oh fucking horseshit. No one is confused between Lindows and Windows. This is the "digital age". Everyone knows that "Windows" is "Windows" and it is different from *a* window or *windows*. They also know that Lindows is not Windows and absolutely no one would be confused.
Let's face it, there is no arguing that Lindows is trying to look as close to Windows as possible... There's also no arguing that Windows shouldn't have been fucking owned by MS in the first place.
If the governments are going to go so far as to block Lindows, they better fucking block MS from calling it Windows as well.
If someone is confused between Lindows and Windows then they are certainly confused between Windows and windows.
you mean create a law and have no method of enforcement? Oh wait, this is an EU law, I thought that level of stupidity was only available here in the US.;)
Lifetime is a long time. I am guaranteed that my PC's service will at least last for as long as the hardware holds up and the software is still backed up somewhere in my house.
I just don't trust that Tivo will be around for my lifetime.
I trust my health to you and I *expect* that you take the time with me and explain every single, minute, and intricate detail to me.
I do research on every medication I take and fight tooth and nail with the doctor when she tries to feed me prescriptions that do little or nothing for my specific problems.
She routinely becomes annoyed with me and at my last visit laughed when she finally caught me on some minor technicality (I am not a fan of Toprol because it inhibits my sexual function and she gave me Toprol XL instead and thought it was very clever of her I guess to have me be confused by the two.)
Do not wrap care of the EKG machines into a "consulation" fee. You will call it an "EKG Maintenance Fee" if anything.
My insurance company pays her everytime I visit for her 7 years of schooling and experience. My EKG Consultation Fee should not when it isn't warranted.
Yes, like I said, I am 24 and the test was not necessary and she knew it. She did it for the money and you know it.
Sad state of affairs...
on
Stealth Inflation
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
How about physicians? I had a couple appointments with my family doctor to regulate my blood pressure... At one of the earlier appointments she took an EKG. Being 24 and never having one before I wanted it explained to me. She spent 2 or 3 minutes (and I am being loose here with the timeframe, it was only as long as it took me to put on my jacket and hat) explaining the peaks and what she thought they meant.
Out the door I went into the world to get a new prescription filled and pay my co-pay...
A few weeks pass and the bill from the doctor's office comes showing what the insurance company paid, etc, and that I owed $5. No biggy, pretty typical. I did see that she charged my insurance company $103 for an "EKG Consultation Fee". Call me insane but there is absolutely no way she had the right to charge $103 for a 2 minute deal.
I went in the next time and not so calmly explained to her that she will not do that again without a) telling me what she is going to later charge, b) lying about what she was really doing, and c) being a cheat.
We wonder why insurance costs so much... It's because of hidden fees and bullshit that the medical industry decides to make a quick buck on.
That doctor made as much in 2 minutes as I do in 6 hours at work... She will NOT fleece me again like that... To those of you that say, "who cares, your insurance covered it." I say that my insurance co-pays just went up and they probably won't stop there. I am not going to stand idly by and watch this shit go down and you shouldn't either.
How about my bank? TCF here in Minnesota. I *pay* for their advanced online banking service (it's just like any other free service I have had before but it shows all the transactions immediately unlike their free version which just shows a balance). I started noticing that I was being charged for using out of network ATMs when I wasn't using them. I had four $6 charges in a six week period. I had to call them each time and get them removed. It wasn't an issue to get it removed it was the unsettling feeling that other people out there that don't have the advanced online banking are getting ripped off, a lot.
no it's not relative. The reason we had to use FAT (which honestly isn't all that great of a filesystem) is because MS products became the standard through anti-competive practices (which they were found guilty of).
This may be a patented FS but it's certainly not something that would have been worth collecting on if they hadn't been a monopoly using their weight to force us to use the system.
The first FAT file system was developed by Microsoft in 1976. That system was based on the BASIC programming language and allowed programs and data to be stored on a floppy disk. Since that time, the FAT file system has been improved upon multiple times to take advantage of advances in computer technology, and to further refine and enrich the FAT file system itself.
Today, the FAT File system has become the ubiquitous format used for interchange of media between computers, and, since the advent of inexpensive, removable flash memory, also between digital devices. The FAT file system is now supported by a wide variety of operating systems running on all sizes of computers, from servers to personal digital assistants. In addition, many digital devices such as still and video cameras, audio recorders, video game systems, scanners, and printers make use of FAT file system technology.
Microsoft is offering to license its FAT file system specification and associated intellectual property. With this license, other companies have the opportunity to standardize the FAT file system implementation in their products, and to improve file system compatibility across a range of computing and consumer electronics devices.
Nice guys. Create a standard, realize its being used for a lot of devices after 27 years, see the chance for even more money you don't need, and then charge for it.
It's not worth 250k for a license. We had to use it in devices to remain compatible with an OS that was forced upon us.
Of course it doesn't do anything for me. I am locked into a two-year agreement. I can't change carriers, look into other carriers, or even think about other carriers without first being charged $170.00.
Number portability... The commercials seem to point at the fact that you can now have your home phone number moved to a cell phone. While I do use my cell phone more than my land line I must say that having an actual phone plugged into the wall not really requiring any batteries, chargers, or antennas is nice.
My cell phone doesn't work all that well in my apartment, it rarely gets a call through on the first four or five times on the weekend, and it drops calls like mad when a plane flies overhead.
Honestly, it's just a gimmick. Something that was mandated for no real reason. It looks like something good but it just isn't what the advertisements and media claim. I liken it to the hype over the gold dollar. They went through all this trouble to design it, market it, and make sure coke machines took it and no one really cared.
As far as price-warring. The only service that I see with reasonable services and prices is T-mobile. They look fantastic until you pull up their coverage area... Here in the Twin Cities Metro area they have great coverage... Problem is I routinely travel outside of the metro area into western and southern MN along with western WI. No coverage there. Sad...
Until my cell service is mandated not to drop calls, not to require as much recharging, and not to have locked in contracts of 2 years, it won't do me any good.
yup. and it means that they are going to do everything in their power to stop us from having any freedom. That includes forcing us to use a BIOS that will only "trust" their OS and thus render most hardware useless except for Windows.
perhaps it is because I become nearly violent with them when they ask me to help with something.
I have absolutetly no interest in helping people with their computer problems. They didn't buy that computer from Dell to ask me to fix it.
Perhaps you aren't a raving asshole to them when they ask for help but you sure do come off as one when you post a comment for others that probably know as much, if not more, about computers than you do.
how about you stand up and watch your freedoms get shot down the drain? How about you get your name put on a subvert list so that you are searched at every terminal entrance and every flight you take?
How about you get followed by a caravan of cars everytime you goto the store to buy 1984 or 451?
You stop complaining about other people's drivel and YOU stand up for it. You want others to do the work for you yet you want to bitch that they aren't doing the same for you.
You know what is really sad? The fact that the RIAA was found guilty of price-fixing on CDs, was giving a one fingered slap on the wrist, and got to get out of paying pretty much anything by a loop-hole...
Support freedom of music people. Only support bands that allow the free copying, distribution, and listening of their music in any format you choose.
It's the public that supports the RIAA by purchasing their merchandise. DO NOT DO IT.
Market realities that radio is being consolidated into a handful of companies and you now have more control? Song royalties for Internet radio are cost prohibitive in most instances? You are spending millions of dollars to develop trash movies and music and the consumers aren't buying into it anymore?
How about we stop allowing them to pay off these lawmakers with huge donations (even through other channels) and they stop being able to throw their weight around.
Although I guess they could just ignore any findings of the government like someone else we know and go about their business as usual w/o fear.
Or don't pay for any music and support the freedom of music. Bands that don't care about the money and seem to care about the music are the bands you should be for. If they are distributing their music for free and allowing you the freedom to make copies and distribute that for free, that who you should support!
Remember... When you are working for most companies your freedom to act on your own accord is not usually permitted and will probably end in your termination.
I am a supervisor of three employees where I work. They don't get to do things their way for a reason. They are free to make their feelings known as long as they understand that it is up to me to decide how/what goes on.
Don't like the way things are where you work? Leave. Someone else would be more than happy to do what their bosses tell them to while receiving their paycheck via direct deposit.
Remember that before you go spouting off about sheep.
Trust -- Devices serving as network endpoints can be integrated into to an easy to implement "trustworthy computing" model that leverages secure, digitally signed core system software. This is the critical first link in a "chain of trust." In addition, Phoenix d-NA will incorporate a new class of Windows-advantaged components that leverage the Microsoft CryptoAPI (CAPI) to provide unprecedented trust and intrinsic security for systems running Windows and.NET applications.
Trust? I don't trust either of these two companies to do anything but take over computer applications and hardware forcing people to use them to "protect" their investments.
Manageability -- Intelligent devices and servers based on Phoenix d-NA are able to provide self-management, self-healing and self-authentication as standard capabilities. By leveraging Phoenix d-NA, software developers in a wide range of categories, from identity management to asset management, will be able to incorporate intrinsic "device authentication" into the fabric of their offerings.
In other words, we are going to give you a unique fingerprint that can be traced back to you. You better not try anything funny with our digitally signed OSs.
Is Microsoft taking over the BIOS?
No, they are forcing us to use them. They are also forcing us to have our computers be traced back to us.
Phoenix and Microsoft recently announced that they were collaborating on CSS firmware focused on WinPE (Microsoft's Windows Preinstallation Environment tool), security, and future Microsoft client and server OS releases, intended to "improve a device's reliability, usability, manageability, and security."
Bullshit. It *might* be for some of this. It's most definitely not their main goal. They want to be able to stop their programs from being run w/o their authority. While this is all and good I don't believe our privacy should be violated to do so.
Who's to say that the BIOS won't phone home and report usage statistics on what OS is running, if there are multiple ones installed, what hardware is in use, etc... Just what we need, direct marketing due to hardware installations.
Would this be different if it was a group creating an open standard? Perhaps but I still wouldn't like it. Being that it is one of the most sinister corporations ever teaming up with a single BIOS company it worries me. I wonder if they realize that they are going to become Apple. Didn't they make their money because of open hardware?
A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
We are being told what to do be a single entity (the current regime), we are having the FBI look into demonstrations and their leaders as to stop possible terroism during those (and of course it is under the guise that it is for the good of the people protesting), we are told to go to a country and fight for its freedom to protect our own, and I don't even want to get into the racial profiling going on everyday regarind terrorism.
Just mentioned this to several of my "older" co-workers...
One told me I was insane for caring. "This went on in the 1950s and nothing bad happened why should you care now?"
Another said, "Well, I have lived a bit, traveled, moced about, have and have had friends on both sides of the law, have worked inside and outside of law enforcement, have been the victim of FBI intimidation when fighting racial hate crimes, have a Criminal Justice degree and completed half of law school, and with all that still find myself a free and able individual with nothing to fear from the law. So, no, I don't think you are being realistic."
When we have people that honestly believe this is for their benefit it will only get worse. It is truly a sad day when people choose to ignore history and believe that flag waving, rights waiving, non-sense that is fed to us daily by a near facist government.
no, it just sends you a form letter via email demanding your current life savings and says that if you respond to their blackmail they will leave you alone.
Slashdot Mirror
oh fucking horseshit. No one is confused between Lindows and Windows. This is the "digital age". Everyone knows that "Windows" is "Windows" and it is different from *a* window or *windows*. They also know that Lindows is not Windows and absolutely no one would be confused.
.02,
Let's face it, there is no arguing that Lindows is trying to look as close to Windows as possible... There's also no arguing that Windows shouldn't have been fucking owned by MS in the first place.
If the governments are going to go so far as to block Lindows, they better fucking block MS from calling it Windows as well.
If someone is confused between Lindows and Windows then they are certainly confused between Windows and windows.
Just my worthless
maybe for now. Just wait until there is a single tollbooth with a real person and the rest are EZ-Pass.
you mean create a law and have no method of enforcement? Oh wait, this is an EU law, I thought that level of stupidity was only available here in the US. ;)
Lifetime is a long time. I am guaranteed that my PC's service will at least last for as long as the hardware holds up and the software is still backed up somewhere in my house.
I just don't trust that Tivo will be around for my lifetime.
I trust my health to you and I *expect* that you take the time with me and explain every single, minute, and intricate detail to me.
I do research on every medication I take and fight tooth and nail with the doctor when she tries to feed me prescriptions that do little or nothing for my specific problems.
She routinely becomes annoyed with me and at my last visit laughed when she finally caught me on some minor technicality (I am not a fan of Toprol because it inhibits my sexual function and she gave me Toprol XL instead and thought it was very clever of her I guess to have me be confused by the two.)
Do not wrap care of the EKG machines into a "consulation" fee. You will call it an "EKG Maintenance Fee" if anything.
My insurance company pays her everytime I visit for her 7 years of schooling and experience. My EKG Consultation Fee should not when it isn't warranted.
Yes, like I said, I am 24 and the test was not necessary and she knew it. She did it for the money and you know it.
How about physicians? I had a couple appointments with my family doctor to regulate my blood pressure... At one of the earlier appointments she took an EKG. Being 24 and never having one before I wanted it explained to me. She spent 2 or 3 minutes (and I am being loose here with the timeframe, it was only as long as it took me to put on my jacket and hat) explaining the peaks and what she thought they meant.
.02,
Out the door I went into the world to get a new prescription filled and pay my co-pay...
A few weeks pass and the bill from the doctor's office comes showing what the insurance company paid, etc, and that I owed $5. No biggy, pretty typical. I did see that she charged my insurance company $103 for an "EKG Consultation Fee". Call me insane but there is absolutely no way she had the right to charge $103 for a 2 minute deal.
I went in the next time and not so calmly explained to her that she will not do that again without a) telling me what she is going to later charge, b) lying about what she was really doing, and c) being a cheat.
We wonder why insurance costs so much... It's because of hidden fees and bullshit that the medical industry decides to make a quick buck on.
That doctor made as much in 2 minutes as I do in 6 hours at work... She will NOT fleece me again like that... To those of you that say, "who cares, your insurance covered it." I say that my insurance co-pays just went up and they probably won't stop there. I am not going to stand idly by and watch this shit go down and you shouldn't either.
How about my bank? TCF here in Minnesota. I *pay* for their advanced online banking service (it's just like any other free service I have had before but it shows all the transactions immediately unlike their free version which just shows a balance). I started noticing that I was being charged for using out of network ATMs when I wasn't using them. I had four $6 charges in a six week period. I had to call them each time and get them removed. It wasn't an issue to get it removed it was the unsettling feeling that other people out there that don't have the advanced online banking are getting ripped off, a lot.
Sad state of affairs these days...
Just my worthless
no it's not relative. The reason we had to use FAT (which honestly isn't all that great of a filesystem) is because MS products became the standard through anti-competive practices (which they were found guilty of).
This may be a patented FS but it's certainly not something that would have been worth collecting on if they hadn't been a monopoly using their weight to force us to use the system.
The first FAT file system was developed by Microsoft in 1976. That system was based on the BASIC programming language and allowed programs and data to be stored on a floppy disk. Since that time, the FAT file system has been improved upon multiple times to take advantage of advances in computer technology, and to further refine and enrich the FAT file system itself.
Today, the FAT File system has become the ubiquitous format used for interchange of media between computers, and, since the advent of inexpensive, removable flash memory, also between digital devices. The FAT file system is now supported by a wide variety of operating systems running on all sizes of computers, from servers to personal digital assistants. In addition, many digital devices such as still and video cameras, audio recorders, video game systems, scanners, and printers make use of FAT file system technology.
Microsoft is offering to license its FAT file system specification and associated intellectual property. With this license, other companies have the opportunity to standardize the FAT file system implementation in their products, and to improve file system compatibility across a range of computing and consumer electronics devices.
Nice guys. Create a standard, realize its being used for a lot of devices after 27 years, see the chance for even more money you don't need, and then charge for it.
It's not worth 250k for a license. We had to use it in devices to remain compatible with an OS that was forced upon us.
Give me a break.
Of course it doesn't do anything for me. I am locked into a two-year agreement. I can't change carriers, look into other carriers, or even think about other carriers without first being charged $170.00.
.02,
Number portability... The commercials seem to point at the fact that you can now have your home phone number moved to a cell phone. While I do use my cell phone more than my land line I must say that having an actual phone plugged into the wall not really requiring any batteries, chargers, or antennas is nice.
My cell phone doesn't work all that well in my apartment, it rarely gets a call through on the first four or five times on the weekend, and it drops calls like mad when a plane flies overhead.
Honestly, it's just a gimmick. Something that was mandated for no real reason. It looks like something good but it just isn't what the advertisements and media claim. I liken it to the hype over the gold dollar. They went through all this trouble to design it, market it, and make sure coke machines took it and no one really cared.
As far as price-warring. The only service that I see with reasonable services and prices is T-mobile. They look fantastic until you pull up their coverage area... Here in the Twin Cities Metro area they have great coverage... Problem is I routinely travel outside of the metro area into western and southern MN along with western WI. No coverage there. Sad...
Until my cell service is mandated not to drop calls, not to require as much recharging, and not to have locked in contracts of 2 years, it won't do me any good.
Just my worthless
yup. and it means that they are going to do everything in their power to stop us from having any freedom. That includes forcing us to use a BIOS that will only "trust" their OS and thus render most hardware useless except for Windows.
See more here.
(Please note that this comment mentions that we have to trust them and they don't trust us.)
perhaps it is because I become nearly violent with them when they ask me to help with something.
I have absolutetly no interest in helping people with their computer problems. They didn't buy that computer from Dell to ask me to fix it.
Perhaps you aren't a raving asshole to them when they ask for help but you sure do come off as one when you post a comment for others that probably know as much, if not more, about computers than you do.
how about you stand up and watch your freedoms get shot down the drain? How about you get your name put on a subvert list so that you are searched at every terminal entrance and every flight you take?
How about you get followed by a caravan of cars everytime you goto the store to buy 1984 or 451?
You stop complaining about other people's drivel and YOU stand up for it. You want others to do the work for you yet you want to bitch that they aren't doing the same for you.
And the most important point of it all (from their FAQ):
2.2. Does it work with Netmeeting?
Yes, GnomeMeeting is compliant with all H.323 products, software and hardware.
At least the Windows users on the other end don't have to download any additional program, they can just continue to use what they did before...
basically. My webpage (nothing exciting) was ranked 6/10 for a while probably because of my overposting to Slashdot and having the URL listed.
Now, I just took a look at my page and the ranking is 0/10.
So it seems your fears are correct.
You know what is really sad? The fact that the RIAA was found guilty of price-fixing on CDs, was giving a one fingered slap on the wrist, and got to get out of paying pretty much anything by a loop-hole...
Support freedom of music people. Only support bands that allow the free copying, distribution, and listening of their music in any format you choose.
It's the public that supports the RIAA by purchasing their merchandise. DO NOT DO IT.
Sharing the Groove and FurthurNET
Market realities that radio is being consolidated into a handful of companies and you now have more control? Song royalties for Internet radio are cost prohibitive in most instances? You are spending millions of dollars to develop trash movies and music and the consumers aren't buying into it anymore?
How about we stop allowing them to pay off these lawmakers with huge donations (even through other channels) and they stop being able to throw their weight around.
Although I guess they could just ignore any findings of the government like someone else we know and go about their business as usual w/o fear.
now, I am going to steer clear of any sort of discussion regarding my absolute hatred of RFIDs and their privacy implications.
That said... What stops people now from rummaging through your garbage, finding your bank statements, and draining your bank accounts?
Who needs to hack any sort of PW/encryption to do it now?
Or don't pay for any music and support the freedom of music. Bands that don't care about the money and seem to care about the music are the bands you should be for. If they are distributing their music for free and allowing you the freedom to make copies and distribute that for free, that who you should support!
sharingthegroove.com and FurthurNET
Sheep no. Do what they are told? Yes.
Remember... When you are working for most companies your freedom to act on your own accord is not usually permitted and will probably end in your termination.
I am a supervisor of three employees where I work. They don't get to do things their way for a reason. They are free to make their feelings known as long as they understand that it is up to me to decide how/what goes on.
Don't like the way things are where you work? Leave. Someone else would be more than happy to do what their bosses tell them to while receiving their paycheck via direct deposit.
Remember that before you go spouting off about sheep.
Trust -- Devices serving as network endpoints can be integrated into to an easy to implement "trustworthy computing" model that leverages secure, digitally signed core system software. This is the critical first link in a "chain of trust." In addition, Phoenix d-NA will incorporate a new class of Windows-advantaged components that leverage the Microsoft CryptoAPI (CAPI) to provide unprecedented trust and intrinsic security for systems running Windows and .NET applications.
.02,
Trust? I don't trust either of these two companies to do anything but take over computer applications and hardware forcing people to use them to "protect" their investments.
Manageability -- Intelligent devices and servers based on Phoenix d-NA are able to provide self-management, self-healing and self-authentication as standard capabilities. By leveraging Phoenix d-NA, software developers in a wide range of categories, from identity management to asset management, will be able to incorporate intrinsic "device authentication" into the fabric of their offerings.
In other words, we are going to give you a unique fingerprint that can be traced back to you. You better not try anything funny with our digitally signed OSs.
Is Microsoft taking over the BIOS?
No, they are forcing us to use them. They are also forcing us to have our computers be traced back to us.
Phoenix and Microsoft recently announced that they were collaborating on CSS firmware focused on WinPE (Microsoft's Windows Preinstallation Environment tool), security, and future Microsoft client and server OS releases, intended to "improve a device's reliability, usability, manageability, and security."
Bullshit. It *might* be for some of this. It's most definitely not their main goal. They want to be able to stop their programs from being run w/o their authority. While this is all and good I don't believe our privacy should be violated to do so.
Who's to say that the BIOS won't phone home and report usage statistics on what OS is running, if there are multiple ones installed, what hardware is in use, etc... Just what we need, direct marketing due to hardware installations.
Would this be different if it was a group creating an open standard? Perhaps but I still wouldn't like it. Being that it is one of the most sinister corporations ever teaming up with a single BIOS company it worries me. I wonder if they realize that they are going to become Apple. Didn't they make their money because of open hardware?
Just my worthless
I guess it needs to be defined for you then:
A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
We are being told what to do be a single entity (the current regime), we are having the FBI look into demonstrations and their leaders as to stop possible terroism during those (and of course it is under the guise that it is for the good of the people protesting), we are told to go to a country and fight for its freedom to protect our own, and I don't even want to get into the racial profiling going on everyday regarind terrorism.
do I care? No. I don't care what it is *CURRENTLY* being used for (under that close eye everyone is giving it).
What I *do* care about is it being used for years under acceptable terms and then being pulled out and used against your "J. Q. C." because it can be.
I will NOT be lumped into a group of automatic guilty people like terrorists just because the fascist government thinks that it is best for us.
You shouldn't want that either. It might not affect you NOW. But it might have an effect on you later or five generations from now.
really? the voters? We get a choice between Moron and his party 1 and the other Moron and his party 2.
It's like getting a choice between Windows ME and Windows 98SE.
Just mentioned this to several of my "older" co-workers...
.02,
One told me I was insane for caring. "This went on in the 1950s and nothing bad happened why should you care now?"
Another said, "Well, I have lived a bit, traveled, moced about, have and have had friends on both sides of the law, have worked inside and outside of law enforcement, have been the victim of FBI intimidation when fighting racial hate crimes, have a Criminal Justice degree and completed half of law school, and with all that still find myself a free and able individual with nothing to fear from the law. So, no, I don't think you are being realistic."
When we have people that honestly believe this is for their benefit it will only get worse. It is truly a sad day when people choose to ignore history and believe that flag waving, rights waiving, non-sense that is fed to us daily by a near facist government.
Just my worthless
no, it just sends you a form letter via email demanding your current life savings and says that if you respond to their blackmail they will leave you alone.