Moving them to the United Nations doesn't solve or prevent anything, but the concept is good.
Since these corporations need to be somewhere, it will never be about where they are, it will always be about sanity in managing these core Internet functions. And that means dealing with governments, and we Americans need to once again shower our representatives with enlightened advice, as in 'don't DO that!!!'.
Seriously, I have to get my reps' addresses out ahd hit them with informative emails, pointing out that no matter how much they want to 'solve' this copyright problem, this is NOT the solution. Argh.
Surprisingly, TV Guide doesn't agree with you. Well, maybe not surprisingly.
But I might take exception to you publishing the SSID if my router somewhere, since I clearly am entitled to broadcast it, but perhaps I didn't intend it to be broadcast all over New York State...
I see the point that broadcasting seems to imply free use, but Section 705 of the Communications Act recognizes that you may intercept transmissions, but you may not divulge the contents. And while my SSID may seem free and open, if i secure my network with a reasonable effort at security, I think I have a case for not wanting my SSID advertised by third parties, such s Google. And you.
1. Work. My customers overwhelmingly use Windows. MY work is to support my customers. I use Windows so that I can run the software I support, understand and diagnose the problems my customers encounter, and assist in development by testing and diasgnosing development issues. Oh, and since Windows 7 is starting to get traction, I will see my next work machine be Windows 7.
2. Home. My wife has no interest in Apple, she thoroughly detests the single-button mouse. I explain that Apple computers can right-click now, but she's uninterested. And she uses a notebook, so a two-button touch pad is her 'need'. Since I am her primary tech support, I need to accomodate her platform of choice here also.
3. Functionality. Getting Ubuntu running on a Thinkpad X41 Tablet is not as easy as it might be. Getting Ubuntu running on an Asus G50-VTX1 isn't so easy either. Windows, I just have to wade through a myriad of updates, but it works. NVidia drivers for Windows are readily available and reasonably stable.
4. Games. Any currently popular multiplayer game I'm aware of is just not native to Linux. I see no sign of this changing.
I bumped into this comment (about a third of the way dowen the page):
"You canâ(TM)t really play the game for free if the OS it needs to run on isnâ(TM)t free. "
Well, Alex, you can't really play the game for free if the hardware it needs to run on isn't free. In other words, no computer game is free, no computer ANYTHING is free, just maybe free to you, if you don't count your time going to where the resources are 'free'.
5. Support. Alex's comment is a specific and excellent example of 'more helpful advice from the Linux community'. File this alongside the 'read the documentation', 'ask somewhere else', if you don't understand this, you shouldn't be doing it', and 'it's broken in Linux, you twit' responses. Almost as entertaining as those responses to Windows questions such as 'shoulda used Linux', 'blahblahblah windoes blahblahblah', and 'I've never seen that, do you have a virus?' answers. Linux documentation is of variable quality. The user community is getting better, but still a challenge. Asking the 'manufacturer' for help is fraught with uncertainty, since there isn't a 'manufacturer' to ask for help. NVidia drivers are a case in point.
And I run Ubuntu on one desktop, dual-boot on a laptop, and my servers are all either Debian or CentOS, with an old SUSE in there still delivering NetWare services to some old friends who can't let go. Show me Battlefield 3 or COD on Ubuntu, I'm there. Does Ubuntu hibernate or sleep correctly on current HP notebooks? Is Bluetooth working correctly on these, for any adapter less than $50 retail? Are Vst plugins working in anything in Ubuntu without having to set specific packages in advance, and then having to remove those to install something else, or even by finding it in package managers? Linux is not for the faint of heart, and my needs are not mainstream, but Windows still just does it, and the security problems are in fact manageable for me.
And then there's virtualization.
When an alternative becomes viable, I will want to boot Linux, run Windows in VMs with native DirectX support and full-speed gaming, and keep Linux desktops on the side to do other stuff. At work, I could only dream of such a setup with a Linux base, Windows VMs for various tasks, and full support for an AD environment. Until then, the answer is 'cause Windows works'.
So I should be concerned that China telecom might somehow be messin' with my service, but it's tolerable to KNOW that the NSA, CIA, FBI, and my local police can listen in without warrant or my knowledge?
Frankly, China Telecom will fit right into the U.S. market. Let's see:
- Accused of monopolistic practices: check!
- Suspected of or confirmed to be cooperating with government in suppressing free speech, eavesdropping, etc: check!
- Operates GSM network: check!
Well, looks like AT&T might find a buyer for the TMO assets they don't need.
"Case A: criminal has a gun, victim doesn't, victim gives money, nobody is hurt. "
Well, except for losing their money, victim does get to go back to work, earn more money, and get robbed again.
"Case B: both have guns, someone dies."
Well, Case B can also play out as 'both have guns. Criminal thinks robbing armed victims is harder than it looks and doesn't chance it. Victim keeps money and gun.
"Of course if you think that a criminal dying is a better resolution than a victim giving away money then your position makes sense."
I think criminals deterred by the prospect of being confronted with an armed victim is a better idea than criminals being fairly certain that their victims are unarmed, since they are prohibited from having a gun.
"But thinking that way might also be a reason for the high number of crimes committed with handguns that you mention."
I don 't doubt for a moment that handgun crimes are in large part a problem of criminals having guns. What was your point on that again?
Maybe your side project should be something NOT coding? Woodworking, pottery, teaching kids to read and write English, volunteering somewhere?
If you're not careful, eventually you'll be coding for something related to that project, and liking it. Even if that doesn't work, teaching or volunteering both improves your personal brand/network, and might give you some insights you didn't have before into your day job output. And if nothing else, you can make the world a better place, which you seem to want to do.
See? You have no idea. Try getting your news from more than one point of view, just to have a shot at getting the truth. If you dunno what I am referring to as 'F&F', you're out of the loop. Get back in...
Or, more precisely for us un the U.S., banning guns because they kill people.
I'm going way out on a limb here, but in the U.S., I suspect there are many more incidents of crimes committed with the aid of a handgun than there are incidents of self-defense usign a handgun. Banning guns isn't the solution for several reasons, the most salient being that criminals will still have guns from any source willing to sell them, while their victims will not.
Forcing British ISPs to block Newzbin2 is the equivalent of banning the service (Usenet) because it is almost entirely used for what are apparently illegal activities. Apparently being significant also. So rather than tackle each incident, or even ask for blocking of specific content, why, go ahead and kill off the entire service. Kinda sad.
But the British aren't unused to this. After all, in the U.K., owning a handgun isn't a right. Neither is being left alone by your government. And the U.S. is following right behind, sadly.
I'm not trying to be snarky or mean, but how is organizing the candidates' professed stands going to help? Whatever they say during the campaign, it's what they DO when elected that is of most concern. Indexing their lies seems to be helping them fool us... ???
How about recording our politicians' votes, positions elucidated in speeches/appearances/debates, and then let's see how their re-eleciton campaigns go. Maybe even a pork-o-meter to measure their ROI.
And I'm not very hopeful about that, either. Those sites already exist. Who reads them?
Slashdot Mirror
Doesn't even exist, and already I've flunked this test.
I hate them all.
Don't focus on price, focus on savings. As in lives.
Moving them to the United Nations doesn't solve or prevent anything, but the concept is good.
Since these corporations need to be somewhere, it will never be about where they are, it will always be about sanity in managing these core Internet functions. And that means dealing with governments, and we Americans need to once again shower our representatives with enlightened advice, as in 'don't DO that!!!'.
Seriously, I have to get my reps' addresses out ahd hit them with informative emails, pointing out that no matter how much they want to 'solve' this copyright problem, this is NOT the solution. Argh.
"A and B are just whiny bitches"
Oh, great, so they're spies...
When did techdirt start mirroring /.?
Surprisingly, TV Guide doesn't agree with you. Well, maybe not surprisingly.
But I might take exception to you publishing the SSID if my router somewhere, since I clearly am entitled to broadcast it, but perhaps I didn't intend it to be broadcast all over New York State...
I see the point that broadcasting seems to imply free use, but Section 705 of the Communications Act recognizes that you may intercept transmissions, but you may not divulge the contents. And while my SSID may seem free and open, if i secure my network with a reasonable effort at security, I think I have a case for not wanting my SSID advertised by third parties, such s Google. And you.
And you are not immune to thw law
That's copyrighted also.
What was your point again?
Same argument for not allowing you to record a broadcast tv show and rebroadcasting it.
Especially if you intend to derive some value from it.
Though in practice I would not, as my post said, not be bothered. If you posted access info I would consider that wrong.
Reading my public SSID isn't a problem. Using it, and the details, is.
So you can read my SSID, but cracking my security and publishing the location isn't necessarily.
Of course, our courts in the U.S. are hell-bent on stripping the populace of any rights at all. This alone is reason enough to throw them all out.
Though I can't tell if the TechnoBuffalo gig is new, or was a side job while he was still at PhoneDog, but it looks like it was not a side job.
And Noah was once Editor-in-Chief at PhoneDog. I think they miss him. These divorces are often messy.
1. Work. My customers overwhelmingly use Windows. MY work is to support my customers. I use Windows so that I can run the software I support, understand and diagnose the problems my customers encounter, and assist in development by testing and diasgnosing development issues. Oh, and since Windows 7 is starting to get traction, I will see my next work machine be Windows 7.
2. Home. My wife has no interest in Apple, she thoroughly detests the single-button mouse. I explain that Apple computers can right-click now, but she's uninterested. And she uses a notebook, so a two-button touch pad is her 'need'. Since I am her primary tech support, I need to accomodate her platform of choice here also.
3. Functionality. Getting Ubuntu running on a Thinkpad X41 Tablet is not as easy as it might be. Getting Ubuntu running on an Asus G50-VTX1 isn't so easy either. Windows, I just have to wade through a myriad of updates, but it works. NVidia drivers for Windows are readily available and reasonably stable.
4. Games. Any currently popular multiplayer game I'm aware of is just not native to Linux. I see no sign of this changing.
I bumped into this comment (about a third of the way dowen the page):
"You canâ(TM)t really play the game for free if the OS it needs to run on isnâ(TM)t free. "
Well, Alex, you can't really play the game for free if the hardware it needs to run on isn't free. In other words, no computer game is free, no computer ANYTHING is free, just maybe free to you, if you don't count your time going to where the resources are 'free'.
5. Support. Alex's comment is a specific and excellent example of 'more helpful advice from the Linux community'. File this alongside the 'read the documentation', 'ask somewhere else', if you don't understand this, you shouldn't be doing it', and 'it's broken in Linux, you twit' responses. Almost as entertaining as those responses to Windows questions such as 'shoulda used Linux', 'blahblahblah windoes blahblahblah', and 'I've never seen that, do you have a virus?' answers. Linux documentation is of variable quality. The user community is getting better, but still a challenge. Asking the 'manufacturer' for help is fraught with uncertainty, since there isn't a 'manufacturer' to ask for help. NVidia drivers are a case in point.
And I run Ubuntu on one desktop, dual-boot on a laptop, and my servers are all either Debian or CentOS, with an old SUSE in there still delivering NetWare services to some old friends who can't let go. Show me Battlefield 3 or COD on Ubuntu, I'm there. Does Ubuntu hibernate or sleep correctly on current HP notebooks? Is Bluetooth working correctly on these, for any adapter less than $50 retail? Are Vst plugins working in anything in Ubuntu without having to set specific packages in advance, and then having to remove those to install something else, or even by finding it in package managers? Linux is not for the faint of heart, and my needs are not mainstream, but Windows still just does it, and the security problems are in fact manageable for me.
And then there's virtualization.
When an alternative becomes viable, I will want to boot Linux, run Windows in VMs with native DirectX support and full-speed gaming, and keep Linux desktops on the side to do other stuff. At work, I could only dream of such a setup with a Linux base, Windows VMs for various tasks, and full support for an AD environment. Until then, the answer is 'cause Windows works'.
So far as you know.
Wait. You don't know that at all.
So I should be concerned that China telecom might somehow be messin' with my service, but it's tolerable to KNOW that the NSA, CIA, FBI, and my local police can listen in without warrant or my knowledge?
Frankly, China Telecom will fit right into the U.S. market. Let's see:
- Accused of monopolistic practices: check!
- Suspected of or confirmed to be cooperating with government in suppressing free speech, eavesdropping, etc: check!
- Operates GSM network: check!
Well, looks like AT&T might find a buyer for the TMO assets they don't need.
I think CT nails it. GAME OVER!
Usenet provider. Then on to the next one. The plan is to kill Usenet.
Google provides connectivity in the UK? Wow.
"Case A: criminal has a gun, victim doesn't, victim gives money, nobody is hurt. "
Well, except for losing their money, victim does get to go back to work, earn more money, and get robbed again.
"Case B: both have guns, someone dies."
Well, Case B can also play out as 'both have guns. Criminal thinks robbing armed victims is harder than it looks and doesn't chance it. Victim keeps money and gun.
"Of course if you think that a criminal dying is a better resolution than a victim giving away money then your position makes sense."
I think criminals deterred by the prospect of being confronted with an armed victim is a better idea than criminals being fairly certain that their victims are unarmed, since they are prohibited from having a gun.
"But thinking that way might also be a reason for the high number of crimes committed with handguns that you mention."
I don 't doubt for a moment that handgun crimes are in large part a problem of criminals having guns. What was your point on that again?
Maybe your side project should be something NOT coding? Woodworking, pottery, teaching kids to read and write English, volunteering somewhere?
If you're not careful, eventually you'll be coding for something related to that project, and liking it. Even if that doesn't work, teaching or volunteering both improves your personal brand/network, and might give you some insights you didn't have before into your day job output. And if nothing else, you can make the world a better place, which you seem to want to do.
As a Usenet user since the 90s, I resent that remark. :)
See? You have no idea. Try getting your news from more than one point of view, just to have a shot at getting the truth. If you dunno what I am referring to as 'F&F', you're out of the loop. Get back in...
Oh. F&F is a Bush thing. Right. No, wrong. You are wrong.
You wrote 'fixing'.
Yeah, the 'fix' is in.
Oh yeah?
Or, more precisely for us un the U.S., banning guns because they kill people.
I'm going way out on a limb here, but in the U.S., I suspect there are many more incidents of crimes committed with the aid of a handgun than there are incidents of self-defense usign a handgun. Banning guns isn't the solution for several reasons, the most salient being that criminals will still have guns from any source willing to sell them, while their victims will not.
Forcing British ISPs to block Newzbin2 is the equivalent of banning the service (Usenet) because it is almost entirely used for what are apparently illegal activities. Apparently being significant also. So rather than tackle each incident, or even ask for blocking of specific content, why, go ahead and kill off the entire service. Kinda sad.
But the British aren't unused to this. After all, in the U.K., owning a handgun isn't a right. Neither is being left alone by your government. And the U.S. is following right behind, sadly.
You assume it's an either/or situation. I don't. Since bribery is already illegal, public financing is double-dipping.
I'm not trying to be snarky or mean, but how is organizing the candidates' professed stands going to help? Whatever they say during the campaign, it's what they DO when elected that is of most concern. Indexing their lies seems to be helping them fool us... ???
How about recording our politicians' votes, positions elucidated in speeches/appearances/debates, and then let's see how their re-eleciton campaigns go. Maybe even a pork-o-meter to measure their ROI.
And I'm not very hopeful about that, either. Those sites already exist. Who reads them?