I used to have to use Copy II to dupe Lotus 1-2-3 disks - which only allowed three installs, so we just duped the original floppy and used up the copy floppy every time we had to reinstall because someone munged their computer - and this is why copy protection stopped working, as business rerouted around the damage.
But I specifically remember the CRT screen messages from the fake check that MSFT did back then to kill off DR-DOS.
Maybe you don't think they would do something so... well... evil - but they did. It was either that or lose market share, as at that time Windows wasn't as important as DOS was, and people could have easily switched over to a different OS with a different competing GUI - and Lotus was pushing their own GUI, so it was a very real and strong threat.
Inside the corporations noone cared about MSFT, or Windows - all they cared about was: can it run my Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets and does it have a word processer with mailmerge.
Maybe to newbs nowadays this seems unthinkable, but it was very real back then.
"What if you're calling International 911? The system won't know where you are!"
Don't worry, they already have a blanket tap on you without a warrent if you're in the US, no matter if you use the Net (IP address, roaming taps are ok), cell phones (it's got an ID for your phone, and it broadcasts unless you turn it off, even when not ringing), land line (any phones you have had anything to do with, including phoning them), and payphones (ditto).
Just another Homeland Insecurity service for you who live in Fear.
Reminds me of Marvin the Paranoid Android nowadays, he'd fit in well here.
it's built in, one of the options, at least on my WinXP laptop installation.
And since my laptop has very good speakers and a reasonable microphone, plus there are tons of free wireless outlets in my neighborhood, can't get much cheaper than that...
they still don't have reliable thought readers yet, and we all know torture doesn't get you more reliable results, so that solution will work.
And never ever talk about it or write it down.
Consider using a numbered source system. Find a book that has the picture of the source and refer to that picture as something like RG7952 for Salizar's Homoculus Directory (R=S,G=H), page 89 (79=89), column 5, row 2 - which is a picture of that person. And then whenever you refer to it in internal articles, always use that exact reference (RG7952 big fluffy bear spotted at midnight doing tango with Shiek's best bud George in horizontal position on 12/5/04).
and, are you seeking to register any software patents in this space?
If you do have any patents, what are some of the more interesting ones, and in what areas (print services, taco management one-click-to-eat-a-taco s/w) are they in.
If you can't answer that, how many patent lawyers are on your team?
next thing you know, you'll want time for peer review so people can look at the data, verify the methods, analyze it themselves, and agree it's scientifically sound...
geesh, it's not like it was going to be published in some scientific paper or something...
.
.
.
[darn, where is that sarcasm key, gotta be here somewhere]
When I was learning Java in college, the instructor would give your failing grade if you don't have comments and the HTML output of the javadoc utility. The C++ instructors, on the other hand, only wanted your name, class and date in the comments. You would think that all programmers would comment their code.
For those writing in assembly (and why waste time writing in any less efficent language?), I find the best rule is that every single line must have a comment. Additional comments can be added as needed. I can actually go back and understand my assembly code this way.
Good thing I write in assembler, so I don't need to comment. What is this assembly you speak of?
1. Never spelchezk. 2. Use randomly chosen variable names, or objects that resemble your favorite Orcs and Trolls from LotR - after all, everyone knows that a Lothlorien object will have farseeing ability, so it's obvious. 3. When instantiating something for the first time, never explain it - real programmers read the original object source. 4. If you do something complex, write a short pithy comment like/* magic occurs */ 5. If you do something easy but you were drinking too much hot cocoa, write a long verbose description, and also mention how good the hot cocoa was. 6. Always include song lyrics to what you're listening to while you wrote the code. 7. Object inheritence means never having to explain the code. 8. Repetition is the best way to reinforce obvious things - so repeat the obvious thing since it's the best way to reinforce it. 9. If you break up with your girl/boyfriend, write about it in the comments - people really want to know. 10. If you're updating or modifying code, write your opinion about the original code in the comments. Use nasty words if you can.
Let's divide the world in two halves: - United Patent States of Amerika: formerly know as the land of the free - Rest of the World (tm): where every free-seeking developper, webmaster, etc will eventually go.
What is this United Patent States of Amerika you speak of? We have always been Soviet America, and have always been at war with Oceania... um, Iraqiranicelandistan.
One thing to keep in mind if you decide to offer "free" internet is you're going to get people who campout on their laptops and take up table space for hours at a time. Some people even stay there all damn day like it's their personal office space. This might lend itself to loss of business from patrons just wanting a quick cappuccino or dessert and having no seats available. I'd make sure to designate certain tables with time limits or as "No Internet." Good luck!
Wait. It's a coffee shop. It has a door. Any business owner can ask someone to leave his establishment, so long as it's not done in violation of some law.
I've been asked to leave a crowded store when it was obvious I wasn't buying - the coffee shop can always do that. I seem to recall one time I had a laptop at a coffee shop - visiting relatives - the store employee (or maybe the manager) asked me if I could either buy some coffee or vacate the table for paying customers.
It's like a bookstore or comic shop - some people will read the whole issue of a magazine or comic from cover to cover if you let them - store owners always can refuse their business/browsing.
Because computer are new and strange. Normal laws do not apply. Because it is with those magical computers that are thinking brains. Sience you own the thinking brain and it does illegal stuff thereforth you are responcible.
Dude, I was using a computer before you were born.
Um, gee, I hope it wasn't your mom I met that drunken night at SFU...
I recently ate at a Country Kitchen in order to get free WiFi. That's right, a Country Kitchen. Obviously, free WiFi brings in customers.
Are you in AARP? [south park reference]
Just wondering, although when I visit relatives in Santa Barbara, I hang out at some diners like that, cause it's a place I know has food at all hours and has free WiFi...
Free - this works best for a destination place, where you don't have competitors within easy range, as people will tend to congregate where the signal is strongest, and people with WiFi laptops and Blackberries and such tend to be willing to spend money where they hang out.
Almost Free - secure with a password that changes that you get when you shop there, or with a subscription you renew periodically. Then you can nurse a drink along or you can not, but it's less of a hassle to maintain. This works where you have many competitors at close range with equal signal strength, and you just change it once a week or so - so the WiFi for free guys will either ask their friend for the password or buy a drink once in a while, but the overhead is low. Still a nuisance tho. Gathering places should be easy to get to, which is why many cafes are near parks and water/green places. Also works for bookstores - you get a quarterly card or annual card as a member and everyone has the same password but it's on the card so easy to maintain.
Pay Per Drink - works for terminals but such a hassle for WiFi laptops that people will get angry at you and go buy drinks at your competitor.
Pay Big Time - hourly charges, secure networks, where you offer a WiFi provider portal at your site but they basically buy service from them - good for things like Starbucks where all the chain stores have the same exact setup and same provider, but still a pain and the price upsets people who would otherwise hang out and drink your coffee drinks that cost too much.
Free works best, IMHO. But that's cause I live near three places that provide it, so I don't pay for WiFi at home (have DSL and Cablemodem but rarely use them...). I try to buy drinks at the places that give it, and recommend them to friends tho, so I guess it does work in growing their customer base. And I am a customer, so it's not a total loss.
Maybe Planet X will crash into it
on
Ice Lake on Mars
·
· Score: 1
Now that would make a lot of nice powder to ski Mars on!
that they release patches as new versions. I've downloaded Firefox over a dozen times myself for use on 3 computers, just to keep current on bug fixes. If they released separate patches, I'd probably only count as 1 or 2 downloads.
Heck, i had to do that many downloads and patches when I bought a new WinXP laptop, just to register and update my new OEM laptop...
75 million downloads, figure initial download was 1/2 the size of the last download, spread over versions 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06 - now figure half the people never or rarely upgrade - which i can verify, have found many people who don't know what the arrow in the upper right of the browser means - and we have....
10-20 million Firefox users.
Good number, really. Now, if we were MSFT, we'd hype this and say that this year over 100 million people used Firefox...
Slashdot Mirror
I used to have to use Copy II to dupe Lotus 1-2-3 disks - which only allowed three installs, so we just duped the original floppy and used up the copy floppy every time we had to reinstall because someone munged their computer - and this is why copy protection stopped working, as business rerouted around the damage.
... well ... evil - but they did. It was either that or lose market share, as at that time Windows wasn't as important as DOS was, and people could have easily switched over to a different OS with a different competing GUI - and Lotus was pushing their own GUI, so it was a very real and strong threat.
But I specifically remember the CRT screen messages from the fake check that MSFT did back then to kill off DR-DOS.
Maybe you don't think they would do something so
Inside the corporations noone cared about MSFT, or Windows - all they cared about was: can it run my Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets and does it have a word processer with mailmerge.
Maybe to newbs nowadays this seems unthinkable, but it was very real back then.
"What if you're calling International 911? The system won't know where you are!"
Don't worry, they already have a blanket tap on you without a warrent if you're in the US, no matter if you use the Net (IP address, roaming taps are ok), cell phones (it's got an ID for your phone, and it broadcasts unless you turn it off, even when not ringing), land line (any phones you have had anything to do with, including phoning them), and payphones (ditto).
Just another Homeland Insecurity service for you who live in Fear.
Reminds me of Marvin the Paranoid Android nowadays, he'd fit in well here.
it's built in, one of the options, at least on my WinXP laptop installation.
...
And since my laptop has very good speakers and a reasonable microphone, plus there are tons of free wireless outlets in my neighborhood, can't get much cheaper than that
I've seen rumors and speculation that SFU will be included by default in Windows Vista,
I foresee a big international court case when my alma mater, Simon Fraser University (SFU) hears about this.
Talk about prior art, I remember writing OS when I was a student there.
they still don't have reliable thought readers yet, and we all know torture doesn't get you more reliable results, so that solution will work.
And never ever talk about it or write it down.
Consider using a numbered source system. Find a book that has the picture of the source and refer to that picture as something like RG7952 for Salizar's Homoculus Directory (R=S,G=H), page 89 (79=89), column 5, row 2 - which is a picture of that person. And then whenever you refer to it in internal articles, always use that exact reference (RG7952 big fluffy bear spotted at midnight doing tango with Shiek's best bud George in horizontal position on 12/5/04).
is that like some old fashioned thing like CP/M that's so far out of date that it's "in" again?
...
Or is it one of those alternative browsers other than Firefox, Netscape, and Opera? Is it a plug-in/extension/theme suite for them?
Inquiring and jaded minds want to know
and, are you seeking to register any software patents in this space?
If you do have any patents, what are some of the more interesting ones, and in what areas (print services, taco management one-click-to-eat-a-taco s/w) are they in.
If you can't answer that, how many patent lawyers are on your team?
next thing you know, you'll want time for peer review so people can look at the data, verify the methods, analyze it themselves, and agree it's scientifically sound ...
...
geesh, it's not like it was going to be published in some scientific paper or something
.
.
.
[darn, where is that sarcasm key, gotta be here somewhere]
.
.
must ... have ... purple ...
...
it's the only way to play Lego Star Wars, well, besides silly moustaches
Wasn't this the planet X we heard about?
No, Planet X is a comet, Planet Y is being kept on ice at Gitmo as a suspected alien planet [which has oil on it, along with vinegar].
This is Planet Z. Let's send the B-52's to attack it!
You got a problem with that?
Perl drives me crazy where it assumes 0 is false and then ignores 0 results since they're not true.
...
I have to change my 0 results into -1 values and stuff them in my hashes - and then comment that so I know that a -1 is really a 0 value.
but defining non-standard values with Defines drives me insane, just like nested negative negative truths (!(!(isFrog))) which is just isFrog
In fact, a certain state's Medicare billing system is full of comments discussing AC/DC's music and my personal treatise on pizza.
...
I have the lyrics to a song by Heart inside some core code that runs insurance subrogation myself, as well as When The Levee Breaks
C++ means never having to.
For those writing in assembly (and why waste time writing in any less efficent language?), I find the best rule is that every single line must have a comment. Additional comments can be added as needed. I can actually go back and understand my assembly code this way.
Good thing I write in assembler, so I don't need to comment. What is this assembly you speak of?
1. Never spelchezk. /* magic occurs */
2. Use randomly chosen variable names, or objects that resemble your favorite Orcs and Trolls from LotR - after all, everyone knows that a Lothlorien object will have farseeing ability, so it's obvious.
3. When instantiating something for the first time, never explain it - real programmers read the original object source.
4. If you do something complex, write a short pithy comment like
5. If you do something easy but you were drinking too much hot cocoa, write a long verbose description, and also mention how good the hot cocoa was.
6. Always include song lyrics to what you're listening to while you wrote the code.
7. Object inheritence means never having to explain the code.
8. Repetition is the best way to reinforce obvious things - so repeat the obvious thing since it's the best way to reinforce it.
9. If you break up with your girl/boyfriend, write about it in the comments - people really want to know.
10. If you're updating or modifying code, write your opinion about the original code in the comments. Use nasty words if you can.
Let's divide the world in two halves:
... um, Iraqiranicelandistan.
- United Patent States of Amerika: formerly know as the land of the free
- Rest of the World (tm): where every free-seeking developper, webmaster, etc will eventually go.
What is this United Patent States of Amerika you speak of? We have always been Soviet America, and have always been at war with Oceania
Back in the early 80s I trademarked All Of The Above, so I'm afraid he's in violation, by trying to patent a previously trademarked concept.
... evil laugh ... a zillion dollars!.
...
He can pay me
Small unmarked bills please. In easily carried spacecraft, if you don't mind
One thing to keep in mind if you decide to offer "free" internet is you're going to get people who campout on their laptops and take up table space for hours at a time. Some people even stay there all damn day like it's their personal office space. This might lend itself to loss of business from patrons just wanting a quick cappuccino or dessert and having no seats available. I'd make sure to designate certain tables with time limits or as "No Internet." Good luck!
Wait. It's a coffee shop. It has a door. Any business owner can ask someone to leave his establishment, so long as it's not done in violation of some law.
I've been asked to leave a crowded store when it was obvious I wasn't buying - the coffee shop can always do that. I seem to recall one time I had a laptop at a coffee shop - visiting relatives - the store employee (or maybe the manager) asked me if I could either buy some coffee or vacate the table for paying customers.
It's like a bookstore or comic shop - some people will read the whole issue of a magazine or comic from cover to cover if you let them - store owners always can refuse their business/browsing.
Next!
Because computer are new and strange. Normal laws do not apply. Because it is with those magical computers that are thinking brains. Sience you own the thinking brain and it does illegal stuff thereforth you are responcible.
...
Dude, I was using a computer before you were born.
Um, gee, I hope it wasn't your mom I met that drunken night at SFU
I recently ate at a Country Kitchen in order to get free WiFi. That's right, a Country Kitchen. Obviously, free WiFi brings in customers.
...
Are you in AARP? [south park reference]
Just wondering, although when I visit relatives in Santa Barbara, I hang out at some diners like that, cause it's a place I know has food at all hours and has free WiFi
The choices aren't just free or not free.
...). I try to buy drinks at the places that give it, and recommend them to friends tho, so I guess it does work in growing their customer base. And I am a customer, so it's not a total loss.
The real choice is:
Free - this works best for a destination place, where you don't have competitors within easy range, as people will tend to congregate where the signal is strongest, and people with WiFi laptops and Blackberries and such tend to be willing to spend money where they hang out.
Almost Free - secure with a password that changes that you get when you shop there, or with a subscription you renew periodically. Then you can nurse a drink along or you can not, but it's less of a hassle to maintain. This works where you have many competitors at close range with equal signal strength, and you just change it once a week or so - so the WiFi for free guys will either ask their friend for the password or buy a drink once in a while, but the overhead is low. Still a nuisance tho. Gathering places should be easy to get to, which is why many cafes are near parks and water/green places. Also works for bookstores - you get a quarterly card or annual card as a member and everyone has the same password but it's on the card so easy to maintain.
Pay Per Drink - works for terminals but such a hassle for WiFi laptops that people will get angry at you and go buy drinks at your competitor.
Pay Big Time - hourly charges, secure networks, where you offer a WiFi provider portal at your site but they basically buy service from them - good for things like Starbucks where all the chain stores have the same exact setup and same provider, but still a pain and the price upsets people who would otherwise hang out and drink your coffee drinks that cost too much.
Free works best, IMHO. But that's cause I live near three places that provide it, so I don't pay for WiFi at home (have DSL and Cablemodem but rarely use them
Now that would make a lot of nice powder to ski Mars on!
that they release patches as new versions. I've downloaded Firefox over a dozen times myself for use on 3 computers, just to keep current on bug fixes. If they released separate patches, I'd probably only count as 1 or 2 downloads.
...
Heck, i had to do that many downloads and patches when I bought a new WinXP laptop, just to register and update my new OEM laptop
75 million downloads, figure initial download was 1/2 the size of the last download, spread over versions 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06 - now figure half the people never or rarely upgrade - which i can verify, have found many people who don't know what the arrow in the upper right of the browser means - and we have ....
...
10-20 million Firefox users.
Good number, really. Now, if we were MSFT, we'd hype this and say that this year over 100 million people used Firefox