I never liked that whole GNU movement mess. I don't like movements. As a good friend of mine once said: When something becomes a movement, it creates religious fervor - and that's not very Zen. Even good movements are just antithesises to bad movements; If there were no movements at all, a person could just release his source code, call the application freeware, and go have a smoke without first saluting someone else' battleflag.
Sort of like saying "works with Windows" or "Made for Windows" when in fact it doesn't and isn't?
I like the idea of making UNIX generic because we can now market Linux and FreeBSD as UNIX, giving it instant credibility and attraction in the market.
I dislike the idea of making UNIX generic because we can now market Windows as UNIX, giving it instant credibility and attraction in the market.
I think the reason sales of CD's are down is because people are disgusted with the behavior of the Music industry.
CD sales are not down. They've been steady or increasing domestic and world-wide for years despite the proliferation of MP3s and music-sharing. There was even a boom at one point a couple of years ago. If RIAA site wasn't down again, I'd post some figures.
Hacking RIAA might be a fun way to relieve stress, but it prevents us from fighting RIAA with its own facts and figures, but I guess the script-kiddies out there aren't bright enough to understand that.
The downside to being a sole proprietor is that you DO get double-taxed because you are self-employed. When you incorporate typically, you've also got that double-taxation. For individuals, it's perhaps best to file as a subchapter-S incorporation. As an S-corp, you have the advantages of being both a sole proprietor and a corp. You still have to file quarterly taxes as an employer, but you won't be considered self-employed. You then just need to file individual taxes based off of the salary you take it - which can be a very nominal amount. You end up paying less taxes than you would a sole proprietor, and you won't need liability insurance
Novak is bankrupt because he had a fool as a tax lawyer.
Keep in mind that it isn't he whose filed for bankruptcy, it's his company. His personal credit won't be harmed, only the corporation's would. Incorporated businesses have personhood, they can enter into contracts, sue, be sued, file for bankruptcy, etc. His own personal assets (if he structured his corporation right) won't be touchable, and he may only be sued up to what he's got in the company, which could be a very small amount. He'll be free to re-incorporate a new company without problems.
SCO secretly submits its own code to the Linux kernel maintainers under the disguise of individual independant programmers, hoping that some of the code gets accepted into the kernel, and that a future lawsuit over the issue will pay off;)
Which leads to an interesting scenario: SCO, in dire need of exposure and money, pulls the same stunt as that guy who tried to trademark Linux. The community gets up in arms, and SCO goes around trying to legitimize its claim, and accidently (and at a shock to them) uncovers real unauthorized code in the kernel. Whooppee! Bona fide financial windfall from a sham of a claim!
I've had my Hotmail account for years, back when it was running UNIX, and I get on the whole no more than 3 spam messages a day in my Hotmail account. I use the spam protections that come with Hotmail and I'm diligent in the way I give out that Hotmail address on the net.
If your Hotmail account is getting bombarded with spam, you're either not using the protection features of the account, or you're flaunting your email address around the net like some cheap floozy.... email me sometime, sailor;)
My old college email account on the other hands gives me nothing but spam, and I haven't used it in many years - which makes me wonder: is my old school selling my address to netmarketers for profit?
In defense of Microsoft (a rare event), MS did not yield real monopoly power until after 1995 during the shift from 16-bit to 32-bit computing in the PC world. Recall the hype generated in the media and at the conventions over Windows 95 and OS/2 Warp. Everyone believed that there would be just the two choices, but it was still up in the air as to who would win out, MS or Big Blue. Before then, people had their OS/2 and were happy. Others had Windows 3.1 atop various flavors of DOS. I had PCDOS on a non-brand PC.
But that was the OS... we're talking about productivity apps. There was still a lot of choices around even in 1996. Just as many people preferred Quattro Pro as preferred Excel. I used Lotus SmartSuite (AmiPro) when I didn't have access to WordPerfect, but I always kept Word around in case some oddball gave me a document in that format. Christ, I think I spent half of my salary on various wordprocessing apps back then! PCs were bundled with one of the big three office suites - at the consumer's choice.
As an economist, I spent a lot of time dwelling on MS while switching between office suites. In those earlier days it was still anyone's game.
As far as Word's lower pricetag. Word was cheaper because it had to be in order to compete customers away from established brands like WordPerfect; and because the other brands possessed a higher premium. Word was the underdog.
As for WordPerfect... the last version I used was v.7 on Windows and that short-lived Java-based version for Linux. To this day, I'm not sure how I feel about either. That is why I've lost interest in WordPerfect.
One day, there will be a computing holocaust, and our only choice will be PFS First Choice. Luckily I saved my install disks.
If it's true that SCO doesn't want to disclose evidence before their civil trial with IBM, then it suggests that SCO is pretty uncomfortable with their case. There's really no big advantage in concealing the evidence at this point since after the discovery phase has completed, IBM will have the right and the opportunity to challenge whatever evidence SCO has. It seems the only real strategy in concealing the evidence (remember this is published source code available to anyone), would be to keep stoking the fire and prevent any backlash from harming SCO should the judge be well-informed on the subject and not partial to SCO such as what happened to Microsoft in the Microsoft I case.
It's great that there's a grass roots movement starting. It would be great if similar actions were taken here in the US. Unfortunately, whatever happens in Germany, stays in Germany, and German courts tend to side with individuals over multi-national corporations. We can be described as just the opposite at times here. The case in Germany is considered foriegn law - foriegn as in outside of jurisdiction. Therefore, it has no mandatory influence on an American court's decision. I wonder what WIPO has to say about this...
Owning the UNIX trademark is irrelevent here since there is no contest to determine who has the UNIX trademark. SCO argues merely that the Linux kernel contains code that was illegally included from UNIX sources now owned by SCO... that and that SCO was a major UNIX player:)
SCO also contends that they are doing this for the *other* developers who have had their code stolen and put in Linux. As pointed before, if SCO does succeed in showing that Linux contains unauthorized code, SCO opens itself up to liability to any other copyright holders who intend to launch similar suits. This is a way shows that SCO is not the best named plaintiff for any suit involving other parties.
Anyone remember when businesses made money by selling products and services, and not by patent/copyright litigation?
Okay first year law students, get those "Even if" arguments ready:
Even if the Linux kernel code contains code belonging to SCO which was not originally authorized to appear in said code, SCO knew or otherwise had reason to know of the existence of the code at issue when it reviewed, compiled, tested, marketed, and distributed SCO's own Linux products commercially; thus in turn releasing any proprietary code from any other license restrictions and thereby placing said code under the GPL. By release of its own Linux product, SCO in fact authorized the presence of the code at issue.
I'll see your love of anti-aliasing and raise you this:
Hardly a programmer but... I think Linux would be perfect if there was unified font rendering system as on Windows and MacOS so that every app had anti-aliasing support on par with MS ClearType without having to be hardcoded for it. But I suppose this is one of the advantages of going GNOME or KDE.
Hmm, didn't the XFree86 Group begin including an anti-aliasing library with X?
It's hard for me to get into either KDE or GNOME. On Slackware, I'm faced with a huge array of package choices for both platforms; so it's hard for me to figure out which I can get away with not installing. So just to avoid having a system containing countless applications that I'll never use (like on Windows), I go with Windowmaker and a selection of dock apps. I guess I'm behind the curve.
Re:Probably it will always stay...
on
BitTorrent Guide
·
· Score: 1
That being said, as I understand it, one of the uses of BT is precisely as a file-sharing tool for distributing television episodes and music videos. That's in line with earlier comments about BT's ability to move large files.
This site seems to have some info various sites and channels using BT.
http://www.bittorrentsites.co.nr
Re:amazingly, the world of gentoo
on
Gentoo Reviewed
·
· Score: 1
I had to have a friend of mine who introduced me to Linux in the first place explain Gentoo and LFS. I get Gentoo. It sounds cool. But despite wading through the LFS site and reading the book, I'm lost on LFS. Is it that there are many permutations possible for building a minimal Linux system from source and that LFS provides just one method?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding; it just seems to me that if I follow the FHS, load a kernel, initd, and a couple of other things, I will have my own Linux, and it won't be LFS per se. Is that right?
For likely no greater reason than because it's there to be hacked.
When Microsoft dominates the home entertainment market it will have
nothing to do with hacking the XBox, and everything to do with Microsoft's
long-term strategy.
The PC market is one of ever-diminishing returns, meaning that PC makers
that compete on price & features are finding it harder to make a profit
and grow the company. If you're a publicly-traded corp. growth can be
more important that profits because of the direct affect corp growth has on
investors. This is why Dell now wants to compete with HP on PDAs and Voodoo
on high-performance snazzy PCs...
Microsoft needs to be in markets with high growth rates in order for it
grow in turn. MS, like McDonald's is in a position where the company has
gotten so big, it needs to make ever-increasing gains just to grow by a fraction.
Now that digital media has become a characteristic of average consumer's computing
habits, the idea of digital media appliances like XBox and Tivo will become as
accepted as the VCR and cable box. Microsoft knows that this is the next booming
market, so why should Microsoft play there?
On the downside, by being an appliance and not a PC in the classic sense, it will
be much easier to close the system off to the majority of consumers. In return for
accepting *gasp* DRM, consumers will get increased channels for multimedia. I'll be
able to download albums from applemusic.com to my stereo (which will be an XBox v3).
By virtue of being a small appliance, it will make it that much easier for consumers
to buy into a software as subscription model. Something I've already done
with my digital cable service.
If you're a software developer, you may get crushed if you can't swing with the big
guys: Adobe, Intuit, etc.. Microsoft will offer two very restrictive and expensive
licenses: one granting the use of the SDK and one granting permission to circumvent
hardware/software protections (needed for the DMCA) so that you can actually develop.
On the upside, this means a lot of mods could come of this. On the downside, it will
cost an arm and a leg for that damn XBox Compatible Logo. If you're an independent
software developer, you could get pushed out of the market entirely.
Yes, the ramifications are pretty horrible, and thankfully I'm educated enough to see
this and dwell on it; and yet, I want an XBox. The way I see it, Sony would do the
same if it could get away with it; and I remember when Nintendo was pretty tough on
software developers and consumers. Look at it this way, the only PC makers who will
experience steady positive growth and profitability will be smaller niche-market
companies that provide service. This means Voodoo PC will be around. In which case,
the elite geeks will have PCs to themselves once again!
All economic theories come down to the choice between guns and butter, so generalizations have to be made.:)
If the software becomes too demanding, it will make it that much easier to push the requisite next-gen hardware component. I mentioned NVidia and BioWare because of Neverwinter Nights. It really wants me to buy a better GeForce card.
A new (and better) WebTV?
on
Hacking the XBox
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Ona quick note, Microsoft doesn't mind hacking the Xbox to make it into something more; if fact, MS wants that done... but not right now... and not by someone who hasn't been licensed to develop software/hardware.
I've watched a week-long dedication to hacking the XBox on TechTV a little while ago, and I saw Windows Media Player on the thing. I don't own any console, but what does XBox run OS-wise? Is it Windows CE or some mutant form of it?
Can I get a keyboard, web browser, a dialup modem, and maybe have a better WebTV? If it can run Linux, does that mean I can install Slackware straight from CD?
Yes, the court would definitely want to know if the code is substantial. The only problem I see so far will be in explaining to the court how the code is or isn't substantial and original. I haven't seen who the starting lineup for the defense will be. It may take Linus himself as well as countless others in the community to file amicus briefs in order for the defense to have a solid technical argument with merit.
After reading SCO's statements, it seems pretty clear that SCO comes to the table with dirty hands. That will definitely be persuasive to the court if the defense plays the card well enough.
Slashdot Mirror
I never liked that whole GNU movement mess. I don't like movements. As a good friend of mine once said: When something becomes a movement, it creates religious fervor - and that's not very Zen. Even good movements are just antithesises to bad movements; If there were no movements at all, a person could just release his source code, call the application freeware, and go have a smoke without first saluting someone else' battleflag.
Sort of like saying "works with Windows" or "Made for Windows" when in fact it doesn't and isn't?
I like the idea of making UNIX generic because we can now market Linux and FreeBSD as UNIX, giving it instant credibility and attraction in the market.
I dislike the idea of making UNIX generic because we can now market Windows as UNIX, giving it instant credibility and attraction in the market.
How am I supposed to rearrange the stickers now?
I think the reason sales of CD's are down is because people are disgusted with the behavior of the Music industry.
CD sales are not down. They've been steady or increasing domestic and world-wide for years despite the proliferation of MP3s and music-sharing. There was even a boom at one point a couple of years ago. If RIAA site wasn't down again, I'd post some figures.
Hacking RIAA might be a fun way to relieve stress, but it prevents us from fighting RIAA with its own facts and figures, but I guess the script-kiddies out there aren't bright enough to understand that.
The downside to being a sole proprietor is that you DO get double-taxed because you are self-employed. When you incorporate typically, you've also got that double-taxation. For individuals, it's perhaps best to file as a subchapter-S incorporation. As an S-corp, you have the advantages of being both a sole proprietor and a corp. You still have to file quarterly taxes as an employer, but you won't be considered self-employed. You then just need to file individual taxes based off of the salary you take it - which can be a very nominal amount. You end up paying less taxes than you would a sole proprietor, and you won't need liability insurance
Novak is bankrupt because he had a fool as a tax lawyer.
If Novak did blur the lines between his personal finances and his company, then... for one... he's an idiot, and two... yeah, his credit will suffer.
For all you small business owners, this is precisely why you ought to keep separate bank accounts and assets.
Keep in mind that it isn't he whose filed for bankruptcy, it's his company. His personal credit won't be harmed, only the corporation's would. Incorporated businesses have personhood, they can enter into contracts, sue, be sued, file for bankruptcy, etc. His own personal assets (if he structured his corporation right) won't be touchable, and he may only be sued up to what he's got in the company, which could be a very small amount. He'll be free to re-incorporate a new company without problems.
SCO secretly submits its own code to the Linux kernel maintainers under the disguise of individual independant programmers, hoping that some of the code gets accepted into the kernel, and that a future lawsuit over the issue will pay off ;)
Which leads to an interesting scenario: SCO, in dire need of exposure and money, pulls the same stunt as that guy who tried to trademark Linux. The community gets up in arms, and SCO goes around trying to legitimize its claim, and accidently (and at a shock to them) uncovers real unauthorized code in the kernel. Whooppee! Bona fide financial windfall from a sham of a claim!
I've had my Hotmail account for years, back when it was running UNIX, and I get on the whole no more than 3 spam messages a day in my Hotmail account. I use the spam protections that come with Hotmail and I'm diligent in the way I give out that Hotmail address on the net.
;)
If your Hotmail account is getting bombarded with spam, you're either not using the protection features of the account, or you're flaunting your email address around the net like some cheap floozy.... email me sometime, sailor
My old college email account on the other hands gives me nothing but spam, and I haven't used it in many years - which makes me wonder: is my old school selling my address to netmarketers for profit?
In defense of Microsoft (a rare event), MS did not yield real monopoly power until after 1995 during the shift from 16-bit to 32-bit computing in the PC world. Recall the hype generated in the media and at the conventions over Windows 95 and OS/2 Warp. Everyone believed that there would be just the two choices, but it was still up in the air as to who would win out, MS or Big Blue. Before then, people had their OS/2 and were happy. Others had Windows 3.1 atop various flavors of DOS. I had PCDOS on a non-brand PC.
But that was the OS... we're talking about productivity apps. There was still a lot of choices around even in 1996. Just as many people preferred Quattro Pro as preferred Excel. I used Lotus SmartSuite (AmiPro) when I didn't have access to WordPerfect, but I always kept Word around in case some oddball gave me a document in that format. Christ, I think I spent half of my salary on various wordprocessing apps back then! PCs were bundled with one of the big three office suites - at the consumer's choice.
As an economist, I spent a lot of time dwelling on MS while switching between office suites. In those earlier days it was still anyone's game.
As far as Word's lower pricetag. Word was cheaper because it had to be in order to compete customers away from established brands like WordPerfect; and because the other brands possessed a higher premium. Word was the underdog.
As for WordPerfect... the last version I used was v.7 on Windows and that short-lived Java-based version for Linux. To this day, I'm not sure how I feel about either. That is why I've lost interest in WordPerfect.
One day, there will be a computing holocaust, and our only choice will be PFS First Choice. Luckily I saved my install disks.
If it's true that SCO doesn't want to disclose evidence before their civil trial with IBM, then it suggests that SCO is pretty uncomfortable with their case. There's really no big advantage in concealing the evidence at this point since after the discovery phase has completed, IBM will have the right and the opportunity to challenge whatever evidence SCO has. It seems the only real strategy in concealing the evidence (remember this is published source code available to anyone), would be to keep stoking the fire and prevent any backlash from harming SCO should the judge be well-informed on the subject and not partial to SCO such as what happened to Microsoft in the Microsoft I case.
It's great that there's a grass roots movement starting. It would be great if similar actions were taken here in the US. Unfortunately, whatever happens in Germany, stays in Germany, and German courts tend to side with individuals over multi-national corporations. We can be described as just the opposite at times here. The case in Germany is considered foriegn law - foriegn as in outside of jurisdiction. Therefore, it has no mandatory influence on an American court's decision. I wonder what WIPO has to say about this...
It's been getting expensive to feed the electric eel I've been wearing.
Whether or not someone benefitted from the code is unimportant for determining a copyright violation.
6 806
:)
I've previously discussed some of the hurdles SCO faces in regard to successfully arguing their case. http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=64619&cid=598
Owning the UNIX trademark is irrelevent here since there is no contest to determine who has the UNIX trademark. SCO argues merely that the Linux kernel contains code that was illegally included from UNIX sources now owned by SCO... that and that SCO was a major UNIX player
SCO also contends that they are doing this for the *other* developers who have had their code stolen and put in Linux. As pointed before, if SCO does succeed in showing that Linux contains unauthorized code, SCO opens itself up to liability to any other copyright holders who intend to launch similar suits. This is a way shows that SCO is not the best named plaintiff for any suit involving other parties.
Anyone remember when businesses made money by selling products and services, and not by patent/copyright litigation?
Okay first year law students, get those "Even if" arguments ready:
Even if the Linux kernel code contains code belonging to SCO which was not originally authorized to appear in said code, SCO knew or otherwise had reason to know of the existence of the code at issue when it reviewed, compiled, tested, marketed, and distributed SCO's own Linux products commercially; thus in turn releasing any proprietary code from any other license restrictions and thereby placing said code under the GPL. By release of its own Linux product, SCO in fact authorized the presence of the code at issue.
I'm going to have correct myself. Apparently, font anti-aliasing has been included since XFree86 4.0.2 using FreeType
See http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/mini/FDU/ for the Font De-Uglification HOWTO
and http://xlife.zuavra.net/columns/20020521.php for XLife column on Good Looking Fonts in X Windows.
I've seen some screenshots of Mozilla and Opera with nice Windows 9x-comparable fonts-moothing.
I'll see your love of anti-aliasing and raise you this:
Hardly a programmer but... I think Linux would be perfect if there was unified font rendering system as on Windows and MacOS so that every app had anti-aliasing support on par with MS ClearType without having to be hardcoded for it. But I suppose this is one of the advantages of going GNOME or KDE.
Hmm, didn't the XFree86 Group begin including an anti-aliasing library with X?
... and GNUstep ... and Tab cola
It's hard for me to get into either KDE or GNOME. On Slackware, I'm faced with a huge array of package choices for both platforms; so it's hard for me to figure out which I can get away with not installing. So just to avoid having a system containing countless applications that I'll never use (like on Windows), I go with Windowmaker and a selection of dock apps. I guess I'm behind the curve.
That being said, as I understand it, one of the uses of BT is precisely as a file-sharing tool for distributing television episodes and music videos. That's in line with earlier comments about BT's ability to move large files.
This site seems to have some info various sites and channels using BT. http://www.bittorrentsites.co.nr
I had to have a friend of mine who introduced me to Linux in the first place explain Gentoo and LFS. I get Gentoo. It sounds cool. But despite wading through the LFS site and reading the book, I'm lost on LFS. Is it that there are many permutations possible for building a minimal Linux system from source and that LFS provides just one method?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding; it just seems to me that if I follow the FHS, load a kernel, initd, and a couple of other things, I will have my own Linux, and it won't be LFS per se. Is that right?
why is everyone wanting to hack the xBox
For likely no greater reason than because it's there to be hacked.
When Microsoft dominates the home entertainment market it will have nothing to do with hacking the XBox, and everything to do with Microsoft's long-term strategy.
The PC market is one of ever-diminishing returns, meaning that PC makers that compete on price & features are finding it harder to make a profit and grow the company. If you're a publicly-traded corp. growth can be more important that profits because of the direct affect corp growth has on investors. This is why Dell now wants to compete with HP on PDAs and Voodoo on high-performance snazzy PCs...
Microsoft needs to be in markets with high growth rates in order for it grow in turn. MS, like McDonald's is in a position where the company has gotten so big, it needs to make ever-increasing gains just to grow by a fraction. Now that digital media has become a characteristic of average consumer's computing habits, the idea of digital media appliances like XBox and Tivo will become as accepted as the VCR and cable box. Microsoft knows that this is the next booming market, so why should Microsoft play there?
On the downside, by being an appliance and not a PC in the classic sense, it will be much easier to close the system off to the majority of consumers. In return for accepting *gasp* DRM, consumers will get increased channels for multimedia. I'll be able to download albums from applemusic.com to my stereo (which will be an XBox v3). By virtue of being a small appliance, it will make it that much easier for consumers to buy into a software as subscription model. Something I've already done with my digital cable service.
If you're a software developer, you may get crushed if you can't swing with the big guys: Adobe, Intuit, etc.. Microsoft will offer two very restrictive and expensive licenses: one granting the use of the SDK and one granting permission to circumvent hardware/software protections (needed for the DMCA) so that you can actually develop. On the upside, this means a lot of mods could come of this. On the downside, it will cost an arm and a leg for that damn XBox Compatible Logo. If you're an independent software developer, you could get pushed out of the market entirely.
Yes, the ramifications are pretty horrible, and thankfully I'm educated enough to see this and dwell on it; and yet, I want an XBox. The way I see it, Sony would do the same if it could get away with it; and I remember when Nintendo was pretty tough on software developers and consumers. Look at it this way, the only PC makers who will experience steady positive growth and profitability will be smaller niche-market companies that provide service. This means Voodoo PC will be around. In which case, the elite geeks will have PCs to themselves once again!
since this is just an asteroid of small size and it doesn't truly orbit our planet, it shouldn't be called a moon.
One of the women at my office flies around the world as much as I do, and she's certainly no small size.
Orbit conditing met. Is she a moon?
All economic theories come down to the choice between guns and butter, so generalizations have to be made. :)
If the software becomes too demanding, it will make it that much easier to push the requisite next-gen hardware component. I mentioned NVidia and BioWare because of Neverwinter Nights. It really wants me to buy a better GeForce card.
Ona quick note, Microsoft doesn't mind hacking the Xbox to make it into something more; if fact, MS wants that done... but not right now... and not by someone who hasn't been licensed to develop software/hardware. I've watched a week-long dedication to hacking the XBox on TechTV a little while ago, and I saw Windows Media Player on the thing. I don't own any console, but what does XBox run OS-wise? Is it Windows CE or some mutant form of it? Can I get a keyboard, web browser, a dialup modem, and maybe have a better WebTV? If it can run Linux, does that mean I can install Slackware straight from CD?
Yes, the court would definitely want to know if the code is substantial. The only problem I see so far will be in explaining to the court how the code is or isn't substantial and original. I haven't seen who the starting lineup for the defense will be. It may take Linus himself as well as countless others in the community to file amicus briefs in order for the defense to have a solid technical argument with merit.
After reading SCO's statements, it seems pretty clear that SCO comes to the table with dirty hands. That will definitely be persuasive to the court if the defense plays the card well enough.