Any self-respecting resident of the Metro Detroit Area would get those two *easy*.
And as an American who watches "This Hour Has 22 Minutes", I doubt there's much that could trip me up without getting a large number of Canadians, too. Steven E. Ehrbar
Did you hear of the Bare Naked Ladies before 1997? What about Blue Rodeo, or the Tragically hip?
"No, because CBC Radio 2 doesn't play those during drive-time. Sue me for liking Mozart."
Where's Nunavut?
"It's the Inuit territory carved out of the Norhwest Territories. And I personally prefer the proposal to rename the rest of the Northwest Territories 'Bob' to the proposal to name it 'Aurora'."
What's east of Quebec?
Answer 1: "Newfoundland and New Brunswick. Then Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island east of New Brunswick."
Answer 2: "The Maritimes, the last stronghold of the Progressive Conservatives. I wish they'd face facts and join the United Alternative."
------------------
Oh, BTW, I'm an American. Cross-border broadcasting works both ways.
1) Operating System 2) Back Office/server applications 3) Office/buisness desktop applications 4) Development tools 5) Internet properties (MSN, Hotmail, etc.) 6) Internet Explorer, hardware, and home software (Works, Encarta, games, etc.)
Look, lots of things are "big stories" that don't belong on/.
For example, NATO goes to war in Kosovo?/. non-story.
Dow breaks 10,000? NASDAQ hits 5,000? Not a word on/.
India and Pakistan test nukes? Nope.
The possible impeachment of the U.S. President? Not covered on/., because it was, for/., a non-story. (Well, there was a story about a Microsoft Exchange bug, and Katz did a "Impeahment and the Internet" rant.
So I don't give a damn how "important" this is, it is a/. non-story.
When the British imposed the Tea Tax, every man and woman could feel the pressure immediately.
Actually, the net price of tea fell when the East India Company was given the monopoly and the tax was added -- there was no immediately felt pressure.
My suggestion for the judge's ruling in thiss case is simply a variant of the letter I sent the current administration during the first antitrust action against MS.
Very simply, prohibit Microsoft from licensing its software, directly or indirectly, to any part of the Federal Government or co-litigant state governments, for fifteen years.
First, this creates a significant protected market in which Microsoft cannot compete, giving space for competitors to grow in. This includes non-MS OS pre-loads, as the government is not an insignificant market.
Second, it stops Microsoft from embracing and extending standards or creating non-open standards, because anyone who has to work with the governments in question will have to use software compatible with non-MS systems.
Third, it will increase the cost of acquiring people trained in MS systems. Public schools in the litigating state governments will not be able to acquire licenses for MS software, so they will have to use non-MS software for education.
So why bother with breakup or oversight, when a simple denial-of-market will destroy MS's monopoly power?
It is on Be's servers, it just isn't mentioned in the web pages. Just use one of the ftp download sites instead of the web download sites listed at free.be.com
BeOS Personal Edition is a free-beer version of BeOS 5.0 designed to be installed in a 500MB volume file hosted on a local FS instead of in its own partition. It comes in two slightly different packages -- one, already announced before now on/., is to be installed on a Win9x and NT machine. This one is designed be installed on a Linux machine.
Except for the fact that it's located in an existing FS instead of in its own partition, it is a completely separate OS.
I've even noticed that the last several times I've moderated, I end up losing about 3-4 points of Karma. Now, perhaps I'm being "a bad moderator", but I don't think so: I take great care to moderate well and in the spirit of the Moderator guidelines. I wonder if the Trolls haven't managed to get several accounts they use for bogus MetaModeration.
Okay, that explains a lot. Although I personally am not worried -- I've got a superhigh Karma total -- this does need to be addressed.
I am certainly going to MM daily now, however; perhaps I'll save a few people from the trolls. Steven E. Ehrbar
If memory serves, OS/2 had a more UNIX like underlying system, which makes sense given that IBM had expertise with UNIX.
It would make sense, except Microsoft wrote OS/2 1.x and did the original design and coding of OS/2 2.0.
The joint MS-IBM roadmap was that Windows 2.x would provide the transition from DOS to OS/2, and that OS/2 would be succeded by a new OS with the development codename of OS/2 NT.
Anyway, MS and IBM had disputes, so MS developed Windows 3.x to compete with OS/2, and IBM spent two years converting MS OS/2 2.0 into IBM OS/2 2.0. Windows 3.x replaced OS/2 in the MS roadmap, and OS/2 2.x replaced NT in the IBM roadmap.
NT did not come from OS/2, it was developed at the same time to replace Windows 3.1
Not true. OS/2 1.0 was released before Windows 3.0; it was developed years before NT.
I would argue though that NT isn't really derivative of CP/M; it more represents its own chain.
Actually, NT can be traced to a CP/M lineage, as follows:
CP/M | DOS |----------------------|----------------------| 16-bit Windows 16-bit OS/2 "Multiuser" DOSes | |-----------| 32-bit Windows 32-bit OS/2 Windows NT
Windows NT started development as OS/2 NT. In NT 3.1, not only did you have support for text-mode OS/2-16 apps and the HPFS file system, but, if you knew it existed, you could order a "Presentation Manager" subsystem that allowed you to run graphical OS/2-16 apps.
There are two ways to phrase it, so pick whichever your personal politics prefer:
Liberal: Ban Microsoft from licensing its software, directly or indirectly, to the Federal Government or the co-litigant state governments. This denies Microsoft access to the market represented by the single largest employer in the U.S., permanently breaking their monopoly.
Conservative: Ban the Federal Government and the co-litigant state governments from licensing software from Microsoft, thus ending Microsoft's monopoly status without punitive action or invasive oversight.
----------------------------------------
If the problem is the monopoly, then this simply ends the monopoly. This creates a large, protected market for non-MS software. It also cuts off embrace-and-extend decommoditization of file types and protocols by MS, since anyone dealing with the government would have to use systems and file types inteoperable with non-Microsoft software.
Now, I have yet to find a post of mine where I say anybody should sing the praises of Hasbro for this. I just don't think it deserves all the crap its getting. No other RPG company is going to let you release your own commercial version of their system without a court fight or paying them something. Not FUDGE -- read the commercial license demanding in-kind payments. Not Fuzion -- they don't let you print core rules. Not GURPS Lite -- the.pdf itself includes a warning. Only Hasbro.
So no, I'm not saying sing their praises. I'm just saying lay off the crap.
1) There is no on-point precedent as to whether or not your work would consitute a derivative work. None. There are lots of legal theories that get mouthed a lot, but there has been no actual rulings, so all they are is theories.
2) You can't afford the legal fees to fight Hasbro on point 1.
If you don't put the D20 trademark on your product, the D20 TL does not apply. All the D20 TL does is tell you when you are allowed to use thee D20 trademark.
It would be like Sun releasing Java's code under the GPL, but requiring that you pass a certification test to use the Java trademark. The certification test doesn't stop you from using the code however you like; it just says under what conditions you can call it Java.
Simple enough; you will be able to sell your own D&D compatible products, rules mods, etc., without Hasbro's permission or having to worry about lawyers.
Can I sell an improved version of the Player's Handbook under their D20 license?
But you can under the OGL. You just can't give it the "D20" label.
Can I compete with their core rules while still leveraging the available third-party source material as a result?
Yes. There's been extensive discussion on the OGL mailing list as to how to do exactly that.
The D20 license is akin to SCSL: you get to look at the source, and if you make complementary products, great. If you want to make and distribute core changes, though, HOW DARE YOU!
The D20 trademark license only governs the D20 trademark. Leave the D20 trademark off your product, and you can do anything you like with the system -- even sell core changes.
You want a parallel? Imagine Sun releases te Java source under the GPL, but keeps the Java trademark reserved for people who conform to their compatibility tests and add a dependency on a single Sun library. How HORRIBLE! They're DEMONS! They won't let you call it Java!
On the other hand, FUDGE is *not* Free, it is semi-free, with a restrictions on commercial licensing and required in-kind royalty payments.
The D20TL only applies to the trademark. You will be able to "distribute the whole damn thing" as long as you don't call it D20.
I'm on the OGL mailing list. The D20 System Reference Document, including everything you need to put out a complete RPG, will be under the OGL. IF uninformed ranters and anti-big-buisness yahoos don't undercut Dancey and convince Hasbro/WotC to abandon the project...
One thing that gets my goat is that a lot of the 'news for nerds' on slashdot is absolutely USA specific.
Now, if you want to complain about the actions of U.S. comapnies in Australia, I sympathize. There's a reason why I watch Canadian television more than U.S. TV.
But stop whining about a site owned by a U.S. company with its server located in the U.S. written by citizens of the U.S. being U.S. specific. It's not like/. is being forced down your throat against your will. You can get the Slash code, you can get Linux, you can get Apache, you can get mod_perl, you can get MySQL, you can get a computer, and you can sign your own contract for a high-bandwith connection to the 'Net. So go build your own "News for Nerds" site if this one isn't international enough for you.
Slashdot Mirror
Any self-respecting resident of the Metro Detroit Area would get those two *easy*.
And as an American who watches "This Hour Has 22 Minutes", I doubt there's much that could trip me up without getting a large number of Canadians, too.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Did you hear of the Bare Naked Ladies before 1997?
What about Blue Rodeo, or the Tragically hip?
"No, because CBC Radio 2 doesn't play those during drive-time. Sue me for liking Mozart."
Where's Nunavut?
"It's the Inuit territory carved out of the Norhwest Territories. And I personally prefer the proposal to rename the rest of the Northwest Territories 'Bob' to the proposal to name it 'Aurora'."
What's east of Quebec?
Answer 1:
"Newfoundland and New Brunswick. Then Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island east of New Brunswick."
Answer 2:
"The Maritimes, the last stronghold of the Progressive Conservatives. I wish they'd face facts and join the United Alternative."
------------------
Oh, BTW, I'm an American. Cross-border broadcasting works both ways.
Steven E. Ehrbar
First, it's geographically difficult.
Second, because there isn't a hell of a lot to gain by invading it.
Third, because they have a defensive understanding with the United States.
And fourth, because their diplomatic neutrality meant the USSR/Cuba had no incentive to support a war there despite the US-Costa Rican understanding.
Steven E. Ehrbar
1) Operating System
2) Back Office/server applications
3) Office/buisness desktop applications
4) Development tools
5) Internet properties (MSN, Hotmail, etc.)
6) Internet Explorer, hardware, and home software (Works, Encarta, games, etc.)
Steven E. Ehrbar
Look, lots of things are "big stories" that don't belong on /.
/. non-story.
/.
/., because it was, for /., a non-story. (Well, there was a story about a Microsoft Exchange bug, and Katz did a "Impeahment and the Internet" rant.
/. non-story.
For example, NATO goes to war in Kosovo?
Dow breaks 10,000? NASDAQ hits 5,000? Not a word on
India and Pakistan test nukes? Nope.
The possible impeachment of the U.S. President? Not covered on
So I don't give a damn how "important" this is, it is a
Steven E. Ehrbar
When the British imposed the Tea Tax, every man and woman could feel the pressure immediately.
Actually, the net price of tea fell when the East India Company was given the monopoly and the tax was added -- there was no immediately felt pressure.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Certainly it's too late to beat the entrenched IE.
Just like Excel was too late to beat the entrenched 1-2-3, and Word was too late to beat WordPerfect, and IE 3.0 was too late to beat Netsc...
I hope my point is made?
Steven E. Ehrbar
Oh, certainly.
My suggestion for the judge's ruling in thiss case is simply a variant of the letter I sent the current administration during the first antitrust action against MS.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Very simply, prohibit Microsoft from licensing its software, directly or indirectly, to any part of the Federal Government or co-litigant state governments, for fifteen years.
First, this creates a significant protected market in which Microsoft cannot compete, giving space for competitors to grow in. This includes non-MS OS pre-loads, as the government is not an insignificant market.
Second, it stops Microsoft from embracing and extending standards or creating non-open standards, because anyone who has to work with the governments in question will have to use software compatible with non-MS systems.
Third, it will increase the cost of acquiring people trained in MS systems. Public schools in the litigating state governments will not be able to acquire licenses for MS software, so they will have to use non-MS software for education.
So why bother with breakup or oversight, when a simple denial-of-market will destroy MS's monopoly power?
Steven E. Ehrbar
It is on Be's servers, it just isn't mentioned in the web pages. Just use one of the ftp download sites instead of the web download sites listed at free.be.com
Steven E. Ehrbar
BeOS Personal Edition is a free-beer version of BeOS 5.0 designed to be installed in a 500MB volume file hosted on a local FS instead of in its own partition. It comes in two slightly different packages -- one, already announced before now on /., is to be installed on a Win9x and NT machine. This one is designed be installed on a Linux machine.
Except for the fact that it's located in an existing FS instead of in its own partition, it is a completely separate OS.
Steven E. Ehrbar
I've even noticed that the last several times I've moderated, I end up losing about 3-4 points of Karma. Now, perhaps I'm being "a bad moderator", but I don't think so: I take great care to moderate well and in the spirit of the Moderator guidelines. I wonder if the Trolls haven't managed to get several accounts they use for bogus MetaModeration.
Okay, that explains a lot. Although I personally am not worried -- I've got a superhigh Karma total -- this does need to be addressed.
I am certainly going to MM daily now, however; perhaps I'll save a few people from the trolls.
Steven E. Ehrbar
If memory serves, OS/2 had a more UNIX like underlying system, which makes sense given that IBM had expertise with UNIX.
It would make sense, except Microsoft wrote OS/2 1.x and did the original design and coding of OS/2 2.0.
The joint MS-IBM roadmap was that Windows 2.x would provide the transition from DOS to OS/2, and that OS/2 would be succeded by a new OS with the development codename of OS/2 NT.
Anyway, MS and IBM had disputes, so MS developed Windows 3.x to compete with OS/2, and IBM spent two years converting MS OS/2 2.0 into IBM OS/2 2.0. Windows 3.x replaced OS/2 in the MS roadmap, and OS/2 2.x replaced NT in the IBM roadmap.
NT did not come from OS/2, it was developed at the same time to replace Windows 3.1
Not true. OS/2 1.0 was released before Windows 3.0; it was developed years before NT.
Steven E. Ehrbar
I would argue though that NT isn't really derivative of CP/M; it more represents its own chain.
;|-----------|
Actually, NT can be traced to a CP/M lineage, as follows:
CP/M
|
DOS
|----------------------|----------------------|
16-bit Windows 16-bit OS/2 "Multiuser" DOSes
| 
32-bit Windows 32-bit OS/2 Windows NT
Windows NT started development as OS/2 NT. In NT 3.1, not only did you have support for text-mode OS/2-16 apps and the HPFS file system, but, if you knew it existed, you could order a "Presentation Manager" subsystem that allowed you to run graphical OS/2-16 apps.
Steven E. Ehrbar
There are two ways to phrase it, so pick whichever your personal politics prefer:
Liberal:
Ban Microsoft from licensing its software, directly or indirectly, to the Federal Government or the co-litigant state governments. This denies Microsoft access to the market represented by the single largest employer in the U.S., permanently breaking their monopoly.
Conservative:
Ban the Federal Government and the co-litigant state governments from licensing software from Microsoft, thus ending Microsoft's monopoly status without punitive action or invasive oversight.
----------------------------------------
If the problem is the monopoly, then this simply ends the monopoly. This creates a large, protected market for non-MS software. It also cuts off embrace-and-extend decommoditization of file types and protocols by MS, since anyone dealing with the government would have to use systems and file types inteoperable with non-Microsoft software.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Now, I have yet to find a post of mine where I say anybody should sing the praises of Hasbro for this. I just don't think it deserves all the crap its getting. No other RPG company is going to let you release your own commercial version of their system without a court fight or paying them something. Not FUDGE -- read the commercial license demanding in-kind payments. Not Fuzion -- they don't let you print core rules. Not GURPS Lite -- the .pdf itself includes a warning. Only Hasbro.
So no, I'm not saying sing their praises. I'm just saying lay off the crap.
Steven E. Ehrbar
D20 under OGL:
Can distribute the core product: YES
Can modify the core product: YES
Can write add-on products: YES
Can call your version "D20": NO
Netscape 6.0:
Can distribute the core product: YES
Can modify the core product: YES
Can write add-on products: YES
Can call your version Netscape: NO
Steven E. Ehrbar
Cute word, "legitimately". The answer is that
1) There is no on-point precedent as to whether or not your work would consitute a derivative work. None. There are lots of legal theories that get mouthed a lot, but there has been no actual rulings, so all they are is theories.
2) You can't afford the legal fees to fight Hasbro on point 1.
Steven E. Ehrbar
If you don't put the D20 trademark on your product, the D20 TL does not apply. All the D20 TL does is tell you when you are allowed to use thee D20 trademark.
It would be like Sun releasing Java's code under the GPL, but requiring that you pass a certification test to use the Java trademark. The certification test doesn't stop you from using the code however you like; it just says under what conditions you can call it Java.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Simple enough; you will be able to sell your own D&D compatible products, rules mods, etc., without Hasbro's permission or having to worry about lawyers.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Can I sell an improved version of the Player's Handbook under their D20 license?
But you can under the OGL. You just can't give it the "D20" label.
Can I compete with their core rules while still leveraging the available third-party source material as a result?
Yes. There's been extensive discussion on the OGL mailing list as to how to do exactly that.
The D20 license is akin to SCSL: you get to look at the source, and if you make complementary products, great. If you want to make and distribute core changes, though, HOW DARE YOU!
The D20 trademark license only governs the D20 trademark. Leave the D20 trademark off your product, and you can do anything you like with the system -- even sell core changes.
Steven E. Ehrbar
Argh...
You want a parallel? Imagine Sun releases te Java source under the GPL, but keeps the Java trademark reserved for people who conform to their compatibility tests and add a dependency on a single Sun library. How HORRIBLE! They're DEMONS! They won't let you call it Java!
On the other hand, FUDGE is *not* Free, it is semi-free, with a restrictions on commercial licensing and required in-kind royalty payments.
Steven E. Ehrbar
The D20TL only applies to the trademark. You will be able to "distribute the whole damn thing" as long as you don't call it D20.
I'm on the OGL mailing list. The D20 System Reference Document, including everything you need to put out a complete RPG, will be under the OGL. IF uninformed ranters and anti-big-buisness yahoos don't undercut Dancey and convince Hasbro/WotC to abandon the project...
Steven E. Ehrbar
One thing that gets my goat is that a lot of the 'news for nerds' on slashdot is absolutely USA specific.
/. is being forced down your throat against your will. You can get the Slash code, you can get Linux, you can get Apache, you can get mod_perl, you can get MySQL, you can get a computer, and you can sign your own contract for a high-bandwith connection to the 'Net. So go build your own "News for Nerds" site if this one isn't international enough for you.
Now, if you want to complain about the actions of U.S. comapnies in Australia, I sympathize. There's a reason why I watch Canadian television more than U.S. TV.
But stop whining about a site owned by a U.S. company with its server located in the U.S. written by citizens of the U.S. being U.S. specific. It's not like
Steven E. Ehrbar
[Sound of loud guffaws]
Soon? Soon?
[Sound of loud guffaws]
Opera for Linux is still early alpha; it doesn't even support animated gifs yet.
Steven E. Ehrbar