I think that, more interesting than the lack of support for Firefox, Safari, Opera, et al is the fact that it does not seem to support Linux. Specifically Kubuntu 6.10 with Opera 9.10 got me this little nugget of joy:
We're sorry, your operating system is incompatible. To provide the best download experience, we can no longer support Windows 98, ME or NT. Please visit again after you upgrade to Windows 2000 or XP. Visit our Help section for complete system requirements information.
Same exact issue with IE6 (ies4Linux) as well.
Honestly, I wouldn't be using Wal-Mart of all places to download my music, but it is still somewhat of a poke in the eye, not just to alternative browsers, but alternative Operating Systems as well, it would appear.
You know what? I have a child, too. A four year old son, whom I love more than anything else in this world. And do you know why I am scared for him? Because of people like you, that take this overblown, over-protective, sublimely stupid stance on "terrorism".
Maybe, if you really are that fucking scared that your child is going to become a victim of a terrorist attack, you should lock them in a room in your basement, and feed them by sliding trays under the door. Because, and I suppose you didn't know, along with the near zero probability of your child being killed in a terrorist attack, there are also other, much more probable ways for your children to die, that do not involve malice on the part of anyone at all. What a concept, eh?!
I hope, so very, very much, that our society does not continue down the path that you obviously want to lead it down, because I will blame you, along with the rest of the people that let this neo-"Red Scare" get the best of their common sense, if my son must live in a United States of America that is completely transformed, from the environment that I grew up in, into some sort of Orwellian, locked down nanny-state in which everyone questions everyone else, and the slightest thing that is deemed abnormal is rejected and destroyed.
I sound pissed off, and it is because I am. Very much so. Because I've got a kid, too, and if a little common sense, context, and commitment to life and liberty is the difference between my son leading a fulfilling life or being the next Winston Smith, then I am all for the common sense, context, life, and liberty.
I would mod this funny if I had mod points. I sincerely hope that you were joking. If you really believe what you just typed, you're a woefully misinformed, ignorant individual.
I don't necessarily think that Open Office is a good choice for this sort of application. As someone else pointed out, most "less fortunate" schools and districts are probably running on older hardware. Open Office is going to be somewhat of a lumbering sloth on computers that are five years old or more. I know from experience. I installed Edubuntu PPC on my son's Apple clamshell G3, and it runs Open Office, but -barely-. In contrast, Abiword is quite snappy.
I think that the OSSDI is definitely on the right track, but I think they should really try to tailor the solutions specifically to the computing environments that the schools currently have, lest they end up, while meaning well, creating more problems along with that "solution".
You know, it is really sad that the vast majority of the comments that I have read here are defending Apple, and in the vein of, "iTMS is an accessory service, so it's okay. The Norwegian government are morons, et al.."
The simple fact of the matter is, if I purchase a product, whether it be a song, a movie, or a damn lawnmower, I damn well expect that copy of that song, or that copy of that movie, or that lawnmower, to be mine. This means that I sure as hell better be able to use it exactly as I want to use it. In the case of the lawnmower, if I find out after my purchase that I can only use it to cut my own lawn, and no one else's, and the only gas available to run it must be purchased from the same company that I originally bought the mower from, I'm going to be pissed. That is vendor lock-in, plain and simple.
Burning the music to a CD and then ripping it to an unencumbered mp3 format is not an acceptable solution. No matter how simple that may be for most of us, it is still jumping through hoops to be able to do something that I should have been able to do in the first place. Not to mention the fact that not everyone is technologically inclined at all, and so for them it is even more of a time consuming, frustrating procedure. Maybe if I could send Apple a bill for my time and the CD that I wasted it would be a bit redeeming, but I shouldn't have to go through that either.
I find it very saddening that the majority of Slashdotters will, at the drop of a hat, change their stance on a subject as important as this one just because they have some sort of love affair with Apple. Newsflash, guys: Corporations (yes, even Google), no matter what you may think, care more about making money than doing the "right thing". If you guys haven't figured that out by now, then there really is nothing that I can say that will bring you around.
I just wanted to get that off of my chest. It just kind of reaffirmed my belief that people only feel strongly about an issue when it is convenient to do so. Carry on in your defense of Apple, but realize that you are the definition of a hypocrit when you do so.
I was going to mod this discussion, but some of the comments here have just made me so fucking angry that I'm waiving my privileges for this one.
You fucking morons that are faulting Microsoft for this: How do you justify the bullshit that you're spouting? For almost ten years now, it's been, "Windows sucks because there's no security by default.", and, "Never hook an unpatched Windows box to the internet, because it's asking for trouble.". Lack of security was one of the main reasons given to switch to Linux (which, by the way, has required a user or root password to accomplish certain things for quite awhile, unlike Vista, which has just implemented it.) So, in actuality, you're just whining for the sake of whining. Microsoft, to you, can never do anything right, even when they do something right. I use Kubuntu and FreeBSD. I have exactly one 20g Windows partition on one computer, solely for the occasional college work that cannot be done in Linux without jumping through hoops with Wine or DosBox; so I have no disclaimer to give. It's simply common sense that the increased focus on security in Vista, while long overdue, is a Good Thing (TM). Those that want to bitch about having to enter a fucking password to install or run some things have no leg to stand on. Pure trolling, is what it is.
I'm not turning this into a "democrat" versus "republican" wank-fest, because I am neither. I think that both of the main parties do more than enough to hurt our country, as do their blind "us vs. them" followers.
I would have had the exact same argument if this story was about some immature, vulgar little liberal morons making childish, stupid remarks about republican politicians. I did not say that democrats never act like children, or spew complete trash. I'm most certain that some do; but this article happens to be about a vulgar, childish, so-called republican radio show. And it seems to me that if the people on this show can't do any more than fantasize about sticking someone in an electric chair, or chop off a democrat's penis, that they are in actuality covering the fact that they have no constructive argument. Either that, or they just aren't very intelligent.
It doesn't matter which side of the field this trash comes from. It's pointless and stupid, regardless.
On the YouTube video summary (thanks to the guys that put that up, btw), this just lends more credence to what the "liberals" or "democrats" or whatever you want to call them have been saying. By acting childish, and being vulgar and stupid, these idiots are showing that they have no legitimate argument or opposing viewpoint to give. Because of that, they just spew complete trash, and hope to ridicule the people that think that there is something -very- wrong in this country right now.
I encourage everyone, no matter what your political leanings are, that is sick and tired of this president's blatant misuse of executive power, to consider sending a "Memorial of Impeachment" to incoming Speaker Pelosi on January the 15th of this year. You can read more about this, and print out the Memorial (pdf file) at ImpeachForPeace.org. I've already printed mine out, signed it, and got it notarized. It's sitting on my computer desk, waiting for the 15th. I urge everyone to do the same. It may be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, and we may be the ones that are able to initiate the impeachment procedure.
From the linked site. It has been relatively easy to get.wmv,.mov, etc. working in Linux for quite some time now. Check out the MPlayer plugin for Firefox. For K/X/Ubuntu or other Debian-based distro users, "apt-get install mozilla-mplayer".
I do agree, however, that all government websites should make their content available platform-independent. But then, that would require common-sense, now wouldn't it?
Dude, the FSF is a (duh) non-profit organization that was founded by Richard Stallman. Its only purpose, per fsf.org:
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Boston, MA, USA. We rely on support from individuals like you to carry out our worldwide mission to preserve, protect and promote the freedom to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer software, and to defend the rights of all free software users.
So, were you just trolling, or were you genuinely confused about what the FSF does?
Is 'Vinit' eight years old? Because that is one of the only excuses that can justify the sack of shit that is the article summary. There have to be at least five different types of grammar and spelling errors in that one paragraph. The cherry on top of the turd of a summary is the fact that CowboyNeal is the "editor" responsible for unleashing it. I would be a bit less amazed if it was someone else, but CowboyNeal? Talk about dropping the fucking ball...
I believe that you can exclude yourself from any class-action by sending a written or typed letter to the lawyer or firm that is bringing suit. I don't think that the letter needs to be notarized, but it might add a bit more "umph" to it just the same. Then, just keep a copy of the letter in your records, in case anything ever comes of it.
My first thought upon reading this is that we're going to the this type of thing on a wider scale. I wouldn't doubt it for a second. Corporations in this age have a tendency to blindly target anyone for anything relating to copyright or trademark.
I guess we just have to wait and see. Maybe these companies' collective IQ has suddenly jumped twenty points or so.
You're right. Besides Tamarin, there's also GNU Gnash. Here's the homepage for anyone that's interested. For those of us running K/X/Ubuntu or other Debian-based distros, "sudo apt-get install gnash".
* Warning: Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 10 should avoid prolonged exposure to Happy Fun Ball.
* Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly accelerate to dangerous speeds.
* Happy Fun Ball Contains a liquid core, which, if exposed due to rupture, should not be touched, inhaled, or looked at.
* Do not use Happy Fun Ball on concrete.
Discontinue use of Happy Fun Ball if any of the following occurs:
* Itching
* Vertigo
* Dizziness
* Tingling in extremities
* Loss of balance or coordination
* Slurred speech
* Temporary blindness
* Profuse sweating
* Heart palpitations
If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head.
Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types of skin.
When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be returned to its special container and kept under refrigeration...
Failure to do so relieves the makers of Happy Fun Ball, Wacky Products Incorporated, and its parent company Global Chemical Unlimited, of any and all liability.
Ingredients of Happy Fun Ball include an unknown glowing substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space.
Happy Fun Ball has been shipped to our troops in Saudi Arabia and is also being dropped by our warplanes on Iraq.
Yet another incident wherein the public is not allowed to see/do/say/read/etc something because it would be a "national security risk". This is bullshit, obviously. They're using the Terrorism Scare (sort of a neo-Red Scare) to justify actions that would otherwise generate a lot of flack.
"We've been collecting information on cellphone services, and have produced a ranking of reliability. But, unfortunately, if we let Joe Sixpack have access to this information, the terrorists will win! So of course you realize that we're just keeping your best interests at heart, right? You wouldn't want the terrorists to blow up little Johnny's elementary school, now would you?"
I think that these kinds of punishments are pointless and stupid as well, but you should reread TFA. This is in China, not the US. Doubtless it is only a matter of time and lobbyists until it is, though.
This could be great for people like me. I suffered a lower-lumbar spinal fracture almost seven months ago. The doctors tell me that, essentially, I have to deal with chronic neck and lower back pain for the rest of my life. I take opiate-based pain medicine twice a day for it. The stuff wigs me out sometimes, though, and I slog through the day in somewhat of a fog. Not good for a college student. Hopefully this will make it to the market, and I can finally get some pain relief without getting "high".
I, being a musician, can tell you with conviction that I do not, under any cirtumstances, support this kind of thing. Stifling creativity, adaptation, and derivative works brands these "artists" and bands as hypocritical money-grubbers. I think that, for these people, or the corporations that now own them and control their stances on issues like this, being about the music and the love of creating it was pushed to the wayside a long time ago. This is disheartening in many ways, and I don't want to have to believe it, because some of these people have influenced me greatly (Paul McCartney, for one.). But it has to be said, regardless. I have, and always will, give my music away to anyone that likes or identifies with it. I may put a price tag on the physical medium, with lyric-book, cover-art, track-list, et al included, but by no means should anyone be required to buy that in order to listen to my music. As for the whole "but everyone puts so much work into it." argument, let me tell you this. If you love music, and you love making music, it is not work. It is something that you have to do. It's like an addiction. Seriously. And, if you think producing is a difficult thing to do, you obviously aren't a musician or a producer. It takes a bit of time to learn, yes, and you have to be intelligent about it. But afterward, CoolEdit, a fast PC, and a few gold-diaphragm condenser microphones are all you need. Personally, I think that if you don't make music for the love of it, and the pleasure that you receive when other people listen, then you should not make one red cent off of it, regardless of your talent or name-recognition.
As much as I would like to see the general level of (perceived) intelligence raised in the online world, I seriously do not believe that requiring a license of some sort in order to operate a networked computer is a good idea, by any means. That will open everyone up to having their online privacy invaded, and completely abolish anonymity on the net, which is one of the most beautiful things about it. Sure, some will say, "But the government wouldn't do that.", and to them, I pose one
question: Are Social Security Numbers still only used for our "Social Security" funds?
(I included the quotation marks because, as we all know, social security is now a joke.)
This just pisses me off so fucking much. I want to punch this guy in the face, whining about having to rethink and reimpliment the entire voting system. And to top it off, stating that it would be "too expensive"? What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that? Look at all of the pointless shit that our government throws money at. Ted Stevens' "Bridge to Nowhere" comes to mind. If this is what needs to take place in order to reassure the American people that their election process is not being raped and murdered, then that's what must happen. This whole thing just stinks to high hell of dishonesty and double-crossing of the American people, from both ends of the political spectrum. Fuck this guy, and fuck the rest of the scapegoating shills. We need reform. Soon. Soon as in now.
Yes, but Damn Small Linux is 50M, and it is amazingly full-featured. I cannot begin to imagine the software and addons that would be missing in the MS Windows equivalent.
Looks like it's started. How long before everything included with the SuSE distro is a fork with MS-backed goodies added? I hope someone takes some initiative and forks OpenSuSE before that happens. Batten down the hatches, guys:P
Slashdot Mirror
I think that, more interesting than the lack of support for Firefox, Safari, Opera, et al is the fact that it does not seem to support Linux. Specifically Kubuntu 6.10 with Opera 9.10 got me this little nugget of joy:
We're sorry, your operating system is incompatible. To provide the best download experience, we can no longer support Windows 98, ME or NT. Please visit again after you upgrade to Windows 2000 or XP. Visit our Help section for complete system requirements information.
Same exact issue with IE6 (ies4Linux) as well.
Honestly, I wouldn't be using Wal-Mart of all places to download my music, but it is still somewhat of a poke in the eye, not just to alternative browsers, but alternative Operating Systems as well, it would appear.
You know what? I have a child, too. A four year old son, whom I love more than anything else in this world. And do you know why I am scared for him? Because of people like you, that take this overblown, over-protective, sublimely stupid stance on "terrorism".
Maybe, if you really are that fucking scared that your child is going to become a victim of a terrorist attack, you should lock them in a room in your basement, and feed them by sliding trays under the door. Because, and I suppose you didn't know, along with the near zero probability of your child being killed in a terrorist attack, there are also other, much more probable ways for your children to die, that do not involve malice on the part of anyone at all. What a concept, eh?!
I hope, so very, very much, that our society does not continue down the path that you obviously want to lead it down, because I will blame you, along with the rest of the people that let this neo-"Red Scare" get the best of their common sense, if my son must live in a United States of America that is completely transformed, from the environment that I grew up in, into some sort of Orwellian, locked down nanny-state in which everyone questions everyone else, and the slightest thing that is deemed abnormal is rejected and destroyed.
I sound pissed off, and it is because I am. Very much so. Because I've got a kid, too, and if a little common sense, context, and commitment to life and liberty is the difference between my son leading a fulfilling life or being the next Winston Smith, then I am all for the common sense, context, life, and liberty.
I would mod this funny if I had mod points. I sincerely hope that you were joking. If you really believe what you just typed, you're a woefully misinformed, ignorant individual.
I don't necessarily think that Open Office is a good choice for this sort of application. As someone else pointed out, most "less fortunate" schools and districts are probably running on older hardware. Open Office is going to be somewhat of a lumbering sloth on computers that are five years old or more. I know from experience. I installed Edubuntu PPC on my son's Apple clamshell G3, and it runs Open Office, but -barely-. In contrast, Abiword is quite snappy.
I think that the OSSDI is definitely on the right track, but I think they should really try to tailor the solutions specifically to the computing environments that the schools currently have, lest they end up, while meaning well, creating more problems along with that "solution".
You know, it is really sad that the vast majority of the comments that I have read here are defending Apple, and in the vein of, "iTMS is an accessory service, so it's okay. The Norwegian government are morons, et al.."
The simple fact of the matter is, if I purchase a product, whether it be a song, a movie, or a damn lawnmower, I damn well expect that copy of that song, or that copy of that movie, or that lawnmower, to be mine. This means that I sure as hell better be able to use it exactly as I want to use it. In the case of the lawnmower, if I find out after my purchase that I can only use it to cut my own lawn, and no one else's, and the only gas available to run it must be purchased from the same company that I originally bought the mower from, I'm going to be pissed. That is vendor lock-in, plain and simple.
Burning the music to a CD and then ripping it to an unencumbered mp3 format is not an acceptable solution. No matter how simple that may be for most of us, it is still jumping through hoops to be able to do something that I should have been able to do in the first place. Not to mention the fact that not everyone is technologically inclined at all, and so for them it is even more of a time consuming, frustrating procedure. Maybe if I could send Apple a bill for my time and the CD that I wasted it would be a bit redeeming, but I shouldn't have to go through that either.
I find it very saddening that the majority of Slashdotters will, at the drop of a hat, change their stance on a subject as important as this one just because they have some sort of love affair with Apple. Newsflash, guys: Corporations (yes, even Google), no matter what you may think, care more about making money than doing the "right thing". If you guys haven't figured that out by now, then there really is nothing that I can say that will bring you around.
I just wanted to get that off of my chest. It just kind of reaffirmed my belief that people only feel strongly about an issue when it is convenient to do so. Carry on in your defense of Apple, but realize that you are the definition of a hypocrit when you do so.
Not only is this a dupe, it's one from yesterday. Ugh.
I was going to mod this discussion, but some of the comments here have just made me so fucking angry that I'm waiving my privileges for this one.
You fucking morons that are faulting Microsoft for this: How do you justify the bullshit that you're spouting? For almost ten years now, it's been, "Windows sucks because there's no security by default.", and, "Never hook an unpatched Windows box to the internet, because it's asking for trouble.". Lack of security was one of the main reasons given to switch to Linux (which, by the way, has required a user or root password to accomplish certain things for quite awhile, unlike Vista, which has just implemented it.) So, in actuality, you're just whining for the sake of whining. Microsoft, to you, can never do anything right, even when they do something right. I use Kubuntu and FreeBSD. I have exactly one 20g Windows partition on one computer, solely for the occasional college work that cannot be done in Linux without jumping through hoops with Wine or DosBox; so I have no disclaimer to give. It's simply common sense that the increased focus on security in Vista, while long overdue, is a Good Thing (TM). Those that want to bitch about having to enter a fucking password to install or run some things have no leg to stand on. Pure trolling, is what it is.
There. I feel better now.
I'm not turning this into a "democrat" versus "republican" wank-fest, because I am neither. I think that both of the main parties do more than enough to hurt our country, as do their blind "us vs. them" followers.
I would have had the exact same argument if this story was about some immature, vulgar little liberal morons making childish, stupid remarks about republican politicians. I did not say that democrats never act like children, or spew complete trash. I'm most certain that some do; but this article happens to be about a vulgar, childish, so-called republican radio show. And it seems to me that if the people on this show can't do any more than fantasize about sticking someone in an electric chair, or chop off a democrat's penis, that they are in actuality covering the fact that they have no constructive argument. Either that, or they just aren't very intelligent.
It doesn't matter which side of the field this trash comes from. It's pointless and stupid, regardless.
On the YouTube video summary (thanks to the guys that put that up, btw), this just lends more credence to what the "liberals" or "democrats" or whatever you want to call them have been saying. By acting childish, and being vulgar and stupid, these idiots are showing that they have no legitimate argument or opposing viewpoint to give. Because of that, they just spew complete trash, and hope to ridicule the people that think that there is something -very- wrong in this country right now.
I encourage everyone, no matter what your political leanings are, that is sick and tired of this president's blatant misuse of executive power, to consider sending a "Memorial of Impeachment" to incoming Speaker Pelosi on January the 15th of this year. You can read more about this, and print out the Memorial (pdf file) at ImpeachForPeace.org. I've already printed mine out, signed it, and got it notarized. It's sitting on my computer desk, waiting for the 15th. I urge everyone to do the same. It may be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, and we may be the ones that are able to initiate the impeachment procedure.
From the linked site. It has been relatively easy to get .wmv, .mov, etc. working in Linux for quite some time now. Check out the MPlayer plugin for Firefox. For K/X/Ubuntu or other Debian-based distro users, "apt-get install mozilla-mplayer".
I do agree, however, that all government websites should make their content available platform-independent. But then, that would require common-sense, now wouldn't it?
So, were you just trolling, or were you genuinely confused about what the FSF does?
Is 'Vinit' eight years old? Because that is one of the only excuses that can justify the sack of shit that is the article summary. There have to be at least five different types of grammar and spelling errors in that one paragraph. The cherry on top of the turd of a summary is the fact that CowboyNeal is the "editor" responsible for unleashing it. I would be a bit less amazed if it was someone else, but CowboyNeal? Talk about dropping the fucking ball...
I believe that you can exclude yourself from any class-action by sending a written or typed letter to the lawyer or firm that is bringing suit. I don't think that the letter needs to be notarized, but it might add a bit more "umph" to it just the same. Then, just keep a copy of the letter in your records, in case anything ever comes of it.
My first thought upon reading this is that we're going to the this type of thing on a wider scale. I wouldn't doubt it for a second. Corporations in this age have a tendency to blindly target anyone for anything relating to copyright or trademark.
I guess we just have to wait and see. Maybe these companies' collective IQ has suddenly jumped twenty points or so.
You're right. Besides Tamarin, there's also GNU Gnash. Here's the homepage for anyone that's interested. For those of us running K/X/Ubuntu or other Debian-based distros, "sudo apt-get install gnash".
Happy FUN BALL!
-only $14.95-
* Warning: Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 10 should avoid prolonged exposure to Happy Fun Ball.
* Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly accelerate to dangerous speeds.
* Happy Fun Ball Contains a liquid core, which, if exposed due to rupture, should not be touched, inhaled, or looked at.
* Do not use Happy Fun Ball on concrete.
Discontinue use of Happy Fun Ball if any of the following occurs:
* Itching
* Vertigo
* Dizziness
* Tingling in extremities
* Loss of balance or coordination
* Slurred speech
* Temporary blindness
* Profuse sweating
* Heart palpitations
If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head.
Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types of skin.
When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be returned to its special container and kept under refrigeration...
Failure to do so relieves the makers of Happy Fun Ball, Wacky Products Incorporated, and its parent company Global Chemical Unlimited, of any and all liability.
Ingredients of Happy Fun Ball include an unknown glowing substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space.
Happy Fun Ball has been shipped to our troops in Saudi Arabia and is also being dropped by our warplanes on Iraq.
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
Happy Fun Ball comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Happy Fun Ball
ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!
Yet another incident wherein the public is not allowed to see/do/say/read/etc something because it would be a "national security risk". This is bullshit, obviously. They're using the Terrorism Scare (sort of a neo-Red Scare) to justify actions that would otherwise generate a lot of flack.
"We've been collecting information on cellphone services, and have produced a ranking of reliability. But, unfortunately, if we let Joe Sixpack have access to this information, the terrorists will win! So of course you realize that we're just keeping your best interests at heart, right? You wouldn't want the terrorists to blow up little Johnny's elementary school, now would you?"
I think that these kinds of punishments are pointless and stupid as well, but you should reread TFA. This is in China, not the US. Doubtless it is only a matter of time and lobbyists until it is, though.
This could be great for people like me. I suffered a lower-lumbar spinal fracture almost seven months ago. The doctors tell me that, essentially, I have to deal with chronic neck and lower back pain for the rest of my life. I take opiate-based pain medicine twice a day for it. The stuff wigs me out sometimes, though, and I slog through the day in somewhat of a fog. Not good for a college student. Hopefully this will make it to the market, and I can finally get some pain relief without getting "high".
I, being a musician, can tell you with conviction that I do not, under any cirtumstances, support this kind of thing. Stifling creativity, adaptation, and derivative works brands these "artists" and bands as hypocritical money-grubbers. I think that, for these people, or the corporations that now own them and control their stances on issues like this, being about the music and the love of creating it was pushed to the wayside a long time ago. This is disheartening in many ways, and I don't want to have to believe it, because some of these people have influenced me greatly (Paul McCartney, for one.). But it has to be said, regardless. I have, and always will, give my music away to anyone that likes or identifies with it. I may put a price tag on the physical medium, with lyric-book, cover-art, track-list, et al included, but by no means should anyone be required to buy that in order to listen to my music. As for the whole "but everyone puts so much work into it." argument, let me tell you this. If you love music, and you love making music, it is not work. It is something that you have to do. It's like an addiction. Seriously. And, if you think producing is a difficult thing to do, you obviously aren't a musician or a producer. It takes a bit of time to learn, yes, and you have to be intelligent about it. But afterward, CoolEdit, a fast PC, and a few gold-diaphragm condenser microphones are all you need. Personally, I think that if you don't make music for the love of it, and the pleasure that you receive when other people listen, then you should not make one red cent off of it, regardless of your talent or name-recognition.
As much as I would like to see the general level of (perceived) intelligence raised in the online world, I seriously do not believe that requiring a license of some sort in order to operate a networked computer is a good idea, by any means. That will open everyone up to having their online privacy invaded, and completely abolish anonymity on the net, which is one of the most beautiful things about it. Sure, some will say, "But the government wouldn't do that.", and to them, I pose one question: Are Social Security Numbers still only used for our "Social Security" funds?
(I included the quotation marks because, as we all know, social security is now a joke.)
This just pisses me off so fucking much. I want to punch this guy in the face, whining about having to rethink and reimpliment the entire voting system. And to top it off, stating that it would be "too expensive"? What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that? Look at all of the pointless shit that our government throws money at. Ted Stevens' "Bridge to Nowhere" comes to mind. If this is what needs to take place in order to reassure the American people that their election process is not being raped and murdered, then that's what must happen. This whole thing just stinks to high hell of dishonesty and double-crossing of the American people, from both ends of the political spectrum. Fuck this guy, and fuck the rest of the scapegoating shills. We need reform. Soon. Soon as in now.
Yes, but Damn Small Linux is 50M, and it is amazingly full-featured. I cannot begin to imagine the software and addons that would be missing in the MS Windows equivalent.
Looks like it's started. How long before everything included with the SuSE distro is a fork with MS-backed goodies added? I hope someone takes some initiative and forks OpenSuSE before that happens. Batten down the hatches, guys :P