Yes, it was. Appeared in early '80s, and was followed by I think one revision bearing the same name and then another which had a new name (don't remember the name).
OK, I admit that RQ was nice. And there aren't as many things bad with Glorantha as there are with most (A)D&D worlds. But, ducks? Do You really, REALLY need the ducks? Oh yes, didn't CoC use the same rules?
With the various systems I've tried, Warhammer FRP with a stack of handwritten notes from sources close to the game is pretty close to the best system. Specifically the best idea in the gamesystem are careers.
Then there's of course SLUG. The hard battles between FUDGE and SLUG fanatics are occasions of great joy and bloodshed!
What else? GURPS has good ideas, but after memorizing way too many GURPS books, supplements and compendia, I've come to the conclusion that in the end, it sucks. For all the good the system can provide, there are problems that would require reworking major parts of the whole.
Then there's of course Marvel, which is pretty nice. Thou shalt not choose Champion over Marvel, as that is the path to insanity - and Hero systems fans are crushed by GURPS fanatics any day on any field.
Oh yes, never forget MERP/RM/SM series. Some nice material, and I did write a program that took, as input, a couple of numbers in about -100 - +500 range and displayed the gorified textual results on screen.
Paranoia is one to be remembered. Not for the system (who cares about the system in that game?), but for the memories of having caused the utter, complete destruction of alpha complex. And if I remember correctly, some commie bastard didn't die in the process;)
Never liked Storyteller. I don't need a non-system to tell me that I don't need a system to tell a story;)
What was it that needed dice with one third of the sides displaying '-', one third blank, and one third '+'? I think I have a hundred or so of those dice somewhere.
Of course many people still remember Metamorphosis Alpha, Top Secret (S.I.?), but how about the more obscure titles like "The Secret Treasure of Racquoc in the Acirema Dungeons"? And was it "Late, Late Night" or whatever where the characters were actors in B-flicks? I think there was something about attack of the giant mutant ants, too, although that could've been covered by the above mentioned horror story. And what the hell was Nuns on Wheels? Was it RPG or Car Wars add-on or what?
Add to the list many of the homebrewn systems. I think one of the best ever took about two handwritten pages in an A5 notebook. Unfortunately it was destroyed (I think it burnt - not sure, though).
Oh well, those were the good old times. Perhaps I should try checking if anyone on Ebay has Rogue Traders for sale.
Should still be in AD&D 1st edition (which I think dropped Arneson - although that could've happened in D&D boxed set edition). AD&D 2nd edition probably dropped Gygax's name. Not sure though.. I think I used to own 2nd ed basic books (DMG, PH, MC) once.
I still think there was better Arneson stuff that Gygax stuff. Although given the time and it's effect on my memory, could be wrong. However, the best scenarios are probably Carl Sargent's. I think he did some (A)D&D scens too.
We run Exchange Server, and we get hit by an Exchange Server virii Quick solution: Don't use exchange server.
A solution allowing internal use of Exchange is also possible.
Don't expose Exchange servers to the internet. Have internet email come to a secure MTA (no, not sendmail, something more simple and more easily secured). The internet-MTA can then spool email for virusscanning and whatever other mangling needs to be done (remove every attachment with filename ending with.vbs (and a hundred others) and so on). After mangling, forward to internal Exchange servers.
Easy, doesn't require powerful machines even for a large amount of email (OK, depends on the amount of mangling done), easily replicated to several sites, and likely to be near-zero administration.
Your kid won't notice the difference, and CD-Rs are dirt cheap.
Perhaps Your kid won't, but some people will. Of course depending on the original (some DVDs are just plain crap), the amount of work put into conversion, the tools used, and so on. Trust me, it's not all that easy. VCDs can be pretty much forgotten - too many artifacts. Transcoding MPEG2->MPEG2 for SVCDs is pretty much the only reasonable way unless You have a DVD writer. You can usually fit about 40-50 minutes per 80min CD-R disc (if You do the encoding well and can live with not-perfect quality), so movies are out unless You have an SVCD player that takes multiple discs or like changing discs in the middle of the movie..
So, SVCD is OK for TV series where You can fit full episode on a disc, but then You'll wind up with stacks of discs. In the end, I'd say DVD->DVD transcoding is the way to go. Most discs can be recompressed with lower bitrate without noticeable loss in quality (as long as the encoding is done with decent tools and at least some skill, or good conf templates from good rippers), so fitting 2h movie on one 4.7GB disc should work (~5Mbps - if done well, should be enough to not to notice difference between original and copy).
3. Those who would like to use code, are entirely willing to give credit where credit is due, but haven't decided yet if they want to (or, legally, are allowed to) release their own code.
Meaning, who? You can prototype using GPL'd code. You may work with it for as long as You don't release the binary. You may do the legal homework during that time, too.
Think of it as using GPL'd code as the first throw away prototype. You create it fast, usually as a proof of concept, and based on that decide whether You're go or no go. Then You can decide that yes, it's good, but no GPL. So You have written the first prototype very fast, gotten the proof of concept and design ideas, and Your production cycle just gained that three months because You could make the go decision three months faster than if You had to write from scratch. Just throw away the prototype and start from scratch now that the development has been approved.
And You never had to release Your prototype code because You never released the binary, either. It went to the archive and the rest of the copies were wiped when new development began.
Now, XS4ALL is not an U.S. based ISP, so certain concepts like that of common carrier status may not apply. But such things used to apply in the U.S., even if they don't apply today.
Unfortunately, I don't think common carrier applies to ISPs. Because they don't act as such.
Consider: You take an envelope to a post office, pay due fee for delivery, and they will deliver that. They can't deny the use of service from You. You go to Your local telco. You ask for a phone line to be installed, and pay due fee for the installation. They can't deny the use of service from You. They can't deny it even later for as long as You continue to pay the bills and not attach dangerous devices to the line.
You go to an ISP. They may decide not to sell service to You. If You tell them that they must, and they accept that they really can't deny that, we're on the right track. You get the internet connection, including a public address? Wrong. If You get a static IP, it's a public address. Dynamic IP is not a public address in the same sense. OK, You use the connection, and the ISP tells You that You can't do that or they'll terminate. Oh yes, then there are service requirements. Can You call Your ISP and get a problem solved? 24h a day? Even sunday morning @0400?
Backbones probably are common carriers. They don't look at the bits they transport. They sell bulk. They sell to ISPs, local telcos, and such. They would probably sell to You too.
I did that, too. Actually just aubing abma and some other anime newsgroups.. Then I ran out of diskspace;) (that's not the only thing I need diskspace for, and sometimes work just takes precedence)
Anyway, if I hadn't started downloading anime off the net, and from Usenet, I wouldn't probably have spent the 20+k on anime DVDs I have.
I'm working on getting more diskspace online in my LAN, and streamlining my acquisition methods. Just to get anime that isn't available in Europe (or US) yet, and might never be. I was overjoyed when I read that Noir is licensed (and thus might come out on DVD some day) in US. Hadn't I seen the series already, I probably wouldn't be waiting anxiously about when I get to pre-order the discs.
Oh yes, I do buy stuff I've never seen. But not as much as stuff I've seen a couple of episodes of.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a US citizen or resident, so arguably this really isn't my business.)
Actually it is. Considering that I'm Finnish, I shouldn't really care about US laws, no? Not true. I have to care about them, because the high and might US of A will then go on pushing their laws through WTO, WIPO, and other international organizations.
What do I care about DMCA or SSSCA? Because I have to fight on the European front - write my representative, EU representative, commissioners, ministries, and so on, to not get similar directives in EU and laws in Finland.
Currently, I'm still requesting additional studies and information regarding the latest "Computer implemented innovations" directive (software patents), writing stuff about copyrights (tekijänoikeus, "right of the creator" in Finnish - hopefully I get something reasonable together soon enough so I'd still have time before the Finnish parliament implements the EU copyright directives in Finnish law), and so on.
Also, assume that SSSCA passes (hope not, but prepare for the worst). What happens in Europe? We either fight back, or adopt similar practice. It's pretty much certain that such law in US would lead to negotiations of international treaties that would bind others to implement similar laws. So, we in Europe must first fight the US laws, then ratification of treaties, then writing of EU directives, and in the end local laws.
I'd guess same goes for others (non-US, non-EU citizens), too, as most "western world" countries want to play on the same side as the most destructive, actively used, offensive army on Earth. Not to mention the economic significance of USA.
I don't know much anything about the TV edits, as living in Finland, I don't get all the US channels. I could probably get some satellite and cable channels if I cared to find out which are available and for how much.
So, I judge Anime by the DVDs, which I hope most often means uncut. Sometimes I see same title twice in a shop, with one reading "uncut" (and a little higher pricetag). In those cases I always get uncut.
Because, I believe that the US so called "morals" are just crap - aunts for children or whatever associations there are pushing the standards. Seems to me that the Japanese have a lot more sane view of the world (generally, as in Totoro, not as in Eva or tentacle-porn) than the US.
No, I wouldn't show Grave of the Fireflies to young children, but neither would I show any other "war is horrible" -title, Hollywood or animated. It always amazes me why titles like Escaflowne and Tenchi are always used as examples about "anime that must be edited for children", while stuff like Grave of the Fireflies, Area 88, and Wind Named Amnesia are not even mentioned. Is it just so that these titles have no hope for ever to be shown on TV because they're not for children, and adults won't watch "cartoons" (and what, pray tell, is Simpsons, South Park, or Beavis & Butthead? Worse for children than most anime titles edited for showing to children).
However, I must agree that even edited anime has it's place. If that's the only way to show anime in US, then so be it. And, Robotech was my first contact to anime, too.
USA is ruled by one thing only: profit. And profit of privately held corporations at that. Any act in politics that would cause more costs for the Corporate America is doomed to fail, thus no ratifying treaties that require the corps to bear their own costs.
But then I don't like sci-fi, action/adventure, or cyberpunk.
OK, how about: - Princess Mononoke - absolutely magnificient, fantasy (legendary history), man vs. nature - My Neighbour Totoro - for whole family, this is a story about children as could be seen by children (I could go on about the rest of Miyazaki's works, but those two should suffice for starters) Comedy/Drama? Kimagure Orange Road, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Oh My Goddess..
Something more serious? Area 88, Grave of the Fireflies..
For children (not limited to children)? Cardcaptor Sakura, Jubei Chan..
None of the titles mentioned are sci-fi or cyberpunk, nor are they action/adventure titles. Even if those limitations rule out perhaps 70% of my collection, there's still much more than that.
OK, I've done my part - spent the last three or so hours reading the directive, FAQs, opinions, and writing a letter.
Still, the directive isn't actually as bad as it's made to look like.
It doesn't allow patenting software "as such", although it's very ambiguous as to what constitutes an advancement in a field of technology that can be achieved by a computer-implemented innovation where the implementation is a programmable computer (...) or software implementing the process that contributes to the advancement in the field of technology..
Talk about recursive definitions.
Oh yes, in my letter I also requested that the documents be made available in language that a person skilled in the art of software development can understand without need for additional expertise in legal matters. Never going to happen, but at least I did complain about it. Not to mention that I complained about the very bad Finnish translation.. It was horrible text - I had to read both the Finnish and English versions to understand the Finnish translation.
However, I'd suggest anyone interested to really read the directive with explanations about the articles. The most interesting parts were comparisons to US and Japan and the targets set relative to the current situation in Europe, and current situation in US.
Not on hardware unless it's dirt cheap. S&H from US to Finland is just plain insane except for ground (sea) shipments for anything that weighs something. And I don't like the idea of having electronics in a sea container for a week..
And anime available on Ebay is mostly Taiwanese/Hong Kong stuff - bootlegs or with Chinese subs (perhaps legitimate)..
So, it's always back to basics: no hardware from US unless I can ship via proxy: someone who lives there and is willing to receive a shipment, check that it's OK, repackage, and send using standard international air. Using private person as a proxy also helps when it comes to determining the value of an item at customs, as if I can reasonably explain the price of an item as used and so on, and save in import tax and VAT, the savings may shave enough off the S&H that it's worthwhile.
And, with CD/DVD/LD/VHS/Books/etc - material that is not easily damaged, is pretty small, and doesn't really have moving parts, standard online stores work fine.
Note: Amazon doesn't ship electronics and such to outside US.
Nor do many other shops. Once I tried to find certain soundcard that was US only release, and found one or two places willing to ship to Europe, but only with a courier and insured. Meaning that the shipping would've cost more than the soundcard itself..
You know, it's always so frustrating when I at last find something I want on the net, and notice that it's available only in the US, and no shop is willing to ship to Europe, or if one is, shipping would bleed me dry.
Actually, even Pioneer DV-535 plays VCD and SVCD. Except for multiple audio tracks and soft subs on SVCD - a shame. I think it should play X(S)VCD, too, but haven't checked. If it handled XSVCD with soft subs, I might be more interested.
I'm always wondering about those cheap DVD players. I now checked some half a dozen stores in Finland, and the cheapest player I found was about 200€ - far more than the 150€+/-50 I've seen noted as "low-price" players by some.
Anyway, of that 200€, $28 would be about 16%, not one third. And, the one person I know who wanted just a cheap player bought one for about 350€, which I consider pretty cheap.
Mostly what I look for is Pioneer and Sony, which have models in the 350-600€ range - midprice players that look OK, play about anything, and have good warranties. And the most expensive player any of my friends has bought was 998£ (~1450€ at the time). That because he replaced his LD at the same time, buying a player that plays LD, DVD and CD formats.
So, do I know people who'd think that the $28 (~32€) price difference matters? One.
Think about it - it's the cost of one or two discs - depending on what You buy.
And, of course You might sometimes wonder how come there were engineers and scientists not producing stuff but doing research. It's because the corps expect the R&D to be a money sink that produces IP that can be sold to consumers in the form of nifty stuff that does things nobody knew they needed before. The R&D has to be covered by royalties and such later.
We're talking about enforcement within Europe, which is region 2, not 1. And, there really aren't all that many anime releases in Europe, so the choices for a European anime collector are:
1) Buy US releases and get a modded DVD player
2) Buy Japanese releases (which are R2) and learn some Japanese while at it. Rest assured, after a couple of hundred titles You will recognize many phrases.
3) Buy Taiwanese and Hong Kong releases. Mostly bootlegs, but cheap, regionless, and often with English subtitles. The quality is crap, though, both with video and translation. Perhaps the Cantonese subtitles are better translated, but I don't understand any dialect of Chinese.
There are some Japanese releases with English subtitles. However, it takes some time to work out whether some release has English subtitles or not. And, Japanese releases are pretty much more expensive than US releases.
So, most opt for modded player and US releases.
However, I don't really care much about "unlicensed players". I'm pretty sure my Pioneer is fully licensed, and the fact that it just happens to have some repair shop ROM (used by technicians to fix the players and so on) in it is the reason I bought it. From a normal HiFi store. I heard they had some without this nifty ROM, but I've never heard of anyone who'd bought an unmodded player.
Remember that if the license isn't valid, there's only copyright. And thus, as these licenses are to promote freedom of use, the copyright is more restrictive than the licenses.
The BigSoftCorp can't take your code away.
The license generator could also consist of a few basic templates that provide the framework for the license, and a number of chapters that can be applied to those templates. Thus, You click and check what You want to give and not give, and an appropriate template is chosen and the needed chapters put into the template.
If the templates (basic wrapper text) and the individual chapters are all solid, and the license generator is programmed well and the different license paths that can be taken designed by those well versed in law, the likelyhood of a license that doesn't hold in the court should be pretty small.
Uhh.. If You want a multi-region DVD player (any brand) in Finland, You go to any HiFi store and buy one. I would guess they sell multiregion players not just in HiFi stores, but in any consumer electronics store that sells DVD players at all.
Eg. I went to a normal HiFi store, and told them I want a DVD player. I talked for a moment about what I really want and need, how much I'm willing to pay, and so on. I asked offhand that "this is of course multi region?" and got a yes for that. I actually had to wait for a few days for my player because the model I wanted had sold better than they had expected, but later that week I picked my player up and have been happy with it ever since.
Costs more? Oh yes, they could've sold me an unmodded player for some 100€ less. However, as I knew I was buying mostly anime, which isn't available in Europe, it wasn't an option ever (OK, Japan is R2, but I don't know enough Japanese to not to need subtitles). I could've of course bought a standard US R1 player, but it would've cost me more (they're not generally available in Finland - modded one is cheaper).
To date, I have some 280 discs of which three are PAL R2 (European), the rest are NTSC R1, multiregion, or unrestricted. And not a single problem with the player.
I assume that even though it's up to the developers to work when they feel most creative, You have requested that they be present at the office during some set times?
For one, You do still have meetings with all development teams? Weekly or biweekly, but at the same time and same weekday every time. Whether there's something to talk about the projects or not. The formal part of the meeting can be a fast status check if there's nothing special to report, no milestones nearing completion, and so on. Most likely there's something people want to talk about anyway, although not on the record, so even if a 30 minute meeting (according to schedule) takes only five minutes, 10 minutes of off-the-record talk may take place.
Also, You need to have most people present every now and then, not just for meetings but just so that everyone knows when others are available. You don't call a meeting for everything, but You need to have people in the same place at the same time for informal face-to-face time. Email just doesn't cut it for everything.
And even when the developers believe they know what's best for them, they don't. Would I trust myself with complete freedom? Not really. Would I trust others with the same? Not really.
Freedom is good when balanced with discipline. Coding at 0200 may feel like a good idea, and sometimes it is. But most often it's not.
How does Linus using BitKeeper make kernel development harder for those who don't have it (can't afford, won't use non-free software, whatever)?
Linus and the maintainers will still accept patches in email, so nothing's changed except Linus now has a tool that is likely to help him keep up the extremely high productivity.
And, using non-free software to manage the development of free software doesn't make the free software any less free. It's not like it could only be compiled by a non-free compiler.
Maybe this means that those who write free software will next write a tool even better than BitKeeper and the world will be once more a little better place.
No numbers here, either. Perhaps the employment laws are different enough to lead to different conclusions (I live in Finland). However, I've seen a number of contracts, and actually the IP resignment clauses became a standard part of the contract during the IT boom, when MBAs where founding new companies left and right and knew only that they need to get every ounce of gold out of the company.
Competent programmers can negotiate contracts, though, and thus in cases where the IP resignment restrictions are more meaningful (more competent programmer), the employee has more power to limit the restrictions to some degree ("... in the field of work done within the company..." or alike, meaning "do something completely different if You must do something we don't get rights for").
Less competent ones take what's given.
Then again, the best employees are on some "key personnel" -style contract rather than a standard template, and those contracts are pretty draconian. However, the people with such contracts have negotiation power so they can probably get permission where needed.
Also, small companies who manage to get competent programmers must give way for the employee's wishes, while large companies use standard contract templates, but those templates need to take into account the negotiations with unions and so on, so even though an employee might not be unionized, the contract takes into account that some union somewhere which might hold some power over some small part of the company might take exception to a wording in some standard contract template. Which (hopefully) leads to more employee-friendly, although harder to lead (legalese) contracts. Or at least contracts that don't take more rights away from the employer than is necessary. Which, where applicable, is good.
However, classifying admins as "not professional" might not be correct, either. Most (senior) admins have lots of varied experience, having been programmers for a year or two, at helpdesk for a year, junior desktop service for some time, junior dba for a while, and so on. Until they became senior net admins, sysadmins, and so on.
So while most of those admins who have less work experience aren't softdev pros, most of the competent seniors are of at least junior developer level, and more levelheaded (and productive) than most junior developers..
Slashdot Mirror
As with "Windows", X-Windows isn't that. There is the X Window System, also called X and X11.
However, many people call it "X Windows" (or X/Windows or X-Windows) just like many people call "Microsoft Windows" just "Windows".
I usually call it just X in speech and X11 in written.
Yes, it was. Appeared in early '80s, and was followed by I think one revision bearing the same name and then another which had a new name (don't remember the name).
So this is the official flamefest thread ? ;)
;)
;)
OK, I admit that RQ was nice. And there aren't as many things bad with Glorantha as there are with most (A)D&D worlds.
But, ducks? Do You really, REALLY need the ducks?
Oh yes, didn't CoC use the same rules?
With the various systems I've tried, Warhammer FRP with a stack of handwritten notes from sources close to the game is pretty close to the best system. Specifically the best idea in the gamesystem are careers.
Then there's of course SLUG. The hard battles between FUDGE and SLUG fanatics are occasions of great joy and bloodshed!
What else? GURPS has good ideas, but after memorizing way too many GURPS books, supplements and compendia, I've come to the conclusion that in the end, it sucks. For all the good the system can provide, there are problems that would require reworking major parts of the whole.
Then there's of course Marvel, which is pretty nice. Thou shalt not choose Champion over Marvel, as that is the path to insanity - and Hero systems fans are crushed by GURPS fanatics any day on any field.
Oh yes, never forget MERP/RM/SM series. Some nice material, and I did write a program that took, as input, a couple of numbers in about -100 - +500 range and displayed the gorified textual results on screen.
Paranoia is one to be remembered. Not for the system (who cares about the system in that game?), but for the memories of having caused the utter, complete destruction of alpha complex. And if I remember correctly, some commie bastard didn't die in the process
Never liked Storyteller. I don't need a non-system to tell me that I don't need a system to tell a story
What was it that needed dice with one third of the sides displaying '-', one third blank, and one third '+'? I think I have a hundred or so of those dice somewhere.
Of course many people still remember Metamorphosis Alpha, Top Secret (S.I.?), but how about the more obscure titles like "The Secret Treasure of Racquoc in the Acirema Dungeons"? And was it "Late, Late Night" or whatever where the characters were actors in B-flicks? I think there was something about attack of the giant mutant ants, too, although that could've been covered by the above mentioned horror story.
And what the hell was Nuns on Wheels? Was it RPG or Car Wars add-on or what?
Add to the list many of the homebrewn systems. I think one of the best ever took about two handwritten pages in an A5 notebook. Unfortunately it was destroyed (I think it burnt - not sure, though).
Oh well, those were the good old times. Perhaps I should try checking if anyone on Ebay has Rogue Traders for sale.
Should still be in AD&D 1st edition (which I think dropped Arneson - although that could've happened in D&D boxed set edition).
AD&D 2nd edition probably dropped Gygax's name. Not sure though.. I think I used to own 2nd ed basic books (DMG, PH, MC) once.
I still think there was better Arneson stuff that Gygax stuff. Although given the time and it's effect on my memory, could be wrong.
However, the best scenarios are probably Carl Sargent's. I think he did some (A)D&D scens too.
A solution allowing internal use of Exchange is also possible.
Don't expose Exchange servers to the internet. Have internet email come to a secure MTA (no, not sendmail, something more simple and more easily secured). The internet-MTA can then spool email for virusscanning and whatever other mangling needs to be done (remove every attachment with filename ending with
Easy, doesn't require powerful machines even for a large amount of email (OK, depends on the amount of mangling done), easily replicated to several sites, and likely to be near-zero administration.
Perhaps Your kid won't, but some people will. Of course depending on the original (some DVDs are just plain crap), the amount of work put into conversion, the tools used, and so on.
Trust me, it's not all that easy. VCDs can be pretty much forgotten - too many artifacts. Transcoding MPEG2->MPEG2 for SVCDs is pretty much the only reasonable way unless You have a DVD writer. You can usually fit about 40-50 minutes per 80min CD-R disc (if You do the encoding well and can live with not-perfect quality), so movies are out unless You have an SVCD player that takes multiple discs or like changing discs in the middle of the movie..
So, SVCD is OK for TV series where You can fit full episode on a disc, but then You'll wind up with stacks of discs. In the end, I'd say DVD->DVD transcoding is the way to go. Most discs can be recompressed with lower bitrate without noticeable loss in quality (as long as the encoding is done with decent tools and at least some skill, or good conf templates from good rippers), so fitting 2h movie on one 4.7GB disc should work (~5Mbps - if done well, should be enough to not to notice difference between original and copy).
Meaning, who?
You can prototype using GPL'd code. You may work with it for as long as You don't release the binary. You may do the legal homework during that time, too.
Think of it as using GPL'd code as the first throw away prototype. You create it fast, usually as a proof of concept, and based on that decide whether You're go or no go. Then You can decide that yes, it's good, but no GPL. So You have written the first prototype very fast, gotten the proof of concept and design ideas, and Your production cycle just gained that three months because You could make the go decision three months faster than if You had to write from scratch. Just throw away the prototype and start from scratch now that the development has been approved.
And You never had to release Your prototype code because You never released the binary, either. It went to the archive and the rest of the copies were wiped when new development began.
Now, XS4ALL is not an U.S. based ISP, so certain concepts like that of common carrier status may not apply. But such things used to apply in the U.S., even if they don't apply today.
Unfortunately, I don't think common carrier applies to ISPs. Because they don't act as such.
Consider:
You take an envelope to a post office, pay due fee for delivery, and they will deliver that. They can't deny the use of service from You.
You go to Your local telco. You ask for a phone line to be installed, and pay due fee for the installation. They can't deny the use of service from You. They can't deny it even later for as long as You continue to pay the bills and not attach dangerous devices to the line.
You go to an ISP. They may decide not to sell service to You. If You tell them that they must, and they accept that they really can't deny that, we're on the right track. You get the internet connection, including a public address? Wrong. If You get a static IP, it's a public address. Dynamic IP is not a public address in the same sense. OK, You use the connection, and the ISP tells You that You can't do that or they'll terminate.
Oh yes, then there are service requirements. Can You call Your ISP and get a problem solved? 24h a day? Even sunday morning @0400?
Backbones probably are common carriers. They don't look at the bits they transport. They sell bulk. They sell to ISPs, local telcos, and such. They would probably sell to You too.
I did that, too. Actually just aubing abma and some other anime newsgroups.. Then I ran out of diskspace ;) (that's not the only thing I need diskspace for, and sometimes work just takes precedence)
Anyway, if I hadn't started downloading anime off the net, and from Usenet, I wouldn't probably have spent the 20+k on anime DVDs I have.
I'm working on getting more diskspace online in my LAN, and streamlining my acquisition methods. Just to get anime that isn't available in Europe (or US) yet, and might never be. I was overjoyed when I read that Noir is licensed (and thus might come out on DVD some day) in US. Hadn't I seen the series already, I probably wouldn't be waiting anxiously about when I get to pre-order the discs.
Oh yes, I do buy stuff I've never seen. But not as much as stuff I've seen a couple of episodes of.
Actually it is. Considering that I'm Finnish, I shouldn't really care about US laws, no? Not true. I have to care about them, because the high and might US of A will then go on pushing their laws through WTO, WIPO, and other international organizations.
What do I care about DMCA or SSSCA? Because I have to fight on the European front - write my representative, EU representative, commissioners, ministries, and so on, to not get similar directives in EU and laws in Finland.
Currently, I'm still requesting additional studies and information regarding the latest "Computer implemented innovations" directive (software patents), writing stuff about copyrights (tekijänoikeus, "right of the creator" in Finnish - hopefully I get something reasonable together soon enough so I'd still have time before the Finnish parliament implements the EU copyright directives in Finnish law), and so on.
Also, assume that SSSCA passes (hope not, but prepare for the worst). What happens in Europe? We either fight back, or adopt similar practice. It's pretty much certain that such law in US would lead to negotiations of international treaties that would bind others to implement similar laws. So, we in Europe must first fight the US laws, then ratification of treaties, then writing of EU directives, and in the end local laws.
I'd guess same goes for others (non-US, non-EU citizens), too, as most "western world" countries want to play on the same side as the most destructive, actively used, offensive army on Earth. Not to mention the economic significance of USA.
I don't know much anything about the TV edits, as living in Finland, I don't get all the US channels. I could probably get some satellite and cable channels if I cared to find out which are available and for how much.
So, I judge Anime by the DVDs, which I hope most often means uncut. Sometimes I see same title twice in a shop, with one reading "uncut" (and a little higher pricetag). In those cases I always get uncut.
Because, I believe that the US so called "morals" are just crap - aunts for children or whatever associations there are pushing the standards. Seems to me that the Japanese have a lot more sane view of the world (generally, as in Totoro, not as in Eva or tentacle-porn) than the US.
No, I wouldn't show Grave of the Fireflies to young children, but neither would I show any other "war is horrible" -title, Hollywood or animated. It always amazes me why titles like Escaflowne and Tenchi are always used as examples about "anime that must be edited for children", while stuff like Grave of the Fireflies, Area 88, and Wind Named Amnesia are not even mentioned. Is it just so that these titles have no hope for ever to be shown on TV because they're not for children, and adults won't watch "cartoons" (and what, pray tell, is Simpsons, South Park, or Beavis & Butthead? Worse for children than most anime titles edited for showing to children).
However, I must agree that even edited anime has it's place. If that's the only way to show anime in US, then so be it. And, Robotech was my first contact to anime, too.
USA is ruled by one thing only: profit. And profit of privately held corporations at that. Any act in politics that would cause more costs for the Corporate America is doomed to fail, thus no ratifying treaties that require the corps to bear their own costs.
OK, how about:
- Princess Mononoke - absolutely magnificient, fantasy (legendary history), man vs. nature
- My Neighbour Totoro - for whole family, this is a story about children as could be seen by children
(I could go on about the rest of Miyazaki's works, but those two should suffice for starters)
Comedy/Drama? Kimagure Orange Road, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Oh My Goddess..
Something more serious? Area 88, Grave of the Fireflies..
For children (not limited to children)? Cardcaptor Sakura, Jubei Chan..
None of the titles mentioned are sci-fi or cyberpunk, nor are they action/adventure titles. Even if those limitations rule out perhaps 70% of my collection, there's still much more than that.
OK, I've done my part - spent the last three or so hours reading the directive, FAQs, opinions, and writing a letter.
Still, the directive isn't actually as bad as it's made to look like.
It doesn't allow patenting software "as such", although it's very ambiguous as to what constitutes an advancement in a field of technology that can be achieved by a computer-implemented innovation where the implementation is a programmable computer (...) or software implementing the process that contributes to the advancement in the field of technology..
Talk about recursive definitions.
Oh yes, in my letter I also requested that the documents be made available in language that a person skilled in the art of software development can understand without need for additional expertise in legal matters. Never going to happen, but at least I did complain about it. Not to mention that I complained about the very bad Finnish translation.. It was horrible text - I had to read both the Finnish and English versions to understand the Finnish translation.
However, I'd suggest anyone interested to really read the directive with explanations about the articles. The most interesting parts were comparisons to US and Japan and the targets set relative to the current situation in Europe, and current situation in US.
Not on hardware unless it's dirt cheap. S&H from US to Finland is just plain insane except for ground (sea) shipments for anything that weighs something. And I don't like the idea of having electronics in a sea container for a week..
And anime available on Ebay is mostly Taiwanese/Hong Kong stuff - bootlegs or with Chinese subs (perhaps legitimate)..
So, it's always back to basics: no hardware from US unless I can ship via proxy: someone who lives there and is willing to receive a shipment, check that it's OK, repackage, and send using standard international air. Using private person as a proxy also helps when it comes to determining the value of an item at customs, as if I can reasonably explain the price of an item as used and so on, and save in import tax and VAT, the savings may shave enough off the S&H that it's worthwhile.
And, with CD/DVD/LD/VHS/Books/etc - material that is not easily damaged, is pretty small, and doesn't really have moving parts, standard online stores work fine.
Note: Amazon doesn't ship electronics and such to outside US.
Nor do many other shops. Once I tried to find certain soundcard that was US only release, and found one or two places willing to ship to Europe, but only with a courier and insured. Meaning that the shipping would've cost more than the soundcard itself..
You know, it's always so frustrating when I at last find something I want on the net, and notice that it's available only in the US, and no shop is willing to ship to Europe, or if one is, shipping would bleed me dry.
Actually, even Pioneer DV-535 plays VCD and SVCD. Except for multiple audio tracks and soft subs on SVCD - a shame. I think it should play X(S)VCD, too, but haven't checked. If it handled XSVCD with soft subs, I might be more interested.
And for more information about players and their capabilities, check out VCD Help DVD Player comparison chart.
I've never seen Apex or Mintek for sale in Finland. And the cheapest one was YUKAI - if that means something to someone.
Most are brand names like Pioneer, Philips, Sony, and the like. I think I've seen Onkyo, Samsung, Thomson, LG, JVC, Panasonic.. You get the picture.
I'm always wondering about those cheap DVD players. I now checked some half a dozen stores in Finland, and the cheapest player I found was about 200€ - far more than the 150€+/-50 I've seen noted as "low-price" players by some.
Anyway, of that 200€, $28 would be about 16%, not one third. And, the one person I know who wanted just a cheap player bought one for about 350€, which I consider pretty cheap.
Mostly what I look for is Pioneer and Sony, which have models in the 350-600€ range - midprice players that look OK, play about anything, and have good warranties. And the most expensive player any of my friends has bought was 998£ (~1450€ at the time). That because he replaced his LD at the same time, buying a player that plays LD, DVD and CD formats.
So, do I know people who'd think that the $28 (~32€) price difference matters? One.
Think about it - it's the cost of one or two discs - depending on what You buy.
And, of course You might sometimes wonder how come there were engineers and scientists not producing stuff but doing research. It's because the corps expect the R&D to be a money sink that produces IP that can be sold to consumers in the form of nifty stuff that does things nobody knew they needed before. The R&D has to be covered by royalties and such later.
We're talking about enforcement within Europe, which is region 2, not 1. And, there really aren't all that many anime releases in Europe, so the choices for a European anime collector are:
1) Buy US releases and get a modded DVD player
2) Buy Japanese releases (which are R2) and learn some Japanese while at it. Rest assured, after a couple of hundred titles You will recognize many phrases.
3) Buy Taiwanese and Hong Kong releases. Mostly bootlegs, but cheap, regionless, and often with English subtitles. The quality is crap, though, both with video and translation. Perhaps the Cantonese subtitles are better translated, but I don't understand any dialect of Chinese.
There are some Japanese releases with English subtitles. However, it takes some time to work out whether some release has English subtitles or not. And, Japanese releases are pretty much more expensive than US releases.
So, most opt for modded player and US releases.
However, I don't really care much about "unlicensed players". I'm pretty sure my Pioneer is fully licensed, and the fact that it just happens to have some repair shop ROM (used by technicians to fix the players and so on) in it is the reason I bought it. From a normal HiFi store. I heard they had some without this nifty ROM, but I've never heard of anyone who'd bought an unmodded player.
Remember that if the license isn't valid, there's only copyright. And thus, as these licenses are to promote freedom of use, the copyright is more restrictive than the licenses.
The BigSoftCorp can't take your code away.
The license generator could also consist of a few basic templates that provide the framework for the license, and a number of chapters that can be applied to those templates. Thus, You click and check what You want to give and not give, and an appropriate template is chosen and the needed chapters put into the template.
If the templates (basic wrapper text) and the individual chapters are all solid, and the license generator is programmed well and the different license paths that can be taken designed by those well versed in law, the likelyhood of a license that doesn't hold in the court should be pretty small.
Uhh.. If You want a multi-region DVD player (any brand) in Finland, You go to any HiFi store and buy one. I would guess they sell multiregion players not just in HiFi stores, but in any consumer electronics store that sells DVD players at all.
Eg. I went to a normal HiFi store, and told them I want a DVD player. I talked for a moment about what I really want and need, how much I'm willing to pay, and so on. I asked offhand that "this is of course multi region?" and got a yes for that. I actually had to wait for a few days for my player because the model I wanted had sold better than they had expected, but later that week I picked my player up and have been happy with it ever since.
Costs more? Oh yes, they could've sold me an unmodded player for some 100€ less. However, as I knew I was buying mostly anime, which isn't available in Europe, it wasn't an option ever (OK, Japan is R2, but I don't know enough Japanese to not to need subtitles). I could've of course bought a standard US R1 player, but it would've cost me more (they're not generally available in Finland - modded one is cheaper).
To date, I have some 280 discs of which three are PAL R2 (European), the rest are NTSC R1, multiregion, or unrestricted. And not a single problem with the player.
I assume that even though it's up to the developers to work when they feel most creative, You have requested that they be present at the office during some set times?
For one, You do still have meetings with all development teams? Weekly or biweekly, but at the same time and same weekday every time. Whether there's something to talk about the projects or not. The formal part of the meeting can be a fast status check if there's nothing special to report, no milestones nearing completion, and so on. Most likely there's something people want to talk about anyway, although not on the record, so even if a 30 minute meeting (according to schedule) takes only five minutes, 10 minutes of off-the-record talk may take place.
Also, You need to have most people present every now and then, not just for meetings but just so that everyone knows when others are available. You don't call a meeting for everything, but You need to have people in the same place at the same time for informal face-to-face time. Email just doesn't cut it for everything.
And even when the developers believe they know what's best for them, they don't. Would I trust myself with complete freedom? Not really. Would I trust others with the same? Not really.
Freedom is good when balanced with discipline. Coding at 0200 may feel like a good idea, and sometimes it is. But most often it's not.
How does Linus using BitKeeper make kernel development harder for those who don't have it (can't afford, won't use non-free software, whatever)?
Linus and the maintainers will still accept patches in email, so nothing's changed except Linus now has a tool that is likely to help him keep up the extremely high productivity.
And, using non-free software to manage the development of free software doesn't make the free software any less free. It's not like it could only be compiled by a non-free compiler.
Maybe this means that those who write free software will next write a tool even better than BitKeeper and the world will be once more a little better place.
No numbers here, either. Perhaps the employment laws are different enough to lead to different conclusions (I live in Finland). However, I've seen a number of contracts, and actually the IP resignment clauses became a standard part of the contract during the IT boom, when MBAs where founding new companies left and right and knew only that they need to get every ounce of gold out of the company.
Competent programmers can negotiate contracts, though, and thus in cases where the IP resignment restrictions are more meaningful (more competent programmer), the employee has more power to limit the restrictions to some degree ("... in the field of work done within the company..." or alike, meaning "do something completely different if You must do something we don't get rights for").
Less competent ones take what's given.
Then again, the best employees are on some "key personnel" -style contract rather than a standard template, and those contracts are pretty draconian. However, the people with such contracts have negotiation power so they can probably get permission where needed.
Also, small companies who manage to get competent programmers must give way for the employee's wishes, while large companies use standard contract templates, but those templates need to take into account the negotiations with unions and so on, so even though an employee might not be unionized, the contract takes into account that some union somewhere which might hold some power over some small part of the company might take exception to a wording in some standard contract template. Which (hopefully) leads to more employee-friendly, although harder to lead (legalese) contracts. Or at least contracts that don't take more rights away from the employer than is necessary. Which, where applicable, is good.
However, classifying admins as "not professional" might not be correct, either. Most (senior) admins have lots of varied experience, having been programmers for a year or two, at helpdesk for a year, junior desktop service for some time, junior dba for a while, and so on. Until they became senior net admins, sysadmins, and so on.
So while most of those admins who have less work experience aren't softdev pros, most of the competent seniors are of at least junior developer level, and more levelheaded (and productive) than most junior developers..