I think it is just because of term 'intelectual property'. Copyright, patent, trademark is NOT property. It is time limited monopoly, granted by goverment. So there comes the biggest misunderstanding of modern economy (maybe specially wished misunderstanding?).
Shareholders want to see anything created by company to stay it's property (well, except open source driven companies). So, CEOs and legal teams came up with vision of 'intelectual property' - with idea that idea can be OWNED. Absurd, isn't it? How can you ensure then that this idea doesn't come in other people's minds? How to ensure that they DON'T think about it? It can't be owned, period.
So I think it is like that. Company brainstorms about the product, for example, iPod. It is slick, it is stylish, yes, I agree, the result of idea (result, not idea itself) SHOULD be protected for awhile in market with trademark, if it is specific design, then yes, it is yours - for a period of time - and you can get money out of it. There is also laws which forbids absurdly close copycating of products in almost all modern countries (see iMac cloning), so actually everything you have heard about 'protecting product with patents so no one else can copy it' is balant lie. I would like to point out that companies should invent things anyway for their products so they can sell well, but hey, if idea of 'owning idea of product for some time' is what shakes your boat, go ahead.
But there comes patent and IP lawyers with overblown and overplayed idea of 'ownership of ideas' that it is not even funny. So what - you 'got' idea, so what's next? If you can make it into good product - good for you. Apple, Intel, AMD, yes, even Microsoft - they all have made things work. Ok, sometimes with various quality, but what I want to point out, that ideas is worth a dime only then when real work is done to get them to the people.
The biggest problem with patent and IP laws and all lawyer case is that lawyers write laws for lawyers. Lawmakers should be lawmakers, and laws should follow some common ground logic here, not 'ohhh, this is important for very good business, big tax payers, yarayarayara'. Sometimes it can ring true to me, but mostly it is 'old boys deserve this tip, they should change new cars this year'.
So, in the end patent these days is used to ensure shareholders that they 'own' idea, no one cares, if it is original. It is like stupid game - shareholders are always right and if they demand to 'own' this idea, well, we do it. No matter that actually confronted with legal case we can loose idea and some serious money while been tragged trough the court.
If you have actually read RTFA and rest of press materials floating around about this, you will notice that most companies you mentioned already paid "protection money", and eBay's Skype is in talks about it.
So there is nothing to figure about. It is all old style game.
I didn't read it MySQL AB claims, but my pick is that claim doesn't hold any legal waters, because only way they can protect their code is copyright. If I write my own code to communicate with server, it is not derative work, because...well, it's not. Protocol is protocol and not software. It is not code and is not covered by copyright law. If I am linking or including mysql libs in my closed software for communication with server, then it is completely other matter.
They could patent protocol though.
I have seen such "legal claim and fear" methods to "push" commercial customers to pay about products (when they clearly can be distributable and usable under any commercial offerings as long as source code is provided for GPLed software). It is a little sad that MySQL pratically use such FUD method to get customers.
I could 99% agree with you, but I want to correct what you have said:
* totalitarianism is not ideology, is description of the way to govern (according to WP, typology). Actually in mostly all totalitarianism countries goverment thinks (how much, that's another story) that they are democracy (China, Belarus, etc.). This is just specialist term to describe what is REALLY going on. So actually...heh, US could be already totalitarianism state (however, it is not...yet fully. I hope they never be).
* communism as ideology is NOT brutal because quite frankly, communism never took it's place (so we can't investigate how brutal/easy it is). However, what WAS brutal was convert period (so called "bolsevic state"), because it was MEANT to be totalitarian. Why? Because how you will push people to communism, to totally new thinking? Trough bloody revolution, destroying all opponents. (sence irony here, I just show points of why it was brutal and in fact, that it was what bolsevics thought it should be - there were rather serious opposition in communist party against Lelin, as mostly intelectuals don't prefer bloody solutions. Guess what - nowadays they are called 'socialdemocrats' and are quite popular in Europe).
Communism by itself is uthopia. By itself it is harmless and quite interesting, as all uthopias. It is just that those horrors which was done in the name of it what makes me shiver like touched by cold.
My pick is that they do it for purerly technical challenge and PR stuff. I guess it could be even more of first - if they will get it done, then they will have lot of new ideas for west markets. They choose this product as experimental platform to get other, more serious stuff workin for west partners.
Yes, I have to agree with you that people and politics tends (stupidly, imho) to color everything black and white, so Hitler - bad, US - good. Yes, Hitler was monster, but US actions in those times weren't without consequences, even worse - US "ignore others" policy in that time let Hitler grow.
I don't know why people try to do that, but I start to understand them. It is because they want to FORGET, but with that they spread possibility to history repeat itself. They don't take history as hard, cold facts, but something they must find a comfort with, so they bend it, lie to themselves and to the world.
For example, in Latvia, some people say that those Latvians who took part in antrocities against Jews where right to do that - because Jews helped Soviet Union to take away our country. However, historical documents nowadays shows that it wasn't quite that way - LOT of Latvians took part in horrors against Latvian intelligence and military personel (called "Baigais Gads" in Latvian) AND helped to take away our idependent state (because they believed in Communism), LOT of Latvians hated Jews before any German or Soviet soldier made a step on our land.
See, it is very open wound. We lost third of our nation those years (1940 - 49) and lost our idependence for 50 years under Soviet regime. And if someone picks a stone and says - "We are partly responsible about all those crimes against Jews, because people were angry and hateful because some of Jews (with lot of Latvians) took away our families, our dear ones AND we did little or close to nothing to save our country" - of course such man will be banned, denied, cursed, and I hope he will be well after few years (ok, there is no hate killings in our country, but so far, so good).
What to do with that? Spread a human soul knowledge. Personally I have learnt my little sister that she must investigate, find out root of truth, doubt herself, when it is neccessary, and in such way improve herself and understand this world. She must learn how to forgive and forget. And she have to learn to live with pain.
Actually, there is no such lie. For example, in our country (Latvia) historians mostly agree that antisemitism was popular in our pre-war republic. Actually I don't even question that - I just wonder why this is happening? Why it did happened? And what we can do to prevent happening it again?
Claiming it is not that way would require keep eyes shut, ears closed and not to communicate with rest the world. No offence, but "we all know" I used for common sense, so _any_ theory is fine on paper. Real life provides much different results. And as I pointed out, it is because theory leaves out important things which easily impact it. "Free market" theory does that very easily.
Read more between the lines, it wasn't meant "capitalism sucks, socialism forever" or something like that.
And actually I wrote what I thought, I don't care about my "Insightful" moderation.
We all know that capitalism and free market is only fine on paper. Sadly, but because of people's characters (and believe me, there is more place for some kinda of power psyhology, not business or economical theories), markets mostly _must_ be regulated. Reasons mostly consists of "I'm free to do whatever I want" monopoly power play and lack of business ethics (actually nonexistence of them). I call it coorporative feodalism - and it feels like.
Why I mentioned that it is not reason of economics? Problem with economical theory for now it is that it totally shuns out reasons of capital owner. Economical theories assume that owners are reasonable, clever, have good reasons to do whatever they want to do, right?
So what about Bin Laden with his milions to rise war against West? What about those "banana republics" where milioners mostly compete which will have bigger boat, count of cars, and don't care about their country? What about Balmer of Microsoft, which, as we know, has got emotional in his war against Google?
Someone will say that it is good that personal ambitions are all good to drive capitalism and free market. It is clearly overestemated. It is not.
So, more on topic. About regulations - I don't know about other countries, but for our country I say "thanks God" - and it will be truely that way - that we have _some_ regulation. It doesn't work all the time, but hey at least monopolies - and frankly we have them lots - thinks twice before say "ok, we will rise prices". At least it have been important for heat and gas, which affects as all, as we have rather large and cold winters.
So regulations should be everywhere where it feels that market isn't capable to set price tag right, t.i. there is no competition.
Hmmm, some of such market we all know. Operational systems, software anyone?
Please another uninformed article (and same level of prises of Outlook).
Outlook and Exchange "sucks" in my point of view (no offence, but I have used them very heavily, so it comes from my expierence). Yeah, they are feature-wise, but in everyday life their deployement is nightmare (they are my definition of Microsoft software being extremely *buggy*). Evolution beheaves far more predictable, and, however, it doesn't have all super duper features of Outlook yet, I still prefer it and would like to see it grow.
What I see as wrong is to say that most of functionality isn't aviable for Linux - It IS. Yeah, i know, Groupwise is not for free, but Evolution and Linux desktop is. And AFAIK Groupwise is in same level in features as Exchange. Also I can agree that integration - not Microsoft style, but anyway - is little bit lacking, but we are getting here.
I agree, positive expierence and success stories for Groupwise/another aviable groupware server for Linux are lacking and so people thing that nothing works in "our" world. Which is clearly wrong.
Don't get too high with OS X Server - it has very huge problems with configuration app trustability. My Server Admin 2#$%^#^% my server configuration each time I launch it. It is not yet there - however, they could get there eventually.
And Debian is answer for all your prayers. No, it is not too heavy, Ubuntu is based on it.
For a moment I even thought - yeah, politicians are such @$#$%%^ that they can screw up absolutely everything.
But somehow we finished good - until next time.
I think in this situation we have lession, brothers - we (and I don't care about the OS, about software, about what care you drive or what your beliefs on global warming are) should spread the world that INTERNET should not be controled by NO politics. Repeat after, me - NO poltics. It is media - as paper, TV, radio. It is necessary for people. It is no more just sex.com or check out lyrics for that Britney song. It is for job, for communication with other dear ones. It is essental for many to survive (yeah, I am not afraid to say that). So let's send big message - each one of us - to our "dear" politics - please DON'T F#$% WITH IT. Seriously.
If there were just misunderstanding (wrongfully interperted information), then company would have invated this lady, described problems and how they will solve that and then all problems with bad PR would go away. Of course, if they choose this course, they have something to hide - because it is typical defence nowadays - attack.
Of course, a little bit more details about which claims company thinks are false would be helpful for more concrete judgement.
It is very *interesting* HOW typical troll can be modded interesting?
But I will bite.
It isn't strange, that just some percentage of Linux desktop users prefer more simplistic, elegant GUI which is GNOME? Heck, other various WM are even more "lesser evils". Get over it - all people are not the same, heck, even our characters are such mix of emotions. There can be trends but we choose what we choose for so miriad reasons.
What happened to "everyone can choose?" I don't care that lot of people uses KDE, I use some few KDE apps even my self (where GNOME is lacking) - and look for their GNOME counterparts to arrive, even help in that cause.
But there you are, saying something which could come from typical Windows/Mac/whatever zealot.
First, I wrote very large comment, how GNOME is better, etc. etc.
(Disclaimer: I am GNOME user for four years, and love progress and iniciatives of Ximian and Novell)
But, then I thought all about this and went to try to understand - why such outrage? One point is clear - SuSE was very big sponsor of KDE and now there is going to be less money for that. That I understand - If they have been fired all Ximian team (and I don't agree that Ximian was just empty dose, Evolution, Mono, lot of integration stuff - it makes sence, they are NOT stupid, and they can create income for Novell - in many ways), I would certainly feel the same.
But do I judge Novell? No, because they should do that. It was clearly painful choice - and they weren't ignorant about that. I even think that it wasn't easy choice in the eyes of Ximian team too - because in my opinion, they don't just be in war with KDE community. Actually, what I have seen that GNOME guys seems to want work more on common ground - desktop standards, D-BUS, HAL, etc. such things. However, KDE team looks for doing things their *own* way - and it is ok for that, but is is somehow childish. For example, KDE officially won't support gstreamer - there are some excelent KDE apps who does and will, but KDE just went to doing it in their own turf again. Why? Reading Gstreamer, everything is done to assure desktop envorement independence - gstreamer is NOT depend on ANY GNOME/GTK+ lib.
As from my point of view, I see that KDE guys was in the first place. They were best, they had most brainshare, they were "Unix desktop #1" - because most Linux desktop users where power users and hackers. However, times has changed and now Linux user base are consists more of common users, which, _in my opinion_, more preffer simplicity of GNOME. So, problem is there - is KDE are ready to change and finally accept GNOME (and drop the stupid and childish trolls, modded insightful or interesting, claiming that GNOME is error, stupid, Novell will die, etc.) as viable brother _or_ they will continue claim that they are wholy one?
In resume, I would like to say - I would like to see both desktops to stay and improve AND provide choice for many of new Linux users which will sure come. Let's not claim death of Novell, let's say - there should new coorporate desktop of KDE arise. Kubuntu could be good start for some company to create Kumbuntu Enterprise Desktop.
Let's go with peace, brothers - and improve things in our backyards.
...to see civilization of "intelectual property" (ehemmm) to arise.
Ok, see you there guys.
You fucked up. Seriosly. Big time. You failed. And I _don't_ say capitalism failed. I say - US failed to stop monopolies to grow too big, too much out of control. So they start to act like Mr. Smiths - destroy all around you. It is VERY hard to imagine what drives them - sorry, tradicional claim "greed" doesn't cut for me, because most people are fine with half a million.
Poison of power? It seems so. "Lord Of The Rings" isn't just a fairy tale, it talks about very same issues - those who are weak, in the face of power and money turns into greedy monsters.
That was a lesson - it is absurd, but democracy and capitalism works only in that way, that you keep those who are very hungry after power, in check. If you NOT, then...
You see what is happening. No one says that you didn't get warned.
And you know where is problem? There is no alternative and they know it! They (*AA) have most biggest monopoly on Earth, so, they won't loose so much customers in that way they will start to loose money, significanty. But now I think that they are very close to piss of majority of their customers.
It is fact that greed without any point as main motivation (for example, earning bilions and still wanting every year increase) - sooner or later - is doom for your business. They (RIAA,MPAA) just stop to be reasonable. It is interesting that I think that Sony Music fucked that DRM thing up without big knowledge of main HQ (because main HQ cares a little more about customers - I have read in one big extended article about Sony). My pick is that music business executives doesn't know no borders in greed for easy money.
Title of post contains several logical errrors: * First, you never own software, if we talk about prioritary ones, it should be clear; All you have some limited rights to use copyrighted work of software owner. Hell, sometimes you don't have rights to have even backup copies; * Second, it is not *our* software, as we never own it, actually;
Yes, I know it is disturbing, people don't like these facts, as they point out - you have to pay about those cool things like software inside our computers.
Of course, you can use Free Software (as speech). As many of us do.
Bullshit. (no offence, it is overall reaction about "Ximian sucks" expierence witch is *so* popular with Slashdot)
SuSE could be nice, but Ximian products rocks in desktop world. They got Evolution, Mono (I *don't* know perfectly nor Java, nor Mono, nor legal background of this, but simply saying that Mono is mistep is actually pure zealotry and afraid-anything-connected-with-Microsoft atitude), and lot of expierence in desktop field. Calling them worth nothing would be like calling GNOME worth nothing, but I would like to point out that Ubuntu is build on GNOME, not KDE (and no, I'm not here to flame about one or another).
So Ximian has very clever and briliant minds who works for the future. Many don't understand them and that's fine. Just don't make it sound like "oh oh, Novell is going down and Ximian guys get salary for nothing". Because, well, it is not that simple.
And SUSE has clearly gone more serious in branding and product when it got in hands of Novell. So there is no talk about mismanaging and shareholder's statements clearly says that.
I can't handle jokes about this anymore. I'm not living in US, nor even was fan of this country (however, lot of people are smart, clever, etc. up there). I just wonder isn't US a big example of that, when you just start to ignore (for sake of better life, working long hours to achieve somethingt) what in your country all four powers do. Yet, in some time, lot of guys just bet high-profit game (like creating war or conflict, nothing hard, I would say) and get billions.
Problems is here not only with US, but with capitalism in whole. Capitalism in theory is good and I really don't wanna wave communism or socialism flag. However, in reality, both capitalism and communism is so much abused systems that I see that they simply won't work in future. There will be always some Enron, there will be some weapon guys who would like to create conflict, instead to solve one.
What to do? Get these guys to court? Don't make me laugh. They work in envorement out of laws reachability. Get them shot? Would work for some people, and not for all, and who will be this who will judge them?
What we have in creation here is simply modern feodalism. In fact, it never got away, just it was adjusted for new situation. However, there is problem that in feodalism there was some kind code of justice. I guess nothing of that exists today. It is just brutal anarchy.
Bullshit. They are not "subsiding" nothing (they still sold FOR profit). They just make sure that companies have *huge* profits instead of *good* profits. Because, hey, you in US, you don't mind at all:)
You want to know how much real percent of cost of developing and manufacturing drugs is? Maybe 35%-40%. All the rest is pure profit.
Slashdot Mirror
I think it is just because of term 'intelectual property'. Copyright, patent, trademark is NOT property. It is time limited monopoly, granted by goverment. So there comes the biggest misunderstanding of modern economy (maybe specially wished misunderstanding?).
Shareholders want to see anything created by company to stay it's property (well, except open source driven companies). So, CEOs and legal teams came up with vision of 'intelectual property' - with idea that idea can be OWNED. Absurd, isn't it? How can you ensure then that this idea doesn't come in other people's minds? How to ensure that they DON'T think about it? It can't be owned, period.
So I think it is like that. Company brainstorms about the product, for example, iPod. It is slick, it is stylish, yes, I agree, the result of idea (result, not idea itself) SHOULD be protected for awhile in market with trademark, if it is specific design, then yes, it is yours - for a period of time - and you can get money out of it. There is also laws which forbids absurdly close copycating of products in almost all modern countries (see iMac cloning), so actually everything you have heard about 'protecting product with patents so no one else can copy it' is balant lie. I would like to point out that companies should invent things anyway for their products so they can sell well, but hey, if idea of 'owning idea of product for some time' is what shakes your boat, go ahead.
But there comes patent and IP lawyers with overblown and overplayed idea of 'ownership of ideas' that it is not even funny. So what - you 'got' idea, so what's next? If you can make it into good product - good for you. Apple, Intel, AMD, yes, even Microsoft - they all have made things work. Ok, sometimes with various quality, but what I want to point out, that ideas is worth a dime only then when real work is done to get them to the people.
The biggest problem with patent and IP laws and all lawyer case is that lawyers write laws for lawyers. Lawmakers should be lawmakers, and laws should follow some common ground logic here, not 'ohhh, this is important for very good business, big tax payers, yarayarayara'. Sometimes it can ring true to me, but mostly it is 'old boys deserve this tip, they should change new cars this year'.
So, in the end patent these days is used to ensure shareholders that they 'own' idea, no one cares, if it is original. It is like stupid game - shareholders are always right and if they demand to 'own' this idea, well, we do it. No matter that actually confronted with legal case we can loose idea and some serious money while been tragged trough the court.
Actually, yes. All stuff what was in Win2k and is in Vista too was promised waaaaay back in 1993, codenamed "Chicago". :)
I can't convince myself that all people buy their bluf. Eitherwise, I am off with Microsoft long time ago and don't plan to look back.
If you have actually read RTFA and rest of press materials floating around about this, you will notice that most companies you mentioned already paid "protection money", and eBay's Skype is in talks about it.
So there is nothing to figure about. It is all old style game.
(DISCLAIMER: I am not a layer)
I didn't read it MySQL AB claims, but my pick is that claim doesn't hold any legal waters, because only way they can protect their code is copyright. If I write my own code to communicate with server, it is not derative work, because...well, it's not. Protocol is protocol and not software. It is not code and is not covered by copyright law. If I am linking or including mysql libs in my closed software for communication with server, then it is completely other matter.
They could patent protocol though.
I have seen such "legal claim and fear" methods to "push" commercial customers to pay about products (when they clearly can be distributable and usable under any commercial offerings as long as source code is provided for GPLed software). It is a little sad that MySQL pratically use such FUD method to get customers.
I could 99% agree with you, but I want to correct what you have said:
* totalitarianism is not ideology, is description of the way to govern (according to WP, typology). Actually in mostly all totalitarianism countries goverment thinks (how much, that's another story) that they are democracy (China, Belarus, etc.). This is just specialist term to describe what is REALLY going on. So actually...heh, US could be already totalitarianism state (however, it is not...yet fully. I hope they never be).
* communism as ideology is NOT brutal because quite frankly, communism never took it's place (so we can't investigate how brutal/easy it is). However, what WAS brutal was convert period (so called "bolsevic state"), because it was MEANT to be totalitarian. Why? Because how you will push people to communism, to totally new thinking? Trough bloody revolution, destroying all opponents. (sence irony here, I just show points of why it was brutal and in fact, that it was what bolsevics thought it should be - there were rather serious opposition in communist party against Lelin, as mostly intelectuals don't prefer bloody solutions. Guess what - nowadays they are called 'socialdemocrats' and are quite popular in Europe).
Communism by itself is uthopia. By itself it is harmless and quite interesting, as all uthopias. It is just that those horrors which was done in the name of it what makes me shiver like touched by cold.
My pick is that they do it for purerly technical challenge and PR stuff. I guess it could be even more of first - if they will get it done, then they will have lot of new ideas for west markets. They choose this product as experimental platform to get other, more serious stuff workin for west partners.
Just my guess.
Yes, I have to agree with you that people and politics tends (stupidly, imho) to color everything black and white, so Hitler - bad, US - good. Yes, Hitler was monster, but US actions in those times weren't without consequences, even worse - US "ignore others" policy in that time let Hitler grow.
I don't know why people try to do that, but I start to understand them. It is because they want to FORGET, but with that they spread possibility to history repeat itself. They don't take history as hard, cold facts, but something they must find a comfort with, so they bend it, lie to themselves and to the world.
For example, in Latvia, some people say that those Latvians who took part in antrocities against Jews where right to do that - because Jews helped Soviet Union to take away our country. However, historical documents nowadays shows that it wasn't quite that way - LOT of Latvians took part in horrors against Latvian intelligence and military personel (called "Baigais Gads" in Latvian) AND helped to take away our idependent state (because they believed in Communism), LOT of Latvians hated Jews before any German or Soviet soldier made a step on our land.
See, it is very open wound. We lost third of our nation those years (1940 - 49) and lost our idependence for 50 years under Soviet regime. And if someone picks a stone and says - "We are partly responsible about all those crimes against Jews, because people were angry and hateful because some of Jews (with lot of Latvians) took away our families, our dear ones AND we did little or close to nothing to save our country" - of course such man will be banned, denied, cursed, and I hope he will be well after few years (ok, there is no hate killings in our country, but so far, so good).
What to do with that? Spread a human soul knowledge. Personally I have learnt my little sister that she must investigate, find out root of truth, doubt herself, when it is neccessary, and in such way improve herself and understand this world. She must learn how to forgive and forget. And she have to learn to live with pain.
p.s. sorry for my unclear English sometimes
Actually, there is no such lie. For example, in our country (Latvia) historians mostly agree that antisemitism was popular in our pre-war republic. Actually I don't even question that - I just wonder why this is happening? Why it did happened? And what we can do to prevent happening it again?
My pick is is not yet ported - so you can try to contribute a ebuild! It is your chance to shine! :)
More seriously, I will check out depencies. As I have rather big interest in this product, I will check out If I can't contribute an ebuild.
Claiming it is not that way would require keep eyes shut, ears closed and not to communicate with rest the world. No offence, but "we all know" I used for common sense, so _any_ theory is fine on paper. Real life provides much different results. And as I pointed out, it is because theory leaves out important things which easily impact it. "Free market" theory does that very easily.
Read more between the lines, it wasn't meant "capitalism sucks, socialism forever" or something like that.
And actually I wrote what I thought, I don't care about my "Insightful" moderation.
We all know that capitalism and free market is only fine on paper. Sadly, but because of people's characters (and believe me, there is more place for some kinda of power psyhology, not business or economical theories), markets mostly _must_ be regulated. Reasons mostly
consists of "I'm free to do whatever I want" monopoly power play and lack of business ethics (actually nonexistence of them). I call it coorporative feodalism - and it feels like.
Why I mentioned that it is not reason of economics? Problem with economical theory for now it is that it totally shuns out reasons of capital owner. Economical theories assume that owners are reasonable, clever, have good reasons to do whatever they want to do, right?
So what about Bin Laden with his milions to rise war against West? What about those "banana republics" where milioners mostly compete which will have bigger boat, count of cars, and don't care about their country? What about Balmer of Microsoft, which, as we know, has got emotional in his war against Google?
Someone will say that it is good that personal ambitions are all good to drive capitalism and free market. It is clearly overestemated. It is not.
So, more on topic. About regulations - I don't know about other countries, but for our country I say "thanks God" - and it will be truely that way - that we have _some_ regulation. It doesn't work all the time, but hey at least monopolies - and frankly we have them lots - thinks twice before say "ok, we will rise prices". At least it have been important for heat and gas, which affects as all, as we have rather large and cold winters.
So regulations should be everywhere where it feels that market isn't capable to set price tag right, t.i. there is no competition.
Hmmm, some of such market we all know. Operational systems, software anyone?
Please another uninformed article (and same level of prises of Outlook).
Outlook and Exchange "sucks" in my point of view (no offence, but I have used them very heavily, so it comes from my expierence). Yeah, they are feature-wise, but in everyday life their deployement is nightmare (they are my definition of Microsoft software being extremely *buggy*). Evolution beheaves far more predictable, and, however, it doesn't have all super duper features of Outlook yet, I still prefer it and would like to see it grow.
What I see as wrong is to say that most of functionality isn't aviable for Linux - It IS. Yeah, i know, Groupwise is not for free, but Evolution and Linux desktop is. And AFAIK Groupwise is in same level in features as Exchange. Also I can agree that integration - not Microsoft style, but anyway - is little bit lacking, but we are getting here.
I agree, positive expierence and success stories for Groupwise/another aviable groupware server for Linux are lacking and so people thing that nothing works in "our" world. Which is clearly wrong.
I wonder why Novell is so shy about Groupwise?
Don't get too high with OS X Server - it has very huge problems with configuration app trustability. My Server Admin 2#$%^#^% my server configuration each time I launch it. It is not yet there - however, they could get there eventually.
And Debian is answer for all your prayers. No, it is not too heavy, Ubuntu is based on it.
For a moment I even thought - yeah, politicians are such @$#$%%^ that they can screw up absolutely everything.
But somehow we finished good - until next time.
I think in this situation we have lession, brothers - we (and I don't care about the OS, about software, about what care you drive or what your beliefs on global warming are) should spread the world that INTERNET should not be controled by NO politics. Repeat after, me - NO poltics. It is media - as paper, TV, radio. It is necessary for people. It is no more just sex.com or check out lyrics for that Britney song. It is for job, for communication with other dear ones. It is essental for many to survive (yeah, I am not afraid to say that).
So let's send big message - each one of us - to our "dear" politics - please DON'T F#$% WITH IT. Seriously.
Thanks for your attention.
If there were just misunderstanding (wrongfully interperted information), then company would have invated this lady, described problems and how they will solve that and then all problems with bad PR would go away. Of course, if they choose this course, they have something to hide - because it is typical defence nowadays - attack.
Of course, a little bit more details about which claims company thinks are false would be helpful for more concrete judgement.
It is very *interesting* HOW typical troll can be modded interesting?
But I will bite.
It isn't strange, that just some percentage of Linux desktop users prefer more simplistic, elegant GUI which is GNOME? Heck, other various WM are even more "lesser evils". Get over it - all people are not the same, heck, even our characters are such mix of emotions. There can be trends but we choose what we choose for so miriad reasons.
What happened to "everyone can choose?" I don't care that lot of people uses KDE, I use some few KDE apps even my self (where GNOME is lacking) - and look for their GNOME counterparts to arrive, even help in that cause.
But there you are, saying something which could come from typical Windows/Mac/whatever zealot.
Oh, you are. Sorry for point that out.
First, I wrote very large comment, how GNOME is better, etc. etc.
(Disclaimer: I am GNOME user for four years, and love progress and iniciatives of Ximian and Novell)
But, then I thought all about this and went to try to understand - why such outrage? One point is clear - SuSE was very big sponsor of KDE and now there is going to be less money for that. That I understand - If they have been fired all Ximian team (and I don't agree that Ximian was just empty dose, Evolution, Mono, lot of integration stuff - it makes sence, they are NOT stupid, and they can create income for Novell - in many ways), I would certainly feel the same.
But do I judge Novell? No, because they should do that. It was clearly painful choice - and they weren't ignorant about that. I even think that it wasn't easy choice in the eyes of Ximian team too - because in my opinion, they don't just be in war with KDE community. Actually, what I have seen that GNOME guys seems to want work more on common ground - desktop standards, D-BUS, HAL, etc. such things. However, KDE team looks for doing things their *own* way - and it is ok for that, but is is somehow childish. For example, KDE officially won't support gstreamer - there are some excelent KDE apps who does and will, but KDE just went to doing it in their own turf again. Why? Reading Gstreamer, everything is done to assure desktop envorement independence - gstreamer is NOT depend on ANY GNOME/GTK+ lib.
As from my point of view, I see that KDE guys was in the first place. They were best, they had most brainshare, they were "Unix desktop #1" - because most Linux desktop users where power users and hackers. However, times has changed and now Linux user base are consists more of common users, which, _in my opinion_, more preffer simplicity of GNOME. So, problem is there - is KDE are ready to change and finally accept GNOME (and drop the stupid and childish trolls, modded insightful or interesting, claiming that GNOME is error, stupid, Novell will die, etc.) as viable brother _or_ they will continue claim that they are wholy one?
In resume, I would like to say - I would like to see both desktops to stay and improve AND provide choice for many of new Linux users which will sure come. Let's not claim death of Novell, let's say - there should new coorporate desktop of KDE arise. Kubuntu could be good start for some company to create Kumbuntu Enterprise Desktop.
Let's go with peace, brothers - and improve things in our backyards.
...to see civilization of "intelectual property" (ehemmm) to arise.
Ok, see you there guys.
You fucked up. Seriosly. Big time. You failed. And I _don't_ say capitalism failed. I say - US failed to stop monopolies to grow too big, too much out of control. So they start to act like Mr. Smiths - destroy all around you. It is VERY hard to imagine what drives them - sorry, tradicional claim "greed" doesn't cut for me, because most people are fine with half a million.
Poison of power? It seems so. "Lord Of The Rings" isn't just a fairy tale, it talks about very same issues - those who are weak, in the face of power and money turns into greedy monsters.
That was a lesson - it is absurd, but democracy and capitalism works only in that way, that you keep those who are very hungry after power, in check. If you NOT, then...
You see what is happening. No one says that you didn't get warned.
Ok, enough of emotional emptiness
And you know where is problem? There is no alternative and they know it! They (*AA) have most biggest monopoly on Earth, so, they won't loose so much customers in that way they will start to loose money, significanty. But now I think that they are very close to piss of majority of their customers.
It is fact that greed without any point as main motivation (for example, earning bilions and still wanting every year increase) - sooner or later - is doom for your business. They (RIAA,MPAA) just stop to be reasonable. It is interesting that I think that Sony Music fucked that DRM thing up without big knowledge of main HQ (because main HQ cares a little more about customers - I have read in one big extended article about Sony). My pick is that music business executives doesn't know no borders in greed for easy money.
Title of post contains several logical errrors:
* First, you never own software, if we talk about prioritary ones, it should be clear; All you have some limited rights to use copyrighted work of software owner. Hell, sometimes you don't have rights to have even backup copies;
* Second, it is not *our* software, as we never own it, actually;
Yes, I know it is disturbing, people don't like these facts, as they point out - you have to pay about those cool things like software inside our computers.
Of course, you can use Free Software (as speech). As many of us do.
Bullshit. (no offence, it is overall reaction about "Ximian sucks" expierence witch is *so* popular with Slashdot)
SuSE could be nice, but Ximian products rocks in desktop world. They got Evolution, Mono (I *don't* know perfectly nor Java, nor Mono, nor legal background of this, but simply saying that Mono is mistep is actually pure zealotry and afraid-anything-connected-with-Microsoft atitude), and lot of expierence in desktop field. Calling them worth nothing would be like calling GNOME worth nothing, but I would like to point out that Ubuntu is build on GNOME, not KDE (and no, I'm not here to flame about one or another).
So Ximian has very clever and briliant minds who works for the future. Many don't understand them and that's fine. Just don't make it sound like "oh oh, Novell is going down and Ximian guys get salary for nothing". Because, well, it is not that simple.
And SUSE has clearly gone more serious in branding and product when it got in hands of Novell. So there is no talk about mismanaging and shareholder's statements clearly says that.
...crtitic, and sorta like basher. Well...
I can't.
I can't handle jokes about this anymore. I'm not living in US, nor even was fan of this country (however, lot of people are smart, clever, etc. up there). I just wonder isn't US a big example of that, when you just start to ignore (for sake of better life, working long hours to achieve somethingt) what in your country all four powers do. Yet, in some time, lot of guys just bet high-profit game (like creating war or conflict, nothing hard, I would say) and get billions.
Problems is here not only with US, but with capitalism in whole. Capitalism in theory is good and I really don't wanna wave communism or socialism flag. However, in reality, both capitalism and communism is so much abused systems that I see that they simply won't work in future. There will be always some Enron, there will be some weapon guys who would like to create conflict, instead to solve one.
What to do? Get these guys to court? Don't make me laugh. They work in envorement out of laws reachability. Get them shot? Would work for some people, and not for all, and who will be this who will judge them?
What we have in creation here is simply modern feodalism. In fact, it never got away, just it was adjusted for new situation. However, there is problem that in feodalism there was some kind code of justice. I guess nothing of that exists today. It is just brutal anarchy.
Bullshit. They are not "subsiding" nothing (they still sold FOR profit). They just make sure that companies have *huge* profits instead of *good* profits. Because, hey, you in US, you don't mind at all :)
You want to know how much real percent of cost of developing and manufacturing drugs is? Maybe 35%-40%. All the rest is pure profit.
It is called lack of competition.
Or simply not so relayble as would be hard disk.
harsh, man, harsh.
:)
Emmmm...join the club