If I lend a book to ten people, then copyright law considers that fine. If I put something on a P2P network and two people download it, I get a statutory fine of several thousand dollars (well, I would if I lived in the USA). There seems to be some disconnect there.
The disconnect is in your comparison. When you lend a book, you don't expect it to be copied and redistributed. When you put something on a P2P network, you expect it to be copied and redistributed, because having copies distributed throughout the P2P increases efficiency. So while you may only observe that two people downloaded your copy, you can't tell how many people downloaded copies originating from those 2 downloads...
Now your comparison makes sense if you were distributing source material that required some DRM mechanism to read, and there was some DRM server that only allowed a certain number of copies to be "checked out" at a time. Checked out in this case means having the ability to read and/or use. I've used electronic libraries that had this kind of DRM in place.
However, I do not think you intended to promote the use of DRM in your posting.
The other problem with your comparison is that libraries have permission to lend books, while nobody gave you permission to publish a book in digital form on the P2P network.
if anything 'bad' happens to mysql, heads will roll.
Probably yours...
Widenius is only using scare tactics to try to get MySQL back after enjoying the profits from selling it in the first place.
His constant whining will morph into a cautionary tale about using open source programs in a production environment.
Phrases like "You don't get fired for buying from Oracle, Microsoft, or IBM" will return to the IT workplace and all the work open source developers did to enter the workplace will be set back several years.
Dongles were use to curb piracy. Blizzard doesn't have that concern because of the subscription model.
However a large portion of Blizzard's customers access their WoW account from internet cafés and gaming bars. Since some of these public machines have key logging software installed, Blizzard is experiencing a large number of customer service requests complaining about "hacked" accounts. One way to counter the key logger is by requiring an Authenticator.
Currently use of the Authenticator is optional. Blizzard has learned a lesson that if it's optional it won't work because people don't see the need to spend the extra money or download a free app.
You got your money and now you want MySQL (or at least the spotlight) back.
By your argument, PostgreSQL is fragile because the top 20 developers could be bought out by Oracle. If you think that's a buyout target that can be easily squashed, just think what a SQL DB with only one copyright owner can be? Oh wait, that was MySQL and we already know what you did....
Give Google slack? Give me a break. They can't hide behind the beta BS too long.
On my T-Mobile myTouch 3G with Google:
1) Open the camera app.
2) Take a picture.
3) Open the gallery to view or share the picture.
4) Now hit either the "Done" key or the "Home" key... On my phone it is always what I call the "Green Screen of Death". It happened after T-Mobile pushed 1.6 onto the phones. It's been a while now, still waiting for an update.
So who do I blame? T-Mobile or Google? If it was an iPhone... I would have only one person to blame or ask for help.
We use iMacs as desktops here. We also have a 8-core Mac Pro running the Xeon "Nehalem" processor. The i7 is a desktop version of the "Nehalem" platform from Intel.
I would put our team firmly in the "professional" category.
The MacBook Pro is currently limited to the Core 2 Duo. However, unlike the tech sites, I believe Apple will refresh the MacBook Pro 15 and 17 with the i5 and/or i7 on January 27. I'm thinking the i7 will be limited to the 17" if it is included in the MacBook Pro line.
I do take my 3 year old MacBook Pro 15 on the road, and I haven't really needed the speed.
Again you need to learn how to visit apple.com before you post.
Let me make a few clarifications to an otherwise good post (Also, I take issue with your use of the X got this right remarks):
1. The Newton. Palm made this work. Not Apple. Later on Apple copied the Treo format (phone + PDA) Palm made popular and merged it with a virtual keyboard.
The Newton Message Pad 100 came out in 1993. The last Newton Message Pad 120 was discontinued in 1996. The original Palm Pilot (which I still have laying around here somewhere) was introduced in 1996. US Robotics learned from the experience that Apple and Go corporation had in the market previously. Graffiti which was developed prior to the introduction of the PalmPilot was what gave US Robotics an advantage in the PDA market. Its simplified strokes eliminated most of the entry errors encountered with the Newton and Go..
The Treo was created by Handspring (who defected from 3COM) not Palm. The Treo was neat and the addition of the thumb keyboard was a blessing (Grafitti was ruining my handwriting). Palm proved to be its own worst enemy after acquiring Handspring (Why would you spinoff your OS?) and lost significant market share to blackberry and Windows Mobile. I never felt like the Treo lived up to its full potiential. I always felt that the Treo was a PalmPilot with a phone strapped to it, instead of a truly integrated appliance.
The iPhone which, everyone would like to quickly point out, differentiated itself by being consumer oriented with an App Store and tight integration with iTunes, Google Maps, and Safari. Blackberry, Palm and now Google are trying to catch up...
So item 1 just proves that technology is cyclic and an evolutionary process based on past attempts (ie. Go -> Newton -> Palm -> Treo -> iPhone -> ?).
2. Apple Pippin. Failed game/multimedia console. Nintendo64 and PS2 got it right.
4. Apple QuickTake. Failed digital camera. Everyone gets this right.
5. Macintosh TV. Failed TV/PC combo. Now TV is just a PCI card away or done with steaming/downloading.
Items 2, 4, and 5 were from Sculley trying to push Apple IP into other markets without much of a game plan much less a marketing scheme.
As for #5 - After almost 17 years has passed since the Macintosh TV was discontinued, I would hope that by now we would be able to get a PCI or USB TV tuner that works... Don't forget the time period that these products were introduced.
3. Power Mac G4 Cube. Failed on the market. Infamous for cracking case. Now, there's no shortage of small cube PCs. The PC world got this right.
At around $1600 in 2001 money, price killed the G4 Cube since it was $200 more expensive than the Power Mac G4. The cracking case was not that big an issue (amplified mostly by legend).
The Apple Mac Mini continues where the G4 Cube left off, and at a much lower price. I think we should re-evaluate your "PC world gotten this form factor right" remark. If anything, I think it's more accurate to say that the success that the Mac Mini enjoyed luring the first wave of "switchers" was what prompted the PC market to move to a more compact form factor. A form factor that the PC market has yet to master (IMHO).
6. Apple's "Hockey Puck" USB Mouse. No one gets this right because its such a bad idea.
Steve Jobs learned a valuable lesson on not trusting graphic artists with everything...
7. eMate. Low cost Newton based PC. OLPC and others get this right.
I don't think I understand your criteria here.
1. The eMate created the low cost "laptop" educational appliance. It died when Steve Jobs pulled the plug on Newton in Feb 1998. Branium came up with a similar product using Windows CE to pick up the market that Apple abandoned.
2. The OLPC takes advantage of the dramatic price drop low powered processors experienced since 1998 and OLPC is a non-profit using donations to f
Case in point: the fastest Mac's money can buy are Core 2 based 3 GHz machines where you can already get i7's
iMac comes in the 3GHz Core 2, i5 and the i7. You may want to go to apple.com and click on the big f'n picture of the iMac before you post next time...
I do agree with you on the "slow" model refresh, but I haven't notice a real need to be on the bleeding edge either...
Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is the largest research park in the US. I work within the second largest which is Cummings Research Park in Alabama (it also the fourth largest in the world). PARC which is Palo Alto Research Center is actually a single company owned by Xerox. If your going to use Eureka as a reference, at least compare it to something similar.
These research parks do coexist with surrounding industry and do attract and create industry within them and the surrounding communities. I don't know why you took an anti-US slant in your comment, but you don't have any of your "facts" right. By the way, investing in science and education to build a pool of skill labor is the best way to attract industry. Alabama has numerous of tech industries based in Huntsville, and attracted manufacturing plants from the likes of Mercedes, Hyundai, and EADS (airbus) to name a few. Believe it or not, industry looking to relocate to your area do take the number of college educated people into consideration.
Also, I would like to point out that, despite the nationalist sounding title of the article, scientists do their work because they are driven to acquire knowledge and make society better for it. Science knows no political boundaries. I have colleagues (and friends) from Germany, Denmark, Austria, France, Russia, India, and yes China. Where I work, we don't import talent because we can't do it without help. Instead, we invite them over because we cooperate and you can never have enough differing viewpoints. Unlike private corporations, we don't apply for H1Bs for cheap labor. We do it so our colleagues can have access to our facility and make cooperation easier. They also invite us over to their country too. LHC an Fermi are large and expensive, and it's easier to travel there than to build another expensive facility.
I think a less sensational (and more sober) report will announce that the US budget for science is taking a back seat to other more important things like bailing out the bank executives, lining the pockets of defense contractors, giving sweetheart deals to insurance companies, and etc. but that another topic all together different.
Anyway back to your post:
I sympathize with your experience. I was born, raised, and worked in a port city where ship building and maritime transportation were king. But times changed, and we had to adapt. Now, people working in maritime (outside of petroleum) in my home town is the exception not the rule. They moved on to supporting industries mentioned above. I agree that the "service economy" bullshit, that the world capitalists try to sell us, is foolish and you should not count flipping burgers the same as skilled labor on a job statistic and the economic turndown is not making things any easier. However politicians love service jobs because they can brag about how they created new jobs and gloss over the fact that the workers are under-paid and are under-insured.
I chose to look on the bright side. In the old days when a textile mill, paper mill, or shipyard could no longer compete, they would close. This would place about a thousand people out of work at once and competing with each other for a job. Now that the economy is diversified, a store closing isn't as severe and the chance to find another job is better (when the economy doesn't suck).
The reason I disagree with the priest condoning shoplifting is that it cements a stereotype that the poor can't be trusted.
I know this story is based in York, but here in the US, the poor couldn't even follow his advice. The problem stems from corporate food chains normally do not locate their stores within urban areas ( I know they don't where I live ). If it weren't for "mom-n-pop" grocery stores, the residents would have to travel to the suburbs to get groceries.
Community leaders are trying to entice national store chains into more urban areas. The theory being that mom-n-pops charge more for food and don't offer the selection of foods compared to a national chain. If a US priest condoned shoplifting, he would actually do more harm to his community than good...
When I worked at a family business downtown, I had to deal with the homeless urinating in any spot that they thought shielded them from view of the street. This is despite there being a maintained public restroom in the park ACROSS THE STREET.
Three nearby buildings were destroyed by fire started by transients building a fire in a trashcan within the building. The buildings were vacant, but their destruction also resulted in heavy damage to the neighboring buildings. All three buildings were historical landmarks slated for renovation. The homeless have two shelters within walking distance of those buildings, but chose not to stay there because they didn't want to stop their self destructive behavior (alcoholism, drugs).
Now I'm not saying ALL homeless have a disregard for life or property. I am saying that there are a number of them that have mental defects caused by illness, addiction, or trauma.
I accepted the conditions outside my workplace. After all, my office was next door to the Rescue Mission shelter. So even though I have personal experience with people who are homeless and dealt with the damage (and theft) that can happen to property, are you going to call me a liar too?
I don't doubt your experience may differ from those in Washington. However, I believe the fact that 434 complaints mentioned in the summary has merit from there being 375 unsolicited complaints and 59 "me too" complaints.
I think the problem originates from new customers with new receivers, and may explain why your experience differs.
I think it's a pretty crappy deal. You pay a discounted price for equipment that depreciate in value rather quickly, and after completing the required number of months of service the receiver's value only exist to extort the customer into staying. Cell phone companies have similar arrangements, but usually you own the equipment after the term of the contract or paying the termination fee.
Even though the receiver is basically worthless after you terminate service with them, you practically paid for that receiver by fronting the money and staying with DirectTV for the length of the contract. If DirectTV want these receivers back to curb signal theft, then they should give the receivers for free, specify that a rental fee is included in the subscription price, don't specify a minimum length of service (unless a subscription discount was offered), and allow for easy return of the receiver. If DirectTV did all that, then they also would be well within their rights to charge penalties for not returning the receiver.
I agree. I used Parallels software up until recently, and it was the lack of free as in freedom that was causing my grief.
I just don't like the fact that Parallels comes pretty close to using a subscription model. If you don't upgrade to the newest version, then you don't get any future bug fixes. Why can't I keep getting support for software I already paid for and is less than a year old? I upgraded 3 times since buying Parallels Desktop for Mac 1.0, and 3 seems to be my limit especially when it works out to be an upgrade per every year I owned an intel mac.
I switched to virtual box and it seems to fit my needs. Because its open sourced, I won't feel forced to upgrade to the next major version just for a couple of bug fixes.
Slashdot Mirror
Thanks to Section 109 of the copyright law, you already HAVE permission to lend that book. So what was your point?
Having permission to lend a book, does not equal to sharing a copy on the P2P network as mention earlier in this thread.
That's a shame. My library has security that help the librarians keep the peace...
So far, peer pressure has proven more than enough to keep the loud behavior in the parking lot.
The disconnect is in your comparison. When you lend a book, you don't expect it to be copied and redistributed. When you put something on a P2P network, you expect it to be copied and redistributed, because having copies distributed throughout the P2P increases efficiency. So while you may only observe that two people downloaded your copy, you can't tell how many people downloaded copies originating from those 2 downloads...
Now your comparison makes sense if you were distributing source material that required some DRM mechanism to read, and there was some DRM server that only allowed a certain number of copies to be "checked out" at a time. Checked out in this case means having the ability to read and/or use. I've used electronic libraries that had this kind of DRM in place.
However, I do not think you intended to promote the use of DRM in your posting.
The other problem with your comparison is that libraries have permission to lend books, while nobody gave you permission to publish a book in digital form on the P2P network.
Who could forget the PITA it was to transcribe someones compuserve number, so that they can send a email later?
Hell I forgot my Compuserve number...
It almost reminds me of the old telegraph days (My office used telegraph to send message to ships). I had a telegraph number and an answer back.
Really? Then why can't I accurately press the 'P', 'bksp', or 'done' key on my myTouch while in portrait mode?
You're correct.
Sometimes this new Slashdot design has a way of biting me in the ass.
Probably yours...
Widenius is only using scare tactics to try to get MySQL back after enjoying the profits from selling it in the first place.
His constant whining will morph into a cautionary tale about using open source programs in a production environment.
Phrases like "You don't get fired for buying from Oracle, Microsoft, or IBM" will return to the IT workplace and all the work open source developers did to enter the workplace will be set back several years.
Dongles were use to curb piracy. Blizzard doesn't have that concern because of the subscription model.
However a large portion of Blizzard's customers access their WoW account from internet cafés and gaming bars. Since some of these public machines have key logging software installed, Blizzard is experiencing a large number of customer service requests complaining about "hacked" accounts. One way to counter the key logger is by requiring an Authenticator.
Currently use of the Authenticator is optional. Blizzard has learned a lesson that if it's optional it won't work because people don't see the need to spend the extra money or download a free app.
You got your money and now you want MySQL (or at least the spotlight) back.
By your argument, PostgreSQL is fragile because the top 20 developers could be bought out by Oracle. If you think that's a buyout target that can be easily squashed, just think what a SQL DB with only one copyright owner can be? Oh wait, that was MySQL and we already know what you did....
Give Google slack? Give me a break. They can't hide behind the beta BS too long.
On my T-Mobile myTouch 3G with Google:
1) Open the camera app.
2) Take a picture.
3) Open the gallery to view or share the picture.
4) Now hit either the "Done" key or the "Home" key... On my phone it is always what I call the "Green Screen of Death". It happened after T-Mobile pushed 1.6 onto the phones. It's been a while now, still waiting for an update.
So who do I blame? T-Mobile or Google? If it was an iPhone... I would have only one person to blame or ask for help.
Really? I swear I paid T-Mobile for my phone.
I guess you have some twisted definition of sale...
We use iMacs as desktops here. We also have a 8-core Mac Pro running the Xeon "Nehalem" processor. The i7 is a desktop version of the "Nehalem" platform from Intel.
I would put our team firmly in the "professional" category.
The MacBook Pro is currently limited to the Core 2 Duo. However, unlike the tech sites, I believe Apple will refresh the MacBook Pro 15 and 17 with the i5 and/or i7 on January 27. I'm thinking the i7 will be limited to the 17" if it is included in the MacBook Pro line.
I do take my 3 year old MacBook Pro 15 on the road, and I haven't really needed the speed.
Again you need to learn how to visit apple.com before you post.
Let me make a few clarifications to an otherwise good post (Also, I take issue with your use of the X got this right remarks):
The Newton Message Pad 100 came out in 1993. The last Newton Message Pad 120 was discontinued in 1996. The original Palm Pilot (which I still have laying around here somewhere) was introduced in 1996. US Robotics learned from the experience that Apple and Go corporation had in the market previously. Graffiti which was developed prior to the introduction of the PalmPilot was what gave US Robotics an advantage in the PDA market. Its simplified strokes eliminated most of the entry errors encountered with the Newton and Go..
The Treo was created by Handspring (who defected from 3COM) not Palm. The Treo was neat and the addition of the thumb keyboard was a blessing (Grafitti was ruining my handwriting). Palm proved to be its own worst enemy after acquiring Handspring (Why would you spinoff your OS?) and lost significant market share to blackberry and Windows Mobile. I never felt like the Treo lived up to its full potiential. I always felt that the Treo was a PalmPilot with a phone strapped to it, instead of a truly integrated appliance.
The iPhone which, everyone would like to quickly point out, differentiated itself by being consumer oriented with an App Store and tight integration with iTunes, Google Maps, and Safari. Blackberry, Palm and now Google are trying to catch up...
So item 1 just proves that technology is cyclic and an evolutionary process based on past attempts (ie. Go -> Newton -> Palm -> Treo -> iPhone -> ?).
Items 2, 4, and 5 were from Sculley trying to push Apple IP into other markets without much of a game plan much less a marketing scheme.
As for #5 - After almost 17 years has passed since the Macintosh TV was discontinued, I would hope that by now we would be able to get a PCI or USB TV tuner that works... Don't forget the time period that these products were introduced.
At around $1600 in 2001 money, price killed the G4 Cube since it was $200 more expensive than the Power Mac G4. The cracking case was not that big an issue (amplified mostly by legend).
The Apple Mac Mini continues where the G4 Cube left off, and at a much lower price. I think we should re-evaluate your "PC world gotten this form factor right" remark. If anything, I think it's more accurate to say that the success that the Mac Mini enjoyed luring the first wave of "switchers" was what prompted the PC market to move to a more compact form factor. A form factor that the PC market has yet to master (IMHO).
Steve Jobs learned a valuable lesson on not trusting graphic artists with everything...
I don't think I understand your criteria here.
1. The eMate created the low cost "laptop" educational appliance. It died when Steve Jobs pulled the plug on Newton in Feb 1998. Branium came up with a similar product using Windows CE to pick up the market that Apple abandoned.
2. The OLPC takes advantage of the dramatic price drop low powered processors experienced since 1998 and OLPC is a non-profit using donations to f
Why can't you use a two button mouse on the Mac?
I do!
Lately even an Apple brand mouse can detect a right-click. Time to give that one mouse button cliché a rest.
iMac comes in the 3GHz Core 2, i5 and the i7. You may want to go to apple.com and click on the big f'n picture of the iMac before you post next time...
I do agree with you on the "slow" model refresh, but I haven't notice a real need to be on the bleeding edge either...
Sorry, "netbook" already used by those small underpowered portables that include a keyboard....
Sorry about that. I associated Eureka with Firefly (as in TV show) and not in the actual word "Eureka".
You seem to be watching too much television...
Research Triangle Park in North Carolina is the largest research park in the US. I work within the second largest which is Cummings Research Park in Alabama (it also the fourth largest in the world). PARC which is Palo Alto Research Center is actually a single company owned by Xerox. If your going to use Eureka as a reference, at least compare it to something similar.
These research parks do coexist with surrounding industry and do attract and create industry within them and the surrounding communities. I don't know why you took an anti-US slant in your comment, but you don't have any of your "facts" right. By the way, investing in science and education to build a pool of skill labor is the best way to attract industry. Alabama has numerous of tech industries based in Huntsville, and attracted manufacturing plants from the likes of Mercedes, Hyundai, and EADS (airbus) to name a few. Believe it or not, industry looking to relocate to your area do take the number of college educated people into consideration.
Also, I would like to point out that, despite the nationalist sounding title of the article, scientists do their work because they are driven to acquire knowledge and make society better for it. Science knows no political boundaries. I have colleagues (and friends) from Germany, Denmark, Austria, France, Russia, India, and yes China. Where I work, we don't import talent because we can't do it without help. Instead, we invite them over because we cooperate and you can never have enough differing viewpoints. Unlike private corporations, we don't apply for H1Bs for cheap labor. We do it so our colleagues can have access to our facility and make cooperation easier. They also invite us over to their country too. LHC an Fermi are large and expensive, and it's easier to travel there than to build another expensive facility.
I think a less sensational (and more sober) report will announce that the US budget for science is taking a back seat to other more important things like bailing out the bank executives, lining the pockets of defense contractors, giving sweetheart deals to insurance companies, and etc. but that another topic all together different.
Anyway back to your post:
I sympathize with your experience. I was born, raised, and worked in a port city where ship building and maritime transportation were king. But times changed, and we had to adapt. Now, people working in maritime (outside of petroleum) in my home town is the exception not the rule. They moved on to supporting industries mentioned above. I agree that the "service economy" bullshit, that the world capitalists try to sell us, is foolish and you should not count flipping burgers the same as skilled labor on a job statistic and the economic turndown is not making things any easier. However politicians love service jobs because they can brag about how they created new jobs and gloss over the fact that the workers are under-paid and are under-insured.
I chose to look on the bright side. In the old days when a textile mill, paper mill, or shipyard could no longer compete, they would close. This would place about a thousand people out of work at once and competing with each other for a job. Now that the economy is diversified, a store closing isn't as severe and the chance to find another job is better (when the economy doesn't suck).
The reason I disagree with the priest condoning shoplifting is that it cements a stereotype that the poor can't be trusted.
I know this story is based in York, but here in the US, the poor couldn't even follow his advice. The problem stems from corporate food chains normally do not locate their stores within urban areas ( I know they don't where I live ). If it weren't for "mom-n-pop" grocery stores, the residents would have to travel to the suburbs to get groceries.
Community leaders are trying to entice national store chains into more urban areas. The theory being that mom-n-pops charge more for food and don't offer the selection of foods compared to a national chain. If a US priest condoned shoplifting, he would actually do more harm to his community than good...
When I worked at a family business downtown, I had to deal with the homeless urinating in any spot that they thought shielded them from view of the street. This is despite there being a maintained public restroom in the park ACROSS THE STREET.
Three nearby buildings were destroyed by fire started by transients building a fire in a trashcan within the building. The buildings were vacant, but their destruction also resulted in heavy damage to the neighboring buildings. All three buildings were historical landmarks slated for renovation. The homeless have two shelters within walking distance of those buildings, but chose not to stay there because they didn't want to stop their self destructive behavior (alcoholism, drugs).
Now I'm not saying ALL homeless have a disregard for life or property. I am saying that there are a number of them that have mental defects caused by illness, addiction, or trauma.
I accepted the conditions outside my workplace. After all, my office was next door to the Rescue Mission shelter. So even though I have personal experience with people who are homeless and dealt with the damage (and theft) that can happen to property, are you going to call me a liar too?
That makes so much sense... Now if only it was true!
I don't doubt your experience may differ from those in Washington. However, I believe the fact that 434 complaints mentioned in the summary has merit from there being 375 unsolicited complaints and 59 "me too" complaints.
I think the problem originates from new customers with new receivers, and may explain why your experience differs.
I think it's a pretty crappy deal. You pay a discounted price for equipment that depreciate in value rather quickly, and after completing the required number of months of service the receiver's value only exist to extort the customer into staying. Cell phone companies have similar arrangements, but usually you own the equipment after the term of the contract or paying the termination fee.
Even though the receiver is basically worthless after you terminate service with them, you practically paid for that receiver by fronting the money and staying with DirectTV for the length of the contract. If DirectTV want these receivers back to curb signal theft, then they should give the receivers for free, specify that a rental fee is included in the subscription price, don't specify a minimum length of service (unless a subscription discount was offered), and allow for easy return of the receiver. If DirectTV did all that, then they also would be well within their rights to charge penalties for not returning the receiver.
Fried Green Tomatoes?
What is this walled garden that you speak of?
I agree. I used Parallels software up until recently, and it was the lack of free as in freedom that was causing my grief.
I just don't like the fact that Parallels comes pretty close to using a subscription model. If you don't upgrade to the newest version, then you don't get any future bug fixes. Why can't I keep getting support for software I already paid for and is less than a year old? I upgraded 3 times since buying Parallels Desktop for Mac 1.0, and 3 seems to be my limit especially when it works out to be an upgrade per every year I owned an intel mac.
I switched to virtual box and it seems to fit my needs. Because its open sourced, I won't feel forced to upgrade to the next major version just for a couple of bug fixes.