That was the point of my post. The term amounts to making people retroactively waive [i]any[/i] rights they have under the civil law, which is, of course, utter nonsense. But still, with all the crap some companies put into their EULAs, this wouldn't be too surprising to find.
I am German and AFAIK over here EULAs are automatically void if they aren't presented to you prior to buying the product. Since this applies to virtually all EULAs they are pretty much worthless.
"Durch Benutzen dieser Software erklären Sie sich bereit, auf jegliche Rechte unter dem BGB, insbesondere 305ff., rückwirkend bis zum Zeitpunkt des Öffnens der Verpackung, zu verzichten."
("Through use of this software you agree to forgo any rights you have under the BGB, especially 305ff., retroactive until the opening of the packaging.")
There are some web stores that have Mac sub-categories for RAM. The one I got my iBook RAM from is a specialized RAM/storage retailer with a somewhat Apple-centric product lineup; they even have sub-categories for each kind of Mac so when you buy from them you can be relatively sure that the stuff works in your Mac.
So, if you manage to find the right retailer you can buy your memory relatively safely. It's still a good ide to read up on the specs, though.
Well, the new Vista price will of course be rolled into the price tags of new computers (aka the Microsoft tax). Within three months of the Vista release Apple will be known as a manufacturer of low-cost PCs and the Mac Pro will be hailed as a cheap alternative to Dell's $3000 low-end desktops running Windows Vista Ultimate Starter Edition.;)
True. The only OS that I've seen doing effortless wireless is OS X. Linux has the problem that many chipsets just don't work and the entire thing is not easy to setup. Windows has the problem that it sometimes just doesn't work, even though you have the correct hardware with the correct drivers.
Then Apple will probably send you a mail saying that they're sorry they have to delay the delivery because they have just revised the product line and your order has been bumped up to its equivalent with the new specs. Happened to me when I ordered a 12" G4 iBook. I ordered a 1000 MHz G4 with a 60 GB HDD. I got a 1200 MHz G4 with an 80 GB HDD and more than 100 bucks back.
One bit of advice: Never buy memory from Apple. They charge ridiculous prices and with newer Macs it tends to be easy to buy the RAM sommewhere else and put it in yourself. Hard drives are expensive, too, but not as much as the memory.
Whoa. I just checked the price in the Apple on Campus store for the University of Bremen (Germany). It's 861.88 EUR (~1107.92 USD). I think I'd actually save money if I bought a Mac in the regular US store than in a German AoC one...
Let's hope that also means the MacBook overhaul people have been wishing for since the release. I'm going to upgrade when Leopard comes out and if I have to choose between an out-of-my-price-class MBP and the insufferable reflective screen on the MB I'm not going to be a happy customer. Unfortunately the MBP is the only 'nix-capable notebook I know that offers a matte screen.
Again, if all else fail, just get out of the company as quickly as possible, and keep that paper trail on your USB key for the next decade or so... Or, even better, keep two copies, one on the USB key and the other on a CD-ROM.
Some eccentric individuals might also keep a copy of their paper trail printed on actual paper.
Cores... I swear a modern OS (Vista including) can simply make no use of more than 2 cores.
Then you use two OSes. Sure, the market of people who run Linux and Windows simultaneously so they have one OS for gaming and one for everything else is small but that's just one possible application.
For most home users more than two cores ain't that great, but for certain powerusers and for professional IT (think "servers") it might be interesting, especially with things like per-core power management.
The best approach is to write the first diraft of rules to be simple, un-evil, and able to be modified in the future, but not too easily.
101. All players must always abide by all the rules then in effect, in the form in which they are then in effect. The rules in the Initial Set are in effect whenever a game begins. The Initial Set consists of Rules 101-116 (immutable) and 201-213 (mutable)...
Detecting whether a interviewee has MacOS experience prior to OS X: yell "Frog blast the vent core!" If they run, yes.
Note that the USA aren't the only market for the PS3. There's also Europe, which generally doesn't care about HDTV much. In fact, most of the people who really care about HDTV are gaming enthusiasts who want their games to look pretty. However, the cost of a PS3 plus that of a compatible TV is pretty prohibitive.
Of course now that there actually are programs being broadcast in 720p (provided that you receive digital television) and HD movie discs are less than two years away there might be people who actually have any benefit from owning an HDTV. We'll see.
Very true. Over here in Germany most new TVs are "HD-ready". "HD-ready" is an European campaign they launched in order to get anyone to buy HDTVs. It means that the TV fulfills any part of the HDTV spec, which usually means 720p50, as 1080*-compatible TVs tend to be too expensive to be attractive to most people (remember, Germany is a country where a 30" TV counts as pretty big). Considering HDTV adoption we're at least a decade behind you guys as nobody gives a shit about it.
Except for the performance-oriented gamers who are considering buying "HD-ready" TVs so they can properly play their X360/PS3, even if it means they'll have to spend 700+ Eurobucks on their console/TV combination. Everyone else (including more budget-conscious gamers) still doesn't give a shit about HDTV.
True. My brother recently installed a hacked driver that presented his Audigy 1 to the system as an Audigy 4, just so he could get surround sound in Quake 4. The quality is as decent as with any other game.
I'm using an Audigy 2 (which I bought before Creative became evil) and it's everything I'll ever need. Heck, my SoundBlaster Live! Player was everything I ever needed. I got the Audigy back when I still thought that EAX was cool.
Now when I see new sound cards I ask myself why anyone except audiophiles should buy them. EAX4, whose main difference to EAX2 (as far as most users are concerned) is the version number ain't that hot, but you still need it if you want more than stereo sound with some new games. Creative's latest card is supposed to include a chip that magically makes everything you play on it sound better, with some reviewers saying that it reconstructed 128 kbit MP3s to CD quality. Sure.
Actually, considering the quality of some onboard sound cards, my next sound card will have one main purpose: Providing an optical S/PDIF for five speakers. Anything beyond that I don't really care about and everything below that is already provided by my mainboard, if I ever should feel the need to use stereo speakers.
Compared to storage media, my Audigy 2 is a DVD-RW and Creative's latest is a diamond-coated "Supreme Video Quality 8500 Plus UltraSafe" DVD+RW for twenty bucks a pop.
You know, I lived in Germany for a few years in the mid 1990s, and there was a festering anti-American sentiment boiling under the surface even then. I still have a lot of dear friends in Germany, but let's call a spade a spade.
I'm not saying that we glorified you, but the USA's image was nowhere near where it's today. Anti-Americanism boiling under the surface is something different from wide-spread open distrust towards the USA.
As for Afghanistan: At that time your motives were somewhat believable and the prospect of helping you with your invasion was considered okay.
As for Iraq: Nobody believed you when you said that Saddam paid Osama (which he didn't), nobody believed you when you said he didn't comply with the weapon restrictions (which he did) and almost nobody wanted to help you when you attacked a country that was well under control (partially due to you already keeping them in check). In the process you destabilized the country and possibly the region. Also, you're making yourself unpopular with the very people you claimed to have freed, as you a) are an invader, b) have plunged their entire country into conditions even worse then before and c) are effectively taking away their oil resources.
We have no such contempt for this so-called "international law", and all of our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have been strictly within the bounds of our international obligations. And while it would be nice for our "allies" to like us, our need to defeat the murderous forces of radical Islamist fascism and international terrorism are a little more important.
Interesting. I thought most of the EU didn't want to help you because offensive wars (which is what the invasion of Iraq is) are illegal and because you had (and have) no proof whatsoever that the Iraq posed any threat towards you. Especially since the specialists sent into the country to find ABC weapons came back empty-handed and voiced their doubt that there were any hidden weapons.
Oh, I don't know about that. The United States has had the world's most dangerous army for quite some time now.
I'm not talking about "has an army capable of wiping us out", I'm talking about "is dangerously aggressive". The combination of the world's most expensive army and the extreme aggressiveness the Bush administration has shown make some people think that the USA are a threat to the security of even their allies.
Don't worry. By 2012 GWB will be killed by a rogue pretzel baker, the USA will declare Canadian Tire Money to be their official currency and everything will be well with the world until World War III breaks out in the European Union when Chile and Japan (then both EU members) can't agree on the exact wording of Article 16, paragraph 139, sub-paragraph 17 of the EU import regulation for pencils and pencil-related office supplies, which is seen as an important stepping stone towards the final draft of the fourteenth proposal for the second release candidate of the European Constitution (because they ran out of pencils drafting it).
Well, at least the German people liked you a lot more. Before you started bombing the shit out of countries you don't like for nonsensical reasons, showing utter contempt for things like international law or the opinions of your allies.
People have always used many terms to describe the USA, but "dangerous" is one that came up only recently.
Slashdot Mirror
That was the point of my post. The term amounts to making people retroactively waive [i]any[/i] rights they have under the civil law, which is, of course, utter nonsense. But still, with all the crap some companies put into their EULAs, this wouldn't be too surprising to find.
I am German and AFAIK over here EULAs are automatically void if they aren't presented to you prior to buying the product. Since this applies to virtually all EULAs they are pretty much worthless.
"Durch Benutzen dieser Software erklären Sie sich bereit, auf jegliche Rechte unter dem BGB, insbesondere 305ff., rückwirkend bis zum Zeitpunkt des Öffnens der Verpackung, zu verzichten."
("Through use of this software you agree to forgo any rights you have under the BGB, especially 305ff., retroactive until the opening of the packaging.")
There are some web stores that have Mac sub-categories for RAM. The one I got my iBook RAM from is a specialized RAM/storage retailer with a somewhat Apple-centric product lineup; they even have sub-categories for each kind of Mac so when you buy from them you can be relatively sure that the stuff works in your Mac.
So, if you manage to find the right retailer you can buy your memory relatively safely. It's still a good ide to read up on the specs, though.
Well, the new Vista price will of course be rolled into the price tags of new computers (aka the Microsoft tax). Within three months of the Vista release Apple will be known as a manufacturer of low-cost PCs and the Mac Pro will be hailed as a cheap alternative to Dell's $3000 low-end desktops running Windows Vista Ultimate Starter Edition. ;)
You're getting it wrong. This is Windows Vista RC1 RC1. I think that we'll hit RC1 RC5 until RC1 will be released. Then they'll release the RC2 beta.
True. The only OS that I've seen doing effortless wireless is OS X. Linux has the problem that many chipsets just don't work and the entire thing is not easy to setup. Windows has the problem that it sometimes just doesn't work, even though you have the correct hardware with the correct drivers.
Then Apple will probably send you a mail saying that they're sorry they have to delay the delivery because they have just revised the product line and your order has been bumped up to its equivalent with the new specs. Happened to me when I ordered a 12" G4 iBook. I ordered a 1000 MHz G4 with a 60 GB HDD. I got a 1200 MHz G4 with an 80 GB HDD and more than 100 bucks back.
One bit of advice: Never buy memory from Apple. They charge ridiculous prices and with newer Macs it tends to be easy to buy the RAM sommewhere else and put it in yourself. Hard drives are expensive, too, but not as much as the memory.
Whoa. I just checked the price in the Apple on Campus store for the University of Bremen (Germany). It's 861.88 EUR (~1107.92 USD). I think I'd actually save money if I bought a Mac in the regular US store than in a German AoC one...
Let's hope that also means the MacBook overhaul people have been wishing for since the release. I'm going to upgrade when Leopard comes out and if I have to choose between an out-of-my-price-class MBP and the insufferable reflective screen on the MB I'm not going to be a happy customer. Unfortunately the MBP is the only 'nix-capable notebook I know that offers a matte screen.
Internet Explorer 7: Powered by
...buffering...
Real Networks
Again, if all else fail, just get out of the company as quickly as possible, and keep that paper trail on your USB key for the next decade or so... Or, even better, keep two copies, one on the USB key and the other on a CD-ROM.
Some eccentric individuals might also keep a copy of their paper trail printed on actual paper.
Cores... I swear a modern OS (Vista including) can simply make no use of more than 2 cores.
Then you use two OSes. Sure, the market of people who run Linux and Windows simultaneously so they have one OS for gaming and one for everything else is small but that's just one possible application.
For most home users more than two cores ain't that great, but for certain powerusers and for professional IT (think "servers") it might be interesting, especially with things like per-core power management.
I see your Marathon and raise you one Aleph One.
Damn those domain squatters!
Note that the USA aren't the only market for the PS3. There's also Europe, which generally doesn't care about HDTV much. In fact, most of the people who really care about HDTV are gaming enthusiasts who want their games to look pretty. However, the cost of a PS3 plus that of a compatible TV is pretty prohibitive.
Of course now that there actually are programs being broadcast in 720p (provided that you receive digital television) and HD movie discs are less than two years away there might be people who actually have any benefit from owning an HDTV. We'll see.
Why, oh why on earth would you do a test with a 720p rig?!?
Because 1080* rigs are more expensive and most people are going to buy 720? Just an idea.
Very true. Over here in Germany most new TVs are "HD-ready". "HD-ready" is an European campaign they launched in order to get anyone to buy HDTVs. It means that the TV fulfills any part of the HDTV spec, which usually means 720p50, as 1080*-compatible TVs tend to be too expensive to be attractive to most people (remember, Germany is a country where a 30" TV counts as pretty big). Considering HDTV adoption we're at least a decade behind you guys as nobody gives a shit about it.
Except for the performance-oriented gamers who are considering buying "HD-ready" TVs so they can properly play their X360/PS3, even if it means they'll have to spend 700+ Eurobucks on their console/TV combination. Everyone else (including more budget-conscious gamers) still doesn't give a shit about HDTV.
Okay, as openly evil as today.
True. My brother recently installed a hacked driver that presented his Audigy 1 to the system as an Audigy 4, just so he could get surround sound in Quake 4. The quality is as decent as with any other game.
I'm using an Audigy 2 (which I bought before Creative became evil) and it's everything I'll ever need. Heck, my SoundBlaster Live! Player was everything I ever needed. I got the Audigy back when I still thought that EAX was cool.
Now when I see new sound cards I ask myself why anyone except audiophiles should buy them. EAX4, whose main difference to EAX2 (as far as most users are concerned) is the version number ain't that hot, but you still need it if you want more than stereo sound with some new games. Creative's latest card is supposed to include a chip that magically makes everything you play on it sound better, with some reviewers saying that it reconstructed 128 kbit MP3s to CD quality. Sure.
Actually, considering the quality of some onboard sound cards, my next sound card will have one main purpose: Providing an optical S/PDIF for five speakers. Anything beyond that I don't really care about and everything below that is already provided by my mainboard, if I ever should feel the need to use stereo speakers.
Compared to storage media, my Audigy 2 is a DVD-RW and Creative's latest is a diamond-coated "Supreme Video Quality 8500 Plus UltraSafe" DVD+RW for twenty bucks a pop.
You know, I lived in Germany for a few years in the mid 1990s, and there was a festering anti-American sentiment boiling under the surface even then. I still have a lot of dear friends in Germany, but let's call a spade a spade.
I'm not saying that we glorified you, but the USA's image was nowhere near where it's today. Anti-Americanism boiling under the surface is something different from wide-spread open distrust towards the USA.
As for Afghanistan: At that time your motives were somewhat believable and the prospect of helping you with your invasion was considered okay.
As for Iraq: Nobody believed you when you said that Saddam paid Osama (which he didn't), nobody believed you when you said he didn't comply with the weapon restrictions (which he did) and almost nobody wanted to help you when you attacked a country that was well under control (partially due to you already keeping them in check). In the process you destabilized the country and possibly the region. Also, you're making yourself unpopular with the very people you claimed to have freed, as you a) are an invader, b) have plunged their entire country into conditions even worse then before and c) are effectively taking away their oil resources.
We have no such contempt for this so-called "international law", and all of our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have been strictly within the bounds of our international obligations. And while it would be nice for our "allies" to like us, our need to defeat the murderous forces of radical Islamist fascism and international terrorism are a little more important.
Interesting. I thought most of the EU didn't want to help you because offensive wars (which is what the invasion of Iraq is) are illegal and because you had (and have) no proof whatsoever that the Iraq posed any threat towards you. Especially since the specialists sent into the country to find ABC weapons came back empty-handed and voiced their doubt that there were any hidden weapons.
Oh, I don't know about that. The United States has had the world's most dangerous army for quite some time now.
I'm not talking about "has an army capable of wiping us out", I'm talking about "is dangerously aggressive". The combination of the world's most expensive army and the extreme aggressiveness the Bush administration has shown make some people think that the USA are a threat to the security of even their allies.
Don't worry. By 2012 GWB will be killed by a rogue pretzel baker, the USA will declare Canadian Tire Money to be their official currency and everything will be well with the world until World War III breaks out in the European Union when Chile and Japan (then both EU members) can't agree on the exact wording of Article 16, paragraph 139, sub-paragraph 17 of the EU import regulation for pencils and pencil-related office supplies, which is seen as an important stepping stone towards the final draft of the fourteenth proposal for the second release candidate of the European Constitution (because they ran out of pencils drafting it).
Well, at least the German people liked you a lot more. Before you started bombing the shit out of countries you don't like for nonsensical reasons, showing utter contempt for things like international law or the opinions of your allies.
People have always used many terms to describe the USA, but "dangerous" is one that came up only recently.