"They ought to seriously address this issue of intellectual property. They certainly aren't allowing students to copy books in the university library."
Ok.. So, what are all those photocopiers for?? I take it that these people went to Uni to study something.
If they did, then, I'd hazard a guess they they did copy the books in the library for reference..
I know I did, and so did everyone else on my degree.. And everyone else there!! How else were we to be able to study effectively??
I think they've gone far enough with all this napster attacking. It won't do any more good, apart from to get Metallica's name in the press even more, and increase the disdain felt for them by people who have a reasonably sensible view of life.
The courts are already dealing with this, so why try and pre-empt things with possible hints at legal proceedings in the future? They'll never block everything, and will only waste valuable resources trying to do so.
The world will end up working as it will, despite the lawyers and the nit-picking legislation that's being waved around by the clueless.. So I wish they'd just lighten up and stop trying to stomp on anything and everything they can see...
Reminds me of an old joke:
Q: What do puppies and large corporations have in common?
A: They feel the need to piss on everything just to try and prove it's theirs.
As far as I can see, from this article, the recording industry gets paid TWICE for each track you own, if you use the MP3.com service.
The software scans your CDs to ensure you have already got access to the CD (so, you could cut your own if you so needed.. Copying isn't hte issue here).
So, you've already paid the recording industry once, for the CD you've already bought.
However. If you want to access this online, without having to take all your CDs with you, or spend hours ripping and uploading to webspace (hideously wasteful on bandwidth and storage space.. All that replication that rarely even hits a webcache on the net), a SECOND fee is required, as MP3.com are now required to pay a licencing fee on those tracks that you've already paid for!
This reeks of that 'lets slap a tax on blank CDs because they may, on some occasions be used to copy music'.
This bullying by the recording industry really has to stop. They get more than enough per CD sold, without having to charge (effectively) multiple times for the same music.
If they're going to charge a licence fee, then I feel that it's only the same as paying for the music in the first place, so MP3.com should stop checking for ownership of the CD in the first place, as they are effectively paying the licence fee to distribute this music anyway.
This, then, is not piracy, but a new distribution method.
Cutting out the CD manufacturer middleman would save me a packet on my music purchases...
It's always good to hear the voice of common sense out there..
Sad though it is.. In the near future, there isn't going to be any return to the days of the 'friendly local shopowner on the corner'..
Still, society really does need more of that old ethic..
The large corporate separation of the general populace into easy to dispense numbers really has played havoc with the human sense of worth..
Many diseases of the mind have become prevalent, and some actually appearing where they didn't really exist before..
Perhaps the large corporate view is more the form of the illness.. If the individuals are like viruses spreading, then, maybe they're like a cancer.
They have a central point, and they spread from there, taking over everything in their path, until they destroy the equilibrium.
I'm a Brit...
Over here, the initials ME stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic FAtigue Syndrome to most people these days).
I'm just wondering if MS have named the latest windows, and let people know that it's just a tired old kernel that doesn't feel alive much, and just wants to lie down and go slow..:)
It seems strange to me...
Lawyers are now going after programmers, the very lifeblood of the internet, and people who are very at home in the distribution of information.
Almost to the point now, that it's looking like the start of a crusade.
Still, you look at any Law, or other corporate entity office, and you see connections to the internet, and reliance on networks, and safe, sharable data.
Most of this, if not all, has come from the freedom of expression by dint of coding.
These people are turning round and biting the hand that's fed them for so long.
And, with the best will in the world, not all those feeding hands take being bitten all too well.
Anyone who's read all the futuristic cyberpunk stories, or played the RPGs will understand where this is going..
If the coders decide to say "Sod the law" one day, what can the law truly do? To remove the code, it needs all ISPs to act in conjunction, or shut down the net.
Doing that would damage so much else that it's not feasible.
There's an old saying that the law is only as powerful as we, as a group, perceive it to be.
The more restrictive the laws become, the more likely the majority of online coders are to consider the law and ass, and actively defy it.
How do you apply a law against the will of the masses?
Either by draconian measures (martial law), or you fail.
Please, lawyers out there.. Be thoughtful, be sensible...
When the balance tips too far in one direction, there's inevitably a huge backlash.
Mishaps are one thing. Yeah, you go back to backups and redo from start. I get the impression that the Kuro5hin guys would do that, no hassle, with a cheery whistle. However, when you're working full time, the last thing you need at the end of the day is to come home and find that someone is trampling all over work you do for pleasure. I guess it's like coming home every day and finding your house burgled. Eventually, you go barmy, or move. Or get someone to pay the burglar a nice visit and 'gently' dissuade them from doing such things in future. Or all the above. I can understand the decision to pull the plug. I can also understand that time heals wounds, and that someday, the Kuro5hin guys may bring the site back up when things have cooled down, the SK has been lynched and the bug to see the hard work already put into the site bearing fruit once again arises once more. I wish the Kuro5hin voluteers peace of mind, and hope they do get the urge to start business as usual sometime..
Personally, I'm quite happy with the idea of gene splicing. That in itself is no bad thing. Eradication of genetic diseases etc. The problem is the selection of what branches of science get to prosper by the misapplication of licenses. There are many projects with unexpected and wondrous payoffs that occur in a free science environment, but in the heavily regulated and all too tightly focussed where the mighty buckis the bottom line, never appear. The Human Genome Project is a great idea., and has the right idea. The spreading of information for free. As for patenting my genes, I think my parents could count as prior art.
There's that old saying about following the spirit of something, rather than following it to the letter. It's a case of everyone really understanding what is meant by the agreement. Nobody's really in any doubt. The only way that it can be overturned is by someone actively trying to cause disruption and break "A Good Thing". People who, historically, have been trying to break "Good Things" have often been called "Evil". This includes the Brit Empire forcing it's new colonies into restrictive taxations etc. (Don't knock that one, I'm a Brit..:) ), warmongerers, and a whole host of others. It always perplexes me when people refer to the Law system as a system of Justice, when, Justice is something that arises from the spirit of an agreement being upheld, and that so rarely happens in these circles these days.. Would be so nice to have this current system of Legalities and Legislation where the word is constantly debated return more to an environment where the spirit is sought and upheld. Now, that truly would be a free country. I hope someone wises up,and pushes the spirit of the GPL. We all know why it's there, and it's a "Good Thing". Breaking it would be a crying shame, and would be tothe detriment of a good many people.
Strictly speaking, this is all no longer capitalism. Capitalism is where the market forces prevail. Good, well marketed products succeed, where shoddy products don't grab the consumer heart, and so fail. Capitalism isn't such a bad thing really. It forces innovation (real innovation) and evolution. This, however is a corruption of capitalism. Law has been applied to stifle the growth aspect of the capitalist system. No longer do companies have to fight their competition for the best product, or the best angle on the product. They simply pay lawyers to 'nobble' the competition, and prevent them from competing. This nullifies the effect of market forces, as customers are no longer allowed to buy the best product from the person who finds the way to produce it at the most efficient cost. It all comes down to who has the most expensive lawyers that allows the public to buy what they think they want the public to buy. Other options become illegal (read 'unlicenced applications of patents'). Personally, I think capitalism is ok.. I think this bastardised hybrid is far from ok. A small dash of common sense and looking beyond the end of their noses and past sacrificing all for immediate gain would serve these companies in good stead. I can but keep my fingers crossed that they start to look this direction. Malk
If the statement is true, that a large bulk of material has been copied from a pay site.. I say fair play to the guys. They pay their money to get the pics, and recoup it from memberships. I doubt very much that they'd have instigates such expensive and draconian measures if the quantity of material lifted from their site wasn't suitably vast. Maybe I'm missing something somewhere, but this seems a perfectly legit use of the copyright laws. Just my tuppence worth, Malk.
C'mon guys!! Why slate Hemos for havin' a sense of humour?? I'd not seen this jest before, and it gave me a damn good laugh... If you think it's lame, that's your choice.. A sense of humour isn't the same thing for everyone.. Welcome to the big wide world of human diversity!!! I liked it, and I'm damn sure a load of others did too... The day you all prove you've got a better sense of humour, rather than trying to bust up someone who's just trying to bring a smile to someone else's face, I'll listen. Now, just quit griping, and think of something funnier to add...
Malk.
I invoked the garbage disposal routines, now I can't find my windows directory.. Anyone got any clues on this one??
Party sounds like a good idea..:) I for one will hit the pub this evening and raise a glass to Rob and Hemos and all the/. makers that've given me a superb place to hang round..:) I was wondering though.. How many/.ers out there would actually be interested in some form of occasional party... I've been lurking around the net for about 11 years now, and from the first chatters/BBS sites, one of the more binding aspects was the infrequent "Get togethers".. A mud I'm on (igormud.org) has a huge meetup every summer in Michigan, which is huge amounts of fun, along with impromptu meets now and then, all over the world. There's been articles recently about how "removed from society" the internet makes people. This may be a chance to gainsay that alltogether.. I'd be happy to arrange a beerup for any slashdotters in Bristol, UK that want to get together sometime, and raise a glass to trolls, flame, and a damnably interesting time.:) What better way to thank Rob and co, than to raise a glass of beer in their honour?:) Real email is Malkavian@dial.pipex.com If yer interested, let me know.
As far as I can see, this is no frivolous move on the part of Linus. I'd like to add my support 100%. Several people seem to have mentioned the word "hypocrisy", as in the past, Slashdot readership has derided trademark enforcement for frivolous reasons (Etoys/Etoy for example). The world is not a clearly defined place, so a good deal of common sense is required to come up with a reasonable solution to each case. for example, Linus guarding the trademark against all comers with a team of rabid lawyers wouold be to the detriment of almost all the Linux community. I find myself wondering how long Linux would survive in that environment, and the phrase "Not long" springs to mind. However, simply casting the association of the word "Linux" to the winds is also a bad move. Where you hear the word "Linux", you're pretty much guaranteed it's something that does, indeed, relate to Linux (even names such as Linuxsucks etc. wouldn't be jumped on, I'd assume, as it defines the name Linux, so you know it's about linux, and sucks, so you know it's a place where people who don't like linux gather. It's what it says, and you'd know what to expect by going there). However, how long do you think it'd take for sites such as "Linuxmatter" (don't know if that's out there) or other namesl that random browsers may enter to hunt for Linux resources to be snapped up by sites (porn probably) with nothing to do with linux, simply for the extra hits? Denying future valid projects from occurring. I don't believe this is anything to do with political agendas, or any other such fripperies. It's just a move by Linus to make sure that everyone can continue to be a community as easily as possible. This kind of move is more along the lines of a good neighbour house sitting on your behalf than it is someone enforcing a house arrest. I say three cheers for common sense, and I'm glad that some of the big names out there have it. I for one am glad to see it whenever possible.
Malk.
P.S. The day I don't agree that Linus, or anyone, operates in the best interest of the world at large, I'll be just as vocal about it.
Time is the information predator
on
The Regulon
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· Score: 2
On the whole, time could be considered the great predator of information, certainly in this era.
Consider:
People are increasingly worried that all information from this era will die, due to inability to store it on a truly permanent medium.
Data formats change with alarming regularity. It takes effort to preserve the content between media versions that are usable.
People only have so much time to burn on looking through data. Increasingly, they're working on ways to filter out the 'noise' and get only the 'signal'.. Second rate data will eventually be filtered out by most people, by necessity.
With these points in mind, actually keeping hold of relevant points becomes the effort, and as such, more and more effort is being put into identifying strongly significant data and rejecting the less significant, allowing it to slowly degrade, or perchance to be maintained by small groups for who the data is actually relevant.
All systems have a level of complexity (the lambda value, if memory serves me correctly), where the level of complexity is balanced between order and chaos sufficient to produce a stable, yet flexible entity.
If the constraints are placed on this system (lawyers, corporations, patents etc) in excess, then the system will die, due to being able to change sufficiently to progress to the next required state.
If the signal to noise ratio goes too low (Spam, spurious sites, too many sites with too little content become prominent) then again, the system will atrophy due to not being able to provide any valid information.
The internet, as I see it, is already a living entity. And as such, has it's own protection systems in place. As I see them, these are:
If information signal/noise gets too low, then either the filters to sufficiently extract data get better, or people stop using the net in droves. As the 'casual users' stop using the net, the real content becomes more predominant as spam no longer has the payback of many uninformed users. Either way, the signal/noise ratio improves. Eventually, equilibrium will be reached.
If the information becomes too bound in regulation to be of use, again, people will stop using the net for casual purposes, as they are too open to prosecution. As a result, the internet 'real estate' will become worthless, and the companies will no longer really be interested in all the legal wrangles in it, as they will no longer be profitable.
This will entail the net becoming more like as of old. Academic, and the exchange of ideas. Again, a strong signal with little background noise.
All the above take is just a little time.. Which is proving to be the great leveller of all things.
As far as I recall, the Genome project is about the bringing of the gene map into the public domain. If this is held to, then, it's about as much a lever to the big corporations as Linux is to the computing world. Everyone owns the map. As far as genetic modifications taking something away from the healty, I'd disagree most strenuously. I've worked with handicapped people in the past, and the saddest ones are the ones who appreciate their conditions. Given a choice of leading a normal life without their disability, and having the disability, nearly all would choose a normal healthy life. Given that mankind has evolved a fully conscious mind, there is thus nothing unnatural about using that very tool to alter our evolution. Far from it being a "Frankenstein" project, it's an entirely natural extension to the normal path of evolution. Humanity left the standard model of evolution (survival of the fittest) quite a while ago, along with the advent of societies. This latest development of direct manipulation of the genes is merely a natural offshoot of this direction. The mere fact that this treatment is optional is in fact a safeguard. If, for example, there are untold side effects generations down the line in gene modified humans, then the 'naturals' wouldn't be affected by this. If however, the gene modified humans become stable and far more "fit" by the standards of natural selection, then, their genotype will predominate in the gene pool, shortly predominating in the gene pool at large. Humanity will be more fit. The most important part of humanity is not what we appear to be in the physical sense, but who we are in the emotional and ethical and mental sense, the essential us. This is trained in a large part by environment and care. As long as this side is not neglected, then, humanity has a bright future, whatever form it chooses to take. Just my view..
*Laugh* Oh dear..:) This just had to crop up now, didn't it..:) I just turned 30 on Saturday.. Not that bad you may say, old sod others may say.. The bit that's on topic, is that on friday, my girlfriend flew out from the States to the UK where I am... This was a surprise.. I'd only talked to her the day before, and no warning, no clue whatsoever..:) Was a nice surprise indeed..:) We met online on a mud, years back, and had been friends for years and years.. Met in real several times in that duration, but was only recently we actually caught the clue we really did kinda like each other.. An awful lot..:) Well, I just dialed up to send a couple of pics (not those sorta pics) back to her for keepsakes, and though, check Slashdot, see if anything's happened... And lo!! This is here.... Now, she's hovering over my shoulder as I write this, laughing... And threatening to molest me, tho I shouldn't be writing that apparently..;) Things are good here.. Personally, I think the two of us are going to end up together for good... And she just said she thinks so too... It's been a long while in the coming about... So, I think we know each other well enough to judge that... Within the next year (mebbe just over, who knows, but not much longer than that), either I'll move there, or she'll move here for a while.. Watch this space, as it were...:) The great thing about online is that instead of being shoehorned into only being able to choose the partner you want from the two streets next to you... You can search the whole world for someone who's the one you want... I think I did..:) Anyhow, there ya go..:) and here I go.. Don't know why I'm scribbling things down when there's cuddles to be had.. Byee.
Heh.. You know, I've not heard such a good joke in a while... I work at the level they say that "You wouldn't want to install 21 seperate patches".. Wrong. The brief is "Make is secure". If that means 21 patches, so be it. If it means 100 patches, then so be it. But, make it as secure as you can. Now, how easy is it to NFS mount a partition with the patches on, and an automated script to run the RPMs?? Now, how easy would it be to install the said same service packs on the same number of NT boxes?? Hmmm.. In the real world, 21 patches to 1000 UNIX boxes is orders of magnitude faster than 1 patch to 1000 NT boxes. And if you can't do the above NFS mount and scripting, YOU SHOULDN'T BE IN ENTERPRISE COMPUTING! I could rant a lot more, but I think everyone knows what I mean, and I have work to get on with.. Just my tuppence worth,
Malk (Who has applied a lot more patches than that to his very-strategically-important-to-a-large-company Red Hat 5.2 box)
One strange thing I've seen with Athlons.. Several companies round here actually have the Athlon chips in stock.. They're advertising them across the web by mail order... Yet not a one of them advertises a mother board... As far as I can see, this is going to kill enthusiasm faster than anything else... People going out to buy the chip and board, seeing the chip present, but not being able to do anything with it other than use it as a paperweight... Womething has to be afoot to keep the motherboard manufacturers at bay like this... It seems AMD have the chips there, but the M/board manufactures are holding back.. I'm still drooling here, and waiting, but feeling more disenchanted as the days pass, and still not board to be had... So, any motherboard makers out there.. Get into gear guys, there's easy money to be had...
Oh c'mon... Your issue #2 on there... When I did my course (in Real time Systems), one of the lecturers was a woman.. And for those out there that think in terms of race, or that only the lonely girls would go this route, she was actually a very attractive Asian woman, and far from being the lonely type, she was happy to bring her boyfriend to the student parties we all had... Someone (one of the women on the course) once asked her if it was difficult getting to be a lecturer as a woman, and she just laughed, and said "No harder than for anyone else.. If you want to do it, just do it..". I think that's it in a nutshell.. If you want to do something, you do... You just have a choice early on, in what you want to do.. Women, for whatever reason, tend towards other subjects than guys... I noted a predominance of women in the Biology based courses and arts, and languages... And about a 50-50 mix in Law. For some reason, it always seems to irritate me that people keep shouting about "there's not enough of this type of person" in a field... What are you supposed to do?? Ignore their wishes to follow a field they enjoy, just to push them into another field, just to make up numbers? In some cases, there is a bit of surprise at seeing a woman in charge of the systems in offices, or wherever they appear.. I think that this is simply because they are _rarer_ thean seeing a guy there... That soon passes when the quality of work speaks for itself. Whatever race, gender or whatever you are is irrelevant in the long run.. If you really want to follow a field, you'll get there... As an aside, my secondary school didn't allow me to follow electronics or computing at 'A' level. This was a big dissuasion from the field. I still did my degree in a field involving both. I'm male. I was dissuaded. I still did... Whatever you are, if you want to do it, just go for it. The only person that ever prevents you doing something is yourself. I still think things will go a lot smoother with the world when people get over statting figures about male/female, black/white, and just say "Human", and start working on that principle. Let people follow their own paths as a human.
My physics teachers always used to fail me on my assignments, many years ago, unless I explicitly stated the units in all my caculations... Hmmm... Guess they had different physics teachers..
Personally, I feel a tad sorry for the people who made this monumental cockup.... I've seen quite a few posts here saying that they're morons and deserve everything they get... Well, I wonder just how many people on here actually have 100% perfection in everything they're doing... As was said in the articles, they put too much Uranium in with Nitric acid... This could have been from a faulty reading on the levels of acid, it could have been from a myriad different reasons, including just plain memory lapse... The big difference with this as compared to most jobs is that in your every day office job, you can screw up monumentally, and not have more effect that gettin' called up in front of your boss, and maybe ending up out of a job on your butt... A screwup in the more sensitive areas of the nuclear industry has the world looking at you, environmental catastrophe. And in the case of several people, you lose lives... Rather than blaming, I just hope that someone finds out the real cause of the accident, puts a procedure in place, hires a few people to think up possible accident scenarios for the future... And makes things less likely to happen in the future... I say "Less likely", because, no matter how small the chances of accident are.. There are still chances... I really just hope that loss of life out there is as minimal as it can be, along with damage to health and environment... I wish them all the best... And hope that things go well for them...
I just think the world is the Capital of the internet.. When you think of it, everywhere is really right next to each other (in terms of referring to the internet in it's own context, as a network).. In future years we're likely to get away from the planet, and have other networks too... But, at least for the forseeable future, Earth is the capital (capitol, whatever) of the internet... And Michigan is a fine a place as any, to select as the center..:) A lot of the friends I chat to, and Slashdot are there..:) It's pretty much the center of _my_ personal subjective internet..:) I really think subjective centers of it is about as close as you can really get to an answer really, isn't it??
Oh dear..:) When will we get the "Hilarious" ranking?? Remind me not to read/. at work again, I think they consider me a little strange when I giggle at my monitor every now and again....
Hmmm.. There's a little thing known as reasonable force. to defend yourself from someone out to either break your bones, or otherwise make your life thoroughly miserable, I don't think a gun is of much use. If you use it, then the chances of causeing a fatality (much worse than the original crime) is significant. I wouldn't carry one. Now, one of those stun guns (high voltage charge), or mace, or similar (also illegal in lots of places) seem much more reasonable. There is a chance of damage, and maybe in the extreme cases, a chance of fatality, but it seems more in keeping with a counter to the original force. Anyhow, this thread is goin' way off topic.. And it's done to death elsewhere.. Back to the show, folks,
Slashdot Mirror
"They ought to seriously address this issue of intellectual property. They certainly aren't allowing students to copy books in the university library."
Ok.. So, what are all those photocopiers for?? I take it that these people went to Uni to study something.
If they did, then, I'd hazard a guess they they did copy the books in the library for reference..
I know I did, and so did everyone else on my degree.. And everyone else there!! How else were we to be able to study effectively??
I think they've gone far enough with all this napster attacking. It won't do any more good, apart from to get Metallica's name in the press even more, and increase the disdain felt for them by people who have a reasonably sensible view of life.
The courts are already dealing with this, so why try and pre-empt things with possible hints at legal proceedings in the future? They'll never block everything, and will only waste valuable resources trying to do so.
The world will end up working as it will, despite the lawyers and the nit-picking legislation that's being waved around by the clueless.. So I wish they'd just lighten up and stop trying to stomp on anything and everything they can see...
Reminds me of an old joke:
Q: What do puppies and large corporations have in common?
A: They feel the need to piss on everything just to try and prove it's theirs.
Malk
As far as I can see, from this article, the recording industry gets paid TWICE for each track you own, if you use the MP3.com service.
The software scans your CDs to ensure you have already got access to the CD (so, you could cut your own if you so needed.. Copying isn't hte issue here).
So, you've already paid the recording industry once, for the CD you've already bought.
However. If you want to access this online, without having to take all your CDs with you, or spend hours ripping and uploading to webspace (hideously wasteful on bandwidth and storage space.. All that replication that rarely even hits a webcache on the net), a SECOND fee is required, as MP3.com are now required to pay a licencing fee on those tracks that you've already paid for!
This reeks of that 'lets slap a tax on blank CDs because they may, on some occasions be used to copy music'.
This bullying by the recording industry really has to stop. They get more than enough per CD sold, without having to charge (effectively) multiple times for the same music.
If they're going to charge a licence fee, then I feel that it's only the same as paying for the music in the first place, so MP3.com should stop checking for ownership of the CD in the first place, as they are effectively paying the licence fee to distribute this music anyway.
This, then, is not piracy, but a new distribution method.
Cutting out the CD manufacturer middleman would save me a packet on my music purchases...
Malk
It's always good to hear the voice of common sense out there..
:)
Sad though it is.. In the near future, there isn't going to be any return to the days of the 'friendly local shopowner on the corner'..
Still, society really does need more of that old ethic..
The large corporate separation of the general populace into easy to dispense numbers really has played havoc with the human sense of worth..
Many diseases of the mind have become prevalent, and some actually appearing where they didn't really exist before..
Perhaps the large corporate view is more the form of the illness.. If the individuals are like viruses spreading, then, maybe they're like a cancer.
They have a central point, and they spread from there, taking over everything in their path, until they destroy the equilibrium.
Just a thought..
Malk
I'm a Brit... :)
Over here, the initials ME stands for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic FAtigue Syndrome to most people these days).
I'm just wondering if MS have named the latest windows, and let people know that it's just a tired old kernel that doesn't feel alive much, and just wants to lie down and go slow..
Malk
It seems strange to me...
Lawyers are now going after programmers, the very lifeblood of the internet, and people who are very at home in the distribution of information.
Almost to the point now, that it's looking like the start of a crusade.
Still, you look at any Law, or other corporate entity office, and you see connections to the internet, and reliance on networks, and safe, sharable data.
Most of this, if not all, has come from the freedom of expression by dint of coding.
These people are turning round and biting the hand that's fed them for so long.
And, with the best will in the world, not all those feeding hands take being bitten all too well.
Anyone who's read all the futuristic cyberpunk stories, or played the RPGs will understand where this is going..
If the coders decide to say "Sod the law" one day, what can the law truly do? To remove the code, it needs all ISPs to act in conjunction, or shut down the net.
Doing that would damage so much else that it's not feasible.
There's an old saying that the law is only as powerful as we, as a group, perceive it to be.
The more restrictive the laws become, the more likely the majority of online coders are to consider the law and ass, and actively defy it.
How do you apply a law against the will of the masses?
Either by draconian measures (martial law), or you fail.
Please, lawyers out there.. Be thoughtful, be sensible...
When the balance tips too far in one direction, there's inevitably a huge backlash.
Malk
Mishaps are one thing. Yeah, you go back to backups and redo from start. I get the impression that the Kuro5hin guys would do that, no hassle, with a cheery whistle.
However, when you're working full time, the last thing you need at the end of the day is to come home and find that someone is trampling all over work you do for pleasure.
I guess it's like coming home every day and finding your house burgled.
Eventually, you go barmy, or move. Or get someone to pay the burglar a nice visit and 'gently' dissuade them from doing such things in future.
Or all the above.
I can understand the decision to pull the plug.
I can also understand that time heals wounds, and that someday, the Kuro5hin guys may bring the site back up when things have cooled down, the SK has been lynched and the bug to see the hard work already put into the site bearing fruit once again arises once more.
I wish the Kuro5hin voluteers peace of mind, and hope they do get the urge to start business as usual sometime..
Malk
Personally, I'm quite happy with the idea of gene splicing.
That in itself is no bad thing. Eradication of genetic diseases etc.
The problem is the selection of what branches of science get to prosper by the misapplication of licenses.
There are many projects with unexpected and wondrous payoffs that occur in a free science environment, but in the heavily regulated and all too tightly focussed where the mighty buckis the bottom line, never appear.
The Human Genome Project is a great idea., and has the right idea. The spreading of information for free.
As for patenting my genes, I think my parents could count as prior art.
Malk.
Yer right.. I did...
There's that old saying about following the spirit of something, rather than following it to the letter. :) ), warmongerers, and a whole host of others.
It's a case of everyone really understanding what is meant by the agreement. Nobody's really in any doubt.
The only way that it can be overturned is by someone actively trying to cause disruption and break "A Good Thing".
People who, historically, have been trying to break "Good Things" have often been called "Evil".
This includes the Brit Empire forcing it's new colonies into restrictive taxations etc. (Don't knock that one, I'm a Brit..
It always perplexes me when people refer to the Law system as a system of Justice, when, Justice is something that arises from the spirit of an agreement being upheld, and that so rarely happens in these circles these days..
Would be so nice to have this current system of Legalities and Legislation where the word is constantly debated return more to an environment where the spirit is sought and upheld.
Now, that truly would be a free country.
I hope someone wises up,and pushes the spirit of the GPL. We all know why it's there, and it's a "Good Thing". Breaking it would be a crying shame, and would be tothe detriment of a good many people.
Strictly speaking, this is all no longer capitalism. Capitalism is where the market forces prevail. Good, well marketed products succeed, where shoddy products don't grab the consumer heart, and so fail. Capitalism isn't such a bad thing really. It forces innovation (real innovation) and evolution. This, however is a corruption of capitalism. Law has been applied to stifle the growth aspect of the capitalist system. No longer do companies have to fight their competition for the best product, or the best angle on the product. They simply pay lawyers to 'nobble' the competition, and prevent them from competing. This nullifies the effect of market forces, as customers are no longer allowed to buy the best product from the person who finds the way to produce it at the most efficient cost. It all comes down to who has the most expensive lawyers that allows the public to buy what they think they want the public to buy. Other options become illegal (read 'unlicenced applications of patents'). Personally, I think capitalism is ok.. I think this bastardised hybrid is far from ok. A small dash of common sense and looking beyond the end of their noses and past sacrificing all for immediate gain would serve these companies in good stead. I can but keep my fingers crossed that they start to look this direction. Malk
If the statement is true, that a large bulk of material has been copied from a pay site.. I say fair play to the guys. They pay their money to get the pics, and recoup it from memberships. I doubt very much that they'd have instigates such expensive and draconian measures if the quantity of material lifted from their site wasn't suitably vast. Maybe I'm missing something somewhere, but this seems a perfectly legit use of the copyright laws. Just my tuppence worth, Malk.
C'mon guys!! Why slate Hemos for havin' a sense of humour?? I'd not seen this jest before, and it gave me a damn good laugh...
If you think it's lame, that's your choice.. A sense of humour isn't the same thing for everyone.. Welcome to the big wide world of human diversity!!!
I liked it, and I'm damn sure a load of others did too...
The day you all prove you've got a better sense of humour, rather than trying to bust up someone who's just trying to bring a smile to someone else's face, I'll listen. Now, just quit griping, and think of something funnier to add...
Malk.
I invoked the garbage disposal routines, now I can't find my windows directory.. Anyone got any clues on this one??
Party sounds like a good idea.. :) /. makers that've given me a superb place to hang round.. :) /.ers out there would actually be interested in some form of occasional party... :) :)
I for one will hit the pub this evening and raise a glass to Rob and Hemos and all the
I was wondering though.. How many
I've been lurking around the net for about 11 years now, and from the first chatters/BBS sites, one of the more binding aspects was the infrequent "Get togethers"..
A mud I'm on (igormud.org) has a huge meetup every summer in Michigan, which is huge amounts of fun, along with impromptu meets now and then, all over the world.
There's been articles recently about how "removed from society" the internet makes people. This may be a chance to gainsay that alltogether..
I'd be happy to arrange a beerup for any slashdotters in Bristol, UK that want to get together sometime, and raise a glass to trolls, flame, and a damnably interesting time.
What better way to thank Rob and co, than to raise a glass of beer in their honour?
Real email is Malkavian@dial.pipex.com
If yer interested, let me know.
Malk.
As far as I can see, this is no frivolous move on the part of Linus. I'd like to add my support 100%.
Several people seem to have mentioned the word "hypocrisy", as in the past, Slashdot readership has derided trademark enforcement for frivolous reasons (Etoys/Etoy for example).
The world is not a clearly defined place, so a good deal of common sense is required to come up with a reasonable solution to each case. for example, Linus guarding the trademark against all comers with a team of rabid lawyers wouold be to the detriment of almost all the Linux community. I find myself wondering how long Linux would survive in that environment, and the phrase "Not long" springs to mind.
However, simply casting the association of the word "Linux" to the winds is also a bad move. Where you hear the word "Linux", you're pretty much guaranteed it's something that does, indeed, relate to Linux (even names such as Linuxsucks etc. wouldn't be jumped on, I'd assume, as it defines the name Linux, so you know it's about linux, and sucks, so you know it's a place where people who don't like linux gather. It's what it says, and you'd know what to expect by going there).
However, how long do you think it'd take for sites such as "Linuxmatter" (don't know if that's out there) or other namesl that random browsers may enter to hunt for Linux resources to be snapped up by sites (porn probably) with nothing to do with linux, simply for the extra hits? Denying future valid projects from occurring.
I don't believe this is anything to do with political agendas, or any other such fripperies. It's just a move by Linus to make sure that everyone can continue to be a community as easily as possible. This kind of move is more along the lines of a good neighbour house sitting on your behalf than it is someone enforcing a house arrest.
I say three cheers for common sense, and I'm glad that some of the big names out there have it.
I for one am glad to see it whenever possible.
Malk.
P.S. The day I don't agree that Linus, or anyone, operates in the best interest of the world at large, I'll be just as vocal about it.
Consider:
With these points in mind, actually keeping hold of relevant points becomes the effort, and as such, more and more effort is being put into identifying strongly significant data and rejecting the less significant, allowing it to slowly degrade, or perchance to be maintained by small groups for who the data is actually relevant.
All systems have a level of complexity (the lambda value, if memory serves me correctly), where the level of complexity is balanced between order and chaos sufficient to produce a stable, yet flexible entity.
If the constraints are placed on this system (lawyers, corporations, patents etc) in excess, then the system will die, due to being able to change sufficiently to progress to the next required state.
If the signal to noise ratio goes too low (Spam, spurious sites, too many sites with too little content become prominent) then again, the system will atrophy due to not being able to provide any valid information.
The internet, as I see it, is already a living entity. And as such, has it's own protection systems in place. As I see them, these are:
This will entail the net becoming more like as of old. Academic, and the exchange of ideas. Again, a strong signal with little background noise.
All the above take is just a little time.. Which is proving to be the great leveller of all things.
Just my tuppence worth,
Malk
As far as I recall, the Genome project is about the bringing of the gene map into the public domain.
If this is held to, then, it's about as much a lever to the big corporations as Linux is to the computing world.
Everyone owns the map.
As far as genetic modifications taking something away from the healty, I'd disagree most strenuously. I've worked with handicapped people in the past, and the saddest ones are the ones who appreciate their conditions.
Given a choice of leading a normal life without their disability, and having the disability, nearly all would choose a normal healthy life.
Given that mankind has evolved a fully conscious mind, there is thus nothing unnatural about using that very tool to alter our evolution. Far from it being a "Frankenstein" project, it's an entirely natural extension to the normal path of evolution.
Humanity left the standard model of evolution (survival of the fittest) quite a while ago, along with the advent of societies. This latest development of direct manipulation of the genes is merely a natural offshoot of this direction.
The mere fact that this treatment is optional is in fact a safeguard.
If, for example, there are untold side effects generations down the line in gene modified humans, then the 'naturals' wouldn't be affected by this.
If however, the gene modified humans become stable and far more "fit" by the standards of natural selection, then, their genotype will predominate in the gene pool, shortly predominating in the gene pool at large. Humanity will be more fit.
The most important part of humanity is not what we appear to be in the physical sense, but who we are in the emotional and ethical and mental sense, the essential us. This is trained in a large part by environment and care. As long as this side is not neglected, then, humanity has a bright future, whatever form it chooses to take.
Just my view..
Malk
*Laugh* :) This just had to crop up now, didn't it.. :) :) Was a nice surprise indeed.. :) :) ;) :) :) :) and here I go.. Don't know why I'm scribbling things down when there's cuddles to be had..
Oh dear..
I just turned 30 on Saturday.. Not that bad you may say, old sod others may say.. The bit that's on topic, is that on friday, my girlfriend flew out from the States to the UK where I am...
This was a surprise.. I'd only talked to her the day before, and no warning, no clue whatsoever..
We met online on a mud, years back, and had been friends for years and years.. Met in real several times in that duration, but was only recently we actually caught the clue we really did kinda like each other.. An awful lot..
Well, I just dialed up to send a couple of pics (not those sorta pics) back to her for keepsakes, and though, check Slashdot, see if anything's happened... And lo!! This is here....
Now, she's hovering over my shoulder as I write this, laughing... And threatening to molest me, tho I shouldn't be writing that apparently..
Things are good here..
Personally, I think the two of us are going to end up together for good... And she just said she thinks so too...
It's been a long while in the coming about... So, I think we know each other well enough to judge that...
Within the next year (mebbe just over, who knows, but not much longer than that), either I'll move there, or she'll move here for a while..
Watch this space, as it were...
The great thing about online is that instead of being shoehorned into only being able to choose the partner you want from the two streets next to you... You can search the whole world for someone who's the one you want...
I think I did..
Anyhow, there ya go..
Byee.
Malk
Heh..
You know, I've not heard such a good joke in a while...
I work at the level they say that "You wouldn't want to install 21 seperate patches"..
Wrong. The brief is "Make is secure". If that means 21 patches, so be it. If it means 100 patches, then so be it. But, make it as secure as you can.
Now, how easy is it to NFS mount a partition with the patches on, and an automated script to run the RPMs??
Now, how easy would it be to install the said same service packs on the same number of NT boxes??
Hmmm.. In the real world, 21 patches to 1000 UNIX boxes is orders of magnitude faster than 1 patch to 1000 NT boxes.
And if you can't do the above NFS mount and scripting, YOU SHOULDN'T BE IN ENTERPRISE COMPUTING!
I could rant a lot more, but I think everyone knows what I mean, and I have work to get on with..
Just my tuppence worth,
Malk
(Who has applied a lot more patches than that to his very-strategically-important-to-a-large-company Red Hat 5.2 box)
One strange thing I've seen with Athlons..
Several companies round here actually have the Athlon chips in stock.. They're advertising them across the web by mail order...
Yet not a one of them advertises a mother board...
As far as I can see, this is going to kill enthusiasm faster than anything else... People going out to buy the chip and board, seeing the chip present, but not being able to do anything with it other than use it as a paperweight...
Womething has to be afoot to keep the motherboard manufacturers at bay like this... It seems AMD have the chips there, but the M/board manufactures are holding back..
I'm still drooling here, and waiting, but feeling more disenchanted as the days pass, and still not board to be had...
So, any motherboard makers out there.. Get into gear guys, there's easy money to be had...
Malk.
Oh c'mon...
Your issue #2 on there...
When I did my course (in Real time Systems), one of the lecturers was a woman..
And for those out there that think in terms of race, or that only the lonely girls would go this route, she was actually a very attractive Asian woman, and far from being the lonely type, she was happy to bring her boyfriend to the student parties we all had...
Someone (one of the women on the course) once asked her if it was difficult getting to be a lecturer as a woman, and she just laughed, and said "No harder than for anyone else.. If you want to do it, just do it..".
I think that's it in a nutshell.. If you want to do something, you do... You just have a choice early on, in what you want to do..
Women, for whatever reason, tend towards other subjects than guys...
I noted a predominance of women in the Biology based courses and arts, and languages... And about a 50-50 mix in Law.
For some reason, it always seems to irritate me that people keep shouting about "there's not enough of this type of person" in a field...
What are you supposed to do?? Ignore their wishes to follow a field they enjoy, just to push them into another field, just to make up numbers?
In some cases, there is a bit of surprise at seeing a woman in charge of the systems in offices, or wherever they appear.. I think that this is simply because they are _rarer_ thean seeing a guy there... That soon passes when the quality of work speaks for itself.
Whatever race, gender or whatever you are is irrelevant in the long run.. If you really want to follow a field, you'll get there...
As an aside, my secondary school didn't allow me to follow electronics or computing at 'A' level. This was a big dissuasion from the field.
I still did my degree in a field involving both.
I'm male. I was dissuaded. I still did...
Whatever you are, if you want to do it, just go for it. The only person that ever prevents you doing something is yourself.
I still think things will go a lot smoother with the world when people get over statting figures about male/female, black/white, and just say "Human", and start working on that principle. Let people follow their own paths as a human.
Just somethin' to throw into the feedin' frenzy,
Malk
My physics teachers always used to fail me on my assignments, many years ago, unless I explicitly stated the units in all my caculations...
Hmmm...
Guess they had different physics teachers..
Malk
Personally, I feel a tad sorry for the people who made this monumental cockup....
I've seen quite a few posts here saying that they're morons and deserve everything they get...
Well, I wonder just how many people on here actually have 100% perfection in everything they're doing...
As was said in the articles, they put too much Uranium in with Nitric acid...
This could have been from a faulty reading on the levels of acid, it could have been from a myriad different reasons, including just plain memory lapse...
The big difference with this as compared to most jobs is that in your every day office job, you can screw up monumentally, and not have more effect that gettin' called up in front of your boss, and maybe ending up out of a job on your butt...
A screwup in the more sensitive areas of the nuclear industry has the world looking at you, environmental catastrophe. And in the case of several people, you lose lives...
Rather than blaming, I just hope that someone finds out the real cause of the accident, puts a procedure in place, hires a few people to think up possible accident scenarios for the future... And makes things less likely to happen in the future...
I say "Less likely", because, no matter how small the chances of accident are.. There are still chances...
I really just hope that loss of life out there is as minimal as it can be, along with damage to health and environment...
I wish them all the best... And hope that things go well for them...
Just a thought, for what it's worth,
Malk
I just think the world is the Capital of the internet.. :) A lot of the friends I chat to, and Slashdot are there.. :) It's pretty much the center of _my_ personal subjective internet.. :)
When you think of it, everywhere is really right next to each other (in terms of referring to the internet in it's own context, as a network)..
In future years we're likely to get away from the planet, and have other networks too...
But, at least for the forseeable future, Earth is the capital (capitol, whatever) of the internet...
And Michigan is a fine a place as any, to select as the center..
I really think subjective centers of it is about as close as you can really get to an answer really, isn't it??
Malk (In a philosophical mood)
Oh dear.. :) /. at work again, I think they consider me a little strange when I giggle at my monitor every now and again....
When will we get the "Hilarious" ranking??
Remind me not to read
Malk
Hmmm..
There's a little thing known as reasonable force.
to defend yourself from someone out to either break your bones, or otherwise make your life thoroughly miserable, I don't think a gun is of much use. If you use it, then the chances of causeing a fatality (much worse than the original crime) is significant.
I wouldn't carry one. Now, one of those stun guns (high voltage charge), or mace, or similar (also illegal in lots of places) seem much more reasonable. There is a chance of damage, and maybe in the extreme cases, a chance of fatality, but it seems more in keeping with a counter to the original force.
Anyhow, this thread is goin' way off topic.. And it's done to death elsewhere..
Back to the show, folks,
Malk