Fine, this guy *claims* that he's untraceable and whatever, but if he's half way intelligent, why bother taking the risk of writing up supposedly true exploits for a measily $250? (According to the story, that's what he's getting paid).
Of course, if the stories aren't even true in the first place, I guess it makes sense. Or, equally likely, the whole big thing is just a hoax.
I think the biggest problem is the implications for Free/GPL software, re: the shrink wrap/liability problems.. ESR, I believe, wrote a really good piece on this a little while ago? It was on slashdot like less than two weeks ago. Anybody got the link?
The gist of it is that companies that *sell* shrink-wrapped software can escape from liability suits using shrink-wrap licenses, whereas open source software would somehow be liable, since there is no EULA/shrink wrap license... Moreover, there was an even further danger that somehow these suits would be applied retroactively so even existing software released under the GPL would suddenly become a target.
In light of this mess, I'm even more nervous about MS-backend shops than I was before. Is there an easy way to tell, off hand, if a given site is implementing an IIS-based solution? I.e. when I'm looking for hardware on Pricewatch, I wouldn't mind spending a couple extra bucks (on a $100 drive or whatever if I could find out a little more about what backend the company was using...
Even though that might be true, it has little if anything to do with this discussion. So now all a good Open Source project has to do is beat the equivalent Microsoft product in release quality? *That's* certainly a lofty goal.
On a side note, I've tried out the last four Mozilla releases and I haven't really been happy with any of them. I'm certainly grateful for the effort and impressed with what the Mozilla team has done, but I'll take Konqueror's speed, responsiveness, and stability over Mozilla in a second and there'd have to be a lot of improvement between now and 1.0 for that to change...
I'm sorry... admittedly, I only glanced through the article, so I could've missed something important. How is this in any way increasing the potential of Linux as a piracy platform? Are you saying that people *shouldn't* support multimedia file formats on Linux? I don't follow your point at all...
Ok so this is getting a little OT, but I had similar problems which I resolved by switching distros... I'd been off Linux for a while - maybe a year or more, and I was ready to switch back. With a new machine, PIII-700, 40GB 7200RPM drive, 256 MB RAM, etc. etc. etc. and a GeForce2 MX to top it off. I tried out several distros: Redhat 7.0, 7.1 Beta, and finally Mandrake (7.2). Mandrake had an incredible performance increase in the GUI over the other two... I guess having everything compiled for i586 makes a difference?
Anyway the point is, a lot of speed issues are dependent on many other factors in between the actual code and your execution of it; especially in the Linux realm where there are so many different versions/compilations/packages/libraries to choose from..
I agree... My parents made me sign up for Kaplan when I was applying for college, and though we're not upper crust, we could afford it and my dad didn't want to take chances - especially since as an international student (I'm Canadian), my SAT scores were all that American schools could really judge. I don't think they helped one bit, in fact I did 20 points better on the diagnostic test I took (a real SAT from 1994) than the real thing, *after* having taken the class.
BUT, my sister took Kaplan, and raised her score almost 300 points over her diagnostic score - she took Kaplan before me, and *that's* why my parents made me take it;).
I realize that both of us definitely gained an advantage from being able to afford the test, but I don't think that the tests are even the first place to start looking if you're gonna be bringing up economic advantages of education - I mean consider that even if many lower income bracket folks *could* afford to have their kids take Kaplan and other prep courses, how many of them even know about such opportunities? There are countless studies on such subjects, e.g. in low income areas with overcrowded underfunded school districts, it's not worth the school's resources to offer AP classes since most people won't take em, but it's again this type of vicious cycle that the parent poster has pointed out.
Hmm.. I seem to recall seeing this, a long time ago - maybe in Popular Science magazine? Anybody else care to confirm? The version I saw had mirrors mounted in such a way that you could see the keys as you looked head on at the keyboard, to help you in placing your fingers etc.
Anyway I remember them touting the same benefits too, about it being better ergonomically etc. Can somebody out there back me up on this? I've even told other people about it, i'm sure of it...
Hey, I'd like to see a strong mail client on Linux as much as the next guy - I hate outlook's instability (especially Outlook 2000!). *BUT* without meaning to rain on the parade, I'd like to point out that, while Outlook may have its faults, it appears that nobody has qualms with its interface:
Considering the bashing Microsoft takes around these parts, isn't it surprising that the interface here has been pretty blatantly jacked from Outlook? Now it might be the case that this really *is* the best interface style to use for an E-mail client, and that's fine. But give credit where credit is due for the design, or bash and don't bite.
I agree entirely. I recognize that this is gonna be crummy for corporations/large installations etc. that have to deal with all the issues that have been brought up re: this crummy system, but one thing is for sure, a stronger (or too strong) copy protection system for Windows will help Linux.. I know of several people who fence-sit the issue (i.e. they are on the verge of installing Linux but can't quite get to do it), all who use illegal or quasi-legal copies of MS software. This would provide the perfect kick for them to make the switch.
It's a series, referred to as (surprise) the Culture series... i.e. a "Culture" novel (note the capital) rather than a culture novel.
"See grades here equal status or power, it's just like college; you so caught up in letter grades you skipped the F-in knowledge..."
- J-Live, "School's In"
On top of the other objections already pointed out, I'd like to point out that by continuing to use an older machine you also save said machine from the trash heap - most people would agree that the environmental harm caused by piled up old computer hardware is at least as great as that of their power consumption while they are still active, no?
The writer didn't claim that Mass was the first school to do so, he claimed that they were the first major public institution to do so - Acadia hardly fits that criteria...
As a Canadian I'm all for the pride thing but I can't agree with your misguided criticism here.
I worked as an intern at Bell Labs this past summer.. The office space was a mixed bag. I worked at the Holmdel, NJ facility, which was in the process of being converted to what they called "Atlas" space, Atlas presumably being the name of the company/design/whatever that they had selected for the renovation.
Anyway, the good parts: nice adjustable chairs, a full-sized L-shaped desk layout, with the computer in the corner, with a pullout height adjustable keyboard tray etc. etc.
The best part, in my opinion, was that the doors and part of the walls of the cubicles had whiteboards, and they provided a set of eraseable markers etc.
The definite downside, as repeated in other posts here, was the cubicle height cut-off... The "walls" left about two feet of clearance from the ceiling, so noise carried through very easily.. Because the offices came in blocks of two with big gaps between, the most you'd ever hear would be the noise from one other person (in the adjoining block), but it was still annoying.
Perhaps the best perk of the management offices was walls that touched the ceiling;).
The co-worker I shared an office with showed me the older layout, it was still in place in some of the areas in the building. The old offices all had real walls... Interesting decision, it was meant to increase productivity(!) by making it harder for people to have private conversations, but IMHO it just made people whisper more and in general productivity went down...
RAMBUS, correct me if I'm wrong, has patents on devices with descriptions as "synchronous memory device". Anybody who's taken an elementary logic design class knows that such terms are both incredibly basic and very broad. As has been brought up here and elsewhere, the real tragedy here is that such patents were awarded in the first place - Rambus should never have been in this position.
Exactly... This is price discrimination and it's one of the most basic techniques of applied microeconomics. There are always going to be limits, some people aren't going to pay for a CD no matter how little it costs; others will pay no matter how much. Taking advantage of differences in personal preference just requires a little effort and intelligence on the part of record exec...
Slashdot Mirror
Fine, this guy *claims* that he's untraceable and whatever, but if he's half way intelligent, why bother taking the risk of writing up supposedly true exploits for a measily $250? (According to the story, that's what he's getting paid).
Of course, if the stories aren't even true in the first place, I guess it makes sense. Or, equally likely, the whole big thing is just a hoax.
I think the biggest problem is the implications for Free/GPL software, re: the shrink wrap/liability problems.. ESR, I believe, wrote a really good piece on this a little while ago? It was on slashdot like less than two weeks ago. Anybody got the link?
The gist of it is that companies that *sell* shrink-wrapped software can escape from liability suits using shrink-wrap licenses, whereas open source software would somehow be liable, since there is no EULA/shrink wrap license... Moreover, there was an even further danger that somehow these suits would be applied retroactively so even existing software released under the GPL would suddenly become a target.
In light of this mess, I'm even more nervous about MS-backend shops than I was before. Is there an easy way to tell, off hand, if a given site is implementing an IIS-based solution? I.e. when I'm looking for hardware on Pricewatch, I wouldn't mind spending a couple extra bucks (on a $100 drive or whatever if I could find out a little more about what backend the company was using...
Even though that might be true, it has little if anything to do with this discussion. So now all a good Open Source project has to do is beat the equivalent Microsoft product in release quality? *That's* certainly a lofty goal.
On a side note, I've tried out the last four Mozilla releases and I haven't really been happy with any of them. I'm certainly grateful for the effort and impressed with what the Mozilla team has done, but I'll take Konqueror's speed, responsiveness, and stability over Mozilla in a second and there'd have to be a lot of improvement between now and 1.0 for that to change...
I'm sorry... admittedly, I only glanced through the article, so I could've missed something important. How is this in any way increasing the potential of Linux as a piracy platform? Are you saying that people *shouldn't* support multimedia file formats on Linux? I don't follow your point at all...
Ok so this is getting a little OT, but I had similar problems which I resolved by switching distros... I'd been off Linux for a while - maybe a year or more, and I was ready to switch back. With a new machine, PIII-700, 40GB 7200RPM drive, 256 MB RAM, etc. etc. etc. and a GeForce2 MX to top it off. I tried out several distros: Redhat 7.0, 7.1 Beta, and finally Mandrake (7.2). Mandrake had an incredible performance increase in the GUI over the other two... I guess having everything compiled for i586 makes a difference?
Anyway the point is, a lot of speed issues are dependent on many other factors in between the actual code and your execution of it; especially in the Linux realm where there are so many different versions/compilations/packages/libraries to choose from..
I agree... My parents made me sign up for Kaplan when I was applying for college, and though we're not upper crust, we could afford it and my dad didn't want to take chances - especially since as an international student (I'm Canadian), my SAT scores were all that American schools could really judge. I don't think they helped one bit, in fact I did 20 points better on the diagnostic test I took (a real SAT from 1994) than the real thing, *after* having taken the class.
;).
BUT, my sister took Kaplan, and raised her score almost 300 points over her diagnostic score - she took Kaplan before me, and *that's* why my parents made me take it
I realize that both of us definitely gained an advantage from being able to afford the test, but I don't think that the tests are even the first place to start looking if you're gonna be bringing up economic advantages of education - I mean consider that even if many lower income bracket folks *could* afford to have their kids take Kaplan and other prep courses, how many of them even know about such opportunities? There are countless studies on such subjects, e.g. in low income areas with overcrowded underfunded school districts, it's not worth the school's resources to offer AP classes since most people won't take em, but it's again this type of vicious cycle that the parent poster has pointed out.
Well said, man.
Thanks...
Ramesh
Hmm.. I seem to recall seeing this, a long time ago - maybe in Popular Science magazine? Anybody else care to confirm? The version I saw had mirrors mounted in such a way that you could see the keys as you looked head on at the keyboard, to help you in placing your fingers etc.
Anyway I remember them touting the same benefits too, about it being better ergonomically etc. Can somebody out there back me up on this? I've even told other people about it, i'm sure of it...
I really only had the Inbox in mind, on reflection I guess the compose dialog wasn't that bad. I still think the point stands.
Evolution Inbox screenshot
Evolution Compose message screenshot
Considering the bashing Microsoft takes around these parts, isn't it surprising that the interface here has been pretty blatantly jacked from Outlook? Now it might be the case that this really *is* the best interface style to use for an E-mail client, and that's fine. But give credit where credit is due for the design, or bash and don't bite.
I agree entirely. I recognize that this is gonna be crummy for corporations/large installations etc. that have to deal with all the issues that have been brought up re: this crummy system, but one thing is for sure, a stronger (or too strong) copy protection system for Windows will help Linux.. I know of several people who fence-sit the issue (i.e. they are on the verge of installing Linux but can't quite get to do it), all who use illegal or quasi-legal copies of MS software. This would provide the perfect kick for them to make the switch.
It's a series, referred to as (surprise) the Culture series... i.e. a "Culture" novel (note the capital) rather than a culture novel.
"See grades here equal status or power, it's just like college; you so caught up in letter grades you skipped the F-in knowledge..."
- J-Live, "School's In"
On top of the other objections already pointed out, I'd like to point out that by continuing to use an older machine you also save said machine from the trash heap - most people would agree that the environmental harm caused by piled up old computer hardware is at least as great as that of their power consumption while they are still active, no?
The writer didn't claim that Mass was the first school to do so, he claimed that they were the first major public institution to do so - Acadia hardly fits that criteria...
As a Canadian I'm all for the pride thing but I can't agree with your misguided criticism here.
I worked as an intern at Bell Labs this past summer.. The office space was a mixed bag. I worked at the Holmdel, NJ facility, which was in the process of being converted to what they called "Atlas" space, Atlas presumably being the name of the company/design/whatever that they had selected for the renovation.
Anyway, the good parts: nice adjustable chairs, a full-sized L-shaped desk layout, with the computer in the corner, with a pullout height adjustable keyboard tray etc. etc.
The best part, in my opinion, was that the doors and part of the walls of the cubicles had whiteboards, and they provided a set of eraseable markers etc.
The definite downside, as repeated in other posts here, was the cubicle height cut-off... The "walls" left about two feet of clearance from the ceiling, so noise carried through very easily.. Because the offices came in blocks of two with big gaps between, the most you'd ever hear would be the noise from one other person (in the adjoining block), but it was still annoying.
Perhaps the best perk of the management offices was walls that touched the ceiling
The co-worker I shared an office with showed me the older layout, it was still in place in some of the areas in the building. The old offices all had real walls... Interesting decision, it was meant to increase productivity(!) by making it harder for people to have private conversations, but IMHO it just made people whisper more and in general productivity went down...
aren't #DivX movies (see fm4.org for more) compressed using MPEG4?
RAMBUS, correct me if I'm wrong, has patents on devices with descriptions as "synchronous memory device". Anybody who's taken an elementary logic design class knows that such terms are both incredibly basic and very broad. As has been brought up here and elsewhere, the real tragedy here is that such patents were awarded in the first place - Rambus should never have been in this position.
I hope this hasn't already been posted, but here is a pretty convenient and well written list of the new 2.4 features.
Exactly... This is price discrimination and it's one of the most basic techniques of applied microeconomics. There are always going to be limits, some people aren't going to pay for a CD no matter how little it costs; others will pay no matter how much. Taking advantage of differences in personal preference just requires a little effort and intelligence on the part of record exec...