I have relatives in NM, and coincidentally my aunt was killed by a drunk driver there. This drunk driver (female in this case) was a repeat offender. Folks in NM tend to do what they want regardless of the law (wild west aspect), which partly explains their DUI problem. Passing laws like this isn't going to address that _basic_cultural_issue_ in an effective manner. Those who have spent time in NM among the locals understand what I am saying.
A couple of obvious problems with the bill: What consumer would buy a car that had that feature? And if they did buy it, how long before they took it off the car? Would car companies be liable if the breathalizer read green but you got pulled over and arrested anyway? What if during a random "check" on the highway @ 65 MPH your car decides you failed and shuts down the engine? Its just too absurd to think about in a serious fashion.
Excessive Drinking is the problem, so they should focus on fixing that - not the symptom of driving while intoxicated. The current DUI laws need to be tougher and enforced with more vigor.
"It's probably not the first time that record company executives have been likened to Al Capone, but this time a judge might have to agree or disagree."
I sincerely hope that we get a good judge on this one. A precedence ruling in favor of the alleged file swappers would be a nice help.
Every RIAA executive weenie's nightmare:
headline "RIAA COMPARED TO MOB, TACTICS RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL"
Her lawyers should do this pro-bono for all the attention they will get from this case.
Big wigs are all about guarantees and minimized risks. Part of their fear of open source lies in not seeing a legally defined responsible party that will answer their cries for support and help (sorry, "the community" doesn't count for the most part...yet). The other issue is the concept of long term comittment by OSS community to a specific product. In other words, will a product like OpenOffice and Firefox offer long term (years) of consistency such that the business won't be left hanging by a sudden shift in OSS philosophy or direction on a given project. Even though Firefox and OpenOffice ROCK (I use as primaries), businesses won't migrate enmasse until they get over the perceived issue of legally defined support and long term commitment. The OSS community will have to keep on demonstrating commitment and consistency over the long haul for this shift to occur. GREAT JOB TO ALL WHO HAVE HELPED MAKE OSS WHAT IT IS TODAY! YOU ARE CREATING A NEW AND BRIGHTER FUTURE WITH YOUR EFFORTS - KEEP IT UP!!
"Of worms and penguins?.... So where does the worm come in? Chris Belthoff, senior security analyst with privately held anti-software firm Sophos, said that it looks like the main intention of MyDoom is to launch a denial of service attack against the Web site of SCO Group. "This appears to be a facet of the Linux war," said Belthoff. "This is the first time we've seen a virus or malicious code used in this legal battle.""
The LAST thing the Linux effort needs is the label of "a community of electronic terrorists". That would invite ALL the WROING folks into the picture (think government agencies, arrests, a general and aggressive "clamping down"). Worm attacks are not constructive - they are DEstructive.
"if you have to become evil to fight evil, why are you fighting it?"
As much as I think that the SCO leeches are slimy forked tongue greedy selfish two-faced hypocrit lying b@stards, I have to say that those folks who are purposefully attacking them are only helping their cause and hurting the perception of the open source community.
Let them kill themselves. The industry is aligned against them, and you can bet they will castrate them before its over.
"...here's what I do with the resumes: I make three piles: Good, OK, and Bad. I give the same resumes to Michael and he does the same thing. There are always enough people that we both put in the Good pile that those are really the only people that stand a chance. In principle if we can't find enough people we like that we both rated as "good" we would consider some people who got Good/OK, but in practice this has never happened."
After my (1st) layoff, I attended a resume seminar paid for by the company. The speaker mentioned this one principle: That your resume was a tool to get the company to interview you. Not only were qualifications important, but your resume had to communicate that you were interesting or unique in some way - the point of the latter being that it would brand your resume into their minds and guarantee you an interview.
If X number of people all have basically the same qualifications and skills, and they all have decent looking resumes, the separating factor then becomes personality or uniqueness (something that would say "hey this guy would make a cool and interesting co-worker/subordinate).
"...stamps, paid if the receiver considers he is being spammed"
What if I accidently type in "joe@yahoo.com" instead of "joel@yahoo.com" and joe decides I am spamming him? Should I be required to pay up becuase of a mistake? Who's going to enforce payment (really)?
I fear that if we make email more difficult to use then it begins to lose its appeal (think instand messaging alternatives).
"The proposed patents apparently seek to protect methods other applications could use to interpret the XML dialect, or schema, Office uses to describe and organize information in documents. Microsoft recently agreed to publish those schemas and is looking at opening other chunks of Office code.
Despite those moves toward openness, the patents could create a barrier to competing software, said Rob Helm, an analyst for research firm Directions on Microsoft.
"This is a direct challenge to software vendors who want to interoperate with Word through XML," he said. "For example, if Corel wanted to improve WordPerfect's support of Word by adopting its XML format...for import/export, they'd probably have to license this patent.""
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS. THE REAL MOTIVATION FOR THE PATENTS = ATTEMPT AT CREATING A ROYALTY INCOME STREAM. YOU WILL SEE MORE OF THIS AS MICROSOFT TRYS TO PROP UP ITS FAILING PROFIT MARGINS.
individual to go "postal" and screw things up unfortunately. I subscribe to the "people enjoy contributing to something useful for their own and others' use" theory as well, but I also subscribe to the "people are sometimes unnervingly unpredictable for no apparent reason" theory as well; consequently I understand the need for more defined and structured contracts.
Like other posters have pointed out, these third world countries will not be able to affort the hight prices of upgrades. Sure they would take the freebies - it would be smart, but I doubt Microsoft is going to gain the long position.
The dynamic in Microsoft's finances right now is really illustrating a couple of things: (1) market pressures by solutions offered by other (open source) alternatives, and (2) the beginnings of the effects of their predatory reputation and business practices in light of #1.
Software is in may regards (and this is a controversial statement) becoming a commodity. When that happens pricing pressures take hold. Microsoft is entering this phase of its company's life. It can no longer hold onto and expand the market by monopolistic tactics. The open source movement, general awarness and a growing sense of displeasure in the business community with Microsoft's tactics and pricing, and of course the anti-trust trial and verdict (however inadequate we feel the "punishment".
The bottom line is that Microsoft's business success was base partly on its ability to meet customer needs (minus security), but was propped up by its predatory behavior.
I see this trend continuing until Micrsoft's pricing comes in line with upcoming competition (GO LINUX DESKTOP!!!). We are in the middle of a paradigm shift, ladies and gentlemen.
Finally! This is exactly what needs to happen. If the law is too slow to shut these clowns up then the tech community must collectively gang up on them in this manner. Be civil, logical, but confrontational and specific, and document it all in the Internet.
Bullies always fold under group pressure.
Bravo!!
Its about technology and spurring new developments
on
One-Way Ticket to Mars?
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Its not so much about getting there, but what new technologies will be developed in the effort to try. New fabrics, new electronics, new radio gear, new sheilding technologies, better batteries, better solar power, etc etc. And then there are jobs, new businesses created, institutions of education focusing more on sciense, more college kids going for science and tech degrees, etc etc.
In the end it doesn't matter at all if we actually end up going, but rather what new things we learn and develop along the way.
And if the law won't handle it, the consumers MUST handle it. These guys only understand money - they are greedy selfish ladder climbing bast@rds. They won't change unless it costs them money not to. We have to hit them in the pocket book by making OpenSource software better and better to steal their revenue streams.
they'll probably put the update under the "recommended" section with an obscure description that would leave anyone reading it with the feeling that it was useless and a waste of time to download and install.
Corporate usage of this OS is still widespread, mainly due to inertia more than anything else.
What you say is true, however I would suggest that the real reason that Win9x is still so widespread is that the software meets the business' needs and they don't see a reason to spend more money on new software "just because". Remember, software is a tool - a means to an end. Is it the business' fault that the software maker failed to design a robust product?
perhaps I should have been more concise. I meant that Longhorn seems to be an age away, and with it an upgrade wave that would put a spike in Intel's processor revenue. So perhaps they are trying to encourage diversification in the OS market that supports its processor platform. They can't afford to be so tied to one OS vendor, and its in their best interests to foster the adoption of Linux in the mainstream to accomplish that.
MS is floundering, and Intel's fate is too tied to them now. Perhaps they want to free Linux of the SCO cloud so that they can continue to rocket into the mainstream. = more diverse markets for Intel and a shot at re-charging the flatlined processor market? Also maybe a way to cozy up to the OpenSource community to perhaps steal some light from AMD? Like you said - they aren't doing this for free.
Don't be too hasty to ignore the global warning thing. Keep an open mind. The world used to be flat, remember? And it was only recently that the earth started revolving around the sun (vs. the reverse of that).
you never know until you know, and then its too late.
Slashdot Mirror
Gawd these ideas suck, not that I have any better ideas but geez - come one guys.
Maybe not related but d@m funny! SCO street photo at Groklaw
'nuff said.
I have relatives in NM, and coincidentally my aunt was killed by a drunk driver there. This drunk driver (female in this case) was a repeat offender. Folks in NM tend to do what they want regardless of the law (wild west aspect), which partly explains their DUI problem. Passing laws like this isn't going to address that _basic_cultural_issue_ in an effective manner. Those who have spent time in NM among the locals understand what I am saying.
A couple of obvious problems with the bill: What consumer would buy a car that had that feature? And if they did buy it, how long before they took it off the car? Would car companies be liable if the breathalizer read green but you got pulled over and arrested anyway? What if during a random "check" on the highway @ 65 MPH your car decides you failed and shuts down the engine? Its just too absurd to think about in a serious fashion.
Excessive Drinking is the problem, so they should focus on fixing that - not the symptom of driving while intoxicated. The current DUI laws need to be tougher and enforced with more vigor.
"It's probably not the first time that record company executives have been likened to Al Capone, but this time a judge might have to agree or disagree."
I sincerely hope that we get a good judge on this one. A precedence ruling in favor of the alleged file swappers would be a nice help.
Every RIAA executive weenie's nightmare:
headline "RIAA COMPARED TO MOB, TACTICS RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL"
Her lawyers should do this pro-bono for all the attention they will get from this case.
Big wigs are all about guarantees and minimized risks. Part of their fear of open source lies in not seeing a legally defined responsible party that will answer their cries for support and help (sorry, "the community" doesn't count for the most part...yet). The other issue is the concept of long term comittment by OSS community to a specific product. In other words, will a product like OpenOffice and Firefox offer long term (years) of consistency such that the business won't be left hanging by a sudden shift in OSS philosophy or direction on a given project. Even though Firefox and OpenOffice ROCK (I use as primaries), businesses won't migrate enmasse until they get over the perceived issue of legally defined support and long term commitment. The OSS community will have to keep on demonstrating commitment and consistency over the long haul for this shift to occur. GREAT JOB TO ALL WHO HAVE HELPED MAKE OSS WHAT IT IS TODAY! YOU ARE CREATING A NEW AND BRIGHTER FUTURE WITH YOUR EFFORTS - KEEP IT UP!!
1. its a rare female that will hang around long distance for very long.
;-)
2. Stay away from the game idea, and drive your butt over to her often, before she gets bored.
3. Remember - females like for men to listen, understand, and laugh when appropriate. If you follow this principle, #2 can be rewarding
http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/27/technology/techinv estor/lamonica/index.htm
....
"Of worms and penguins?
So where does the worm come in? Chris Belthoff, senior security analyst with privately held anti-software firm Sophos, said that it looks like the main intention of MyDoom is to launch a denial of service attack against the Web site of SCO Group. "This appears to be a facet of the Linux war," said Belthoff. "This is the first time we've seen a virus or malicious code used in this legal battle.""
The LAST thing the Linux effort needs is the label of "a community of electronic terrorists". That would invite ALL the WROING folks into the picture (think government agencies, arrests, a general and aggressive "clamping down"). Worm attacks are not constructive - they are DEstructive.
"if you have to become evil to fight evil, why are you fighting it?"
As much as I think that the SCO leeches are slimy forked tongue greedy selfish two-faced hypocrit lying b@stards, I have to say that those folks who are purposefully attacking them are only helping their cause and hurting the perception of the open source community.
Let them kill themselves. The industry is aligned against them, and you can bet they will castrate them before its over.
"...here's what I do with the resumes: I make three piles: Good, OK, and Bad. I give the same resumes to Michael and he does the same thing. There are always enough people that we both put in the Good pile that those are really the only people that stand a chance. In principle if we can't find enough people we like that we both rated as "good" we would consider some people who got Good/OK, but in practice this has never happened."
After my (1st) layoff, I attended a resume seminar paid for by the company. The speaker mentioned this one principle: That your resume was a tool to get the company to interview you. Not only were qualifications important, but your resume had to communicate that you were interesting or unique in some way - the point of the latter being that it would brand your resume into their minds and guarantee you an interview.
If X number of people all have basically the same qualifications and skills, and they all have decent looking resumes, the separating factor then becomes personality or uniqueness (something that would say "hey this guy would make a cool and interesting co-worker/subordinate).
tax write offs....
"...stamps, paid if the receiver considers he is being spammed"
What if I accidently type in "joe@yahoo.com" instead of "joel@yahoo.com" and joe decides I am spamming him? Should I be required to pay up becuase of a mistake? Who's going to enforce payment (really)?
I fear that if we make email more difficult to use then it begins to lose its appeal (think instand messaging alternatives).
he didn't say "I was wrong". He said "[the approach] I now realize was wrong" big difference.
"The proposed patents apparently seek to protect methods other applications could use to interpret the XML dialect, or schema, Office uses to describe and organize information in documents. Microsoft recently agreed to publish those schemas and is looking at opening other chunks of Office code.
Despite those moves toward openness, the patents could create a barrier to competing software, said Rob Helm, an analyst for research firm Directions on Microsoft.
"This is a direct challenge to software vendors who want to interoperate with Word through XML," he said. "For example, if Corel wanted to improve WordPerfect's support of Word by adopting its XML format...for import/export, they'd probably have to license this patent.""
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS. THE REAL MOTIVATION FOR THE PATENTS = ATTEMPT AT CREATING A ROYALTY INCOME STREAM. YOU WILL SEE MORE OF THIS AS MICROSOFT TRYS TO PROP UP ITS FAILING PROFIT MARGINS.
individual to go "postal" and screw things up unfortunately. I subscribe to the "people enjoy contributing to something useful for their own and others' use" theory as well, but I also subscribe to the "people are sometimes unnervingly unpredictable for no apparent reason" theory as well; consequently I understand the need for more defined and structured contracts.
It only takes one bad apple...just one.
a "freebie", that is.
Like other posters have pointed out, these third world countries will not be able to affort the hight prices of upgrades. Sure they would take the freebies - it would be smart, but I doubt Microsoft is going to gain the long position.
The dynamic in Microsoft's finances right now is really illustrating a couple of things: (1) market pressures by solutions offered by other (open source) alternatives, and (2) the beginnings of the effects of their predatory reputation and business practices in light of #1.
Software is in may regards (and this is a controversial statement) becoming a commodity. When that happens pricing pressures take hold. Microsoft is entering this phase of its company's life. It can no longer hold onto and expand the market by monopolistic tactics. The open source movement, general awarness and a growing sense of displeasure in the business community with Microsoft's tactics and pricing, and of course the anti-trust trial and verdict (however inadequate we feel the "punishment".
The bottom line is that Microsoft's business success was base partly on its ability to meet customer needs (minus security), but was propped up by its predatory behavior.
I see this trend continuing until Micrsoft's pricing comes in line with upcoming competition (GO LINUX DESKTOP!!!). We are in the middle of a paradigm shift, ladies and gentlemen.
Finally! This is exactly what needs to happen. If the law is too slow to shut these clowns up then the tech community must collectively gang up on them in this manner. Be civil, logical, but confrontational and specific, and document it all in the Internet. Bullies always fold under group pressure. Bravo!!
Its not so much about getting there, but what new technologies will be developed in the effort to try. New fabrics, new electronics, new radio gear, new sheilding technologies, better batteries, better solar power, etc etc. And then there are jobs, new businesses created, institutions of education focusing more on sciense, more college kids going for science and tech degrees, etc etc.
In the end it doesn't matter at all if we actually end up going, but rather what new things we learn and develop along the way.
And if the law won't handle it, the consumers MUST handle it. These guys only understand money - they are greedy selfish ladder climbing bast@rds. They won't change unless it costs them money not to. We have to hit them in the pocket book by making OpenSource software better and better to steal their revenue streams.
they'll probably put the update under the "recommended" section with an obscure description that would leave anyone reading it with the feeling that it was useless and a waste of time to download and install.
Corporate usage of this OS is still widespread, mainly due to inertia more than anything else.
What you say is true, however I would suggest that the real reason that Win9x is still so widespread is that the software meets the business' needs and they don't see a reason to spend more money on new software "just because". Remember, software is a tool - a means to an end. Is it the business' fault that the software maker failed to design a robust product?
perhaps I should have been more concise. I meant that Longhorn seems to be an age away, and with it an upgrade wave that would put a spike in Intel's processor revenue. So perhaps they are trying to encourage diversification in the OS market that supports its processor platform. They can't afford to be so tied to one OS vendor, and its in their best interests to foster the adoption of Linux in the mainstream to accomplish that.
MS is floundering, and Intel's fate is too tied to them now. Perhaps they want to free Linux of the SCO cloud so that they can continue to rocket into the mainstream. = more diverse markets for Intel and a shot at re-charging the flatlined processor market? Also maybe a way to cozy up to the OpenSource community to perhaps steal some light from AMD? Like you said - they aren't doing this for free.
for 1 of the lawyers for 1 day. Yay!!
Don't be too hasty to ignore the global warning thing. Keep an open mind. The world used to be flat, remember? And it was only recently that the earth started revolving around the sun (vs. the reverse of that).
you never know until you know, and then its too late.