I think this highlights the problem with being dogmatic on licenses: how many "good" (subjective) people once worked for the US government, and - for whatever reason - don't anymore? This license explicity bars them from using AiR-Boot. I'd go further and say there are "good" (there's that word again...) people *still* working for the US government. Hell, the US government is more than just the Whitehouse and the DoD. What about aid projects? The US Geological Survey? The National parks Service?
But who'd make the call who was a human rights violator?
Well, I'd argue - from a free-software POV - that no-one should. I might personally prefer it if, say, the US DoD was prevented from using my (hypothetical) software package, but how do I put that into the license? Do I have exceptions for humanitarian operations? Who decides?
So, much as I hate it, I feel it's better if free software licenses *don't* prohibit entire countries from using them.
I'm not so much disagreeing (I agree with much of your argument), just picking up on your comments about Linux being used in places with poor human rights records: a central tenet of the GPL (and some other free software licenses) is that *no*restrictions* be placed on where the software is used. This sounds absurd, until you recall South Africa: I believe that there's still software kicking around that technically can't be used in South Africa "because of Apartheid".
Personally, I'd prefer it if $HUMAN_RIGHTS_VIOLATOR *now* can't use GPL-ed code, but I'm prepared to sacrifice that in order that $REFORMED_DEMOCRACY can use the same code *in*the*future*.
Reminds me of an old Freak Brothers cartoon - they get ripped off buying sugar, someone switches the sugar for heroin.
Now... if anyone *ever* tries to switch my expensive inkjet ink for drugs, they'd better be damn pricey drugs. I like my psychedelic colours on A4 these days, thank-you-very-much.
Re:So.... who wants to tell him?
on
Advocating Dvorak
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
tell him that the Qwerty being designed to slow down your typing is nothing more than a myth?
He knows - it's on p.3 of the comic. "He" (they) point out that when Sholes invented the typewriter - there weren't any typists to slow down. Sholes was responding to jams in his new-fangled keyboard, not to mythical too-fast typists.
Only UK? I think anyone entering UK might come under the database.
Aye, I'm a UK resident (NZ citizen; been in the UK since 1979) and my understanding is that UK *residents* would need to fork out for the ID card and the privilege of being listed on a centralised DB. Luckily Commonwealth citizens get the vote in the UK... unluckily I live in the Peoples' Republic of Glasgow, where we elect telephone boxes "because they're New Labour red".
Why not just make it [copyright] 50 billion years...?
In the US I believe this wouldn't be possible, due to the foresight of the Founding Fathers. I can't see any reason, however, why this wouldn't work in Europe. Unfortunately.
Works? What is this "works" of which you speak?;-)
As far as I can tell our system works like this: the European Commission decide to do something. The European Parliament vote, and decide it's a stupid, stupid idea. The European Commission then ignore the democratic process altogether. I believe that the advantage to this system is that it's easier for lobbyists to get their lobbying done, without getting dirtied by contact with democracy.
Someone with a less cynical view than me may wish to clarify, however...
Seriously, though, I'd tend to blame "hacking" like this on the intelligence and security services of foreign powers (and their domestic servants, etc) before I blamed terrorists. Terrorists tend to prefer, well, terror, preferably against a multitude of frightened civilians.
If I get a chance I'll confirm this tonight, but I'd say that's a problem (well, obviously it's a problem, I mean it's a problem for you individually;-)
I've not had *all* extensions crap out at upgrade for a while - though Firefox usually goes through the checking for updates process after an upgrade. I can't remember any extension failing since around 1.0.
Just a thought, but what OS? My experience mainly relates to Firefox on Windows; my home (Gentoo) box doesn't get hammered with extensions nearly so much, and I've recently switched from mozilla-firefox to mozilla-firefox-bin, so missed an upgrade from 1.0.3 to 1.0.4.
According to this Mozilla QA document, Firefox should have had a Welsh locale since 1.0.2? Not that I've looked, the closest I come to speaking owt other than English is claiming I speak "Lallans" whilst in the West of Scotland... aye richt;-)
Also, does anyone think that $200 seems a little cheap? Even a small company would probably value its data at 25x this.
It *does* seem cheap, but you need to think about it from the bad-guy's perspective: too greedy and the victim says fuck off or worse - the police take notice. Also remember that the bad-guy may well be repeating this operation on a large scale. Unknown large number * $200 = bad-guy lives life of Reilly.
Reading back through this thread, I sound quite agressive about Windows Update, but reading your comment made me realise: it's this one issue - Windows Update stealing focus to interrupt my typing - that pisses me off. Fully agree with you, wish to subscribe to your newsletter;-)
So you're complaining that you chose to install the patch that required a reboot? Why didn't you wait until after you completed whatever critical work you had to do? User makes choice. User doesn't like consequence. User blames vendor. Sigh.
To a certain extent. I made the decision the night before, but wasn't prompted to reboot when I arrived back in the morning. It wasn't until I'd started work - on something that, naturally!, couldn't wait - that the popups started. I *do* blame the vendor for creating a system that doesn't respect my choice: "no, I don't wish to reboot now". That should be it, end of story (leaving aside the "why does the bloody thing *need* to reboot when every other box I' involved with seems to manage an update without this degree of hand-holding).
Or, you could take about a minute of your time and set up the Windows Update service to download the patches, remind once that it has them and hopes you'll install them, and then do it when you know it's convenient to restart services/the OS. It's a couple of mouse clicks.
I can confirm that, because it's exactly what I've done. My problem is once Windows has installed the updates - which it's going to need to do at some point, no? - it then wants to reboot immediately, and doesn't want to take my word for it that, no, really, later's fine. In this instance I'd deliberately left the PC on overnight for the update, and in the morning I wasn't prompted to reboot for a while after I arrived at work - by which time I was busy.
Conversely, windows update only updates windows (not my other apps), and takes at least 15 minutes every time i run it.
Windows Update worked its magic on my workstation yesterday; I was busy and didn't reboot afterwards. For the rest of the morning (until I caved and rebooted the bloody thing) Windows Update popped-up an annoying dialog box every ten? fifteen? minutes inviting me to restart the PC. Needless to say, everytime the diaplog appeared it was when I was typing, and half a line of code got piped to Window's equivalent of/dev/null.
I think we should *thank* Microsoft for promoting Linux;-)
Uh, I can safely say the Cuban authorities *didn't* clean up the areas likely to be visited by foreign dignitaries, for the simple reason that much of what I saw was - how to put this politely? - a shit-hole. The shops were unstocked, the roads were badly in need of a resurfacing, and the cars varied between the "stretch-Zils" (take two decrepit Soviet cars, vut in two, weld together), modern Japanese imports that wouldn't survive their first service (lack of parts), the stereotypical 1950's Detroit classic held together with duct-tape and love, etc. As a patient, the healthcare, however, was excellent.
Cuba is *not* the Soviet Union, anymore than the UK is the USA, or Canada is Mexico. Similarities in ideologies do not translate into identical economies, legal systems, etc.
On the subject of foreign dignatries visiting, the G8 leaders will be visiting Scotland in July. Exactly how much of the real Scotland do you think they'll see? How many protesters will they see? My guess is very little and very few.
From where do people get the numbers to judge Cuba's healthcare success? That's right, from the Cuban government. Russia also was tops in the world in tractor manufacturing, to hear them tell it.
I've been sick in Cuba. I'd rather be sick in Cuba than in the UK. The UK *imports* health-care professionals; Cuba *exports* them (eg. to South Africa, that evil crypto-Communist state). I've not heard any health-care statistics from the Cuban government, merely contrasted treatments, doctors' bedside manners, etc. Cuba sucks in many ways, but healthcare truly isn't one of them... although one Cuban doctor apologised, explaining that since I was a tourist I couldn't have access to certain treatments that were reserved for Cuban taxpayers. Bloody commies.
(Worth mentioning that my - self-inflicted - medical condition was cronic toothache brought on by organically-reared meat fed largely on the surplus sugar crop. Hmmm, sweet, organic bacon!)
Slashdot Mirror
the UK is a tiny little island inhabited by hobbits, leprechauns and the Oasis brothers.
Strictly, the leprechauns come from Ireland. You're maybe thinking of Robin Cook, former Foreign Secretary?
I think this highlights the problem with being dogmatic on licenses: how many "good" (subjective) people once worked for the US government, and - for whatever reason - don't anymore? This license explicity bars them from using AiR-Boot. I'd go further and say there are "good" (there's that word again...) people *still* working for the US government. Hell, the US government is more than just the Whitehouse and the DoD. What about aid projects? The US Geological Survey? The National parks Service?
But who'd make the call who was a human rights violator?
Well, I'd argue - from a free-software POV - that no-one should. I might personally prefer it if, say, the US DoD was prevented from using my (hypothetical) software package, but how do I put that into the license? Do I have exceptions for humanitarian operations? Who decides?
So, much as I hate it, I feel it's better if free software licenses *don't* prohibit entire countries from using them.
I'm not so much disagreeing (I agree with much of your argument), just picking up on your comments about Linux being used in places with poor human rights records: a central tenet of the GPL (and some other free software licenses) is that *no*restrictions* be placed on where the software is used. This sounds absurd, until you recall South Africa: I believe that there's still software kicking around that technically can't be used in South Africa "because of Apartheid".
Personally, I'd prefer it if $HUMAN_RIGHTS_VIOLATOR *now* can't use GPL-ed code, but I'm prepared to sacrifice that in order that $REFORMED_DEMOCRACY can use the same code *in*the*future*.
Reminds me of an old Freak Brothers cartoon - they get ripped off buying sugar, someone switches the sugar for heroin.
Now... if anyone *ever* tries to switch my expensive inkjet ink for drugs, they'd better be damn pricey drugs. I like my psychedelic colours on A4 these days, thank-you-very-much.
tell him that the Qwerty being designed to slow down your typing is nothing more than a myth?
He knows - it's on p.3 of the comic. "He" (they) point out that when Sholes invented the typewriter - there weren't any typists to slow down. Sholes was responding to jams in his new-fangled keyboard, not to mythical too-fast typists.
Only UK? I think anyone entering UK might come under the database.
Aye, I'm a UK resident (NZ citizen; been in the UK since 1979) and my understanding is that UK *residents* would need to fork out for the ID card and the privilege of being listed on a centralised DB. Luckily Commonwealth citizens get the vote in the UK... unluckily I live in the Peoples' Republic of Glasgow, where we elect telephone boxes "because they're New Labour red".
Why not just make it [copyright] 50 billion years...?
In the US I believe this wouldn't be possible, due to the foresight of the Founding Fathers. I can't see any reason, however, why this wouldn't work in Europe. Unfortunately.
don't know how your system works :p
Works? What is this "works" of which you speak? ;-)
As far as I can tell our system works like this: the European Commission decide to do something. The European Parliament vote, and decide it's a stupid, stupid idea. The European Commission then ignore the democratic process altogether. I believe that the advantage to this system is that it's easier for lobbyists to get their lobbying done, without getting dirtied by contact with democracy.
Someone with a less cynical view than me may wish to clarify, however...
Basically the only people who want to hack homeland security computers would be terrorists.
...and UFO researchers. Don't forget UFO researchers.
;-)
Seriously, though, I'd tend to blame "hacking" like this on the intelligence and security services of foreign powers (and their domestic servants, etc) before I blamed terrorists. Terrorists tend to prefer, well, terror, preferably against a multitude of frightened civilians.
If it involves installing 3rd party software locally then I'll stick with the plain web interface.
It doesn't.
Why can't they do this with DHTML?
They have.
We need a new acronym... for people who haven't Tried The Fine Web application ;-)
If I get a chance I'll confirm this tonight, but I'd say that's a problem (well, obviously it's a problem, I mean it's a problem for you individually ;-)
I've not had *all* extensions crap out at upgrade for a while - though Firefox usually goes through the checking for updates process after an upgrade. I can't remember any extension failing since around 1.0.
Just a thought, but what OS? My experience mainly relates to Firefox on Windows; my home (Gentoo) box doesn't get hammered with extensions nearly so much, and I've recently switched from mozilla-firefox to mozilla-firefox-bin, so missed an upgrade from 1.0.3 to 1.0.4.
a lot of people find it more that a little stupid that just about every new Firefox release, however minor breaks existing extensions
I've not really noticed this since the change to (I think) 1.0. Same with themes (thank $DEITY). Which extensions have you had problems with?
Aha! That'll explain why the document I was looking for didn't appear to exist. Thanks.
I can't wait for a Welsh version of firefox =P
According to this Mozilla QA document, Firefox should have had a Welsh locale since 1.0.2? Not that I've looked, the closest I come to speaking owt other than English is claiming I speak "Lallans" whilst in the West of Scotland... aye richt ;-)
Also, does anyone think that $200 seems a little cheap? Even a small company would probably value its data at 25x this.
It *does* seem cheap, but you need to think about it from the bad-guy's perspective: too greedy and the victim says fuck off or worse - the police take notice. Also remember that the bad-guy may well be repeating this operation on a large scale. Unknown large number * $200 = bad-guy lives life of Reilly.
a) person is stupid enough to demand only $200.00 for a crime most likely punishable as extortion.
...or... a)ii) person is sensible enough to demand only $200.00, since that'll seriously reduce the chance of law enforcement caring.
Coupled with... d) like spam, enough of these ransoms will make the perpetrator rich beyond your wildest dreams[1].
[1] Reasonable dreams only, people! Strictly one dream per household!
You can get rid of this by doing "net stop wuauserv" on the command-line.
Genius! Excellent, that's one for the list of commands-never-to-forget. Thank you!
This has to be one of my biggest pet peeves.
Reading back through this thread, I sound quite agressive about Windows Update, but reading your comment made me realise: it's this one issue - Windows Update stealing focus to interrupt my typing - that pisses me off. Fully agree with you, wish to subscribe to your newsletter ;-)
So you're complaining that you chose to install the patch that required a reboot? Why didn't you wait until after you completed whatever critical work you had to do? User makes choice. User doesn't like consequence. User blames vendor. Sigh.
To a certain extent. I made the decision the night before, but wasn't prompted to reboot when I arrived back in the morning. It wasn't until I'd started work - on something that, naturally!, couldn't wait - that the popups started. I *do* blame the vendor for creating a system that doesn't respect my choice: "no, I don't wish to reboot now". That should be it, end of story (leaving aside the "why does the bloody thing *need* to reboot when every other box I' involved with seems to manage an update without this degree of hand-holding).
Or, you could take about a minute of your time and set up the Windows Update service to download the patches, remind once that it has them and hopes you'll install them, and then do it when you know it's convenient to restart services/the OS. It's a couple of mouse clicks.
I can confirm that, because it's exactly what I've done. My problem is once Windows has installed the updates - which it's going to need to do at some point, no? - it then wants to reboot immediately, and doesn't want to take my word for it that, no, really, later's fine. In this instance I'd deliberately left the PC on overnight for the update, and in the morning I wasn't prompted to reboot for a while after I arrived at work - by which time I was busy.
Yeah, because it would be better if it didn't remind you and you left your system unpatched.
No, it would be better if it [Windows Update] reminded me once and then respected my decision.
Conversely, windows update only updates windows (not my other apps), and takes at least 15 minutes every time i run it.
Windows Update worked its magic on my workstation yesterday; I was busy and didn't reboot afterwards. For the rest of the morning (until I caved and rebooted the bloody thing) Windows Update popped-up an annoying dialog box every ten? fifteen? minutes inviting me to restart the PC. Needless to say, everytime the diaplog appeared it was when I was typing, and half a line of code got piped to Window's equivalent of /dev/null.
I think we should *thank* Microsoft for promoting Linux ;-)
Uh, I can safely say the Cuban authorities *didn't* clean up the areas likely to be visited by foreign dignitaries, for the simple reason that much of what I saw was - how to put this politely? - a shit-hole. The shops were unstocked, the roads were badly in need of a resurfacing, and the cars varied between the "stretch-Zils" (take two decrepit Soviet cars, vut in two, weld together), modern Japanese imports that wouldn't survive their first service (lack of parts), the stereotypical 1950's Detroit classic held together with duct-tape and love, etc. As a patient, the healthcare, however, was excellent.
Cuba is *not* the Soviet Union, anymore than the UK is the USA, or Canada is Mexico. Similarities in ideologies do not translate into identical economies, legal systems, etc.
On the subject of foreign dignatries visiting, the G8 leaders will be visiting Scotland in July. Exactly how much of the real Scotland do you think they'll see? How many protesters will they see? My guess is very little and very few.
From where do people get the numbers to judge Cuba's healthcare success? That's right, from the Cuban government. Russia also was tops in the world in tractor manufacturing, to hear them tell it.
I've been sick in Cuba. I'd rather be sick in Cuba than in the UK. The UK *imports* health-care professionals; Cuba *exports* them (eg. to South Africa, that evil crypto-Communist state). I've not heard any health-care statistics from the Cuban government, merely contrasted treatments, doctors' bedside manners, etc. Cuba sucks in many ways, but healthcare truly isn't one of them... although one Cuban doctor apologised, explaining that since I was a tourist I couldn't have access to certain treatments that were reserved for Cuban taxpayers. Bloody commies.
(Worth mentioning that my - self-inflicted - medical condition was cronic toothache brought on by organically-reared meat fed largely on the surplus sugar crop. Hmmm, sweet, organic bacon!)