Sorry if I need to put in simple terms what others are no doubt able to express in a far more eloquent fashion.
but...To all intents and purposes..
GPL = Free
This is why people give to it, this is why people use it.
This is a sensitive time, muddy the waters even slightly and the tremendous growth in both use and acceptance of Open Source could be undone overnight. Right now I know that GPL means I pay nothing - if I may have to pay money, I may as well go to M$ - at least I know how much they will charge me.....
Nice to see Ahead making an effort to move to Linux although they will have to consider their pricing if they are going to make a real impact.
I've written a few reviews and I always know which product is going to win in the first few minutes of testing. Thing is you always attempt to provide a balanced view if you want people to take your conclusion seriously.
Hey - K3B is great and it is free - But for somebody who has already paid for Win Nero and is now making their first move to Linux, it's nice to have as many familiar apps as you can. How many of us really need Crossover? (I don't - but I am comfortable with M$ Office 2000 - Open Office takes a bit more thought....)
Two days ago I watched the 16th episode of Enterprise. Here in the UK Sky are going to show episode 1 next week.
The real killer would be the DRM. I download - record to CD/DVD and watch on my Divx compatible standalone DVD player. If I was a programme maker I would probably only allow distribution via a pretty austere method so that I could be certain that the shows were not being copied and distributed.
Unfortunately I can think of a rather large company who are already trying to muscle their way into our living rooms. I really don't want to have to use M$ media centre.
I would give Sky the money - a pound for an episode would be fine by me - I have the Sky+ pvr, so it can be broadcast on PPV in the middle of the night for all I care... They only charge you if you watch it... Hope somebody from Sky is reading;)
I am a Brit - as such I am European - fine - Eupope great - USA not quite so great.
That doesn't make you bad!
The French government are really an embarrasment - no EU government is supposed to be able to subsidise private companies in this fashion - it is anti competitive.
The French government really don't seem interested in that. Any US airline employee who is conerned about their job should be aware that the French government have ploughed millions of dollars worth of aid into Air France over the last 20 years. They have always been "the last time" - thing is, France is huge, what can you do? Throw 'em out of Europe? hardly!
Recent stories don't make me a fan of EA, however, I don't want the French government to make a mockery of the whole of Europe again.
(on the other hand, wait 'till EA buy a French software house - 70 hour week? - They will be lucky to get a 20 hour week;) )
Trouble is, I want to buy Franz Ferdinand, not Fred and the Freaks....
Much as I admire the attempt, I can't see major labels sacrificing their precious DRM.
Remember when iTunes came out - none of us could beleive how strict it was - quite how inconvenient it would be to use. Nowadays iTunes is the friendly face of DRM...
I'd just buy a damn CD if they weren't protecting them as well... I just want to listen on my Linux PC and iPod why do they make it so difficult?
I can see the sense on newsgroups, where a threaded conversation is difficult to follow anyhow and complicated further by top posting.
I can also see the point on a busy mailing list where people often reply to messages which are not current.
In a corporate environment however mail is generally from X to Y. If A, B and C are copied in it is generally for info only. In this instance top posting is not only easier, but a far quicker method of seeing what is actually posted.
I suppose the same thing could be achieved by bottom posting, then having your mail client show the bottom of the mail rather than the top by default??
Trust me, I am British. "Yank Bashing" is something of a national sport since the empire fell apart;)
Bad email is not in any way an America only thing (neither are falling standards in education!). I have seen emails sent to customers which make me cringe. I know people for whom English is a 4th of 5th language who can compose better emails than some born and bred Brits.
A letter would be passed to a workmate to "have a quick look at", or typed by a secretary. Email is seen as being in some way less important. Wrongly so!
I can't help but be amused at the way Intel have had to "sneak" the fastest model of their Flagship processor out of the door.
Does anybody remember a few years ago, the Athlon was outperforming anything Intel had to offer, yet they still claimed it was only competing with the Celeron.
Equally there are some people who could be great journalists who never chose that career path. If they choose to write a blog, and find a sufficiently interesting subject, their blog could be fantastic.
Equally there are some average journalists.. There are also truly dreadful people with a blog.
A few great blogs out there does not mean that mainstream media is in its death throes. As things stand, blogs are an alternative, not a replacement (IMHO);)
Trouble is, I am not space expert, but I really can't see a little spacecraft being able to catch an ICBM in time.
If I was in a position of power in the US military, (which, thank heaven I am not), I would want a Patriot style system. Put the sattelites into sufficiently high orbit that they can cover a good patch of space - fit them with small fast missiles whose sole purpose is to get as close to the ICBM as possible then blow up. The bigger the bang, the more likely they are to get the ICBM - bigger bang means nuke IMHO.
Put the things up there and you are already violating treaties and destroying trust - If you are gonna break the law anyhow, do it properly. Stick some fast little Nukes up there. If they are never used, nobody will ever know that they aren't just "telescopes";)
The Guardian is certainly a biased paper. Give it credit though, it doesn't hide it. I don't like it, or read it, but I do respect the quality of writing.
In truth though, is attempting to influence the result of an election in another country wrong? If the Washington Post was to print a series of anti Blair articles in the run up to the UK elections, would that be wrong? I can't see how...
Assasination - fair enough - stupid thing to print - shoddy editorial staff for not picking it up before it went to press.
Keep it all within one legal territory. Last thing you want is to develop something fantastic, then find that the peoples republic of oingy boingy suddenly decided that it can't be exported.
I would certainly like to hope that it is not a deliberately anti EU policy...
Imagine the scene - you have been out avter work for a few drinks, met up with a lovely lady (guy - whatever your taste). Things are going well, you are back at her place...
Passions are rising, you are ripping off each others clothes, then you realise that she is just about to hurl your trousers (pants), containing a months paycheck worth of kit across the room.
I have as many gadgets as the next geek, but by putting them in a bag I get to rip of my clothes with wanton abandon! (not that I get the chance as often as I would like!)
Playing this kind of game just alienate the kids making them dumbasses
Not sure that that is true, however I do agree that these games have been age restricted for a good reason. The same reason we classify movies - it is felt that watching / playing violent material at a young age can lead to violent behaviour. Is it true? Dunno - but it seems to make sense.
I just hope that this has been done sensibly. Have the laws been publicised enough? Have the owners been given proper notice, offered a chance to prevent the kids. Or it it simply easier for the authorities to make an example of these cafes, than to properly police the rest?
If the US government wanted data about a US citizen, which was held by a non US company under an outsourcing arrangement, it is perfectly acceptable for them to do so.
Using your hypothetical situation though, Imagine the outcry if the Canadian government was to access information on a US citizen held by RBC as part of an outsorcing deal.
In the UK we have the data protection act. This tells me that I must give my consent for any information to be stored about me, and that it can only be used for the purpose for which I have given permission. I have the right to view, and correct where appropriate, any info. When I sign up for a credit card, I have to give my consent to a credit search, the act of conducting this searc will be stored. I also have to give my consent to some of my details being used to fight fraud. That doesn't include sharing it with the US government.
I don't care where this info is stored, as long as the country where it is stored honours the Data Protection act which protects it. If they don't, then the data should not be stored there.
Slashdot Mirror
Agreed - Myth TV is great - the article was a butt kissing hommage as opposed to a balanced comparison.
Shame - I would be interested to read an unbiased comparison of the two.
Strange thing this.
When I first heard about this whole software aptent issue, I wrote to my MP, who then forwarded my letter to a minister at the DTI.
He told me that the governments support for software patents was based soley on advice given by the UK Patent office.
If this is no longer the case, surely the government needs to reconsider.....
I agree 100%.
;-)
I've read a few articles on the history of Netscape / Mozilla. Unfortunately that appears to be more research than the author of the article
Sorry if I need to put in simple terms what others are no doubt able to express in a far more eloquent fashion.
but...To all intents and purposes..
GPL = Free
This is why people give to it, this is why people use it.
This is a sensitive time, muddy the waters even slightly and the tremendous growth in both use and acceptance of Open Source could be undone overnight. Right now I know that GPL means I pay nothing - if I may have to pay money, I may as well go to M$ - at least I know how much they will charge me.....
I agree entirely.
Nice to see Ahead making an effort to move to Linux although they will have to consider their pricing if they are going to make a real impact.
I've written a few reviews and I always know which product is going to win in the first few minutes of testing. Thing is you always attempt to provide a balanced view if you want people to take your conclusion seriously.
Hey - K3B is great and it is free - But for somebody who has already paid for Win Nero and is now making their first move to Linux, it's nice to have as many familiar apps as you can. How many of us really need Crossover? (I don't - but I am comfortable with M$ Office 2000 - Open Office takes a bit more thought....)
I'd certainly pay.
;)
Two days ago I watched the 16th episode of Enterprise. Here in the UK Sky are going to show episode 1 next week.
The real killer would be the DRM. I download - record to CD/DVD and watch on my Divx compatible standalone DVD player. If I was a programme maker I would probably only allow distribution via a pretty austere method so that I could be certain that the shows were not being copied and distributed.
Unfortunately I can think of a rather large company who are already trying to muscle their way into our living rooms. I really don't want to have to use M$ media centre.
I would give Sky the money - a pound for an episode would be fine by me - I have the Sky+ pvr, so it can be broadcast on PPV in the middle of the night for all I care... They only charge you if you watch it... Hope somebody from Sky is reading
Crikey!
I can't deny the first two!
The last should have read "doesn't"..
My grammar is at best average - my grammar on the 'net is below than average...
Th worrying thing is that I remain better than a lot...
I am a Brit - as such I am European - fine - Eupope great - USA not quite so great.
;) )
That doesn't make you bad!
The French government are really an embarrasment - no EU government is supposed to be able to subsidise private companies in this fashion - it is anti competitive.
The French government really don't seem interested in that. Any US airline employee who is conerned about their job should be aware that the French government have ploughed millions of dollars worth of aid into Air France over the last 20 years. They have always been "the last time" - thing is, France is huge, what can you do? Throw 'em out of Europe? hardly!
Recent stories don't make me a fan of EA, however, I don't want the French government to make a mockery of the whole of Europe again.
(on the other hand, wait 'till EA buy a French software house - 70 hour week? - They will be lucky to get a 20 hour week
I'd love to support them.
Trouble is, I want to buy Franz Ferdinand, not Fred and the Freaks....
Much as I admire the attempt, I can't see major labels sacrificing their precious DRM.
Remember when iTunes came out - none of us could beleive how strict it was - quite how inconvenient it would be to use. Nowadays iTunes is the friendly face of DRM...
I'd just buy a damn CD if they weren't protecting them as well... I just want to listen on my Linux PC and iPod why do they make it so difficult?
I must say, I do disagree - to a point...
I can see the sense on newsgroups, where a threaded conversation is difficult to follow anyhow and complicated further by top posting.
I can also see the point on a busy mailing list where people often reply to messages which are not current.
In a corporate environment however mail is generally from X to Y. If A, B and C are copied in it is generally for info only. In this instance top posting is not only easier, but a far quicker method of seeing what is actually posted.
I suppose the same thing could be achieved by bottom posting, then having your mail client show the bottom of the mail rather than the top by default??
You are too hard on yourselves.
;)
Trust me, I am British. "Yank Bashing" is something of a national sport since the empire fell apart
Bad email is not in any way an America only thing (neither are falling standards in education!). I have seen emails sent to customers which make me cringe. I know people for whom English is a 4th of 5th language who can compose better emails than some born and bred Brits.
A letter would be passed to a workmate to "have a quick look at", or typed by a secretary. Email is seen as being in some way less important. Wrongly so!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4059077.stm
;)
Takes a different tach - in this case it points out quite how bad emails can be in a corporate environment.
From irritating, to rude - often without meaning to be...
Sometimes I am glad to be employed in shipping - characters cost - fewer are better
I can't help but be amused at the way Intel have had to "sneak" the fastest model of their Flagship processor out of the door.
Does anybody remember a few years ago, the Athlon was outperforming anything Intel had to offer, yet they still claimed it was only competing with the Celeron.
Hmm...
;)
Dunno - you have to install the thing as an admin user - surely it should save seperate databases for each user..
Which isn't to ignore the possibility that M$ screwed up themselves
There are some great journalists out there.
;)
Equally there are some people who could be great journalists who never chose that career path. If they choose to write a blog, and find a sufficiently interesting subject, their blog could be fantastic.
Equally there are some average journalists.. There are also truly dreadful people with a blog.
A few great blogs out there does not mean that mainstream media is in its death throes. As things stand, blogs are an alternative, not a replacement (IMHO)
Trouble is, I am not space expert, but I really can't see a little spacecraft being able to catch an ICBM in time.
;)
If I was in a position of power in the US military, (which, thank heaven I am not), I would want a Patriot style system. Put the sattelites into sufficiently high orbit that they can cover a good patch of space - fit them with small fast missiles whose sole purpose is to get as close to the ICBM as possible then blow up. The bigger the bang, the more likely they are to get the ICBM - bigger bang means nuke IMHO.
Put the things up there and you are already violating treaties and destroying trust - If you are gonna break the law anyhow, do it properly. Stick some fast little Nukes up there. If they are never used, nobody will ever know that they aren't just "telescopes"
The Guardian is certainly a biased paper. Give it credit though, it doesn't hide it. I don't like it, or read it, but I do respect the quality of writing.
In truth though, is attempting to influence the result of an election in another country wrong? If the Washington Post was to print a series of anti Blair articles in the run up to the UK elections, would that be wrong? I can't see how...
Assasination - fair enough - stupid thing to print - shoddy editorial staff for not picking it up before it went to press.
Legal thing I guess?
Keep it all within one legal territory. Last thing you want is to develop something fantastic, then find that the peoples republic of oingy boingy suddenly decided that it can't be exported.
I would certainly like to hope that it is not a deliberately anti EU policy...
Imagine the scene - you have been out avter work for a few drinks, met up with a lovely lady (guy - whatever your taste). Things are going well, you are back at her place...
Passions are rising, you are ripping off each others clothes, then you realise that she is just about to hurl your trousers (pants), containing a months paycheck worth of kit across the room.
I have as many gadgets as the next geek, but by putting them in a bag I get to rip of my clothes with wanton abandon! (not that I get the chance as often as I would like!)
Not sure that that is true, however I do agree that these games have been age restricted for a good reason. The same reason we classify movies - it is felt that watching / playing violent material at a young age can lead to violent behaviour. Is it true? Dunno - but it seems to make sense.
I just hope that this has been done sensibly. Have the laws been publicised enough? Have the owners been given proper notice, offered a chance to prevent the kids. Or it it simply easier for the authorities to make an example of these cafes, than to properly police the rest?
Well Done that man!
Only trouble is, after spending 20 minutes trying to download the darn thing I am now expecting nothing short of 2001: A Space Odyssey!
Cheers for going to the trouble anyhow!
Bet we bend over the first time there is a serious challenge though :(
You can vote for someone else.
If there is nobody better, you can stand for election yourself.
I can't influence US policy, well, not legally, and not in a positive direction.
OK,
If the US government wanted data about a US citizen, which was held by a non US company under an outsourcing arrangement, it is perfectly acceptable for them to do so.
Using your hypothetical situation though, Imagine the outcry if the Canadian government was to access information on a US citizen held by RBC as part of an outsorcing deal.
In the UK we have the data protection act. This tells me that I must give my consent for any information to be stored about me, and that it can only be used for the purpose for which I have given permission. I have the right to view, and correct where appropriate, any info. When I sign up for a credit card, I have to give my consent to a credit search, the act of conducting this searc will be stored. I also have to give my consent to some of my details being used to fight fraud. That doesn't include sharing it with the US government.
I don't care where this info is stored, as long as the country where it is stored honours the Data Protection act which protects it. If they don't, then the data should not be stored there.
Illegal?
Naah!
The Patriot act says that it is fine - They are protecting themselves from Terrorism you know!