Their customer service USED to be excellent, better than other video card vendors. Unfortunately when DiamondMM lost the first video card wars and ATI got really huge, their driver quality sank very quickly and their customer service went from the best to quite possibly the worst - worse than even generic video card companies like Jaton. Not only that, they went from being quite supportive of X to being downright hostile (this change took place right around the time they bought up the charred corpse of Diamond) and REFUSED to disclose info to Linux developers, taking on the "proprietary intellectual property" mantra that Diamond used to love to chant. As if releasing "register c8e3 does foo" is going to reveal how you developed your chip mask. Idiots. Just release the map already, okay?
ATI's drivers have become more stable in the last couple of years on the Windows side, and they've become slightly less evil in the Linux world by releasing (partially-functional - no 3D - WTF? No Radeon 7500 support? WTF!) binary drivers for X and register maps for older products, but they still have an extremely long way to go before I will consider buying any ATI products. Hell, they STILL haven't ever released a driver which will enable the tuner on any of my ATI tuner or All in Wonder cards on Linux. Even worse, the open source driver (on supported cards) significantly outperforms the proprietary driver on several systems I've tested. Also, I've never managed to get GL117 to run on ANY ATI card, but NO problems on NVidia or even Screw ATI.
If AMD teams up with ATI, not only will I avoid ATI products, but I will also stick with Intel processors. Besides, with Intel's new cores, it's Intel's turn to babystep back into the lead again for a while. I think it's more likely that ATI's evil would rub off on AMD, and ATI would not improve any.
What's the POINT of legal backups if you have to destroy the backup in the event that the original is destroyed or lost? Isn't that the whole POINT of a backup?
I hate that common sense is so scarce nowadays that someone has to point out the painfully obvious.
Damn it! My download of THX1138 won't show up so the MPAA won't come knocking down my door for that download only to find that my download will have resulted in a sale of that movie by the time they find my IP.
So here it is: MPAA, I downloaded THX1138 over Memorial Day weekend, watched it, and today or tomorrow will be either buying a copy at Sprawl*Mart or ordering it from Amazon (if Wallyworld doesn't have it). You have those "evil file P2P networks" to thank for the sale. Also note: it will be the last DVD I buy for a long, long time because of your recent actions against thepirate bay. My DVD buying habits average 5 to 15 DVDs per month. When are you idiots going to embrace P2P as a "try before you buy" marketing method? Obviously if someone downloads a crappy low-res movie and likes it, that person has a very high likelihood of buying the DVD. You guys are short-sighted morons bent on cutting off your nose to spite your face, much like the RIAA/Napster/CD sales ordeal. I bought more music CDs during the reign of Napster I than I did in the 13 previous years I owned CD players combined, and since the RIAA succeeded in shutting down the original Napster, I've bought fewer than FIVE CDs. That's FIVE CDs over roughly SIX YEARS, because of the RIAA's racketeering practices.
Stop alienating your customers and potential customers, retards.
By that reasoning, your landlord is responsible for making sure you don't infringe on the law by smoking pot?
Microsoft should be held liable for producing a product (M$ Word, M$ Outlook) which can be used to document and disseminate documentation of methods by which terrorist activities could be carried out?
GM should be held liable should some wank use his Camaro as a getaway car for a bank robbery?
At the national level when was the last time you voted on a referendum (a bill)? Never? Oh right, that's because it's not a democracy. Elected representatives (called Senators and Representatives) vote for you. You elect those representatives into office so that THEY vote on bills. Hence, it's is a republic, NOT a democracy.
In a democracy, majority rules, without fail. In a republic it is very possible for the majority to not win issues (see DMCA, spending and tax increases, etc.)
Very good summary of the situation. I'd like to add a little bit though:
They have "common carrier" status and some of the privileges (immunities, rights of way, etc.) which go along with that status.
With that said, IMHO, that status should be REMOVED and make those carriers subject to lease. Is a telco line crossing over your airspace (cross over your property)? Is there a pole in the ground on your property? The telco should be forced to negotiate a lease which you at your discretion can choose to accept or reject. If they want their two-tier Internet, by all means, let's give it to them, but make it a two-way street such that they lose their eminent domain (right-of-way) privilege. If they cannot cover the whole town because you own a turf farm and they did not want to pay for the air space or underground conduit, tough shit. Guess they just lost the monopoly in that town. So sad, too bad.
Of course, because the politicians have their hands in the telco's wallets, what should happen won't.:(
Use your vote wisely. Vote out incumbants. Give a new slimebag a chance.;)
Uh, how the hell is that a troll? That you disagree with me does not make my opinion a troll. Actually my post rated a funny, at worst (which was really what I was trying for). Stop throwing away mod points. Want to use your mod points wisely? Mod up some very insightful topical post.
Actually, isn't it available on DVD now? I use Torrents as a form of timeshifting, but unless there's a movie or show I'm not sure I want to buy (e.g., THX1138 which I downloaded last week and watched, and decided I am going to order from Amazon if Sprawl*Mart doesn't have it - MPAA you have thepiratebay.org to thank for that sale, you know, that site you succeeded in bribing the Swedes to shut down. Oh, and thanks ro that action, I won't be buying DVDs for a while. I've been buying anywhere from 5 to 15 DVDs a month, now I will buy NONE until you STOP the proceedings and encourage thepiratebay.org to go back up, and STOP suing your customers and potential customers, assholes) I buy the DVDs.
Worse than that, what do you do when the government simply ignores the law? No need to mess with re-interpreting it. Just ignore it, like Bush, Cheney, and Gonzalez
They have the attitude that the War Powers Act (which itself is unconstitutional) gives them unlimited powers when carrying out military actions, all the way up to declaring curfews and suspending the Constitution.
Police have been monitoring the website and the men behind it for some time. Computers were taken during raids on the men's homes and offices to secure evidence.
Evidence? What evidence?
Oh, evidence that they were engaging in 100% legal activities? No need to gather that evidence; the operators admitted quite freely that they were engaging in operating a web site which distributed content which was copyrighted. Now, if they come to America the US government might have chosen to (illegally) convict them since our government seems to think that we ought to police the entire world, but they were still in sweden.
OBVIOUSLY someone got paid off to authorize this BS.
There is a huge benefit though:
It is very likely that once the operators are cleared of BS charges (what are they going to be charged with -- complying with the law?!?!) and the judge says "carry on then" that they'll go right back online, only they would likely do a major purge of all of the dead/unseeded torrents on the site.
(With that said, I miss suprnova:( It was THE best torrent site for finding rare/unavailable TV shows and abandonware)
/. users use mod points like we Americans use votes; we throw them away on garbage (electing cretins into office) rather than voting sensibly.
Likewise, some/. users disregard the guidelines and focus on modding down rather than passing by offtopic posts or posts they disagree with. It's idiotic, yes, but it's been that way for ages.
President Cheney and his wacky sidekick Dubya are treasonous bastards who deserve to be rotting in a "pound me in the ass" prison.
You misspelled "face the firing squad." I will correct it for you:
President Cheney and his wacky sidekick Dubya are treasonous bastards who deserve to be impeached, convicted, and sentenced to facing the firing squad for their assorted treasonous actions, namely encroaching on our essential liberties which are protected by the very same Constitution they swore under oath to preserve and protect.
Well here in America, we call it a "republic" - well, at least the educated folks do (this rules out Duhbya). The USA is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy.;)
Such standards are NOT international and ATC interferes resulting in collisions when the pilots left to their own devices would have avoided each other. See references elsewhere in this thread.
It's okay you're skimming though, everyone f's up once in a while.;)
How the hell is that a troll? Does a reasonable assessment of what is going on here in America today really justify modding the post as "Troll?" I don't think so.
Right but they are not international plus ATC interferes thinking they know better than the pilots, resulting in collisions (see reference elsewhere in this thread). There needs to be an international guideline for which ATC should override if AND ONLY IF not overriding would result in a collision with a third aircraft or terrain. If ATC wishes for the pilots to make course corrections, all corrections should take place when each respective pilot in the "near miss" have successfully cleared the other's flight path.
I'm getting an idea. No, false alarm. No. Yes! No. Yep. Nope, waaiiit, no. Yes. Yes. No. YES!!!!
How about implementing international standards for collision avoidance similar to what exists in the marine world, e.g., if one aircraft is overtaking another, the one overtaking vectors starboard (that's right), the one being overtaken vectors port (that's left). If approaching head-on, both vector starboard, if approaching at right/oblique angles, the one to starboard descends (if altitude and terrain allows) and the one to port ascends. Seems simple to me.
Of course, the ideal solution is to stick to your flight plan when flying IFR, keeping your eyes open when flying VFR and when flying VFR stay within VFR conditions, keeping your eyes open all the while, and fly conservatively. But no, that would be too sensible and would not earn lawyers (no legislation required) and avionics manufacturers enough money (no having to retrofit needless systems into aircraft and recertify them).
You're wrong. If I wire someone money, they can withdraw it instantly. If I write a check out to someone, they can go right to my bank and cash it instantly. In fact with recent changes in checking services, banks transfer funds immediately (people can't "float" checks any more, which IMHO is a good thing) so a check in theory clears instantly, or at least the next day.
I have NEVER experienced a week's delay between a deposit and when the bank "allows" me to write a check to make a payment. In fact I don't even experience any delays between a deposit or transfer and the time when I can use my check card to make a payment. Paypal institutes artificial delays just so they can accrue interest in addition to fees.
Paying for something directly with Paypal? That requires me to tie up money with them, maintaining a balance (where I receive no interest for my bother) for a payment service I rarely use. Why the hell would I want to do that? Now, if what you mean by "pay directly" is use my Amex card to pay, say, Abit for an RMA cross-shipment, Abit does not use Paypal's credit card payment feature, so there is the inevitable delay. Fuck paypal.
I don't use it often, so when I need to use it to pay for something (a vendor too fucking cheap to get a merchant account, e.g. Abit's RMA department)), Paypal sits on my money for a week before they will actually let me pay the vendor, and when I get refunded, they sit on the damn money again before I can take my money, and they're collecting interest on it all the while. Paypal is the epitome of evil and I do business via paypal only when I have absolutely no alternative. My alternative where Abit is concerned is to never buy their products again, then I do not have to deal with their crappy RMA process. I buy Asus or Foxconn instead - those companies have their act together and do it right.
Slashdot Mirror
Current catalyst drivers today are perfection relative to what they were like a couple of years ago. They're a vast improvement.
Amen to that.
As far as I am concerned, ATI is evil.
Their customer service USED to be excellent, better than other video card vendors. Unfortunately when DiamondMM lost the first video card wars and ATI got really huge, their driver quality sank very quickly and their customer service went from the best to quite possibly the worst - worse than even generic video card companies like Jaton. Not only that, they went from being quite supportive of X to being downright hostile (this change took place right around the time they bought up the charred corpse of Diamond) and REFUSED to disclose info to Linux developers, taking on the "proprietary intellectual property" mantra that Diamond used to love to chant. As if releasing "register c8e3 does foo" is going to reveal how you developed your chip mask. Idiots. Just release the map already, okay?
ATI's drivers have become more stable in the last couple of years on the Windows side, and they've become slightly less evil in the Linux world by releasing (partially-functional - no 3D - WTF? No Radeon 7500 support? WTF!) binary drivers for X and register maps for older products, but they still have an extremely long way to go before I will consider buying any ATI products. Hell, they STILL haven't ever released a driver which will enable the tuner on any of my ATI tuner or All in Wonder cards on Linux. Even worse, the open source driver (on supported cards) significantly outperforms the proprietary driver on several systems I've tested. Also, I've never managed to get GL117 to run on ANY ATI card, but NO problems on NVidia or even Screw ATI.
If AMD teams up with ATI, not only will I avoid ATI products, but I will also stick with Intel processors. Besides, with Intel's new cores, it's Intel's turn to babystep back into the lead again for a while. I think it's more likely that ATI's evil would rub off on AMD, and ATI would not improve any.
Svartalf, that is a great signature. I love it. :)
What's the POINT of legal backups if you have to destroy the backup in the event that the original is destroyed or lost? Isn't that the whole POINT of a backup?
I hate that common sense is so scarce nowadays that someone has to point out the painfully obvious.
(and we have no logs of transfers)
Damn it! My download of THX1138 won't show up so the MPAA won't come knocking down my door for that download only to find that my download will have resulted in a sale of that movie by the time they find my IP.
So here it is: MPAA, I downloaded THX1138 over Memorial Day weekend, watched it, and today or tomorrow will be either buying a copy at Sprawl*Mart or ordering it from Amazon (if Wallyworld doesn't have it). You have those "evil file P2P networks" to thank for the sale. Also note: it will be the last DVD I buy for a long, long time because of your recent actions against thepirate bay. My DVD buying habits average 5 to 15 DVDs per month. When are you idiots going to embrace P2P as a "try before you buy" marketing method? Obviously if someone downloads a crappy low-res movie and likes it, that person has a very high likelihood of buying the DVD. You guys are short-sighted morons bent on cutting off your nose to spite your face, much like the RIAA/Napster/CD sales ordeal. I bought more music CDs during the reign of Napster I than I did in the 13 previous years I owned CD players combined, and since the RIAA succeeded in shutting down the original Napster, I've bought fewer than FIVE CDs. That's FIVE CDs over roughly SIX YEARS, because of the RIAA's racketeering practices.
Stop alienating your customers and potential customers, retards.
By that reasoning, your landlord is responsible for making sure you don't infringe on the law by smoking pot?
Microsoft should be held liable for producing a product (M$ Word, M$ Outlook) which can be used to document and disseminate documentation of methods by which terrorist activities could be carried out?
GM should be held liable should some wank use his Camaro as a getaway car for a bank robbery?
I. Don't. Think. So.
1. If you're a government-guaranteed monopoly and common carrier, censorship does count.
;)
(I corrected your typos for you)
At the local level there are democratic elements.
At the national level when was the last time you voted on a referendum (a bill)? Never? Oh right, that's because it's not a democracy. Elected representatives (called Senators and Representatives) vote for you. You elect those representatives into office so that THEY vote on bills. Hence, it's is a republic, NOT a democracy.
In a democracy, majority rules, without fail. In a republic it is very possible for the majority to not win issues (see DMCA, spending and tax increases, etc.)
Very good summary of the situation. I'd like to add a little bit though:
:(
;)
They have "common carrier" status and some of the privileges (immunities, rights of way, etc.) which go along with that status.
With that said, IMHO, that status should be REMOVED and make those carriers subject to lease. Is a telco line crossing over your airspace (cross over your property)? Is there a pole in the ground on your property? The telco should be forced to negotiate a lease which you at your discretion can choose to accept or reject. If they want their two-tier Internet, by all means, let's give it to them, but make it a two-way street such that they lose their eminent domain (right-of-way) privilege. If they cannot cover the whole town because you own a turf farm and they did not want to pay for the air space or underground conduit, tough shit. Guess they just lost the monopoly in that town. So sad, too bad.
Of course, because the politicians have their hands in the telco's wallets, what should happen won't.
Use your vote wisely. Vote out incumbants. Give a new slimebag a chance.
Uh, how the hell is that a troll? That you disagree with me does not make my opinion a troll. Actually my post rated a funny, at worst (which was really what I was trying for). Stop throwing away mod points. Want to use your mod points wisely? Mod up some very insightful topical post.
Actually, isn't it available on DVD now? I use Torrents as a form of timeshifting, but unless there's a movie or show I'm not sure I want to buy (e.g., THX1138 which I downloaded last week and watched, and decided I am going to order from Amazon if Sprawl*Mart doesn't have it - MPAA you have thepiratebay.org to thank for that sale, you know, that site you succeeded in bribing the Swedes to shut down. Oh, and thanks ro that action, I won't be buying DVDs for a while. I've been buying anywhere from 5 to 15 DVDs a month, now I will buy NONE until you STOP the proceedings and encourage thepiratebay.org to go back up, and STOP suing your customers and potential customers, assholes) I buy the DVDs.
They have the attitude that the War Powers Act (which itself is unconstitutional) gives them unlimited powers when carrying out military actions, all the way up to declaring curfews and suspending the Constitution.
Evidence? What evidence?
Oh, evidence that they were engaging in 100% legal activities? No need to gather that evidence; the operators admitted quite freely that they were engaging in operating a web site which distributed content which was copyrighted. Now, if they come to America the US government might have chosen to (illegally) convict them since our government seems to think that we ought to police the entire world, but they were still in sweden.
OBVIOUSLY someone got paid off to authorize this BS.
There is a huge benefit though:
It is very likely that once the operators are cleared of BS charges (what are they going to be charged with -- complying with the law?!?!) and the judge says "carry on then" that they'll go right back online, only they would likely do a major purge of all of the dead/unseeded torrents on the site.
(With that said, I miss suprnova
/. users use mod points like we Americans use votes; we throw them away on garbage (electing cretins into office) rather than voting sensibly.
/. users disregard the guidelines and focus on modding down rather than passing by offtopic posts or posts they disagree with. It's idiotic, yes, but it's been that way for ages.
Likewise, some
You misspelled "face the firing squad." I will correct it for you:
President Cheney and his wacky sidekick Dubya are treasonous bastards who deserve to be impeached, convicted, and sentenced to facing the firing squad for their assorted treasonous actions, namely encroaching on our essential liberties which are protected by the very same Constitution they swore under oath to preserve and protect.
You're welcome.
Well here in America, we call it a "republic" - well, at least the educated folks do (this rules out Duhbya). The USA is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy. ;)
*nitpicks*
"Yeah, but does it run Linux?"
(Someone HAS to post it. This comment is obligatory in this kind of thread)
Re-read for completeness.
;)
Such standards are NOT international and ATC interferes resulting in collisions when the pilots left to their own devices would have avoided each other. See references elsewhere in this thread.
It's okay you're skimming though, everyone f's up once in a while.
How the hell is that a troll? Does a reasonable assessment of what is going on here in America today really justify modding the post as "Troll?" I don't think so.
Right but they are not international plus ATC interferes thinking they know better than the pilots, resulting in collisions (see reference elsewhere in this thread). There needs to be an international guideline for which ATC should override if AND ONLY IF not overriding would result in a collision with a third aircraft or terrain. If ATC wishes for the pilots to make course corrections, all corrections should take place when each respective pilot in the "near miss" have successfully cleared the other's flight path.
I'm getting an idea. No, false alarm. No. Yes! No. Yep. Nope, waaiiit, no. Yes. Yes. No. YES!!!!
How about implementing international standards for collision avoidance similar to what exists in the marine world, e.g., if one aircraft is overtaking another, the one overtaking vectors starboard (that's right), the one being overtaken vectors port (that's left). If approaching head-on, both vector starboard, if approaching at right/oblique angles, the one to starboard descends (if altitude and terrain allows) and the one to port ascends. Seems simple to me.
Of course, the ideal solution is to stick to your flight plan when flying IFR, keeping your eyes open when flying VFR and when flying VFR stay within VFR conditions, keeping your eyes open all the while, and fly conservatively. But no, that would be too sensible and would not earn lawyers (no legislation required) and avionics manufacturers enough money (no having to retrofit needless systems into aircraft and recertify them).
You're wrong. If I wire someone money, they can withdraw it instantly.
If I write a check out to someone, they can go right to my bank and cash it instantly. In fact with recent changes in checking services, banks transfer funds immediately (people can't "float" checks any more, which IMHO is a good thing) so a check in theory clears instantly, or at least the next day.
I have NEVER experienced a week's delay between a deposit and when the bank "allows" me to write a check to make a payment. In fact I don't even experience any delays between a deposit or transfer and the time when I can use my check card to make a payment. Paypal institutes artificial delays just so they can accrue interest in addition to fees.
Paying for something directly with Paypal? That requires me to tie up money with them, maintaining a balance (where I receive no interest for my bother) for a payment service I rarely use. Why the hell would I want to do that? Now, if what you mean by "pay directly" is use my Amex card to pay, say, Abit for an RMA cross-shipment, Abit does not use Paypal's credit card payment feature, so there is the inevitable delay. Fuck paypal.
Sure, if you want to play semantics and have no sense of humor. No need to get technical - it was a joke, and more importantly, a Futurama reference.
I have.
I don't use it often, so when I need to use it to pay for something (a vendor too fucking cheap to get a merchant account, e.g. Abit's RMA department)), Paypal sits on my money for a week before they will actually let me pay the vendor, and when I get refunded, they sit on the damn money again before I can take my money, and they're collecting interest on it all the while. Paypal is the epitome of evil and I do business via paypal only when I have absolutely no alternative. My alternative where Abit is concerned is to never buy their products again, then I do not have to deal with their crappy RMA process. I buy Asus or Foxconn instead - those companies have their act together and do it right.
(based on the sig)
But, can an Nvidia run FFT calculations faster than Chuck Norris? I doubt it!