Linux fighting DRM
Don't think so. It's been in the kernel since 2.6.12.
$ uname -r
2.6.13n
$ zcat/proc/config.gz | grep DRM
CONFIG_DRM=m
# CONFIG_DRM_TDFX is not set
# CONFIG_DRM_R128 is not set
# CONFIG_DRM_RADEON is not s
Exactly. If it is not going to be enforced by the company, then why does it need to be written down in the document.
"Friendly". Bah. When times get tougher, you'll see. And, moreover, even if you trust the guy is telling you this (you probably shouldn't), don't forget that bosses change, or can get orders too. But the documents stay...
Well, maybe in the US, but not in every country.
In some countries, if the law is not even clear (in full words) towards this point, judges in most cases interpret the law in the sense that such clause is null and void, recognizing that the necessity to work is stronger than a non-competion clause in an employement agreement between a COMPANY and an INDIVIDUAL. In fact, they usually recognize the company is in a much stronger position, the employee not being able to freely refuse such clause, in fact, due to his necessity to work for a living. Ok, some can argue that he has his free will to refuse. But the point is: are you really free to quit your job? Are you really free, being unemployed and having children to feed? They usually do take that into consideration.
On the other hand, disclosing trade secrets, practicing "unfair competition" and etc is severely punished (indemnification and, in some cases, criminal lawsuits).
Not true. Up to the present moment, this has been more talking than action - as most things with this government (yes, I am Brazilian). Check netcraft stats in some government MAIN sites:
I'd rather see more action and less propaganda - this government seems excellent in marketing, but really poor in *real* results. (They have been accused of distorting data, among other things, and, in some cities, like São Paulo, even fiscal mismanagement.
"We are not an extension of anti-piracy orgs, and we will not forward any letters for them or release customer information to them, without a court order"
To which they are probably absolutely right, IMHO. In many countries, if an ISP releases custommer information without a court order, they could be charged of violating their consummers privacy... Depending on the country, it could go from damages indemnification to penal consequences...
Don't know about the law in Autralia or even in the US, but in certain countries actions similar to some of the described above could have as consequence people doing some time in jail...
At least here where I am, before performing this kind of actions better one should really better consult with criminal lawyers and be very carefull with it; One should be more worried with the penal consequences than with financial assets....
Do you remember the expression "bricks and clicks"?
Even though the source of the innovation in the industry, I think one can say Apple has always been on the "bricks" side of the industry, i.e, it was already well-established (even if they may have had market difficulties during some periods).
I think the issue, in one aspect, was that many people missed the point that the net should be one "new" channel for delivering services and goods, but most of the time not the "sole" channel for it; Many who bet solely on the net got "surprises" in due time (Amazon logistics problems, anyone?).
Also, as the article puts well when mentions the low bandwidth of the masses at the time, broadband and widespread internet access also makes *the* difference for e-commerce, which seems "re-flourishing" for some time now (itunes anyone?).
In my experience, lawyers - generally speaking - know nothing about technological concepts and software. They know the legal mumbo-jambo but have no capacity to go deeper into a techinical issue. Even the so-called "specialized" ones.
A little-noticed provision of the Democratic governor's proposed state budget would extend the sales tax to those Internet transactions, officials said Monday.
Wouldn't it mean that they intend to tax commercial transactions? i.e., downloads related to products sold, not p2p? To know, we would have to check the exact wording used in the government's document...
If it is this, it may not be enforceable, but it may not be absurd either... I believe another issue here could be dual taxing...
I'm not so sure the person who wrote the linked article really got the point...
Sorry, but I don't buy that. Now, really, could you post some data to support such claims?
Mexico and Brazil may have lots of social problems - and maybe in this aspect it could be possible that Costa Rica had some better indexes. But as far as I have heard, it does not get even close when talking about GDP, market size, level of industrialization, native technology, universities, scientific work, just to name a few...
I can't (couldn't, don't know if this issue is solved) use the ati driver because it forced the screen size/resolution above what my monitor would support (1024x768, 17 inches monitor) - and, though this is an old monitor, it is what is generally supported around here; the driver gives me no option, and that srucks.
Fortunately, for my ati card, there is an open source driver which has no such issues:)
Ok, here my non-existant karma may go negative, but, whatever, I am a native, have been following these issues lately and think should clear up some things:
(I) Regarding hunger: it has been an election and international theme brought by Mr. Luis Inacio da Silva ("Lula"). Just one little embarassment discovered last week: the main problem in Brazil in this aspect is not hunger, but OVERWEIGHT. The source? IBGE (www.ibge.gov.br), the Brazilian OFFICIAL institution for geography and statistics. This info was published in the local press this past week...
On a side note, Mr. Lula's government now determined after that that all data releases from IBGE must be forward to the government prior to public release (we are talking about weeks in advance, in opposition to the police used for years, of a simple 2 hours advance notice)...
It is worth to mention that there are indeed some *deep* social problems in Brazil, like poverty, health care, education and violence... But hunger does not seem to be a cronical problem of the country (even if it may happen in certain specific areas). In this aspect, regarding the REAL problems, not much has been done (apart from a polemical educational "quota" program without structural reform)... What is really a shame for a so-called social government!
The funny (sad?) part: when asked about the data released, the president said people were ashamed to say they had nothing to eat, not knowing that the research was not subjective, but based on physical data, like height, weight etc...
(II) Mr. Lula has been criticized by his polices regarding open-source. Not that people are against it (there are, I'm not included, I like this particular project), but some people are raising the point that it can be the right solution for some situations, but maybe not for all cases... They defend that going radical is not a good idea... And that sounds reasonable...
(III) Part of the press here said that it was Mr. Lula that was trying to meet Bill Gates, and that the later informed that his agenda would be full at Davos. Then, according to this part of the press, after the refusal, the government started circulating that it was Bill Gates who requested the meeting. The real story? Who knows?
(IV) Disclaimer: OFF-TOPIC part! -> On a side note, it is interesting to mention that a lot of dissent is growing in Brazil because of Mr. Lula's policies. Middle class seems to be suffering more with his policies (and diminishing). Not much change in the higher classes. The social income distribution, one of the worse ones in the planet, don't appear to be changing much - a common place in Brazil.
In this aspect, his political party already lost some key city elections recently, mainly because (i) dissatisfied middle classes (especially regarding increasing taxes over middle class typical activities & government bad management practices); and (ii) social oriented sectors of his own (former) coalition also dissatisfied with his too "right wing" economic policies. On a side note, interest rates are sky high - and increasing: it had a long time that a year was not so profitable for the Banking/Financial industry... Mr. Lula even received kudos from the Citibank top guy at Davos!
Some projects presented by the goverment and that are being battled in congress seem to try to limit the free press, the arts, to curb the freedom of university self-structuring and its research freedom ( some call it "stalinization" of universities, the project mentions labor unions members - all sectors, not only the related to the teaching/researching activity - actively involved in the role of determining what kind of research each university must do and ),etc.
There was, in his goverment, unprecedent number of public positions nominations, with lots of labor union leaders (Mr. Lula come from the labor unions) occupaing top managerial posts in several fields. If it wo
Not sure about the law in the US, but usually company managers/company individuals responsible for actions considered crimes are the ones held responsible. Also, in many countries, the company itself may be held liable regarding reparation/indemnification.
In Brazil, the Brazilian Federal Inland Revenue distributes, free of charge, a Windows "tax return" application (version for individuals, though the version for corporations is also available for download, too - it just happens to use other forms and it has a different timetable).
In 2003 they started a new branch of such application, in Java, which can be used in Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris, OS2 etc. They even make it available in different download formats. It is quite a good solution.
Brazilian citizens are required to download it, fill it in and transmit it via web. If one needs to pay more taxes than he/she has paid during a certain year, a certain form is printed and used for a payment through the banking system (on-line or not); If one is entitled to getting back some cash (paid more than he/she should have), the Inland Revenue makes a deposit in your bank account in few months.
There is no fee for using the software. Actually, this would be a strange concept for Brazilians: the concept is to make it easier for people to use the electronic forms (there is still the paper ones, but less and less people use it), among other reasons, for making the tax collector's lives easier (i.e., processing the information faster, the data comes already 'formatted', easier to detect 'frauds' etc). After all, tax returns are meant for tax collecting purposes...
People can also use web forms available in the website (haven't tried those though), or the 'telephone declarations' (yep, through call centers, though these ones seem almost always busy close to the deadlines).
Slashdot Mirror
Linux fighting DRM /proc/config.gz | grep DRM
Don't think so. It's been in the kernel since 2.6.12.
$ uname -r
2.6.13n
$ zcat
CONFIG_DRM=m
# CONFIG_DRM_TDFX is not set
# CONFIG_DRM_R128 is not set
# CONFIG_DRM_RADEON is not s
Err... you are mixing up unrelated things... this is DIRECT RENDERING MANAGER (DRM)... Not digital rights management...
Exactly. If it is not going to be enforced by the company, then why does it need to be written down in the document. "Friendly". Bah. When times get tougher, you'll see. And, moreover, even if you trust the guy is telling you this (you probably shouldn't), don't forget that bosses change, or can get orders too. But the documents stay...
Well, maybe in the US, but not in every country. In some countries, if the law is not even clear (in full words) towards this point, judges in most cases interpret the law in the sense that such clause is null and void, recognizing that the necessity to work is stronger than a non-competion clause in an employement agreement between a COMPANY and an INDIVIDUAL. In fact, they usually recognize the company is in a much stronger position, the employee not being able to freely refuse such clause, in fact, due to his necessity to work for a living. Ok, some can argue that he has his free will to refuse. But the point is: are you really free to quit your job? Are you really free, being unemployed and having children to feed? They usually do take that into consideration. On the other hand, disclosing trade secrets, practicing "unfair competition" and etc is severely punished (indemnification and, in some cases, criminal lawsuits).
The Brazilian IR has (official) electronic tax returns programs for Windows AND other systems - Linux, Mac, Solaris etc, though for this second group the program is in Java. But better than nothing. Check the link (Disclaimar: Brazilian Portuguese!!!): http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/PessoaFisica/IRP F/2005/PGDJAVA/progIRPF2005multiplataforma.htm
Not true. Up to the present moment, this has been more talking than action - as most things with this government (yes, I am Brazilian). Check netcraft stats in some government MAIN sites:
s idencia.gov.br
s .gov.br
e n.gov.br
. gov.br
Brazilian Presidency: http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/?host=www.pre
Brazilian Social Security: http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/?host=www.mpa
Brazilian Central Bank: http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/?host=www.bac
Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology, for "Christ's sake!": http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/?host=www.mct
I'd rather see more action and less propaganda - this government seems excellent in marketing, but really poor in *real* results. (They have been accused of distorting data, among other things, and, in some cities, like São Paulo, even fiscal mismanagement.
"We are not an extension of anti-piracy orgs, and we will not forward any letters for them or release customer information to them, without a court order"
To which they are probably absolutely right, IMHO. In many countries, if an ISP releases custommer information without a court order, they could be charged of violating their consummers privacy... Depending on the country, it could go from damages indemnification to penal consequences...
Don't know about the law in Autralia or even in the US, but in certain countries actions similar to some of the described above could have as consequence people doing some time in jail...
At least here where I am, before performing this kind of actions better one should really better consult with criminal lawyers and be very carefull with it; One should be more worried with the penal consequences than with financial assets....
Do you remember the expression "bricks and clicks"?
Even though the source of the innovation in the industry, I think one can say Apple has always been on the "bricks" side of the industry, i.e, it was already well-established (even if they may have had market difficulties during some periods).
I think the issue, in one aspect, was that many people missed the point that the net should be one "new" channel for delivering services and goods, but most of the time not the "sole" channel for it; Many who bet solely on the net got "surprises" in due time (Amazon logistics problems, anyone?).
Also, as the article puts well when mentions the low bandwidth of the masses at the time, broadband and widespread internet access also makes *the* difference for e-commerce, which seems "re-flourishing" for some time now (itunes anyone?).
In my experience, lawyers - generally speaking - know nothing about technological concepts and software. They know the legal mumbo-jambo but have no capacity to go deeper into a techinical issue. Even the so-called "specialized" ones.
Well, in Brazil, if you make the question in writing, and get your answer in writing (it can take time), you are covered up.
Just confirming, from the article linked inside the ./ linked article:
s p
Gov. Jim Doyle wants you to pay Wisconsin's 5% sales tax whenever you pay to download a song, book, movie or piece of art
Link: http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/mar05/307622.a
From the article:
A little-noticed provision of the Democratic governor's proposed state budget would extend the sales tax to those Internet transactions, officials said Monday.
Wouldn't it mean that they intend to tax commercial transactions? i.e., downloads related to products sold, not p2p? To know, we would have to check the exact wording used in the government's document...
If it is this, it may not be enforceable, but it may not be absurd either... I believe another issue here could be dual taxing...
I'm not so sure the person who wrote the linked article really got the point...
In Brazil, the tax authorities write *themselves* *the* tax program, which is written in Java - .jar or with specific installers for Windows, Linux, Solaris etc, and made available for free to anyone.P F/2005/PGDJAVA/progIRPF2005multiplataforma.htm R PF/2005/progIRPF2005umdisco.htm),
but besides the free solution, I find it interesting they make it available to many platforms through the Java solution.
Link: http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/PessoaFisica/IR
There is also a Windows specific version (http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/PessoaFisica/I
It is in their interest to ease people's lives in filing their tax forms (it increases tax collecting...).
So, at least, no expenses in software solutions. And, yet, there is also the on-line form solution.
... , yes, it beats Mexico and Brazil as well
Sorry, but I don't buy that. Now, really, could you post some data to support such claims?
Mexico and Brazil may have lots of social problems - and maybe in this aspect it could be possible that Costa Rica had some better indexes. But as far as I have heard, it does not get even close when talking about GDP, market size, level of industrialization, native technology, universities, scientific work, just to name a few...
More or less.
:)
I can't (couldn't, don't know if this issue is solved) use the ati driver because it forced the screen size/resolution above what my monitor would support (1024x768, 17 inches monitor) - and, though this is an old monitor, it is what is generally supported around here; the driver gives me no option, and that srucks.
Fortunately, for my ati card, there is an open source driver which has no such issues
Ok, here my non-existant karma may go negative, but, whatever, I am a native, have been following these issues lately and think should clear up some things:
(I) Regarding hunger: it has been an election and international theme brought by Mr. Luis Inacio da Silva ("Lula"). Just one little embarassment discovered last week: the main problem in Brazil in this aspect is not hunger, but OVERWEIGHT. The source? IBGE (www.ibge.gov.br), the Brazilian OFFICIAL institution for geography and statistics. This info was published in the local press this past week...
On a side note, Mr. Lula's government now determined after that that all data releases from IBGE must be forward to the government prior to public release (we are talking about weeks in advance, in opposition to the police used for years, of a simple 2 hours advance notice)...
It is worth to mention that there are indeed some *deep* social problems in Brazil, like poverty, health care, education and violence... But hunger does not seem to be a cronical problem of the country (even if it may happen in certain specific areas). In this aspect, regarding the REAL problems, not much has been done (apart from a polemical educational "quota" program without structural reform)... What is really a shame for a so-called social government!
The funny (sad?) part: when asked about the data released, the president said people were ashamed to say they had nothing to eat, not knowing that the research was not subjective, but based on physical data, like height, weight etc...
(II) Mr. Lula has been criticized by his polices regarding open-source. Not that people are against it (there are, I'm not included, I like this particular project), but some people are raising the point that it can be the right solution for some situations, but maybe not for all cases... They defend that going radical is not a good idea... And that sounds reasonable...
(III) Part of the press here said that it was Mr. Lula that was trying to meet Bill Gates, and that the later informed that his agenda would be full at Davos. Then, according to this part of the press, after the refusal, the government started circulating that it was Bill Gates who requested the meeting. The real story? Who knows?
(IV) Disclaimer: OFF-TOPIC part! -> On a side note, it is interesting to mention that a lot of dissent is growing in Brazil because of Mr. Lula's policies. Middle class seems to be suffering more with his policies (and diminishing). Not much change in the higher classes. The social income distribution, one of the worse ones in the planet, don't appear to be changing much - a common place in Brazil.
In this aspect, his political party already lost some key city elections recently, mainly because (i) dissatisfied middle classes (especially regarding increasing taxes over middle class typical activities & government bad management practices); and (ii) social oriented sectors of his own (former) coalition also dissatisfied with his too "right wing" economic policies. On a side note, interest rates are sky high - and increasing: it had a long time that a year was not so profitable for the Banking/Financial industry... Mr. Lula even received kudos from the Citibank top guy at Davos!
Some projects presented by the goverment and that are being battled in congress seem to try to limit the free press, the arts, to curb the freedom of university self-structuring and its research freedom ( some call it "stalinization" of universities, the project mentions labor unions members - all sectors, not only the related to the teaching/researching activity - actively involved in the role of determining what kind of research each university must do and ),etc.
There was, in his goverment, unprecedent number of public positions nominations, with lots of labor union leaders (Mr. Lula come from the labor unions) occupaing top managerial posts in several fields. If it wo
Not sure about the law in the US, but usually company managers/company individuals responsible for actions considered crimes are the ones held responsible. Also, in many countries, the company itself may be held liable regarding reparation/indemnification.
In Brazil, the Brazilian Federal Inland Revenue distributes, free of charge, a Windows "tax return" application (version for individuals, though the version for corporations is also available for download, too - it just happens to use other forms and it has a different timetable).
P F/2004/progIRPF2004multiplataforma.htm . DISCLAIMER: BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE!
In 2003 they started a new branch of such application, in Java, which can be used in Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris, OS2 etc. They even make it available in different download formats. It is quite a good solution.
Brazilian citizens are required to download it, fill it in and transmit it via web. If one needs to pay more taxes than he/she has paid during a certain year, a certain form is printed and used for a payment through the banking system (on-line or not); If one is entitled to getting back some cash (paid more than he/she should have), the Inland Revenue makes a deposit in your bank account in few months.
There is no fee for using the software. Actually, this would be a strange concept for Brazilians: the concept is to make it easier for people to use the electronic forms (there is still the paper ones, but less and less people use it), among other reasons, for making the tax collector's lives easier (i.e., processing the information faster, the data comes already 'formatted', easier to detect 'frauds' etc). After all, tax returns are meant for tax collecting purposes...
People can also use web forms available in the website (haven't tried those though), or the 'telephone declarations' (yep, through call centers, though these ones seem almost always busy close to the deadlines).
For the curious ones, the link is http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/PessoaFisica/IR
PS: Sorry for the English!