They say we wanted what we downloaded, that it is our choice to install whatever we want. What the courts missed is we were mis-informed about the "extras" we were getting. I think the PC is going the way of the "Idiot Box". It will be nothing but a medium for corporations to advertise to us. And I remember the good old days before porn and advertising hit the web.
Maybe if they told us what we were downloading, and everything in it, we would have rights. But they hide the facts until after you instal the software, and then you have to "find" how to "disable" the unwanted "features". I hope one of those "sinpers" picks executives from these companies.
I think the hardware will continue to get better and better. While I do not think the apps are as slow as what you are describing, I think there is room for improvement. Right now, I know there are different JVM's for cell phones based on the hardware- how much ram you have.
What I think would be cool is to get higher transfer speeds on wireless devices. Once that is done, I can see endless applications.
How are we, as a society, going to respond to this robotic revolution? If we handle it properly, the arrival of robots could be an incredibly beneficial event for human beings. If we do not handle it properly, we will end up with millions of unemployed people and a severe economic downturn that will benefit no one.
Most buisnesses will do whatever it takes to make more of a profit. If the robots are cheaper than people, they will use robots. I doubt that most buisnesses consider the effect on employment or workers morale in buisness decisions. With NAFTA, many USA jobs that paid over $20 an hour left for Mexico where they pay a small fraction.
You have some good points, and I am reconsidering my original rational. My only concern is if I start a company which develops software that does something new which people like and want to buy, what would stop someone from reverse engineering it, studying it, and then two months later releasing their own version based upon the work I did? It does not seem right that the first person/company to invest so much time and energy and to have someone else reverse engineer a "roadmap" to the product. Now if the second person/company did their own research, I would be all for that.
From all the posts, it seems like theift is normal in the buisness world? What about honor and integrity and originality?
I think that if anyone could reverse engineer a product a company spends 1000's of hours making, then what would stop people from using parts of that software in their own programs? It would be too easy to steal code/ideas from companies which spend millions of dollars making the software.
All I am saying is that if a company says their product does something, then the product should do it. And software companies should spend more time testing their software, then pushing it out the door when there are flaws. When I give money for software, I should get exactly what they advertised.
The one thing which gets me about what MS does with their updates is they tell you they are selling you a good product when you buy it, but then a few months later tell you it is flawed. When you go to fix the product, they change the license agreement. I hate that.
It would be like if I purchased a VCR which did not work two months later, and after I went to have it fixed, the manufacturer decided to "add a feature" which sends them data about the VCR. It is BS.
The product (or information service) must live up to the manufacturer's and seller's claims.
If I could have manufacturer's adopt one part of the consumers bill of rights, it would be to advertise with honesty. Do not sell me a software product which does not live up the advertising.
The one part I disagree with is the reverse engineering. Companies have a right to sell software and to ban people from reverse engineering it.
Good points. But my question is do they need such a large cluster to accomplish those objectives? Could those objectives be accomplished with a smaller cluster (and having money left over)? And if the cluster was smaller, then the money could be used on other university improvements- perhaps a wireless campus or better student lounges or better food service? I guess the reason I brought it up is because when I was in college, they were charging us $1.20 for a can of pepsi from a vending machine, and that made wonder if money was being wasted.
And you think $14,000 a year for out of state tuition is cheap. It still comes to over $20,000 a year for study. Stop posting numbers for semesters when you obviously imply year.
You are an idiot. I guess since the tuition has not exploded at VT, then it is okay to spend at will. I guess the question of need is not in your vocabulary. Just buy it, even if it is not needed. Jerk.
I might be wrong, but I think VT is a public school. Why do they need the 5th most powerful cluster in the world? How about lowering tuition? Does the school really not need anything else more than a cluster? In 5 years, will it still be worth the money they are paying? Is there an immediate need to the cluster?
Drinking has nothing to do with it. Who cares at what age you can drink? It has nothing to do with responsibility. BTW, in the USA people as young as 12 or 13 have been tried as adults. That is the reality. You break the law, you go to jail.
And who cares how weak the security was. The fact is he had no right to do anything to anyone elses system. If I leave my front door unlocked, and someone trespasses, does that lessen the crime? I think that all criminals are scumbags because they can not follow the rules. And if someone can not follow the rules they belong in jail.
That is correct. Plus, don't the advertisers have enough places to market their products? Isn't TV and the newspaper and magazines good enough. Now they even have posters of advertising at a local shopping mall. And the last time I installed a game on my pc, during the instal all the other games the company makes was advertised. How many places are there to cram advertising?
I will also be signing up for the do not call list.
Yes, by the time an adult reaches 18, they should be aware of what a crime is. The criminal should thank his lucky stars he is in the USA and not some other country where meals in prisons are optional. He has to pay for what he did, and it must send a clear signal to everyone else that this behavior is unacceptable, and anyone who does it will go to jail.
The argument you make about the system being at risk, does not hold water. What if I buy a cheap front door to my house. Does that excuse the criminal because it is easier to break into than a steel door? For all I care, Microsoft could have written an OS that was easy to hack, and that would not lessen the crime.
And he did more than just cost money. From what I was reading, public transportation systems were affected, a nuclear silo was infected, hospitals were effected, my college's internal system was off for 2 hours while they purged the system. And even if the only cost was money, that is still good enough reason to send him to jail. We send car theives to jail for stealing a $10,000 clunker, and this guy caused millions in damage.
The point stands that he is a criminal and deserved a harsh punishment.
Prison is supposed to be hell. It is not supposed to be fun or easy. And remember, it is not the jailers who rape, it is the other losers who were convicted of crimes. What do all criminals share in common? The have no concern for others. So you get stuck in a place where nobody cares if you like it or not. I hope they nail the SOB who wrote the virus.
He deserves everything he gets. That is how prisons are. He knew that prisons were bad before he wrote the virus. I hope they throw the book at him and someone beats the hell out of him behind bars. I hope he has the worst 10 years of his life behind bars. People like him cost everyone else lots of money and time and fustration. If society can eliminate these kinds of drains, then the whole world will be a better place. Lets face it, this kid does not deserve any sympathy.
What would a company get from lying? A extra year or two of publicity and interest? Once the truth comes out that they lied, they will lose all their customers. It is troubling that many executives think lying is an okay part of doing buisness. This is bad.
The software giant's donations have allowed universities to follow through on projects they could not have otherwise dreamed of, given their limited research budgets. The collaborations have not only led to new products on store shelves but work dominating academic journals focused on high-tech innovation.
The corporation, however, has also directly or indirectly influenced curriculums and research priorities, drawing an outcry from critics who say the donations are turning computer science departments into vocational schools where mastery of proprietary computer programs are valued over the study of theory
Does this mean that colleges and universities have to change the curriculum to get the donnations? I was reading about the Waterloo school in the article which wanted to change intro to programming from using C++ to C#. I would say that if Miscrosoft wants to give, that is good, but if they want to influance for what purpose their products are used, then I think schools should not accept their giveaways.
I think schools should also ensure they have diversity of products. If they have a computer lab, they should try and include many different kinds of machines, not just PC's. I would like to see labs with Mac's, Suns, and other brands. Maybe because Microsoft is giving, other manufacturers will follow.
I think it will come down to what you said. If I had to pick between two ISP's for my parents, and one was locked down with tight security and strong filters, and audited thier networks, and the other did nothing, I would pick the one with security. Most people do not have the time to remove viruses from their PC's. I think what is happening is like terrorism. Something must be done or the avarage mom and pop will not want to bother with the PC.
More jail time does lead to less crime. Look at New York city, and compare it to the 80s. Cops with big sticks who are not afraid to use them, and tough judges are the solution. I would like to see hackers/crackers get the book thrown at them. Even if you are right, and the detterance is minimal, they should be punished.
If someone uses my PC as a launching point to attack other systems or spam other systems, not only are they stealing my bandwith and pc, but they are harrasing others at the same time. Something must be done, or the interent will continue to erode. I remember when it first came out, most of the content was usefull, not the porn and marketing you see now. If people want the internet to become unappealing, then let things stay the same.
BTW, if there was a way to force emails to contain the true identity of the sender, that would go a long way to solving the problem.
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Too bad there is not a way we can install extra goodies for the TV, which will have one commercial pop-up over another.
They say we wanted what we downloaded, that it is our choice to install whatever we want. What the courts missed is we were mis-informed about the "extras" we were getting. I think the PC is going the way of the "Idiot Box". It will be nothing but a medium for corporations to advertise to us. And I remember the good old days before porn and advertising hit the web.
Maybe if they told us what we were downloading, and everything in it, we would have rights. But they hide the facts until after you instal the software, and then you have to "find" how to "disable" the unwanted "features". I hope one of those "sinpers" picks executives from these companies.
What I think would be cool is to get higher transfer speeds on wireless devices. Once that is done, I can see endless applications.
I wonder what this has to do with it all? If linux is the platform, what is M$'s stake?
I am really happy that Motorola will continue support of Java. That would be my main want from a cell phone.
Most buisnesses will do whatever it takes to make more of a profit. If the robots are cheaper than people, they will use robots. I doubt that most buisnesses consider the effect on employment or workers morale in buisness decisions. With NAFTA, many USA jobs that paid over $20 an hour left for Mexico where they pay a small fraction.
From all the posts, it seems like theift is normal in the buisness world? What about honor and integrity and originality?
That was hard to say. I hate defending companies.
All I am saying is that if a company says their product does something, then the product should do it. And software companies should spend more time testing their software, then pushing it out the door when there are flaws. When I give money for software, I should get exactly what they advertised.
It would be like if I purchased a VCR which did not work two months later, and after I went to have it fixed, the manufacturer decided to "add a feature" which sends them data about the VCR. It is BS.
If I could have manufacturer's adopt one part of the consumers bill of rights, it would be to advertise with honesty. Do not sell me a software product which does not live up the advertising.
The one part I disagree with is the reverse engineering. Companies have a right to sell software and to ban people from reverse engineering it.
Good points. But my question is do they need such a large cluster to accomplish those objectives? Could those objectives be accomplished with a smaller cluster (and having money left over)? And if the cluster was smaller, then the money could be used on other university improvements- perhaps a wireless campus or better student lounges or better food service? I guess the reason I brought it up is because when I was in college, they were charging us $1.20 for a can of pepsi from a vending machine, and that made wonder if money was being wasted.
And you think $14,000 a year for out of state tuition is cheap. It still comes to over $20,000 a year for study. Stop posting numbers for semesters when you obviously imply year.
You are an idiot. I guess since the tuition has not exploded at VT, then it is okay to spend at will. I guess the question of need is not in your vocabulary. Just buy it, even if it is not needed. Jerk.
I might be wrong, but I think VT is a public school. Why do they need the 5th most powerful cluster in the world? How about lowering tuition? Does the school really not need anything else more than a cluster? In 5 years, will it still be worth the money they are paying? Is there an immediate need to the cluster?
And who cares how weak the security was. The fact is he had no right to do anything to anyone elses system. If I leave my front door unlocked, and someone trespasses, does that lessen the crime? I think that all criminals are scumbags because they can not follow the rules. And if someone can not follow the rules they belong in jail.
That is correct. Plus, don't the advertisers have enough places to market their products? Isn't TV and the newspaper and magazines good enough. Now they even have posters of advertising at a local shopping mall. And the last time I installed a game on my pc, during the instal all the other games the company makes was advertised. How many places are there to cram advertising?
I will also be signing up for the do not call list.
Yes, by the time an adult reaches 18, they should be aware of what a crime is. The criminal should thank his lucky stars he is in the USA and not some other country where meals in prisons are optional. He has to pay for what he did, and it must send a clear signal to everyone else that this behavior is unacceptable, and anyone who does it will go to jail. The argument you make about the system being at risk, does not hold water. What if I buy a cheap front door to my house. Does that excuse the criminal because it is easier to break into than a steel door? For all I care, Microsoft could have written an OS that was easy to hack, and that would not lessen the crime. And he did more than just cost money. From what I was reading, public transportation systems were affected, a nuclear silo was infected, hospitals were effected, my college's internal system was off for 2 hours while they purged the system. And even if the only cost was money, that is still good enough reason to send him to jail. We send car theives to jail for stealing a $10,000 clunker, and this guy caused millions in damage. The point stands that he is a criminal and deserved a harsh punishment.
Prison is supposed to be hell. It is not supposed to be fun or easy. And remember, it is not the jailers who rape, it is the other losers who were convicted of crimes. What do all criminals share in common? The have no concern for others. So you get stuck in a place where nobody cares if you like it or not. I hope they nail the SOB who wrote the virus.
He deserves everything he gets. That is how prisons are. He knew that prisons were bad before he wrote the virus. I hope they throw the book at him and someone beats the hell out of him behind bars. I hope he has the worst 10 years of his life behind bars. People like him cost everyone else lots of money and time and fustration. If society can eliminate these kinds of drains, then the whole world will be a better place. Lets face it, this kid does not deserve any sympathy.
What would a company get from lying? A extra year or two of publicity and interest? Once the truth comes out that they lied, they will lose all their customers. It is troubling that many executives think lying is an okay part of doing buisness. This is bad.
The corporation, however, has also directly or indirectly influenced curriculums and research priorities, drawing an outcry from critics who say the donations are turning computer science departments into vocational schools where mastery of proprietary computer programs are valued over the study of theory
Does this mean that colleges and universities have to change the curriculum to get the donnations? I was reading about the Waterloo school in the article which wanted to change intro to programming from using C++ to C#. I would say that if Miscrosoft wants to give, that is good, but if they want to influance for what purpose their products are used, then I think schools should not accept their giveaways.
I think schools should also ensure they have diversity of products. If they have a computer lab, they should try and include many different kinds of machines, not just PC's. I would like to see labs with Mac's, Suns, and other brands. Maybe because Microsoft is giving, other manufacturers will follow.
I think it will come down to what you said. If I had to pick between two ISP's for my parents, and one was locked down with tight security and strong filters, and audited thier networks, and the other did nothing, I would pick the one with security. Most people do not have the time to remove viruses from their PC's. I think what is happening is like terrorism. Something must be done or the avarage mom and pop will not want to bother with the PC.
More jail time does lead to less crime. Look at New York city, and compare it to the 80s. Cops with big sticks who are not afraid to use them, and tough judges are the solution. I would like to see hackers/crackers get the book thrown at them. Even if you are right, and the detterance is minimal, they should be punished.
If someone uses my PC as a launching point to attack other systems or spam other systems, not only are they stealing my bandwith and pc, but they are harrasing others at the same time. Something must be done, or the interent will continue to erode. I remember when it first came out, most of the content was usefull, not the porn and marketing you see now. If people want the internet to become unappealing, then let things stay the same. BTW, if there was a way to force emails to contain the true identity of the sender, that would go a long way to solving the problem.