Why can't someone's hard work just be simply respected? It isn't that hard
I don't quite understand why it's so hard for YOU to understand this issue. Modding equipment doesn't take away the ability of the manufacturer to make money off of their product. It actually EXPANDS it. Hasbro can continue to make their kids content and market it to kids (that is their market you know). But by allowing it to be modded they are opening up a new sales channel: Adults who want to play specialized content. So now they have people buying the unit for kids but you also have other adults -- MILLIONS of CHILDLESS adults who wouldn't buy this otherwise -- buying it because they can mod it to play their own content.
This particular project isn't going to be something that's going to have earthshaking implications for anyone. But the freedom to tinker with the equipment we buy actually helps the manufacturers. They just need to realize that.
All of these centralized blacklists have made so many enemies in their history that any finger pointing is simply laughable. They have made powerful enemies, including the large ISPs who happen to be the only ones that in a position to stem these attacks. This is not your normal DDOS: it is not only the originators of the DDOS, but the very network itself that wants them destroyed!
Why would anyone assume or even suspect that the ISP's or other networks would be involved in this attack? It's silly to believe that reputable businesses would deliberately put themselves in line for criminal prosecution just because they're ticked off at the blacklists. There is just too much the stand to lose by participating in such an attack.
According to recent reports from our sources it seems that a mass revolution is taking place in the ham radio world tonight. After a short article appeared on the popular Slashdot website the ham radio frequencies were flooded with new users bringing towers, repeaters, and other equipment arount the world to a virtual standstill.
While we're still trying to determine if this could perhaps be the first radiowave based denial of service attack we were assured by knowledgable users that it most likely isn't. According to someone identifying themselves as BSDZealot, most of the on air chatter seems to consists of people calling each other gay niggers, fucktards, idiots, and making random pro/con statements about the usability of Windows versus Linux. More at 11.
Actually, I don't feel as stupid as you should when you find out that 1) I did read the article and 2) my post was an extrapolation of the information that was in the article. It was done as HUMOR. You DO know what humor is right?
And I am well aware that there is more to USENET other than the MS groups. I was on USENET before there WERE any MS Newsgroups so I am well aware of it. Now, go play with your mom's panties again okay?:-)
It has been determined that your use of the USENET service is in violation of the Microsoft USENET License (MUSEL). According to our records, you have repeated to such groups as comp.os.linux, alt.php, and other non-Microsoft approved newsgroups. According to the terms of the license you agreed to by turning on your computer, you are only allowed to post to Microsoft-centric and/or owned groups.
Since this is a serious violation of the terms of MUSEL we are revoking your use of the USENET service and have already automatically updated your computer to reflect this change. As of 7:00am CST today, your computer will not allow you to access anything related to USENET (including GOOGLE Groups, Newfeeds.com, etc). Any attempt to bypass this restriction will result in a compliance violation being filed against you, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years in prison.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter. And thank you for allowing Microsoft to choose you as a user.
Dear Slashdot Poster,
Earlier today it was brought to our attention that an article posted to the Slashdot.com website mentioned that SCO executives were selling off their interests in the company.
This letter is to inform you that the terms "SCO" and "SCO Stock" used in conjunction are owned exclusively by SCO and any unauthorized use without proper licensing is a violation of our intellectual property.
In a good-faith effort to allow the general public to bring their posts about the SCO Company into licensing compliance, we are offering you the limited opportunity to properly license the terms "SCO" and "SCO Stock" for only $15,000 USD. This fee will not only allow you to use the terms "SCO" and "SCO Stock" but also the more valuable term "SCO Executives" without the need to pay any further licensing fees. It will be in effect until August 15th 2003 after which the fee will increase to $35,000 USD and WILL NOT include the right to use the term "SCO Executives" in your posts.
Please contact SCO if you have any additional questions or to purchase a license. We appreciate your compliance with our demands and hope to have a long business relationship with you in the future.
Sincerely,
SCO(tm)
Check out the great Linux PC I'm selling!
1) Encrypt everything and place everything on a WAN that is not connected to the outside world.
2) Generate a unique/random PIN for each voter at the moment they walk into the polling station. Lock out that name/SSN from any further votes once a vote has been cast.
3) Utilize a small in-station camera that can be matched against a vote in case of alledged fraud.
While I know that item #3 will cause some privacy concerns, all image data could would be removed once the polling station closes.
...that it's a Microsoft funded study be its' own rebuttal? Does anyone really think that this "study" would have seen the light of day if it DIDN'T say Windows was superior? I'm shocked this even made it on/.
Thinking that paying someone to write free software is somehow contrary to the spirit of what free software is about seems to have become a general way of thinking to consumers and programmers alike. But WHY do you think it's so wrong? After all, the GPL never specifies that free software should be cost free or that one shouldn't pay programmers to write it. It's free as in speech not always as in beer...
Tux
If you're interested in developing in a VB-like RAD tool on Linux you should definately check out XBasic. As I understand it, the next version (who knows WHEN that will come out) is going to include a VB converter too.
What OS isn't suceptible? Read Bugtraq and you'll see that there are exploits to almost every OS out there and literally hundreds of ways into gasp even our beloved Linux. The absolute BEST solution to our current virus problem is USER TRAINING. I do routine security training as part of my consulting business and it astounds me the complete lack of knowledge most users have about these things. Get your users paranoid, make them proactive, and you'll see the incidents fall like flies.
While this article and the accompanying website are interesting to say the least I still remain a bit skeptical. First, the site states that you can save the contents of memory and in essense "go back in time" to see what WOULD have happened had you chosen differently. But that doesn't hold up as true if the machines are, as they claim they are, totally random. If this were true then I should be able to replay memory contents over and over with the same results every time I gave the same input. Of course, that doesn't happen.
Next, how do we know that the code provided in the emulator IS the acutal code the machines are running? If the gaming companies are scamming I'm sure they didn't willingly hand over the code to the sites author and if he reverse engineered it then he certainly opened himself up to a whole slew of UK copyright violations. How do we know the author isn't some anti-gaming advocate who wrote this "proof of concept" specifically to support his point? We don't.
As someone who's worked as a software developer for a gaming company (albiet not a fruit machine) in the past I can tell you that they go through great lengths to make sure the machines are as fair and random as possible. The risks are simply too great for them not to do so. But I, for one, will be watching this story closely to see if it hits the courts. I think that will be the ultimate test of it's validity.
I don't understand why there is all the fuss about this within the community. If there ARE these IP violations as SCO claims (which I doubt there are) then wouldn't it be a simple matter of the Linux teams to rewrite the code that is in dispute and make it their own? Or maybe just do things slightly differently than the way SCO does it.
Anthony
I think this is a classic example of the rampant egos that are beginning to once again dominate IT. Who CARES what we are called? And WHY should the title SysAdmin change? After all, be you someone who sets up a LAN, WAN, Linux computer, router, bridge, or whatever...you still ARE a System Administrator. Let's all get over the catchy titles and cool sounding job descriptions. If you're in it for the name you're in the wrong business.
It never fails to amuse me when I see the gray cloud that we tech users have drawn around ethics, morals, right, and wrong. IMHO, we've deliberately created this cloud in an attempt to justify things in the cyberworld that we couldn't justify in our real world. If you think about it, answering the "what is moral or ethical" question is simple. If it's wrong in the real world then why would the exact same thing, or some variation of the same thing, be right or ethical in the cyberworld? The line doesn't blur just because the locale changes. So perhaps a better topic to address is "What are morals and ethics and how are they defined?" It's more of a sociological question than a tech one.
CaptainTux
Spammers are getting more sophisticated in their never ending attempt at avoiding detection and having their service shut off. Most spammers these days don't use their own ISP to send mail and prefer to send through "anonymous proxies" that are usually misconfigured mail servers in different parts of the world. Charging per email would only prevent legitimate users from sending email because it could become cost prohibitive. Spammers, on the other hand, wouldn't be stopped at all. Get real!
Slashdot Mirror
Ummm....doesn't that kind of cover all litigation? Not to limited there!
I don't quite understand why it's so hard for YOU to understand this issue. Modding equipment doesn't take away the ability of the manufacturer to make money off of their product. It actually EXPANDS it. Hasbro can continue to make their kids content and market it to kids (that is their market you know). But by allowing it to be modded they are opening up a new sales channel: Adults who want to play specialized content. So now they have people buying the unit for kids but you also have other adults -- MILLIONS of CHILDLESS adults who wouldn't buy this otherwise -- buying it because they can mod it to play their own content.
This particular project isn't going to be something that's going to have earthshaking implications for anyone. But the freedom to tinker with the equipment we buy actually helps the manufacturers. They just need to realize that.
Tux
Check out the great Linux based consumer based PC I have for sale!
Why would anyone assume or even suspect that the ISP's or other networks would be involved in this attack? It's silly to believe that reputable businesses would deliberately put themselves in line for criminal prosecution just because they're ticked off at the blacklists. There is just too much the stand to lose by participating in such an attack.
See the great new Linux PC I have for sale
According to recent reports from our sources it seems that a mass revolution is taking place in the ham radio world tonight. After a short article appeared on the popular Slashdot website the ham radio frequencies were flooded with new users bringing towers, repeaters, and other equipment arount the world to a virtual standstill.
While we're still trying to determine if this could perhaps be the first radiowave based denial of service attack we were assured by knowledgable users that it most likely isn't. According to someone identifying themselves as BSDZealot, most of the on air chatter seems to consists of people calling each other gay niggers, fucktards, idiots, and making random pro/con statements about the usability of Windows versus Linux. More at 11.
Might we see a new distro of Linux targeted at hams? Maybe XV7VYK2 Linux? hehe Tux
And I am well aware that there is more to USENET other than the MS groups. I was on USENET before there WERE any MS Newsgroups so I am well aware of it. Now, go play with your mom's panties again okay? :-)
It has been determined that your use of the USENET service is in violation of the Microsoft USENET License (MUSEL). According to our records, you have repeated to such groups as comp.os.linux, alt.php, and other non-Microsoft approved newsgroups. According to the terms of the license you agreed to by turning on your computer, you are only allowed to post to Microsoft-centric and/or owned groups.
Since this is a serious violation of the terms of MUSEL we are revoking your use of the USENET service and have already automatically updated your computer to reflect this change. As of 7:00am CST today, your computer will not allow you to access anything related to USENET (including GOOGLE Groups, Newfeeds.com, etc). Any attempt to bypass this restriction will result in a compliance violation being filed against you, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years in prison.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter. And thank you for allowing Microsoft to choose you as a user.
Sincerely,
The Microsoft USENET Compliance Team
You get a REALLY cool, internet-wide version of Core Wars! :-)
Dear Slashdot Poster, Earlier today it was brought to our attention that an article posted to the Slashdot.com website mentioned that SCO executives were selling off their interests in the company. This letter is to inform you that the terms "SCO" and "SCO Stock" used in conjunction are owned exclusively by SCO and any unauthorized use without proper licensing is a violation of our intellectual property. In a good-faith effort to allow the general public to bring their posts about the SCO Company into licensing compliance, we are offering you the limited opportunity to properly license the terms "SCO" and "SCO Stock" for only $15,000 USD. This fee will not only allow you to use the terms "SCO" and "SCO Stock" but also the more valuable term "SCO Executives" without the need to pay any further licensing fees. It will be in effect until August 15th 2003 after which the fee will increase to $35,000 USD and WILL NOT include the right to use the term "SCO Executives" in your posts. Please contact SCO if you have any additional questions or to purchase a license. We appreciate your compliance with our demands and hope to have a long business relationship with you in the future. Sincerely, SCO(tm) Check out the great Linux PC I'm selling!
1) Encrypt everything and place everything on a WAN that is not connected to the outside world.
2) Generate a unique/random PIN for each voter at the moment they walk into the polling station. Lock out that name/SSN from any further votes once a vote has been cast.
3) Utilize a small in-station camera that can be matched against a vote in case of alledged fraud.
While I know that item #3 will cause some privacy concerns, all image data could would be removed once the polling station closes.
Tux
Check out the great Linux PC I'm selling!
Check out the new Linux PC I have for sale.
Thinking that paying someone to write free software is somehow contrary to the spirit of what free software is about seems to have become a general way of thinking to consumers and programmers alike. But WHY do you think it's so wrong? After all, the GPL never specifies that free software should be cost free or that one shouldn't pay programmers to write it. It's free as in speech not always as in beer... Tux
If you're interested in developing in a VB-like RAD tool on Linux you should definately check out XBasic. As I understand it, the next version (who knows WHEN that will come out) is going to include a VB converter too.
Anthony
I wonder how the RIAA would react if the music industry faced a boycott? I could go for a while without buying new music. What about anyone else?
Next, how do we know that the code provided in the emulator IS the acutal code the machines are running? If the gaming companies are scamming I'm sure they didn't willingly hand over the code to the sites author and if he reverse engineered it then he certainly opened himself up to a whole slew of UK copyright violations. How do we know the author isn't some anti-gaming advocate who wrote this "proof of concept" specifically to support his point? We don't.
As someone who's worked as a software developer for a gaming company (albiet not a fruit machine) in the past I can tell you that they go through great lengths to make sure the machines are as fair and random as possible. The risks are simply too great for them not to do so. But I, for one, will be watching this story closely to see if it hits the courts. I think that will be the ultimate test of it's validity.
Anthony
I don't understand why there is all the fuss about this within the community. If there ARE these IP violations as SCO claims (which I doubt there are) then wouldn't it be a simple matter of the Linux teams to rewrite the code that is in dispute and make it their own? Or maybe just do things slightly differently than the way SCO does it. Anthony
I think this is a classic example of the rampant egos that are beginning to once again dominate IT. Who CARES what we are called? And WHY should the title SysAdmin change? After all, be you someone who sets up a LAN, WAN, Linux computer, router, bridge, or whatever...you still ARE a System Administrator. Let's all get over the catchy titles and cool sounding job descriptions. If you're in it for the name you're in the wrong business.
Tux
It never fails to amuse me when I see the gray cloud that we tech users have drawn around ethics, morals, right, and wrong. IMHO, we've deliberately created this cloud in an attempt to justify things in the cyberworld that we couldn't justify in our real world. If you think about it, answering the "what is moral or ethical" question is simple. If it's wrong in the real world then why would the exact same thing, or some variation of the same thing, be right or ethical in the cyberworld? The line doesn't blur just because the locale changes. So perhaps a better topic to address is "What are morals and ethics and how are they defined?" It's more of a sociological question than a tech one. CaptainTux
Spammers are getting more sophisticated in their never ending attempt at avoiding detection and having their service shut off. Most spammers these days don't use their own ISP to send mail and prefer to send through "anonymous proxies" that are usually misconfigured mail servers in different parts of the world. Charging per email would only prevent legitimate users from sending email because it could become cost prohibitive. Spammers, on the other hand, wouldn't be stopped at all. Get real!