OK, so they have a web site up at talk.google.com now. Looks like they have a Windows client available. They suggest GAIM for Linux. Has anyone connected using Kopete (with Jabber plugin)? It's what I use for MSN, and I'd like to use it for Google. However, I keep getting connection errors.
So I'm a bit confused and don't really know anything about trademark law. My understanding is that trademark law prevents entities from using the trademarked name for simular products. However, it does not allow entities to trademark a common name. Otherwise I could trademark the name "software" and become very rich. Without Linux being trademarked, Microsoft could rename "Vista" to "Linux". However, they could not charge any Linux vendor for using the common name.
Now this is where someone might say the trademark is needed. If Microsoft were to rename "Vista" to "Linux", it would create confusion in the marketplace. I can see where this would be bad. However, I believe most of the concern is that this could also be used to prevent Microsoft from producing a fully GPL complient distribution of Linux, or at least calling it Linux. On the flip-side, basing your distribution on Linux and using the Linux name might fall under fair use. I'm not sure.
An addtional protection trademark might offer Linux is protection from confusion concerning any forking of the kernel. While the GPL does allow forking of the kernel, trademark prevents you from calling the fork "Linux". This may be more what Linus (and his representatives) have in mind, based on stories I've heard on how protective Linus is of his software.
I'm not sure that asking for money is the best method of protecting the Linux trademark. I say this becasue Linux has enough problems just being GPL'ed. Now don't get me wrong. I think the GPL is a work of genious. However, it has proved to be very confusing to comercial entities. Now you add trademark licencing on top of that for an addional level of confusion. I'm not sure that is wise.
My last thought on this quotes the last part of your message.
Linus (nor his representatives) is NOT asking for any money from these companies. The letter mentions that they MAY be required to pay in the future, but it's not asking any money now, nor does that mean that they will be expected to pay in the future! It merely mentions something that may or may not happen in the future.
Saying that something MAY be required in the future is the same as saying it WILL be required. Otherwise people would fully believe the US Goverment when they say the Patriot Act will only be used against terrorists, though it could be used against anyone.
What is it about computers that makes people draw analogies to automobiles?
People have been using automobile analogies so long that it is embedded in the terminology. Thus you have game engines and dashboard interfaces. Other analogies have been used as well. For example, a data pipeline certainly comes from plumbing. Or to be more accurate, it comes from electronics; which gets it analogies from plumbing.
Besides, automobiles and computers are closely related. "Huh?" You say? Think about it, they are both modular devices with a huge variety of uses and a large aftermarket segment. While you are starting to hear about people modifying non-computer/car products, these two items are the most heavily tweaked products in existence.
The company that made your car isn't obligated to insure your car will run with aftermarket parts installed.
No. However, I'd be very unhappy about buying a car that was designed to purposely not work with aftermarket parts, especially if that ban were enforced by law.
but if they're howling because it doesn't do something it wasn't designed to do it seems to me the proper thing to do would be to stfu about it
The X-Box was designed to run computer programs. However, due to artificial design restraints, it only works with Microsoft computer programs. On top of that, it is illegal to remove the artificial restraints so that the X-Box does run non-Microsoft computer programs. The restraints are a minor pain that a hand full of people have discovered how to remove. And yes, I understand the game console business model. It allows Microsoft to make money on the X-Box while selling it below cost. I suppose that's the cost of cheap hardware. However, it should not be illegal for me to modify my X-Box so that it performs to its maximum potential. Nor should it be illegal to tell others how to make the change.
I can't speak for the belts. I don't deal with them. As for the computers, it depends on how they are being used. Computers that are used for light-weight Internet use or occasional database lookups seem to handle it alright. The servers are kept in an air-conditioned room. However, installing XP, at 3PM after the warehouse has been thoroughly baked, isn't going to happen. Though we've had limited success with using floor fans to keep computers cool.
Yes, OSHA is very strict about keeping the water coolers full (not cool, just full). Honestly, I'm not sure what OSHA's policy is. However, it regularly hits 110 in the warehouse I work in. After several employees succumbed to heat stroke, they installed portable coolers filled with water and made sure everyone knew to drink plenty of water.
I always liked Montana's (USA) day-time speed limit. Rather than use a fixed number, they say "a reasonable, safe speed". The downside to this is that the "reasonable, safe speed" is determined by the nice patrol officer pulling you over.
As for a safe speed, I once hit a deer while driving at 90 MPH on the Interstate (75 MPH limit). The deer was obliterated. I did fish-tail a bit right after hitting it. However, I quickly regained control. The incident was not a big deal. I continued my trip for the remaining 600 miles. I had to replace the engine hood and wind shield of my car. The car was repaired after the trip was over.
I currently use the DirectTV offering via Skycasters for my warehouse. The ping times do suck, but the connection is much faster than modem, ISDN, or the available DSL. If it weren't for Skycasters, I'd still be stuck with a 150k wifi connection that was down more often than up. I find it hard to believe that DirectTV Satellite Internet is going away anytime soon considering the television ad for it appears every hour or so. Besides, it works very well for locations where other options don't.
these players would have to be permanently connected to the internet.
If the content provider sends a packet to reflash the player, just don't let it get to the player.
I'm still a little sketchy on the details (maybe I should read the article). However, I had a different take on this idea. If the player requires a connection to the Internet, what will a DDOS attack against the player's server do? If it's a situation where a movie won't play if the player can't connect, then suddenly, a lot of players simply won't work. Another thought; I've been reading a bit lately about DNS poisoning. What happens when somebody thinks it funny to spoof the server and instruct millions of players to self-destruct?
Personally, I have no use for this new technology. I don't own a high-definition TV, nor do I want to see the latest reality show in high-def. I can see where it might be nice to set up your own mini-home-theater. However, I still prefer to go out to the movies. I'm already a hard sell. The more unfriendly they make the hardware; the less likely I am to buy it.
So, no, I don't know much about solar radiation or it's interaction with the Van Allen belt. However, couldn't they simulate the belt? I'm not talking planet size magnetic shielding, just ship sized. Isn't the Van Allen belt just a planet sized magnetic shield? How much energy would a ship sized shield need?
There are way too many ways of producing the same sound in the English language. I was thinking more along the lines of Lewis and Clark. Thanks for pointing that out.
I can't say I agree. Launching and satellite repair/retrieval should be handed over to private industry. NASA, being a government organization, should focus on running probes, general exploration, and other things that private industry finds hard to make a profit from.
Back when America was still being explored, the government sponsored several expeditions into the west. A good example is Luis and Clark. Would you have wanted the government to run the railroads?
Though 2k is a good OS, I'm a little confused as to why XP wouldn't work. I've used XP SP2 on a 266MHz laptop with 64MB RAM. Granted, you can do much with it. However, my current system is a 2.4GHz Athlon XP with 256MB RAM. I have no problems running several programs, including Doom 3. 256MB of RAM is ample memory for XP to run.
Hmm, this reminds me of a couple of other times in America's past when citizen's lives were destroyed by the US government in the name of fighting the good fight.
Think back to WWII when the US imprisoned thousands of US citizens on the belief that they might be terrorists and spies. The "Proof" of these activities? All of them were Japanese. At least that was a real war.
Think back to the beginning of the "Cold War" when McCarthy went on a rampage destroying people's careers and lives. Anyone that didn't share his political beliefs was blacklisted and freedom of speech ceased to exist.
Eventually, after the US had done a significant amount of damage to its own citizens, the government admitted that what it was doing was un-American and apologized. Each time it was said that these things would never happen again. And yet, here we are again. This time we don't even have a nation to be at war with, merely a fighting tactic and a religion.
The United States of America is its own worst enemy. Throughout its history, it's repeatedly sought to destroy the freedoms it claims to cherish. The War on Terrorism is just one more chance for the US to destroy itself.
You are correct, but still, I wonder. It's still data, information if you will. If nothing is physically taken, it's not stealing. You are not depriving anyone of the data. It doesn't really have anything to do with copyright. Copyright is only a subset of intellectual property law. It's amazing how simple replication has turned our property laws inside out.
Living in Utah, I've always wondered about this. Utah is a Republician state. I am not a Republician. Given that, why would a represenitive listen to someone who did not and would not vote for them?
One additional requirement that I would add to your list of what makes a planet: it has to orbit the sun, as opposed to orbiting a body that orbits the sun. That's why Earth's moon can be bigger than Pluto and still be a moon.
Doh! You know it's truly been a bad day when you get your politicians confused. My mind just isn't where it should be. I apologize to the Slashdot community.
Consider; the United States is intent on imprisoning higher and higher numbers of people each year. Is it any wonder that they are taking the easier route by turning the entire country into a prison?
Portage seems to handle commercial software just fine. Check out the available software, especially the games. Plenty of commercial software. Want to add your commercial software? Just write a quick ebuild file and upload it to Gentoo
Yes, if done correctly. I'd say nVidia's drivers are a good example of commercial development in an open source environment. On the flip side, SimCity 3000 Unlimited is a perfect example of how it shouldn't be done. SimCity is one of my favorite games. However, I now have to run the Windows version through WINE to play the game. I bought the Linux version and enjoyed playing it up until enough of the system libraries had been upgraded. It died then. I used all of the hacks to make it work with 2.6. However, it couldn't handle nptl.
I'm not sure I agree. I keep seeing, over and over, that she is doing this for the 2008 election. However, this is the same woman whom successfully lobbied to get labels for music. It seems to me that this is just more of the same line that she has always supported.
The GTA brouhaha to me is about video games coming of age. They're no longer just about kids and teenagers, but for adults of all ages...
When the tobacco companies were originally sued, the powers that be decided that cartoons were the sole domain of children (RE: Joe Camel). Thus adult cartoons were made evil and Japan became the only source for them.
I believe the same mentality is at work with video games. Only children play video games. Thus adult video games must be banned.
Slashdot Mirror
OK, so they have a web site up at talk.google.com now. Looks like they have a Windows client available. They suggest GAIM for Linux. Has anyone connected using Kopete (with Jabber plugin)? It's what I use for MSN, and I'd like to use it for Google. However, I keep getting connection errors.
Jabber ID: [username]@gmail.com
Allow plain-text password checked
Override default server: talk.google.com
Port: 5222
Kopete insisted I append @gmail.com to the ID. I also tried @talk.google.com. Any thoughts?
So I'm a bit confused and don't really know anything about trademark law. My understanding is that trademark law prevents entities from using the trademarked name for simular products. However, it does not allow entities to trademark a common name. Otherwise I could trademark the name "software" and become very rich. Without Linux being trademarked, Microsoft could rename "Vista" to "Linux". However, they could not charge any Linux vendor for using the common name.
Now this is where someone might say the trademark is needed. If Microsoft were to rename "Vista" to "Linux", it would create confusion in the marketplace. I can see where this would be bad. However, I believe most of the concern is that this could also be used to prevent Microsoft from producing a fully GPL complient distribution of Linux, or at least calling it Linux. On the flip-side, basing your distribution on Linux and using the Linux name might fall under fair use. I'm not sure.
An addtional protection trademark might offer Linux is protection from confusion concerning any forking of the kernel. While the GPL does allow forking of the kernel, trademark prevents you from calling the fork "Linux". This may be more what Linus (and his representatives) have in mind, based on stories I've heard on how protective Linus is of his software.
I'm not sure that asking for money is the best method of protecting the Linux trademark. I say this becasue Linux has enough problems just being GPL'ed. Now don't get me wrong. I think the GPL is a work of genious. However, it has proved to be very confusing to comercial entities. Now you add trademark licencing on top of that for an addional level of confusion. I'm not sure that is wise.
My last thought on this quotes the last part of your message.
Linus (nor his representatives) is NOT asking for any money from these companies. The letter mentions that they MAY be required to pay in the future, but it's not asking any money now, nor does that mean that they will be expected to pay in the future! It merely mentions something that may or may not happen in the future.
Saying that something MAY be required in the future is the same as saying it WILL be required. Otherwise people would fully believe the US Goverment when they say the Patriot Act will only be used against terrorists, though it could be used against anyone.
What is it about computers that makes people draw analogies to automobiles?
People have been using automobile analogies so long that it is embedded in the terminology. Thus you have game engines and dashboard interfaces. Other analogies have been used as well. For example, a data pipeline certainly comes from plumbing. Or to be more accurate, it comes from electronics; which gets it analogies from plumbing.
Besides, automobiles and computers are closely related. "Huh?" You say? Think about it, they are both modular devices with a huge variety of uses and a large aftermarket segment. While you are starting to hear about people modifying non-computer/car products, these two items are the most heavily tweaked products in existence.
The company that made your car isn't obligated to insure your car will run with aftermarket parts installed.
No. However, I'd be very unhappy about buying a car that was designed to purposely not work with aftermarket parts, especially if that ban were enforced by law.
but if they're howling because it doesn't do something it wasn't designed to do it seems to me the proper thing to do would be to stfu about it
The X-Box was designed to run computer programs. However, due to artificial design restraints, it only works with Microsoft computer programs. On top of that, it is illegal to remove the artificial restraints so that the X-Box does run non-Microsoft computer programs. The restraints are a minor pain that a hand full of people have discovered how to remove. And yes, I understand the game console business model. It allows Microsoft to make money on the X-Box while selling it below cost. I suppose that's the cost of cheap hardware. However, it should not be illegal for me to modify my X-Box so that it performs to its maximum potential. Nor should it be illegal to tell others how to make the change.
I can't speak for the belts. I don't deal with them. As for the computers, it depends on how they are being used. Computers that are used for light-weight Internet use or occasional database lookups seem to handle it alright. The servers are kept in an air-conditioned room. However, installing XP, at 3PM after the warehouse has been thoroughly baked, isn't going to happen. Though we've had limited success with using floor fans to keep computers cool.
Yes, OSHA is very strict about keeping the water coolers full (not cool, just full). Honestly, I'm not sure what OSHA's policy is. However, it regularly hits 110 in the warehouse I work in. After several employees succumbed to heat stroke, they installed portable coolers filled with water and made sure everyone knew to drink plenty of water.
I always liked Montana's (USA) day-time speed limit. Rather than use a fixed number, they say "a reasonable, safe speed". The downside to this is that the "reasonable, safe speed" is determined by the nice patrol officer pulling you over.
As for a safe speed, I once hit a deer while driving at 90 MPH on the Interstate (75 MPH limit). The deer was obliterated. I did fish-tail a bit right after hitting it. However, I quickly regained control. The incident was not a big deal. I continued my trip for the remaining 600 miles. I had to replace the engine hood and wind shield of my car. The car was repaired after the trip was over.
I currently use the DirectTV offering via Skycasters for my warehouse. The ping times do suck, but the connection is much faster than modem, ISDN, or the available DSL. If it weren't for Skycasters, I'd still be stuck with a 150k wifi connection that was down more often than up. I find it hard to believe that DirectTV Satellite Internet is going away anytime soon considering the television ad for it appears every hour or so. Besides, it works very well for locations where other options don't.
these players would have to be permanently connected to the internet.
If the content provider sends a packet to reflash the player, just don't let it get to the player.
I'm still a little sketchy on the details (maybe I should read the article). However, I had a different take on this idea. If the player requires a connection to the Internet, what will a DDOS attack against the player's server do? If it's a situation where a movie won't play if the player can't connect, then suddenly, a lot of players simply won't work. Another thought; I've been reading a bit lately about DNS poisoning. What happens when somebody thinks it funny to spoof the server and instruct millions of players to self-destruct?
Personally, I have no use for this new technology. I don't own a high-definition TV, nor do I want to see the latest reality show in high-def. I can see where it might be nice to set up your own mini-home-theater. However, I still prefer to go out to the movies. I'm already a hard sell. The more unfriendly they make the hardware; the less likely I am to buy it.
So, no, I don't know much about solar radiation or it's interaction with the Van Allen belt. However, couldn't they simulate the belt? I'm not talking planet size magnetic shielding, just ship sized. Isn't the Van Allen belt just a planet sized magnetic shield? How much energy would a ship sized shield need?
There are way too many ways of producing the same sound in the English language. I was thinking more along the lines of Lewis and Clark. Thanks for pointing that out.
I can't say I agree. Launching and satellite repair/retrieval should be handed over to private industry. NASA, being a government organization, should focus on running probes, general exploration, and other things that private industry finds hard to make a profit from.
Back when America was still being explored, the government sponsored several expeditions into the west. A good example is Luis and Clark. Would you have wanted the government to run the railroads?
Minor mistake... Granted, you CAN'T do much with it.
Don't know how I missed that in the preview.
Though 2k is a good OS, I'm a little confused as to why XP wouldn't work. I've used XP SP2 on a 266MHz laptop with 64MB RAM. Granted, you can do much with it. However, my current system is a 2.4GHz Athlon XP with 256MB RAM. I have no problems running several programs, including Doom 3. 256MB of RAM is ample memory for XP to run.
Hmm, this reminds me of a couple of other times in America's past when citizen's lives were destroyed by the US government in the name of fighting the good fight.
Think back to WWII when the US imprisoned thousands of US citizens on the belief that they might be terrorists and spies. The "Proof" of these activities? All of them were Japanese. At least that was a real war.
Think back to the beginning of the "Cold War" when McCarthy went on a rampage destroying people's careers and lives. Anyone that didn't share his political beliefs was blacklisted and freedom of speech ceased to exist.
Eventually, after the US had done a significant amount of damage to its own citizens, the government admitted that what it was doing was un-American and apologized. Each time it was said that these things would never happen again. And yet, here we are again. This time we don't even have a nation to be at war with, merely a fighting tactic and a religion.
The United States of America is its own worst enemy. Throughout its history, it's repeatedly sought to destroy the freedoms it claims to cherish. The War on Terrorism is just one more chance for the US to destroy itself.
You are correct, but still, I wonder. It's still data, information if you will. If nothing is physically taken, it's not stealing. You are not depriving anyone of the data. It doesn't really have anything to do with copyright. Copyright is only a subset of intellectual property law. It's amazing how simple replication has turned our property laws inside out.
So, instead of just installing spyware, IE7's great new feature is that it IS spyware?
Living in Utah, I've always wondered about this. Utah is a Republician state. I am not a Republician. Given that, why would a represenitive listen to someone who did not and would not vote for them?
One additional requirement that I would add to your list of what makes a planet: it has to orbit the sun, as opposed to orbiting a body that orbits the sun. That's why Earth's moon can be bigger than Pluto and still be a moon.
Doh! You know it's truly been a bad day when you get your politicians confused. My mind just isn't where it should be. I apologize to the Slashdot community.
Consider; the United States is intent on imprisoning higher and higher numbers of people each year. Is it any wonder that they are taking the easier route by turning the entire country into a prison?
Portage seems to handle commercial software just fine. Check out the available software, especially the games. Plenty of commercial software. Want to add your commercial software? Just write a quick ebuild file and upload it to Gentoo
Yes, if done correctly. I'd say nVidia's drivers are a good example of commercial development in an open source environment. On the flip side, SimCity 3000 Unlimited is a perfect example of how it shouldn't be done. SimCity is one of my favorite games. However, I now have to run the Windows version through WINE to play the game. I bought the Linux version and enjoyed playing it up until enough of the system libraries had been upgraded. It died then. I used all of the hacks to make it work with 2.6. However, it couldn't handle nptl.
I'm not sure I agree. I keep seeing, over and over, that she is doing this for the 2008 election. However, this is the same woman whom successfully lobbied to get labels for music. It seems to me that this is just more of the same line that she has always supported.
The GTA brouhaha to me is about video games coming of age. They're no longer just about kids and teenagers, but for adults of all ages...
When the tobacco companies were originally sued, the powers that be decided that cartoons were the sole domain of children (RE: Joe Camel). Thus adult cartoons were made evil and Japan became the only source for them.
I believe the same mentality is at work with video games. Only children play video games. Thus adult video games must be banned.