Congratulations! You just disproved Christianity, or at least one of its main doctrines. If people's brains are hard-wired to believe in God, then the entire concept of Free Will goes right out the window. You have to believe in God because your brain is so wired. Ergo, there is no God, at least not for Christians who believe in Free Will.
I mean, increasingly, firewalls are being combined into multipurpose devices that provide NAT, Web serving, DMZ, VPN, media streaming, wireless access, etc. I mean even the lowly Linksys WRT54G, available for ~$50 USD almost anywhere, supports VPN, provides NAT, DMZ, UPnP capabilities, rudimentary web filtering, and has a built-in wireless access point. I mean, this thing doesn't even support wireless, which would make it useful for laptops, etc.
why do we have to push Linux on people? I'm a massive Linux fan, but I use windows as my main desktop mainly due to games but I use a lot of open source tools on my windows machine. main two being audacity and Firefox.
Actually, this brings up a very good point. For some applications like Audacity, the preferred platform may actually be Linux, or more specifically, distros that are aimed at being a professional audio/video workstation like Ubuntu Studio, which includes a low-latency kernel tuned for A/V work and dozens of audio tools that are only available on *nix. Audacity may work on Windows, but I've used it on both platforms and I much prefer to work with it on a low-latency-optimized Linux setup, right beside applications like Ardour with a plugin architecture like JACK.
Maybe that's true, but they also feel that NeoOffice is stable enough for everyday use. From the front page:
Released as free, open source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL), NeoOffice is fully functional and stable enough for everyday use. The software is actively developed, so improvements and small updates are made available on a regular basis.
also the same FAQ says:
NeoOffice is a reasonably stable version of the OpenOffice.org office suite that has been engineered to run natively on Mac OS
I've not used NeoOffice, but to me, this sounds like the software is in the stage Firefox was in just before hitting 1.0 -- stable enough for everyday use; maybe there are a few bugs, but they get fixed quickly so downloading the latest release is usually a good idea before filing a bug report.
My father bought a 17" LCD from BB for $400 3 years back and they charged him $80 for a special extended warranty on top of it. I told him the warranty was not worth it, and it was a hassle getting that money back the next day until I threatened to return the whole unit.
Although, three years ago 17" LCDs were generally priced higher across the board then they are today. OTOH, 3 years ago you could buy a 17" LCD for $300-350 or so almost anywhere online, with shipping coming in at $10-20 for ground, but many places will cover your shipping cost if you spend more than $200, so YMMV.
BB is not a place you go to for anything - service, product selection, etc. I'd rather take the limited selection of Costco for something big like a TV, or just get it online.
And so people are. Places like Costco, Sam's Club and Wal*Mart are eating Best Buy, Circuit City and CompUSA for lunch, so these companies have been forced to close stores and cut staff. People aren't so concerned with selection when these days when, for instance, the HP midrange notebooks and the Dell midrange notebooks aren't much different in specs or features and any price differential is essentially washed by massive volume deals that warehouse stores and retail giants like Wal*Mart are able to get.
The nice Judges in the Helsinki District Court have decided that, with the wide-spread use of DeCSS, CSS no longer achieves it's objective. So rather than make criminals out of all the Linux users in Finland (- those who don't watch DVDs on their computers) they have rightly stated that DeCSS isn't an effective encryption mechanism, and thus, it isn't any more illegal to bypass the CSS than it would be if the DVD in question were unencrypted.
Mod parent up! Agreed 100%. It specifically says that the copy control mechanism must achieve the protection objective. There's no other way to interpret that, at least in my mind.
I would love to see language like this amended to the DMCA. As the DMCA reads now, vs lbh whfg qrpbqrq gur erfg bs guvf fragrapr, lbh oebxr gur ynj. ** Now isn't that ridiculous?
** remainder of sentence protected by patent-pending ROT13(tm) Digital Rights Management
Maybe, maybe not. I have no standing to sue Microsoft for libel because they have not named my project specifically. It would have to be Linus or Sun / OOo Foundation or the Mozilla Foundation, the GNOME Foundation, the FSF, etc. (Hint! Hint!)
This announcement seems almost like a tailor-made response to my . But I'm not presumptuous enough to believe that Smith even *read* my e-mail to him or the posting on Slashdot, since the coward hasn't bothered to reply. But I'm going to pretend and treat it like one with an open reply
"Most people who are familiar with patents know it's not standard operating procedure to list the patents," Markwith said. "The response of that would be administratively impossible to keep up with."
Dear Messrs. Smith and Markwirth,
Right. It's not standard operating procedure to list the patents when you are claiming patent infringement in order to use it as a weapon. You declared war on the Free and Open Source Software Movements, you're the ones pointing the gun, so c'mon. It's time to put up or shut up. Sue the community, sue Red Hat, sue Linus, sue the Mozilla Foundation, the Free Software Foundation, and sue Sun. Sue IBM. Sue me! Maybe my little project violates your patents! Let's have it! SUE US!
Stop this cowardly spreading of FUD. I declare that the Emperor has no clothes. Take us to court. You know we'd sue you if you violated the GPL, so let's have it.
Or do you, as I said before, are you afraid? What is it? Fear that you'd have all of your patents thrown out of court? Or maybe you fear that the industry would turn against you? No, I think it's all those things, but most of all it's that your bluff would be called and you'd have to stop spreading FUD. You know you can do more to damage Linux's reputation by sullying its good name with lies and innuendo about patents that are either obviously invalid or non-existant.
We have a saying where I come from: "Don't let your mouth write any checks that your ass can't cash!"
Do third-world children really abuse what they own like that? Or is that the way a first world child would?
Do third-world children really have a choice? Many do not have a roof over their head and those who do live in horrid squalor with no toilets, electricity, running water or even floors. Their machines will get dirty just from exposure to these environments.
I'm not so keen on the purse idea. While it might appeal to some women, I have a suspicion that it would be at risk of theft at all times. Better to use a more nondescript bag than a fancy cover with an external screen that shouts, "Steal me! I'm expensive!"
The summary states that it was designed as a fashion accessory. Do you know what 'fashion accessory' means? It means something a woman wears that shouts, "Steal me! I'm expensive!" Just ask my wife.
If you called a cab long distance, you would pay per minute for the call and be taxed on its cost, but that's not likely.
I can tell you've never lived in an area controlled by the Ameritech/SBC/The NEW AT&T/or whatever they're calling themselves these days. In one place I lived in in Michigan, it was long distance to call across the street. No, I'm not kidding.
It's stupid and pointless to debate whether fair use is a right or a legally defensible position. It extends from a misunderstanding of the term 'affirmative defense', a term that the SCOTUS has used to describe the concept of fair use. Just because something is an 'affirmative defense', that doesn't mean that it's not a right. The First Amendment is often used as an affirmative defense -- but clearly the First Amendment is a right. It's just also a legally defensible position.
All 'affirmative defense' means is that the burden is on the defendant to raise and prove that his use was fair and not infringement.
Fair use is a limitation on copyright protection contained in the statute. It could easily be argued that most instances of fair use are an exercise of the First Amendment right of free speech.
"Since you guys keep cracking our DRM schemes, we're going to be really nice and grant you fair use rights for the stuff you're paying for.** See how cool we are!?"
** for a small fee of course. That's right we're going to CHARGE YOU for exercising your RIGHTS under Fair Use, including the right to make a backup for archival purposes and to use your legally purchased media on your own devices.
They can blow it out their ass. I'll just keep cracking the DRM, thanks.
Have you guys even looked at an Ubuntu Application menu?
It's not called 'GIMP', it's called 'GIMP Image Editor'. It's not called 'Totem', it's called 'Movie Player'. It's not called 'Evolution', it's called 'Evolution Mail Client'. It's not called 'GAIM/Pidgin', it's called 'Instant Messenger'.
I did bring up a problem that still actually exists: miserable design procedures. Several other posters already admitted that was a relevant point.
A miserable design that existed in an Ubuntu version first released on October 10, 2005? Look, they fixed that problem in the very next release! Get over it. The new installer has been here to stay for a long time and the problem to which you keep referring to no longer exists. The design has been way improved since then, as have the design procedures being used by the Canonical folks.
Slashdot Mirror
But it uses software to re-direct Layer 2/3 to the dongle. Which means basically makes it a software firewall.
Congratulations! You just disproved Christianity, or at least one of its main doctrines. If people's brains are hard-wired to believe in God, then the entire concept of Free Will goes right out the window. You have to believe in God because your brain is so wired. Ergo, there is no God, at least not for Christians who believe in Free Will.
I mean, increasingly, firewalls are being combined into multipurpose devices that provide NAT, Web serving, DMZ, VPN, media streaming, wireless access, etc. I mean even the lowly Linksys WRT54G, available for ~$50 USD almost anywhere, supports VPN, provides NAT, DMZ, UPnP capabilities, rudimentary web filtering, and has a built-in wireless access point. I mean, this thing doesn't even support wireless, which would make it useful for laptops, etc.
IOW, someone tell me why I should care?
Netcraft confirms it: Apache is DYING!
Actually, this brings up a very good point. For some applications like Audacity, the preferred platform may actually be Linux, or more specifically, distros that are aimed at being a professional audio/video workstation like Ubuntu Studio, which includes a low-latency kernel tuned for A/V work and dozens of audio tools that are only available on *nix. Audacity may work on Windows, but I've used it on both platforms and I much prefer to work with it on a low-latency-optimized Linux setup, right beside applications like Ardour with a plugin architecture like JACK.
also the same FAQ says:
I've not used NeoOffice, but to me, this sounds like the software is in the stage Firefox was in just before hitting 1.0 -- stable enough for everyday use; maybe there are a few bugs, but they get fixed quickly so downloading the latest release is usually a good idea before filing a bug report.
Although, three years ago 17" LCDs were generally priced higher across the board then they are today. OTOH, 3 years ago you could buy a 17" LCD for $300-350 or so almost anywhere online, with shipping coming in at $10-20 for ground, but many places will cover your shipping cost if you spend more than $200, so YMMV.
And so people are. Places like Costco, Sam's Club and Wal*Mart are eating Best Buy, Circuit City and CompUSA for lunch, so these companies have been forced to close stores and cut staff. People aren't so concerned with selection when these days when, for instance, the HP midrange notebooks and the Dell midrange notebooks aren't much different in specs or features and any price differential is essentially washed by massive volume deals that warehouse stores and retail giants like Wal*Mart are able to get.
Mod parent up! Agreed 100%. It specifically says that the copy control mechanism must achieve the protection objective. There's no other way to interpret that, at least in my mind.
I would love to see language like this amended to the DMCA. As the DMCA reads now, vs lbh whfg qrpbqrq gur erfg bs guvf fragrapr, lbh oebxr gur ynj. ** Now isn't that ridiculous?
** remainder of sentence protected by patent-pending ROT13(tm) Digital Rights Management
Well, except for the DV camera sitting in front of it
Maybe, maybe not. I have no standing to sue Microsoft for libel because they have not named my project specifically. It would have to be Linus or Sun / OOo Foundation or the Mozilla Foundation, the GNOME Foundation, the FSF, etc. (Hint! Hint!)
s/my/my Open Letter to Brad Smith.
Dear Messrs. Smith and Markwirth,
Right. It's not standard operating procedure to list the patents when you are claiming patent infringement in order to use it as a weapon. You declared war on the Free and Open Source Software Movements, you're the ones pointing the gun, so c'mon. It's time to put up or shut up. Sue the community, sue Red Hat, sue Linus, sue the Mozilla Foundation, the Free Software Foundation, and sue Sun. Sue IBM. Sue me! Maybe my little project violates your patents! Let's have it! SUE US!
Stop this cowardly spreading of FUD. I declare that the Emperor has no clothes. Take us to court. You know we'd sue you if you violated the GPL, so let's have it.
Or do you, as I said before, are you afraid? What is it? Fear that you'd have all of your patents thrown out of court? Or maybe you fear that the industry would turn against you? No, I think it's all those things, but most of all it's that your bluff would be called and you'd have to stop spreading FUD. You know you can do more to damage Linux's reputation by sullying its good name with lies and innuendo about patents that are either obviously invalid or non-existant.
We have a saying where I come from: "Don't let your mouth write any checks that your ass can't cash!"
Put up or shut up. Sue us!
And the kids in Dharavi have electricity as well. But it's a far cry from the reliable, stable power even the poorest kids in the U.S. enjoy.
Even so, the conditions for the urban kids you mention are a lot worse than you might think. My point still stands.
Do third-world children really have a choice? Many do not have a roof over their head and those who do live in horrid squalor with no toilets, electricity, running water or even floors. Their machines will get dirty just from exposure to these environments.
The summary states that it was designed as a fashion accessory. Do you know what 'fashion accessory' means? It means something a woman wears that shouts, "Steal me! I'm expensive!" Just ask my wife.
I can tell you've never lived in an area controlled by the Ameritech/SBC/The NEW AT&T/or whatever they're calling themselves these days. In one place I lived in in Michigan, it was long distance to call across the street. No, I'm not kidding.
It's stupid and pointless to debate whether fair use is a right or a legally defensible position. It extends from a misunderstanding of the term 'affirmative defense', a term that the SCOTUS has used to describe the concept of fair use. Just because something is an 'affirmative defense', that doesn't mean that it's not a right. The First Amendment is often used as an affirmative defense -- but clearly the First Amendment is a right. It's just also a legally defensible position.
All 'affirmative defense' means is that the burden is on the defendant to raise and prove that his use was fair and not infringement.
Fair use is a limitation on copyright protection contained in the statute. It could easily be argued that most instances of fair use are an exercise of the First Amendment right of free speech.
** for a small fee of course. That's right we're going to CHARGE YOU for exercising your RIGHTS under Fair Use, including the right to make a backup for archival purposes and to use your legally purchased media on your own devices.
They can blow it out their ass. I'll just keep cracking the DRM, thanks.
It's not a state, it's a Commonwealth
To quote Jamie McCarthy: "We *know*."
Have you guys even looked at an Ubuntu Application menu?
It's not called 'GIMP', it's called 'GIMP Image Editor'. It's not called 'Totem', it's called 'Movie Player'. It's not called 'Evolution', it's called 'Evolution Mail Client'. It's not called 'GAIM/Pidgin', it's called 'Instant Messenger'.
Next?
I did bring up a problem that still actually exists: miserable design procedures. Several other posters already admitted that was a relevant point.
A miserable design that existed in an Ubuntu version first released on October 10, 2005? Look, they fixed that problem in the very next release! Get over it. The new installer has been here to stay for a long time and the problem to which you keep referring to no longer exists. The design has been way improved since then, as have the design procedures being used by the Canonical folks.
Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson!