TridiaVNC Java installer MS Update Symantec Live Update United Admins' Cheat-Death Auto-update Mandrake Update Redhat Update Debian's apt-get
That's just a few I could think of. Those that specifically cover updates for installation of new devices, are of course: WUpdate, Mandrake update, Redhat update and Debian apt-get.
Windows update definitely matches the functionality shown in the patent, as you can tell the device wizard to check on-line for drivers. Looks like MS "innovated" something after all.
I just get the feeling that people are way too lazy to even try to see rationale between different handling. I doubt Symantec is trying to censor discussion regarding "gun rights" and gun control laws, but rather blocking access to sites that have lots of gun (not gun LAW) content.
The ILA website deals specifically with the NRA's lobbying division (I'm an NRA member, but let's call it what it is). Therefore, blocking this site pretty much equates to silencing a political viewpoint for Symantec's users. It's not a my-right-to-look-at-naughty-pictures type of thing, it appears to be a pretty clear-cut political positioning by Symantec (or their consultants). I'm also looking at the NRA website right now. Unlike others have commented further up, it doesn't show people "how to make bombs" or even link to anything to do with bomb-making; That's fairly easy to find by searching on Google.com. The NRA's main site doesn't advocate reckless behavior with guns, either. If anything, you'll find information about how *not* to be reckless with a firearm.
Anyway, my personal rabid pro-gun views aside, I'd like to say a) imagine if it was government-mandated filtering (D:!), and b) nyah nyah, shoe's on the other foot, conservative, pro-Internet-censorship crowd! While we're on the topic of stupid Internet filtering, I'd like to see if we can have a reasonable discussion about CIPA requiring use of pornographic image recognition technology that doesn't yet exist (teachers are the most effective filters), and Universal Services (the Al Gore Tax) extracting millions of dollars from towns, but only giving back hundreds.
And I don't think anyone has admitted that the only path to security is "perfect code", which for all we know is an impossible goal. However, the path to good security is multiple layers of protection. Which is certainly more than just a firewall.
Right now "firewall" is synonymous with "NAT box with rules." We can argue the true meaning of firewall, but the current crop of products marketed as firewalls are basically just this. And there is no One True Configuration for this firewall that will protect from all intrusions. Obviously blocking every port from the DMZ is a good start for most, but the configuration varies depending on the user's needs (some, for example need to make available ports for P2P networks or game servers). And no NAT rules could have prevented someone from being infected by the Nimda worm, where the Windows boxen were purposely offering an HTTP port to the outside world.
The path to good security involves reusing proven code, privilege separation for services using sockets, bounds checking, IP rules, and a whole host of other things. Windows scores poorly in these areas, and Linux, although it does have some high points, isn't that much better.
I can recall this happening in the automotive industry as well. Olds let some trade rags review a late prototype of the turbo Toronado at one point. The boost was dialed up to around 12psi, and the reviewers had fun putting the car through its paces. Of course, when the production version arrived in showrooms, the boost was set to mild 5psi.
A simple "pump and dump" scheme didn't seem likely to me, although it would probably be a perk for the officers of SCO. This is about destroying a potential competitor by shaking loose it's foundation, the foundation being the GPL. The end result, to cripple a whole gaggle of competitors at once.
I get my news, weather, and sports updates on the radio, and it's less dangerous than reading the newspaper while driving.
Also you can get entertaining stuff from all the kooks, from political talking heads far left-wing to far right-wing, and the black helicopter gang too. FM music stations are dead though. The four most powerful FM music stations in my area are all owned by the same company, and run the same playlists. Sometimes they screw up and play the same songs in the same order. I wish I could license some of that bandwidth for my own personal use. Maybe a wireless modem link up to a home broadcasting station. Much better and less accident-prone than lugging around dozens of CDs. Not likely to happen.
Anyway, radio won't be dead until there is a replacement that I can make use of in my car... And for free.
...But I have to confess that I despise the fossil fuel economy. I hate smelly, filthy, unreliable and expensive cars, and I hate having only two choices to heat/power my home: Fossil fuels or electricity (most likely produced from burning fossil fuels), and I hate the fact that I don't have a clean, reliable and affordable alternative to put at least some of my energy generation into my own care.
As I face the prospect of having to pay another four-digit figure to heat my apartment this winter, I'm wondering when there will be something else available. And I laugh when I hear those radio ads for oil heat, "clean and dependable." Yeah, that's why a technician has to come to my house every year to replace furnace parts clogged with soot, change two filters, and wipe down the smelly black oil tank coated with a petroleum goo.
The novelty of personal transportation has long since passed for me. After a decade and a half of changing oil, replacing expensive parts to save money, dumping gas into the tank every week, replacing tires, paying auto insurance and making car payments almost equal to my rent, I'm ready for a change. I have an almost perfect commute: My office is within walking distance, but unfortunately the other campus is on the other side of town. I can't walk because I need to lug equipment around, and it would take too long to get from on side of town to the other.
I'm waiting for the new, cheap solar panels that will hit the market in the near future (I'm hopeful anyway). Although they appear to be another petroleum-derived product, It would be something I'd be willing to try even on a small scale; The missing piece of the puzzle still being storage. But I've done everything I can. Since de-regulation in my state, electricity prices have gone up 50%, and reliability has stayed about the same. I replaced every light bulb in my house with higher-efficiency fluorescent models. I don't leave the TV on, I don't run air conditioners in the summer, I only leave on a light in the room I'm occupying. My bill will not go below $60, even if I just sit and read under a 14-watt bulb during nights.
What I see when I go through towns in my area is a people stuck in a 1950s way of doing things. No one wants to change their mindset, even when the "advantages" aren't what they were. Now that everyone has a monster furnace to heat their 3,500 ft^2 American Dream Homes, they have to contend with the monster oil bill created by high demand. Now that everyone aged 16 years or old has a car, traffic is bumper-to-bumper on the Main Streets of every town, and auto insurance just goes up and up. I now consider it a major inconvenience to have to get in my car to go somewhere, and have to put up with all the traffic and road construction. Please spare me the "how else would you get there" argument; It's a tad too one-sided because there aren't any alternatives.
So I guess what I'm saying is: Even though I've been dismissive of environmentalism and environmental scare tactics in the past, I'm seeing (or paying for) the disadvantages first-hand, and I want change in my lifetime.
The post makes it sound as if the author is surprised by the whole thing. I would have posted if Microsoft hadn't removed support for all third-pary OSes. This is the predictable result of Microsoft continuing to be a monopoly. File it under "duh, not shit".
I don't take the attitude that "shit happens". I think it sucks hardcore, and I feel terrible for those people currently troubleshooting this problem, totally unaware that sudden damage of hardware is actually a possibility.
This just unscores how terribly poor the ATAPI support is with 2.4 kernels. The circa-95 IDE drivers with hacked-on ATAPI is a major thorn in the heel of Linux app developers, and is the reason that CD burning is currently limited to the speeds of slow, and slower.
Kernel 2.4 may have all the goodies, but it still isn't right, even after years of alterations. I don't know what went wrong with 2.4, but I eagerly await a stable 2.6, so I can finally upgrade my workhorse machines running 2.2.
Where is the IP? Rarely does a company go under with all its assests simply vanishing from the face of the earth. Were they bought out? Where was the source code kept? Is someone willing to sell that IP? I'm betting that all the avenues haven't been explored yet.
I've got a secret stash of those weighted PS/2 IBM keyboards in my basement (sounds similar to what you're describing, and they bear a 1984 copyright notice). I've only given out one so far, and I've got a few left. These are new-in-box, absolutely spotless, and in the original packing materials. As long as they keep putting PS/2-compatible ports on motherboards, I'll be set. Considering how tough they are, I figure I will be dead before I use them all up.
I recently got fed up with a new-fangled keyboard that came with a bare bones system I bought. The keys are only about 5mm deep, and they're smaller and rearranged for a more compact size. The feel of a membrane is punishment compared to a top-notch spring. It felt like I was pushing Chicklets into cookie dough. After about six months of typing and coding on it, I chucked it, and broke out a vintage IBM.
What a difference! It makes me want to cry that no one makes a keyboard like this anymore. There is no longer a battle between desktop real estate and computers, since most of what was written is now done on a PC. I want good, reliable keyboards back. Some of the typewriters out there still sport good keyboards. Why aren't those designs making it to PC keyboards?
This survey only asks half of the question. How would the users feel after using Linux or OS 10 or BeOS for 6 months? You can flame me for this, I am rabidly pro-Linux, but honestly, think about it.
...Get your in-home correspondence course for the Patent Office Worker certification! It's simple, it's easy, and it requires a simple 25 cent investment! Just about anyone can't be trained at home, and in only weeks!
Have you ever seen a computer before in your life? No? You're a shoo-in!
Have you used that intar-web thingy? No? Welcome aboard!
Have you failed miserably any questions on standard intelligence tests that measure your cognitive power to associate things that aren't exactly similar? Yes? You're as good as hired!
And all you need to provide, my friends, is a special hi-tech Patent Validator Device, a simple quarter dollar! Heads? Grant that patent! Tails? Ooh, better luck next time fella!
I put my back out during yardwork last week, so Slashdot's editors shouldn't post articles that make me laugh so hard. How about a warning next time, k guys?
Redirecting from a dead-end link to a preselected webpage is innovation? Uh, let's see where I've run across this before Verisign implemented its SiteFinder service:
* Microsoft's "friendly" HTTP error messages
* Domain squaters that buy common domain name misspellings
* My own proxy server project that displays a custom HTML page following a bad look-up
It's obvious, and in the case of an important 'Net infrastructure like domain name services, it's unethical exploitation. Why don't they just spam people like every other company out there?
Nothing at the moment. My workload has been growing by about 50% each year. Now I have people under me, and I'm wholly unprepared.
I looked at some PHP and Perl web-based solutions. They don't match my needs, have poor interface design, and are spaghetti code. One of my coworkers has come up with a tidy MS Access database. Once it's done, I will "port" it over to PHP/*SQL so all the staff can submit problem reports throughout the whole WAN.
We also accept requests through voice-mail, and e-mail, but that has to stop, since everyone's inbox is becoming a mess (next project with likely be a document management system). I no longer accept verbal requests, since I usually receive them when I'm in the middle of an emergency. We had a paper-and-pencil system, but we would get requests like "my printer is broken", with no date, name, or location. And that was when they bothered to fill one out.
So, I guess the answer is: We don't, but when we do, it'll be managed by a custom system that does exactly what we want.
Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. There is no way to completely read protect the data but still allow MPAA-sanctioned viewers to display it. If it can be displayed, it can be captured. If not directly from the data, then from a dummy video device driver. If not from that, then from a modified video card. If not from there, then from the signal on the video cable. Even though it's a lower-quality copy, it's still a copy.
So I guess the only alternative (since now home-viewing is officially MPAA-sanctioned) is to ruin the movie image.
Eventually, if this trend continues, you'll only be able to watch a rental on a leased MPAA-sanctioned video player. Considering how much DRM is going to cost us in developer time, I'd rather just take my chances at the movie theater, it'll probably be cheaper in the long run. I was going to build up my DVD collection once things settled down (just like my Laserdisc collection), but if I have to put up with purposely-tained prints, and formats that change once every four years, screw it. I'll spend my money elsewhere.
I stand corrected, it is rather affordable. I wish you could ditch the low-MTBF ATA drive for a nice U320 SCSI set-up though. (Can you?)
If you price it out against an Intel boxen, they are very close, though. Let's hope Apple can keep up with the next generation of processors and RAM speed.
Slashdot Mirror
TridiaVNC Java installer
MS Update
Symantec Live Update
United Admins' Cheat-Death Auto-update
Mandrake Update
Redhat Update
Debian's apt-get
That's just a few I could think of. Those that specifically cover updates for installation of new devices, are of course: WUpdate, Mandrake update, Redhat update and Debian apt-get.
Windows update definitely matches the functionality shown in the patent, as you can tell the device wizard to check on-line for drivers. Looks like MS "innovated" something after all.
The ILA website deals specifically with the NRA's lobbying division (I'm an NRA member, but let's call it what it is). Therefore, blocking this site pretty much equates to silencing a political viewpoint for Symantec's users. It's not a my-right-to-look-at-naughty-pictures type of thing, it appears to be a pretty clear-cut political positioning by Symantec (or their consultants). I'm also looking at the NRA website right now. Unlike others have commented further up, it doesn't show people "how to make bombs" or even link to anything to do with bomb-making; That's fairly easy to find by searching on Google.com. The NRA's main site doesn't advocate reckless behavior with guns, either. If anything, you'll find information about how *not* to be reckless with a firearm.
Anyway, my personal rabid pro-gun views aside, I'd like to say a) imagine if it was government-mandated filtering (D:!), and b) nyah nyah, shoe's on the other foot, conservative, pro-Internet-censorship crowd! While we're on the topic of stupid Internet filtering, I'd like to see if we can have a reasonable discussion about CIPA requiring use of pornographic image recognition technology that doesn't yet exist (teachers are the most effective filters), and Universal Services (the Al Gore Tax) extracting millions of dollars from towns, but only giving back hundreds.
And I don't think anyone has admitted that the only path to security is "perfect code", which for all we know is an impossible goal. However, the path to good security is multiple layers of protection. Which is certainly more than just a firewall.
Right now "firewall" is synonymous with "NAT box with rules." We can argue the true meaning of firewall, but the current crop of products marketed as firewalls are basically just this. And there is no One True Configuration for this firewall that will protect from all intrusions. Obviously blocking every port from the DMZ is a good start for most, but the configuration varies depending on the user's needs (some, for example need to make available ports for P2P networks or game servers). And no NAT rules could have prevented someone from being infected by the Nimda worm, where the Windows boxen were purposely offering an HTTP port to the outside world.
The path to good security involves reusing proven code, privilege separation for services using sockets, bounds checking, IP rules, and a whole host of other things. Windows scores poorly in these areas, and Linux, although it does have some high points, isn't that much better.
What's the next up and coming search engine?
I can recall this happening in the automotive industry as well. Olds let some trade rags review a late prototype of the turbo Toronado at one point. The boost was dialed up to around 12psi, and the reviewers had fun putting the car through its paces. Of course, when the production version arrived in showrooms, the boost was set to mild 5psi.
A simple "pump and dump" scheme didn't seem likely to me, although it would probably be a perk for the officers of SCO. This is about destroying a potential competitor by shaking loose it's foundation, the foundation being the GPL. The end result, to cripple a whole gaggle of competitors at once.
Right!
I get my news, weather, and sports updates on the radio, and it's less dangerous than reading the newspaper while driving.
Also you can get entertaining stuff from all the kooks, from political talking heads far left-wing to far right-wing, and the black helicopter gang too. FM music stations are dead though. The four most powerful FM music stations in my area are all owned by the same company, and run the same playlists. Sometimes they screw up and play the same songs in the same order. I wish I could license some of that bandwidth for my own personal use. Maybe a wireless modem link up to a home broadcasting station. Much better and less accident-prone than lugging around dozens of CDs. Not likely to happen.
Anyway, radio won't be dead until there is a replacement that I can make use of in my car... And for free.
...But I have to confess that I despise the fossil fuel economy. I hate smelly, filthy, unreliable and expensive cars, and I hate having only two choices to heat/power my home: Fossil fuels or electricity (most likely produced from burning fossil fuels), and I hate the fact that I don't have a clean, reliable and affordable alternative to put at least some of my energy generation into my own care.
As I face the prospect of having to pay another four-digit figure to heat my apartment this winter, I'm wondering when there will be something else available. And I laugh when I hear those radio ads for oil heat, "clean and dependable." Yeah, that's why a technician has to come to my house every year to replace furnace parts clogged with soot, change two filters, and wipe down the smelly black oil tank coated with a petroleum goo.
The novelty of personal transportation has long since passed for me. After a decade and a half of changing oil, replacing expensive parts to save money, dumping gas into the tank every week, replacing tires, paying auto insurance and making car payments almost equal to my rent, I'm ready for a change. I have an almost perfect commute: My office is within walking distance, but unfortunately the other campus is on the other side of town. I can't walk because I need to lug equipment around, and it would take too long to get from on side of town to the other.
I'm waiting for the new, cheap solar panels that will hit the market in the near future (I'm hopeful anyway). Although they appear to be another petroleum-derived product, It would be something I'd be willing to try even on a small scale; The missing piece of the puzzle still being storage. But I've done everything I can. Since de-regulation in my state, electricity prices have gone up 50%, and reliability has stayed about the same. I replaced every light bulb in my house with higher-efficiency fluorescent models. I don't leave the TV on, I don't run air conditioners in the summer, I only leave on a light in the room I'm occupying. My bill will not go below $60, even if I just sit and read under a 14-watt bulb during nights.
What I see when I go through towns in my area is a people stuck in a 1950s way of doing things. No one wants to change their mindset, even when the "advantages" aren't what they were. Now that everyone has a monster furnace to heat their 3,500 ft^2 American Dream Homes, they have to contend with the monster oil bill created by high demand. Now that everyone aged 16 years or old has a car, traffic is bumper-to-bumper on the Main Streets of every town, and auto insurance just goes up and up. I now consider it a major inconvenience to have to get in my car to go somewhere, and have to put up with all the traffic and road construction. Please spare me the "how else would you get there" argument; It's a tad too one-sided because there aren't any alternatives.
So I guess what I'm saying is: Even though I've been dismissive of environmentalism and environmental scare tactics in the past, I'm seeing (or paying for) the disadvantages first-hand, and I want change in my lifetime.
Heaven forbid I cast doubt on the mighty Linux, which has been known to have issues with its ATAPI implementation.
If it was a "standard" call, it would be happening on all OSes, or at least we would have a record of it happening elsewhere. So far, nothing yet.
The post makes it sound as if the author is surprised by the whole thing. I would have posted if Microsoft hadn't removed support for all third-pary OSes. This is the predictable result of Microsoft continuing to be a monopoly. File it under "duh, not shit".
I don't take the attitude that "shit happens". I think it sucks hardcore, and I feel terrible for those people currently troubleshooting this problem, totally unaware that sudden damage of hardware is actually a possibility.
This just unscores how terribly poor the ATAPI support is with 2.4 kernels. The circa-95 IDE drivers with hacked-on ATAPI is a major thorn in the heel of Linux app developers, and is the reason that CD burning is currently limited to the speeds of slow, and slower.
Kernel 2.4 may have all the goodies, but it still isn't right, even after years of alterations. I don't know what went wrong with 2.4, but I eagerly await a stable 2.6, so I can finally upgrade my workhorse machines running 2.2.
Where is the IP? Rarely does a company go under with all its assests simply vanishing from the face of the earth. Were they bought out? Where was the source code kept? Is someone willing to sell that IP? I'm betting that all the avenues haven't been explored yet.
A major portion of the surveyed wouldn't be professional NBA players, would they?
If you are a techie, You should consider a career in creating popular literature instead. Maybe with a stop-over as a political speechwriter.
Wow...
I've got a secret stash of those weighted PS/2 IBM keyboards in my basement (sounds similar to what you're describing, and they bear a 1984 copyright notice). I've only given out one so far, and I've got a few left. These are new-in-box, absolutely spotless, and in the original packing materials. As long as they keep putting PS/2-compatible ports on motherboards, I'll be set. Considering how tough they are, I figure I will be dead before I use them all up.
I recently got fed up with a new-fangled keyboard that came with a bare bones system I bought. The keys are only about 5mm deep, and they're smaller and rearranged for a more compact size. The feel of a membrane is punishment compared to a top-notch spring. It felt like I was pushing Chicklets into cookie dough. After about six months of typing and coding on it, I chucked it, and broke out a vintage IBM.
What a difference! It makes me want to cry that no one makes a keyboard like this anymore. There is no longer a battle between desktop real estate and computers, since most of what was written is now done on a PC. I want good, reliable keyboards back. Some of the typewriters out there still sport good keyboards. Why aren't those designs making it to PC keyboards?
Yes, I remember.
:)
Although, as another poster mentioned, it'd look better with a space after "YOU".
Thanks for bringing back some fond memories.
SCO is going to implode, no doubt about it. What happens to that Unix code afterward?
This survey only asks half of the question. How would the users feel after using Linux or OS 10 or BeOS for 6 months? You can flame me for this, I am rabidly pro-Linux, but honestly, think about it.
Have you ever seen a computer before in your life? No? You're a shoo-in!
Have you used that intar-web thingy? No? Welcome aboard!
Have you failed miserably any questions on standard intelligence tests that measure your cognitive power to associate things that aren't exactly similar? Yes? You're as good as hired!
And all you need to provide, my friends, is a special hi-tech Patent Validator Device, a simple quarter dollar! Heads? Grant that patent! Tails? Ooh, better luck next time fella!
I put my back out during yardwork last week, so Slashdot's editors shouldn't post articles that make me laugh so hard. How about a warning next time, k guys?
Redirecting from a dead-end link to a preselected webpage is innovation? Uh, let's see where I've run across this before Verisign implemented its SiteFinder service:
* Microsoft's "friendly" HTTP error messages
* Domain squaters that buy common domain name misspellings
* My own proxy server project that displays a custom HTML page following a bad look-up
It's obvious, and in the case of an important 'Net infrastructure like domain name services, it's unethical exploitation. Why don't they just spam people like every other company out there?
Nothing at the moment. My workload has been growing by about 50% each year. Now I have people under me, and I'm wholly unprepared.
I looked at some PHP and Perl web-based solutions. They don't match my needs, have poor interface design, and are spaghetti code. One of my coworkers has come up with a tidy MS Access database. Once it's done, I will "port" it over to PHP/*SQL so all the staff can submit problem reports throughout the whole WAN.
We also accept requests through voice-mail, and e-mail, but that has to stop, since everyone's inbox is becoming a mess (next project with likely be a document management system). I no longer accept verbal requests, since I usually receive them when I'm in the middle of an emergency. We had a paper-and-pencil system, but we would get requests like "my printer is broken", with no date, name, or location. And that was when they bothered to fill one out.
So, I guess the answer is: We don't, but when we do, it'll be managed by a custom system that does exactly what we want.
Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. There is no way to completely read protect the data but still allow MPAA-sanctioned viewers to display it. If it can be displayed, it can be captured. If not directly from the data, then from a dummy video device driver. If not from that, then from a modified video card. If not from there, then from the signal on the video cable. Even though it's a lower-quality copy, it's still a copy.
So I guess the only alternative (since now home-viewing is officially MPAA-sanctioned) is to ruin the movie image.
Eventually, if this trend continues, you'll only be able to watch a rental on a leased MPAA-sanctioned video player. Considering how much DRM is going to cost us in developer time, I'd rather just take my chances at the movie theater, it'll probably be cheaper in the long run. I was going to build up my DVD collection once things settled down (just like my Laserdisc collection), but if I have to put up with purposely-tained prints, and formats that change once every four years, screw it. I'll spend my money elsewhere.
:O!
I stand corrected, it is rather affordable. I wish you could ditch the low-MTBF ATA drive for a nice U320 SCSI set-up though. (Can you?)
If you price it out against an Intel boxen, they are very close, though. Let's hope Apple can keep up with the next generation of processors and RAM speed.