Blank CD-Rs, the same material used in commercial CDs, sell for less than 50 cents each in bulk quantities of 500 or more. I think the RIAA would probably manage to get bulk rates that are even lower, wouldn't you?
Actually, CD-R disks are not the same material used in commercial CD's, the recordable material in a blank CD-R disk is considerably more expensive than the material used to press a commercial bulk pre-recorded disk.
The media costs for commercial music disks are next to nothing. There is a huge investment in pressing plants and technology that needs to be recovered, but they've long since paid for that.
I can't count the number of files I've downloaded via Napster that were recieved truncated by 2-20KB, just barely truncated enough to be annoying.
If Napster can identify identical files on different servers, this would provide the ability to 'resume' a download from a different server than the one from which it was started.
Danny Elfman is best known for the Simpson's theme music, and the music from just about every Tim Burton film, and several others. Also, the voice of Jack Skelton in "Nightmare before Christmas"
If Elfman does the music, then the PotA remake cannot suck.
Not to make CensorWare author's jobs any easier, but...
Realistically, they do not need to use reversible encryption, instead the software could use a good one-way hash, similar to the standard unix password encryption scheme.
Such a list of URLs could not be decrypted, but would be vulnerable to the same sort of dictionary attack as 'Crack' uses to break unix passwords.
A dictionary attack only works because passwords are limited to relatively short lengths (8 characters on older systems), URLs have no such limit.
If this worked as an incentive for CensorWare companies to block specific (and thus longer) urls rather than entire sites, everybody would benefit.
I've been using Xi Graphics' Accelerated X product on a Solaris desktop for the past few months, they have much better support for my odd video card than Sun provides.
One reason I like squid is that it makes it easy and inexpensive to build a hierarchy of distributed caches. Just take any ancient PC, load a free OS, and put it where it can help alleviate congestion.
I've done a lot of work with 'proxy.pac' files in the last year- it's amazing how much decision-making power you can put into the autoproxy script, letting the client machine take on some of the responsibilities of smart proxying.
For example, right now I have two distinct sites with their own Squid proxies, users at both sites use identical 'proxy.pac' files. The browser decides whether to go direct or via a proxy based on the host/domain of the destination, then chooses a proxy based on it's own source IP address.
This means that every Netscape and IE browser in the enterpise has the same configuration, and even roaming users will always get their closest proxy server each time they connect.
If a business unit later gets their own internet firewall and proxy, it takes a line or two in the global script, and clients automagically use the new proxy.
You can also specify multiple proxies in the file- if the first one times out, all future requests (until the browser is restarted) will go to the next server in the list.
Now if only Lynx would parse the (javascript) proxy.pac file...
I need proxying to protect a large internal network from 'exposure' to the outside world, and to make efficient use of all that bandwidth.
Actually, I chose OpenBSD over FreeBSD (or any other OS), for the same reason I chose the 2940UW over another SCSI chipset-
It may not be the latest and greatest cool technology, it may not be the fastest, but I know, from personal experience, that I can rely on it.
The drives and controllers are relatively inexpensive, so I can afford to keep spares on hand, and when the current solution becomes overloaded I can easily scale it up.
More detail on this in the message 'Distributed proxies' elsewhere in the thread.
I just spent a hefty chunk of company money building a pair of killer OpenBSD+Squid boxes as a load-balanced caching proxy system.
When I spec'd it out, all the techies I talked to asked me three questions, this article validates my answers to all three-
Why BSD instead of Linux?
Why SCSI instead of IDE?
Why RAIDframe instead of one huge disk?
My answer to each was two parts:
Because I know I can rely on the technology
It scales well.
Semi-Off-Topic
What do I mean by a 'Killer caching proxy'?
A pair of identical (load balancing and transparent failover via BigIP) rackmount servers, each with a PIII 600 CPU, 256MB, 2940UW and 20Gb of disk. And let's not forget the triply-redundant T3's to threee distinct Tier-1 internet providers.
All this just so I can read slashdot.
Reversing cause and effect
on
LonelyNet
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· Score: 5
Perhaps the study is correct, but their results are backwards?
I would venture that while many people disagree with the statement "Using the internet makes you into a lonely person", many will agree with the statement "Lonely people are more likely to become Internet users".
I've been having lots of problems lately with 'AXMP+' systems, which are a sun-manufactured motherboard (PCI bus) sold by VARs with their own choice of case, power supply, etc.
Quality varies greatly depending on the reseller and phase of the moon.
Actually, all high-end Cisco routers include support for features that can greatly diminish the impact of these sort of non-subtle attacks.
Terms like 'traffic shaping', 'rate limiting' and 'priority queue' all refer to the same basic concept- giving traffic from certain hosts or networks or using certain protocols priority over other traffic.
There are more subtle DOS attacks out there which are much more difficult to defend against, however it does not appear that these were used against Yahoo.
If you are playing DVD on your computer, and you are not flat broke, go for the hardware decoder.
With a hardware decoder attached to your PC's DVD-ROM drive, little or none of your machine's CPU is used in the playing of the DVD. Plus, hardware decoders tend to come with S-Video output.
Yeah your PC monitor might have 'better color and resolution' than a TV, but watching a 15" PC monitor from three feet away is painful compared to watching a 35" Sony Trinitron WAGA from six feet back, sitting on a couch with friends.
Do that with your Linux PC and DeCSS software decoder.
PreBuilt Solaris Packages
on
Free Solaris 8
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· Score: 1
Solaris has had 'prebuilt' software for years, predating the entire concept of RPM.
SparcStation 5 is OBSOLETE hardware.
on
Free Solaris 8
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· Score: 1
The Sparc5 is ancient hardware- yes, Solaris 2.7 will run on it, but it is not the target platform of the current Solaris OS.
Personally I have a an IPC, Sparc5, and Sparc 20, all except the 20 run OpenBSD with a kernel built specifically for the hardware it runs on.
I've tried NFS servers on every OS known to man, of those only two are acceptable for production business use- Network Appliance and Solaris.
Re:How many of you have actually used Solaris?
on
Free Solaris 8
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· Score: 1
Hear Hear!
Even my most ardent pro-penguin friends are starting to admit that Linux is not the perfect solution for every situation, that there are bugs and design flaws which make Linux not yet 'done'.
I use Solaris every day- I use sparc hardware even more often, I own most every model of modern non-Ultra sparc that's worth powering up.
Solaris has been free for a long time...`
on
Free Solaris 8
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· Score: 1
The basic Solaris OS license was implicit in purchasing Sparc hardware since before I can remember.
Sun is as much a hardware company as a software company, I continue to recommend Solaris on Sparc because it works.
Personally I run OpenBSD on Sparc, but even if there were an Ultra port of *BSD, I would stick with Solaris for real commercial applications.
The big bucks you pay for Sun hardware isn't for the OS, it's for reliable, fast, scalable hardware that performs as advertised.
If you buy a Sparc and load Linux on it, Sun is not going to be unhappy. But it's perfectly reasonable for them to refuse to jump on the Linux bandwagon just because it is popular.
More FUD promoting 'Linux vs the world'
on
Free Solaris 8
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· Score: 1
Your post betrays your bias.
Even my most rabid pro-linux friends admit that it is still late beta, not ready for prime time, almost-but-not-quite-there.
The only reason any corporations are taking the huge risk of putting mission-critical applications on Linux, is the massive publicity and propaganda promoting it as the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The truth is, Solaris on Sparc is a tried and true solution for servers where reliability, scalability, ease of administration, and technical support are more important than price.
My company is spending $134K on a single Sparc server to run Solaris as part of a mission critical database system. Why?
First, put the box behind a packet-filter, either a standalone router or behind another box running IP-Filter. The filter should block ALL outboung connections initiated by the web server- your users will have to use passive FTP or HTTP for file uploads. There should be no other hosts on the same ethernet segment as the web server.
Second consider using OpenBSD as the OS on the web server. Use the included IP Filter software that ships with OpenBSD, in addition to the packet filter in step 1.
If you are using Apache for your HTTPd, compile it with as few modules as possible, and no dynamic module support.
To really go whole-hog on security, you could block ALL protocols except HTTP and HTTPS, and have all user uploads and other account management go through cgiwrap on a HTTPSD instance.
Personally what I do for friends who want FTP access is use a One Time Password (S/Key or the like), but the average user probably won't be willing to deal with OTP.
Yes, IDE is cheaper- not just less expensive, but _cheap_.
I use SCSI exclusively in all of my systems, I even have an ancient 286 with a Seagate ISA controller and Quantum fifty-meg drive.
As to the complaints about SCSI drive ID issues, newer drives and controllers (Adaptec 2940, etc) support SCAM (SCSI Configures Auto Magically), which automatically handles drive IDs for the user.
I prefer the Sun solution- SCA drives, one single connector on the drive for power and data, with the drive bay determining the SCSI ID. Clean and simple.
We have an Internet Co-Op in Chicago, where we purchase colocation space and connectivity as a group, making it available to members -- individuals, site hosting services, and businesses can all join.
This is not inexpensive, but it's quality hosting without the headaches of working through a for-profit ISP.
In addition to this, one way to get nearly free colocation service is to find a smaller ISP or other business that has more bandwidth than they need, and make a barter arrangement where you provide them with some regular service that they can use, and they provide you with a place to connect your machine. When done right, it's a win-win solution for both parties.
And who says woman don't have the same experiences, and come to the same conclusions?
It's not just geek guys who 'give up' and stop actively looking for a lasting relationship.
I've spoken (online and in real life) with any number of (non-geek) women who've come to the same conclusion as so many geeks have- it's just not worth the effort.
Anybody who gets shot down often enough, unless they are a masochist, they are going to stop putting themselves in a position where they can be shot down.
Speaking for all of the hard up geek guys, we are attracted to geek girls, we're just timid.
Raven- I was once your cow-orker, one of the 'guys' who treated you like just another of the guys.
Fact is, I treat all female geek friends as if they are one of the guys- not because I'm not interested (often I'm very interested), but because I hear over and over again how geek girls are annoyed by guys (keek or otherwise) hitting on you and treating 'geek girls' like girls rather than fellow geeks.
Hear that often enough and a guy starts to think 'If I show I'm attracted, she'll figure I'm just another jerk guy, so I'll remain silent and platonic (and frustrated).'.
I for one am not looking for 'cute girls with tight sweaters, perfect makeup and a styled do'. I am looking for somebody with brains, conversation skills, and who isn't taller or rounder than I am.
The geek girls I know all prefer to complain about how they keep getting hit on and how all the guys want 'the swedish bikini team', ignoring their available fellow geeks.
If you're serious about finding geek love, User Friendly's Peer 2 Peer free personals site is a good start.
Slashdot Mirror
Blank CD-Rs, the same material used in commercial CDs, sell for less than 50 cents each in bulk quantities of 500 or more. I think the RIAA would probably manage to get bulk rates that are even lower, wouldn't you?
Actually, CD-R disks are not the same material used in commercial CD's, the recordable material in a blank CD-R disk is considerably more expensive than the material used to press a commercial bulk pre-recorded disk.
The media costs for commercial music disks are next to nothing. There is a huge investment in pressing plants and technology that needs to be recovered, but they've long since paid for that.
I can't count the number of files I've downloaded via Napster that were recieved truncated by 2-20KB, just barely truncated enough to be annoying.
If Napster can identify identical files on different servers, this would provide the ability to 'resume' a download from a different server than the one from which it was started.
A non-profit, 501(c)3 educational foundation, dedicated to improving OpenBSD. This would allow for tax-deductible donations of money and hardware.
One reason we have not taken this idea further- we are based in the USA, while OpenBSD is, for very good reasons, run from Canada.
It would make much more sense to base the Foundation in Canada. Any volunteers?
Danny Elfman is best known for the Simpson's theme music, and the music from just about every Tim Burton film, and several others. Also, the voice of Jack Skelton in "Nightmare before Christmas"
If Elfman does the music, then the PotA remake cannot suck.
Realistically, they do not need to use reversible encryption, instead the software could use a good one-way hash, similar to the standard unix password encryption scheme.
Such a list of URLs could not be decrypted, but would be vulnerable to the same sort of dictionary attack as 'Crack' uses to break unix passwords.
A dictionary attack only works because passwords are limited to relatively short lengths (8 characters on older systems), URLs have no such limit.
If this worked as an incentive for CensorWare companies to block specific (and thus longer) urls rather than entire sites, everybody would benefit.
Has anybody tried XiG's DVI card drivers?
I've done a lot of work with 'proxy.pac' files in the last year- it's amazing how much decision-making power you can put into the autoproxy script, letting the client machine take on some of the responsibilities of smart proxying.
For example, right now I have two distinct sites with their own Squid proxies, users at both sites use identical 'proxy.pac' files. The browser decides whether to go direct or via a proxy based on the host/domain of the destination, then chooses a proxy based on it's own source IP address.
This means that every Netscape and IE browser in the enterpise has the same configuration, and even roaming users will always get their closest proxy server each time they connect.
If a business unit later gets their own internet firewall and proxy, it takes a line or two in the global script, and clients automagically use the new proxy.
You can also specify multiple proxies in the file- if the first one times out, all future requests (until the browser is restarted) will go to the next server in the list.
Now if only Lynx would parse the (javascript) proxy.pac file...
Actually, I chose OpenBSD over FreeBSD (or any other OS), for the same reason I chose the 2940UW over another SCSI chipset-
It may not be the latest and greatest cool technology, it may not be the fastest, but I know, from personal experience, that I can rely on it.
The drives and controllers are relatively inexpensive, so I can afford to keep spares on hand, and when the current solution becomes overloaded I can easily scale it up.
More detail on this in the message 'Distributed proxies' elsewhere in the thread.
When I spec'd it out, all the techies I talked to asked me three questions, this article validates my answers to all three-
My answer to each was two parts:
Semi-Off-Topic
What do I mean by a 'Killer caching proxy'?
A pair of identical (load balancing and transparent failover via BigIP) rackmount servers, each with a PIII 600 CPU, 256MB, 2940UW and 20Gb of disk. And let's not forget the triply-redundant T3's to threee distinct Tier-1 internet providers.
All this just so I can read slashdot.
I would venture that while many people disagree with the statement "Using the internet makes you into a lonely person", many will agree with the statement "Lonely people are more likely to become Internet users".
Which is cause and which is effect?
Quality varies greatly depending on the reseller and phase of the moon.
Terms like 'traffic shaping', 'rate limiting' and 'priority queue' all refer to the same basic concept- giving traffic from certain hosts or networks or using certain protocols priority over other traffic.
There are more subtle DOS attacks out there which are much more difficult to defend against, however it does not appear that these were used against Yahoo.
FreeBSDCon
Just because it isn't linux, doesn't mean it isn't as good.
Free money.
With a hardware decoder attached to your PC's DVD-ROM drive, little or none of your machine's CPU is used in the playing of the DVD. Plus, hardware decoders tend to come with S-Video output.
Yeah your PC monitor might have 'better color and resolution' than a TV, but watching a 15" PC monitor from three feet away is painful compared to watching a 35" Sony Trinitron WAGA from six feet back, sitting on a couch with friends.
Do that with your Linux PC and DeCSS software decoder.
They are called 'packages' and a large archive of ready-to-roll Solaris binaries for Sparc and Intel is available at http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/solaris/sparc/
Personally I have a an IPC, Sparc5, and Sparc 20, all except the 20 run OpenBSD with a kernel built specifically for the hardware it runs on.
I've tried NFS servers on every OS known to man, of those only two are acceptable for production business use- Network Appliance and Solaris.
Even my most ardent pro-penguin friends are starting to admit that Linux is not the perfect solution for every situation, that there are bugs and design flaws which make Linux not yet 'done'.
I use Solaris every day- I use sparc hardware even more often, I own most every model of modern non-Ultra sparc that's worth powering up.
Sun is as much a hardware company as a software company, I continue to recommend Solaris on Sparc because it works.
Personally I run OpenBSD on Sparc, but even if there were an Ultra port of *BSD, I would stick with Solaris for real commercial applications.
The big bucks you pay for Sun hardware isn't for the OS, it's for reliable, fast, scalable hardware that performs as advertised.
If you buy a Sparc and load Linux on it, Sun is not going to be unhappy. But it's perfectly reasonable for them to refuse to jump on the Linux bandwagon just because it is popular.
Even my most rabid pro-linux friends admit that it is still late beta, not ready for prime time, almost-but-not-quite-there.
The only reason any corporations are taking the huge risk of putting mission-critical applications on Linux, is the massive publicity and propaganda promoting it as the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The truth is, Solaris on Sparc is a tried and true solution for servers where reliability, scalability, ease of administration, and technical support are more important than price.
My company is spending $134K on a single Sparc server to run Solaris as part of a mission critical database system. Why?
Because we know that it works.
Second consider using OpenBSD as the OS on the web server. Use the included IP Filter software that ships with OpenBSD, in addition to the packet filter in step 1.
If you are using Apache for your HTTPd, compile it with as few modules as possible, and no dynamic module support.
To really go whole-hog on security, you could block ALL protocols except HTTP and HTTPS, and have all user uploads and other account management go through cgiwrap on a HTTPSD instance.
Personally what I do for friends who want FTP access is use a One Time Password (S/Key or the like), but the average user probably won't be willing to deal with OTP.
I use SCSI exclusively in all of my systems, I even have an ancient 286 with a Seagate ISA controller and Quantum fifty-meg drive.
As to the complaints about SCSI drive ID issues, newer drives and controllers (Adaptec 2940, etc) support SCAM (SCSI Configures Auto Magically), which automatically handles drive IDs for the user.
I prefer the Sun solution- SCA drives, one single connector on the drive for power and data, with the drive bay determining the SCSI ID. Clean and simple.
This is not inexpensive, but it's quality hosting without the headaches of working through a for-profit ISP.
In addition to this, one way to get nearly free colocation service is to find a smaller ISP or other business that has more bandwidth than they need, and make a barter arrangement where you provide them with some regular service that they can use, and they provide you with a place to connect your machine. When done right, it's a win-win solution for both parties.
It's not just geek guys who 'give up' and stop actively looking for a lasting relationship.
I've spoken (online and in real life) with any number of (non-geek) women who've come to the same conclusion as so many geeks have- it's just not worth the effort.
Anybody who gets shot down often enough, unless they are a masochist, they are going to stop putting themselves in a position where they can be shot down.
Voice of experience.
Raven- I was once your cow-orker, one of the 'guys' who treated you like just another of the guys.
Fact is, I treat all female geek friends as if they are one of the guys- not because I'm not interested (often I'm very interested), but because I hear over and over again how geek girls are annoyed by guys (keek or otherwise) hitting on you and treating 'geek girls' like girls rather than fellow geeks.
Hear that often enough and a guy starts to think 'If I show I'm attracted, she'll figure I'm just another jerk guy, so I'll remain silent and platonic (and frustrated).'.
I for one am not looking for 'cute girls with tight sweaters, perfect makeup and a styled do'. I am looking for somebody with brains, conversation skills, and who isn't taller or rounder than I am.
The geek girls I know all prefer to complain about how they keep getting hit on and how all the guys want 'the swedish bikini team', ignoring their available fellow geeks.
If you're serious about finding geek love, User Friendly's Peer 2 Peer free personals site is a good start.