Imagine splitting $613 million across Linux Distros, Kernel Developers, and other Open Source fronts.
$613 million is just chump change to MS. They won't learn. The only way to hit hard, and to get your point across, is to directly donate and support the competition.
But honestly, aside from those who are paralyzed, how would this be practical? Why would *I* want to use it?
It would be annoying as SHIT to hear someone constantly talking giving commands to their computer. It brings to mind that came coming out for PS2.. how annoying. "Move left, move right. Check the drawer. Fire. Fire fire, move left, fire."
It seems more like a gimmick.. like "Hey, look what we can do!" more than something that would actually be beneficial or innovatice. It might be fun for the first few minutes, but after that it's just an annoying burden.
Not to mention, unless they've made incredible leaps and bounds with voice recognition, you'd probably spend more time calibrating the system to recognize your voice than you would spend typing the stuff out. Then there's the headaches of "Go to microsoft." "I'm sorry, but I could not understand" Repeat x 10.
If you go blocking every domain that's not "trusted", then what will happen to people who send mail through their personal domains?
ICANN won't know whether to trust my personal/private domain.com, unless they're going based off NAME and who owns it (spammers are most likely to be associated by name). So does that mean I won't be able to send email to most people I know for fear that their ISPs will go blacklist anything that's not trusted?
It would work perfectly if everything was a commercial/licensed business, but that's not the case for quite a large chunk of these personal domains.
Media prices better drop, otherwise, what's the point? You're not really saving anything in the long run.
Right now, my main concern is fitting a movie on one DVD. Kind of an inconvenience to split it across 2 discs, but I'd rather pay $2 and have a movie split during the middle than pay $5-6 only to have it on ONE DVD. (Although, I guess I can't really complain since I haven't purchased a DVD in ages.)
DVD-RW's are $5-6 each, hell, even less if you buy them in bulk. Even if you wanted to back up 9 gigs of data, it's cheaper (and faster) to just buy an 8X and use 2 blank DVD5's to get your data on in half the time (and half the cost) of this new technology.
They're forgetting that people will have to WANT to buy it. They aren't giving us any incentive to buy it.. wow, so it can write dual layers.. it's still 5x as much as a regular DVD.
I'm not saying it's 100% entirely their fault, but these worms spread because of SIMPLE factors like not patching the system, leaving settings turned on that really shouldn't be on, etc (and yes, that is more MS's fault than the end user's fault).
I get what you're saying in your analogy, but we're talking software here. It's not unreasonable to expect someone to get an update for a program if one is available. That's what it's there for.
If you buy a car, you expect it to be working properly. If it's not, there's a recall. Can't exactly download a patch for your tires. However, it IS your responsibility to drive it properly and to maintain it.
Yes, it is Microsoft's fault for making OE such an open and vulnerable piece of softare, but again, a patch WAS released for this worm MONTHS ago. It would be quite different if this was an exploit that just snuck up on most people out of the blue, but it's not, and these are the cases I'm referring to.
Even Code Red/SQL Slammer. Sorry, but if you got hit by this, it's not MS's fault, but your own since you or your sysadmin didn't apply the patches that came out 3 months prior.
Plugging your system in and expecting it to work perfectly from now till the end of time is extremely naive. I don't care how experienced of a computer user you are, you need to know the potential dangers of being online before you even connect.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: people need to start being responsible for THEMSELVES.
It's not Outlook's fault that the user didn't patch their system.
I'm sure that if someone wanted to take the time and analyze the source for Thunderbird, they could easily write the same type of worm/virus. However, you won't get the same type of media coverage that the others written for mainstream products will get. And yes, MS does write some exploitable code.
Most users who aid in the spread of these viruses/worms are ignorant. Time after time, news report after news report, they CONTINUE to fail to keep their systems up to date.
What's funny is each and every mainstream worm has been written AFTER the patch has been released.. and it's not like the day/week after, it's 5-6 months after. That's sad.
It's this type of closed minded thinking this country needs to stay away from.
They're just words. The fact that people keep making a big stink is what gets all the attention. People who get up-in-arms over swearing are just nitpicking.
If you don't agree, then when your kid asks you what "fuck" means, simply teach him that it's an adult word and it's not nice to use it. It's simple.
Regardless, your kill *will* hear these words from other kids in school. It's the nature of things. It's time to just let it be. Besides, swearing doesn't make you a bad person. It's really not a big deal at all.
People need to start thinking outside of the box and start worrying about more important things.
This country needs to be LESS restrictive, not more restrictive. Their initial decision about Bono's comment was a smart and wise one. Back then I thought, "Fucking finally... they've got their heads out of their asses and are starting to realize that these are just 'words'."
But it's sad to see that we're going backwards. A lot of progress this country has made in regards toward less censorship and more focus on personal responsibility has just been pissed on and washed away.
Well, an RIAA affiliated artist, anyway. And yes, I do download mp3s.
First off, these corporations or entities like the RIAA don't give a shit about people. Their only concern is the "almighty" buck. They continually spew crap to the media about how downloading is bad, how it hurts sales, etc, but they have no data to back it up. They use backwards ass logic to describe what's happening and blame lack of CD sales on music downloading rather than realizing that the majority of mainstream music that's being released today really isn't all THAT good.
God forbid the majority of their artists are canned acts that will disappear in a few years and will no longer generate revenue for them!
I have absolutely no reason to purchase a CD/give them money if they want to be like that. Consumers can play/fight just as dirty as the big wigs. If I want a song/album, I'll download it and that's that. I know it's not what most people want to hear, but then again most people find nothing wrong with these entities lying and cheating the system.
They can't say that's a loss of a potential sale because I'm telling you right here and right now that I will never pay for a CD until they clean up their act. My mind is already made up and *I* am me. How are they going to even begin tell me what I plan/planned on buying? Whether I download that song/album is irrelevant because I wouldn't have purchased it either way.
I'd rather support artists I like by going to their concerts and purchasing merchandise there. They don't really get much from CD sales anyway.
I understand it's OUR government, and that's the problem. Most people don't CARE about stuff like this, that's why it's happening. If people cared, there would be a bigger public uproar and it would be put to rest.
The problem IS that it has to be Us vs. Them simply because those (the rest of the sheep) who vote and create OUR government are closed minded idiots who don't give a shit about basic rights.
See, there's a lot of talk about speaking out, writing to your representatives/senators, protesting, etc... but it does no good. Sadly, the only thing left is Us vs Them.
Yeah, it's bullshit that they think they can get away with this, but this is where technology kicks them in the ass. See, there's a nice little something called encryption, and everything *CAN* be effectively encrypted.
Even standard HTTP browsing like Slashdot... just get a cert (no, don't get it signed), bam, encrypted. Besides, if you're just browsing different sites here and there, you don't really need a *signed* cert.
AIM has encryption now, and there's also WASTE. Email can be encrypted. So on.. so forth.
I'm sure there will be a lot of protocol changes that will introduce encryption if this retarded idea ever gets passed. And when they do.. the law will be useless.
You can encrypt HTTP, FTP, and hopefully (if this wiretapping crap ever went into effect) they'll come out with an encrypted IRC.
I know if it goes into effect, I personally will start using WASTE and Freenet a lot more often. I won't really communicate with those who aren't encrypted on the other end.
They might be able to wiretap, but they'll be screwed once everything IS encrypted (and it will be).
Marketing nonsense. Watch it be something like 10-20 megs.
If it's 10+ gigs, then that's impressive.. but by all means, don't (as Toshiba) submit this "hey, we have the smallest hard drive!!!" without giving the storage space.
People band together and volunteer their times and excellent programming skills for Linux system (kernel, drivers, free apps, etc) development... why don't developers band together and just make kick ass open source games?
I suppose creating a stable OS and fixing/improving code is more important, but still.. imagine something like an open source FPS that has all the right features and gameplay, or an RTS that has a more balanced system than the majority of others that are out.
.. until I read that Will Smith was cast in it. Ugh.
This might sound trollish (and it isn't), but Will Smith isn't exactly a prestigious actor and not exactly a name that you attribute *GOOD* movies with.
Then again, Keanu Reeves was in the same boat (still is) and look at how good the Matrix was, so who knows. It could be a good casting move, but I'm certainly not counting on it.
Couldn't those companies who hire workers who AREN'T disgustingly overpaid then offer more competitive prices, which (in theory) should increase the pressue on those who decide to spike up their prices?
We need to start taxing companies who do this.
on
Need a Job? Move to India
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· Score: 3, Insightful
I was listening to talk radio the other night, and I'm not sure whose show it was (I was just skimming through), but they were saying that one presidential candidates was proposing a tax to these big companies for outsourcing work to make up for unemployment.
I personally think (in my opinion) that's a wonderful idea. Maybe companies would think twice and start giving jobs back to those unemployed.
After all, you could pay someone from India $5 less an hour to do it, but.. you'll end up paying that back in taxes, so you won't really save much.
Yes, they are definitely ahead of the times compared to most others when it comes to technology, but they are also ahead of the times in the nextgen marketing/spam department.
Pop-ups? They did it first. Pop-unders? Did it first. The messenger exploit? Guess who.
God knows what else is brewing in the labs as we speak..
And remember, they're going after people who share/distribute them, not people who download them. You can download till you're blue in the face and you won't be touched.
I'm talking about infected computers with worms/viruses. They most certainly should be cut off from the ISP and any argument against it is asinine.
If a neighbor was doing something to his power lines causing everyone else's power to be affected, then yes, I'd sure as hell hope the electric company shuts them off.
If you don't have the knowledge to get that virus/worm off your machine, then you really shouldn't be using the internet. Get the damn thing off your machine, get some anti-virus/firewall software, then talk to your ISP about giving you access.
...what does P2P have to do with spreading worms/viruses? Using the bandwidth you pay for vs. needlessly bringing down a network because you knowingly or not help spread of worms/viruses are two completely different things.
I believe ISPs have no right to cut you off from the bandwidth you pay for, however, if you get something as damaging as a worm/virus that spread to other machines and in turn eat up even more bandwidth, then the ISP can cut them off.
We're not talking about ISPs telling you what you can/cannot run as ISPs have pretty much no right telling you what programs you can/cannot use, and they never will. You don't knowingly USE worms/virues. They are unwelcome intruders whose only purpose is to wreak havok and cause unnecessary damage.
Because we all know Corporations policing is a VERY GOOD THING!tm
Wow, you make it sound like a conspiracy theory as if your rights are being taken away. What they're doing is right. It's THEIR network, they can do whatever you want. It's not like you have a right to use the internet.
If I owned an ISP and some computer illiterate moron failed to keep up with patches, I would dump them too. People need to start getting with it and taking responsibility for their own actions. How many years now have all kinds of viruses and worms been glorified in the media? Far back as I can remember.. so saying, "Well, I didn't know" no longer cuts it.
If you're gonna go on someone's network, the least you could do is be kind enough to educate yourself about how to update/protect your own PC.
Slashdot Mirror
Imagine splitting $613 million across Linux Distros, Kernel Developers, and other Open Source fronts.
$613 million is just chump change to MS. They won't learn. The only way to hit hard, and to get your point across, is to directly donate and support the competition.
But honestly, aside from those who are paralyzed, how would this be practical? Why would *I* want to use it?
It would be annoying as SHIT to hear someone constantly talking giving commands to their computer. It brings to mind that came coming out for PS2.. how annoying. "Move left, move right. Check the drawer. Fire. Fire fire, move left, fire."
It seems more like a gimmick.. like "Hey, look what we can do!" more than something that would actually be beneficial or innovatice. It might be fun for the first few minutes, but after that it's just an annoying burden.
Not to mention, unless they've made incredible leaps and bounds with voice recognition, you'd probably spend more time calibrating the system to recognize your voice than you would spend typing the stuff out. Then there's the headaches of "Go to microsoft." "I'm sorry, but I could not understand" Repeat x 10.
One question comes to mind: what's the point?
If you go blocking every domain that's not "trusted", then what will happen to people who send mail through their personal domains?
ICANN won't know whether to trust my personal/private domain.com, unless they're going based off NAME and who owns it (spammers are most likely to be associated by name). So does that mean I won't be able to send email to most people I know for fear that their ISPs will go blacklist anything that's not trusted?
It would work perfectly if everything was a commercial/licensed business, but that's not the case for quite a large chunk of these personal domains.
Media prices better drop, otherwise, what's the point? You're not really saving anything in the long run.
Right now, my main concern is fitting a movie on one DVD. Kind of an inconvenience to split it across 2 discs, but I'd rather pay $2 and have a movie split during the middle than pay $5-6 only to have it on ONE DVD. (Although, I guess I can't really complain since I haven't purchased a DVD in ages.)
DVD-RW's are $5-6 each, hell, even less if you buy them in bulk. Even if you wanted to back up 9 gigs of data, it's cheaper (and faster) to just buy an 8X and use 2 blank DVD5's to get your data on in half the time (and half the cost) of this new technology.
They're forgetting that people will have to WANT to buy it. They aren't giving us any incentive to buy it.. wow, so it can write dual layers.. it's still 5x as much as a regular DVD.
I'm not saying it's 100% entirely their fault, but these worms spread because of SIMPLE factors like not patching the system, leaving settings turned on that really shouldn't be on, etc (and yes, that is more MS's fault than the end user's fault).
I get what you're saying in your analogy, but we're talking software here. It's not unreasonable to expect someone to get an update for a program if one is available. That's what it's there for.
If you buy a car, you expect it to be working properly. If it's not, there's a recall. Can't exactly download a patch for your tires. However, it IS your responsibility to drive it properly and to maintain it.
Yes, it is Microsoft's fault for making OE such an open and vulnerable piece of softare, but again, a patch WAS released for this worm MONTHS ago. It would be quite different if this was an exploit that just snuck up on most people out of the blue, but it's not, and these are the cases I'm referring to.
Even Code Red/SQL Slammer. Sorry, but if you got hit by this, it's not MS's fault, but your own since you or your sysadmin didn't apply the patches that came out 3 months prior.
Plugging your system in and expecting it to work perfectly from now till the end of time is extremely naive. I don't care how experienced of a computer user you are, you need to know the potential dangers of being online before you even connect.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: people need to start being responsible for THEMSELVES. It's not Outlook's fault that the user didn't patch their system.
I'm sure that if someone wanted to take the time and analyze the source for Thunderbird, they could easily write the same type of worm/virus. However, you won't get the same type of media coverage that the others written for mainstream products will get. And yes, MS does write some exploitable code.
Most users who aid in the spread of these viruses/worms are ignorant. Time after time, news report after news report, they CONTINUE to fail to keep their systems up to date.
What's funny is each and every mainstream worm has been written AFTER the patch has been released.. and it's not like the day/week after, it's 5-6 months after. That's sad.
It's this type of closed minded thinking this country needs to stay away from.
They're just words. The fact that people keep making a big stink is what gets all the attention. People who get up-in-arms over swearing are just nitpicking.
If you don't agree, then when your kid asks you what "fuck" means, simply teach him that it's an adult word and it's not nice to use it. It's simple.
Regardless, your kill *will* hear these words from other kids in school. It's the nature of things. It's time to just let it be. Besides, swearing doesn't make you a bad person. It's really not a big deal at all.
People need to start thinking outside of the box and start worrying about more important things.
This country needs to be LESS restrictive, not more restrictive. Their initial decision about Bono's comment was a smart and wise one. Back then I thought, "Fucking finally... they've got their heads out of their asses and are starting to realize that these are just 'words'."
But it's sad to see that we're going backwards. A lot of progress this country has made in regards toward less censorship and more focus on personal responsibility has just been pissed on and washed away.
What a shame.
Well, an RIAA affiliated artist, anyway. And yes, I do download mp3s.
First off, these corporations or entities like the RIAA don't give a shit about people. Their only concern is the "almighty" buck. They continually spew crap to the media about how downloading is bad, how it hurts sales, etc, but they have no data to back it up. They use backwards ass logic to describe what's happening and blame lack of CD sales on music downloading rather than realizing that the majority of mainstream music that's being released today really isn't all THAT good.
God forbid the majority of their artists are canned acts that will disappear in a few years and will no longer generate revenue for them!
I have absolutely no reason to purchase a CD/give them money if they want to be like that. Consumers can play/fight just as dirty as the big wigs. If I want a song/album, I'll download it and that's that. I know it's not what most people want to hear, but then again most people find nothing wrong with these entities lying and cheating the system.
They can't say that's a loss of a potential sale because I'm telling you right here and right now that I will never pay for a CD until they clean up their act. My mind is already made up and *I* am me. How are they going to even begin tell me what I plan/planned on buying? Whether I download that song/album is irrelevant because I wouldn't have purchased it either way.
I'd rather support artists I like by going to their concerts and purchasing merchandise there. They don't really get much from CD sales anyway.
Agreed. They shouldn't cast Scientologists in lead roles period... it just ruins the movie.
Come on, this is this the type of people we want acting in movies? Sounds like he should be in a mental hospital.
How can you even begin to take a movie seriously if someone like that is in it?
I understand it's OUR government, and that's the problem. Most people don't CARE about stuff like this, that's why it's happening. If people cared, there would be a bigger public uproar and it would be put to rest.
The problem IS that it has to be Us vs. Them simply because those (the rest of the sheep) who vote and create OUR government are closed minded idiots who don't give a shit about basic rights.
See, there's a lot of talk about speaking out, writing to your representatives/senators, protesting, etc... but it does no good. Sadly, the only thing left is Us vs Them.
Yeah, it's bullshit that they think they can get away with this, but this is where technology kicks them in the ass. See, there's a nice little something called encryption, and everything *CAN* be effectively encrypted.
Even standard HTTP browsing like Slashdot... just get a cert (no, don't get it signed), bam, encrypted. Besides, if you're just browsing different sites here and there, you don't really need a *signed* cert.
AIM has encryption now, and there's also WASTE. Email can be encrypted. So on.. so forth.
I'm sure there will be a lot of protocol changes that will introduce encryption if this retarded idea ever gets passed. And when they do.. the law will be useless.
You can encrypt HTTP, FTP, and hopefully (if this wiretapping crap ever went into effect) they'll come out with an encrypted IRC.
I know if it goes into effect, I personally will start using WASTE and Freenet a lot more often. I won't really communicate with those who aren't encrypted on the other end.
They might be able to wiretap, but they'll be screwed once everything IS encrypted (and it will be).
OH I SEE, spelling numbers as "four" instead of their numerical counterparts (4), are we?. Damn article. Piss all over you for making me look dumb.
Article 1, Me 0. I will return.
Marketing nonsense. Watch it be something like 10-20 megs.
If it's 10+ gigs, then that's impressive.. but by all means, don't (as Toshiba) submit this "hey, we have the smallest hard drive!!!" without giving the storage space.
People band together and volunteer their times and excellent programming skills for Linux system (kernel, drivers, free apps, etc) development... why don't developers band together and just make kick ass open source games?
I suppose creating a stable OS and fixing/improving code is more important, but still.. imagine something like an open source FPS that has all the right features and gameplay, or an RTS that has a more balanced system than the majority of others that are out.
.. until I read that Will Smith was cast in it. Ugh.
This might sound trollish (and it isn't), but Will Smith isn't exactly a prestigious actor and not exactly a name that you attribute *GOOD* movies with.
Then again, Keanu Reeves was in the same boat (still is) and look at how good the Matrix was, so who knows. It could be a good casting move, but I'm certainly not counting on it.
Couldn't those companies who hire workers who AREN'T disgustingly overpaid then offer more competitive prices, which (in theory) should increase the pressue on those who decide to spike up their prices?
I was listening to talk radio the other night, and I'm not sure whose show it was (I was just skimming through), but they were saying that one presidential candidates was proposing a tax to these big companies for outsourcing work to make up for unemployment.
I personally think (in my opinion) that's a wonderful idea. Maybe companies would think twice and start giving jobs back to those unemployed.
After all, you could pay someone from India $5 less an hour to do it, but.. you'll end up paying that back in taxes, so you won't really save much.
Yes, they are definitely ahead of the times compared to most others when it comes to technology, but they are also ahead of the times in the nextgen marketing/spam department.
Pop-ups? They did it first. Pop-unders? Did it first. The messenger exploit? Guess who.
God knows what else is brewing in the labs as we speak..
And remember, they're going after people who share/distribute them, not people who download them. You can download till you're blue in the face and you won't be touched.
Just get them with via P2P and save your head from exploding.
If you like the CD, buy it. If not, don't. Simple, really.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about infected computers with worms/viruses. They most certainly should be cut off from the ISP and any argument against it is asinine.
If a neighbor was doing something to his power lines causing everyone else's power to be affected, then yes, I'd sure as hell hope the electric company shuts them off.
If you don't have the knowledge to get that virus/worm off your machine, then you really shouldn't be using the internet. Get the damn thing off your machine, get some anti-virus/firewall software, then talk to your ISP about giving you access.
...what does P2P have to do with spreading worms/viruses? Using the bandwidth you pay for vs. needlessly bringing down a network because you knowingly or not help spread of worms/viruses are two completely different things.
I believe ISPs have no right to cut you off from the bandwidth you pay for, however, if you get something as damaging as a worm/virus that spread to other machines and in turn eat up even more bandwidth, then the ISP can cut them off.
We're not talking about ISPs telling you what you can/cannot run as ISPs have pretty much no right telling you what programs you can/cannot use, and they never will. You don't knowingly USE worms/virues. They are unwelcome intruders whose only purpose is to wreak havok and cause unnecessary damage.
Because we all know Corporations policing is a VERY GOOD THING!tm
Wow, you make it sound like a conspiracy theory as if your rights are being taken away. What they're doing is right. It's THEIR network, they can do whatever you want. It's not like you have a right to use the internet.
If I owned an ISP and some computer illiterate moron failed to keep up with patches, I would dump them too. People need to start getting with it and taking responsibility for their own actions. How many years now have all kinds of viruses and worms been glorified in the media? Far back as I can remember.. so saying, "Well, I didn't know" no longer cuts it.
If you're gonna go on someone's network, the least you could do is be kind enough to educate yourself about how to update/protect your own PC.