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User: linumax

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Comments · 215

  1. Apple is a business on Apple To Require Sandboxing For Mac App Store Apps · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And they're here to make money. There seems to be a large market for people who want pretty appliances with certain "limitations" that work painlessly. Limitations is in quotes because it's a limit to myself and many on Slashdot, but not to most casual users.

  2. Dec1999 - MS's Market Cap Surpasses 600 Billion on Which Company Is the Largest? · · Score: 2

    With the recent spurt in the stock price, Microsoft's market capitalization has reached nearly $600 billion, putting it back in first place ahead of General Electric's $475 billion market cap.

    Tech stocks are a bit more volatile than that of oil companies. Back then, Microsoft looked even better than Apple does today, virtually unstoppable.

  3. Re:From no malware on Mac on Mac OS Update Detects, Kills MacDefender Scareware · · Score: 1

    are you really telling me that since OS X has gotten two instances of malware, after being in use for over a decade, is the same as what has happened with windows? Really?!?

    No I'm not. That is not what I said at all. Did you reply to the right comment?!

  4. From no malware on Mac on Mac OS Update Detects, Kills MacDefender Scareware · · Score: 0, Troll

    "It's reasonably trivial to remove MacDefender," said Wisniewski, using the name for a growing family of scareware. "It's not burying itself in the system, not compared to some of some of the crap that we see on Windows."

    So the "no malware/virus on Mac" has now changed to "We have malware, but it's better than the ones on Windows"? Wonder what the defence would be when they inevitably start getting more complicated.

  5. Re:UN declares war on Libya on UN Backs Action Against Colonel Gaddafi · · Score: 2

    If in your impossible and rather ridiculous example the UK military started bombing cities one by one, I don't see any problem with UN going in to prevent slaughter. Why do you think that situation is any different?!

    They are stepping in to help overthrow Gadhafi. Regardless of whether you like him or not; regardless of whether you are happy with his rule in Libya, he holds that position of power, and you cannot apply your own constitution to overthrow his.

    I highly doubt Libyan constitution condones a genocidal maniac mass murdering Libyan people. Nobody's constitution is being applied here, at least I didn't here one being referred to during the security council proceedings.

    There are days when I hate being a westerner.

    This wasn't even unilateral action by the west. The Arab league has already supported a no fly zone and even two of its members will participate in implementing it. Couple of countries attacking Iraq by making up evidence is a shameful act. International community intervening in Libya to prevent mass murder is legitimate and proud act. Should be pretty easy to tell the two apart.

  6. Re:Someone's taking the piss.. on On Retirement, Israeli General Takes Credit for Stuxnet Attacks · · Score: 1
  7. Safari on WikiLeaks App Removed From Apple Store · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, I'm sure Safari would be pulled next because it makes the same information accessible.

  8. Re:temporary measure on Saudi Arabia Bans Facebook · · Score: 3, Funny

    Not really, unlike RIM, it's not practical or even commercially sound for Facebook to abide by KSA's "conservative values". There is also no inherent benefit on Saudi Arabia's part to have Facebook operate there. Except maybe monitoring citizens, but they already have full control over any means of communication so that's just unnecessary.

    The only reason I can see for them calling this a temporary measure is a PR move. They are shifting the blame on Facebook, saying they would unblock it as soon as it's compatible with their values. Of course everyone knows what's going on, but that's how PR works. They opened a university or two to women and last week they got elected to UN's women's rights agency. Maybe now their shooting for a position on Internet Freedoms board.

    .

  9. Re:Launch codes are so 1980... on US Presidential Nuclear Codes 'Lost For Months' · · Score: 1

    Consider smaller modern powers like Iran, Pakistan, or North Korea. If felt like their regime was going to collapse and their leaders killed or sent to the Hague, why not launch for revenge? Its not like dictators or theocrats are known to be especially rational or compassionate. Most likely we'll see nuclear war in the mideast sooner than later. I'd be willing to bet within 20 years.

    You just managed to contradict yourself in those two lines. The fact that North Korea and Iran are not attacked is exactly because of their power to defend themselves. Hint: Iraq and Afghanistan among couple of dozen countries that have experienced the "peacekeeping" and "democratizing" forces of the US in the past 5 decades. You can't take the leaders of nuclear power to Hague either, because you can't get their hands on them. So it never comes the time when the need to use such weapons.

  10. Oh piss off on US Presidential Nuclear Codes 'Lost For Months' · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If North Korea and Iran were to use any WMDs they would have used chemical weapons which they both had for decades. Hell, for eight years, Iran didn't use chemical weapons against Saddam even in retaliation. Maybe if you stop watching Fox News, you'd notice the leaders portrayed as demonic figures bent on bringing hell on earth are actually very pragmatic people and that's exactly why they manage to stay in power.

  11. Re:Repost on MS Gives Free Licenses To Oppressed Nonprofits · · Score: 1

    Microsoft doesn't have any operations and/or sales in Iran. Almost all commercial software is pirated. Even if they did, in Iran government doesn't really need to offer an excuse to investigate anyone.

  12. Huh?! on ICANN Approves .IRAN (in Non-Latin) · · Score: 1

    Just because two things looks similar doesn't make them the same. For starters, Arabic alphabet is 4 letters short of Farsi. Then there are letters (and even digits) that are written, pronounced and even used in different ways.This is quite like saying "To me, as a third party Japanese and Chinese look similar, so they should use the same TLD" which is very very wrong.

  13. Re:Gamers rejoice, they launched with Tetris! on Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Lineup · · Score: 1

    Electronics Arts also announced the first wave of games coming to Windows Phone 7, including "Need for Speed Undercover," "Tetris," and "The Sims 3." Tetris? That's a launch title? Ouch. Need for speed came preinstaleld on my droid, much to my annoyance. Wonder how much bloatware MS is going to get crammed in their OS.

    What's wrong with Tetris? It's one of the most popular games out there and it has been for a very long time. Also, I think it's up to carriers to "cram" bloatware into the phones. Similar to Android and Google, this is not much under MS's control.

  14. Re:Eh.. on Iran Arrests Alleged Spies Over Stuxnet Worm · · Score: 1

    It's a pretty typical thing in Iran. Whenever something goes wrong, be it a bombing, an armed conflict against the regime or something relatively untraceable like Stuxnet, within a few days, a bunch of people (often little known political prisoners) are paraded on TV, admit that they did it and they were fooled by CIA, Mossad, etc. and then no one ever hears about them again.

  15. Re:Unfair to just put the blame on the US on US Gov't Assisted Iranian Gov't Mobile Wiretaps · · Score: 1

    Thank you for calling me idiot, brainwashed, etc. Also attacking my culture. That pretty much settles how much validity there is in your argument.

    But to add up to that, you picked up on my rather weak first example and failed even to consider second one.

    Also, thanks to the moderators for giving +3 insightful to a comment that includes nothing but ad-hominem and according to signature is possibly just a troll.

  16. Unfair to just put the blame on the US on US Gov't Assisted Iranian Gov't Mobile Wiretaps · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm Iranian and I'm very pissed off about the regime abusing the the technology, however, I can't put all the blame on the US government. A lot of the tracking/wiretapping tech (well, virtually any technology) have dual uses. For example, if a family member of mine gets kidnapped I'd like the police to be able to locate him/her easily by tracking a cellphone. Or if a bunch of suspects are doing something against the law and there's justified need to tap their phones and/or internet I'd like the police to be able to obtain a warrant and have access to the technology to do their job. So it's not funding the development of technology or requiring it's inclusion in the products that is the problem.

    Now, if the US had the ability to prevent the regime from accessing the tech and they didn't do anything about it, well, that's not really nice.

  17. Shaw? on Afghan Government Turns To Iran For Internet · · Score: 1

    ... most of the leaders spent 15-20 years fighting the Shaw and Iraq.

    While I agree with most of your comment, out of curiosity, where did you learn "Shaw"? I mean Shah is the correct word, meaning King in Farsi. It's a short form for "Mohmmad Reza Shah" (while his father, the previous king is known primarily as "Reza Shah"). I see a lot of English speakers referring to him as Shaw which to my knowledge is a last name as in George B. Shaw.

  18. Re:Not really, I've driven those cars on Iran Unveils Its First UAV Bomber · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yes, but a rather different form of "privatization". National assets are sold to Revolutionary Guards' private companies. For instance, one of the most high profile recent "privatizations" was the sale of parts of the national telecom company. There were many large and small bidders who wanted the shares but eventually they were all disqualified for "national security" reasons. Two or three firms founded by Revolutionary Guards bought all the shares and no one even knows whether any money was transferred at all. Basically the same process as elections in Iran where the low profile undesirable candidates are disqualified and the higher profile ones have no way of preventing vote fraud and no way to protest the results. Privatization is just a sham like the elections.

  19. Karrar is not Farsi OR Persian on Iran Unveils Its First UAV Bomber · · Score: 5, Informative

    Whether you call it Farsi or Persian, Karrar is neither. It's Arabic and while many Arabic words and phrases are used in everyday Farsi, "Karrar" is definitely not one. As a native Farsi speaker with some knowledge of Arabic, I had to look the meaning up. Generally, the government has some fetish of putting Arabic names on everything, especially anything military related to make them sound more "holy" since Arabic is language of Islam.

  20. Not really, I've driven those cars on Iran Unveils Its First UAV Bomber · · Score: 2, Informative

    I've driven all those cars, and every year that rankings come out, the ones with best quality are the ones with least of local modifications (206 included). Every few years they announce a brand new "National Car" initiative which turns out to be a hybrid of several foreign designs put together usually poorly and then after it fails in the market, it becomes the mandatory car for government organizations. Considering 80% of economy is owned and run by the government, the manufacturing will survive with just one customer. In a few years, rinse, repeat, blah blah. Proof of the massive failure of auto industry in Iran is their constant lack of ability to penetrate even third world markets and even though they sell them to foreign markets at a fraction of the domestic price.

    Generally speaking, while the state of industry in some areas is better than Iraq, Afghanistan and few neighbouring countries, it's nothing remotely comparable to west or even Turkey. Along with improving relations with China, the few barely competitive sectors are being bought one by one by the Chinese, then begin importing and labeling Chinese products to sell domestically as Iranian-made. The incompetence of government, powerful grip of Revolutionary Guards over virtually all industries and their profit at any cost MO as well as population's general ignorance are all contributors.

    Iran's auto industry was founded almost the same time as South Korea. Saddens me to look at their global empire and our local disaster.

  21. Obligatory on North Korea Looking For Friends On Facebook · · Score: 4, Funny
  22. Revisionist much?! on Iran Opens Its First Nuclear Power Plant · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If it was containment of Soviet expansion, why the hell did it start right after Mosaddeq nationalized Iranian Oil?

  23. Re:FUD on Apple Patents Remotely Disabling Jailbroken Phones · · Score: 1
    I agree that this reeks of FUD, however,

    Jailbreaking is already legal. What use would it be to take a photo of a jailbroken user?

    Voiding the warranty. Today, I can easily jailbreak and restore my phone as many times as I like without Apple noticing. In the new model, as soon as they suspect jailbreaking, they can take a picture and the next time I go to them to bug them about shitty reception, they'd tell me that my warranty is void (with proof) and they can't do anything to help me.

  24. Re:End of violence? on Obama Sets End of Iraq Combat For August 31st · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yeah, right! Because if you don't notice it one month ahead, then insurgents would never notice that Americans have left and will stay home. They are that dumb you know.

  25. Collateral Damage on WikiLeaks Publishes Afghan War Secrets · · Score: 2

    As for the supposedly massive collateral damage by the Allies, 195 people over 10 years is tragic but not huge. Even then it's a mix of French, Polish, British, etc that are at fault so it's not a targetted campaign.

    I don't know where that number came from, but to me, it seems extremely... inaccurate. Every time there's report of a drone "misfiring" the number of casualties are in dozens and it seems to be a rather common occurrence. Case in point:

    U.S. military investigators found that "inaccurate and unprofessional" reporting by U.S. operators of a Predator drone was responsible for a missile strike that killed 23 Afghan civilians in February, according to a report released Saturday... (and on third page of the article) The U.N. says at least 2,412 civilians were killed in 2009 — a 14 percent increase over the previous year. NATO and Afghan government forces were responsible for 25 percent of the deaths, the U.N. said in January report. Of those, about 60 percent were due to airstrikes, the U.N. said.

    Source

    That is just 2009 and the trend is, at least at the time of article's publication, upward.