eno2001:Actually, the reason I've stopped thinking of myself as a geek is that I find most geeks and I don't relate to each other at all.
Yes, yes, sometimes relating to other geeks can be hard. An interest in computers does not necessarily imply an interest in mathematics, physics, or science fiction. Aside from computers, where my interest currently lies in Web design, I'm interested in the French language, creative writing, drawing, history, politics, cooking, bicycling, tennis, etc. I have found computer science, as a university major, to be tediously boring. I'm aware knowing about the various abstract data types and algorithms is useful in writing efficient programs, but I don't get anything out of that stuff. However, like most of my fellow geeks, I am blessed with astonishingly poor social skills and little luck with members of the opposite sex; I'm sure I'm not the only geek who seems to hit it off with a woman only never to see or hear from her again.
Your piracy example is a poor choice, in my opinion. You are essentially presented with four choices: (1) Purchase Microsoft Windows XP legally; (2) get an illegal copy of Windows XP; (3) use a product other than Windows, such as Debian GNU/Linux, Fedora Linux, FreeBSD, or the Mac OS X; or (4) do without a computer. In Cases 3 and 4, Microsoft obviously "failed to make a sale." However, Choice 2 is less clear.
If Choice 2 were unavailable to you for some reason, would you decide on Choice 1? If you would, my opinion is that Microsoft did in fact lose money because you are relying on the actionable offense of copyright infringement to acquire a copyrighted work without paying the author.
If you don't like the fact that Microsoft charges a price of its own determination for its products, you do have options--and not just those mentioned above. You could try legal routes to make Microsoft lower its prices through competing products, for example.
Wireless carriers whining about being unable to compete with WiFi hotspots is not equivalent to Microsoft's grievance against software copyright infringement. Don't try to justify your unwillingness to use a legal alternative like Linux with such a comparison.
I use Microsoft Windows XP, Professional Edition, Service Pack 2; yet my computer is missing the viruses mentioned in this article. Where did I go wrong? My Web browser is Mozilla Firefox 1.0, and my e-mail client is Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0. Should I change these? Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP-2 is resident on my computer for testing my websites in this popular program. Should I browse more freely with it? I prefer to use open-source-licensed software on my computer when possible (except the OS itself, although I do have an underutilized Debian partition). Should I start downloading random programs without being sure they do not contain any kind of malware?
I just want to get along better with my fellow Windows users! Please, help!
I personally haven't noticed any performance problems with Mozilla Firefox, but I am using a fairly high-performance laptop. I did notice a slight speed boost switching from the Mozilla suite, though. Firefox loads in the blink of an eye for me, so I don't need any faster, and I think an abstraction layer for the GUI is a good thing. Let's not forget other applications can use XUL and Gecko.
Though DiLorenzo does discuss the technology industry in this article--as an example--I am at a loss as to how this article is especially relevant to a site that purports to be, "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters." This article comes from the self-proclaimed Foundation for Economic Education, which I am assuming is some kind of libertarian-oriented organization. In other words, the author has no need to present alternative points of view because his publisher's (i.e., the FEE's) purpose is not merely to inform but rather to persuade.
DiLorenzo is by and large preaching to the choir. He provides only a trifle of evidence to support his anti-antitrust opinion and instead relies on the classic logical fallacies of ad hominem attack, among others: "The antitrust laws provide a means by which sour-grapes competitors can achieve through politics what they fail to achieve in the marketplace." Such an argument is insulting to the intelligence of an informed, objective audience.
Admittedly, my politics do lean liberal, but I do consider other points of view. Actually, I believe considering a variety of viewpoints is necessary to a liberal worldview. However, arguments that only belittle opposing points of view have no power to convince me. I would like to believe my fellow Slashdotters of all politcal stripes would be outraged by this pandering as well.
Marek Strihavka can contribute to computer security technologically simply from his skill and knowledge. However, the Slashdot title claimed this interview would give us insight into the inner world of the typical virus writer. Not really. What I mean to suggest is to learn more about the thought processes of the prototypical virus writer, the attentive Slashdotter should read some real psychological work, not just this interview.
In relation to your ethical question, yes, I probably would make an effort to return a person's lost wallet or purse if I found it. I would also return a person's $20 bill if I noticed they dropped it. Money is not the be-all and end-all of life, so why would I particularly want to keep it anyway? I actually find the notion that some people derive satisfaction from buying new stuff alien and hard to understand. Honestly, I think many people lack a sense of direction in their life and just try to fill the void with crap.
One of my hobbies is psychology, and I would like to offer my opinion of Marek Strihavka's unstated underlying motives. Along with many criminals, including criminal computer crackers and virus coders, Strihavka shows signs of an antisocial personality type.
Contrived morality is a component of this personality style: He does not accept responsibility for the likelihood that other people will use his destructive source code to harm others; he does, though, realize he would be culpable for his actions if he did the spreading himself. He cares more about avoiding punishment than avoiding hurting others through his actions.
As with most people exhibiting an antisocial personality type, Strihavka craves novelty (writing new viruses) and excitement (the rush from testing his skill and dangling on the border of the law). Another common characteristic of people like Strihavka is opportunism: He plays both sides.
Certainly ego plays a large role in this. People with an antisocial personality type enjoy the small amount of fame they get from interviews like these, especially if they get to talk about their shady hobbies. Another aspect where ego is involved is in his justification for virus writing: Of course he doesn't spread the viruses himself; that'd be stupid; he'd get caught! He even says his lack of consideration is a way of doing something good for society: He's pointing out the insecurities in our technology (he could find a more responsible way to do thisby , for example, informing the software vendor/authors before releasing his code).
In summary, you'd learn more about the mind of a virus writer by reading psychological information about antisocial personality types than by reading this interview.
Oh yeah! The ad for Mozilla Firefox is in the centerfold of the frontpage section of today's (Thursday, December 16, 2004's) issue of The New York Times. Now that is something to pin up on your wall!
I am in the process of establishing a presence on a new domain, and that includes an e-mail address. I also maintain a university e-mail address. I would like to be able to send my e-mail using the SMTP server specific to that account. Is that possible in Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 Release Candidate 1?
Sometimes we geeks need to pat ourselves on the back and remind ourselves of the outstanding contributions we are making to society. However, now is not the time!
Friends, Slashdotters, the geek's image remains tarnished in the eyes of the neophyte. Our job is not yet complete; we have yet to see the fruits of our labor, that bountiful feast. Lest we forget the pain we suffered, those names the less intelligent called us, we shall work diligently to show the world that geekdom truly makes the world go 'round. Even today, they sling arrows at us, calling us such things as loner, loser, weirdo, and moron. Or maybe that's just me.
For years, we've been told this or that is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Now the mainstream is trying to use techniques supposedly forbidden under the DMCA against propogators of malicious code. Do I smell hypocrisy?
I'm sometimes fairly accurate at predicting and estimating things, but I do have to have some prior experience or foreknowledge. Many of the questions were about UK history, geography, and politics, which brought my accuracy rating down considerably. I got 97 points out of 310, so I got a 31% accuracy rating. I demand cultural equality!
As someone with ADD/ADHD, I have to say this is not necessarily the case. Although I enjoy some activities, I prefer them to be low stress and "fun." If I get two or more major projects to work on at the same time, I tend to stress out and procrastinate on both of them. In conclusion, not everyone with ADD/ADHD likes loads of stress.
It is true that I break down easily under even the smallest application of pressure. If I have two things to work on at the same time, stress! If my boss has an anal retentive personality, stress and more stress! If something goes wrong, I assume I'm somehow at least marginally at fault; ergo, more stress!
My solution is to go through the day, sitting in front of a computer and reading Slashdot.
This is so true. When I bought my high-power laptop posing as a desktop last summer, I was considering foregoing the removable floppy disk drive; but I decided to get it because I do have a few floppy disks of things that I use once every five blue moons. In the year or so that I've owned my deliciously sweet Dell Inspiron 8500, I've swapped in the 3.5-inch diskette drive once or twice at the most.
Now you're probably not wondering: What did I do with all those disks of data and shareware programs that I made over the years (from 1995 till now)? Nothing. Bit rot's already taken care of most of those disks anyway. CD-Rs and the Internet have thoroughly replaced the need for an unreliable, low-capacity digital data storage mechanism for me.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 should include a feature that discovers the topics the user is most interested in and do a background search to find websites of interest. These can be viewed in a "Sites to See" pane or something like that.
If nothing else, this feature would automate the tedious porn finding process, thus ensuring the undying gratitude of approximately 60% of Internet users.
Yes, most people won't be able to remember these visual images in detail, but that doesn't apply to that minuscule number of people who have eidetic memories. What do we do about them?
There is something called schizoaffective disorder whose symptomology combines features of both schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (manic depression) or another affective (mood) disorder.
Great. more reasons never to leave my desk. so many nasty little bugs out there;)
Don't feel like you need to be chained to your desk to avoid all those nasty microbes out there! For the very reasonable price of only $4,055, I will sell you a sterile bubble you can enjoy life in!
Hurry! This special offer is for a limited time only. Don't miss out on the chance to be rolled down a steep hill, see the glare of the sun on your very own bubble, and breathe the poorly recirculated air!
Slashdot Mirror
Yes, yes, sometimes relating to other geeks can be hard. An interest in computers does not necessarily imply an interest in mathematics, physics, or science fiction. Aside from computers, where my interest currently lies in Web design, I'm interested in the French language, creative writing, drawing, history, politics, cooking, bicycling, tennis, etc. I have found computer science, as a university major, to be tediously boring. I'm aware knowing about the various abstract data types and algorithms is useful in writing efficient programs, but I don't get anything out of that stuff. However, like most of my fellow geeks, I am blessed with astonishingly poor social skills and little luck with members of the opposite sex; I'm sure I'm not the only geek who seems to hit it off with a woman only never to see or hear from her again.
This begs the question: What's your "weird agenda"?
You won't be arrested for being an evil L'/nX h4x0r d00d.
Your piracy example is a poor choice, in my opinion. You are essentially presented with four choices: (1) Purchase Microsoft Windows XP legally; (2) get an illegal copy of Windows XP; (3) use a product other than Windows, such as Debian GNU/Linux, Fedora Linux, FreeBSD, or the Mac OS X; or (4) do without a computer. In Cases 3 and 4, Microsoft obviously "failed to make a sale." However, Choice 2 is less clear.
If Choice 2 were unavailable to you for some reason, would you decide on Choice 1? If you would, my opinion is that Microsoft did in fact lose money because you are relying on the actionable offense of copyright infringement to acquire a copyrighted work without paying the author.
If you don't like the fact that Microsoft charges a price of its own determination for its products, you do have options--and not just those mentioned above. You could try legal routes to make Microsoft lower its prices through competing products, for example.
Wireless carriers whining about being unable to compete with WiFi hotspots is not equivalent to Microsoft's grievance against software copyright infringement. Don't try to justify your unwillingness to use a legal alternative like Linux with such a comparison.
Hello, fellow Slashdotters,
I use Microsoft Windows XP, Professional Edition, Service Pack 2; yet my computer is missing the viruses mentioned in this article. Where did I go wrong? My Web browser is Mozilla Firefox 1.0, and my e-mail client is Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0. Should I change these? Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP-2 is resident on my computer for testing my websites in this popular program. Should I browse more freely with it? I prefer to use open-source-licensed software on my computer when possible (except the OS itself, although I do have an underutilized Debian partition). Should I start downloading random programs without being sure they do not contain any kind of malware?
I just want to get along better with my fellow Windows users! Please, help!
I personally haven't noticed any performance problems with Mozilla Firefox, but I am using a fairly high-performance laptop. I did notice a slight speed boost switching from the Mozilla suite, though. Firefox loads in the blink of an eye for me, so I don't need any faster, and I think an abstraction layer for the GUI is a good thing. Let's not forget other applications can use XUL and Gecko.
Though DiLorenzo does discuss the technology industry in this article--as an example--I am at a loss as to how this article is especially relevant to a site that purports to be, "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters." This article comes from the self-proclaimed Foundation for Economic Education, which I am assuming is some kind of libertarian-oriented organization. In other words, the author has no need to present alternative points of view because his publisher's (i.e., the FEE's) purpose is not merely to inform but rather to persuade.
DiLorenzo is by and large preaching to the choir. He provides only a trifle of evidence to support his anti-antitrust opinion and instead relies on the classic logical fallacies of ad hominem attack, among others: "The antitrust laws provide a means by which sour-grapes competitors can achieve through politics what they fail to achieve in the marketplace." Such an argument is insulting to the intelligence of an informed, objective audience.
Admittedly, my politics do lean liberal, but I do consider other points of view. Actually, I believe considering a variety of viewpoints is necessary to a liberal worldview. However, arguments that only belittle opposing points of view have no power to convince me. I would like to believe my fellow Slashdotters of all politcal stripes would be outraged by this pandering as well.
Marek Strihavka can contribute to computer security technologically simply from his skill and knowledge. However, the Slashdot title claimed this interview would give us insight into the inner world of the typical virus writer. Not really. What I mean to suggest is to learn more about the thought processes of the prototypical virus writer, the attentive Slashdotter should read some real psychological work, not just this interview.
In relation to your ethical question, yes, I probably would make an effort to return a person's lost wallet or purse if I found it. I would also return a person's $20 bill if I noticed they dropped it. Money is not the be-all and end-all of life, so why would I particularly want to keep it anyway? I actually find the notion that some people derive satisfaction from buying new stuff alien and hard to understand. Honestly, I think many people lack a sense of direction in their life and just try to fill the void with crap.
One of my hobbies is psychology, and I would like to offer my opinion of Marek Strihavka's unstated underlying motives. Along with many criminals, including criminal computer crackers and virus coders, Strihavka shows signs of an antisocial personality type.
Contrived morality is a component of this personality style: He does not accept responsibility for the likelihood that other people will use his destructive source code to harm others; he does, though, realize he would be culpable for his actions if he did the spreading himself. He cares more about avoiding punishment than avoiding hurting others through his actions.
As with most people exhibiting an antisocial personality type, Strihavka craves novelty (writing new viruses) and excitement (the rush from testing his skill and dangling on the border of the law). Another common characteristic of people like Strihavka is opportunism: He plays both sides.
Certainly ego plays a large role in this. People with an antisocial personality type enjoy the small amount of fame they get from interviews like these, especially if they get to talk about their shady hobbies. Another aspect where ego is involved is in his justification for virus writing: Of course he doesn't spread the viruses himself; that'd be stupid; he'd get caught! He even says his lack of consideration is a way of doing something good for society: He's pointing out the insecurities in our technology (he could find a more responsible way to do thisby , for example, informing the software vendor/authors before releasing his code).
In summary, you'd learn more about the mind of a virus writer by reading psychological information about antisocial personality types than by reading this interview.
Oh yeah! The ad for Mozilla Firefox is in the centerfold of the frontpage section of today's (Thursday, December 16, 2004's) issue of The New York Times. Now that is something to pin up on your wall!
I am in the process of establishing a presence on a new domain, and that includes an e-mail address. I also maintain a university e-mail address. I would like to be able to send my e-mail using the SMTP server specific to that account. Is that possible in Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 Release Candidate 1?
I've been able to get broadcast TV anywhere ever since I could remember. Are you guys living in Alaska or something?
Sometimes we geeks need to pat ourselves on the back and remind ourselves of the outstanding contributions we are making to society. However, now is not the time!
Friends, Slashdotters, the geek's image remains tarnished in the eyes of the neophyte. Our job is not yet complete; we have yet to see the fruits of our labor, that bountiful feast. Lest we forget the pain we suffered, those names the less intelligent called us, we shall work diligently to show the world that geekdom truly makes the world go 'round. Even today, they sling arrows at us, calling us such things as loner, loser, weirdo, and moron. Or maybe that's just me.
For years, we've been told this or that is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Now the mainstream is trying to use techniques supposedly forbidden under the DMCA against propogators of malicious code. Do I smell hypocrisy?
How long is it going to be before we learn how to harness the awesome computational power of the infant mind for the betterment of humanity?
I'm terrible at poker and always have been. Even my grandparents can beat me! I dare not play where large amounts of money are at risk.
How can we be sure it's not just Homer Simpson lost in the Congo?
I'm sometimes fairly accurate at predicting and estimating things, but I do have to have some prior experience or foreknowledge. Many of the questions were about UK history, geography, and politics, which brought my accuracy rating down considerably. I got 97 points out of 310, so I got a 31% accuracy rating. I demand cultural equality!
As someone with ADD/ADHD, I have to say this is not necessarily the case. Although I enjoy some activities, I prefer them to be low stress and "fun." If I get two or more major projects to work on at the same time, I tend to stress out and procrastinate on both of them. In conclusion, not everyone with ADD/ADHD likes loads of stress.
It is true that I break down easily under even the smallest application of pressure. If I have two things to work on at the same time, stress! If my boss has an anal retentive personality, stress and more stress! If something goes wrong, I assume I'm somehow at least marginally at fault; ergo, more stress!
My solution is to go through the day, sitting in front of a computer and reading Slashdot.
This is so true. When I bought my high-power laptop posing as a desktop last summer, I was considering foregoing the removable floppy disk drive; but I decided to get it because I do have a few floppy disks of things that I use once every five blue moons. In the year or so that I've owned my deliciously sweet Dell Inspiron 8500, I've swapped in the 3.5-inch diskette drive once or twice at the most.
Now you're probably not wondering: What did I do with all those disks of data and shareware programs that I made over the years (from 1995 till now)? Nothing. Bit rot's already taken care of most of those disks anyway. CD-Rs and the Internet have thoroughly replaced the need for an unreliable, low-capacity digital data storage mechanism for me.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 should include a feature that discovers the topics the user is most interested in and do a background search to find websites of interest. These can be viewed in a "Sites to See" pane or something like that.
If nothing else, this feature would automate the tedious porn finding process, thus ensuring the undying gratitude of approximately 60% of Internet users.
Yes, most people won't be able to remember these visual images in detail, but that doesn't apply to that minuscule number of people who have eidetic memories. What do we do about them?
There is something called schizoaffective disorder whose symptomology combines features of both schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (manic depression) or another affective (mood) disorder.
Don't feel like you need to be chained to your desk to avoid all those nasty microbes out there! For the very reasonable price of only $4,055, I will sell you a sterile bubble you can enjoy life in!
Hurry! This special offer is for a limited time only. Don't miss out on the chance to be rolled down a steep hill, see the glare of the sun on your very own bubble, and breathe the poorly recirculated air!