Actually, he would be buying Windows, as it is "bundled" with the hardware and included in the price. Unless the manufacturer can prove he's not adding anything to the cost (and find a judge or jury who will actually believe that B.S.), Windows is being purchased.
You can demand a dealer remove options from a car, and they have to do it. If you don't want the stereo (because you hate music, or plan to install your own hi end system) you can tell the dealer to remove it and adjust the price and they have to do it (in the US anyway). That is the law, and IIRC it isn't specific to autos - so it should apply to PC's also.
One of the reasons PC manufactures all include Windows is because Microsoft lobbied congress and had a law passed (or just sued a few makers and established precedent, I don't recall) that states that it's not a computer unless it has an OS. It's only a "kit" or a "barebones" system. Manufacturers have a hard time selling "kits", as it implies that hours of assembly (and skill) are needed, so they include what has been (for quite a few years) the only commercial OS available. After all, they pay very little for their bulk license, and profit by marking it up. Linux, until recently, didn't have a name brand commercial distro they could profit from.
BTW, IANAL but I did pay attention to the whole OS being required thing, and am quite sure that info is reasonably accurate in the US. In any other country YMMV. Your vendor / hardware maker is legally obligated to give you a refund (and recieve credit from MS) but they will NOT make it easy. I believe MS won't refund unless you have an official Microsoft Windows disc, not just a OEM disc made by the manufacturer.
All in all, good luck. While you could try finding a laptop without an OS, they are hard to find and may not have the features you're looking for.
I live in northern Wisconsin, real backwoods chill-billy territory. Yet this morning the local classic rock station (based in Ashland, on the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior) carried the story of PSP hacking. The DJ gave fairly accurate and complete information - then admitted he had no idea what he just said!
If they're talking about it here, it's everywhere because this is the last place to catch a clue about something new. As far as I can tell, there's only one other Linux user within 50 miles of me. Haven't met him, just heard about him from the guy who sells D-Wav (the linux user lives out in the woods somewhere so D-Wav is his only hope for any kind of bandwidth).
Microsoft and Apple have spent years telling people that computers are easy to use, so people think they don't actually need to learn anything to use one.
Of course, had MS and Apple been honest and told people some training is required, or that they'd have to RTFM, they would have sold a LOT less computers. And yes I know MS doesn't actually sell computers, but they do rely on sales of PCs to support their buisiness, especially since they established their monopoly on OEM OS installs.
My anecdotal understanding at the time was that this had less to do with hiding the Kentucky reference (the K-word) than to try to disguise the word Fried (the F-word).
I heard it was because KFC has engineered their chickens (through selective breeding) to the point that they can no longer actually call them chickens - they've been evolved into a new species.
Of course that could easily be an urban legend - I don't do much fast food, and the local KFC has been closed many times for health code violations so I wouldn't go there anyway.
Plants are psychic. There is an experiment, repeated often by major Universities and verified every time, that proves this.
If you approach a plant with a sharp object, it will actually move away. Not very far, mind you, since plants aren't designed to move much (only to track the sun in most species - there are a few exceptions like the venus flytrap and the pitcher plant), but it is measurable.
However, they only move if you really intend to cut them, if you try to fool them they won't respond.
This suggests that plants could in fact be more intelligent than animals, that they could even communicate with each other psychicly, we just don't know because we can't "hear" them.
You might also try to find a copy of "The Psychic Power of Plants", by John Whitman (ISBN# 1039430024) for more information on other experiments proving the psychic abilities demonstrated by plants.
And don't give me the argument that you don't have to kill plants to eat them - fruits, vegetables, and grains are actually embrios. Plant fetus anyone?
If you think the UK is bad, I live in northern Wisconsin, USA and the best I can get is 512k ADSL (no cap) for $75 US (about 58 Euro, 40 Pounds English). The latency sucks, the nameserver is rather slow, and sometimes the connection just drops for 15 to 20 seconds. To be fair, I am at the extreme edge of the service area for this (the only) provider.
Money does not equal wealth. It can be a part of wealth, but it is not the only part.
Brazil has decided that the benefits of open source are more valuable than the costs of closed source.
By using Open Source, Brazil gets to take advantage of existing code, rather than spend most of their time reinventing the wheel. Apparently they feel that their time has value.
They also get to release their software to the world at large, increasing the favorability of their reputation. They feel that a good reputation has value.
They get to cooperate (instead of compete) with counties that have a headstart on computer technology, allowing them to significantly shorten their learning curve, rather than waste time and effort on a competition they have no real chance of winning. Advancing their knowelege has value to them.
Wealth is not just money, it is the sum of all you possess that has value. There are many things, not all material, that are worth more than a finite amout of money. Things like health, knowelege, a future, friendship, a good reputaion, self respect.
Brazil has chosen to increase it's wealth, not just it's bank account. I wish my own government was as far sighted.
Don't you just love it when the Linux Bigots think ecveryone should be in business to give away all they develop with their money.
Us "Linux Bigots" have never said that.
Don't you just love it when Greedy Bastards think everyone should be able to use someone elses GPL'd code as a base for their commercial product.
Really, there's no reason GPL and Commercial software can't co-exist peacefully. Your only REAL reason to complain is that you can't overcharge for you crapware when a comparable GPL'd product is available. If you want to charge big bucks for your software, just make it enough better than the GPL stuff to be worth the expense and stop expecting the world to hand you a living for sub average performance.
Tommy
C.E.R.T. (Computer Emergency Response Team) is the agency you're thinking of. They probably have said lots about this and nobody listened. Just like when they warned people to use any browser besides Internet Explorer, yet if you go to any library and check the public access terminals, or into any government agency and check, you'll still see IE on ALL of them.
I myself don't want the US government (or any countries government) in charge of the internet - Governments can't be trusted not to abuse any authority they get. They always have, and until humans are much, much wiser than we currently are they will continue doing so.
My 8 month old Hotmail account has never had any spam. I have made no adjustments to any filters but assume MS is filtering some.
My main account, over two years old and served by myself, has absolutely no filters, yet I have never recieved any spam.
I achieved this by using a non standard name for the account - one that's not in the spammer's dictionaries, and by not EVER entering it into an online form (I have yet another temporary hotmail account for that - when it starts getting to much spam I simply ditch it and get another)
If you get a lot of spam, it's because you did something foolish, like let your E-mail address out to the world at large or used a common name for your address, like "bob@somemail.com". Spammers use dictionaries and "brute force" techniques to get these addresses.
SBC will cut you off if you're infected. I used to work a store that sells software and once had a guy come in for Anti-Virus. He was all pissed off because SBC cut him off. They had given him a five day warning but "he was to busy" to fix his box.
He couln't understand why it mattered to SBC if he was infected or not. Most people (/. users are the obvious exception) have no clue what viruses do. They have no idea that their computer can be pwned and turned into a spambot. They think all viruses are written by mal-adjusted teenagers who are only out to vandalize the e-world, not by people with an actual profit motive.
After I explained how his computer was now sending massive amounts of spam he started to realise why SBC cut him off, and why it was important for him to use AV. He had thought he was only hurting himself and had no idea that he was hurting everyone.
I largely blame MS (and also Apple to a lesser extent) for this. They have convinced people that computers are easy to use and you don't actually need to know what you are doing. That has helped them sell computers to all the l-users and those are the people who allow themselves to get infected, simply because of what they don't know (and have been told they don't need to know). At least Apple has a better default security policy (although my Mom's mac came with the main account (a root account) set to auto login with no password, and not much of an obvious warning that that wasn't such a good idea. There was a warning in the help files, but who reads those unless they have a problem?)
I'm always a little suprised at how little most musicians know about copyrights. As a musician myself I've researched this issue. This information applies to the United States, if you live in another country YMMV.
You copyright music by:
A) Public Performance (playing it to others
B) Recording
Do either of those and you own a copyright to the song (unless previously copyrighted by another) and the performance/recording. Pease note that you can own a copyright to a performance or recording without owning the copyright to the material being recorded/performed.
Good luck, however, proving you own that copyright in court. That's where copyright registration comes in. For a fee ($20 last I checked) you can register a copyright for a song, or collection of songs. While registering your copyright isn't technically necessary, it's a darn good idea.
The "musicians guilds" like BMI and ASCAP offer a more economical "registration" plan to it's members. They often also provide legal assistance in infringement cases. While these guilds aren't cheap, that assistance can be invaluable. After all, if someone infringes on your copyright YOU are the one that has to get the lawyer and start the legal proceedings. Good luck finding a lawyer to take that on spec (a percentage basis with nothing down) unless you have the government certified copyright registration.
Mailing yourself a copy of your CD is of limited use. Make sure you use an envelope with tamper-resistant seals, and use certified mail. I shouldn't need to add that you don't want to open the envelope when you recieve it (but will - you can never underestimate the stupidity of others, so someone would). Since you copyrighted the material by recording it, the reason to mail it is to establish the date (from the postmark). Since postmarks aren't hard to fake, so registered mail is more likely to hold up in court.
E-mailing the song to yourself would be useless- it's to easy to fake E-mail headers, etc, so it wouldn't reaaly prove when you made the recording. Remember, the purpose of registering a copyright (by whatever means) is to establish the date the material was copyrighted, not merely that you copyrighted it.
Having a copyright does NOT mean someone else can't perform/record your song without your permission. They can "force a copyright" and simply have to pay you a small (ussually 5 to 7 percent) royalty. Coolio refused to give Weird Al permision to parody Gangsta's Paradise, but Al was still able to record and sell Amish Paradise, he simply had to pay the royalties. Getting permission isn't required, it's just good manners.
IANAL, if you're serious about making it big you should get one who is experienced in copyright law. Trust me - the labels have them and will walk all over you if they think they can make a buck doing so.
I also recommend at least one band member take a class on running a small buisiness. The streets are home to a lot of very talented broke musicians. The buisiness skills will put more money in your pocket than your musical talents. Many of todays biggest "artists" have no talent (IMHO) but have great marketing and buisiness management skills on their side. Sadly, the truth is that a tight pair of pants and a great ass will sell more music than actual talent and musical skill.
Tommy
I used to work at Office Max, and they had the rebate game going on also. The secret to getting the upper hand in that game is paying attention.
Most of the time there is a "substitute" item in case they run out of the item advertised. Ussually this "substitute" is made by a different manufacturer, and therefore the rebate won't apply. So what you do is check to see if there is a substitute. Hope they run out of the advertised item (they usually do) and then purchase the sub. Since it's not eligable for the refund, they simply sell it at the reduced price.
I got a $149 DVD burner for $59 cash, and instead of a Mad Dog (never heard of them before) I got a Pacific Digital (actually a Lite On), so I got an even better product without having to fill out forms and wait.
Obvously this won't always work, they may not run out of the original item, or have a substitute, but I've done this quite a few times at several retailers including Best Buy, Comp USA, and Circuit City.
Of course you do have the option of having them do a functionality test, it's a bit of a hastle given that they charge a while $0.00 and that it takes a whole 5-10 minutes to verify that the machine boots correctly (assuming you have to go through a setup process).
You obviously haven't bought a new computer in the store lately. It takes at least 10 minutes just to get it unpacked from the box - and believe me you won't be getting it back in that box any faster, if at all. And that's assuming you can find a free "associate" willing to spend 20 minutes to half an hour doing something he gets no "incentive bonus" for. It also assumes that any problem with the PC will be immediately obvious and prevent a proper boot. A quick "boot test" won't detect an improperly seated heat sink - only a "burn in" test of at least a half hour will really test if a PC is usable.
Because, as with most major retailers, the company limits access to money to prevent potential theft from employees and other unknown people.
While the cashier won't have access to that cash, the managers will. After all, if the manager can't get the money, how can he/she deposit it into the bank? I have worked in retail, and had a good friend who was a manager at a Best Buy, I know for a fact the manager has the ability to pay out a cash refund, no matter how large. Extremely large (over $1000) may take a little while to assemble (from the safe and by making "drops" from the register) but rarely will the cash simply not be at hand unless you show up at opening time.
That truely does suck, but I would have to ask this, what kind of insult was it?
Since when is there an acceptable kind of insult?
People have a habit of attempting to rip off major retailers all the time, they return false products sans important components or they return just the empty boxes and stupid clerks don't bother to check the box.
Which is why they are supposed to call a floor associate from the relavant department to check the product being returned. It certainly doesn't justify punishing customers with legitimate returns.
Most retailers work on a policy that refunds will be made in the form of the original payment. If you pay cash, you get cash. Write a check, they'll send you a check. Use a credit card, they'll credit your account. The real reason someone would choose to refund a cash purchase by writing a check is to hold the money (and make interest on it) for a few days.
With my years of experience in retail and other customer service positions (including management) I am fully aware that the customer isn't always right, but there is NEVER ANY excuse for treating a customer with a genuine problem with anything less than courtesy and doing everything possible to correct the situation. Blaming innocent customers for defective merchandise is unexcusable, and the action of an incompetent, lazy staff.
What? You're waiting for a new Gentoo Live CD to emerge Gnome? Why?
Gentoo doesn't actually have "versions", only the live "install" CD's have versions. Gentoo never "goes up a version", it increments piecemeal, package by package. If you build a Gentoo OS today using all the latest stable packages, and build another a week later - you'll have different versions of some packages on the two systems, even if you use the same CD for both boxes (unless you're lazy or a coward doing a stage three install) There is NO "standard" install, or really even any kind of versioning system for Gentoo. The 2004.0.3 or whatever only distinguishes the CD, not the resulting install.
If you want Gnome, just emerge it - as long as you've rsync'ed first you'll get the latest stable version. Waiting for a new Live CD won't get you a newer version of anything - it's really only an environment you can use to download and install the actual OS, not an actual "installer" like a Mandrake set or Windows disc.
Tommy
specific circumvention tools like DeCSS might not fall under this
Why wouldn't DeCSS? I use it so I can play DVD's on my computer (don't own a tv or DVD player), but not to rip DVD's. I don't even have ripping software installed. If I used Windows I could play DVD's on my computer with the software that came with the drive, how is it really different using Xine with DeCSS?
If anything, it's the ripping software that uses DeCSS that could fail a claim for legitimate use, not the library that enables me to view content for which I have purchased/rented a liscense.
Personally I've never found sensible DRM infringe.
I find this and DeCSS perfectly sensible. I am a Linux user, and Jon's software is the only way I can use content I have a license for. If I pay for a DVD why should I also have to pay Microsoft $200 - $300 US to watch it? I'm not making copies or ripping it - just watching it. I don't even have ripping software installed, just a player. My DVD burner came with DVD playing software for Windows and I'm not messing with the country code. Why should I be forced to break one law (DMCA) just to use content when I'm not using the content in an illegal way?
Why should it be illegal for me to purchase music from iTMS simply because I didn't pay a third party (MS) for an "approved" OS. PyMusique doesn't allow me to download music without paying for it - there is NO copyright license violation.
In short, DRM makes me a criminal, not my actions, by making it illegal to do something that would not be illegal if not for DRM.
But the point is there's no way, short of monitoring every moment of a child's internet usage (which isn't truly practical) to ensure they don't end up going there.
I guess you've never heard of a hosts-deny list? Even Windows has one. You just add the domain names you don't want your kids to access. If they're smart enough to use a proxy to bypass that, it's certain no law you pass (or ISP level filter) will stop them either.
Also nero's licencing may be strange, but don't forget that a lot of CDwriters bundle Nero 6 with em.
I noticed that you didn't say you had tried NeroLinux, have you tried to get it? An earlier article (too lazy to look up the/. thread on that one) said that the bundled versions didn't qualify. You had to have a license for the FULL version ($60 to $80 US retail, IIRC).
I was thinking it would be neat if drive manufacturers bundled K-3b with the drives - alongside the Windows apps. Then I realized that pretty much every distro that includes KDE already has K3b on the distro's install discs (or through apt-get of portage, etc).
I have a problem with that whole McDonalds suit. I used to work in a restaurant, and I dealt with a lot of people whose soup was never hot enough. We'd preheat the bowls untill they were too hot to touch, fill them with soup straight from the pan (where we brought it to a "rousing" boil just before serving, and it still "just wasn't really hot".
We solved the problem by leaving the soup spoons under a heat lamp. I guess it the spoon (placed IN the bowl, not along side) is too hot to hold, the soup is hot enough.
America is world famous for frivolous lawsuits, and every intelligent person should know that coffee is hot. I'm willing to bet that if that McDonalds had served their coffee any cooler they'd have about 200 people a day (mostly old ladies in my experience) complaining it was too cold. After all, McD's does a lot more drive though than seated in the AM, it's not about limiting free refills. After all, they don't (at least around here) offer UNLIMITED refills, and WILL cut you off. And IIRC, the lady who sued Mc'D's was drive through, and stupid enough to hold hot coffee between her thighs while driving. Even at a more "reasonable" temp coffee will still cause first and second degree burns.
As much as I, an avowed hippie (even though it's long out of fashion), hate big corporations I think that this was really a case of some people (including the judge and/or jury) thinking "let's screw the big corporation, they can afford it. It'll teach them a lesson. I'm not sure about what, but it'll teach 'em good".
There's a difference between lowering a window and minimizing it.
Also, I don't know how many times I've needed to scroll a window that was behind the one I was working on (to reference whatever information it held), and since I'm often working on other peoples computers (or the ones at work) that don't have tweak-ui installed. That's a feature set that should have been standard, not an extra douwnload.
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Actually, he would be buying Windows, as it is "bundled" with the hardware and included in the price. Unless the manufacturer can prove he's not adding anything to the cost (and find a judge or jury who will actually believe that B.S.), Windows is being purchased.
You can demand a dealer remove options from a car, and they have to do it. If you don't want the stereo (because you hate music, or plan to install your own hi end system) you can tell the dealer to remove it and adjust the price and they have to do it (in the US anyway). That is the law, and IIRC it isn't specific to autos - so it should apply to PC's also.
One of the reasons PC manufactures all include Windows is because Microsoft lobbied congress and had a law passed (or just sued a few makers and established precedent, I don't recall) that states that it's not a computer unless it has an OS. It's only a "kit" or a "barebones" system. Manufacturers have a hard time selling "kits", as it implies that hours of assembly (and skill) are needed, so they include what has been (for quite a few years) the only commercial OS available. After all, they pay very little for their bulk license, and profit by marking it up. Linux, until recently, didn't have a name brand commercial distro they could profit from.
BTW, IANAL but I did pay attention to the whole OS being required thing, and am quite sure that info is reasonably accurate in the US. In any other country YMMV. Your vendor / hardware maker is legally obligated to give you a refund (and recieve credit from MS) but they will NOT make it easy. I believe MS won't refund unless you have an official Microsoft Windows disc, not just a OEM disc made by the manufacturer.
All in all, good luck. While you could try finding a laptop without an OS, they are hard to find and may not have the features you're looking for.
Tommy
I live in northern Wisconsin, real backwoods chill-billy territory. Yet this morning the local classic rock station (based in Ashland, on the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior) carried the story of PSP hacking. The DJ gave fairly accurate and complete information - then admitted he had no idea what he just said!
If they're talking about it here, it's everywhere because this is the last place to catch a clue about something new. As far as I can tell, there's only one other Linux user within 50 miles of me. Haven't met him, just heard about him from the guy who sells D-Wav (the linux user lives out in the woods somewhere so D-Wav is his only hope for any kind of bandwidth).
Microsoft and Apple have spent years telling people that computers are easy to use, so people think they don't actually need to learn anything to use one.
Of course, had MS and Apple been honest and told people some training is required, or that they'd have to RTFM, they would have sold a LOT less computers. And yes I know MS doesn't actually sell computers, but they do rely on sales of PCs to support their buisiness, especially since they established their monopoly on OEM OS installs.
TommyI heard it was because KFC has engineered their chickens (through selective breeding) to the point that they can no longer actually call them chickens - they've been evolved into a new species.
Of course that could easily be an urban legend - I don't do much fast food, and the local KFC has been closed many times for health code violations so I wouldn't go there anyway.
TommyPlants are psychic. There is an experiment, repeated often by major Universities and verified every time, that proves this.
If you approach a plant with a sharp object, it will actually move away. Not very far, mind you, since plants aren't designed to move much (only to track the sun in most species - there are a few exceptions like the venus flytrap and the pitcher plant), but it is measurable.
However, they only move if you really intend to cut them, if you try to fool them they won't respond.
This suggests that plants could in fact be more intelligent than animals, that they could even communicate with each other psychicly, we just don't know because we can't "hear" them.
You might also try to find a copy of "The Psychic Power of Plants", by John Whitman (ISBN# 1039430024) for more information on other experiments proving the psychic abilities demonstrated by plants.
And don't give me the argument that you don't have to kill plants to eat them - fruits, vegetables, and grains are actually embrios. Plant fetus anyone?
Tommy
If you think the UK is bad, I live in northern Wisconsin, USA and the best I can get is 512k ADSL (no cap) for $75 US (about 58 Euro, 40 Pounds English). The latency sucks, the nameserver is rather slow, and sometimes the connection just drops for 15 to 20 seconds. To be fair, I am at the extreme edge of the service area for this (the only) provider.
Tommy
Money does not equal wealth. It can be a part of wealth, but it is not the only part.
Brazil has decided that the benefits of open source are more valuable than the costs of closed source.
By using Open Source, Brazil gets to take advantage of existing code, rather than spend most of their time reinventing the wheel. Apparently they feel that their time has value.
They also get to release their software to the world at large, increasing the favorability of their reputation. They feel that a good reputation has value.
They get to cooperate (instead of compete) with counties that have a headstart on computer technology, allowing them to significantly shorten their learning curve, rather than waste time and effort on a competition they have no real chance of winning. Advancing their knowelege has value to them.
Wealth is not just money, it is the sum of all you possess that has value. There are many things, not all material, that are worth more than a finite amout of money. Things like health, knowelege, a future, friendship, a good reputaion, self respect.
Brazil has chosen to increase it's wealth, not just it's bank account. I wish my own government was as far sighted.
Tommy
Don't you just love it when the Linux Bigots think ecveryone should be in business to give away all they develop with their money. Us "Linux Bigots" have never said that. Don't you just love it when Greedy Bastards think everyone should be able to use someone elses GPL'd code as a base for their commercial product. Really, there's no reason GPL and Commercial software can't co-exist peacefully. Your only REAL reason to complain is that you can't overcharge for you crapware when a comparable GPL'd product is available. If you want to charge big bucks for your software, just make it enough better than the GPL stuff to be worth the expense and stop expecting the world to hand you a living for sub average performance. Tommy
C.E.R.T. (Computer Emergency Response Team) is the agency you're thinking of. They probably have said lots about this and nobody listened. Just like when they warned people to use any browser besides Internet Explorer, yet if you go to any library and check the public access terminals, or into any government agency and check, you'll still see IE on ALL of them.
I myself don't want the US government (or any countries government) in charge of the internet - Governments can't be trusted not to abuse any authority they get. They always have, and until humans are much, much wiser than we currently are they will continue doing so.
Tommy
My 8 month old Hotmail account has never had any spam. I have made no adjustments to any filters but assume MS is filtering some.
My main account, over two years old and served by myself, has absolutely no filters, yet I have never recieved any spam.
I achieved this by using a non standard name for the account - one that's not in the spammer's dictionaries, and by not EVER entering it into an online form (I have yet another temporary hotmail account for that - when it starts getting to much spam I simply ditch it and get another)
If you get a lot of spam, it's because you did something foolish, like let your E-mail address out to the world at large or used a common name for your address, like "bob@somemail.com". Spammers use dictionaries and "brute force" techniques to get these addresses.
Tommy
SBC will cut you off if you're infected. I used to work a store that sells software and once had a guy come in for Anti-Virus. He was all pissed off because SBC cut him off. They had given him a five day warning but "he was to busy" to fix his box.
He couln't understand why it mattered to SBC if he was infected or not. Most people (/. users are the obvious exception) have no clue what viruses do. They have no idea that their computer can be pwned and turned into a spambot. They think all viruses are written by mal-adjusted teenagers who are only out to vandalize the e-world, not by people with an actual profit motive.
After I explained how his computer was now sending massive amounts of spam he started to realise why SBC cut him off, and why it was important for him to use AV. He had thought he was only hurting himself and had no idea that he was hurting everyone.
I largely blame MS (and also Apple to a lesser extent) for this. They have convinced people that computers are easy to use and you don't actually need to know what you are doing. That has helped them sell computers to all the l-users and those are the people who allow themselves to get infected, simply because of what they don't know (and have been told they don't need to know). At least Apple has a better default security policy (although my Mom's mac came with the main account (a root account) set to auto login with no password, and not much of an obvious warning that that wasn't such a good idea. There was a warning in the help files, but who reads those unless they have a problem?)
Tommy
Or maybe if they had fewer laweyrs to pay they could afford to hire more coders.
I'm always a little suprised at how little most musicians know about copyrights. As a musician myself I've researched this issue. This information applies to the United States, if you live in another country YMMV. You copyright music by: A) Public Performance (playing it to others B) Recording Do either of those and you own a copyright to the song (unless previously copyrighted by another) and the performance/recording. Pease note that you can own a copyright to a performance or recording without owning the copyright to the material being recorded/performed. Good luck, however, proving you own that copyright in court. That's where copyright registration comes in. For a fee ($20 last I checked) you can register a copyright for a song, or collection of songs. While registering your copyright isn't technically necessary, it's a darn good idea. The "musicians guilds" like BMI and ASCAP offer a more economical "registration" plan to it's members. They often also provide legal assistance in infringement cases. While these guilds aren't cheap, that assistance can be invaluable. After all, if someone infringes on your copyright YOU are the one that has to get the lawyer and start the legal proceedings. Good luck finding a lawyer to take that on spec (a percentage basis with nothing down) unless you have the government certified copyright registration. Mailing yourself a copy of your CD is of limited use. Make sure you use an envelope with tamper-resistant seals, and use certified mail. I shouldn't need to add that you don't want to open the envelope when you recieve it (but will - you can never underestimate the stupidity of others, so someone would). Since you copyrighted the material by recording it, the reason to mail it is to establish the date (from the postmark). Since postmarks aren't hard to fake, so registered mail is more likely to hold up in court. E-mailing the song to yourself would be useless- it's to easy to fake E-mail headers, etc, so it wouldn't reaaly prove when you made the recording. Remember, the purpose of registering a copyright (by whatever means) is to establish the date the material was copyrighted, not merely that you copyrighted it. Having a copyright does NOT mean someone else can't perform/record your song without your permission. They can "force a copyright" and simply have to pay you a small (ussually 5 to 7 percent) royalty. Coolio refused to give Weird Al permision to parody Gangsta's Paradise, but Al was still able to record and sell Amish Paradise, he simply had to pay the royalties. Getting permission isn't required, it's just good manners. IANAL, if you're serious about making it big you should get one who is experienced in copyright law. Trust me - the labels have them and will walk all over you if they think they can make a buck doing so. I also recommend at least one band member take a class on running a small buisiness. The streets are home to a lot of very talented broke musicians. The buisiness skills will put more money in your pocket than your musical talents. Many of todays biggest "artists" have no talent (IMHO) but have great marketing and buisiness management skills on their side. Sadly, the truth is that a tight pair of pants and a great ass will sell more music than actual talent and musical skill. Tommy
Because you're an anonymous coward?
I used to work at Office Max, and they had the rebate game going on also. The secret to getting the upper hand in that game is paying attention.
Most of the time there is a "substitute" item in case they run out of the item advertised. Ussually this "substitute" is made by a different manufacturer, and therefore the rebate won't apply. So what you do is check to see if there is a substitute. Hope they run out of the advertised item (they usually do) and then purchase the sub. Since it's not eligable for the refund, they simply sell it at the reduced price.
I got a $149 DVD burner for $59 cash, and instead of a Mad Dog (never heard of them before) I got a Pacific Digital (actually a Lite On), so I got an even better product without having to fill out forms and wait.
Obvously this won't always work, they may not run out of the original item, or have a substitute, but I've done this quite a few times at several retailers including Best Buy, Comp USA, and Circuit City.
Tommy
You obviously haven't bought a new computer in the store lately. It takes at least 10 minutes just to get it unpacked from the box - and believe me you won't be getting it back in that box any faster, if at all. And that's assuming you can find a free "associate" willing to spend 20 minutes to half an hour doing something he gets no "incentive bonus" for. It also assumes that any problem with the PC will be immediately obvious and prevent a proper boot. A quick "boot test" won't detect an improperly seated heat sink - only a "burn in" test of at least a half hour will really test if a PC is usable.
Because, as with most major retailers, the company limits access to money to prevent potential theft from employees and other unknown people.While the cashier won't have access to that cash, the managers will. After all, if the manager can't get the money, how can he/she deposit it into the bank? I have worked in retail, and had a good friend who was a manager at a Best Buy, I know for a fact the manager has the ability to pay out a cash refund, no matter how large. Extremely large (over $1000) may take a little while to assemble (from the safe and by making "drops" from the register) but rarely will the cash simply not be at hand unless you show up at opening time.
That truely does suck, but I would have to ask this, what kind of insult was it?Since when is there an acceptable kind of insult?
People have a habit of attempting to rip off major retailers all the time, they return false products sans important components or they return just the empty boxes and stupid clerks don't bother to check the box.Which is why they are supposed to call a floor associate from the relavant department to check the product being returned. It certainly doesn't justify punishing customers with legitimate returns.
Most retailers work on a policy that refunds will be made in the form of the original payment. If you pay cash, you get cash. Write a check, they'll send you a check. Use a credit card, they'll credit your account. The real reason someone would choose to refund a cash purchase by writing a check is to hold the money (and make interest on it) for a few days.
With my years of experience in retail and other customer service positions (including management) I am fully aware that the customer isn't always right, but there is NEVER ANY excuse for treating a customer with a genuine problem with anything less than courtesy and doing everything possible to correct the situation. Blaming innocent customers for defective merchandise is unexcusable, and the action of an incompetent, lazy staff.
TommySo do a lot of Americans, what's your point?
Tommy
Step 1 - get toxic fuel on outside of space suit. Step 2 - enter ISS Step 3 - toxic fuel residues contaminate ISS air supply. QED Tommy
What? You're waiting for a new Gentoo Live CD to emerge Gnome? Why? Gentoo doesn't actually have "versions", only the live "install" CD's have versions. Gentoo never "goes up a version", it increments piecemeal, package by package. If you build a Gentoo OS today using all the latest stable packages, and build another a week later - you'll have different versions of some packages on the two systems, even if you use the same CD for both boxes (unless you're lazy or a coward doing a stage three install) There is NO "standard" install, or really even any kind of versioning system for Gentoo. The 2004.0.3 or whatever only distinguishes the CD, not the resulting install. If you want Gnome, just emerge it - as long as you've rsync'ed first you'll get the latest stable version. Waiting for a new Live CD won't get you a newer version of anything - it's really only an environment you can use to download and install the actual OS, not an actual "installer" like a Mandrake set or Windows disc. Tommy
Why wouldn't DeCSS? I use it so I can play DVD's on my computer (don't own a tv or DVD player), but not to rip DVD's. I don't even have ripping software installed. If I used Windows I could play DVD's on my computer with the software that came with the drive, how is it really different using Xine with DeCSS?
If anything, it's the ripping software that uses DeCSS that could fail a claim for legitimate use, not the library that enables me to view content for which I have purchased/rented a liscense.
I find this and DeCSS perfectly sensible. I am a Linux user, and Jon's software is the only way I can use content I have a license for. If I pay for a DVD why should I also have to pay Microsoft $200 - $300 US to watch it? I'm not making copies or ripping it - just watching it. I don't even have ripping software installed, just a player. My DVD burner came with DVD playing software for Windows and I'm not messing with the country code. Why should I be forced to break one law (DMCA) just to use content when I'm not using the content in an illegal way?
Why should it be illegal for me to purchase music from iTMS simply because I didn't pay a third party (MS) for an "approved" OS. PyMusique doesn't allow me to download music without paying for it - there is NO copyright license violation.
In short, DRM makes me a criminal, not my actions, by making it illegal to do something that would not be illegal if not for DRM.
TommyI guess you've never heard of a hosts-deny list? Even Windows has one. You just add the domain names you don't want your kids to access. If they're smart enough to use a proxy to bypass that, it's certain no law you pass (or ISP level filter) will stop them either.
TommyI noticed that you didn't say you had tried NeroLinux, have you tried to get it? An earlier article (too lazy to look up the /. thread on that one) said that the bundled versions didn't qualify. You had to have a license for the FULL version ($60 to $80 US retail, IIRC).
I was thinking it would be neat if drive manufacturers bundled K-3b with the drives - alongside the Windows apps. Then I realized that pretty much every distro that includes KDE already has K3b on the distro's install discs (or through apt-get of portage, etc).
TommyI have a problem with that whole McDonalds suit. I used to work in a restaurant, and I dealt with a lot of people whose soup was never hot enough. We'd preheat the bowls untill they were too hot to touch, fill them with soup straight from the pan (where we brought it to a "rousing" boil just before serving, and it still "just wasn't really hot".
We solved the problem by leaving the soup spoons under a heat lamp. I guess it the spoon (placed IN the bowl, not along side) is too hot to hold, the soup is hot enough.
America is world famous for frivolous lawsuits, and every intelligent person should know that coffee is hot. I'm willing to bet that if that McDonalds had served their coffee any cooler they'd have about 200 people a day (mostly old ladies in my experience) complaining it was too cold. After all, McD's does a lot more drive though than seated in the AM, it's not about limiting free refills. After all, they don't (at least around here) offer UNLIMITED refills, and WILL cut you off. And IIRC, the lady who sued Mc'D's was drive through, and stupid enough to hold hot coffee between her thighs while driving. Even at a more "reasonable" temp coffee will still cause first and second degree burns.
As much as I, an avowed hippie (even though it's long out of fashion), hate big corporations I think that this was really a case of some people (including the judge and/or jury) thinking "let's screw the big corporation, they can afford it. It'll teach them a lesson. I'm not sure about what, but it'll teach 'em good".
Tommy
There's a difference between lowering a window and minimizing it.
Also, I don't know how many times I've needed to scroll a window that was behind the one I was working on (to reference whatever information it held), and since I'm often working on other peoples computers (or the ones at work) that don't have tweak-ui installed. That's a feature set that should have been standard, not an extra douwnload.
Tommy