.....If they achieve a conscious intelligence.......
All computers are deterministic machines and as such can never achieve true choice. No computer technology can create true random numbers. Eventually there will be repetition. If all input conditions are known, there will ALWAYS be a predetermined output from any machine, including computers. For computers, the number of conditions can be very large. Because of this, for a program of any complexity, it cannot be proven to be bug free. The best we can do is to test for the most likely conditions. Doing this is the most time consuming and tedious part of software manufacture. We humans cannot impart to machines those qualities of our own being that we cannot understand. Nobody knows exactly how a pile of matter we call a brain becomes conscious of itself and starts asking questions of the origin and meaning of its existence. We do not even know for sure whether the brain is nothing more than a very sophisticated computer the OS of which has been downloaded from a distant, eternal dimension. The OS, immaterial software, determines the "personality" of a computer, not its hardware. Theologians call this OS "soul" or sometimes "spirit".
Therefore, until we find out WHY we ask questions about our origins and destiny (religion), we will not be able to make conscious machines.
.....Mac OS X integrates DRM too, to keep users locked into Apple hardware.......
Exactly how does Apple do this? By not selling OSX for Intel separately in a box? Apple is the only one that builds a whole computer. The others only make half of it and buy the other half from MS. Get it: Apple builds computer SYSTEMS but does not make an OS. They have no obligation to make or sell you the OS they happen to include with their complete systems. Ford has no obligation to sell you their engines either, just because you may want to install one into your Chevy. If you want a car with a Ford engine, buy a Ford. If you want a computer with OSX, buy a Mac.
.....patching it to work around a restriction Microsoft has put in place....
Very likely not. Lexmark and others tried to use the DMCA to restrict interoperability and compatibility and were rebuffed by the courts. The DMCA is restricted to COPYRIGHT. Others have tried to stretch DMCA to restrict competition and that was not acceptable. If anybody writes a software code or makes a hardware device that allows legally purchased copies of VISTA home or Mac OSX or any other software to run where the maker thereof fervently doesn't want it to run, the DMCA doesn't apply.
......Microsoft has the police arrest Parallels' development staff......
You forgot a step before this one: Somebody like "DVD Jon" writes a patch for the parallels or other VM software that allows *any* software to run. The original Virtual PC from Connectix emulated generic PC hardware. DOS, every flavor of Windows and Linux could be installed on a virtual disk, just like on a real physical disk. Any floppy disk that would boot on a real PC would also boot on my Mac running virtual PC. Even so called "copy protected disks worked.
MS bought out Connectix and crippled Virtual PC so it can no longer do this. There was NO way for any PC OS or other software to tell that it was NOT running on real Intel Hardware.
If Parallels themselves decided to write their program to properly mimic hardware, there is nothing the whole army of MS lawyers could do. Since a Mac is now mostly a standard PC with the same Intel architecture, that task ought to be much easier than it was before. After all, VISTA and all other flavors of Windows are supposed to run on specified hardware. The name, serial number and other "hardware" characteristics that VISTA or any other OS might check for could even be configurable in the VM program. They could even include a "virtual trusted computing module" in their "hardware". What it really all boils down to is that hardware and software have become indistinguishable.
If Apple ever sells boxed copies of OSX, someone may write some software which will transparently emulate Mac hardware on other computers. Then there will be an interesting court case testing if hardware patents apply to software.
.....This is why it is fairly deep underground......
Actually it is because of the huge amount of ionizing radiation (mostly x-rays) produced when any high energy particle beam hits stuff. When this machinery is operating, the many feet of earth act as cheap and effective shielding to keep the operators and scientists in the control rooms safe. The energy in the beam as such is actually quite small. Safely dumping 11Gj of energy stored in the magnetic field is a far bigger challenge.
.....tyring to put energy units into perspective is very necessary.....
In terms of energy cost, the amount stored in this 11Gj magnet would cost about $214 retail here in Oregon. That is quite a bit more than the average electric bill here. It comes to a little over 3000Kwh of electricity.
....Basically you have to run for the door and hit the emergency ventilators fast, or you will collapse in a few 10s of seconds.....
Helium is lighter that air and immediately goes to the ceiling. All that will happen is that the people will sound like Donald Duck for a sort time after a large amount helium is released into a room. You will want to stay away from the jet of escaping helium however, as it is VERY cold and will instantly freeze any appendage that gets in its way.
Superconducting wire in all magnets is in parallel with normal copper wire in a sort of matrix of the superconductors imbedded in copper. The superconductors carry all the current normally, but if the superconductivity disappears, the copper safely carries the current for a short time. This in addition to an external resistor across the terminals of the coils keeps the magnet and people safe.
In practice there is a resistor connected across the coils. The value of this resistor is such that it is large in relation to the total resistance of the coils when these are NOT superconducting. Since the resistance of the coils is zero when it is superconducting, all the current from the power supply flows through the coils and nothing through the resistor.
If the magnet or any part thereof becomes too warm to remain superconducting, some electronics detects this and disconnects the power supply. The energy in the magnetic field is now dumped mostly into the resistor, but some of it also into the magnet itself. By choosing the value of the resistor correctly it is possible to protect the magnet itself from damage. After some time, the refrigeration system will cool the magnet back down to the temperature where it is once more superconducting and normal magnet operation can resume.
..... Now, should you short-circuit the coils - that would be interesting.....
Actually OPEN-ciruiting the coils would be much more fun. Such a magnet is a huge inductor and as such will want to keep whatever current is flowing in it constant through whatever resistance it can go through. If the circuit is opened, then there will be a monstrous arc through whatever path the current may find until all the energy stored in the magnetic field is dissipated.
Short circuiting such a superconducting coil would slowly release the energy into whatever resistance the external short represented. If the short were also superconducting, then the current would never decrease. A superconsducting jumper with a small heater can act as a switch to establish this short circuit across the coils after magnetic field is at its proper level. The heater is turned off to allow the jumper to become superconducting. The result is that the magnet will remain at full field as long as it and the shorting section are all superconducting. The power supply that originally ran the current through the magnet can now be switched off and disconnected. The magnet will now only consume whatever power it takes to run the refrigeration system that keeps it cold enough to remain superconducting. With good thermal insulation, that power can be quite small.
Another difference between circular accelerators is that the circular type cannot accelerate electrons to very high energies, because electrons radiate much more energy at any given bending radius. At some point there is simply no way to impart more energy to them than they radiate away. That is why electrons are accelerated in linear accelerators, such as the two mile one at Stanford. Circular machines use protons and their anti counterpart. Because electrons are simpler than protons, their collisions produce easier to interpret data.
.......I'm talking about contracts. Most contracts are spoken, because most contracts are formed when you buy something in a shop.......
So then how is a EULA either a contract or an agreement? If I buy something in a shop, the shop keeper could possibly identify me in court. How can I be identified by a mouse click? I am not a lawyer, so what is the difference between an agreement and a contract. My dictionary says that a contract is a form of agreement. Call it what you want. Nobody can hold anyone to account unless that one can prove the identity and capacity of the person that supposedly violated the contract or agreement.
.....So the main idea is to have a way that the client software (such as WMP) can notify the license server that the license (i.e. decryption keys, etc) is being deleted from a particular machine......
Could this be the real reason why MS doesn't want their VISTA to run in a virtual machine? Virtualization allows anyone to make an end run around all DRM and activation schemes.
.....That's kind of like saying nobody should ever lock their house or car......
No, its like the building contractor locking my house and then telling me that unless I jump through whatever hoops he dictates to give me the keys, I should sleep under a bridge. Even after he/she gives the keys, it can be taken away again if I let the "wrong" people in.
.....You don't have to sign one for it to be valid........
Exactly WHERE is there a contract without BOTH parties agreeing and ALSO both parties being positively identified? Why is it that a REAL agreement requires at least a signature and very often at notary who will ask you for ID? Also, minors are not allowed to enter into binding agreements.
When I sign a contract for a cell phone, they have my signature. What does MS have when my cat or six year old clicks a mouse button?
.....Apple has been the most restrictive in locking thier OS to a particular platform.......
Apple is the ONLY company that makes a WHOLE computer. Everybody else only makes half a computer. The other half is made by MS. So why should Apple sell you half a computer any more than Ford will to sell you half a car? You can compare Dell and Apple when Dell or the others write their own OS or when MS starts manufacturing their own computers.
.....Microsoft can FORCE the issue and use police officers if they want......
Really? Last time I checked, police only enforce laws, not EULAs. No laws are being violated here. Of course MS may attempt to buy enough democratic congress critters and get a law passed that makes their EULA legal.
......We've closed your account because you breached one of the terms of the EULA.........
If they do that to too many people then MS or anyone who does that will get dumped for someone who doesn't pull crap like this. Another good reason to dump Windows and buy a Mac. Besides, where on Earth is a EULA legally binding?
Not likely to happen because of Microsoft. Running any flavor Windows on a Mac is only a stop-gap measure. As the number of Macs increases, those programs or their equivalents that will not run under OSX will go down because developers will write Mac versions as soon as they see enough $ signs in front of their eyes. There is nothing that MS can do to stop this trend. Parallels may need to diversifiy however.
.......Microsoft can do the hell they want as long as it's legal,.....
So can I. That is why I ignore all EULA's. I the last 20 years I have NEVER read one in it entirety. I just click 'agree' or whatever it takes to get the program to do what I need. I don't violate copyrights, but those are LAWS not some agreement which I never made with anyone.
....You've bought a license to use a product, not the product itself, apparently.......
Only according to the EULA which is not legally valid. If I buy a box in a store, I can do anything I want with the contents. If I buy a car I can drive it on any road and transport any legal item. Doing certain things with the car may invalidate the warranty, but there is no law that says I have to ever change the oil, for example.
There are no LAWS that say I have to pay attention to all that crappy legalese that may come with *any* product I can freely buy. Clicking "agree" has no legal meaning. It just lets me install the program wherever it will technically run. Software and media companies should finally get over their idea that their stuff is any different than any other product of commerce in that a special "license" is needed and that restrictions apply to such a product, other than what the law specifically states.
.......So just have your legal department contact MS and work through the licensing that will allow you to do this......
Is this restriction of home users a legal or a technological one? EULA's are not worth the electrons it takes to display them anyway. IF MS sells any packaged version of VISTA, and I buy a copy, I can legally do with it whatever I want, consistent with COPYRIGHT laws. I can flush it down the toilet, install it on my washer or on a virtual machine.
If it is a technological restriction, does that also mean the Mac users are not able to run it under Parallels or other such software that run Windows as just another of many applications under OSX? If MS sells the home version in stores and it has these technical limitations, they better clearly label the product's, otherwise there may be many upset consumers who will return the program to the store. It seems that if real hardware can run any program, it would be quite difficult technically to prevent virtual or emulated hardware from doing so.
Why would MS want to do this? It seems that they would sell more copies of VISTA if they let anyone buy and run their software without all these strings attached.
.....That is the only way I can be honest. I cannot honestly and completely submit myself to something I'm completely unsure of.......
There are many things in your reply that I could comment on. I have only chosen this one statement.
God doesn't ask you to submit to Him as if He were some cosmic dictator or tyrant. He asks you into a father-son relationship. Many in our culture have bad models of this because of so many single moms or abusive, and/or uncaring fathers. Knowing of our president of the governor or some other pubic figure is not the same as knowing such one personally. God's will for you is to know Him personally as a loving father. He does not want to have anyone as a slave, to be trodden underfoot by a mean task master. He wants your love and respect as a son normally should have for his father. When we hear the expression eternal life, we generally think of a life somewhat like we already know but with no limit on time. That is not Jesus definition:
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
You CAN know God, but only if you WANT to. If you do not want such an intimate relationship, He will let you do your own thing forever.
.....Wire the brain up in a different way and you've fundamentally changed the "software" that is running........
It is interesting that you should mention wiring in terms of software. The very first computers, both analog and digital, were programmed by changing the wiring. To make this easier they were made with interchangeable plug-boards which contained the wires that "programmed" the computer. The software is not the wires per se, but the ARRANGEMENT of the wires. On a chessboard it is not the pieces alone that convey the game information, but primarily their arrangement and the rules by which they get arranged.
The hardware of your body is determined, not by the DNA as such, but by the sequences of the amino acids in the strands of the double helix. The software a programmer writes is a series of sequences the hardware can eventually execute. A poem or story is also a series of sequences of symbols which a human can interpret. The production of such sequences is the action of an intelligent mind ONLY.
The reason that our modern digital society is having such constructs as DMCA and DRM is because information is fundamentally different and distinct from matter and energy. Information, such as the codes in your DNA or brain is immaterial and is not subject to some of the constraints matter and energy are. Software as such has no mass for example and thus is not subject to gravity. A disk drive will weigh exactly the same before and after it is filled with data. The same software can be used in multiple places simultaneously and unlike matter can be transmitted at the speed of light. Our universe not only is comprised of matter and energy, but also contains huge amounts of information.
When you see a heart with an arrow through it on the beach, such as "John loves Mary", you know it got there not the result of the wind and waves, but from an intelligent mind sending a message. I'll let you think about how it is that you know this is so.
All human laws originate in a human mind. Why then do the laws of physics not originate in the mind of the Creator?
....I don't pray in a real sense, but if you do......
I don't know who you are, but the God of Abraham whom I worship does. I will pray that you will get to know and love Him. I am truly thankful to Him for the freedoms we still have in this country.
.....The nature of a being which could (possibly God, but not necessarily the Creator) is so far beyond my experience........
You are not the only one here that feels this way. I too know that God is beyond our imagining and comprehension. That is why, if such a God would reveal Himself to us, he could only tell us a small part and ask us to simply BELIEVE His message. This is exactly what He has done. The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 6:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him , for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
(......That much is true, and said another way, it is something we can only believe by abandoning logic. That's not necessarily wrong or bad, but it's something I choose not to do......)
Faith and logic are not in an exclusive OR relationship. Faith begins where logic cannot follow. You mention that believing is something you CHOOSE not to do. All machines we make, including computers are deterministic and therefore cannot love. If your computer expresses love to you, it is meaningless, but when your significant other does, it pleases you and warms your heart.
There cannot be two wills or more in the universe. One must always be supreme. God has made us such that we may choose to submit to Him or not, whereas our machines and the lifeless creation MUST do the will of their creator. So far you have CHOSEN your own will over that of God. God respects that choice and will allow you to spend eternity apart from Him. That state of being separate, away from God, estranged from Him forever, is called Hell. He will not send you there against your will but tells you to submit your will to His if you want to be with Him. God tells us to love Him. Love is and act of our will, not a warm fuzzy feeling. You can choose to love or not.
If you are willing to submit your own will to God, you can begin by telling Him that you want to believe, but are unable for whatever reasons you care to name. Ask Him to show Himself to you as the God who really is there. Don't bother coming to Him if you are not totally honest with yourself and Him. You must be ready to submit your will to His. If you are unwilling to bend your will to His, it would be a waste of your time and you might as well speak to the wall.
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.....If they achieve a conscious intelligence.......
All computers are deterministic machines and as such can never achieve true choice. No computer technology can create true random numbers. Eventually there will be repetition. If all input conditions are known, there will ALWAYS be a predetermined output from any machine, including computers. For computers, the number of conditions can be very large. Because of this, for a program of any complexity, it cannot be proven to be bug free. The best we can do is to test for the most likely conditions. Doing this is the most time consuming and tedious part of software manufacture. We humans cannot impart to machines those qualities of our own being that we cannot understand. Nobody knows exactly how a pile of matter we call a brain becomes conscious of itself and starts asking questions of the origin and meaning of its existence. We do not even know for sure whether the brain is nothing more than a very sophisticated computer the OS of which has been downloaded from a distant, eternal dimension. The OS, immaterial software, determines the "personality" of a computer, not its hardware. Theologians call this OS "soul" or sometimes "spirit".
Therefore, until we find out WHY we ask questions about our origins and destiny (religion), we will not be able to make conscious machines.
.....Mac OS X integrates DRM too, to keep users locked into Apple hardware .......
Exactly how does Apple do this? By not selling OSX for Intel separately in a box? Apple is the only one that builds a whole computer. The others only make half of it and buy the other half from MS. Get it: Apple builds computer SYSTEMS but does not make an OS. They have no obligation to make or sell you the OS they happen to include with their complete systems. Ford has no obligation to sell you their engines either, just because you may want to install one into your Chevy. If you want a car with a Ford engine, buy a Ford. If you want a computer with OSX, buy a Mac.
.....patching it to work around a restriction Microsoft has put in place ....
Very likely not. Lexmark and others tried to use the DMCA to restrict interoperability and compatibility and were rebuffed by the courts. The DMCA is restricted to COPYRIGHT. Others have tried to stretch DMCA to restrict competition and that was not acceptable. If anybody writes a software code or makes a hardware device that allows legally purchased copies of VISTA home or Mac OSX or any other software to run where the maker thereof fervently doesn't want it to run, the DMCA doesn't apply.
......Microsoft has the police arrest Parallels' development staff......
You forgot a step before this one: Somebody like "DVD Jon" writes a patch for the parallels or other VM software that allows *any* software to run. The original Virtual PC from Connectix emulated generic PC hardware. DOS, every flavor of Windows and Linux could be installed on a virtual disk, just like on a real physical disk. Any floppy disk that would boot on a real PC would also boot on my Mac running virtual PC. Even so called "copy protected disks worked.
MS bought out Connectix and crippled Virtual PC so it can no longer do this. There was NO way for any PC OS or other software to tell that it was NOT running on real Intel Hardware.
If Parallels themselves decided to write their program to properly mimic hardware, there is nothing the whole army of MS lawyers could do. Since a Mac is now mostly a standard PC with the same Intel architecture, that task ought to be much easier than it was before. After all, VISTA and all other flavors of Windows are supposed to run on specified hardware. The name, serial number and other "hardware" characteristics that VISTA or any other OS might check for could even be configurable in the VM program. They could even include a "virtual trusted computing module" in their "hardware". What it really all boils down to is that hardware and software have become indistinguishable.
If Apple ever sells boxed copies of OSX, someone may write some software which will transparently emulate Mac hardware on other computers. Then there will be an interesting court case testing if hardware patents apply to software.
.....This is why it is fairly deep underground......
Actually it is because of the huge amount of ionizing radiation (mostly x-rays) produced when any high energy particle beam hits stuff. When this machinery is operating, the many feet of earth act as cheap and effective shielding to keep the operators and scientists in the control rooms safe. The energy in the beam as such is actually quite small. Safely dumping 11Gj of energy stored in the magnetic field is a far bigger challenge.
.....tyring to put energy units into perspective is very necessary.....
In terms of energy cost, the amount stored in this 11Gj magnet would cost about $214 retail here in Oregon. That is quite a bit more than the average electric bill here. It comes to a little over 3000Kwh of electricity.
....Basically you have to run for the door and hit the emergency ventilators fast, or you will collapse in a few 10s of seconds.....
Helium is lighter that air and immediately goes to the ceiling. All that will happen is that the people will sound like Donald Duck for a sort time after a large amount helium is released into a room. You will want to stay away from the jet of escaping helium however, as it is VERY cold and will instantly freeze any appendage that gets in its way.
Superconducting wire in all magnets is in parallel with normal copper wire in a sort of matrix of the superconductors imbedded in copper. The superconductors carry all the current normally, but if the superconductivity disappears, the copper safely carries the current for a short time. This in addition to an external resistor across the terminals of the coils keeps the magnet and people safe.
.....Anyone else have any suggestions?.....
In practice there is a resistor connected across the coils. The value of this resistor is such that it is large in relation to the total resistance of the coils when these are NOT superconducting. Since the resistance of the coils is zero when it is superconducting, all the current from the power supply flows through the coils and nothing through the resistor.
If the magnet or any part thereof becomes too warm to remain superconducting, some electronics detects this and disconnects the power supply. The energy in the magnetic field is now dumped mostly into the resistor, but some of it also into the magnet itself. By choosing the value of the resistor correctly it is possible to protect the magnet itself from damage. After some time, the refrigeration system will cool the magnet back down to the temperature where it is once more superconducting and normal magnet operation can resume.
..... Now, should you short-circuit the coils - that would be interesting.....
Actually OPEN-ciruiting the coils would be much more fun. Such a magnet is a huge inductor and as such will want to keep whatever current is flowing in it constant through whatever resistance it can go through. If the circuit is opened, then there will be a monstrous arc through whatever path the current may find until all the energy stored in the magnetic field is dissipated.
Short circuiting such a superconducting coil would slowly release the energy into whatever resistance the external short represented. If the short were also superconducting, then the current would never decrease. A superconsducting jumper with a small heater can act as a switch to establish this short circuit across the coils after magnetic field is at its proper level. The heater is turned off to allow the jumper to become superconducting. The result is that the magnet will remain at full field as long as it and the shorting section are all superconducting. The power supply that originally ran the current through the magnet can now be switched off and disconnected. The magnet will now only consume whatever power it takes to run the refrigeration system that keeps it cold enough to remain superconducting. With good thermal insulation, that power can be quite small.
Another difference between circular accelerators is that the circular type cannot accelerate electrons to very high energies, because electrons radiate much more energy at any given bending radius. At some point there is simply no way to impart more energy to them than they radiate away. That is why electrons are accelerated in linear accelerators, such as the two mile one at Stanford. Circular machines use protons and their anti counterpart. Because electrons are simpler than protons, their collisions produce easier to interpret data.
.......I'm talking about contracts. Most contracts are spoken, because most contracts are formed when you buy something in a shop.......
So then how is a EULA either a contract or an agreement? If I buy something in a shop, the shop keeper could possibly identify me in court. How can I be identified by a mouse click? I am not a lawyer, so what is the difference between an agreement and a contract. My dictionary says that a contract is a form of agreement. Call it what you want. Nobody can hold anyone to account unless that one can prove the identity and capacity of the person that supposedly violated the contract or agreement.
.....So the main idea is to have a way that the client software (such as WMP) can notify the license server that the license (i.e. decryption keys, etc) is being deleted from a particular machine......
Could this be the real reason why MS doesn't want their VISTA to run in a virtual machine? Virtualization allows anyone to make an end run around all DRM and activation schemes.
.....That's kind of like saying nobody should ever lock their house or car......
No, its like the building contractor locking my house and then telling me that unless I jump through whatever hoops he dictates to give me the keys, I should sleep under a bridge. Even after he/she gives the keys, it can be taken away again if I let the "wrong" people in.
.....You don't have to sign one for it to be valid........
Exactly WHERE is there a contract without BOTH parties agreeing and ALSO both parties being positively identified? Why is it that a REAL agreement requires at least a signature and very often at notary who will ask you for ID? Also, minors are not allowed to enter into binding agreements.
When I sign a contract for a cell phone, they have my signature. What does MS have when my cat or six year old clicks a mouse button?
.....Apple has been the most restrictive in locking thier OS to a particular platform.......
Apple is the ONLY company that makes a WHOLE computer. Everybody else only makes half a computer. The other half is made by MS. So why should Apple sell you half a computer any more than Ford will to sell you half a car? You can compare Dell and Apple when Dell or the others write their own OS or when MS starts manufacturing their own computers.
.....Microsoft can FORCE the issue and use police officers if they want......
Really? Last time I checked, police only enforce laws, not EULAs. No laws are being violated here. Of course MS may attempt to buy enough democratic congress critters and get a law passed that makes their EULA legal.
......We've closed your account because you breached one of the terms of the EULA.........
If they do that to too many people then MS or anyone who does that will get dumped for someone who doesn't pull crap like this. Another good reason to dump Windows and buy a Mac. Besides, where on Earth is a EULA legally binding?
......They want to kill Parallels......
Not likely to happen because of Microsoft. Running any flavor Windows on a Mac is only a stop-gap measure. As the number of Macs increases, those programs or their equivalents that will not run under OSX will go down because developers will write Mac versions as soon as they see enough $ signs in front of their eyes. There is nothing that MS can do to stop this trend. Parallels may need to diversifiy however.
.......Microsoft can do the hell they want as long as it's legal,.....
So can I. That is why I ignore all EULA's. I the last 20 years I have NEVER read one in it entirety. I just click 'agree' or whatever it takes to get the program to do what I need. I don't violate copyrights, but those are LAWS not some agreement which I never made with anyone.
....You've bought a license to use a product, not the product itself, apparently.......
Only according to the EULA which is not legally valid. If I buy a box in a store, I can do anything I want with the contents. If I buy a car I can drive it on any road and transport any legal item. Doing certain things with the car may invalidate the warranty, but there is no law that says I have to ever change the oil, for example.
There are no LAWS that say I have to pay attention to all that crappy legalese that may come with *any* product I can freely buy. Clicking "agree" has no legal meaning. It just lets me install the program wherever it will technically run. Software and media companies should finally get over their idea that their stuff is any different than any other product of commerce in that a special "license" is needed and that restrictions apply to such a product, other than what the law specifically states.
.......So just have your legal department contact MS and work through the licensing that will allow you to do this......
Is this restriction of home users a legal or a technological one? EULA's are not worth the electrons it takes to display them anyway. IF MS sells any packaged version of VISTA, and I buy a copy, I can legally do with it whatever I want, consistent with COPYRIGHT laws. I can flush it down the toilet, install it on my washer or on a virtual machine.
If it is a technological restriction, does that also mean the Mac users are not able to run it under Parallels or other such software that run Windows as just another of many applications under OSX? If MS sells the home version in stores and it has these technical limitations, they better clearly label the product's, otherwise there may be many upset consumers who will return the program to the store. It seems that if real hardware can run any program, it would be quite difficult technically to prevent virtual or emulated hardware from doing so.
Why would MS want to do this? It seems that they would sell more copies of VISTA if they let anyone buy and run their software without all these strings attached.
.....That is the only way I can be honest. I cannot honestly and completely submit myself to something I'm completely unsure of.......
There are many things in your reply that I could comment on. I have only chosen this one statement.
God doesn't ask you to submit to Him as if He were some cosmic dictator or tyrant. He asks you into a father-son relationship. Many in our culture have bad models of this because of so many single moms or abusive, and/or uncaring fathers. Knowing of our president of the governor or some other pubic figure is not the same as knowing such one personally. God's will for you is to know Him personally as a loving father. He does not want to have anyone as a slave, to be trodden underfoot by a mean task master. He wants your love and respect as a son normally should have for his father. When we hear the expression eternal life, we generally think of a life somewhat like we already know but with no limit on time. That is not Jesus definition:
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
You CAN know God, but only if you WANT to. If you do not want such an intimate relationship, He will let you do your own thing forever.
.....Wire the brain up in a different way and you've fundamentally changed the "software" that is running........
It is interesting that you should mention wiring in terms of software. The very first computers, both analog and digital, were programmed by changing the wiring. To make this easier they were made with interchangeable plug-boards which contained the wires that "programmed" the computer. The software is not the wires per se, but the ARRANGEMENT of the wires. On a chessboard it is not the pieces alone that convey the game information, but primarily their arrangement and the rules by which they get arranged.
The hardware of your body is determined, not by the DNA as such, but by the sequences of the amino acids in the strands of the double helix. The software a programmer writes is a series of sequences the hardware can eventually execute. A poem or story is also a series of sequences of symbols which a human can interpret. The production of such sequences is the action of an intelligent mind ONLY.
The reason that our modern digital society is having such constructs as DMCA and DRM is because information is fundamentally different and distinct from matter and energy. Information, such as the codes in your DNA or brain is immaterial and is not subject to some of the constraints matter and energy are. Software as such has no mass for example and thus is not subject to gravity. A disk drive will weigh exactly the same before and after it is filled with data. The same software can be used in multiple places simultaneously and unlike matter can be transmitted at the speed of light. Our universe not only is comprised of matter and energy, but also contains huge amounts of information.
When you see a heart with an arrow through it on the beach, such as "John loves Mary", you know it got there not the result of the wind and waves, but from an intelligent mind sending a message. I'll let you think about how it is that you know this is so.
All human laws originate in a human mind. Why then do the laws of physics not originate in the mind of the Creator?
....I don't pray in a real sense, but if you do......
I don't know who you are, but the God of Abraham whom I worship does. I will pray that you will get to know and love Him. I am truly thankful to Him for the freedoms we still have in this country.
shalom
.....The nature of a being which could (possibly God, but not necessarily the Creator) is so far beyond my experience ........
You are not the only one here that feels this way. I too know that God is beyond our imagining and comprehension. That is why, if such a God would reveal Himself to us, he could only tell us a small part and ask us to simply BELIEVE His message. This is exactly what He has done. The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 6:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him , for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
(......That much is true, and said another way, it is something we can only believe by abandoning logic. That's not necessarily wrong or bad, but it's something I choose not to do......)
Faith and logic are not in an exclusive OR relationship. Faith begins where logic cannot follow. You mention that believing is something you CHOOSE not to do. All machines we make, including computers are deterministic and therefore cannot love. If your computer expresses love to you, it is meaningless, but when your significant other does, it pleases you and warms your heart.
There cannot be two wills or more in the universe. One must always be supreme. God has made us such that we may choose to submit to Him or not, whereas our machines and the lifeless creation MUST do the will of their creator. So far you have CHOSEN your own will over that of God. God respects that choice and will allow you to spend eternity apart from Him. That state of being separate, away from God, estranged from Him forever, is called Hell. He will not send you there against your will but tells you to submit your will to His if you want to be with Him. God tells us to love Him. Love is and act of our will, not a warm fuzzy feeling. You can choose to love or not.
If you are willing to submit your own will to God, you can begin by telling Him that you want to believe, but are unable for whatever reasons you care to name. Ask Him to show Himself to you as the God who really is there. Don't bother coming to Him if you are not totally honest with yourself and Him. You must be ready to submit your will to His. If you are unwilling to bend your will to His, it would be a waste of your time and you might as well speak to the wall.