If there aren't drivers for my OS, I won't buy their hardware. Period. They just lost a sale from me. I personally know 20 people that do the same. And thats just people I know in person.
Um... and just how many people are out there who *do* buy hardware that they know is unsupported by their operating system? Next!
That idea has some merit, but is going to have a tendancy to produce a bad "swinging balance" effect where you have players cycling off characters when they become ineffective. It may also nerf someone who's just particularly good with their character.
That's probably the main challenge -- separating what comes from skill vs. what is a result of an unexpected exploit. And perhaps if they could determine that up-front, such a system might be redundant.
Here's a crazy idea, having been immersed in the world of SpamAssassin lately. What about some kind of bayesian or other statistical algorithm to automatically adjust certain parameters of the game? Given the number of combinations and permutations inherent in a complex game, it's difficult to determine ahead of time how all those interactions will play out and whether a certain combination of things will lead to a player having a huge advantage over another player who does the same things, but with perhaps a different class.
So set the system up so that you define boundaries for each character. If it turns out that a certain combination of things exceeds the predetermined boundaries, automatically adjust some attributes so that it's within the expected range again. I haven't thought through how this would be implemented, but some kind of adjustable constraints system based on expected damage/whatever would likely be better than the crude and broad hand-tweaking that goes on. And if the system does micro-adjustments throughout the game, players would likely not even notice it happening... so everyone's happy.
Why can't we all just get along without worrying about what threatens us? Hmmm?
But wouldn't that obviate the need to achieve what Microsoft has -- namely, domination? The non-zealots don't care... they would say "Hey, we like Linux because it meets our needs", whereas the zealots would say "Our socio-economic movement, er... GNU/Linux, is at risk of becoming irrelevant. Our reasons are increasingly detached from reality so, in order to keep the dissonance at bay, we must alter our perceptions to come into line with the new way of thinking."
You're right -- I would guess it's similar in many ways. Pressure under water is applied from every direction, whereas gravity is only applied in one direction. However, I don't see any reason why the same principles shouldn't apply equally to both. And I, for one, welcome our new boneless, gelatinous overlords!
Re:the code of conduct for free software distribut
on
Drafting GPL3
·
· Score: 1
Okay, I see what you mean. I'm not an expert either, but from what I can see, a license is a license. Unless it's bound by some kind of time-constraint, it's a perpetual grant. I think what it depends on is the validity of an unsigned license. If you sign a contract with the author of a work stating that you have unlimited rights to do with that work as you please, you can present that in court and show that you have those rights. If the license is simply a LICENSE.TXT included in a zip/tar file, the burden of proof might be higher but I don't see it being much different than a contract to the same effect.
Is life possible at all under such gravity? Any examples?
And where do you propose we find such examples? In space perhaps?:) But seriously, check out this article.
Re:the code of conduct for free software distribut
on
Drafting GPL3
·
· Score: 1
Saying "I place this into the public domain" is essentially a license, though a loose nonformal one. If someone's estate could simply take it back, then what's to prevent them taking back a Creative Commons or GPL-based license? Once someone has released something into the public domain and has stated so, you can freely use that as your license. The only difficult part might be that a corporation could come after you and throw a bunch of lawyers at it, in which case you'd need to be able to demonstrate to a judge that the original author or the work gave permission to use the work in the way you're using it.
They won't be able to handle the heaps of praise placed upon them from the open source community?
And why, exactly, would they care what 0.05% of their market has to say? If heaps of praise is what they want, they would create a console geared towards the right-wing Christian groups... where it can't play any non-jesus approved materials. Hell, I've just created the missing step:
1. Create game console which plays jebus-only games. 2. Release tons of christian games such as "Round up Noah's Animals", "Burn the Witches", "Escape the Belly of a Whale", "Convert the Heathens", and many more! 3. Those who voted for George Bush buy numerous systems and games. 4. Profit!!
Re:Dumbest thing I've read all week...
on
The Evil in E-Mail
·
· Score: 1
About all I have to add to that excellent analysis is that perhaps it would work after all if only they had Bill Gates fabled email tracking application... plus the $17.50 per email would serve to fund such a waste of resources.
So maybe it's time to open up the Remote Desktop port and tell the home machine to start downloading while I'm at work. Aw, hell... I'll probably just end up downloading from work and putting it on a USB flash drive.:)
Re:the code of conduct for free software distribut
on
Drafting GPL3
·
· Score: 1
I have read Norwegian copyright law and while it acknowledges the existence of the public domain, it does not make provisions for actively putting a work into it. Therefore, phrases along the lines of "this work is donated to the public domain" might not hold any legal water at all...
However, the only person who would be able to contest the use of a work is the original copyright owner. And since they've willingly put it into the public domain themselves, why would they wish to cause any legal trouble for those who use it? But even if the person changed their mind and tried to withdraw it, such phrasing -- if you have evidence that the person said it and that it is their original work -- shows intent and that has weight in court. So while it's not perfect, I would say it's sufficient.
Re:the code of conduct for free software distribut
on
Drafting GPL3
·
· Score: 1
License might not be the best word. A simple statement such as "This code is hereby released into the public domain" conveys all the appropriate information needed regarding rights without placing any restrictions.
Re:I don't really like PHP that much...
on
A Decade of PHP
·
· Score: 1
Windows is good because it's easy. It might often not be the most sophisticated, structured, or easily maintained operating system, but it is often the quickest and simplest solution to a problem. In that respect it fills an important niche.
Couldn't resist.;-)
Re:I don't really like PHP that much...
on
A Decade of PHP
·
· Score: 1
It's not "exciting" but PHP is one of those languages that's successful and useful because of its marketing and "who knows who".
So it's successful because of its popularity? No flame, but isn't that a lot like Windows?
That's one way of doing it. But for those who are reluctant to shove something up their ass yet have to go through security screening, there's a better way. Purchase a small USB stick only big enough to hold the quantity of data you need. 64MB will likely do for most documents. Remember, you want it as small as possible. Sneak that into work and, near the end of the day, start copying the files you want onto it. Here's the tricky part: carefully swallow the USB stick. Water may help, but juice or pop is often the best as it will coat the lining of your throat. Once digested, pack up for the day and head home, knowing that you've successfully(*) smuggled data out of your place of work.
(*) Of course, the downside to this method is that given digestion times, the likely scenario is that you'll pass the USB stick at 10:00am in the washroom at work right after you drank that cup of coffee.
My ex-girlfriend worked for a law firm and, for whatever reason, she was fired. They didn't give her any reason -- they even said that they're not required by law to give a reason, just that they had to give her a few weeks notice and that she could either stay and work the two weeks or take the pay and leave. She finished up a couple of outstanding things as a show of good faith (at least it was one-way) and left early.
"So you see, the joke 'This dyslexic man walks into a bra...' is funny because the juxtaposition of the familiar 'walking into a bar' joke, of which there are countless variations, with the notion of a dyslexic man creates an interesting situation where the expected 'bar' reference is replaced with a reference to 'bra', clearly a dyslexic spelling of the word 'bar'. Furthermore, additional humor factor is added given that the notion of one walking into a women's undergarment would be considered amusing by many. Combine these two factors and hopefully I have successfully explained why the joke is funny while at the same time ruining said joke for those who got it without needing an in-your-face explanation."
Re:Without wishing to sound too fanboyish...
on
Apple Releases WebKit
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Now if only they changed the name to WebKore and JavaScriptKore, they'd be best buddies.
Slashdot Mirror
If there aren't drivers for my OS, I won't buy their hardware. Period. They just lost a sale from me. I personally know 20 people that do the same. And thats just people I know in person.
Um... and just how many people are out there who *do* buy hardware that they know is unsupported by their operating system? Next!
That idea has some merit, but is going to have a tendancy to produce a bad "swinging balance" effect where you have players cycling off characters when they become ineffective. It may also nerf someone who's just particularly good with their character.
That's probably the main challenge -- separating what comes from skill vs. what is a result of an unexpected exploit. And perhaps if they could determine that up-front, such a system might be redundant.
Here's a crazy idea, having been immersed in the world of SpamAssassin lately. What about some kind of bayesian or other statistical algorithm to automatically adjust certain parameters of the game? Given the number of combinations and permutations inherent in a complex game, it's difficult to determine ahead of time how all those interactions will play out and whether a certain combination of things will lead to a player having a huge advantage over another player who does the same things, but with perhaps a different class.
So set the system up so that you define boundaries for each character. If it turns out that a certain combination of things exceeds the predetermined boundaries, automatically adjust some attributes so that it's within the expected range again. I haven't thought through how this would be implemented, but some kind of adjustable constraints system based on expected damage/whatever would likely be better than the crude and broad hand-tweaking that goes on. And if the system does micro-adjustments throughout the game, players would likely not even notice it happening... so everyone's happy.
Why can't we all just get along without worrying about what threatens us? Hmmm?
But wouldn't that obviate the need to achieve what Microsoft has -- namely, domination? The non-zealots don't care... they would say "Hey, we like Linux because it meets our needs", whereas the zealots would say "Our socio-economic movement, er... GNU/Linux, is at risk of becoming irrelevant. Our reasons are increasingly detached from reality so, in order to keep the dissonance at bay, we must alter our perceptions to come into line with the new way of thinking."
You're right -- I would guess it's similar in many ways. Pressure under water is applied from every direction, whereas gravity is only applied in one direction. However, I don't see any reason why the same principles shouldn't apply equally to both. And I, for one, welcome our new boneless, gelatinous overlords!
Okay, I see what you mean. I'm not an expert either, but from what I can see, a license is a license. Unless it's bound by some kind of time-constraint, it's a perpetual grant. I think what it depends on is the validity of an unsigned license. If you sign a contract with the author of a work stating that you have unlimited rights to do with that work as you please, you can present that in court and show that you have those rights. If the license is simply a LICENSE.TXT included in a zip/tar file, the burden of proof might be higher but I don't see it being much different than a contract to the same effect.
They could send them CNN or Fox News. Surely those signals are as unnatural as any.
Is life possible at all under such gravity? Any examples?
:) But seriously, check out this article.
And where do you propose we find such examples? In space perhaps?
Saying "I place this into the public domain" is essentially a license, though a loose nonformal one. If someone's estate could simply take it back, then what's to prevent them taking back a Creative Commons or GPL-based license? Once someone has released something into the public domain and has stated so, you can freely use that as your license. The only difficult part might be that a corporation could come after you and throw a bunch of lawyers at it, in which case you'd need to be able to demonstrate to a judge that the original author or the work gave permission to use the work in the way you're using it.
They won't be able to handle the heaps of praise placed upon them from the open source community?
And why, exactly, would they care what 0.05% of their market has to say? If heaps of praise is what they want, they would create a console geared towards the right-wing Christian groups... where it can't play any non-jesus approved materials. Hell, I've just created the missing step:
1. Create game console which plays jebus-only games.
2. Release tons of christian games such as "Round up Noah's Animals", "Burn the Witches", "Escape the Belly of a Whale", "Convert the Heathens", and many more!
3. Those who voted for George Bush buy numerous systems and games.
4. Profit!!
About all I have to add to that excellent analysis is that perhaps it would work after all if only they had Bill Gates fabled email tracking application... plus the $17.50 per email would serve to fund such a waste of resources.
So maybe it's time to open up the Remote Desktop port and tell the home machine to start downloading while I'm at work. Aw, hell... I'll probably just end up downloading from work and putting it on a USB flash drive. :)
I have read Norwegian copyright law and while it acknowledges the existence of the public domain, it does not make provisions for actively putting a work into it. Therefore, phrases along the lines of "this work is donated to the public domain" might not hold any legal water at all...
However, the only person who would be able to contest the use of a work is the original copyright owner. And since they've willingly put it into the public domain themselves, why would they wish to cause any legal trouble for those who use it? But even if the person changed their mind and tried to withdraw it, such phrasing -- if you have evidence that the person said it and that it is their original work -- shows intent and that has weight in court. So while it's not perfect, I would say it's sufficient.
License might not be the best word. A simple statement such as "This code is hereby released into the public domain" conveys all the appropriate information needed regarding rights without placing any restrictions.
Windows is good because it's easy. It might often not be the most sophisticated, structured, or easily maintained operating system, but it is often the quickest and simplest solution to a problem. In that respect it fills an important niche.
;-)
Couldn't resist.
It's not "exciting" but PHP is one of those languages that's successful and useful because of its marketing and "who knows who".
So it's successful because of its popularity? No flame, but isn't that a lot like Windows?
The courts (in this instance!) didn't find that Microsoft were violating anti-trust laws, they found that Microsoft violated copyright laws.
And for the nth time, where n approaches infinity, patent law != copyright law.
"Ack! Thttpd slow." -- Bill the cat
... cost $1 billion dollars
1 billion = "one billion"
$1 billion = "one billion dollars"
$1 billion dollars = "one billion dollars dollars"
For everything else, there's Mastercard.
That's one way of doing it. But for those who are reluctant to shove something up their ass yet have to go through security screening, there's a better way. Purchase a small USB stick only big enough to hold the quantity of data you need. 64MB will likely do for most documents. Remember, you want it as small as possible. Sneak that into work and, near the end of the day, start copying the files you want onto it. Here's the tricky part: carefully swallow the USB stick. Water may help, but juice or pop is often the best as it will coat the lining of your throat. Once digested, pack up for the day and head home, knowing that you've successfully(*) smuggled data out of your place of work.
(*) Of course, the downside to this method is that given digestion times, the likely scenario is that you'll pass the USB stick at 10:00am in the washroom at work right after you drank that cup of coffee.
My ex-girlfriend worked for a law firm and, for whatever reason, she was fired. They didn't give her any reason -- they even said that they're not required by law to give a reason, just that they had to give her a few weeks notice and that she could either stay and work the two weeks or take the pay and leave. She finished up a couple of outstanding things as a show of good faith (at least it was one-way) and left early.
Heh, nice to know that Macromedia is being generous by providing some open source tools for its $20K Flex server.
Ah, yes... the good old Chinternet, where your packets need to show their papers to get in or out.
"So you see, the joke 'This dyslexic man walks into a bra...' is funny because the juxtaposition of the familiar 'walking into a bar' joke, of which there are countless variations, with the notion of a dyslexic man creates an interesting situation where the expected 'bar' reference is replaced with a reference to 'bra', clearly a dyslexic spelling of the word 'bar'. Furthermore, additional humor factor is added given that the notion of one walking into a women's undergarment would be considered amusing by many. Combine these two factors and hopefully I have successfully explained why the joke is funny while at the same time ruining said joke for those who got it without needing an in-your-face explanation."
Now if only they changed the name to WebKore and JavaScriptKore, they'd be best buddies.