... the great British tradition of going somewhere foreign and trashing it...
Come, now! That's just not true!
The great British tradition is to go somewhere foreign, get utterly wasted, and then trash it. How you could forget that, especially with your nick, is beyond me!
Just don't forget to put the big red button behind the door, so that when somebody rushes in and gives the door a hard shove....
Sound funny? It wasn't that funny when the all the servers suddenly got turned off at HP in Böblingen. They've since moved the button.
Back to the original topic: HP OpenView can display the status of lots of machines simultaneously. That looks quite nice, but the display also has to be somewhere where the ops people can see it too.
And Germany's autobahn is one of the safest systems in the world - despite parts of it having no limit!
That's only because it's one big traffic jam!
Actually, a lot of stretches now have speed limits of 100 - 130 km/h (roughly 62 - 81 mph), and the accident rate may also have something to do with the skill level required to get a license and strict road rules (eg: hit somebody on a pedestrian crossing = permanent loss of license AFAIK). The rules are enforced too - they do stop people for not wearing seatbelts.
My tip: the stretch from Heilbronn to Würzburg is quite nice and isn't used much. There's no limit on that part, so you can really put your foot down. Of course, if you really want to enjoy the German Autobahn, you need a German Auto. There's this company in Stuttgart which makes really nice (and fast) cars... and I'm not talking about Daimler, which is also based in Stuttgart.
Back to the original topic: it really annoys me how they make the speed limits in certain places much lower than they need be, and the put cameras there to catch the "criminals".
A small piece of German trivia: if you get flashed for speeding, and you don't hear anything for 3 months, you're off the hook. They're not allowed to prosecute you for speeding after that.
More trivia: the photo has to be from the front so they can identify the driver. There was a case where an identical twin got let off speeding because they couldn't positively ID him as the driver - his brother was in the passenger seat, and nobody could tell which was which (not even their mother)!
Imagine using a 486 DX-33 to play computer games on, not quite so entertaining is it.
Just a small nitpick: a 486 DX-33 was not state of the art 10 years ago (middle of 1995), given that the Pentium had already been released. A better comparison would be a 200MHz Pentium Pro (released November 1995), as that was brand new technology, and was significant step up in performance.
Your point is still valid though. Even a dual P-Pro is not worth considering when compared to hardware from 4 years ago (CPU speeds well over 1GHz), let alone today's stuff. This doesn't even take into account changes in other parts of the system (graphics, disk etc).
The point that most people will not be using the PS3 at its maximum resolution may be true, and it's possible that the machine has significant parallel processing capabilities that may be significantly underused to begin with.
Remember the Atari 2600? It took software developers some years before they were getting to the limits of what the machine could do. Although it may take some time before the PS3 is being used to its fullest, I'm sure Sony will have effectively obsoleted it with a successor, long before the 10 years are up.
Even if you have space for more than 4GB of RAM, what do you do if it's maxed out already? Furthermore, you can't use older slower DIMMs as system RAM.
I'm pretty sure the price of these will come down; they may be able to double the supported capacity to 8GB too. That'll make them more interesting, but one of the things a lot of companies will like most is that it's a minimal change which requires no drivers (assuming SATA support is already there). Lots of places are paranoid about new drivers (or even software) on production machines, and migrating to new hardware can be a major effort which requires masses of planning and testing etc, and end up being very much more expensive than just the new machine. In that light, these things start to look very interesting, even at their current price!
Here's another thing: if I could pick up one with a broken battery for cheap, I'd want it. I can have my boot process repartition and reformat it for swap every time. I could remount/tmp on there too... maybe even copy (/usr)?(/bin|/lib) or stuff from/opt and leave my path pointing at the RAM disk first. Could even use a regular rsync job in case the real hard disk got changed!
I wonder if they'll do a version with a higher bandwidth interface (SCSI or FibreChannel). Lots of servers are using them instead of IDE derived interfaces.
Alternatively - are there any hard disk controllers onto which you can put 4GB or RAM as cache?
The simple answer is that you should have bought one with the nVidia chipset instead of the ATI one.
My current laptop has an ATI graphic card. The drivers for Windows haven't been updated in ages; it's up to the manufacturer to do so as ATI won't provide any directly. Linux support is minimal (no 3D, certain other things don't work/aren't supported).
My next laptop will have an nVidia graphics card. They support the laptop graphics cards in the reference driver, and their Linux drivers work much better than ATI's. Some people complain (legitimately) that nVidia's Linux drivers aren't open source; I can understand that, but I want something that works, and nVidia's the best choice in that respect.
My biggest Linux complaint is that it just isn't effective. Sure, it may be cheaper, but it doesn't work as well. I tell you the truth: Persil not only cleans better than Linux, but your clothes come out of the wash smelling better too.
And don't get me started on that crappy Micro&Soft fabric conditioner either...
While the French are known for liking to keep things French, the Germans are generally looking for any opportunity to try out their English. Ask one if they speak English, and they'll tell you that they only speak a little, and then amaze you with a very high standard. What really astounds me is how many English phrases they know that you wouldn't expect a non-native to know, including lots of double meanings and so on.
Take one of your DVD-RAM disks, and look at the underside. Notice the pretty pattern? It's not just there to make them look good! That's hard sectoring; you never ever need to low-level format a DVD-RAM disk.
The DVD-RAM disks do actually last a lot longer than the normal RW disks. I don't know how much longer though, as none of mine have ever died (unlike the RWs). While it may not be so widespread in the western world, I have heard that DVD-RAM is far more common in the Far East.
I also heard somewhere that DVD-RAM is the only type of DVD which can be read and written at the same time (presumably because it is hard sectored). Don't know if it's really true though.
Getting back on topic... my backup recommendation is to backup to separate hard disks on site, and also keep copies on DVD-RAM offsite.
If you're running Windows to be able to run the games you want, VMWare et al are not a usable solution, as the virtual hardware doesn't provide as much acceleration as the real stuff does. The same goes not just for games, but for anything which requires direct hardware access. These things will require the system to be dual bootable.
Of course, the best solution is to use native programs, but they aren't always available. Another solution would be WINE, which gives you the compatibility layer without the whole virtual machine. It is already a very viable solution for a number of applications, including a lot of games, but the normal Mac user would probably not want to spend any time fiddling with settings, and would probably not bother with it. An "official" compatibility layer (ie: supported by Apple or MS) is something I think we'll never see.
A virtual machine is definately a very comfortable solution, and being able to have both operating systems running at once makes the whole situation easier. I bet the VMWare people are rubbing their hands with glee...
That bug is actually a problem, when you actually want to display something (HTML) as plain text in IE. I thought they might have fixed it by now, but I guess not.
The Mac concept of the single menu bar at the top of the screen wasn't just about speed, it was also about space. Consider the old Macs and the screens they had. I think the SE had a resolution of 512x384, or something similarly small. On screens of that resolution, giving each window its own menubar takes up a significant proportion of space when you're working with more than one window.
Anyway, having things always at the same physical location on the screen makes it quicker for the user, even ignoring that the edge of the screen can be reached faster than an other arbitrary position. I think that users on Windows think they're faster because they only recognise the "move" time, and don't include the "locate" time where they decide where they want to go.
There is one problem with the single menu bar that is now showing up more and more these days: the concept is actually more inefficient if you're not working on your primary screen. OK, so most people don't have multiple displays, but having to track across screens is definately slower than a local menubar; you also lose some of your quick targets as they wrap onto the next screen. I don't know if there's a single solution which works everywhere, but KDE and GNOME get around the problem by letting the user configure the menubar either way. I don't expect that Apple will change theirs though.
Being able to get a database dump onto a single medium would be nice. Plenty of companies have large databases. Some have smaller datasets than that, but including index information in the dump balloons its size (but makes recovery an order of magnitude faster).
Currently, options for large DBs include splitting the data into separate dumps, or having some sort of parallel backup medium which a number of solutions support, but like RAID0, you have an increased chance of media failure, which in turn means your whole backup is worthless if only one fails.
I know a number of companies that have had no end of problems with DLT. Actually, it's more often the drive that the media that fails, but I don't rate it at all. DAT was far more reliable than that, albeit quite expensive (and doesn't have the capacity of DLT).
One problem with DLT, and probably most tape based systems, is where they are setup to do backups from systems which can't provide data at a reasonable speed. The stopping and starting kills both drive and tape. Having a suitably sized spool area on disk local to the tape is not expensive, doesn't need to be mirrored, RAIDed, SCSI or anything fancy; it also appears to be completely un-obvious to various admins for some unknown reason.
Actually, the one of the most reliable, flexible and large backup solutions is simply an external hard drive, which gets disconnected once the data is on it. Use more drives for more safety, combined with offsite storage. These days, with IEEE1394 and USB2, you have both the speed and the flexibility. The price per gigabyte is not uncompetetive compared to certain tape solutions. Hard drives cost roughly 2-3 times the price per gigabyte of DVD-/+R solutions, but I don't think they're anywhere near as reliable. DVD-RAM is better, but ends up costing the same per gig as the HDs. Of course, the HDs eliminate the need for any other drive unit as well, which just makes HDs even more favourable.
By the way (going back to the subject of backup) - you'd be surprised how many companies diligently make backups that they never test... or maybe you wouldn't be so surprised!:-)
While that's true in general, there is one exception. Certainly, CDs aren't all that great, CD-RW dies (IMO) far too quickly, and DVD +/- R and RW aren't much better. The exception seems to be DVD-RAM, which so far has proven much more robust. I like the pretty pattern the hard sectors make too...
After some testing, I found out that they don't work particularly well in wireless mode. In fact, wires as such don't work very well either - string is much better, but must not be slack.
However, the whole testing thing has highlighted another problem - I had to suitably dispose of the can contents before the testing could begin, and now that I've popped, I don't think I can stop. I need a cure for this new addiction!
Whatever DSL i have i still must pay the line rental to T-COM
That's not necessarily true - it depends where you live.
Go here and see if they are available in your area (or call them on 0800 1070220). An ISDN connection (dual line) plus 1000 kilobit DSL (max. 1Gb transfer per month) costs 30 Euros/month. Add an extra 10 Euros for flat rate internet. Actually, they're currently doing an offer where you get the 2000 kilobit connection for the same price. You can pay more, and get 3000 kilobit, but that's the most you'll get out of either them or the Deutsche Telekom.
I changed recently, and I've been very happy with their service so far. A number of friends have changed too, so it seems to be quite popular. The service isn't limited to big cities anymore either - I live in a small village (about 4500 people). I've no idea how what availability there is in Meck-Pom though.
Hitler was the name that happened to have taken advantage of it, but anyone could have done it.
You don't know much about Hitler, do you? Not everyone could have done what he did - he was quite a remarkable individual, but in a very negative sense.
We were reminded again in 2001 when a couple buildings fell, even though Bush was up to that time persuing a more isolationist policy.
If you really believe that the US administration was trying to be isolationist, you've been had. You should have a closer look at US involvement in other countries, especially in the Middle East. It may not be the "Official Policy" to get involved, but the US is very involved with other countries around the globe, much to the annoyance of the inhabitants of those places. The involvement is often conducted via business channels rather than direct political ones, but the people pulling the strings are often the same. US isolationism ended at the 2nd World War, and hasn't returned since.
Just being on US soil may not be enough - they would probably have to use said code in a product sold in the USA before action could be taken against them.
The Russian guy who was arrested IIRC gave a lecture about how the software works and/or was selling the product in the US. If he had left the product outside of the US, I don't think there would have been a legitimate case against him.
If citizens of one country go to another country and perform actions which are legal there but not in their own country, they can't be prosecuted. Lots of non-Dutch people go to 'dam to legally buy and smoke joints, and their governments can't do a thing about it. Of course, bringing any of that stuff back would land them in the (other) joint!
Back to the original topic: I don't think Adobe would be interested in producing two versions of their software, one of which could not be used in the USA and possibly some other countries. I think their line on the DMCA has been consistent, at least, and now that they're seeing the law from the other side, maybe they're realising it's not all that good after all.
Under international copyright law, there's quite a lot that Apple can do.
Wasn't that the point, though? Under international law, not under US law. Telling people they break a law they are not subject to is pointless, and might even be construed as harassment.
The other point is quite probably valid too - it is quite likely that a legal threat against someone in Sweden can be safely ignored as long as it is not in the official language (ie: Swedish). This sort of thing is quite common in the EU; the French especially dislike the use of other languages for anything official (actually for anything at all).
Not in English so much, but very common in German. A billion in Germany is always 10^12, and never 10^9.
Damn those 17th century Frenchies for changing the 200 year old long scale to the short scale, I say! Well, the Germans may not be known for their humour, but they are very good engineers, and they don't like their mathematical standards being changed. Actually, the Americans only changed because they were on better terms with the French than the British after their revolution.
I wasn't aware that the official scale in the UK and Oz had been changed, but when I did physics and maths at school, we never used "million" or "billion" as terms - we always had to specify large numbers like this: 1.234 * 10^12.
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deaddrunk wrote:
Come, now! That's just not true!
The great British tradition is to go somewhere foreign, get utterly wasted, and then trash it. How you could forget that, especially with your nick, is beyond me!
-- Steve
That's nice, but I've yet to see a Newegg in Germany.
My advice (for "antifoidulus"): Kauf dir ein gebrauchtes Laptop, und wechsel dein Stromhersteller!
-- Steve
Just don't forget to put the big red button behind the door, so that when somebody rushes in and gives the door a hard shove....
Sound funny? It wasn't that funny when the all the servers suddenly got turned off at HP in Böblingen. They've since moved the button.
Back to the original topic: HP OpenView can display the status of lots of machines simultaneously. That looks quite nice, but the display also has to be somewhere where the ops people can see it too.
-- Steve
And Germany's autobahn is one of the safest systems in the world - despite parts of it having no limit!
That's only because it's one big traffic jam!
Actually, a lot of stretches now have speed limits of 100 - 130 km/h (roughly 62 - 81 mph), and the accident rate may also have something to do with the skill level required to get a license and strict road rules (eg: hit somebody on a pedestrian crossing = permanent loss of license AFAIK). The rules are enforced too - they do stop people for not wearing seatbelts.
My tip: the stretch from Heilbronn to Würzburg is quite nice and isn't used much. There's no limit on that part, so you can really put your foot down. Of course, if you really want to enjoy the German Autobahn, you need a German Auto. There's this company in Stuttgart which makes really nice (and fast) cars... and I'm not talking about Daimler, which is also based in Stuttgart.
Back to the original topic: it really annoys me how they make the speed limits in certain places much lower than they need be, and the put cameras there to catch the "criminals".
A small piece of German trivia: if you get flashed for speeding, and you don't hear anything for 3 months, you're off the hook. They're not allowed to prosecute you for speeding after that.
More trivia: the photo has to be from the front so they can identify the driver. There was a case where an identical twin got let off speeding because they couldn't positively ID him as the driver - his brother was in the passenger seat, and nobody could tell which was which (not even their mother)!
-- Steve
Elite isn't there either. This list definately doesn't count.
Imagine using a 486 DX-33 to play computer games on, not quite so entertaining is it.
Just a small nitpick: a 486 DX-33 was not state of the art 10 years ago (middle of 1995), given that the Pentium had already been released. A better comparison would be a 200MHz Pentium Pro (released November 1995), as that was brand new technology, and was significant step up in performance.
Your point is still valid though. Even a dual P-Pro is not worth considering when compared to hardware from 4 years ago (CPU speeds well over 1GHz), let alone today's stuff. This doesn't even take into account changes in other parts of the system (graphics, disk etc).
The point that most people will not be using the PS3 at its maximum resolution may be true, and it's possible that the machine has significant parallel processing capabilities that may be significantly underused to begin with.
Remember the Atari 2600? It took software developers some years before they were getting to the limits of what the machine could do. Although it may take some time before the PS3 is being used to its fullest, I'm sure Sony will have effectively obsoleted it with a successor, long before the 10 years are up.
-- Steve
It is 305 Kelvin outside.
It is here too, and we don't have air conditioning. That sucks! Tomorrow's going to be even warmer too...
-- Steve
Even if you have space for more than 4GB of RAM, what do you do if it's maxed out already? Furthermore, you can't use older slower DIMMs as system RAM.
I'm pretty sure the price of these will come down; they may be able to double the supported capacity to 8GB too. That'll make them more interesting, but one of the things a lot of companies will like most is that it's a minimal change which requires no drivers (assuming SATA support is already there). Lots of places are paranoid about new drivers (or even software) on production machines, and migrating to new hardware can be a major effort which requires masses of planning and testing etc, and end up being very much more expensive than just the new machine. In that light, these things start to look very interesting, even at their current price!
Here's another thing: if I could pick up one with a broken battery for cheap, I'd want it. I can have my boot process repartition and reformat it for swap every time. I could remount /tmp on there too... maybe even copy (/usr)?(/bin|/lib) or stuff from /opt and leave my path pointing at the RAM disk first. Could even use a regular rsync job in case the real hard disk got changed!
I wonder if they'll do a version with a higher bandwidth interface (SCSI or FibreChannel). Lots of servers are using them instead of IDE derived interfaces.
Alternatively - are there any hard disk controllers onto which you can put 4GB or RAM as cache?
-- Steve
The simple answer is that you should have bought one with the nVidia chipset instead of the ATI one.
My current laptop has an ATI graphic card. The drivers for Windows haven't been updated in ages; it's up to the manufacturer to do so as ATI won't provide any directly. Linux support is minimal (no 3D, certain other things don't work/aren't supported).
My next laptop will have an nVidia graphics card. They support the laptop graphics cards in the reference driver, and their Linux drivers work much better than ATI's. Some people complain (legitimately) that nVidia's Linux drivers aren't open source; I can understand that, but I want something that works, and nVidia's the best choice in that respect.
-- Steve
My biggest Linux complaint is that it just isn't effective. Sure, it may be cheaper, but it doesn't work as well. I tell you the truth: Persil not only cleans better than Linux, but your clothes come out of the wash smelling better too.
And don't get me started on that crappy Micro&Soft fabric conditioner either...
-- Steve
While the French are known for liking to keep things French, the Germans are generally looking for any opportunity to try out their English. Ask one if they speak English, and they'll tell you that they only speak a little, and then amaze you with a very high standard. What really astounds me is how many English phrases they know that you wouldn't expect a non-native to know, including lots of double meanings and so on.
-- Steve
Take one of your DVD-RAM disks, and look at the underside. Notice the pretty pattern? It's not just there to make them look good! That's hard sectoring; you never ever need to low-level format a DVD-RAM disk.
The DVD-RAM disks do actually last a lot longer than the normal RW disks. I don't know how much longer though, as none of mine have ever died (unlike the RWs). While it may not be so widespread in the western world, I have heard that DVD-RAM is far more common in the Far East.
I also heard somewhere that DVD-RAM is the only type of DVD which can be read and written at the same time (presumably because it is hard sectored). Don't know if it's really true though.
Getting back on topic... my backup recommendation is to backup to separate hard disks on site, and also keep copies on DVD-RAM offsite.
-- Steve
If you're running Windows to be able to run the games you want, VMWare et al are not a usable solution, as the virtual hardware doesn't provide as much acceleration as the real stuff does. The same goes not just for games, but for anything which requires direct hardware access. These things will require the system to be dual bootable.
Of course, the best solution is to use native programs, but they aren't always available. Another solution would be WINE, which gives you the compatibility layer without the whole virtual machine. It is already a very viable solution for a number of applications, including a lot of games, but the normal Mac user would probably not want to spend any time fiddling with settings, and would probably not bother with it. An "official" compatibility layer (ie: supported by Apple or MS) is something I think we'll never see.
A virtual machine is definately a very comfortable solution, and being able to have both operating systems running at once makes the whole situation easier. I bet the VMWare people are rubbing their hands with glee...
-- Steve
That bug is actually a problem, when you actually want to display something (HTML) as plain text in IE. I thought they might have fixed it by now, but I guess not.
-- Steve
The Mac concept of the single menu bar at the top of the screen wasn't just about speed, it was also about space. Consider the old Macs and the screens they had. I think the SE had a resolution of 512x384, or something similarly small. On screens of that resolution, giving each window its own menubar takes up a significant proportion of space when you're working with more than one window.
Anyway, having things always at the same physical location on the screen makes it quicker for the user, even ignoring that the edge of the screen can be reached faster than an other arbitrary position. I think that users on Windows think they're faster because they only recognise the "move" time, and don't include the "locate" time where they decide where they want to go.
There is one problem with the single menu bar that is now showing up more and more these days: the concept is actually more inefficient if you're not working on your primary screen. OK, so most people don't have multiple displays, but having to track across screens is definately slower than a local menubar; you also lose some of your quick targets as they wrap onto the next screen. I don't know if there's a single solution which works everywhere, but KDE and GNOME get around the problem by letting the user configure the menubar either way. I don't expect that Apple will change theirs though.
-- Steve
Being able to get a database dump onto a single medium would be nice. Plenty of companies have large databases. Some have smaller datasets than that, but including index information in the dump balloons its size (but makes recovery an order of magnitude faster).
Currently, options for large DBs include splitting the data into separate dumps, or having some sort of parallel backup medium which a number of solutions support, but like RAID0, you have an increased chance of media failure, which in turn means your whole backup is worthless if only one fails.
-- Steve
I know a number of companies that have had no end of problems with DLT. Actually, it's more often the drive that the media that fails, but I don't rate it at all. DAT was far more reliable than that, albeit quite expensive (and doesn't have the capacity of DLT).
One problem with DLT, and probably most tape based systems, is where they are setup to do backups from systems which can't provide data at a reasonable speed. The stopping and starting kills both drive and tape. Having a suitably sized spool area on disk local to the tape is not expensive, doesn't need to be mirrored, RAIDed, SCSI or anything fancy; it also appears to be completely un-obvious to various admins for some unknown reason.
Actually, the one of the most reliable, flexible and large backup solutions is simply an external hard drive, which gets disconnected once the data is on it. Use more drives for more safety, combined with offsite storage. These days, with IEEE1394 and USB2, you have both the speed and the flexibility. The price per gigabyte is not uncompetetive compared to certain tape solutions. Hard drives cost roughly 2-3 times the price per gigabyte of DVD-/+R solutions, but I don't think they're anywhere near as reliable. DVD-RAM is better, but ends up costing the same per gig as the HDs. Of course, the HDs eliminate the need for any other drive unit as well, which just makes HDs even more favourable.
By the way (going back to the subject of backup) - you'd be surprised how many companies diligently make backups that they never test... or maybe you wouldn't be so surprised! :-)
-- Steve
While that's true in general, there is one exception. Certainly, CDs aren't all that great, CD-RW dies (IMO) far too quickly, and DVD +/- R and RW aren't much better. The exception seems to be DVD-RAM, which so far has proven much more robust. I like the pretty pattern the hard sectors make too...
-- Steve
After some testing, I found out that they don't work particularly well in wireless mode. In fact, wires as such don't work very well either - string is much better, but must not be slack.
However, the whole testing thing has highlighted another problem - I had to suitably dispose of the can contents before the testing could begin, and now that I've popped, I don't think I can stop. I need a cure for this new addiction!
-- Steve
Whatever DSL i have i still must pay the line rental to T-COM
That's not necessarily true - it depends where you live.
Go here and see if they are available in your area (or call them on 0800 1070220). An ISDN connection (dual line) plus 1000 kilobit DSL (max. 1Gb transfer per month) costs 30 Euros/month. Add an extra 10 Euros for flat rate internet. Actually, they're currently doing an offer where you get the 2000 kilobit connection for the same price. You can pay more, and get 3000 kilobit, but that's the most you'll get out of either them or the Deutsche Telekom.
I changed recently, and I've been very happy with their service so far. A number of friends have changed too, so it seems to be quite popular. The service isn't limited to big cities anymore either - I live in a small village (about 4500 people). I've no idea how what availability there is in Meck-Pom though.
-- Steve
RTFA!
Quote:
So, "some kind of net boot approach" is definately possible.
-- Steve
Hitler was the name that happened to have taken advantage of it, but anyone could have done it.
You don't know much about Hitler, do you? Not everyone could have done what he did - he was quite a remarkable individual, but in a very negative sense.
We were reminded again in 2001 when a couple buildings fell, even though Bush was up to that time persuing a more isolationist policy.
If you really believe that the US administration was trying to be isolationist, you've been had. You should have a closer look at US involvement in other countries, especially in the Middle East. It may not be the "Official Policy" to get involved, but the US is very involved with other countries around the globe, much to the annoyance of the inhabitants of those places. The involvement is often conducted via business channels rather than direct political ones, but the people pulling the strings are often the same. US isolationism ended at the 2nd World War, and hasn't returned since.
-- Steve
Just being on US soil may not be enough - they would probably have to use said code in a product sold in the USA before action could be taken against them.
The Russian guy who was arrested IIRC gave a lecture about how the software works and/or was selling the product in the US. If he had left the product outside of the US, I don't think there would have been a legitimate case against him.
If citizens of one country go to another country and perform actions which are legal there but not in their own country, they can't be prosecuted. Lots of non-Dutch people go to 'dam to legally buy and smoke joints, and their governments can't do a thing about it. Of course, bringing any of that stuff back would land them in the (other) joint!
Back to the original topic: I don't think Adobe would be interested in producing two versions of their software, one of which could not be used in the USA and possibly some other countries. I think their line on the DMCA has been consistent, at least, and now that they're seeing the law from the other side, maybe they're realising it's not all that good after all.
-- Steve
Under international copyright law, there's quite a lot that Apple can do.
Wasn't that the point, though? Under international law, not under US law. Telling people they break a law they are not subject to is pointless, and might even be construed as harassment.
The other point is quite probably valid too - it is quite likely that a legal threat against someone in Sweden can be safely ignored as long as it is not in the official language (ie: Swedish). This sort of thing is quite common in the EU; the French especially dislike the use of other languages for anything official (actually for anything at all).
-- Steve
10^9: Millard (not commonly used)
Not in English so much, but very common in German. A billion in Germany is always 10^12, and never 10^9.
Damn those 17th century Frenchies for changing the 200 year old long scale to the short scale, I say! Well, the Germans may not be known for their humour, but they are very good engineers, and they don't like their mathematical standards being changed. Actually, the Americans only changed because they were on better terms with the French than the British after their revolution.
I wasn't aware that the official scale in the UK and Oz had been changed, but when I did physics and maths at school, we never used "million" or "billion" as terms - we always had to specify large numbers like this: 1.234 * 10^12.
Here's a link with more info on the subject.
-- Steve