I have to say, with all the privacy stuff getting posted on/., and the entire "Your Rights Online" section, maybe its about time we recognized that being anonymous is actually a pretty brave thing.
When I look back on it, I used to think being "anonymous coward" was cowardly, nowadays I'm thinking its not going to be too long before there's no choice in the matter...
To be on topic for a bit, I just installed OpenBSD (yes, after I read the/. thing, okay, I'm a lemming), and its really very very nice. OpenSSH is from the same crew, and they do very good work. Tight security. Astounding documentation. Attention to detail. Very nice. More power to them.
I think that the reply to the crap is probably just as bad, and I'm definitely guilty, but I guess I was just trying to figure out so what the heck:-)
As for the moderator points, they are already generated on a ratio to the number of comments, but the system is definitely starting to sag. I also try to accentuate the positive when I'm moderating, but today I just flat ran out of points, and there was definitely still some good stuff that needed +1's and some crap that needed -1's.
In checking back now, that's still the case, but I'm still out of points. Ah well, its just a website, so I'm not stressing over it, but it seems to be a bummer at the moment - that's for sure.
This is a touch off-topic for the article, but all of the comments seem to be about the comments, and I think I just figured it out: College is back in session.
Remember when AOL first went online? The chaos and idiocy that ensued?
Perhaps that is what is happening here. I have a hard time believing this is a bunch of Microsoft shills, so I'm forced to hope the posting will simply get better in time.
Either that or/. will go the way of newsgroups, with abysmal signal to noise...That would make me sad, so I'll keep hoping.
I understand your argument completely, but you haven't swayed me.
There are just too many good opportunities right now to put up with prudish closed-minded folk, IMHO. I've de-fanged one internet-use policy at a firm I used to work at (quit for different reason, not internet use), so they will maybe even listen if you try.
If they don't, I start using a (non-Cyber-Patrolled) headhunter:-)
I'm not advocating surfing for pr0n or w^r3z on the job or anything, I just don't think employees should be pre-judged in this way. Stifling an employees ability to do anything will have a ramification somewhere down the line, and it all adds up. There are many legitimate uses for things that seem completely illegitamate at first.
I'll admit to surfing for porn a bit (I'm honest, so sue me), and when I was doing some web-design, I actually snarfed down the source to one of the sites I'd been to recently, because I thought they did something neat with Javascript.
Would have taken me much longer had I not been able to do that, so I think it saved them money and they should be happy with it. I'll bet that would give the CEO fits:-)
You have focused your question a great deal more here though, and made it much tougher in the process.
Of course, IANAL and all that crap, but I don't recall any net.wisdom floating around about this stuff in the legal arena, so that's probably an expensive precedent-setting type legal battle.
I don't think its reasonable for the ISP to tell you though, as there could possibly be hundreds of unknown filters blocking your site, making it impossible for them to know whether you were connected or not. Even the known filters have mostly secret, ever-changing lists.
As your argument for free speech indicates, you don't mind sharing the server so you don't have a moral issue, so it looks like the buck stops at the headhunter.
I'd keep the ISP, drop the recruitment agency if possible, and just relax about the censorship. I'm also making assumptions about the type of employment you're looking for though. To be pragmatic, if I really needed the headhunter for some reason, I'd mail them the resume and make an effort to discuss the censorship politely with someone in charge because it seems like an easy way to be an activist since you already care enough to be public about it (and I'm not a big activist or anything, it just seems like an easy opportunity here).
Seriously, I would probably use that as a litmus test for employment. If you have to ask/. what to do when you're just getting in the door with this person, what is it going to be like working there?
Seriously, you're dealing with an adult who is provably hindered at doing their job. I wouldn't want to work in that environment or be associated with a company that tolerated it.
More to the point, by voting with what leverage we have (our labor in this case) we can perhaps influence people's decisions to censor or not.
I know I would let them know specifically why I was upset with the prospect of doing business with them, and I wouldn't be too bothered about "missed hits", life is too short. If the economy was worse, I might be more pragmatic, but that just isn't the case right now.
Because they're paying quality reporters to actually do the research and write quality articles about the scene they are trying to cover.
I had dinner with Matt Richtel a couple of months ago (for a totally unrelated reason, I like to think I'm good at computers, but I'm not news or anything), and he is just a completely nice guy. From talking with him, I gathered that he really cares about computers, how they affect the world, and what goes on in the various sub-cultures that exist in our little digital world.
All in all, it re-affirmed my faith that reporting can be done responsibly. That faith hasn't been betrayed by the NYT yet, giving me hope that they will continue their streak and (maybe, hopefully) influence some of the less responsible reporters out there.
Use/sbin/ipfwadm-wrapper and you don't have to change a thing. No, you won't get the fancy IP chains, but everything will work at least and you can have a life instead of reading more documentation...
...or get in them quick if they do the amoeba thing to Google.
Now that I think about it, I would be amazed if they make it to the IPO with all the billion-dollar market caps giving the established players such a load of currency to throw around at startups like this.
I wish I had enough $$$ to be in on any venture round these guys have. damn.
When was the last time you saw Microsoft do anything in a day?
Sure, it takes work to ride the edge, but nobody is forcing you to. This is exactly how OSS improves so just stay at 2.0.x or whatever until things simmer down.
Massive peer review is good, I'm glad these things get fixed.
Did anyone else see "Coming to America"? There was a band in it called "Sexual Chocolate" and I can only assume that's where it came from. the movie itself was light fare, but pretty fuckin' funny IMHHO
Slashdot Mirror
I have to say, with all the privacy stuff getting posted on
When I look back on it, I used to think being "anonymous coward" was cowardly, nowadays I'm thinking its not going to be too long before there's no choice in the matter...
To be on topic for a bit, I just installed OpenBSD (yes, after I read the /. thing, okay, I'm a lemming), and its really very very nice. OpenSSH is from the same crew, and they do very good work. Tight security. Astounding documentation. Attention to detail. Very nice. More power to them.
If you've got skill, you can compensate for the lag (I used to be 28.8)
As long as you're connection isn't bursty its still the king. If it is bursty, well, the others suck pretty bad too...
I think that the reply to the crap is probably just as bad, and I'm definitely guilty, but I guess I was just trying to figure out so what the heck :-)
As for the moderator points, they are already generated on a ratio to the number of comments, but the system is definitely starting to sag. I also try to accentuate the positive when I'm moderating, but today I just flat ran out of points, and there was definitely still some good stuff that needed +1's and some crap that needed -1's.
In checking back now, that's still the case, but I'm still out of points. Ah well, its just a website, so I'm not stressing over it, but it seems to be a bummer at the moment - that's for sure.
Remember when AOL first went online? The chaos and idiocy that ensued?
Perhaps that is what is happening here. I have a hard time believing this is a bunch of Microsoft shills, so I'm forced to hope the posting will simply get better in time.
Either that or /. will go the way of newsgroups, with abysmal signal to noise...That would make me sad, so I'll keep hoping.
There are just too many good opportunities right now to put up with prudish closed-minded folk, IMHO. I've de-fanged one internet-use policy at a firm I used to work at (quit for different reason, not internet use), so they will maybe even listen if you try.
If they don't, I start using a (non-Cyber-Patrolled) headhunter :-)
I'm not advocating surfing for pr0n or w^r3z on the job or anything, I just don't think employees should be pre-judged in this way. Stifling an employees ability to do anything will have a ramification somewhere down the line, and it all adds up. There are many legitimate uses for things that seem completely illegitamate at first.
I'll admit to surfing for porn a bit (I'm honest, so sue me), and when I was doing some web-design, I actually snarfed down the source to one of the sites I'd been to recently, because I thought they did something neat with Javascript.
Would have taken me much longer had I not been able to do that, so I think it saved them money and they should be happy with it. I'll bet that would give the CEO fits :-)
You have focused your question a great deal more here though, and made it much tougher in the process.
Of course, IANAL and all that crap, but I don't recall any net.wisdom floating around about this stuff in the legal arena, so that's probably an expensive precedent-setting type legal battle.
I don't think its reasonable for the ISP to tell you though, as there could possibly be hundreds of unknown filters blocking your site, making it impossible for them to know whether you were connected or not. Even the known filters have mostly secret, ever-changing lists.
As your argument for free speech indicates, you don't mind sharing the server so you don't have a moral issue, so it looks like the buck stops at the headhunter.
I'd keep the ISP, drop the recruitment agency if possible, and just relax about the censorship. I'm also making assumptions about the type of employment you're looking for though. To be pragmatic, if I really needed the headhunter for some reason, I'd mail them the resume and make an effort to discuss the censorship politely with someone in charge because it seems like an easy way to be an activist since you already care enough to be public about it (and I'm not a big activist or anything, it just seems like an easy opportunity here).
Seriously, you're dealing with an adult who is provably hindered at doing their job. I wouldn't want to work in that environment or be associated with a company that tolerated it.
More to the point, by voting with what leverage we have (our labor in this case) we can perhaps influence people's decisions to censor or not.
I know I would let them know specifically why I was upset with the prospect of doing business with them, and I wouldn't be too bothered about "missed hits", life is too short. If the economy was worse, I might be more pragmatic, but that just isn't the case right now.
I had dinner with Matt Richtel a couple of months ago (for a totally unrelated reason, I like to think I'm good at computers, but I'm not news or anything), and he is just a completely nice guy. From talking with him, I gathered that he really cares about computers, how they affect the world, and what goes on in the various sub-cultures that exist in our little digital world.
All in all, it re-affirmed my faith that reporting can be done responsibly. That faith hasn't been betrayed by the NYT yet, giving me hope that they will continue their streak and (maybe, hopefully) influence some of the less responsible reporters out there.
Cheers to that.
Use /sbin/ipfwadm-wrapper and you don't have to change a thing. No, you won't get the fancy IP chains, but everything will work at least and you can have a life instead of reading more documentation...
-Mike
...old news or not :-)
Now that I think about it, I would be amazed if they make it to the IPO with all the billion-dollar market caps giving the established players such a load of currency to throw around at startups like this.
I wish I had enough $$$ to be in on any venture round these guys have. damn.
Sure, it takes work to ride the edge, but nobody is forcing you to. This is exactly how OSS improves so just stay at 2.0.x or whatever until things simmer down.
Massive peer review is good, I'm glad these things get fixed.
Did anyone else see "Coming to America"?
There was a band in it called "Sexual Chocolate" and I can only assume that's where it came from.
the movie itself was light fare, but pretty fuckin' funny IMHHO
you've gotten a lot of shit, but these are good links. keep digging for this stuff...its out there.