And totally illegal as well. All Microsoft EULAs for their free stuff (or stuff which is not sold, like DirectX) forbid installation on non-Windows platforms. I don't see how this is different from pirating Windows in the first place.
Here it is, from the EULA for DirectX:
NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A VALIDLY LICENSED COPY OF ANY VERSION OR EDITION OF MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER EDITION, MICROSOFT WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, WINDOWS NT 4.0 WINDOWS 2000 OPERATING SYSTEM OR ANY MICROSOFT OPERATING SYSTEM THAT IS A SUCCESSOR TO ANY OF THOSE OPERATING SYSTEMS (each an "OS Product"), YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO INSTALL, COPY OR OTHERWISE USE THE OS COMPONENTS AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS UNDER THIS SUPPLEMENTAL EULA.
Nope, all that EULA says, is in order to install DirectX, I have to own a license to a Windows OS. It says nothing about not being able to install this on another OS. And I'm pretty sure that everyone here has at least a Windows 95 license somewhere...
There is another side to this... the retail outlets.
They do a lot of business on CDs... and they don't have to honor any "price" the indie labels say... I still remember going into a music store, seeing they had a copy of one of the Hellcat record comps (released about once a year, 20 some tracks from different bands, and dirt cheap so you can hear a bunch of their artists, and decide to pick up their full albums later) and had it priced at $7.99... on the back of the CD case, was a big warning: "Do not pay more then $4.99 for this record."
I actually brought it up and asked the manager about it... they didn't understand why I was upset that they were charging more then the price all over the back of the CD...
Nephilium
When I have one martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller. When I have the second, I feel superlative. When I have more, there's no holding me. -- William Faulkner, novelist
Rather then read the wikipedia entry on it... I'll rely on my actual real memories of living in the greater Cleveland area during that time... Pretty sure I can vouch for the veracity a lot better...
Nephilium
I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman- which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me. -- Jubal Harshaw in Stranger in a Strange Land
Like hell! I have the misfortune to live in Kucinich's district. He's a joke. He ran Cleveland into bankruptcy when he was mayor, and has done nothing at all in the House. He's never in his district, and he has no qualifications.
Heh... after I said that to one of our users, they made it a point to call in later that day just to say "Hello". I'm lucky... for the most part, I've got good users... for the most part...
Nephilium
"Her smile was as faint as a fat lady at a fireman's ball." -- High Window (Chapter 3)
Hmmm... it may be that I'm one of those rare extroverted IT people... but I make it a point to joke with the people who talk to me, and at my expense more then theirs. It sets them at ease, they're more willing to explain what they really did, and we can get everything fixed faster. By dealing with the people with a good sense of humor, and building a connection that way, they also cut you some slack if something slips in a timetable. They are more willing to be understanding that they're issue isn't the most critical one, and are less likely to complain about it.
Of course, all my users aren't like this. We have several who will call, then after we've been working the issue for a couple of days, and sending updates every couple of hours, will still complain that we haven't done anything. These people are also the ones who use the "shotgun" method of notification (where instead of just sending an e-mail to my team's boss, they'll send it to the VP, our boss, the manager of another whole department, etc.). I've found the best response to that, is to respond to all with the full rundown of work down on the ticket, with timestamps, and the notifications that the users were contacted, and e-mail notifications went out to them. That usually knocks them back out of the "my issue is the most important, and heaven and earth must be moved to fix it, even if you're waiting for third parties to ship hardware" mentality.
I've also turned the whole "customer abuse" thing into a running gag around the office. Most of the time, when I answer the phone, after saying hello, the first words will be, "What did you break this time?" Say it with the proper tone, and after talking to them a couple of times before on the phone, and they'll start laughing at this point alone.
Of course, this is all my experience and opinion, so (as always) YMMV.
Nephilium
"Dissent is morally neutral. You can correctly call yourself a dissident because you like to kick puppies, but at the end of the day, you're just a jerk who likes to kick puppies." -- Jonah Goldberg
That I don't have... the numbers would be much harder to crunch, seeing as how people don't have to report their total wealth to anyone (unless applying for loans and such). Also, those numbers would be meaningless when discussing an income tax or income inequity. Both of those are related to income, not to what you have in the bank.
As a side note, income does include things like capital gains and interest.
Nephilium
If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion. -- Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love
Well, you see, that's the neat thing about government. Unlike the financial industry, they're the ones who print up the dollars. Need more? Just print more.
Sweet fscking Chebus! First... the financial industry does create money... Second... fiat currency printed just for the government to "pay" for things causes inflation.
Just give everybody everything. After all, inflation is the cost of a rising standard of living.
You don't seem to really know the meaning of the word inflation.
Economics. a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of currency (opposed to deflation).
Inflation means that the money you've got in your pocket buys less then it did before. As a simple exercise, lets say that in 2010, bread costs one dollar a loaf... as the government prints more money, the money becomes less valuable, meaning in 2015, bread costs five dollars a loaf. This is NOT a good thing. Meaning yes, the cost of living goes up, but your pay doesn't.
Nephilium
Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output... A steady rate of monetary growth at a moderate level can provide a framework under which a country can have little inflation and much growth. It will not produce perfect stability; it will not produce heaven on earth; but it can make an important contribution to a stable economic society. - Milton Friedman
For another flat federal sales tax idea... take a look at FairTax. The basic idea is all purchases are taxed, and everyone gets a rebate check monthly for (poverty level income) * (tax rate).
Nephilium
With some notable exceptions, businessmen favor free enterprise in general but are opposed to it when it comes to themselves. - Milton Friedman
The top 1% pay 34.27% of all income taxes
The top 5% pay 54.36% of all income taxes
The top 10% pay 65.84% of all income taxes
The top 25% pay 83.88% of all income taxes
The top 50% pay 96.54% of all income taxes
The bottom 50%? pay 3.46% of all income taxes.
The top 1% is paying nearly ten times more federal income taxes than the bottom 50%.
The top 1% earns 16.77% of all income
The top 5% earns 31.18% of all the income
The top 10% earns 42.36% of all the income
the top 25% earns 64.86% of all the income
the top 50% earns 86.01% of all the income.
Nephilium
I know of no severe depression, in any country or any time, that was not accompanied by a sharp decline in the stock of money and equally of no sharp decline in the stock of money that was not accompanied by a severe depression. - Milton Friedman
Nope. If you're a designated driver, and get in an accident with a drunk passenger (even if they're passed out in the back seat), congratulations! The accident you were just in is alcohol related.
Nephilium
If penicillin can cure those who are ill, Spanish sherry can bring the dead back to life. --- Sir Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin
And... well... you can't cry if I link the NHTSA's actual numbers, can you? Of course, pay special attention to the passenger, rider, and NON-OCCUPANT figures... that means that the driver had no alcohol in his system, but someone in the car did...
And please note the difference between alcohol-related, and BAC.08+. Also, please do a little look to see what.08 BAC does to reflexes... and how little it takes to get there.
Also... look into the actual statements of MADD, and look what they're fighting for... and look into a nobody named Candy Lightner, and check into her current job, and why she is currently doing it.
Or look into the GAO's research to the NHTSA's claims...
I can only lead you to the information, I can't make you read them, nor can I make you believe in them.
Nephilium... currently enjoying a tasty barleywine...
Sometimes too much drink is barely enough. -- Mark Twain, American novelist
Hmmm... ever wonder what the term "alcohol related accidents" actually means? Here's some of the meanings:
1.) A measurable amount of alcohol means anything above.00 percent, up to and including a sip of beer or cough medicine.
2.) Drivers impaired by drugs, be it aspirin, cough syrup, crack or heroin, are often counted as drunk drivers.
3.) If a pedestrian is involved and has a measurable amount of alcohol it is considered alcohol-related.
4.) If a passenger has alcohol in his system, it is considered alcohol related.
5.) If the accident is a sober driver's fault (i.e. a sober driver runs a red light and crashes into a driver who had a beer after work) it is alcohol-related.
6.) If the residual presence of alcohol is found (an empty beer can) it is considered alcohol related, even if tests prove no one has any alcohol in their systems.
7.) The NHTSA arbitrarily adds 9% to all the alcohol-related statistics it receives from the states. Why? Because they feel like it.
8.) To further inflate the numbers, The NHTSA just started using what they call the Multiple Imputation Method to inflate alcohol-related statistics even more. The method automatically assumes that anyone involved in an accident who was not tested for BAC (probably because they were obviously sober) could actually have been drunk, and the numbers are jacked up by a set percentage.
Kind of changes the numbers a bit, doesn't it? Numbers are meaningless unless you know what they mean. But continue pushing for prohibition if you wish... but be honest at least...
Completely off-topic... but also in mixed drinks... there's an old drink called swamp gas. It's a mixture of Everclear, Mountain Dew, the inside of a glow stick (non-toxic), and a granule of dry ice...
Of course, glowing, fizzing, foaming, foggy drinks aren't my first choice...
Nephilium
"A rising economic tide is bad for people who live off of the poverty of others." -- Jonah Goldberg
I'm just here to say "bravo". One of the best write ups on how subsidies hurt people and prices that I've ever seen here on slashdot... of course, it's in the gaming section, so too few people will read it.
Nephilium
"I felt like an amputated leg." -- "Trouble Is My Business" (Section 4)
Slashdot Mirror
Nope, all that EULA says, is in order to install DirectX, I have to own a license to a Windows OS. It says nothing about not being able to install this on another OS. And I'm pretty sure that everyone here has at least a Windows 95 license somewhere...
Nephilium
Nope, it's Marv. Stolen from Sin City.
Nephilium
Allow me to say, well said, and I thank your family for coming over to our country to help make it stronger.
Nephilium
Quick sidenote... skinhead != Nazi...
As an example... look up the SHARPs...
Or as an analogy skinhead:bonehead::hacker:cracker...
Nephilium
There is another side to this... the retail outlets.
They do a lot of business on CDs... and they don't have to honor any "price" the indie labels say... I still remember going into a music store, seeing they had a copy of one of the Hellcat record comps (released about once a year, 20 some tracks from different bands, and dirt cheap so you can hear a bunch of their artists, and decide to pick up their full albums later) and had it priced at $7.99... on the back of the CD case, was a big warning: "Do not pay more then $4.99 for this record."
I actually brought it up and asked the manager about it... they didn't understand why I was upset that they were charging more then the price all over the back of the CD...
Nephilium
When I have one martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller. When I have the second, I feel superlative. When I have more, there's no holding me. -- William Faulkner, novelist
The privileged segment of society is called "those who do some research and attempt to understand the laws."
Nephilium
Rather then read the wikipedia entry on it... I'll rely on my actual real memories of living in the greater Cleveland area during that time... Pretty sure I can vouch for the veracity a lot better...
Nephilium
I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman- which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me. -- Jubal Harshaw in Stranger in a Strange Land
Like hell! I have the misfortune to live in Kucinich's district. He's a joke. He ran Cleveland into bankruptcy when he was mayor, and has done nothing at all in the House. He's never in his district, and he has no qualifications.
Nephilium
I'll vote against Kucinich every chance I get.
Heh... after I said that to one of our users, they made it a point to call in later that day just to say "Hello". I'm lucky... for the most part, I've got good users... for the most part...
Nephilium
"Her smile was as faint as a fat lady at a fireman's ball." -- High Window (Chapter 3)
Hmmm... it may be that I'm one of those rare extroverted IT people... but I make it a point to joke with the people who talk to me, and at my expense more then theirs. It sets them at ease, they're more willing to explain what they really did, and we can get everything fixed faster. By dealing with the people with a good sense of humor, and building a connection that way, they also cut you some slack if something slips in a timetable. They are more willing to be understanding that they're issue isn't the most critical one, and are less likely to complain about it.
Of course, all my users aren't like this. We have several who will call, then after we've been working the issue for a couple of days, and sending updates every couple of hours, will still complain that we haven't done anything. These people are also the ones who use the "shotgun" method of notification (where instead of just sending an e-mail to my team's boss, they'll send it to the VP, our boss, the manager of another whole department, etc.). I've found the best response to that, is to respond to all with the full rundown of work down on the ticket, with timestamps, and the notifications that the users were contacted, and e-mail notifications went out to them. That usually knocks them back out of the "my issue is the most important, and heaven and earth must be moved to fix it, even if you're waiting for third parties to ship hardware" mentality.
I've also turned the whole "customer abuse" thing into a running gag around the office. Most of the time, when I answer the phone, after saying hello, the first words will be, "What did you break this time?" Say it with the proper tone, and after talking to them a couple of times before on the phone, and they'll start laughing at this point alone.
Of course, this is all my experience and opinion, so (as always) YMMV.
Nephilium
"Dissent is morally neutral. You can correctly call yourself a dissident because you like to kick puppies, but at the end of the day, you're just a jerk who likes to kick puppies." -- Jonah Goldberg
That I don't have... the numbers would be much harder to crunch, seeing as how people don't have to report their total wealth to anyone (unless applying for loans and such). Also, those numbers would be meaningless when discussing an income tax or income inequity. Both of those are related to income, not to what you have in the bank.
As a side note, income does include things like capital gains and interest.
Nephilium
If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion. -- Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love
Sweet fscking Chebus! First... the financial industry does create money... Second... fiat currency printed just for the government to "pay" for things causes inflation.
You don't seem to really know the meaning of the word inflation.
Inflation means that the money you've got in your pocket buys less then it did before. As a simple exercise, lets say that in 2010, bread costs one dollar a loaf... as the government prints more money, the money becomes less valuable, meaning in 2015, bread costs five dollars a loaf. This is NOT a good thing. Meaning yes, the cost of living goes up, but your pay doesn't.
Nephilium
Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output... A steady rate of monetary growth at a moderate level can provide a framework under which a country can have little inflation and much growth. It will not produce perfect stability; it will not produce heaven on earth; but it can make an important contribution to a stable economic society. - Milton Friedman
For another flat federal sales tax idea... take a look at FairTax. The basic idea is all purchases are taxed, and everyone gets a rebate check monthly for (poverty level income) * (tax rate).
Nephilium
With some notable exceptions, businessmen favor free enterprise in general but are opposed to it when it comes to themselves. - Milton Friedman
Don't forget... the base numbers here in the US:
The top 1% pay 34.27% of all income taxes
The top 5% pay 54.36% of all income taxes
The top 10% pay 65.84% of all income taxes
The top 25% pay 83.88% of all income taxes
The top 50% pay 96.54% of all income taxes
The bottom 50%? pay 3.46% of all income taxes.
The top 1% is paying nearly ten times more federal income taxes than the bottom 50%.
The top 1% earns 16.77% of all income
The top 5% earns 31.18% of all the income
The top 10% earns 42.36% of all the income
the top 25% earns 64.86% of all the income
the top 50% earns 86.01% of all the income.
Nephilium
I know of no severe depression, in any country or any time, that was not accompanied by a sharp decline in the stock of money and equally of no sharp decline in the stock of money that was not accompanied by a severe depression. - Milton Friedman
Wouldn't this be what iTunes is doing with selling some TV shows? Off the top of my head, Southpark is there, and I'm pretty suer BSG is as well...
(Forgive the ignorance if iTunes sells these only to the US...)
Nephilium
It is traditional, when loading wire trolleys, to put the most fragile items at the bottom. -- (Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man)
IANAL
But as far as I know, the police don't offer to sell it to you, you would need to ask to purchase it from them.
Offering to sell it to you would start falling under inticement and entrapment... to my knowledge at least...
Nephilium
The use of intoxicants is one of the distinguishing marks of the higher types and races of humanity. -- Winston Churchill, statesman
Think of the disclaimer:
As something similar to:
Just as a side note... :)
Nephilium
"An idiot is no smarter if a billion people agree with him and a genius is no dumber if a billion people don't." -- Jonah Goldberg
Nope. If you're a designated driver, and get in an accident with a drunk passenger (even if they're passed out in the back seat), congratulations! The accident you were just in is alcohol related.
Nephilium
If penicillin can cure those who are ill, Spanish sherry can bring the dead back to life. --- Sir Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin
You want the figures... here's an analysis of the numbers from the NHTSA themselves...
If you can prove the claim, here's $20,000 for you...
And... well... you can't cry if I link the NHTSA's actual numbers, can you? Of course, pay special attention to the passenger, rider, and NON-OCCUPANT figures... that means that the driver had no alcohol in his system, but someone in the car did...
And please note the difference between alcohol-related, and BAC .08+. Also, please do a little look to see what .08 BAC does to reflexes... and how little it takes to get there.
Also... look into the actual statements of MADD, and look what they're fighting for... and look into a nobody named Candy Lightner, and check into her current job, and why she is currently doing it.
Or look into the GAO's research to the NHTSA's claims...
I can only lead you to the information, I can't make you read them, nor can I make you believe in them.
Nephilium... currently enjoying a tasty barleywine...
Sometimes too much drink is barely enough. -- Mark Twain, American novelist
Don't be so sure about the 10 year figure... look at the SIP program in Texas. Or the story in Virgina from a couple of years ago (Full story on another site); (Start of the archive story, need to pay for the full version)... And of course, commentary from FORMER MADD members...
The prohibitionist are back... and fighting strong now...
Nephilium
Why on earth aren't people continually drunk? I want ecstasy of the mind all the time. --- Jack Kerouac, beat writer
I've already posted a response to the 17,000 claim above...
And I hope you enjoy your shorter life without touching alcohol... look at the health benefits of drinking (most recently the Italian study)...
I truly hope no vice you enjoy is ever under attack. Now stop trying to attack mine.
Nephilium
Drink heightens feeling. When I drink, it heightens my emotions and I put it in a story. -- F. Scott Fitzgerald, American author
Hmmm... ever wonder what the term "alcohol related accidents" actually means? Here's some of the meanings:
1.) A measurable amount of alcohol means anything above .00 percent, up to and including a sip of beer or cough medicine.
2.) Drivers impaired by drugs, be it aspirin, cough syrup, crack or heroin, are often counted as drunk drivers.
3.) If a pedestrian is involved and has a measurable amount of alcohol it is considered alcohol-related.
4.) If a passenger has alcohol in his system, it is considered alcohol related.
5.) If the accident is a sober driver's fault (i.e. a sober driver runs a red light and crashes into a driver who had a beer after work) it is alcohol-related.
6.) If the residual presence of alcohol is found (an empty beer can) it is considered alcohol related, even if tests prove no one has any alcohol in their systems.
7.) The NHTSA arbitrarily adds 9% to all the alcohol-related statistics it receives from the states. Why? Because they feel like it.
8.) To further inflate the numbers, The NHTSA just started using what they call the Multiple Imputation Method to inflate alcohol-related statistics even more. The method automatically assumes that anyone involved in an accident who was not tested for BAC (probably because they were obviously sober) could actually have been drunk, and the numbers are jacked up by a set percentage.
Kind of changes the numbers a bit, doesn't it? Numbers are meaningless unless you know what they mean. But continue pushing for prohibition if you wish... but be honest at least...
All material taken from the article Fighting Madd.
Nephilium
A man who doesn't drink is not, in my opinion, fully a man. -- Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Russian author
Completely off-topic... but also in mixed drinks... there's an old drink called swamp gas. It's a mixture of Everclear, Mountain Dew, the inside of a glow stick (non-toxic), and a granule of dry ice...
Of course, glowing, fizzing, foaming, foggy drinks aren't my first choice...
Nephilium
"A rising economic tide is bad for people who live off of the poverty of others." -- Jonah Goldberg
I'm just here to say "bravo". One of the best write ups on how subsidies hurt people and prices that I've ever seen here on slashdot... of course, it's in the gaming section, so too few people will read it.
Nephilium
"I felt like an amputated leg." -- "Trouble Is My Business" (Section 4)
And I thought I was bitter...
Death to Susan... from Hogfather...
Nephilium
"I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it." -- The Big Sleep (Chapter 1)