Oh, I don't know. Kafka wanted almost everything he ever wrote destroyed upon his death; if Max Brod, the friend to whom he entrusted his manuscripts, had listened, we would have lost the greater part of the oeuvre of one of the greatest 20th Century writers.
To me, this alone justifies honest, well-informed efforts to construct posthumous works. (Of course, not all such efforts *are* "honest" or "well-informed"; Brian Herbert is a bloody hack who has absolutely no understanding or respect for his father's work.)
Was your stay in the city recently? I'm living in Montreal now, and they do have a pretty decent bike route system; plus, they seem to be expanding it a lot. (For example, they're redoing the Parc/Pine interchange, and when it's done it will have bike lanes that connect nicely to some that they've recently put through the McGill ghetto.)
If it weren't for the metre of snow on the ground for half the year, Montreal would actually be a pretty decent city to bike in these days.;)
Very true, and I think we agree. I just feel that there are a lot of people out there would be very receptive to the philosophical arguments for Free softare, and that this gets downplayed too much. For example, I believe that to someone who isn't a pretty hardcore computer user, the freedom aspect is a lot easier to explain -- and more relevant! -- than the benefits of a UNIXy architecture.
Also, as a side note, it's not like rms is *completely* unconcerned with practicalities. He wrote a lot of code to get the whole GNU ball rolling.
What's true for you is not true for everybody. For example, I switched to a GNU/Linux OS precisely because of the philosophy. I'm not a power user, or a coder, or anything like that, and Windows was "Good Enough" for me, just as it is for the overwhelming majority of consumers out there. I took the leap almost two years ago because the GNU philosophy resonated with me. I think that the values behind the FSF crucially important to encouraging the use of Free software.
For example, take the ODF. I haven't gotten *anywhere* promoting its use (to friends, family, other grad students, etc.) based on its technical merits --.doc is certainly fine for people. It's when I start talking about GNUish stuff like the right to read that people start paying attention.
Now, obviously, the softare promoted by the philosophy does need to be good. I'm just saying that I think you're being a little overhasty dismissing the power that the GNU philosophy can have in encouraging adoption.
The "real" Don Quixote meets the imposter Don Quixote. It's awesome stuff: hundreds of years before "postmodernism" was a gleam in Derrida's eyes, Cervantes did the whole let's-play-with-multiple-levels-of-authorship-and- reality thing better than anyone else since. And managed to be laugh out loud funny while doing it.
I don't want to spoil the books for you (and if you're really interested I'm sure you can find a plot summary on the Wikipedia or somesuch), but both are very good novels.
Don't you mean "go back to the old paradigm"? Isn't the whole appeal of IP based content distribution to get away from that model? Content on demand, yada yada yada?
I'm sorry, but I think *you're* forgetting a few things.
They can be forced to not bundle certain items together *in S. Korea* because of a little ol' thing called "sovereignty". Despite the best efforts of transnational corporations, national governments still have certain rights to enforce laws within their own borders. These include anti-trust laws, which is what MS ran afowl of. (And as a side note, yes, anti-trust laws are *very* important in maintaining some semblance of a "free market".) In short: If MS wants to do business in S. Korea, they need to play by S. Korea's rules. There is no god-given right to do business wherever and however one wishes.
This is all particularly important when it comes to software, because the whole idea of "ownership" is pretty shaky. Software is not a thing. Whatever ownership of it there can be only exists through copyright legislation, which *is granted by governments*. So MS's very claim to "owning" that software is completely dependent on the sovereign states you are so willing to dismiss.
It's easy to take your position to an absurd degree: "I made this child pornography; I own it, not the government! Who are they to tell me what to do with it?"
Okay, I'm giving up mod points because I need to reply to this:
If you think any of the Matrix movies were not fucking stupid, you need to get out and experience something that is actually intelligent, because you don't seem to have much perspective. For starters, I recommend reading a book rather than watching big-budget Hollywood movies.
Walt's anti-union activities in the 30s is the stuff of evil, IMHO. His collaboration with the House Un-American Activities Committee was pretty despicable too.
If the much vaunted "future" means replacing reasoned debate with over-the-top personal attacks, threats, and senseless profanity, then I for one certainly will miss the "old guard".[1] Your acceptance of such adolescent behaviour points to an ugly and ill-informed future indeed.
[1] Of course, there is very little actual political debate within traditional media as well, but let's not fool ourselves about what "new media" has accomplished.
Heh, I'm a former bass trombonist (now studying musicology), and you reminded me of a quote one of my teachers told me back in my performance days, told to him by one of his teachers: "If you're not in the practice room at 6 in the morning, someone else is!"
That is, unfortunately, just the fact of performance in today's world; you know what it's like for orchestral wannabes. Almost any given large university/conservatory in North America provides enough graduates on any given instrument to take up every orchestral job opening on the continent for that year. If you're going to succeed, you need to want it *so* badly you're willing to live a life of that sort of intensity; and even then, you need a helluva lotta luck to actually get a fulltime gig, and be willing to spend a lot of time travelling around playing auditions on your own dime...
Musicology really isn't any better, but I've found that hours reading books is more up my alley than hours in the practice room.
Are the two really so neatly separable? Your true physics exists as much as Platonic Ideals do..
I'm not saying that so-called "pure research" is bad, or that it shouldn't happen, or anything like that; but it is deceptive, I think, to think that any research happens in a vacuum outside of concrete social situations. Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle" is a fun read that explores the issue, if you're interested.
Re:Is Opera Google's doorway to beating Microsoft?
on
Google to Buy Opera?
·
· Score: 1
I think you're onto something, but I still wonder about Firefox. What is accomplished by buying Opera that couldn't be accomplished by a fork? Why not just put a team on their own fork of Firefox, and save however much buying Opera would cost?
Hmm, I can think of a few hypotheticals: Would Google just want to keep whatever their guys develop proprietary? Would developing better mobile support cost more than buying opera? Does Google like the coders/other personell, and think the purchase price worth it?
Google could accomplish the sort of desktop/search integration you're talking about with their own fork of Firefox. If this rumour pans out, there needs to be some other compelling reason, I think.
With reference to this particular project, the moral questions have nothing to do with the morality of stem cell research itself. It has to do with the source of the material they were working with -- the head researcher's lab assistants. This is considered immoral for the same reason that teachers are not allowed to have sex with their students, even if the student is above the age of consent: someone in a subordinate position cannot make a truly free choice.
...I can't believe that you're serious. But maybe you are functionally illiterate.
Re:The question that's on all of our minds:
on
Ask Sid Meier
·
· Score: 1
Regarding the one casualty = death of the stack: that doesn't happen in Civ III, and I don't think it's happened since Civ I (can't remember about Civ II atm...). Also, land units can't hurt sea units in Civ III (naval units bombard, which poses no risk to them at all).
If that's what made you give up on Civ, try Civ III! (Well, or maybe just wait till Civ IV now that it's getting close to release.)
It's not just that originality would be nice -- copying the first paragraph of the article like that is plagarism. It's just dishonest. VK is taking credit for someone else's work. I can't stand it when submitters do that, and I can't stand it that the "editors" don't seem to care!
Slashdot Mirror
Yikes, just what I was thinking: astromodding!
Yes, as George W. Bush has clearly demonstrated, the key to success in politics is to be an unsuccessful yet still rich businessman.
To me, this alone justifies honest, well-informed efforts to construct posthumous works. (Of course, not all such efforts *are* "honest" or "well-informed"; Brian Herbert is a bloody hack who has absolutely no understanding or respect for his father's work.)
If it weren't for the metre of snow on the ground for half the year, Montreal would actually be a pretty decent city to bike in these days. ;)
Let me guess, you've never read any actual Marx, have you? Easier to regurgitate cold war propaganda, eh?
Very true, and I think we agree. I just feel that there are a lot of people out there would be very receptive to the philosophical arguments for Free softare, and that this gets downplayed too much. For example, I believe that to someone who isn't a pretty hardcore computer user, the freedom aspect is a lot easier to explain -- and more relevant! -- than the benefits of a UNIXy architecture.
Also, as a side note, it's not like rms is *completely* unconcerned with practicalities. He wrote a lot of code to get the whole GNU ball rolling.
For example, take the ODF. I haven't gotten *anywhere* promoting its use (to friends, family, other grad students, etc.) based on its technical merits -- .doc is certainly fine for people. It's when I start talking about GNUish stuff like the right to read that people start paying attention.
Now, obviously, the softare promoted by the philosophy does need to be good. I'm just saying that I think you're being a little overhasty dismissing the power that the GNU philosophy can have in encouraging adoption.
...you do know Cervantes wrote his own sequel, dontcha? It's kinda what this whole thread has been about.
I don't want to spoil the books for you (and if you're really interested I'm sure you can find a plot summary on the Wikipedia or somesuch), but both are very good novels.
Don't you mean "go back to the old paradigm"? Isn't the whole appeal of IP based content distribution to get away from that model? Content on demand, yada yada yada?
They can be forced to not bundle certain items together *in S. Korea* because of a little ol' thing called "sovereignty". Despite the best efforts of transnational corporations, national governments still have certain rights to enforce laws within their own borders. These include anti-trust laws, which is what MS ran afowl of. (And as a side note, yes, anti-trust laws are *very* important in maintaining some semblance of a "free market".) In short: If MS wants to do business in S. Korea, they need to play by S. Korea's rules. There is no god-given right to do business wherever and however one wishes.
This is all particularly important when it comes to software, because the whole idea of "ownership" is pretty shaky. Software is not a thing. Whatever ownership of it there can be only exists through copyright legislation, which *is granted by governments*. So MS's very claim to "owning" that software is completely dependent on the sovereign states you are so willing to dismiss.
It's easy to take your position to an absurd degree: "I made this child pornography; I own it, not the government! Who are they to tell me what to do with it?"
If you think any of the Matrix movies were not fucking stupid, you need to get out and experience something that is actually intelligent, because you don't seem to have much perspective. For starters, I recommend reading a book rather than watching big-budget Hollywood movies.
As a mere user, I just want to say that as far as I'm concerned, that's a feature, not a bug!
IMHO, websites should *never* mess with the browser itself, which for me includes the scrollbar. Coloured scrollbars are tacky at best.
Walt's anti-union activities in the 30s is the stuff of evil, IMHO. His collaboration with the House Un-American Activities Committee was pretty despicable too.
If the much vaunted "future" means replacing reasoned debate with over-the-top personal attacks, threats, and senseless profanity, then I for one certainly will miss the "old guard".[1] Your acceptance of such adolescent behaviour points to an ugly and ill-informed future indeed. [1] Of course, there is very little actual political debate within traditional media as well, but let's not fool ourselves about what "new media" has accomplished.
That is, unfortunately, just the fact of performance in today's world; you know what it's like for orchestral wannabes. Almost any given large university/conservatory in North America provides enough graduates on any given instrument to take up every orchestral job opening on the continent for that year. If you're going to succeed, you need to want it *so* badly you're willing to live a life of that sort of intensity; and even then, you need a helluva lotta luck to actually get a fulltime gig, and be willing to spend a lot of time travelling around playing auditions on your own dime...
Musicology really isn't any better, but I've found that hours reading books is more up my alley than hours in the practice room.
I'm not saying that so-called "pure research" is bad, or that it shouldn't happen, or anything like that; but it is deceptive, I think, to think that any research happens in a vacuum outside of concrete social situations. Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle" is a fun read that explores the issue, if you're interested.
Hmm, I can think of a few hypotheticals: Would Google just want to keep whatever their guys develop proprietary? Would developing better mobile support cost more than buying opera? Does Google like the coders/other personell, and think the purchase price worth it?
Google could accomplish the sort of desktop/search integration you're talking about with their own fork of Firefox. If this rumour pans out, there needs to be some other compelling reason, I think.
With reference to this particular project, the moral questions have nothing to do with the morality of stem cell research itself. It has to do with the source of the material they were working with -- the head researcher's lab assistants. This is considered immoral for the same reason that teachers are not allowed to have sex with their students, even if the student is above the age of consent: someone in a subordinate position cannot make a truly free choice.
Wow, whomever modded you "troll" must have been a moron who paid $700-900 for a 360!
That's where you're wrong: it takes lots and lots of money.
...I can't believe that you're serious. But maybe you are functionally illiterate.
If that's what made you give up on Civ, try Civ III! (Well, or maybe just wait till Civ IV now that it's getting close to release.)
You're a moron. The US had no problem demolishing Iraq over MUCH less than this.
It's not just that originality would be nice -- copying the first paragraph of the article like that is plagarism. It's just dishonest. VK is taking credit for someone else's work. I can't stand it when submitters do that, and I can't stand it that the "editors" don't seem to care!