Another developer who also received a cease-and-desist letter from the same company is Zeb, who developed PxLinux (a port of PxScan/PxView). I interviewed him just now. Read the interview with Zeb
eh brother, haven't you heard about the great new technology called Trusted Computing? Put a chip with a hash code in every hardware and use a TC-aware OS (such as, unfortunately, Linux kernel 2.6.12) so that only authorised software can be executed. To fight mp3 sharing, cripple the OS to disallow file copying too!
I have switched from CRT to TFT (LCD) and I am very happy, but I hate the native resolution constraints of LCDs. I can see nice graphics only on 1280x1024 which means I have to use large fonts in order to read documents etc. Everything lower than that produces awful graphics. The same is true for my laptop too and for other people's LCDs. CRTs are history unless you want to run lower resolutions. You should also be aware that there are two kinds of LCDs, the 6-bit ones and the 8-bit models, and this affects the colour quality. Always prefer 8-bit LCDs.
I use this 3G PCMCIA card which plug ins in any laptop and works just like a modem (with AT commands). It connects to the cellular network, either in UMTS/3G/CDMA mode (384kbit) or in GPRS mode (45kbit). It can switch between 3G and GPRS dynamically on-the-fly. I even post to my blog using a laptop when I am on the bus! It's a really awesome product and service and it costs 30 Euro per month, with 40MB monthly usage (extra MBs cost more). It's great for reading slashdot while you are on the bus or outside in cafes and parks. And yes, it even works on GNU/Linux!
I use KMail 1.8 and I have it configured to reject and delete all HTML mails. Probably I won't even notice it if you ever send me one. Businesses that use HTML mail ask for bankruptcy.
Most IT workers don't have the necessary time and money to study academic literature, as they prefer to invest all of their resources to survive in the modern fast-pace high-demanding corporate world. As one of my university professors told us, only the rich have time to actually learn the sciences and study academic literature. If you need to work in order to have food on the table, you will prefer to study something that will benefit you immediately, such as industry white papers and how-to guides. In the modern world where everyone is seeking the money, scientific papers often won't benefit you for years, until you find a way to commercialise the new findings. This is exactly what the corporations want: Lots of IT workers trained in programming and networking but without the slightest knowledge of the underlying sciences. Corporations don't like philosophers and scientists, because they cannot be easily manipulated by the boss; they want you to be a code monkey. But knowledge liberates, and code monkeys can take their life in their hands if they learn the sciences and become philosophers. This is part of what I want to achieve with my site, Wikinerds.org: to assist those who are seeking liberation through knowledge.
This is against libre software and will prevent poor programmers from copyrighting (under the GPL) their creations, while big corporations would be able to copy poor programmers' work in proprietary software and even patent it.
I would like to see more emphasis on moral rights and changes in punishment for copyright violations: It is ridiculous to have people going to jail because they violated the copyright laws; jail terms should be replaced by monetary punishment and a compulsory seminar in copyright laws so that violators would learn more about the laws they broke.
As the society and the human creativeness is focused more and more in knowledge and intellectual creations, new citizens should be more informed about copyright laws. Why not teach some basics in the high school, or mail a copyright law handbook to every new citizen after they get 18 years old?
Copyright law should also recognise the social needs of people for sharing: Friends love to share their books, music CDs and software. It is not nice to refuse sharing the stuff you have bought with a good old friend and telling them you do that because you don't want to break some copyright laws that don't take into account the human need for sharing. Some people cannot not share what they have got!
Let's create a free museum for computers
on
Homeless Wires?
·
· Score: 1
I would love to create a museum for computers (which should, of course, include a special section on historical libre software!). If you are in Europe maybe you could consider donating this stuff to me. I hope some day I will have the resources to start a museum project.
"TigerDirect, an on-line retailer of computer parts and accessories, says Apple's use of Tiger "is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the general purchasing public.""
I am a member of the general public and I don't feel confused at all, I am confident I can differentiate between Tiger-the-OS and Tiger-the-parts-shop.
Tiny 300-gram Qtopia Linux-based PDAs with 4GB HDD, 416MHz CPU, 65K-colour 640x480 screen, mini QWERTY keyboard, CF/SD/USB/IrDA and what-else are commonplace in Japan but you can buy them for 800 Euro in North America and Europe if you click here or here or here, and their interface is even translated in English. If you feel like installing your own Linux distribution on this PDA, click here. But you can also install OpenBSD on it, as you can see if you click here.
My favourite Web browser, Konqueror, has excellent SVG support. I have even many SVG wallpapers on KDE displayed in sequence every 1 min, as well as SVG system icons. And people keep asking me why I don't like Firefox!
Via your general counsel, you say you want to use patents to "stimulate and share innovation with others". You don't need patents to do that: Just open-source your tech, and then make profits by selling support a-la-RedHat.
You also talk about patent reform and say that "the U.S. needs to move to a first-to-file system so that like everywhere else the first person to file an application gets the award rather than it going to the first to invent it". Right now if I publish my invention without patenting it, you cannot claim patent rights to it. However, under a first-to-file system, you would be able to patent anything I ever invented as long as it isn't patented by me or anyone else. Thanks, but we don't need this kind of "patent reform".
I care because I want to make this planet a better place, and libre software is a step to the right direction: The creation of a libre society without oppression. If I meet someone who doesn't use libre software I will inform them about the alternative choices and why they should switch, but if they wish to remain oppressed I won't insist.
I do not agree with Trusted Computing. Recently I was offered to buy a brand new IBM sub-notebook at a very low price and I refused because it supported Trusted Computing. If 2.6.12 supports Trusted Computing I will never upgrade to it. I boycott it. There are more evil uses of Trusted Computing than good uses, so I see no reason why I should empower the corporations to dictate what software I should run on my computer.
I know users who deliberately report as spam messages they had explicitly requested to receive. I believe blacklist services should double-check spam complaints from users before including an IP into the black list.
Slashdot Mirror
Another developer who also received a cease-and-desist letter from the same company is Zeb, who developed PxLinux (a port of PxScan/PxView). I interviewed him just now. Read the interview with Zeb
eh brother, haven't you heard about the great new technology called Trusted Computing? Put a chip with a hash code in every hardware and use a TC-aware OS (such as, unfortunately, Linux kernel 2.6.12) so that only authorised software can be executed. To fight mp3 sharing, cripple the OS to disallow file copying too!
If you are willing to help make Konqueror and KHTML better, you should visit the newKHTML wiki.
I don't have any problem with the -1, my problem is with the "overrated". I just can't understand why it's overrated.
I am a consumer, so I say that it is the manufacturing corporation which should pay.
As an attempt to be more neutral, I would say both the manufacturer and the consumer should share the cost, 50-50.
100% Overrated. That's a misuse of moderation powers. There is nothing wrong with my post.
Please link to GPLFlash from your website. You may use an unofficial logo I created, download it here.
...because your computer does not belong to you anymore. It is Microsoft's property now.
Unless you install GNU/Linux!
Oh wait... but an Intel rep confirmed the 945 would help implement Microsoft's DRM at a chip level! AMD all the way!
I have switched from CRT to TFT (LCD) and I am very happy, but I hate the native resolution constraints of LCDs. I can see nice graphics only on 1280x1024 which means I have to use large fonts in order to read documents etc. Everything lower than that produces awful graphics. The same is true for my laptop too and for other people's LCDs. CRTs are history unless you want to run lower resolutions. You should also be aware that there are two kinds of LCDs, the 6-bit ones and the 8-bit models, and this affects the colour quality. Always prefer 8-bit LCDs.
I use this 3G PCMCIA card which plug ins in any laptop and works just like a modem (with AT commands). It connects to the cellular network, either in UMTS/3G/CDMA mode (384kbit) or in GPRS mode (45kbit). It can switch between 3G and GPRS dynamically on-the-fly. I even post to my blog using a laptop when I am on the bus! It's a really awesome product and service and it costs 30 Euro per month, with 40MB monthly usage (extra MBs cost more). It's great for reading slashdot while you are on the bus or outside in cafes and parks. And yes, it even works on GNU/Linux!
Porting to minor platforms is good because it allows them to compete more fairly against monopolies. Here is my blog post on this.
I use KMail 1.8 and I have it configured to reject and delete all HTML mails. Probably I won't even notice it if you ever send me one. Businesses that use HTML mail ask for bankruptcy.
Most IT workers don't have the necessary time and money to study academic literature, as they prefer to invest all of their resources to survive in the modern fast-pace high-demanding corporate world. As one of my university professors told us, only the rich have time to actually learn the sciences and study academic literature. If you need to work in order to have food on the table, you will prefer to study something that will benefit you immediately, such as industry white papers and how-to guides. In the modern world where everyone is seeking the money, scientific papers often won't benefit you for years, until you find a way to commercialise the new findings. This is exactly what the corporations want: Lots of IT workers trained in programming and networking but without the slightest knowledge of the underlying sciences. Corporations don't like philosophers and scientists, because they cannot be easily manipulated by the boss; they want you to be a code monkey. But knowledge liberates, and code monkeys can take their life in their hands if they learn the sciences and become philosophers. This is part of what I want to achieve with my site, Wikinerds.org: to assist those who are seeking liberation through knowledge.
This is against libre software and will prevent poor programmers from copyrighting (under the GPL) their creations, while big corporations would be able to copy poor programmers' work in proprietary software and even patent it.
Great post, I certainly agree. mod parent up!
I would like to see more emphasis on moral rights and changes in punishment for copyright violations: It is ridiculous to have people going to jail because they violated the copyright laws; jail terms should be replaced by monetary punishment and a compulsory seminar in copyright laws so that violators would learn more about the laws they broke.
As the society and the human creativeness is focused more and more in knowledge and intellectual creations, new citizens should be more informed about copyright laws. Why not teach some basics in the high school, or mail a copyright law handbook to every new citizen after they get 18 years old?
Copyright law should also recognise the social needs of people for sharing: Friends love to share their books, music CDs and software. It is not nice to refuse sharing the stuff you have bought with a good old friend and telling them you do that because you don't want to break some copyright laws that don't take into account the human need for sharing. Some people cannot not share what they have got!
I would love to create a museum for computers (which should, of course, include a special section on historical libre software!). If you are in Europe maybe you could consider donating this stuff to me. I hope some day I will have the resources to start a museum project.
I am a member of the general public and I don't feel confused at all, I am confident I can differentiate between Tiger-the-OS and Tiger-the-parts-shop.
the correct openbsd link
Tiny 300-gram Qtopia Linux-based PDAs with 4GB HDD, 416MHz CPU, 65K-colour 640x480 screen, mini QWERTY keyboard, CF/SD/USB/IrDA and what-else are commonplace in Japan but you can buy them for 800 Euro in North America and Europe if you click here or here or here, and their interface is even translated in English. If you feel like installing your own Linux distribution on this PDA, click here. But you can also install OpenBSD on it, as you can see if you click here.
My favourite Web browser, Konqueror, has excellent SVG support. I have even many SVG wallpapers on KDE displayed in sequence every 1 min, as well as SVG system icons. And people keep asking me why I don't like Firefox!
Dear Microsoft,
Via your general counsel, you say you want to use patents to "stimulate and share innovation with others". You don't need patents to do that: Just open-source your tech, and then make profits by selling support a-la-RedHat.
You also talk about patent reform and say that "the U.S. needs to move to a first-to-file system so that like everywhere else the first person to file an application gets the award rather than it going to the first to invent it". Right now if I publish my invention without patenting it, you cannot claim patent rights to it. However, under a first-to-file system, you would be able to patent anything I ever invented as long as it isn't patented by me or anyone else. Thanks, but we don't need this kind of "patent reform".
I care because I want to make this planet a better place, and libre software is a step to the right direction: The creation of a libre society without oppression. If I meet someone who doesn't use libre software I will inform them about the alternative choices and why they should switch, but if they wish to remain oppressed I won't insist.
I do not agree with Trusted Computing. Recently I was offered to buy a brand new IBM sub-notebook at a very low price and I refused because it supported Trusted Computing. If 2.6.12 supports Trusted Computing I will never upgrade to it. I boycott it. There are more evil uses of Trusted Computing than good uses, so I see no reason why I should empower the corporations to dictate what software I should run on my computer.
I know users who deliberately report as spam messages they had explicitly requested to receive. I believe blacklist services should double-check spam complaints from users before including an IP into the black list.