I'd guess the opposition would jump on your TOS agreement, and say you were out of order for providing these services (depends on your ISP, of course). I hope anti-spam legislation doesn't ricochet into tougher TOS agreements, and tougher enforcements thereof.
Move to New Hampshire, the free state, and set this up. I know, voting procedures and libertarianism are two different topics. But they are related in the sense that they are both progressive attempts to reform government. Perhaps it would be easier to advocate such a project in a free New Hampshire (should the Free State project succeed) than elsewhere. Just a random thought.
What if all machines lawfully sold in the US have that DRM crap?
Right. That would be bad. The lack of choice would be bad. Not DRM per-se, but an RIAA or otherwise inspired conviction on the part of computer manufactuers, lawmakers, what have you, that would preclude us from buying non-DRM technology. I completely agree that that would be bad. I just don't think that DRM itself is the problem. The problem is monotheism.
What does "win" mean? Majority market share? Probably. Eliminating alternative choices? I don't think that's going to happen. Even a minority can wield enough purchasing power to create a market - Apple comes to mind. If almost everyone uses Windows, but I can still use Linux, that's fine with me. If almost everyone uses Phoenix's bios, but I can buy something else, that suits me too. Choice is good. Sometimes that means giving people you don't agree with their choice too, even if they're in the majority...
I'm not a big fan of DRM. I will probably attempt to avoid DRM enabled products. That said, I think it's a perfectly valid technology. Perfectly valid in the sense that the market can decide whether or not it wants DRM, without banning it outright, etc. As long as people can un-DRM things that they own (their own word docs, etc.) and export/import them into a competing product, I don't see how DRM by itself can give anyone such undue influence that there's no turning back. What's the lock? Big media cartels and software monopolies are the problem, not DRM. I think the foolishness of many copyright/licensing schemes will become readily apparent when they can be rigorously enforced.
Yeah, after I found out I could insert text in my word document that *sparkles*, I figured that my word processor was feature-complete. What more could you need?
Everybody copies everyone else. This is good and natural. I heard an expression once that went something like "If scientists stand on the shoulders of giants, computer scientist stand on each others toes." Or something like that. Anyway, this is one of the main reasons that free software is such a good idea, and why proprietary patented software is not so good. Evolution requires that copies be made, and tweaked. Rinse and Repeat.
I'm not a big fan of Diebold voting machines, but it seems to me that if Slashdot makes a habit of posting articles about every company that doesn't keep up with patches, that there won't be much room for anything else. Diebold voting machines need improvement. People should apply patches.
I really have no idea, but let's say a tech support person can take 5 calls an hour. Wouldn't the difference between international and domestic phone rates cover the increased cost of hiring someone local to take the calls?
Yeah, I know people who do that. I just have a pile of computers plugged through a KVM switch into a 21" monitor - but that's a different story. (My main computer is still my laptop.) I don't really want all the accessories, though. I like my desk space. I don't want to spend the money. I want the same ergonomics at home as I have in the office. IBM has built some prototypes that pretty much capture what I'd love to have.
Umm, does play ogg. They partnered with xiph.org (the nice people who gave us the free codec in the first place) to make it happen. There's still some work to do, I think, but their support of xiph is a big plus in my opinion.
I haven't had the spendies to pick one up, though. Anyone have some first hand insight/comments?
There are technological challenges to be overcome, but that's just work. But I expect political/legal issues will begin to play a role also. Technically, there's nothing stopping you from building a spark gap transmitter. Legally, you're not allowed to. Technically, you could mix up a batch of high explosives to help you mine your back yard. Legally, I wouldn't recommend it.
Who's going to write these laws? The people who get the most votes. Who's going to vote for them? Will they think about or prioritize the issues surrounding p2p networks? I'd say not. There is still hope. Consciencious legislators try to educate themselves before *they* vote. Or at least we can hope. But where do they get their information? I really don't know. Advisors, the newspaper, their interns, letters from their constituents, lobbiests, ??? Let's elect Lawrence Lessig.
Microsoft used to be the underdog. DOS on a PC was the cheap way to get into computing. Macintoshes were more expensive and more proprietary. Microsoft won from below.
Apple software has opened up a lot, but the hardware is still pretty closed. I'm not saying this is a bad thing - there are certainly advantages to not having to develop for every chip out there. But Macs still cost more. The differences aren't as great as when prices were overall higher, but the difference still sways sales.
Linux on a cheap beige box is the new underdog. There are a couple of critical apps missing - CAD, desktop publishing, web authoring - but it's only a matter of time before they arrive. That puts Microsoft in an interesting position. How do they undercut free? Free as beer *and* free as in freedom. They can't. There are only two plays Microsoft can make, I think. They can make better software. They can lock people into de-facto standard proprietary data formats and protocols. If they don't pull off at least one of these plays, there is nothing left supporting Microsoft's hegemony.
Sure, there are other reasons that people use MS, but they are not as fundamental. If Microsoft fails to convince people that its software is better, if they fail to lock people in, then over time, attrition will take it's toll. I don't expect a sea change, just slow erosion.
Re:What are you talking about?
on
Effective XML
·
· Score: 1
XML isn't slow by nature
Hmm, you may be right, but I'm not so sure. Older technologies, such as relational databases, have very robust mathematical and computer science underpinnings. XML has a different heritage. It's the next step in the evolution of a markup language. I realize that comparing databases and XML is comparing apples and oranges, but that's kind of the point. I think the question of whether or not it can be shoehorned into efficient & robust data stores remains to be determined.
Your point is well taken, although I think there's also an argument for an opposite point of view. Technology is not an end in and of itself. The "higher purpose" decisions are what political bodies are all about. Or supposed to be about. Now I realize it doesn't always work out that way - there are too many internecine turf wars, special interests, and greedy politicians for the "higher purpose" (whatever that is) to actually make it to the table a lot of the time. But I think that's the idea, anyway.
To me, life and death is critical. Not being able to read Slashdot is not critical. Are there functions at, say, hospitals where people's lives hang on being able to access the Internet? Backup power just takes a generator. How do you provide backup Internet to a hospital? I think that's the distinction between the electrical grid and the Internet. You can't really provision your own Internet for emergency purposes. At least not very easily.
Yup. My laptop replaced my desktop quite a while ago.
I think there are only two reasons laptops have not completely usurped desktops already. Horsepower isn't one of them. (1) Cost. (2) Ergonomics. The physical configuration of today's laptops doesn't put the screen at the right height, or the keyboard in the right position. I deal with it, but since this is what I do all day long, I do start to worry about being hunched over in such a bad posture all the time. Someone really needs to come up with a detacheable monitor that can be raised to a proper height, and a keyboard that can be more ergonomically positioned. I think that economies of scale and Moore's law will take care of the cost problem.
I dunno, I think once you get the hang of it, doing a Debian install is pretty easy. I use two floppies, and do the network install. I can get a basic system up in 10-15 minutes. If you need other drivers, the install allows for that. If you have identical hardware, you can just clone them (boot both systems with Knoppix, and dd over netcat, or sfdisk, mkswap, mke2fs, tar, etc. via ssh to be more efficient) (same for any other distro, of course).
Debian's release cycle is a little slow, so by the end things seem a little out of date. But when the new stable comes out, upgrading will be a snap (if the past is any indication). Install once, and then easy upgrades from then on.
Personally, I wish the general public (i.e. big media) would give some more attention to the way votes are cast. I don't mean paper vs. computer. I mean whether you cast a single vote or multiple for a single candidate/issue, and so forth.
But seriously, I think one mistake is presume that the Linux that the technically challenged will use must resemble a typical PC/Mac desktop. My wife uses Linux, but all she cares about is email and browsing the web. Cheap internet appliances that perform such tasks could be built using today's software.
workplace ergonomists consulting with the PHBs are way more into following trends in their own field than in actually noticing what are the needs of employees
Well said. I think this phenomena is common enough that it should have a name.
Slashdot Mirror
I'd guess the opposition would jump on your TOS agreement, and say you were out of order for providing these services (depends on your ISP, of course). I hope anti-spam legislation doesn't ricochet into tougher TOS agreements, and tougher enforcements thereof.
first a minority uses devious manipulation of the electoral process to sieze power from the majority
I think that majority votes are still necessary to win elections. No? What do you mean by "devious manipulation"?
Move to New Hampshire, the free state, and set this up. I know, voting procedures and libertarianism are two different topics. But they are related in the sense that they are both progressive attempts to reform government. Perhaps it would be easier to advocate such a project in a free New Hampshire (should the Free State project succeed) than elsewhere. Just a random thought.
What if all machines lawfully sold in the US have that DRM crap?
Right. That would be bad. The lack of choice would be bad. Not DRM per-se, but an RIAA or otherwise inspired conviction on the part of computer manufactuers, lawmakers, what have you, that would preclude us from buying non-DRM technology. I completely agree that that would be bad. I just don't think that DRM itself is the problem. The problem is monotheism.
What does "win" mean? Majority market share? Probably. Eliminating alternative choices? I don't think that's going to happen. Even a minority can wield enough purchasing power to create a market - Apple comes to mind. If almost everyone uses Windows, but I can still use Linux, that's fine with me. If almost everyone uses Phoenix's bios, but I can buy something else, that suits me too. Choice is good. Sometimes that means giving people you don't agree with their choice too, even if they're in the majority...
I'm not a big fan of DRM. I will probably attempt to avoid DRM enabled products. That said, I think it's a perfectly valid technology. Perfectly valid in the sense that the market can decide whether or not it wants DRM, without banning it outright, etc. As long as people can un-DRM things that they own (their own word docs, etc.) and export/import them into a competing product, I don't see how DRM by itself can give anyone such undue influence that there's no turning back. What's the lock? Big media cartels and software monopolies are the problem, not DRM. I think the foolishness of many copyright/licensing schemes will become readily apparent when they can be rigorously enforced.
Yeah, after I found out I could insert text in my word document that *sparkles*, I figured that my word processor was feature-complete. What more could you need?
I think if Peter Jackson's filmaking came much closer to the imaginary vision I've had since childhood, I'd have to start wearing a tinfoil hat.
Everybody copies everyone else. This is good and natural. I heard an expression once that went something like "If scientists stand on the shoulders of giants, computer scientist stand on each others toes." Or something like that. Anyway, this is one of the main reasons that free software is such a good idea, and why proprietary patented software is not so good. Evolution requires that copies be made, and tweaked. Rinse and Repeat.
I'm not a big fan of Diebold voting machines, but it seems to me that if Slashdot makes a habit of posting articles about every company that doesn't keep up with patches, that there won't be much room for anything else. Diebold voting machines need improvement. People should apply patches.
I really have no idea, but let's say a tech support person can take 5 calls an hour. Wouldn't the difference between international and domestic phone rates cover the increased cost of hiring someone local to take the calls?
Yeah, I know people who do that. I just have a pile of computers plugged through a KVM switch into a 21" monitor - but that's a different story. (My main computer is still my laptop.) I don't really want all the accessories, though. I like my desk space. I don't want to spend the money. I want the same ergonomics at home as I have in the office. IBM has built some prototypes that pretty much capture what I'd love to have.
Umm, does play ogg. They partnered with xiph.org (the nice people who gave us the free codec in the first place) to make it happen. There's still some work to do, I think, but their support of xiph is a big plus in my opinion.
I haven't had the spendies to pick one up, though. Anyone have some first hand insight/comments?
There are technological challenges to be overcome, but that's just work. But I expect political/legal issues will begin to play a role also. Technically, there's nothing stopping you from building a spark gap transmitter. Legally, you're not allowed to. Technically, you could mix up a batch of high explosives to help you mine your back yard. Legally, I wouldn't recommend it.
Who's going to write these laws? The people who get the most votes. Who's going to vote for them? Will they think about or prioritize the issues surrounding p2p networks? I'd say not. There is still hope. Consciencious legislators try to educate themselves before *they* vote. Or at least we can hope. But where do they get their information? I really don't know. Advisors, the newspaper, their interns, letters from their constituents, lobbiests, ??? Let's elect Lawrence Lessig.
Microsoft used to be the underdog. DOS on a PC was the cheap way to get into computing. Macintoshes were more expensive and more proprietary. Microsoft won from below.
Apple software has opened up a lot, but the hardware is still pretty closed. I'm not saying this is a bad thing - there are certainly advantages to not having to develop for every chip out there. But Macs still cost more. The differences aren't as great as when prices were overall higher, but the difference still sways sales.
Linux on a cheap beige box is the new underdog. There are a couple of critical apps missing - CAD, desktop publishing, web authoring - but it's only a matter of time before they arrive. That puts Microsoft in an interesting position. How do they undercut free? Free as beer *and* free as in freedom. They can't. There are only two plays Microsoft can make, I think. They can make better software. They can lock people into de-facto standard proprietary data formats and protocols. If they don't pull off at least one of these plays, there is nothing left supporting Microsoft's hegemony.
Sure, there are other reasons that people use MS, but they are not as fundamental. If Microsoft fails to convince people that its software is better, if they fail to lock people in, then over time, attrition will take it's toll. I don't expect a sea change, just slow erosion.
XML isn't slow by nature
Hmm, you may be right, but I'm not so sure. Older technologies, such as relational databases, have very robust mathematical and computer science underpinnings. XML has a different heritage. It's the next step in the evolution of a markup language. I realize that comparing databases and XML is comparing apples and oranges, but that's kind of the point. I think the question of whether or not it can be shoehorned into efficient & robust data stores remains to be determined.
Your point is well taken, although I think there's also an argument for an opposite point of view. Technology is not an end in and of itself. The "higher purpose" decisions are what political bodies are all about. Or supposed to be about. Now I realize it doesn't always work out that way - there are too many internecine turf wars, special interests, and greedy politicians for the "higher purpose" (whatever that is) to actually make it to the table a lot of the time. But I think that's the idea, anyway.
To me, life and death is critical. Not being able to read Slashdot is not critical. Are there functions at, say, hospitals where people's lives hang on being able to access the Internet? Backup power just takes a generator. How do you provide backup Internet to a hospital? I think that's the distinction between the electrical grid and the Internet. You can't really provision your own Internet for emergency purposes. At least not very easily.
Ahh yes. And don't forget Rubbermaid containers for the big stuff. Every time I go to Home Depot on an errand, I pick up one or two more.
Yup. My laptop replaced my desktop quite a while ago.
I think there are only two reasons laptops have not completely usurped desktops already. Horsepower isn't one of them. (1) Cost. (2) Ergonomics. The physical configuration of today's laptops doesn't put the screen at the right height, or the keyboard in the right position. I deal with it, but since this is what I do all day long, I do start to worry about being hunched over in such a bad posture all the time. Someone really needs to come up with a detacheable monitor that can be raised to a proper height, and a keyboard that can be more ergonomically positioned. I think that economies of scale and Moore's law will take care of the cost problem.
I dunno, I think once you get the hang of it, doing a Debian install is pretty easy. I use two floppies, and do the network install. I can get a basic system up in 10-15 minutes. If you need other drivers, the install allows for that. If you have identical hardware, you can just clone them (boot both systems with Knoppix, and dd over netcat, or sfdisk, mkswap, mke2fs, tar, etc. via ssh to be more efficient) (same for any other distro, of course).
Debian's release cycle is a little slow, so by the end things seem a little out of date. But when the new stable comes out, upgrading will be a snap (if the past is any indication). Install once, and then easy upgrades from then on.
Personally, I wish the general public (i.e. big media) would give some more attention to the way votes are cast. I don't mean paper vs. computer. I mean whether you cast a single vote or multiple for a single candidate/issue, and so forth.
the "your mama" test will be more easily passed
;)
I don't think insults will promote adoption.
But seriously, I think one mistake is presume that the Linux that the technically challenged will use must resemble a typical PC/Mac desktop. My wife uses Linux, but all she cares about is email and browsing the web. Cheap internet appliances that perform such tasks could be built using today's software.
workplace ergonomists consulting with the PHBs are way more into following trends in their own field than in actually noticing what are the needs of employees
Well said. I think this phenomena is common enough that it should have a name.