Speaking as one who asked for and received honourable discharge as a conscientious objector while serving in the United States Navy, and became very familiar with the regulations, you are simply wrong.
erm... I am curious as to why you joined the Navy (or any Armed Service) if you knew that you had moral (or otherwise) objections. Would you enlighten me please?
What is the worst thing that can happen due to use of filesharing programs?
What is the worst thing that can happen due to automated tracking of all vehicles?
I suspect that some (few?) people losing money is nowhere near the same problem as everyone losing their liberty. (although on some level, your point IS valid)
Your remark is moderated as being funny, but I would say that it is insightful. Do not forget about the updates too though!
(During the Superbowl) Your cable box has been updated with the latest security software. Press the Enter key to reboot now or wait 15 seconds.
Five minutes later, when the cable box is done rebooting, you hear the announcer screaming about the most amazing play ever in the entire history of football...
Longevity means that social systems will last longer. Seeing as how most systems become corrupt very quickly, longevity is likely a very bad thing.
Hm... what is that saying? "Better to live a week like a lion than a year like a lamb."? Hm... no. I think it was, "Give me liberty or give me death!".
removing features from the most popular software because it's "too flexible" for many users
i apologize but i just HAVE to respond to this...
why would you have to remove features? you will limit the power users and then the power users (aka programmers who may, or do, contribute to open source projects) will have no reason or desire to use the software! if the newbs (sorry for the pejorative) can't handle the wide feature set, partition off the most used features to an area that newbs are likely to find them... but do not EVER reduce the feature set. i just won't use it *cough* gnome *cough*
I suspect the DRM is going to kill this. Because the average person hates DRM? No. Because someone, somwhere, hates DRM and will remove it... and since they are already working to remove the DRM, they may as well remove the ads.
I am thinking if they put no DRM on this at all, most people would be too lazy to remove the ads and would not bother downloading the ad-free version since they can get the version with ads for free (and legally!). The TV shows have already paid for themselves, so _anything_ they make at this point is gravy... so just make money off of the ads and don't worry about "squeezing a little extra cash" with the DRM. No?
ok. This is scaring me now. I read your comment and started to scroll down to the next comment while assuming that you got a +5 funny... but I thought that your comment was somewhat insightful (inciteful?) so I scrolled back up and checked the moderation... +5 insightful. Downright fucking scary.
I do work for the DoD and I did read what you had to say. I think you are way out in left field about linking the rootkit to treason, especially since Sony is not even an American company. Furthermore, there should be no classified or sensitive information on non-DoD computers. On the other hand, non-writable media is allowed to be transferred between networks, so you could play the same Sony cd on, NIPR and SIPR connected computers. I do not think the software could "phone home" from the Secret network though.
finally, an anonymous coward who is not twisting things.
you are correct, i have not visited any right wing websites. if they are acting as uncivilized as you suggest, then they "deserve to be carpet bombed".
you are also correct in that not all somalis were cheering. there were huge crowds of tens of thousands of people, filling dozens of city blocks. that is enough for me to condemn them as a whole; and yes, i am wrong in thinking that way. that is why i do not have control of the Big Red Button.
yay, another anonymous coward. it was NOT the actions of a few. i am in iraq now. they are killing my countrymen. i do NOT advocate carpet bombing iraq. why? because for the most part, they are not carrying american bodies through the streets while the entire city turns out to join the grisly parade. spare me your unthoughtful responses in this heavily offtopic thread.
By your definition therefore the Iraqi population has the right to carpet bomb all of your country, we've all seen footage of (a minority of) US troops behaving badly and posting the images online. By your definition *you* are not a civilised people either.
Grow up
Well Mr. Anonymous Coward... It seems you have conveniently twisted "my definition" since I did not advocate carpet bombing because only a few people were committing atrocities. The entire city was out parading around the bodies and cheering. I do not see a large number of Americans cheering on such atrocities; otherwise, I would completely agree with your assertion that Iraqi's would be justified in carpet bombing all of America.
Let's keep things real. Such distortions as you have presented are for people who have no solid arguments or who have a political agenda to fulfill.
You have no sympathy from me. Your fellow countrymen paraded around a couple of dead bodies from my country's military. We were there trying to help you and that is how you treat us... laughing, partying it up, and defiling honorable men. If it would have been up to me, I would have carpet bombed all of Mogadishu. You are not a civilized people and do not deserve any help.
I wanted unix. I wanted it with a sexy interface. I wanted to run all of my favorite gnu and other open source tools. I wanted the 16:9 screen aspect ratio (wide screens rock!).
Linux was the only alternative to Windows for me for a long time (since early 1998). There were no developer tools on Windows, and programming languages/developer tools (such as C and a compiler) are what attracted me to me computers in the first place. What good is a computer if you can't play with it? (I later found about about FreeBSD and OpenBSD but due to lack of drivers, OpenBSD was the only one I gave serious consideration to (because of its attitude towards correctness and security).)
Windows tried to hide things from me so that other people could control my computer more than I could. My only regret with Apple is that they try to control my experience too much... but I have a fully functional CLI, so I can overlook their over-protective control freakishness. Ultimately, I still run Linux, Windows, and MacOSX, but I find myself using MacOSX the most (except for gaming!). I suppose my use of Linux on the desktop will continue declining as I get more acclimated to MacOSX, but giving up Linux is really tough. I love having absolute and total control over every aspect of my system.
I do not agree that this reflects poorly on their hiring practices. There is no way to insure that the person that is hired will always, and at all times, show integrity. If there were yearly scandals of this sort, then yes, I would tend to agree with you that their hiring practices are poor. Since this appears to be a very uncommon trait at MIT, it would appear that their hiring practices are excellent. Again, there is no way that they can insure perfect integrity from all employees.
The Internet is like Baghdad for computers but 10000 times more intense.
that analogy is in poor taste. i am in baghdad right now. people are dying here every day. your computer getting pwn3d is in no way similar; although i do understand you were merely trying to give an idea of the likelihood for danger. no harm, no foul. please be more considerate in the future.
I agree that microsoft it partially responsible (does rpc really need to be accessible by default?) - but on the other hand, until very recently your average linux install didn't take long to get 0wn3d either.
partially responsible? not a chance. they are 100% responsible until they "allow" us to control our own computers. i can not turn off several services nor can i make them listen only on the loopback. why are these services necessary for HOME users? why can't enterprise admins turn them off if they are not needed/wanted?
i do not think microsoft is wholly responsible for the drive-by IE hijackings; although even there, the fact that the same libraries and processes are used by the local filesystem indicates that they should hold the majority of the blame. let there be no doubt that they are to be held completely responsible for the remote attacks though.
I have a 17 inch Powerbook made by Apple. The battery still lasts over 3.5 hours despite very heavy usage. I also have a Sharp Actius MM20. It weighs just under 2 pounds and has a 10(?) 12(?) inch screen. Very small. Regardless, it eats up the battery like there is no tomorrow. *shrug* Personally, I think it may be the quality of the batteries that make all of the difference. In the end, I would not worry overly much about the size of the screen in regards to battery usage. As long as your backlight is not bright enough to require you to wear sunglasses, your biggest power eaters will be the disk drives (cd/hard) and the cpu (under heavy usage).
Look at Serenity and its loyal fanbase. While the movie was made as a thank you by Joss Whedon for the support his fan's game him for Firefly, the movie barely did 30 million at the box office. The movie was unapoligectially made for the fans of Firefly, and having spoken to a few non-browncoats, few could follow the movie or even enjoy it because they didn't have any Firefly background (there loss of course). As a fan, I loved it, but obviously there was only about 3 million of us that was interested in seeing the movie.
odd. i have never seen the series but i was able to follow and enjoy the movie (serenity) quite well. i am sure i was missing a lot of the depth that a person who had watched the series would see, but nevertheless, it was a decent movie.
personally, i think quake2 would make a better basis for a movie than doom3.
thank god (or whomever else) about your suggestion for the ER20 plugs. I am currently sitting next to a LOUD rack and I desperately need a nice set of sound reducing earplugs. i have been generally looking around but i had no idea which might be a good purchase. (not only that, they might help me sleep through the constant loud explosions here! if i die, i do not need to be awake for the experience.)
Slashdot Mirror
Speaking as one who asked for and received honourable discharge as a conscientious objector while serving in the United States Navy, and became very familiar with the regulations, you are simply wrong.
erm... I am curious as to why you joined the Navy (or any Armed Service) if you knew that you had moral (or otherwise) objections. Would you enlighten me please?
strike
What is the worst thing that can happen due to use of filesharing programs?
What is the worst thing that can happen due to automated tracking of all vehicles?
I suspect that some (few?) people losing money is nowhere near the same problem as everyone losing their liberty. (although on some level, your point IS valid)
strike
Your remark is moderated as being funny, but I would say that it is insightful. Do not forget about the updates too though!
(During the Superbowl) Your cable box has been updated with the latest security software. Press the Enter key to reboot now or wait 15 seconds.
Five minutes later, when the cable box is done rebooting, you hear the announcer screaming about the most amazing play ever in the entire history of football...
strike
Longevity means that social systems will last longer. Seeing as how most systems become corrupt very quickly, longevity is likely a very bad thing.
Hm... what is that saying? "Better to live a week like a lion than a year like a lamb."? Hm... no. I think it was, "Give me liberty or give me death!".
strike
i tried. it gets changed to amp; which is counted against the 120 char limit. i just removed the quotation marks and his name fits now.
strike
you just gave me a nice sig. thanks. (sorry, your name only partially fits in the 120 char limit)
strike
removing features from the most popular software because it's "too flexible" for many users
i apologize but i just HAVE to respond to this...
why would you have to remove features? you will limit the power users and then the power users (aka programmers who may, or do, contribute to open source projects) will have no reason or desire to use the software! if the newbs (sorry for the pejorative) can't handle the wide feature set, partition off the most used features to an area that newbs are likely to find them... but do not EVER reduce the feature set. i just won't use it *cough* gnome *cough*
strike
I suspect the DRM is going to kill this. Because the average person hates DRM? No. Because someone, somwhere, hates DRM and will remove it... and since they are already working to remove the DRM, they may as well remove the ads.
I am thinking if they put no DRM on this at all, most people would be too lazy to remove the ads and would not bother downloading the ad-free version since they can get the version with ads for free (and legally!). The TV shows have already paid for themselves, so _anything_ they make at this point is gravy... so just make money off of the ads and don't worry about "squeezing a little extra cash" with the DRM. No?
strike
ok. This is scaring me now. I read your comment and started to scroll down to the next comment while assuming that you got a +5 funny... but I thought that your comment was somewhat insightful (inciteful?) so I scrolled back up and checked the moderation... +5 insightful. Downright fucking scary.
strike
I do work for the DoD and I did read what you had to say. I think you are way out in left field about linking the rootkit to treason, especially since Sony is not even an American company. Furthermore, there should be no classified or sensitive information on non-DoD computers. On the other hand, non-writable media is allowed to be transferred between networks, so you could play the same Sony cd on, NIPR and SIPR connected computers. I do not think the software could "phone home" from the Secret network though.
strike
Skype is more like a phone service than an IM service. In that case, wouldn't it make as much sense as banning phones in the workplace?
strike
ah. the race card. at least you are not an anonymous coward. :)
i find your assumptions amusing.
strike
finally, an anonymous coward who is not twisting things.
you are correct, i have not visited any right wing websites. if they are acting as uncivilized as you suggest, then they "deserve to be carpet bombed".
you are also correct in that not all somalis were cheering. there were huge crowds of tens of thousands of people, filling dozens of city blocks. that is enough for me to condemn them as a whole; and yes, i am wrong in thinking that way. that is why i do not have control of the Big Red Button.
strike
then do not ask for help. easy answer.
strike
yay, another anonymous coward. it was NOT the actions of a few. i am in iraq now. they are killing my countrymen. i do NOT advocate carpet bombing iraq. why? because for the most part, they are not carrying american bodies through the streets while the entire city turns out to join the grisly parade. spare me your unthoughtful responses in this heavily offtopic thread.
strike
By your definition therefore the Iraqi population has the right to carpet bomb all of your country, we've all seen footage of (a minority of) US troops behaving badly and posting the images online. By your definition *you* are not a civilised people either.
Grow up
Well Mr. Anonymous Coward... It seems you have conveniently twisted "my definition" since I did not advocate carpet bombing because only a few people were committing atrocities. The entire city was out parading around the bodies and cheering. I do not see a large number of Americans cheering on such atrocities; otherwise, I would completely agree with your assertion that Iraqi's would be justified in carpet bombing all of America.
Let's keep things real. Such distortions as you have presented are for people who have no solid arguments or who have a political agenda to fulfill.
strike
You have no sympathy from me. Your fellow countrymen paraded around a couple of dead bodies from my country's military. We were there trying to help you and that is how you treat us... laughing, partying it up, and defiling honorable men. If it would have been up to me, I would have carpet bombed all of Mogadishu. You are not a civilized people and do not deserve any help.
strike
and here is why:
I wanted unix. I wanted it with a sexy interface. I wanted to run all of my favorite gnu and other open source tools. I wanted the 16:9 screen aspect ratio (wide screens rock!).
Linux was the only alternative to Windows for me for a long time (since early 1998). There were no developer tools on Windows, and programming languages/developer tools (such as C and a compiler) are what attracted me to me computers in the first place. What good is a computer if you can't play with it? (I later found about about FreeBSD and OpenBSD but due to lack of drivers, OpenBSD was the only one I gave serious consideration to (because of its attitude towards correctness and security).)
Windows tried to hide things from me so that other people could control my computer more than I could. My only regret with Apple is that they try to control my experience too much... but I have a fully functional CLI, so I can overlook their over-protective control freakishness. Ultimately, I still run Linux, Windows, and MacOSX, but I find myself using MacOSX the most (except for gaming!). I suppose my use of Linux on the desktop will continue declining as I get more acclimated to MacOSX, but giving up Linux is really tough. I love having absolute and total control over every aspect of my system.
strike
I hope someone patents the word rediculous so people will stop spelling it incorrectly. Is this idea ridiculous? I think not.
strike
I do not agree that this reflects poorly on their hiring practices. There is no way to insure that the person that is hired will always, and at all times, show integrity. If there were yearly scandals of this sort, then yes, I would tend to agree with you that their hiring practices are poor. Since this appears to be a very uncommon trait at MIT, it would appear that their hiring practices are excellent. Again, there is no way that they can insure perfect integrity from all employees.
strike
The Internet is like Baghdad for computers but 10000 times more intense.
that analogy is in poor taste. i am in baghdad right now. people are dying here every day. your computer getting pwn3d is in no way similar; although i do understand you were merely trying to give an idea of the likelihood for danger. no harm, no foul. please be more considerate in the future.
I agree that microsoft it partially responsible (does rpc really need to be accessible by default?) - but on the other hand, until very recently your average linux install didn't take long to get 0wn3d either.
partially responsible? not a chance. they are 100% responsible until they "allow" us to control our own computers. i can not turn off several services nor can i make them listen only on the loopback. why are these services necessary for HOME users? why can't enterprise admins turn them off if they are not needed/wanted?
i do not think microsoft is wholly responsible for the drive-by IE hijackings; although even there, the fact that the same libraries and processes are used by the local filesystem indicates that they should hold the majority of the blame. let there be no doubt that they are to be held completely responsible for the remote attacks though.
strike
I have a 17 inch Powerbook made by Apple. The battery still lasts over 3.5 hours despite very heavy usage. I also have a Sharp Actius MM20. It weighs just under 2 pounds and has a 10(?) 12(?) inch screen. Very small. Regardless, it eats up the battery like there is no tomorrow. *shrug* Personally, I think it may be the quality of the batteries that make all of the difference. In the end, I would not worry overly much about the size of the screen in regards to battery usage. As long as your backlight is not bright enough to require you to wear sunglasses, your biggest power eaters will be the disk drives (cd/hard) and the cpu (under heavy usage).
strike
Look at Serenity and its loyal fanbase. While the movie was made as a thank you by Joss Whedon for the support his fan's game him for Firefly, the movie barely did 30 million at the box office. The movie was unapoligectially made for the fans of Firefly, and having spoken to a few non-browncoats, few could follow the movie or even enjoy it because they didn't have any Firefly background (there loss of course). As a fan, I loved it, but obviously there was only about 3 million of us that was interested in seeing the movie.
odd. i have never seen the series but i was able to follow and enjoy the movie (serenity) quite well. i am sure i was missing a lot of the depth that a person who had watched the series would see, but nevertheless, it was a decent movie.
personally, i think quake2 would make a better basis for a movie than doom3.
strike
(these are the tech equivelents of suing McDonalds because your kids are fat)
8 8000/2688065.stm
oddly enough...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world/newsid_26
mcdonalds HAS been sued by fat kids. the world is weirder than you can imagine.
strike
thank god (or whomever else) about your suggestion for the ER20 plugs. I am currently sitting next to a LOUD rack and I desperately need a nice set of sound reducing earplugs. i have been generally looking around but i had no idea which might be a good purchase. (not only that, they might help me sleep through the constant loud explosions here! if i die, i do not need to be awake for the experience.)
strike