Why isn't it the account holder's responsibility for whatever infringment has occurred?
Wireless networks are relatively new additions to the modern home and there just isn't much case law to establish precedents, if any. The presence of one casts serious doubt on the whole case--unless there's clear evidence on the hard drive (the claimed files themselves) there's no way to prove the defendant actually did the infringing. Now they'll have to convince a jury that the defendant should be liable for the actions of a trespasser on their network and that a "reasonable person" should have taken better steps to secure it. Good luck with that one.
I think the reason they're trying to get a wireless router out of the equation is to nip the possible "Someone could've hijacked my wireless connection" defense.
How does one buy anything anonymously? You can go to an adult video store and buy as much porn as you want with cash in person without necessarily identifying yourself. At worst they'll card you if you look relatively young. But you're still at risk of running in to someone you know.
You can buy porn privately by ordering it online. They'll have your billing info (unless you used a visa stored value card you bought with cash or something) and shipping address (P.O. Box? But the post office will know!!) . . .
Convertible bonds aren't a win for existing stockholders, however, who find their stake diluted by the new issuance. To oversimplify, it would be like the US government printing money to pay debts.
Unless the issuance helps bail the company out of dire financial straits. As long as the stock goes up and provides a good rate of return, everyone's happy. It's certainly much better for the stock price than say . . . the company becoming insolvent, defaulting on crippling long term debts and/or filing for bankruptcy.
The largest target continues to be adult oriented content and TV shows, with only an estimated 5 percent being mainstream movie content.
Most TV shows are broadcast to a particular region at whatever time and day, then the networks like to arbitrarily rearrange schedules, preempt, etc. It's no wonder that DVRs and downloading are so popular. The moral issue gets hazier to me too--is downloading a TV show really any worse than taping/DVRing it? Am I "stealing" from the advertisers that paid to put in commercials that I fast-forward or don't even see in certain cases? What about watching the show live, ads and all, but not purchasing anything from the advertisers? I'd be perfectly happy paying $2/episode on iTunes and ditching cable--I'd probably save quite a bit of money. I imagine the forthcoming iTV will streamline this and let me order such shows & movies just like on-demand services from the cable company.
I hope the industry gets the hint--customers are already doing this in large numbers, there's already a market. Rather than take the usual response of "We must stop them all AT ONCE!!" monetize it. Put every darn show you produce on iTunes the second it's first broadcast.
While it may be possible to reverse engineer enough to do it
Part of MS's onerous content protection guidelines is to make the hardware as difficult to reverse engineer as possible. From inaccessible circuit paths and obfuscated drivers to encrypting the bus and "suspicious voltage" trip wires. Widespread adoption of DRM-crippled hardware will make open source and alternate platform drivers outrageously difficult. In addition, all the extra hardware and effort to lockdown equipment from its OWNER will make it cost more too.
You cannot avoid DRM by simply avoiding Windows. Freedom loving geeks will have to do a bit of research to pick DRM-free parts. Maybe someday manufacturers will opt for a "DRM free" sticker on the box instead of "Designed for Windows Vista."
KDE4 missed the list, but I am betting on it for next years list.
They slipped a little on the technical preview, but work is progressing. There's a lot on the plate to get to KDE4--mainly under the hood to port everything over to QT4. However, I understand this will open the door for more cross-platform KDE apps (KOffice, Konqueror, etc. running natively in Windows & OSX). They're aiming for a mid-2007 release, but there's still a ways to go and I wouldn't be surprised if it slipped to late '07/early '08. It's a bit trickier to pin an open source project as vaporware--the code's available and either it's being worked on or it isn't. KDE most certainly is.
It isn't of course, I'd call it a Web Desktop Environment but that's wordier. There's also some wiggle room when deciding where an OS ends and "Applications" begin. KDE, Gnome, Explorer, etc. are technically applications, but I'd still consider them parts of the OS. Konquerer/Nautilus are a little tougher to draw the line at whereas OpenOffice/KOffice are pretty definately applications in their own right.
My handy laptop is an old thinkpad as well--P3 @ 800mhz & 512 ram. The only reason it runs XP is because I could never get power management to work properly under any distros I tried. (a bit of a deal breaker on a laptop.)
If MS/Novell create a better samba derived from the samba team's GPL code, they *must* provide access to the source code.
But would they even have to derive anything from Samba? MS already has a proprietary closed-source implementation of SMB in Windows. Is there any reason they couldn't port that to Linux themselves or shoehorn in some kind of compatibility layer/shim?
The hot coffee suit is one so often pointed to when discussing stupid lawsuits I had no idea it actually had merit. Learn something new every day. Thanks for that.
but companies are not responsible for moronic use of their product.
Like driving around bumpy roads with a hot cup of coffee between your legs? I'm not saying companies should be responsible for such blatant customer idiocy . . . they've lost suits against people who claim they are.
(Bittorrent based protocols work by having people download different parts of the file, which is difficult to apply to a stream.)
I envision a dual-protocol set-up. Instant on-demand video can be streamed off of a central server, while podcast-like subscriptions can arrive in the background via bittorrent or similar protocols to offset some of the server load. With enough bandwidth, it might even be doable to stream with a back-and-forth approach--stream from the server to cover gaps, while simultaneously pulling future "chunks" from P2P and alternating back and forth as able.
I keep hearing C is dead. Losing popularity, sure, but it will be around for a very long time.
Are there any other languages that could actually replace C? Sure, there are plenty of high level languages that are better for most application development, but is there anything (practical) you can build an operating system out of, short of machine or assembly? (honest question, I really have no idea)
-Biostar GeForce6100/nforce 410 mobo
-AMD-64 3500+
-1 gig corsair ram kit (2x 512s on separate channels)
-1 300gig SATA drive
-2 150gig IDE drives (which I intend to software RAID(striping, RAID-0 IIRC) next time I'm in a tinkering mood)
-IDE Memorex DVD burner that was on sale at Staples a few months ago for ~$40. Works great, actually.
Once I find a reasonably affordable capture card that'll do HD off of component cables I would one day like this box to grow up to be a Myth back end and rig a front end into the entertainment center. Presently the most processor intensive task I use the current box for is ripping & transcoding DVDs and such. W/ 64 bit everything, Avidemux does XviD->Mpeg2 (DVD style & resolution) at around 50-55fps on average. DVD-XviD rips run around 30-35fps. As a very rough guestimate, same stuff w/ 32bit builds was about 10fps lower. I was tinkering with filesystems (switching to ReiserFS from Ext3) and accidentally ruined my root partition so figured "screw it, if I'm reinstalling, let's give x64 a spin."
If they see flaws in MS-OSs (as I do), point Joe Shmoe to Apple - it's the best alternative.
No it isn't. Not by a longshot if you go by the FSF's beliefs. Their core principle is that people should be free to use their computers without any artificial software-induced restrictions. OSX may be partially free and open source "under the hood" but the top layers are every bit as proprietary as Windows.
I'd certainly say that Apple/OSX is better than Windows for "Joe Schmoe" and I would recommend that over Windows or Linux for someone who wants an elegant "just works" new computer. For myself, I prefer to build my own boxes and run Linux (though I have no qualms about using non-free software and drivers on my box)--but I recognize that in the present world, that just isn't right for everybody. "To each their own," "Choice is good," and all that jazz.
Add me to the tally of folks running 64 bit Linux. For most purposes, the performance boost is unnoticable. However, I do get a few more FPS when transcoding video and I've noticed no other difficulties compared to 32bit Ubuntu. As others, I run 32 bit Firefox, but this is a breeze to install via automatix. About the only things that don't work for me are Google Earth and RealPlayer. I haven't bothered to look for others having similar troubles with Google Earth (app loads just fine, but imagery is all scrambled) and I don't care that much that RealPlayer barely runs (skips, audio out of sync, hangs inexplicably . . . but it did that on 32bits too).
As far as general day to day use goes, if you've got a 64 bit proc w/ a 32 bit OS, it's probably not worth the hassle to reinstall 64 bit builds. If you're starting over from scratch anyway, you might want to give it a shot.
I'm no programmer, but I had figured that FairUse4WM worked by cracking the blackbox file into plaintext by finding the encryption key securing it in memory when Media Player was running. I was going on the discussions I read over at Doom9 when MS released their lightning-quick response patch which merely changed the address used. It sounded like the FairUse author countered this by just adjusting to the new address.
That's Microsoft's own fault. Consumers will recover and find alternatives. If MS had perfect products, they wouldn't need to worry about losing market share if old APIs don't work anymore.
No it isn't. The biggest threat to a new Microsoft OS is an old Microsoft OS. If MS tossed aside Win16, DOS and the other older APIs in Windows 2000; it would have been a lot harder to sell to businesses who would want to cling to their 98SE boxes as long as possible rather than replace their legacy apps.
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Wireless networks are relatively new additions to the modern home and there just isn't much case law to establish precedents, if any. The presence of one casts serious doubt on the whole case--unless there's clear evidence on the hard drive (the claimed files themselves) there's no way to prove the defendant actually did the infringing. Now they'll have to convince a jury that the defendant should be liable for the actions of a trespasser on their network and that a "reasonable person" should have taken better steps to secure it. Good luck with that one.
I think the reason they're trying to get a wireless router out of the equation is to nip the possible "Someone could've hijacked my wireless connection" defense.
How does one buy anything anonymously? You can go to an adult video store and buy as much porn as you want with cash in person without necessarily identifying yourself. At worst they'll card you if you look relatively young. But you're still at risk of running in to someone you know.
You can buy porn privately by ordering it online. They'll have your billing info (unless you used a visa stored value card you bought with cash or something) and shipping address (P.O. Box? But the post office will know!!) . . .
Unless the issuance helps bail the company out of dire financial straits. As long as the stock goes up and provides a good rate of return, everyone's happy. It's certainly much better for the stock price than say . . . the company becoming insolvent, defaulting on crippling long term debts and/or filing for bankruptcy.
Most TV shows are broadcast to a particular region at whatever time and day, then the networks like to arbitrarily rearrange schedules, preempt, etc. It's no wonder that DVRs and downloading are so popular. The moral issue gets hazier to me too--is downloading a TV show really any worse than taping/DVRing it? Am I "stealing" from the advertisers that paid to put in commercials that I fast-forward or don't even see in certain cases? What about watching the show live, ads and all, but not purchasing anything from the advertisers? I'd be perfectly happy paying $2/episode on iTunes and ditching cable--I'd probably save quite a bit of money. I imagine the forthcoming iTV will streamline this and let me order such shows & movies just like on-demand services from the cable company.
I hope the industry gets the hint--customers are already doing this in large numbers, there's already a market. Rather than take the usual response of "We must stop them all AT ONCE!!" monetize it. Put every darn show you produce on iTunes the second it's first broadcast.
Part of MS's onerous content protection guidelines is to make the hardware as difficult to reverse engineer as possible. From inaccessible circuit paths and obfuscated drivers to encrypting the bus and "suspicious voltage" trip wires. Widespread adoption of DRM-crippled hardware will make open source and alternate platform drivers outrageously difficult. In addition, all the extra hardware and effort to lockdown equipment from its OWNER will make it cost more too.
You cannot avoid DRM by simply avoiding Windows. Freedom loving geeks will have to do a bit of research to pick DRM-free parts. Maybe someday manufacturers will opt for a "DRM free" sticker on the box instead of "Designed for Windows Vista."
They slipped a little on the technical preview, but work is progressing. There's a lot on the plate to get to KDE4--mainly under the hood to port everything over to QT4. However, I understand this will open the door for more cross-platform KDE apps (KOffice, Konqueror, etc. running natively in Windows & OSX). They're aiming for a mid-2007 release, but there's still a ways to go and I wouldn't be surprised if it slipped to late '07/early '08. It's a bit trickier to pin an open source project as vaporware--the code's available and either it's being worked on or it isn't. KDE most certainly is.
It isn't of course, I'd call it a Web Desktop Environment but that's wordier. There's also some wiggle room when deciding where an OS ends and "Applications" begin. KDE, Gnome, Explorer, etc. are technically applications, but I'd still consider them parts of the OS. Konquerer/Nautilus are a little tougher to draw the line at whereas OpenOffice/KOffice are pretty definately applications in their own right.
My handy laptop is an old thinkpad as well--P3 @ 800mhz & 512 ram. The only reason it runs XP is because I could never get power management to work properly under any distros I tried. (a bit of a deal breaker on a laptop.)
For a second there I thought summary said: "IE7 throws up a warning asking whether users really want to let a site felch their clipboard data."
But would they even have to derive anything from Samba? MS already has a proprietary closed-source implementation of SMB in Windows. Is there any reason they couldn't port that to Linux themselves or shoehorn in some kind of compatibility layer/shim?
The hot coffee suit is one so often pointed to when discussing stupid lawsuits I had no idea it actually had merit. Learn something new every day. Thanks for that.
Like driving around bumpy roads with a hot cup of coffee between your legs? I'm not saying companies should be responsible for such blatant customer idiocy . . . they've lost suits against people who claim they are.
I envision a dual-protocol set-up. Instant on-demand video can be streamed off of a central server, while podcast-like subscriptions can arrive in the background via bittorrent or similar protocols to offset some of the server load. With enough bandwidth, it might even be doable to stream with a back-and-forth approach--stream from the server to cover gaps, while simultaneously pulling future "chunks" from P2P and alternating back and forth as able.
Are there any other languages that could actually replace C? Sure, there are plenty of high level languages that are better for most application development, but is there anything (practical) you can build an operating system out of, short of machine or assembly? (honest question, I really have no idea)
-Biostar GeForce6100/nforce 410 mobo
-AMD-64 3500+
-1 gig corsair ram kit (2x 512s on separate channels)
-1 300gig SATA drive
-2 150gig IDE drives (which I intend to software RAID(striping, RAID-0 IIRC) next time I'm in a tinkering mood)
-IDE Memorex DVD burner that was on sale at Staples a few months ago for ~$40. Works great, actually.
Once I find a reasonably affordable capture card that'll do HD off of component cables I would one day like this box to grow up to be a Myth back end and rig a front end into the entertainment center. Presently the most processor intensive task I use the current box for is ripping & transcoding DVDs and such. W/ 64 bit everything, Avidemux does XviD->Mpeg2 (DVD style & resolution) at around 50-55fps on average. DVD-XviD rips run around 30-35fps. As a very rough guestimate, same stuff w/ 32bit builds was about 10fps lower. I was tinkering with filesystems (switching to ReiserFS from Ext3) and accidentally ruined my root partition so figured "screw it, if I'm reinstalling, let's give x64 a spin."
No it isn't. Not by a longshot if you go by the FSF's beliefs. Their core principle is that people should be free to use their computers without any artificial software-induced restrictions. OSX may be partially free and open source "under the hood" but the top layers are every bit as proprietary as Windows.
I'd certainly say that Apple/OSX is better than Windows for "Joe Schmoe" and I would recommend that over Windows or Linux for someone who wants an elegant "just works" new computer. For myself, I prefer to build my own boxes and run Linux (though I have no qualms about using non-free software and drivers on my box)--but I recognize that in the present world, that just isn't right for everybody. "To each their own," "Choice is good," and all that jazz.
Add me to the tally of folks running 64 bit Linux. For most purposes, the performance boost is unnoticable. However, I do get a few more FPS when transcoding video and I've noticed no other difficulties compared to 32bit Ubuntu. As others, I run 32 bit Firefox, but this is a breeze to install via automatix. About the only things that don't work for me are Google Earth and RealPlayer. I haven't bothered to look for others having similar troubles with Google Earth (app loads just fine, but imagery is all scrambled) and I don't care that much that RealPlayer barely runs (skips, audio out of sync, hangs inexplicably . . . but it did that on 32bits too).
As far as general day to day use goes, if you've got a 64 bit proc w/ a 32 bit OS, it's probably not worth the hassle to reinstall 64 bit builds. If you're starting over from scratch anyway, you might want to give it a shot.
I'm no programmer, but I had figured that FairUse4WM worked by cracking the blackbox file into plaintext by finding the encryption key securing it in memory when Media Player was running. I was going on the discussions I read over at Doom9 when MS released their lightning-quick response patch which merely changed the address used. It sounded like the FairUse author countered this by just adjusting to the new address.
Hogwash! The real reason MS wants this is to keep things like FairUse4WMV from reading encryption keys to strip off the DRM.
The Gimp is a great image editor, to be sure. But firing that beast up for a few piddly screen shots is a bit of overkill. Paint is much quicker.
No it isn't. The biggest threat to a new Microsoft OS is an old Microsoft OS. If MS tossed aside Win16, DOS and the other older APIs in Windows 2000; it would have been a lot harder to sell to businesses who would want to cling to their 98SE boxes as long as possible rather than replace their legacy apps.
Probably not, unless you have the old libraries and compiler too. A lot's been deprecated in 15 years.
Hey now! They're cribbing FOSS's use of recursive acronyms. However, I suspect it's partially intended to imply "DNA" for the Xbox.
This is Slashdot. That would be a "+1 Random Made Up Bullshit."