I am Michael Warot, US Citizen by birth, programmer, technician, and currently I am the Manager of Information Systems for Live Marketing, a firm in Chicago, Illinois. I have been programming computers almost from the day I first encountered them back in 1979. I have witnessed firsthand the personal computer revolution, the explosive growth of the software industry, the commercialization of the Internet. I am writing this in the hope that my voice, along with others, can make a difference.
My view
I feel that the proposed settlement is not an appropriate remedy for the behavior of Microsoft. The settlement still classifies insiders and outsiders. The only truly effective way to remedy the situation is to force Microsoft to open all of the source code for its products, and those of its subsidiaries (which would no doubt be introduced to attempt to hide the source code from the public). This approach may seem radical, but it offers benefits to both Microsoft, and to the public at large.
1. Opening the source code, and the subsequent documentation of the various protocols that we have been forced to use (remember, Microsoft IS a monopoly), will allow the peer review of the software, and a subsequent enhancement of the value of those protocols to both Microsoft and the public at large, as value is added by all parties as a part of this process.
2. Since Microsoft is the defacto standard in many environments, its massive market share, and trusted brand name will continue to grow if its standards can be adopted on novel and innovative platforms, to which it can surely adapt its software with the rest of us.
3. The proposed settlement limits its scope to Microsoft and OEMs and ISVs with whom it has a legal contract, this allows the inclusion of restrictive language into those agreements which would quickly subvert the intended purpose of the settlement, buy creating a new barrier to entry. If you allow the public to interact without these restrictions, the barriers to entry will remain lowered, and innovation can once again be introduced by all players, into the marketplace.
4. The public should have the right to inspect the details of the software on which our national security has been increasingly dependent. Hiding this source code from the public creates an artificial barrier to entry for those peers who wish to study the software to help improve it. It effectively eliminates peer review, which is the only truly effective approach to increasing security.
5. Anything less than full and open disclosure of all software source code and protocol documentation is not justice.
I hope this helps you to understand my perspective on this important matter. I hope that all parties will agree that a more open atmosphere will be beneficial to all parties, and the best approach in the long run.
Michael Warot
532 Florence Ave
Hammond, Indiana 46324
We're interested, at least I am, not so much because it's DownUnder, but rather a preview of things to come, as greedy megacorporate power sucks the most possible revenue out of the once promising entity called the internet.
I'm all for starting a new internet, with IP addresses loosely based on GPS coordinates, a sane set of policies for name services, and gateways to the "real" internet. We could fix all the mistakes of the current version, as percieved at this time.
We could use wireless, IP6, and encourage the use of gateways to the LEGACY internet for compatabilities sake.
I can't believe our fearless leader would make such an error as to swap Hollywood (Silicone Hills) with San Jose (Silicon Valley)... but, alas... it is Sunday, and perhaps he's tired.;)
We had a problem that too me a year to figure out, it turns out the HP 4000 Laserjet Driver needs WIN87EM.DLL to figure out page layout stuff, and when word uses the printer driver, it may, or may not be available. (Reference pointer counts get hosed, or something). This causes no end of grief, as the users would get a Fatal Exception 0E and blue screen of dead (BSOD) all the time. Once I came across the cure, everyone was quite happy.
The fix? Copy \windows\win87em.dll to an EXE file, and put a load= command in win.ini. Ths fixed ALL of our problems with Windows 95, 98, and Win98SE. We leave machines one all the time, and have a remarkably low (for windows) amount of trouble. Most workstations stay running until they are shut down. Our servers used to run for months on end, but now last the time between "Critical Updates" (AKA I can't write bounds checking software properly, so we'll fix it later) required reboots.
The point of all this? The drivers for printers, and scanners, and almost anything can hose a system. It's not likely to actually be the application's problem.
--Mike--
This isn't the war you believe it to be
on
The Drone War
·
· Score: 2
This is not a war, this is a power grab. The government of the US is making a power grab to get control of the vast resources a large chunk of Eurasia before the rest of the world can get their fingers into it. The Euro is coming up to replace the dollar as the default currency of choice to trade against, the economy bubble from the.COM crash in spring of 2000 has caught up... we need the oil before someone else cuts it off and leaves us like Japan was in 1940.
We're being decieved on many levels as to what the situation really is. We're letting our pawns manipulate us, and if we're not careful, we'll end up at the bottom of a very big pile of problems, all of our own making.
Everything should be linked, from the highest level abstraction, all the way down to the bytes generated by the compiler. If you want to tweak the output of the compiler, you should be able to do so, attaching a modification tag into the source code.
Programming code needs markup capability, not just comments. Markup provides the ability to specify addition LAYERS (Plural!) of information about something. You should be able to add as many of these layers as you like, they should be able to overlap as you like. The compiler output should just be another layer on top of your source code, if you like.
It sounds like you need a public/private key pair. The public key could be used on your webserver to generate records to go INTO your database, which could then only be decrypted by the private key. Keep the private key offline, except when it's being used during the billing cycle (you could use an offline computer to be really secure about the billing processing). This should give you the flexiblity you need, being able to write the data at any time, and only read it with the proper key.
I would imagine that the good old fashioned command line incarnation of PGP would be quite good at doing the encryption, as your write access traffic is quite likely to be very low.
Keep physical security, and redundant secure backups, and you should be set.
Display: 18- to 21-inch flat-panel LCD screen capable of 1600 by 1200 resolution
Why such a crappy display? I run 1600x1200 already, and can't even look at the full frame of the pictures from my digital camera any more. I want at least 4000*3000 pixels if I'm going to be forced to look at an LCD. It had better be driving digitally, as well, just like my laptop.
If the OS can't handle it, I'll just open the source, and fix it myself.
Tools haven't advanced out of the primitive arragement of buggy C/C++ code, and probably never will at the current rate. Why someone wants to try to out-think a computer, instead of working with it, while writing programs, is beyond me.
The tools we use still suck, we programmers are stuck in the 1950's, while the rest of the world gets all of the toys we built with this stuff, only with extreme tedium. We're trappist monks, trapped by the bounds of syntax. The time for change is near.
--Mike-- (a.k.a. one who has seen a hint of the light)
Ok, I moved all but the "special" ones to the taskbar, with shortcuts. 16 icons do run my day with, and the handy knowledge that Ctrl-ESC - M gets me to a command line. (I call it "MS-DOS Prompt"). Its an experiment whose time has come.
--Mike--
Right idea, wrong perps.
on
al Qaeda Hacks XP?
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Ok, the clue is right in the idea... backdoors into the operating systems, but the perpetrators are more likely to owe allegence to the Mossad, NSA, CIA, Jesuits, or some other representative of authority.
I'm starting to believe the FBI are actually the good guys these days... YIKES!
Back when I did barcode stuff for a living (1987-1994), we got a Symbol Technologies wedge, which intercepted the keyboard, trasmitted function keys (of your selection) before and after the data. Surely you could just intercept F3 (or whatever) in your application, and have at it.
The Sony and other CCD based devices do have some sensitivity in the near infared. This means they could (in theory) respond to a very hot source, such as a soldering iron glowing a dull red. (An experiment someone should try). They will NOT, however respond to the longer wavelengths of infared that you're looking for.
A heat sensor based on thermal radiation can only detect items that are warmer than itself, at a bare minimum, due to the laws of physics. That's why heat imaging cameras are so expensive, they have to cool the sensor down, usually using a Peltier effect junction, or in the case of a Sidewinder missile, a form of gas cooling.
I hope this all makes sense, and helps answer your question.
It's still a flat text file, just a string of characters with line delimiters (unless it's Obfuscated C, APL, PERL, etc., then there aren't line delimiters). We're using white space to separate tokens, so you can't have variables with spaces in them. You have to manually escape string sequences, so that "\n" is a new line, etc. This isn't a great burden in itself, but all of these little innefficiencies and peculiarities add up.
There are lots of cool things you just can't do easily with flat text, like tagging sections of code, perhaps to facilitate aspect oriented programming. You could show all related code in one text face, color, or whatever.
The overhead doesn't have to be great, it doesn't even have to imply a GUI, you could do it under MS-DOS (or use CURSES in GNU/Linux systems).
Here it is, 2001, and we're still typing text in flat ascii files, remembering all of the arcane syntax and rules of the compiler, then submitting our attempts to it, awaiting it's response. Things haven't changed at all in 30+ years, what makes this different?
We need to apply some of the innovations that have been built for everyone else, such as text with attributes, letting the compiler keep track of certain details, etc. Why do I have to track down every instance of a variable if I decide to change it's name? Why can't I simply change the value in the symbol table, and have the compiler spit it out with that new name when it saves it?
Why not integrate the compiler, editor, runtime, all into an effecient kernel of an environment, similar to FORTH, but with the added benefits of type checking?
It's been a long time, yet nothing has changed... what a waste.
Actually, that's wrong. Since a GPS reciever can only tell the DIFFERENCE between the timings of incoming signals, you need at least 3 (if they happen to be far enough apart) to do 2 dimensional placement, and 4 if you want altitude. My good old Garmin 12 seems to think it's accurate to about 30 feet, but only works outdoors, and takes a long time to start up.
I second the notion that a simple barcode based tracking system is best here. While it's possible to spoof it, usually this isn't a concern. I was the programming staff for Management Support Systems, which marketed such a system using NORAND handhelds back in the 1990s... and am considering bringing the code back out of the closet, and putting a nice GUI in front of it for Windows.
1. All luggage goes on that plane over there...
2. Everyone who wants to carry a gun may do so, by the way, you can borrow one of these if you need it.
Crazy? Maybe.
Effective? Probably.
--Mike--
I've taken at least 40,000 digital pictures so far, just as a hobby, and haven't had to throw any of them out since my first Kodak DC-210, and removable media. It's fun to go back through the documentary of my life that I've created, and there is always some new detail that I'd previously overlooked, or just assumed was so ordinary that it would always be like that.
You definitely do not have to delete pictures, or constrict your collection in any way just becuase a digital camera is in the works.
Without stretching things much I can usually find enought intersting things (interesting to me) to take about 500-1000 pictures per day, and I'm acquiring the technology to speed that up. (Lexar 8x)
We'll be drowning in digital pictures if I have any say. As far as labeling, etc... yes, we need better standards, but my personal collection is hooked to a database managed by Thumbs Plus, supports keywords, thumbnails, etc.
I'm about ready to abandon CD-R, and stick with active file systems for backup (with offline DAT as a backup of last resort), due to the sheer volume of the CDs. I have faith in Moore's law applied to data storage that I can always afford to double my storage every 2 years for about $250, so I'm not worried long term about ever running out of room.
The point of this ramble? You can keep them all, and it's cheap, and always will be.
I don't know anything about AS/400, but I assume that you need something like a 3270 emulator or the like... HOB in Germany has software emulators for a lot of that type of thing (as well as WinFrame and Terminal Server clients) that are built on Java. It's not open source freeware, but it will get you over the hump.
Their agent in the US is Hobsoft, and should be able to help get you set up.
We've been using their JWT program to do Citrix Winframe on web browsers.
At work, we have twin DSL feeds, one wireless based (through Teligent) and one a conventional DSL. Both ISPs give us a 64 address IP block. I put dual NICs in all the servers, and set up dual hubs, etc. I did this more to make it easier to troubleshoot for myself than for any other reason. We host all of our own services, including DNS through this, and it works well.
The workstations all hang off of the "primary" (faster) DSL line, all servers see both. In the event of failure of the "primary", I'll simply change our DHCP server to point to the secondary, move the workstation hubs to the other side of the servers, and we're back in business.
You CAN put both sets of IP addresses through the same network hardware, but unfortunately, Windows 95, and 98 don't do multiple IPs on a single NIC. Our servers are smarter than that.
" just DON'T run wires through the fuel tank, and test the crygenic hydrogen stirrer moters first (not another Apollo 13)."
also, don't change the supply voltage from 28 to 65 volts along the way, causing the thermostats to weld themselves shut. This will then lead to the failure of teflon insulation on the power leads, and make a big boom once you put power into those leads.
There are good reasons to overengineer things, to compensate for stupidity and the unknown. We need a good safety net, even if it doesn't always make sense to the MBAs of this world.
Slashdot Mirror
I am Michael Warot, US Citizen by birth, programmer, technician, and currently I am the Manager of Information Systems for Live Marketing, a firm in Chicago, Illinois. I have been programming computers almost from the day I first encountered them back in 1979. I have witnessed firsthand the personal computer revolution, the explosive growth of the software industry, the commercialization of the Internet. I am writing this in the hope that my voice, along with others, can make a difference.
My view
I feel that the proposed settlement is not an appropriate remedy for the behavior of Microsoft. The settlement still classifies insiders and outsiders. The only truly effective way to remedy the situation is to force Microsoft to open all of the source code for its products, and those of its subsidiaries (which would no doubt be introduced to attempt to hide the source code from the public). This approach may seem radical, but it offers benefits to both Microsoft, and to the public at large.
1. Opening the source code, and the subsequent documentation of the various protocols that we have been forced to use (remember, Microsoft IS a monopoly), will allow the peer review of the software, and a subsequent enhancement of the value of those protocols to both Microsoft and the public at large, as value is added by all parties as a part of this process.
2. Since Microsoft is the defacto standard in many environments, its massive market share, and trusted brand name will continue to grow if its standards can be adopted on novel and innovative platforms, to which it can surely adapt its software with the rest of us.
3. The proposed settlement limits its scope to Microsoft and OEMs and ISVs with whom it has a legal contract, this allows the inclusion of restrictive language into those agreements which would quickly subvert the intended purpose of the settlement, buy creating a new barrier to entry. If you allow the public to interact without these restrictions, the barriers to entry will remain lowered, and innovation can once again be introduced by all players, into the marketplace.
4. The public should have the right to inspect the details of the software on which our national security has been increasingly dependent. Hiding this source code from the public creates an artificial barrier to entry for those peers who wish to study the software to help improve it. It effectively eliminates peer review, which is the only truly effective approach to increasing security.
5. Anything less than full and open disclosure of all software source code and protocol documentation is not justice.
I hope this helps you to understand my perspective on this important matter. I hope that all parties will agree that a more open atmosphere will be beneficial to all parties, and the best approach in the long run.
Michael Warot
532 Florence Ave
Hammond, Indiana 46324
Email: mwarot@livemarketing.com, mike@warot.com
Voice: (312) 787-4800x111 (work)
Web: http://warot.com
I'm all for starting a new internet, with IP addresses loosely based on GPS coordinates, a sane set of policies for name services, and gateways to the "real" internet. We could fix all the mistakes of the current version, as percieved at this time.
We could use wireless, IP6, and encourage the use of gateways to the LEGACY internet for compatabilities sake.
--Mike--
--Mike--
The fix? Copy \windows\win87em.dll to an EXE file, and put a load= command in win.ini. Ths fixed ALL of our problems with Windows 95, 98, and Win98SE. We leave machines one all the time, and have a remarkably low (for windows) amount of trouble. Most workstations stay running until they are shut down. Our servers used to run for months on end, but now last the time between "Critical Updates" (AKA I can't write bounds checking software properly, so we'll fix it later) required reboots.
The point of all this? The drivers for printers, and scanners, and almost anything can hose a system. It's not likely to actually be the application's problem.
--Mike--
We're being decieved on many levels as to what the situation really is. We're letting our pawns manipulate us, and if we're not careful, we'll end up at the bottom of a very big pile of problems, all of our own making.
--Mike--
--Mike--
Programming code needs markup capability, not just comments. Markup provides the ability to specify addition LAYERS (Plural!) of information about something. You should be able to add as many of these layers as you like, they should be able to overlap as you like. The compiler output should just be another layer on top of your source code, if you like.
--Mike--
I would imagine that the good old fashioned command line incarnation of PGP would be quite good at doing the encryption, as your write access traffic is quite likely to be very low.
Keep physical security, and redundant secure backups, and you should be set.
--Mike--
Display: 18- to 21-inch flat-panel LCD screen capable of 1600 by 1200 resolution
Why such a crappy display? I run 1600x1200 already, and can't even look at the full frame of the pictures from my digital camera any more. I want at least 4000*3000 pixels if I'm going to be forced to look at an LCD. It had better be driving digitally, as well, just like my laptop.
If the OS can't handle it, I'll just open the source, and fix it myself.
--Mike--The tools we use still suck, we programmers are stuck in the 1950's, while the rest of the world gets all of the toys we built with this stuff, only with extreme tedium. We're trappist monks, trapped by the bounds of syntax. The time for change is near.
--Mike-- (a.k.a. one who has seen a hint of the light)
--Mike--
I'm starting to believe the FBI are actually the good guys these days... YIKES!
--Mike--
--Mike--
A heat sensor based on thermal radiation can only detect items that are warmer than itself, at a bare minimum, due to the laws of physics. That's why heat imaging cameras are so expensive, they have to cool the sensor down, usually using a Peltier effect junction, or in the case of a Sidewinder missile, a form of gas cooling.
I hope this all makes sense, and helps answer your question.
--Mike--
There are lots of cool things you just can't do easily with flat text, like tagging sections of code, perhaps to facilitate aspect oriented programming. You could show all related code in one text face, color, or whatever.
The overhead doesn't have to be great, it doesn't even have to imply a GUI, you could do it under MS-DOS (or use CURSES in GNU/Linux systems).
--Mike--
We need to apply some of the innovations that have been built for everyone else, such as text with attributes, letting the compiler keep track of certain details, etc. Why do I have to track down every instance of a variable if I decide to change it's name? Why can't I simply change the value in the symbol table, and have the compiler spit it out with that new name when it saves it?
Why not integrate the compiler, editor, runtime, all into an effecient kernel of an environment, similar to FORTH, but with the added benefits of type checking?
It's been a long time, yet nothing has changed... what a waste.
--Mike--
I second the notion that a simple barcode based tracking system is best here. While it's possible to spoof it, usually this isn't a concern. I was the programming staff for Management Support Systems, which marketed such a system using NORAND handhelds back in the 1990s... and am considering bringing the code back out of the closet, and putting a nice GUI in front of it for Windows.
--Mike--
1. All luggage goes on that plane over there...
2. Everyone who wants to carry a gun may do so, by the way, you can borrow one of these if you need it.
Crazy? Maybe.
Effective? Probably.
--Mike--
--Mike--
You definitely do not have to delete pictures, or constrict your collection in any way just becuase a digital camera is in the works.
Without stretching things much I can usually find enought intersting things (interesting to me) to take about 500-1000 pictures per day, and I'm acquiring the technology to speed that up. (Lexar 8x)
We'll be drowning in digital pictures if I have any say. As far as labeling, etc... yes, we need better standards, but my personal collection is hooked to a database managed by Thumbs Plus, supports keywords, thumbnails, etc.
I'm about ready to abandon CD-R, and stick with active file systems for backup (with offline DAT as a backup of last resort), due to the sheer volume of the CDs. I have faith in Moore's law applied to data storage that I can always afford to double my storage every 2 years for about $250, so I'm not worried long term about ever running out of room.
The point of this ramble? You can keep them all, and it's cheap, and always will be.
--Mike--
TET
Their agent in the US is Hobsoft, and should be able to help get you set up.
We've been using their JWT program to do Citrix Winframe on web browsers.
--Mike--
The workstations all hang off of the "primary" (faster) DSL line, all servers see both. In the event of failure of the "primary", I'll simply change our DHCP server to point to the secondary, move the workstation hubs to the other side of the servers, and we're back in business.
You CAN put both sets of IP addresses through the same network hardware, but unfortunately, Windows 95, and 98 don't do multiple IPs on a single NIC. Our servers are smarter than that.
Hope this helps.
--Mike--
also, don't change the supply voltage from 28 to 65 volts along the way, causing the thermostats to weld themselves shut. This will then lead to the failure of teflon insulation on the power leads, and make a big boom once you put power into those leads.
There are good reasons to overengineer things, to compensate for stupidity and the unknown. We need a good safety net, even if it doesn't always make sense to the MBAs of this world.
--Mike--
--Mike--