And that is one of the many reasons to not ignore Sun/MySQL. If my suspicions are right, I'll be wanting a new quad-core box with OpenSolaris to be my home server soon. There are some *nix functions that are just awesome compared to Windows, and a good solid Sun server would round out my home network well. ZFS is very promising:)
While I may not agree with all you said, I do agree that we do not know enough about the problem to be suggesting cures. All that can be done is to stop doing what we suspect is helping to cause the warming problem, and even that has no guarantee of stopping the warming. So while we do what is possible to stop contributing to the problem, adaptation is a very smart thing to begin working on... pass the tanning lotion, would you?
I understand that the Somalis have recently started going legit with some of their most recent acquisitions...
I imagine that the price would be something in the area of one tanker full of crude oil with Saudi registration... repainted to look like a Jewish fishing trawler of course.
I think you are right. I also think that OpenSolaris on a Toshiba laptop will be as popular as the Danger Hiptop (aka Sidekick from T-Mobile) has been. There are a lot of good things to say about Sun and Solaris and some bad things. What they do seem to be doing is moving to get some market share lost to Linux. It was not that long ago that you used Sun in the data center if you wanted reliable solid servers. It's not your only choice anymore. With Linux making inroads on the desktops of the world, Sun has a chance to move in and get some share without competing directly against MS. OpenSolaris is not that bad but has some limitations. With the Gnome desktop it looks more or less like any Linux OS. I have yet to see the SunBlade on my desk crater or act up. Rock solid operation.
If Sun and Toshiba can translate that reputation to the laptop and make it usable for Joe Public, Sun will not only be impressive, but on their way toward being a player that everyone has to worry about again. In the business that Sun is in, good is not enough. They need to be the preferred supplier of many people. That has to be their goal, to become the preferred supplier of computer products.
Hardware got really cheap, so x86 OpenSolaris is a smart move, a necessary one. Even Apple went there. They both should have anticipated it. If they get the app development further along, and morph their support systems to more or less match Linux distributions, they have a chance of regaining significant market share. Remember that the difference between new high end laptops and a data center server are decreasing every month. I don't think that Sun has any choice but to do this.
Just a side note: MS has fucked itself IMO. When I wanted to move my Windows install from one Desktop to another I backed up my data, installed Linux on the old machine, and then tried to install my LEGAL copy of Windows on the new machine (built from parts by me - not OEM) the license expired in 45 days. MS then told me I had to buy a new license.... FUCK THAT. I'll drive my car on any road I want to and I damned well better be able to install my legally purchased OS software on any computer I own.
I like Linux but it's not so much that I like it better than Windows, it's that I hate Microsoft's business practices so much that I'd prefer to use anything but their products if at all possible. If Windows was the only OS available for my use, I'd get a new hobby and vocation. You tell me that Windows is not that expensive but you steal from MS to get your copy. Nice job! Does it rain on your planet? Yes, the MSDN version will install on anything-ish, but you 'got it from a friend' as you say. Hmmmm I'm betting your friend didn't charge you a cent for the CD copy of his MSDN version, if it was even your friend's MSDN disk and not one belonging to his place of work.
I'll also bet that if you HAD TO PAY for your OS and software, you'd switch to Linux and F/OSS too.
That's a possibility, but I looked at the new search screens at Barnes and Nobles and even with the touch screen, it's just still necessary to have a keyboard. I might go with a wireless keyboard w/trackball to keep it tidy and remove some of the bulk of the problem to a point that it can be put in a drawer etc.
Oddly, that is exactly how I came to have the two IBM laptops that I have:) and several desktops. This source of second hand hardware is never ending thanks to Microsoft:) I can truly say this is the feature of Microsoft Windows that I most appreciate ROFLMAO
That 700MHz laptop has become the console for my music entertainment center, and functions perfectly well for that. I'm listening to Internet radio on it as I type this now. It's awesome!
What's even better is these laptops are upgradeable and parts are cheap now for them.. well, kind of. I think that when a user comes to the conclusion that hardware is CHEAP and they can have several systems that don't have to do absolutely EVERYTHING, the options that you and I are familiar with become very inviting.
Several times, I've shown people how to setup VPN and access all their work apps and data and suddenly it dawns on them: Wow, you really don't need a 2800 dollar laptop to do this stuff. That's when they start to wonder just how much they need MS at all. BTW, I do get repeat calls, and referrals for my efforts.
Do you know of an implementable plan to do this? I've not been able to think of one that would work. I can always see the backlash on any implementation, but agree that a very small cost would ruin the economics of sending spam.
I'm experimenting with the various junk cases I've got in order to do something that is retro, not steampunk, and qualifies as a useful hack. Seeing an old VCR in the entertainment cabinet is cool, better if it is a mythtv system with wireless keyboard/mouse. Small odd looking cases is just some how more aesthetic than standard white box cases that 'look' like computers. I bought a computer credenza recently (used for $20) that needed a leg repaired. I'm thinking about embedding the mobo etc. in the underside of the desk. That won't require small parts etc. just some plexiglass to keep fingers and cats out of the electronics.
Well, I like Ubuntu quite a bit, and it presents a good UI to the 'end users' in my house, but I am also using Ubuntu Server edition, CentOS 5.x, RHEL 5x, OpenSolaris, DSL, Puppy, and every now and then attempt OpenBSD/NetBSD on some older MVME hardware I have out in the garage. -- yes, this means I am a junk computer hardware collector:) I like Linux
Just for teh h4x0r cred, I'm trying to stick a small mobo in an old external tape drive unit, cd drive where the tape used to be, laptop hd RAID-1 behind it, and all the normal connectors out the back... but that's just a hobby thing. Linux makes it possible for me to do that. $350+ dollars for a copy of windows for such an adventure would be insanity^2 when I'm putting out all of... oh... fifty cents for the hardware.
Next project is MythTV or similar in an old VCR case. You guessed it, CD where the old tape drive was etc. 160GB laptop HDs are cheap and plentiful, makes the whole thing easy because of reduced power requirements.
After that, old laptop conversion for under the cabinet waterproof pc in the kitchen for recipes and such. One of the end users here likes to look up recipes online. But that will involve hunting for some hardware to allow the laptop screen and keyboard parts to fold and slide under the cabinet for out of the way storage... but Linux makes such a hobby possible... or at least legally possible.
the thought that 2009 will be the year of Linux on the desktop. Seriously, I'm running Ubuntu 8.10 on a 700MHz laptop with 256MB RAM and a 20GB hard drive. It works fine given I know that I can't open up 40 apps at once, and it will be a bit slower than my desktop, but it's great for where I use it.
Speaking of desktops, I have several that are nearly 8 years old and running Ubuntu quite well. In fact the 'end users' in my house don't know the difference between the old systems and the new ones.
I'm thinking that the push for re-utilizing older hardware will have Linux on the Desktop very shortly. It's about time.
That's the problem. When people delete.dll files from a system directory, do you think that somewhere in their mind is the thought "hmmm, maybe I should get someone who is qualified to look at this?"
To you and I, this makes sense, but to the great unwashed masses looking at files and configurations inside their PC is about as daunting as trying to fix their tv when the sound stops working. They open up the case, and with screwdriver in hand, start poking around looking at various bits inside the tv. Yes, I'm aware that is a bad analogy, but here's the kicker: if you had to have a screwdriver to get inside your computer's system files perhaps more people would take it to a professional to get it fixed.
Sidenote: This is one of the things that I think Ubuntu has done right. They made it as easy as possible to be a new user, to install and start using. They also have done what can be done to hide the internals from that user, and to try to prevent that user from having too easy of access to things they really don't need to be messing around with.
To put it another way, novice skydivers should not pack their own chutes. New drivers should probably never be asked to change a distributor. Novice computer users should not be asked to be administrators. In my home I'm the sysadmin and everyone else are just users who don't have access to much except using the computer. They can't install anything, can't change system settings, nothing. For all that effort, they ask me for something maybe 1-2 times every two months. Most recent was login problems due to disk quota being reached by one user. I had notifications setup incorrectly so didn't get warnings. Click click, problem gone. I really want to figure out how to run a business based on this. A business where normal end users can contract out a sysadmin at reasonable cost.
What you are saying is true, but it can't be legislated. It can, however, become a vocation. Yes, for just 3 easy payments of $19.99 we'll teach you how to be safe on the Internet.... blah blah
An internet driver's license seems like a good idea till you think about all the absolutely retarded drivers you saw on the way home from work recently. Then it sinks in: some people are NOT trainable.
If you think of the Internet as a huge data warehouse and spend some time with a scripter it will not take long to find out that you can personalize millions of spam emails with little to no effort other than writing a script or two. All you need is for 1-2% of those to reply and enter logon details and you have a profitable business plan, albeit illegal.
When so little return can still make you profitable, it's hard to discourage spammers. Internet driving licenses would not prevent that 2-5% of the population that can't be taught to tie their shoes from answering unsolicited emails. There is a base or root value where crooks and con artists will always be able to find prey, whether they are selling gilt edged bibles or offering better sex or longer life. Hell, there are those that are flogging lame do-nothing anti-spyware software in an effort to fleece them of their money.
As long as there are humans and an Internet there will be spam problems. You could even set up a business as an online retailer clearing house where people would send you money to pay for things for them, trusting you to tell them when it is a con job. There are those would would pay for it... say $2.50 per event to be sure they didn't get conned. How's that for a scam?
See... this problem won't go away anytime soon. Washington? Are you listening? New laws will only make this situation WORSE, not make it go away.
I guess I'm cynical. I hear them saying no more than 90 days EXCEPT in some special cases.
How is that different from:
We'll continue to hold any data that we think is of use, but the rest of the garbage that most of our users seem to want to look at will be thrown away after 90 days because we really don't want to store your garbage for longer than we find it useful. oh, and, uhhh, some other company mentioned 90 days somewhere in the beer tent of some convention, so that's definitely a good number.
I know what you mean, but I don't have that trouble much. Using FF with plugins I don't see much advertising at all. Sometimes, when I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll surf using the SeaMonkey browser because I left it default bare. That way I can see all those ads from doubleclick et al if I want to.
Well, I think it's kind of cool that they are putting back, so to speak. If they can use that tweak, so can everyone else. If your requirements all fit on one host server, then that server might now be able to do much more. Perhaps the next changes should be to allow a setting that penalizes retail advertisements by adding some arbitrary delay of greater than 10 seconds?
Yes, as a junior senator, voting is something you can do about not letting it get worse. He's president elect now and has the ear of everyone in the beltway and the world.... so.... what is he going to DO about it? He can't vote against it anymore in the Senate. Where will his veto votes be spent? It's a nice history, that, but what is his plan to fix the problems. So many promises are broken on the day after inauguration. What is Mr Obama's plan going forward?
Now, 250 million Americans should be writing to the Obama organization and asking why the fuck it was allowed in the first place and what is HE going to do about it... in the next 12 months, not how will he leave it to the next election.
In their effort to... maximize profits, they have created a generations of would be criminals. Simply because they refuse to adapt their revenue stream and the only outcome is aggravation and financial loss for all who are involved, given enough time.
I'm writing to Mr Obama about this, with the intent of ensuring that the people who run the **AAs, their legal teams, and anyone closely associated with them are on the aggravation and financial loss for all who are involved end of this equation.
Personally, I think that Canadians should get their money worth of music. Oddly, the CRIA forgot to tell you how many songs and/or movies that is.... grab what you can while you can. The tax law does not say how much you can download, only that you have to pay a tax in case you do... hmmmmm Need any help setting up a Petabyte RAID server?
Sorry mate, but in merry olde England, brick and mortar was a valid saying 20 years ago, but it had not yet been applied to online vendors/retailers. I do like the thought of the black market having an online shopping cart though. Sort of like a bacon sandwich vending machine!
This is really close to what I do. Running a home network, all the data is dumped to a RAID-1 and monthly copied to CD/DVD, which are kept in suitable storage space. This gives 3 levels of recovery: 1 - local hard drives have the data - manually done 2 - RAID on the network has a copy - scripted backups 3 - CD/DVD has a copy - manually initiated scripted backup
If I was truly worried, I'd make two CD/DVD copies and store one in Iron Mountain or something similar.
You can substitute USB drives for one of the CD/DVD copies if you like. The only answer to fragility of storage mediums is to make multiple copies and refresh those copies often enough that the inevitable failure is mitigated. I personally choose to use TAR and GZIP for now as I trust these formats will be usable in the months ahead. If they become outdated at some point, I can change that going forward and save a LIVE-CD with those utilities on it with the older data.
You can encrypt the CD/DVD copies easily enough for security, but long term you might want to make sure you write that password down:-)
Wow, there are a lot of good questions being made here, but one thing REALLY bothers me:
The aim of the Commission is to help the incoming administration balance "cyberspace" security needs with civil liberties.
The word balance suggests that there is give and take on either side of the scale. I posit that there is not. Civil liberties must be maintained, at the cost of security on the Internet if required. Q: How do you intend to manage that problem?
A government commission on 'cyberspace' security should obviously be intending to bring 'cyber criminals' to justice in order to protect..... what exactly? What exactly is 'cyberspace' that you are going to secure?
If your domain is bringing criminals to justice, shouldn't you simply be an enhanced part of the FBI?
In what ways have you, and will you work with groups from other countries with similar mandates?
So far, you seem to like using 15-20 year old buzz words. How does this reflect on your ability to react quickly to the changing landscape of threats to Internet infrastructure, businesses, and commerce etcetera? Further, 'cyberspace' as most of us know it is very big. How do you intend to react quickly and 'secure' it when the tens of thousands of people and companies currently trying to do so are not able to? Making it illegal to run un-patched databases on websites will NOT fix the problem, so how do you intend to fix the problems?
As someone who writes software I am keenly interested to know if my vocation will come with risk of incarceration in the future. Will simple security mistakes bring to me risk of punishment, other than punishment of losing my current job?
Aside from virus software one of the largest commercial security problems is DDoS attacks. Will you address that problem, or only problems that you can easily handle? Will the FCC be assisting you in any respect with regard to DDoS attack handling etc. Since 'cyberspace' runs on commercial pipes for the most part, and those pipes/tubes are full of lolcats running P2P, what will be the commissions reaction to capacity issues with regard to security of 'cyberspace'.
Are there any specific commercial ventures that will be ignored by the commission's work? Will this affect my local website AND Google, or just Google?
Is the word 'cyberspace' used in the title to relieve anyone of actually having to define what you will be responsible for?
Slashdot Mirror
And that is one of the many reasons to not ignore Sun/MySQL. If my suspicions are right, I'll be wanting a new quad-core box with OpenSolaris to be my home server soon. There are some *nix functions that are just awesome compared to Windows, and a good solid Sun server would round out my home network well. ZFS is very promising :)
While I may not agree with all you said, I do agree that we do not know enough about the problem to be suggesting cures. All that can be done is to stop doing what we suspect is helping to cause the warming problem, and even that has no guarantee of stopping the warming. So while we do what is possible to stop contributing to the problem, adaptation is a very smart thing to begin working on ... pass the tanning lotion, would you?
Gefilte Grey. It's kind of like Navy gray, but more ... Jewish
I understand that the Somalis have recently started going legit with some of their most recent acquisitions...
I imagine that the price would be something in the area of one tanker full of crude oil with Saudi registration... repainted to look like a Jewish fishing trawler of course.
I think you are right. I also think that OpenSolaris on a Toshiba laptop will be as popular as the Danger Hiptop (aka Sidekick from T-Mobile) has been. There are a lot of good things to say about Sun and Solaris and some bad things. What they do seem to be doing is moving to get some market share lost to Linux. It was not that long ago that you used Sun in the data center if you wanted reliable solid servers. It's not your only choice anymore. With Linux making inroads on the desktops of the world, Sun has a chance to move in and get some share without competing directly against MS. OpenSolaris is not that bad but has some limitations. With the Gnome desktop it looks more or less like any Linux OS. I have yet to see the SunBlade on my desk crater or act up. Rock solid operation.
If Sun and Toshiba can translate that reputation to the laptop and make it usable for Joe Public, Sun will not only be impressive, but on their way toward being a player that everyone has to worry about again. In the business that Sun is in, good is not enough. They need to be the preferred supplier of many people. That has to be their goal, to become the preferred supplier of computer products.
Hardware got really cheap, so x86 OpenSolaris is a smart move, a necessary one. Even Apple went there. They both should have anticipated it. If they get the app development further along, and morph their support systems to more or less match Linux distributions, they have a chance of regaining significant market share. Remember that the difference between new high end laptops and a data center server are decreasing every month. I don't think that Sun has any choice but to do this.
Just a side note: MS has fucked itself IMO. When I wanted to move my Windows install from one Desktop to another I backed up my data, installed Linux on the old machine, and then tried to install my LEGAL copy of Windows on the new machine (built from parts by me - not OEM) the license expired in 45 days. MS then told me I had to buy a new license.... FUCK THAT. I'll drive my car on any road I want to and I damned well better be able to install my legally purchased OS software on any computer I own.
I like Linux but it's not so much that I like it better than Windows, it's that I hate Microsoft's business practices so much that I'd prefer to use anything but their products if at all possible. If Windows was the only OS available for my use, I'd get a new hobby and vocation. You tell me that Windows is not that expensive but you steal from MS to get your copy. Nice job! Does it rain on your planet? Yes, the MSDN version will install on anything-ish, but you 'got it from a friend' as you say. Hmmmm I'm betting your friend didn't charge you a cent for the CD copy of his MSDN version, if it was even your friend's MSDN disk and not one belonging to his place of work.
I'll also bet that if you HAD TO PAY for your OS and software, you'd switch to Linux and F/OSS too.
That's a possibility, but I looked at the new search screens at Barnes and Nobles and even with the touch screen, it's just still necessary to have a keyboard. I might go with a wireless keyboard w/trackball to keep it tidy and remove some of the bulk of the problem to a point that it can be put in a drawer etc.
Oddly, that is exactly how I came to have the two IBM laptops that I have :) and several desktops. This source of second hand hardware is never ending thanks to Microsoft :) I can truly say this is the feature of Microsoft Windows that I most appreciate ROFLMAO
That 700MHz laptop has become the console for my music entertainment center, and functions perfectly well for that. I'm listening to Internet radio on it as I type this now. It's awesome!
What's even better is these laptops are upgradeable and parts are cheap now for them.. well, kind of. I think that when a user comes to the conclusion that hardware is CHEAP and they can have several systems that don't have to do absolutely EVERYTHING, the options that you and I are familiar with become very inviting.
Several times, I've shown people how to setup VPN and access all their work apps and data and suddenly it dawns on them: Wow, you really don't need a 2800 dollar laptop to do this stuff. That's when they start to wonder just how much they need MS at all. BTW, I do get repeat calls, and referrals for my efforts.
Do you know of an implementable plan to do this? I've not been able to think of one that would work. I can always see the backlash on any implementation, but agree that a very small cost would ruin the economics of sending spam.
You might like to see what I've been keeping an eye on then:
This site has kind of a turn-key feel to it for my hobby needs:
http://damnsmalllinux.org/store/motherboards/EPIA_5000
Here is some other mini board news etc.
http://www.mini-itx.com/
and of course, newegg is your friend:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121342
I'm experimenting with the various junk cases I've got in order to do something that is retro, not steampunk, and qualifies as a useful hack. Seeing an old VCR in the entertainment cabinet is cool, better if it is a mythtv system with wireless keyboard/mouse. Small odd looking cases is just some how more aesthetic than standard white box cases that 'look' like computers. I bought a computer credenza recently (used for $20) that needed a leg repaired. I'm thinking about embedding the mobo etc. in the underside of the desk. That won't require small parts etc. just some plexiglass to keep fingers and cats out of the electronics.
Well, I like Ubuntu quite a bit, and it presents a good UI to the 'end users' in my house, but I am also using Ubuntu Server edition, CentOS 5.x, RHEL 5x, OpenSolaris, DSL, Puppy, and every now and then attempt OpenBSD/NetBSD on some older MVME hardware I have out in the garage. -- yes, this means I am a junk computer hardware collector :) I like Linux
Just for teh h4x0r cred, I'm trying to stick a small mobo in an old external tape drive unit, cd drive where the tape used to be, laptop hd RAID-1 behind it, and all the normal connectors out the back... but that's just a hobby thing. Linux makes it possible for me to do that. $350+ dollars for a copy of windows for such an adventure would be insanity^2 when I'm putting out all of ... oh... fifty cents for the hardware.
Next project is MythTV or similar in an old VCR case. You guessed it, CD where the old tape drive was etc. 160GB laptop HDs are cheap and plentiful, makes the whole thing easy because of reduced power requirements.
After that, old laptop conversion for under the cabinet waterproof pc in the kitchen for recipes and such. One of the end users here likes to look up recipes online. But that will involve hunting for some hardware to allow the laptop screen and keyboard parts to fold and slide under the cabinet for out of the way storage... but Linux makes such a hobby possible... or at least legally possible.
the thought that 2009 will be the year of Linux on the desktop. Seriously, I'm running Ubuntu 8.10 on a 700MHz laptop with 256MB RAM and a 20GB hard drive. It works fine given I know that I can't open up 40 apps at once, and it will be a bit slower than my desktop, but it's great for where I use it.
Speaking of desktops, I have several that are nearly 8 years old and running Ubuntu quite well. In fact the 'end users' in my house don't know the difference between the old systems and the new ones.
I'm thinking that the push for re-utilizing older hardware will have Linux on the Desktop very shortly. It's about time.
That's the problem. When people delete .dll files from a system directory, do you think that somewhere in their mind is the thought "hmmm, maybe I should get someone who is qualified to look at this?"
To you and I, this makes sense, but to the great unwashed masses looking at files and configurations inside their PC is about as daunting as trying to fix their tv when the sound stops working. They open up the case, and with screwdriver in hand, start poking around looking at various bits inside the tv. Yes, I'm aware that is a bad analogy, but here's the kicker: if you had to have a screwdriver to get inside your computer's system files perhaps more people would take it to a professional to get it fixed.
Sidenote: This is one of the things that I think Ubuntu has done right. They made it as easy as possible to be a new user, to install and start using. They also have done what can be done to hide the internals from that user, and to try to prevent that user from having too easy of access to things they really don't need to be messing around with.
To put it another way, novice skydivers should not pack their own chutes. New drivers should probably never be asked to change a distributor. Novice computer users should not be asked to be administrators. In my home I'm the sysadmin and everyone else are just users who don't have access to much except using the computer. They can't install anything, can't change system settings, nothing. For all that effort, they ask me for something maybe 1-2 times every two months. Most recent was login problems due to disk quota being reached by one user. I had notifications setup incorrectly so didn't get warnings. Click click, problem gone. I really want to figure out how to run a business based on this. A business where normal end users can contract out a sysadmin at reasonable cost.
What you are saying is true, but it can't be legislated. It can, however, become a vocation. Yes, for just 3 easy payments of $19.99 we'll teach you how to be safe on the Internet.... blah blah
An internet driver's license seems like a good idea till you think about all the absolutely retarded drivers you saw on the way home from work recently. Then it sinks in: some people are NOT trainable.
If you think of the Internet as a huge data warehouse and spend some time with a scripter it will not take long to find out that you can personalize millions of spam emails with little to no effort other than writing a script or two. All you need is for 1-2% of those to reply and enter logon details and you have a profitable business plan, albeit illegal.
When so little return can still make you profitable, it's hard to discourage spammers. Internet driving licenses would not prevent that 2-5% of the population that can't be taught to tie their shoes from answering unsolicited emails. There is a base or root value where crooks and con artists will always be able to find prey, whether they are selling gilt edged bibles or offering better sex or longer life. Hell, there are those that are flogging lame do-nothing anti-spyware software in an effort to fleece them of their money.
As long as there are humans and an Internet there will be spam problems. You could even set up a business as an online retailer clearing house where people would send you money to pay for things for them, trusting you to tell them when it is a con job. There are those would would pay for it... say $2.50 per event to be sure they didn't get conned. How's that for a scam?
See... this problem won't go away anytime soon. Washington? Are you listening? New laws will only make this situation WORSE, not make it go away.
I guess I'm cynical. I hear them saying no more than 90 days EXCEPT in some special cases.
How is that different from:
We'll continue to hold any data that we think is of use, but the rest of the garbage that most of our users seem to want to look at will be thrown away after 90 days because we really don't want to store your garbage for longer than we find it useful. oh, and, uhhh, some other company mentioned 90 days somewhere in the beer tent of some convention, so that's definitely a good number.
I know what you mean, but I don't have that trouble much. Using FF with plugins I don't see much advertising at all. Sometimes, when I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll surf using the SeaMonkey browser because I left it default bare. That way I can see all those ads from doubleclick et al if I want to.
Sad but true, I don't get nostalgic much :-)
Well, I think it's kind of cool that they are putting back, so to speak. If they can use that tweak, so can everyone else. If your requirements all fit on one host server, then that server might now be able to do much more. Perhaps the next changes should be to allow a setting that penalizes retail advertisements by adding some arbitrary delay of greater than 10 seconds?
Yes, as a junior senator, voting is something you can do about not letting it get worse. He's president elect now and has the ear of everyone in the beltway and the world.... so.... what is he going to DO about it? He can't vote against it anymore in the Senate. Where will his veto votes be spent? It's a nice history, that, but what is his plan to fix the problems. So many promises are broken on the day after inauguration. What is Mr Obama's plan going forward?
Now, 250 million Americans should be writing to the Obama organization and asking why the fuck it was allowed in the first place and what is HE going to do about it... in the next 12 months, not how will he leave it to the next election.
Just a couple of corrections:
In their effort to ... maximize profits, they have created a generations of would be criminals. Simply because they refuse to adapt their revenue stream and the only outcome is aggravation and financial loss for all who are involved, given enough time.
I'm writing to Mr Obama about this, with the intent of ensuring that the people who run the **AAs, their legal teams, and anyone closely associated with them are on the aggravation and financial loss for all who are involved end of this equation.
Personally, I think that Canadians should get their money worth of music. Oddly, the CRIA forgot to tell you how many songs and/or movies that is.... grab what you can while you can. The tax law does not say how much you can download, only that you have to pay a tax in case you do... hmmmmm Need any help setting up a Petabyte RAID server?
Sorry mate, but in merry olde England, brick and mortar was a valid saying 20 years ago, but it had not yet been applied to online vendors/retailers. I do like the thought of the black market having an online shopping cart though. Sort of like a bacon sandwich vending machine!
This is really close to what I do. Running a home network, all the data is dumped to a RAID-1 and monthly copied to CD/DVD, which are kept in suitable storage space. This gives 3 levels of recovery:
1 - local hard drives have the data - manually done
2 - RAID on the network has a copy - scripted backups
3 - CD/DVD has a copy - manually initiated scripted backup
If I was truly worried, I'd make two CD/DVD copies and store one in Iron Mountain or something similar.
You can substitute USB drives for one of the CD/DVD copies if you like. The only answer to fragility of storage mediums is to make multiple copies and refresh those copies often enough that the inevitable failure is mitigated. I personally choose to use TAR and GZIP for now as I trust these formats will be usable in the months ahead. If they become outdated at some point, I can change that going forward and save a LIVE-CD with those utilities on it with the older data.
You can encrypt the CD/DVD copies easily enough for security, but long term you might want to make sure you write that password down :-)
that half the web is not standards compliant.... good thing they are finally publishing this.
Wow, there are a lot of good questions being made here, but one thing REALLY bothers me:
The aim of the Commission is to help the incoming administration balance "cyberspace" security needs with civil liberties.
The word balance suggests that there is give and take on either side of the scale. I posit that there is not. Civil liberties must be maintained, at the cost of security on the Internet if required. Q: How do you intend to manage that problem?
A government commission on 'cyberspace' security should obviously be intending to bring 'cyber criminals' to justice in order to protect ..... what exactly? What exactly is 'cyberspace' that you are going to secure?
If your domain is bringing criminals to justice, shouldn't you simply be an enhanced part of the FBI?
In what ways have you, and will you work with groups from other countries with similar mandates?
So far, you seem to like using 15-20 year old buzz words. How does this reflect on your ability to react quickly to the changing landscape of threats to Internet infrastructure, businesses, and commerce etcetera? Further, 'cyberspace' as most of us know it is very big. How do you intend to react quickly and 'secure' it when the tens of thousands of people and companies currently trying to do so are not able to? Making it illegal to run un-patched databases on websites will NOT fix the problem, so how do you intend to fix the problems?
As someone who writes software I am keenly interested to know if my vocation will come with risk of incarceration in the future. Will simple security mistakes bring to me risk of punishment, other than punishment of losing my current job?
Aside from virus software one of the largest commercial security problems is DDoS attacks. Will you address that problem, or only problems that you can easily handle? Will the FCC be assisting you in any respect with regard to DDoS attack handling etc. Since 'cyberspace' runs on commercial pipes for the most part, and those pipes/tubes are full of lolcats running P2P, what will be the commissions reaction to capacity issues with regard to security of 'cyberspace'.
Are there any specific commercial ventures that will be ignored by the commission's work? Will this affect my local website AND Google, or just Google?
Is the word 'cyberspace' used in the title to relieve anyone of actually having to define what you will be responsible for?
28 centuries later? I just got a really bad feeling about that in my stomach. After Reign Of Fire, that title is possible....