage space, you just reroute all the "Enlarge Your Penis" spam to a folder that will probably never fill up for the life of your Gmail account.
Hewlett-Packard will soon be marketing its own hp-branded mp3 players based on iPod technology that will utilize iTunes. Perhaps HP, being a Windows PC provider, will utilize the Windows Media 9 Series SDK and add WMA support to iTunes.
iTunes 4.5 supports importing unprotected WMA files. You can import unprotected WMA files into an iTunes format of your choice, and play them on your iPod.
While this won't help with playing DRM'd WMA files purchased from other online stores, it's a step in the right direction.
Maybe someone out there will make a hymn-like program for unprotecting DRM'd WMA music purchases...
Microsoft should instead find a way to abandon the use of the "SYSTEM" account, the password-less "super user" account that all applications use to install themselves and modify core system settings.
Or at least disable Internet Explorer/ActiveX's abilities to grant web pages use of the SYSTEM account. (Microsoft could just as easily develop a Windows-updating program similar to "Software Update" on OSX or yum.)
Slashdot Mirror
I've been saying for years that the IRS needs to replace the "Contribution to the Presidential Campaign Fund" box on tax forms with a "Write in your desired donation to NASA" box.
If this were made possible I'm sure thousands of people would gladly donate money every year.
Buying an OK-quality iTMS audio file for 99 is much cheaper and easier than buying the song on CD-ROM (as opposed to a CD-DA disc), incriminating myself (the DMCA) bypassing the copy protection, and ripping the one track I want at a higher quality.
As much as I enjoy using OO.o, I really hope an OSX-native version comes out some day.
A lot of people who install OSX for themselves never get around to installing X11.
..with your Name, Address, and Telephone Number, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
iTunes 100,000th Song Promo c/o Trash dumpster 1 Infinity Loop Cupertino, CA 95014"
The Beastie Boys completely forget that the magic that makes computing happen occurs in.....(drum roll)... RAM. It's bad enough Windows and it's litany of services and helper applications are sucking up my RAM, just so I can use my PC, but it's another thing for some vampiric CD-ROM to just load an application into my system's memory without my consent.
How do I know if the program has terminated without rebooting? What if I run software or have other needs that requires keeping my PC on 24/7?
Whether or not an application hitchiking on a trojan CD-ROM installs to hard disk or to a RAM drive, it's still unacceptable behavior.
Even though I live in the US and not subject to the DRM'd versions of the album, I think I'll cease purchasing any more Capitol Records/EMI releases, be it CD-DA or CD-ROM.
Even if you were to uninstall "Internet Explorer" from the Add/Remove Programs applet or delete the "Internet Explorer" folder in Program Files, it would not affect applications reliant on Internet Explorer web services.
The Explorer.exe shell requires MSHTML.DLL and other IE web services/files that are all located in the SYSTEM32 folder. Windows would never allow you to remove them, even with System File Protection turned off, as it would be unable to load its own shell.
I thought Linspire used Click N Run as its primary means of software acquisition and installation.
I doubt the software being sold at the store would be instantly installable on Linspire machines from CD -- they're probably sourceforge/freshmeat CDRs. The software would have to be compiled first -- something Linspire's target market (Joe SixpackWindowsSwitcher) doesn't regularly do...
Just my reaction to the news..
Maybe they should rename it...Slack OS X!
(mods: this was intended to be funny, not a troll or flamebait)
All it takes is one annoyed customer who suddenly can't run his copy of DeerHunter Solitaire for Windows 3.1 to get pissed off.
Next thing you know, the whole town is pissed off.
The only leverage Microsoft has in the OS industry is that its backwards-compatability encourages customers to keep upgrading to modern versions of their software with some level of confidence. Especially those who upgrade their version of Windows through new computer purchases.
People want their software investments from 1990 to continue to work in 2004. Whether or not this is a realistic expectation is another story.
The moment enough old/discontinued software no longer works, people might consider alternative options.
...between the RIAA (don't share music with friends & family), shift-key-bypassing DRM (don't rip our CD-ROMs so you can play them on Linux), and SCO (you can't use Linux, it's illegal), what's a tech-oriented consumer audiophile to do?
Castlevania - Symphony of the Night.
Reason alone to use the PS2's backwards compatability.
I still say the best way to de-DRM iTunes purchases is to burn then to an Audio CD-RW, then rip back as MP3s. Grab the album art from WalMart.com and you're all set.
Scotty would always overestimate how long he could get the shields or warp drive back online. Then, just before the Enterprise is about to get destroyed and his original estimate is still due, Scotty whips out the miracle and saves the day.
He even revealed his secret of actually doing this to Geordi LaForge during a ST:TNG episode.
PDF.
There's also a bigger problem with client-side archiving: workstations go down. Be it from OS/software failures to hardware failure, the client-side solution is a nightmare waiting to happen when it comes to the protection of important data.
A better idea would be to write a script to go through each user's mailboxes every month, export any old emails to text, store the files on a server that uses a journaling filesystem, index the emails, and compress them.
One or two XServe G5s could do the trick quite well.
Anyone notice that WMP10 follows it's close predecessors in giving you the ability to not turn off the automatic checking for new updates? Instead you get "once a day," "once a week," and "once a month." (see flexbeta screenshots in parent article.)
I wonder if XP SP2's on-by-default firewall will automatically not block this update checking traffic? (sarcasm)
This post is not meant to Troll, but can't Microsoft release a post-WMP6.4-era media player that's not constantly calling home?
I mean, at least iTunes lets you turn off update checking and iTunes Internet usage in general...
iPodService (iPod management) 4.0MB
iTunesHelper (CD burning bridge) 4.0MB
iTunes.exe 33.0MB
In today's time and age, 40MB of RAM is a drop in the bucket. Most WinXP computers today ship with 512MB of RAM. Computer enthusiasts tend to boost that to upwards of 1GB.
The only time 40MB of RAM being consumed would be a problem is if you were running iTunes on a server, which is clearly not the target audience for the app.
Eversince the first iPods came out, thieves have used them to connect to store display Macs so they can drag & drop software to it. Most commonly, Microsoft Office v.X. and Adobe Creative Suite products.
With 60GBs at their disposal, the possibilities are endless.
At least with 1TB of storage space, you just reroute all the "Enlarge Your Penis" spam to a folder that will probably never fill up for the life of your Gmail account.
Hewlett-Packard will soon be marketing its own hp-branded mp3 players based on iPod technology that will utilize iTunes. Perhaps HP, being a Windows PC provider, will utilize the Windows Media 9 Series SDK and add WMA support to iTunes.
iTunes 4.5 supports importing unprotected WMA files. You can import unprotected WMA files into an iTunes format of your choice, and play them on your iPod.
While this won't help with playing DRM'd WMA files purchased from other online stores, it's a step in the right direction.
Maybe someone out there will make a hymn-like program for unprotecting DRM'd WMA music purchases...
Are we talking a Windows laptop or a Mac OS X laptop?
Considering the source article, and all....
Sounds like the sensors/microphones stashed in the woods in Orwell's "1984".
Microsoft should instead find a way to abandon the use of the "SYSTEM" account, the password-less "super user" account that all applications use to install themselves and modify core system settings.
Or at least disable Internet Explorer/ActiveX's abilities to grant web pages use of the SYSTEM account. (Microsoft could just as easily develop a Windows-updating program similar to "Software Update" on OSX or yum.)