I don't know enough about Tibetan history to say if you're right or wrong about past rulers of Tibet. But if you care about the Tibetan people today, you should be against the forces that threaten them today. It is useful to have the historical perspective in order to prevent a return to another bad system, but it doesn't alter the need to change the current one.
That's a terrible excuse from the German official. It's exactly saying "I didn't speak out about one thing someone did wrong, so I'm not going to speak out about something else." And if somehow people did say "why didn't you protest against native chinese human rights violations" (not that anyone who cares about this actually would object to at least doing something rather than nothing), it would at least be someone asking about native chinese rights violations which is more publicity than they normally get in the West.
Even as ways of rationalising a lack of conscience for the sake of self-interest, it's got to be one of the worst I've ever heard.
but only released the binaries to protect their IP
Actually, I forgot to respond to this as well. It wouldn't be to protect their IP. The encryption algorithms used in Blue-Ray are publically known and there's nothing original about trying to hide the location of a stored key in memory. If there were any IP to be protected, then it would be patented and known. And copyright would extend to the code whether it was closed source or not. It's about keeping the media locked away from the purchasers control, not IP.
In the UK, there's Novatech who we found because we were looking for a laptop without Windows. They were the only company that we found that sold decent laptops without an O/S, so we bought from them.
And I'm sorry that sarcasm seems to be your first. The poster is correct. You said that a movie is not data, but is "a series of photographs projected on a screen with sufficient rapidity to create the illusion of motion and continuity." Unless you think a VHS tape works by containing tiny photographs (and even if you do think that), you're still saying that VHS doesn't contain a movie. Clearly it does and clearly your "photographs" definition doesn't encompass the different ways that a movie can be stored / played. Your definition only gives one medium via which a movie can be transported. As do VHS tapes and DVDs. I don't think anyone gets why you're trying to draw a distinction between VHS and DVD.
Well firstly, this quite possibly couldn't be done because it would need to circumvent the normal code and write directly to the video output in some manner that prevented the kernel from seeing that output stream, and similarly cloaking the input from the drive, concealing the stored data in memory. On an open source O/S, securing a binary DRM module is even more problematic than the systems they have on Windows. Really the only way to do this properly is to remove the DRM.
But if it were possible for a manufacturer to provide a binary DRM module for Linux, FreeBSD, whatever, it still wouldn't meet the requirements I stated earlier about being able to ensure future access to my purchase, display on different environments and backing up. Installing binary drivers also has issues outside the context of watching Blue-Ray movies as it undermines some of the prime benefits of an Open Source operating system such as debugging, further development and guaranteed continued availability of the software. Binary modules should really not be encouraged on Linux as we can bring about better software in the world through using open source software.
Have you ever thought that the reason you cannot play Blu-ray movies is the lack of software support on Linux and not the fault of the DRM?
If there were no DRM then people would voluntarily create the software necessary to play Blue-Ray discs. It is the insistence on DRM that prevents this. If you think it is possible to create working DRM on a platform that you do not control (e.g. through the co-operation of the manufacturer as with Vista), then you have a very limited understanding of DRM. In addition to which, DRM renders the Blue-Ray disc inferior in terms of features to a normal DVD because I can do less with it and have less assurance that I will (a) not lose what I've bought due to damage, (b) play where I choose and (c) be certain that I'm not going to lose the ability to play it at some future date. And these are all separate issues to whether or not I can play it on my computer. If the DRM is permanently broken, then Blue Ray becomes useful to me. Until then it isn't. The same goes for many other people and it would be even more if more people understood the issues, which is slowly happening.
Your response to the GP just shows that you just don't get it. It doesn't mean he's any less correct.
Oh I get what you are trying to do - I don't agree you are correct however.
Actually, your response to the GP (me) only shows that you are making incorrect assumptions. I spend more on DVD's currently than anyone else I know well enough to say. If I could play Blue-Ray movies on my Linux box without hassle and if I knew that ability wasn't going to go away, then I would buy a Blue-ray drive and start collecting those movies instead. And there is my reason for wanting this petty DRM to be cracked permanently. It has nothing to do with pirating movies and in fact, if I were merely downloading pirated movies, it would be irrelevant to me whether I could play Blue-Ray discs at all. But I'm not and I want to play them. That's only possible if the DRM is broken. With HD it was possible to release a film without the DRM, but with Blue-Ray it's a compulsory part of the format. So please consider all possible implications, rather than simply picking the one that supports your argument.
The only bad thing about BD+ being cracked is that it didn't happen sooner. A naive faith that it would be secure may have been one of the factors in studios throwing their weight behind Blue-ray instead of HD. Now that HD seems to be going down the pipes, it leaves blue ray in a monopoly position, free to keep their prices high. Okay - it's not quite a monopoly position as they still have to compete with traditional DVDs. But it's a worse situation for the public than if HD were still around. Still, every little crack helps.
Seconded. I've been holding off from getting a drive for my computer until I saw some reliable and irrevocable cracks available. If this one looks like it will be permanent, then I'll probably get one. Though I'd like to see the price of movies go down first and I may wait until we get some cheaper models. But this is a necessary step for me to buy a drive. Good news!
Galactic Civilisations is a very good game. Yes - I probably could have just pirated a copy, but no, I bought it. I was actually persuaded to do so because of this account of a game. Very entertaining. Unfortunately, though it would run on my old Linux system under Wine with an Nvidia graphics card, it keep crashing with my new AIT card. Well, it crashes with the proprietary drivers. It works with Mesa but doesn't have any 3D acceleration which makes it a little tricky to play.
Hey - I was eight, okay?:) There was a way of disabling the Break key as well so that the teacher couldn't stop it without flipping the power switch, but I can't remember how you did that. Mainly we used it for playing "Kingdom" when we could smuggle the floppy disk in. And let me tell you back then, when we bought a floppy disk, it really was floppy!
Re:Excession and Look to Windward?
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Okay. He's a great author. Maybe I missed something - it was a while ago. I'll take another look some time. I still strongly recommend people don't start with this though. Whether they like it or not, it's not representative of his Culture novels.
Re:Excession and Look to Windward?
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*jaw drops*. Okay - I'm not meaning to criticise your tastes and if you enjoy the book then great. But the txt speak of one of the main characters was minor in comparison to the A->B->C plot and the complete lack of ending. I'd be willing to go back and have another look at it, but I'm pretty sure I gave the book away and I doubt I'd ever re-buy it. Sorry. As said - if you enjoy the book then great. It's just that I very much didn't and I wouldn't want people here to be put off from a really good author because they picked what I think is his worst work. If anyone has only read Feersum Injin by Iain M. Banks, and not liked it, I really recommend they get another of his books to try.
The humans have nothing that the AI's need. There are plentiful natural resources and the humans can't compete with the AI's for technological development. Okay - that's not quite how things are portrayed in the Culture novels, but it's nonetheless accurate in the series and an interesting take on the lack of friction.
Re:Excession and Look to Windward?
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Actually, that's Iain M. Banks. And yes, the two authors reside in the same person, but he has made a very deliberate decision to separate his two categories of writing and, in fact, does actually write a little differently between the two names. I kind of feel it's respectful to consider the two bodies of work separately. And certainly starting with the works of Iain M. Banks wont do anything to prepare you for the Culture novels of Iain Banks.
Re:Excession and Look to Windward?
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I liked Excession as well. But I preferred "Use of Weapons". I also enjoyed Inversions, though it's very much an insiders book. My main motivation in posting a comment though is to warn people away from Feersum Injin. It's so far beneath his usual quality its hard to believe its the same author. Real crap. Consider Phlebas is passable but I don't rate it as highly as most of his work.
Well I fully agree with you. It is bad mangagement. The problem comes about when you have an artificial hierarchy imposed, a hierarchy in which the manager has to pretend that they're more capable than their staff. You're absolutely right that the manager should recognize the division of work and stick to doing the actual management work. The problem is that quite often, this naturally puts the manager in a supporting role, taking care of all the ancillary duties to allow a developer to get on with their work and produce what they're supposed to produce. A lot of managers are uncomfortable with the implications of that because, lets be honest, it doesn't really justify being the one with the higher salary giving orders top down. And that's when you get attempts to reinforce their authority by avoiding listening or asking for information, let alone accepting guidance from "their staff."
It doesn't weaken their position. The BBC have always been very up front in saying that they are having difficulty allowing Linux users to download tv shows in the same way that they allow Windows users because only on Windows are they able to ensure that the video is not redistributed. They have done their best in allowing streaming of the shows which is as good in many circumstances and have stated that they are trying to find ways of offering the full service to Linux users. Given the tiny fraction of computer users that use Linux, it's pretty inclusive of them.
The article summary is hopelessly inflammatory. But that's no surprise given recent Slashdot editorial policy. The aim seems to be to drive up the number of posts at any cost including accuracy.
Heh. Nice come back. I hope you learnt your lesson, though. I think a lot of us have been through that. I always charge a nominal fee up front for consulting, reclaimable against the cost of the finished project if I receive the full contract.
Let's face it, if you don't know something, many, if not most, IT folks will be quick to criticize and pounce on the "stupid" person and give the poor bastard a bad rep that is almost to get rid of.
Perhaps, but what you say is the likely outcome of someone being found out as ignorant. When someone actively comes to a programmer and says "I'm considering developing the project like X, do you see any issues with that," then they don't get jumped on, they get a lot of respect. Obviously people skills can make a difference in any direction, but all things being equal, I think asking your staff for information is way better than pretending you don't need to.
As a favourite character once said: "The only stupid questions are the ones you already know the answer to, and it's perfectly okay to ask those sometimes." Like a lot of behaviour we consider good or moral, it is behaviour that has a short term cost (appearing ignorant) for a long term benefit (not actually being ignorant). The article was about the disconnect between management and IT - I can't see much bigger contributor to that than trying to pretend that you know something better than your staff when you clearly don't. It's not like they're fooling anybody.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't know enough about Tibetan history to say if you're right or wrong about past rulers of Tibet. But if you care about the Tibetan people today, you should be against the forces that threaten them today. It is useful to have the historical perspective in order to prevent a return to another bad system, but it doesn't alter the need to change the current one.
That's a terrible excuse from the German official. It's exactly saying "I didn't speak out about one thing someone did wrong, so I'm not going to speak out about something else." And if somehow people did say "why didn't you protest against native chinese human rights violations" (not that anyone who cares about this actually would object to at least doing something rather than nothing), it would at least be someone asking about native chinese rights violations which is more publicity than they normally get in the West.
Even as ways of rationalising a lack of conscience for the sake of self-interest, it's got to be one of the worst I've ever heard.
Actually, I forgot to respond to this as well. It wouldn't be to protect their IP. The encryption algorithms used in Blue-Ray are publically known and there's nothing original about trying to hide the location of a stored key in memory. If there were any IP to be protected, then it would be patented and known. And copyright would extend to the code whether it was closed source or not. It's about keeping the media locked away from the purchasers control, not IP.
In the UK, there's Novatech who we found because we were looking for a laptop without Windows. They were the only company that we found that sold decent laptops without an O/S, so we bought from them.
And I'm sorry that sarcasm seems to be your first. The poster is correct. You said that a movie is not data, but is "a series of photographs projected on a screen with sufficient rapidity to create the illusion of motion and continuity." Unless you think a VHS tape works by containing tiny photographs (and even if you do think that), you're still saying that VHS doesn't contain a movie. Clearly it does and clearly your "photographs" definition doesn't encompass the different ways that a movie can be stored / played. Your definition only gives one medium via which a movie can be transported. As do VHS tapes and DVDs. I don't think anyone gets why you're trying to draw a distinction between VHS and DVD.
Well firstly, this quite possibly couldn't be done because it would need to circumvent the normal code and write directly to the video output in some manner that prevented the kernel from seeing that output stream, and similarly cloaking the input from the drive, concealing the stored data in memory. On an open source O/S, securing a binary DRM module is even more problematic than the systems they have on Windows. Really the only way to do this properly is to remove the DRM.
But if it were possible for a manufacturer to provide a binary DRM module for Linux, FreeBSD, whatever, it still wouldn't meet the requirements I stated earlier about being able to ensure future access to my purchase, display on different environments and backing up. Installing binary drivers also has issues outside the context of watching Blue-Ray movies as it undermines some of the prime benefits of an Open Source operating system such as debugging, further development and guaranteed continued availability of the software. Binary modules should really not be encouraged on Linux as we can bring about better software in the world through using open source software.
If there were no DRM then people would voluntarily create the software necessary to play Blue-Ray discs. It is the insistence on DRM that prevents this. If you think it is possible to create working DRM on a platform that you do not control (e.g. through the co-operation of the manufacturer as with Vista), then you have a very limited understanding of DRM. In addition to which, DRM renders the Blue-Ray disc inferior in terms of features to a normal DVD because I can do less with it and have less assurance that I will (a) not lose what I've bought due to damage, (b) play where I choose and (c) be certain that I'm not going to lose the ability to play it at some future date. And these are all separate issues to whether or not I can play it on my computer. If the DRM is permanently broken, then Blue Ray becomes useful to me. Until then it isn't. The same goes for many other people and it would be even more if more people understood the issues, which is slowly happening.
The only bad thing about BD+ being cracked is that it didn't happen sooner. A naive faith that it would be secure may have been one of the factors in studios throwing their weight behind Blue-ray instead of HD. Now that HD seems to be going down the pipes, it leaves blue ray in a monopoly position, free to keep their prices high. Okay - it's not quite a monopoly position as they still have to compete with traditional DVDs. But it's a worse situation for the public than if HD were still around. Still, every little crack helps.
Seconded. I've been holding off from getting a drive for my computer until I saw some reliable and irrevocable cracks available. If this one looks like it will be permanent, then I'll probably get one. Though I'd like to see the price of movies go down first and I may wait until we get some cheaper models. But this is a necessary step for me to buy a drive. Good news!
Galactic Civilisations is a very good game. Yes - I probably could have just pirated a copy, but no, I bought it. I was actually persuaded to do so because of this account of a game. Very entertaining. Unfortunately, though it would run on my old Linux system under Wine with an Nvidia graphics card, it keep crashing with my new AIT card. Well, it crashes with the proprietary drivers. It works with Mesa but doesn't have any 3D acceleration which makes it a little tricky to play.
Ha ha ha ha! Nice!
Well there might be some truth to that... but the Spectrum had RUBBER KEYS!!!! Compete with *that* BBC Micro.
Hey - I was eight, okay?
10 PRINT "FIRST POST!"
20 GOTO 10
(stupid lameness filter objecting to my caps)
Okay. He's a great author. Maybe I missed something - it was a while ago. I'll take another look some time. I still strongly recommend people don't start with this though. Whether they like it or not, it's not representative of his Culture novels.
*jaw drops*. Okay - I'm not meaning to criticise your tastes and if you enjoy the book then great. But the txt speak of one of the main characters was minor in comparison to the A->B->C plot and the complete lack of ending. I'd be willing to go back and have another look at it, but I'm pretty sure I gave the book away and I doubt I'd ever re-buy it. Sorry. As said - if you enjoy the book then great. It's just that I very much didn't and I wouldn't want people here to be put off from a really good author because they picked what I think is his worst work. If anyone has only read Feersum Injin by Iain M. Banks, and not liked it, I really recommend they get another of his books to try.
The humans have nothing that the AI's need. There are plentiful natural resources and the humans can't compete with the AI's for technological development. Okay - that's not quite how things are portrayed in the Culture novels, but it's nonetheless accurate in the series and an interesting take on the lack of friction.
Actually, that's Iain M. Banks. And yes, the two authors reside in the same person, but he has made a very deliberate decision to separate his two categories of writing and, in fact, does actually write a little differently between the two names. I kind of feel it's respectful to consider the two bodies of work separately. And certainly starting with the works of Iain M. Banks wont do anything to prepare you for the Culture novels of Iain Banks.
I liked Excession as well. But I preferred "Use of Weapons". I also enjoyed Inversions, though it's very much an insiders book. My main motivation in posting a comment though is to warn people away from Feersum Injin. It's so far beneath his usual quality its hard to believe its the same author. Real crap. Consider Phlebas is passable but I don't rate it as highly as most of his work.
It can handle all of those things. It's had a user account on Slashdot for the last four months.
Well I fully agree with you. It is bad mangagement. The problem comes about when you have an artificial hierarchy imposed, a hierarchy in which the manager has to pretend that they're more capable than their staff. You're absolutely right that the manager should recognize the division of work and stick to doing the actual management work. The problem is that quite often, this naturally puts the manager in a supporting role, taking care of all the ancillary duties to allow a developer to get on with their work and produce what they're supposed to produce. A lot of managers are uncomfortable with the implications of that because, lets be honest, it doesn't really justify being the one with the higher salary giving orders top down. And that's when you get attempts to reinforce their authority by avoiding listening or asking for information, let alone accepting guidance from "their staff."
It doesn't weaken their position. The BBC have always been very up front in saying that they are having difficulty allowing Linux users to download tv shows in the same way that they allow Windows users because only on Windows are they able to ensure that the video is not redistributed. They have done their best in allowing streaming of the shows which is as good in many circumstances and have stated that they are trying to find ways of offering the full service to Linux users. Given the tiny fraction of computer users that use Linux, it's pretty inclusive of them.
The article summary is hopelessly inflammatory. But that's no surprise given recent Slashdot editorial policy. The aim seems to be to drive up the number of posts at any cost including accuracy.
Heh. Nice come back. I hope you learnt your lesson, though. I think a lot of us have been through that. I always charge a nominal fee up front for consulting, reclaimable against the cost of the finished project if I receive the full contract.
Perhaps, but what you say is the likely outcome of someone being found out as ignorant. When someone actively comes to a programmer and says "I'm considering developing the project like X, do you see any issues with that," then they don't get jumped on, they get a lot of respect. Obviously people skills can make a difference in any direction, but all things being equal, I think asking your staff for information is way better than pretending you don't need to.
As a favourite character once said: "The only stupid questions are the ones you already know the answer to, and it's perfectly okay to ask those sometimes." Like a lot of behaviour we consider good or moral, it is behaviour that has a short term cost (appearing ignorant) for a long term benefit (not actually being ignorant). The article was about the disconnect between management and IT - I can't see much bigger contributor to that than trying to pretend that you know something better than your staff when you clearly don't. It's not like they're fooling anybody.