"Download a bootleg (and consequently DRM-Free) copy off the internet. Duh!!!"
I'll take the "Duh!!!" in regards to everyday folks. But, what if you are in a position with a security clearance? The powers that be take a dim view of any legal violations, civil, state, or federal. Would you risk YOUR job and/or retirement over a movie? The option you suggest doesn't work for everybody...
Screw teh Digg! Ise been slashdorking 4evar! I was always an anonymouse coward unktil lest year but nowse I got's edumacatioins sow's I got a intarnet handle wif slashdork...
Okay, just having some fun. But, I much prefer Slashdot over Digg. There are an awful lot of Slashdot folks who have been around a long time and actually give enough of a fuck to post intelligent thoughts.
This hurts the consumer on way too many levels. You might as well release music in several formats...Oh, wait a minute...where's my 8 track player? Ooh! I just found my Betamax VCR. Screw this DVD shit, it won't last out the year's end.
"Then why does CB radio use the exact same method (button mutes incoming sound and turns on mic; releasing button unmutes incoming sound and turns off mic) ? If lack of keyboard ability is a problem, there are other switch designs, such as a foot pedal or a large "plunger" button from game shows."
Respectfully, I think you missed my point or I didn't do a good job of making it...
What about someone completely paralyzed except for the ability to speak? Hitting a button or using a foot pedal will be beyond their abilities. Complete voice control is a fantastic goal for everyone, not just those who are physically incapable of using manual controls.
"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."...why not? We are very close. The big obstacle I see is having to devote TONS of resources to stemming global warming. Our resources will focus on that and the "luxuries" of our technological world will fall by the wayside. Then, when we see that we're focused on global warming too late, and the world starts starving, our focus will be on trying to maintain some semblance of civilization. Buy your guns now and get some books on growing your own food!
Respectfully, IMHO, the entity that gets portals right will be ruler of the intarnet! Seriously, can you see combining voice computing with a semi-intelligent, internet enabled portal?
I get up in the morning and say, "computer, today's weather" and get a audio report of today's weather. Then I say, "coffee maker start" and my coffee maker kicks off. Then, I say, "dogs out" and my doggy door unlocks and the dogs can go out. Then, I say, "computer, my stocks" and get a report of where my retirement funds stand. Then, I say "computer, start shower" and my network enabled bathroom kicks on the shower to the temp I like and starts the bathroom radio/TV to my preference. Then I say, "dogs breakfast" and my automated feeder fills the dogs' bowls. Then I say...whatever, read email, start car, whatever... Yeah, this seems sci-fi but we really are very close to this. Hell, it wasn't that long ago that Heinlein invented the water bed in "Stranger in a Strange Land". Even better, read "The Number of the Beast" with the audio controlled flying car. One of the major keys will be an internet enabled portal.
As a caveat, security will be crucial, don't want the doggy door opening in the middle of the night to allow intruders, etc. Anyway, I think we are pretty close to actually effectively using the many diverse aspects of technically advanced tools in a centrally based system.
That's why you find a good doctor to consult, isn't it? As a corollary, it behooves you to read the fine print and ask your pharmacist for their opinion. They may be better educated about side effects and ultimate results. Anecdotal reports are important in this case! As a third step, you should be careful to note how the medicine affects you. Any points of concern should be addressed with your primary care physician and/or pharmacist.
"A good way to fix this would be to make the user hold down a button or buttons (like maybe WinKey+Space or both mouse buttons). Then it doesn't work without you meaning to put in a command."
Kind of defeats the purpose of voice command though doesn't it?:)
We WANT those who are physically handicapped to be able to use the intarntet, eh?
Thanks for a thoughtful reply. I only suggested Ubuntu because from what I've seen there is a lot of support for new *nix users and their hardware support seems to be above par. I've played with it a bit and honestly haven't even looked at Xandros or Linspire yet. My bad for not having the time or inclination to explore other options. I'm trying to work towards a non-MS household while having to support MS OS and apps as my day job. Xenix and HP were really the last *nix flavors I worked with on a day to day basis for previous employment. It doesn't help that for the last twenty years I've only had two employers. That kept my on job experience somewhat limited. Most companies seem to be predominately MS OS, Exchange, and Office with possibly a few non MS OS peripheral apps. Having seen so much attention towards Ubuntu, I've really only played with it. As a side note, BECAUSE Ubuntu is a free distro, I thought it was a good suggestion. The GUI is pretty and updates are easy.
"Sadly, the company responsible is shirking their responsibilities:"
Not only are they shirking their responsibilities...they have been denying any responsibility despite the fact that they ignored drilling best practices.
Great information. I sincerely, thank you for your effort...no sarcasm...
To be completely honest, I couldn't be bothered to do that research. I expect the submitter of the story to do that research.
My basic point is that MS requiring a prior installation, CD key, or install CD is not unwarranted or unprecedented for an upgrade version. My secondary point is that if I don't choose to have to work with their options then I would buy the full version or go away from MS.
"It is quite well configured for your average 1-computer owning user, that I'll grant you, but it is not the solution to the problem you recognised, nor is it the best way to advocate Linux use."
It is the best solution I know for the problem I recognized. That problem being the need for MS users to have other options. Options that suit their abilities and skill set. Do you have a better suggestion for a *nix distro for a brand new user who has previously only known MS? Do you have a better way to advocate Linux use than getting ignorant users on an easy to use flavor? Do they have to learn everything via command line first? Try thinking about the lowest common denominator.
"You're prepared to rant and rave at anyone and everyone in that case, but are you prepared to take just a few seconds to read any fine print before you buy an entire new PC to ensure that what you THINK you should be getting is what you ARE getting?"
Ranting and raving often isn't necessary unless you fail to read the fine print. I know to read the fine print and ask specific questions. I also know how to enforce my rights if the fine print isn't followed. If I don't agree with fine print, I go elsewhere.
"To quote from the article that you forgot to read "If things worked according to the old scheme, people with upgrade coupons would essentially get a "free" OS because they could install the Vista upgrade anywhere, and continue to use the version of Windows XP that came with their computer.""
Great, what about the three sentences that precede your quote? "What does Microsoft hope to gain out of all of this? I can only speculate. First, the change prevents a dual-license situation with all of the free Vista upgrade coupons out there."
Let me emphasize the quote, "I CAN ONLY SPECULATE.". I still see NOTHING in the article that says users buying a new PC with XP but advertised as getting Vista will receive an upgrade version of Vista instead of a full version. They will receive AN upgrade to XP. It doesn't say that the Vista version they get is an upgrade only version. In fact, since MS is intending to push internet copies of Vista as much as possible, I would assume the opposite. Your assumption doesn't fly even based on previous MS behavior.
"A simple "use an OS that gives you the freedom to do a complete install, such as any fucking Linux distribution" would suffice" "It just makes you a tosser and Linux is wasted on you. (I use most major Linux distributions, that's my Job... but I can make any one replace Windows, not just Ubuntu!!!)"
Oh, so because I chose the alternate OS that I personally feel is most user friendly for previously MS bound users I'm a tosser? You fucking narrow minded moron. Should I have suggested Xenix, HP-Unix, or some other mostly esoteric OS? How about this, next time I'll suggest OS2. That would really be productive in getting people to switch from MS, huh? Just because YOU can make any Linux replace Windows doesn't mean the everyday user of Windows can. Someone save us from rectal orifices of tremendous proportions.
"I've only done upgrade installs a half dozen times or so (considerably less than some of you who do it on a daily basis) so I may be wrong, but I've never had Windows ask for a CD key from a previous version"
I was just going along with the parent. I only do full version installs. It doesn't really matter whether you have to have the original CD or a CD key, it's an upgrade version and they can require either.
There are multiple options. 1) Buy an upgrade version that requires a previous OS version to already be installed. 2) Buy the full version to install however the hell you want. 3) Use an alternate OS other than MS.
Where does it say that users who have recently bought new "Vista" PC's will be receiving upgrade versions of Vista and not a full install? If I buy a brand new PC that comes preinstalled with XP because Vista wasn't ready yet, but says I get a free Vista OS, I sure as hell expect a full version. If I don't get that then I take it up with MS customer service. If they don't give me a full version then I go to the vendor or my state attorney's office. One way or another I get the full OS.
Respectfully...So? This isn't really surprising. MS has always tried to have UPGRADE versions require a previous MS OS already installed. Their allowing you to use a CD key from a previous OS version to do a fresh install of the new was somewhat of a kindness on their part. It is an UPGRADE version. If this is a pain in the ass, then buy a full version. Better yet...go Ubuntu.
Wow! The entire country of Canada is at fault? Shit! Someone get Bush to bomb the fuckers back to the stone age!!! Oh, wait...the US seems to be a little preoccupied elsewhere at the moment.
I am not arguing your points. Several appear to be valid.
"All it would take would be one publisher deciding Ebay was promoting violations and deciding to sue."
Not being an online gamer, I don't know a lot about selling/buying virtual world goods. Are there any sites out there specializing in this type of transaction? Have any been sued successfully? If the TOS prohibits these actions, I would expect the game site to go after the users first. They are the ones that agreed to the TOS. Maybe that's unrealistic. Of course, that means they need to expend the effort, time, and money to look for violations and violators. It might be easier to go after the sites that allow the infractions...kinda like the MPAA and RIAA...but then again, they do both. Someone enlighten me.
"This case however is politicaly sensitive and may or may not involve the Russian government, unlike the other case, there are many overriding reasons why the Russain governemnt would not wish to hand over the suspect."
Good point. If the Russian government is actually involved, they sure as hell won't want allow extradition.
"there are many overriding reasons why the Russain governemnt would not wish to hand over the suspect"
Although, I don't see any other obvious reasons not to allow extradition.
"the case you mentioned was a local offence that was not politicaly sensitive"
This is essentially a local offense too if the Russian government isn't involved in the assassination. The drunk driving case was politically sensitive. A diplomat with immunity was handed over because of the egregious nature of the offense. It's not like failure to pay parking tickets because you have diplomatic immunity which occurs in Washington DC and New York (United Nations representatives).
"I can't empathise in any way with those who are perfectly content to accept their computer is infected with some sort of adware and believe there is nothing they can do to prevent the infection of such malware."
I can empathize. I think most of those who are "content" aren't actually content. They're lost! They don't know how the problem started and certainly don't know how to fix it. Personally, I hate operating from a position of ignorance. I'm sure at least some, if not most of these folks do to. The problem is their operating system and apps have enough holes that they have no clue as to the precautions they should take. Also, they see "free" games and screensavers...oooh, cool! Do you really blame them for that? I just googled "securing windows" and got 6,920,000 results. Does the average user even know enough to do that? If they do, do they know enough to be able to separate the chaff or will they follow directions from some half-assed know it all who misses obvious or not so obvious weak points? Yes, everyone should put some effort into securing their systems but how can you not empathize with those who don't even know where to start? It's not as easy as knowing which end of a hammer to strike with and to most people a computer is just another tool.
I can see the solutions are out there. Alternative, more secure OS options and apps are available. The bigger problem is educating the every day, tool using, user that the options they are using ARE the problem.
Slashdot Mirror
Me, myself, and I take exception! We's wouldn't be having our palaces, Escalades, and crystal meth without identity theft! Don't hate!...methylate!!!
"Download a bootleg (and consequently DRM-Free) copy off the internet. Duh!!!"
I'll take the "Duh!!!" in regards to everyday folks. But, what if you are in a position with a security clearance? The powers that be take a dim view of any legal violations, civil, state, or federal. Would you risk YOUR job and/or retirement over a movie? The option you suggest doesn't work for everybody...
Serious question...
What if there is a movie you really want a copy of...what will you do?
Screw teh Digg! Ise been slashdorking 4evar! I was always an anonymouse coward unktil lest year but nowse I got's edumacatioins sow's I got a intarnet handle wif slashdork...
Okay, just having some fun. But, I much prefer Slashdot over Digg. There are an awful lot of Slashdot folks who have been around a long time and actually give enough of a fuck to post intelligent thoughts.
Woo hoo!!! Off to my Pr0n collection now!!!
This hurts the consumer on way too many levels. You might as well release music in several formats...Oh, wait a minute...where's my 8 track player? Ooh! I just found my Betamax VCR. Screw this DVD shit, it won't last out the year's end.
"Then why does CB radio use the exact same method (button mutes incoming sound and turns on mic; releasing button unmutes incoming sound and turns off mic) ? If lack of keyboard ability is a problem, there are other switch designs, such as a foot pedal or a large "plunger" button from game shows."
Respectfully, I think you missed my point or I didn't do a good job of making it...
What about someone completely paralyzed except for the ability to speak? Hitting a button or using a foot pedal will be beyond their abilities. Complete voice control is a fantastic goal for everyone, not just those who are physically incapable of using manual controls.
"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." ...why not? We are very close. The big obstacle I see is having to devote TONS of resources to stemming global warming. Our resources will focus on that and the "luxuries" of our technological world will fall by the wayside. Then, when we see that we're focused on global warming too late, and the world starts starving, our focus will be on trying to maintain some semblance of civilization. Buy your guns now and get some books on growing your own food!
NO! You can't share my bunker!!!
Love your sig...
Respectfully, IMHO, the entity that gets portals right will be ruler of the intarnet! Seriously, can you see combining voice computing with a semi-intelligent, internet enabled portal?
I get up in the morning and say, "computer, today's weather" and get a audio report of today's weather. Then I say, "coffee maker start" and my coffee maker kicks off. Then, I say, "dogs out" and my doggy door unlocks and the dogs can go out. Then, I say, "computer, my stocks" and get a report of where my retirement funds stand. Then, I say "computer, start shower" and my network enabled bathroom kicks on the shower to the temp I like and starts the bathroom radio/TV to my preference. Then I say, "dogs breakfast" and my automated feeder fills the dogs' bowls. Then I say...whatever, read email, start car, whatever... Yeah, this seems sci-fi but we really are very close to this. Hell, it wasn't that long ago that Heinlein invented the water bed in "Stranger in a Strange Land". Even better, read "The Number of the Beast" with the audio controlled flying car. One of the major keys will be an internet enabled portal.
As a caveat, security will be crucial, don't want the doggy door opening in the middle of the night to allow intruders, etc. Anyway, I think we are pretty close to actually effectively using the many diverse aspects of technically advanced tools in a centrally based system.
That's why you find a good doctor to consult, isn't it? As a corollary, it behooves you to read the fine print and ask your pharmacist for their opinion. They may be better educated about side effects and ultimate results. Anecdotal reports are important in this case! As a third step, you should be careful to note how the medicine affects you. Any points of concern should be addressed with your primary care physician and/or pharmacist.
"A good way to fix this would be to make the user hold down a button or buttons (like maybe WinKey+Space or both mouse buttons). Then it doesn't work without you meaning to put in a command."
:)
Kind of defeats the purpose of voice command though doesn't it?
We WANT those who are physically handicapped to be able to use the intarntet, eh?
Thanks for a thoughtful reply. I only suggested Ubuntu because from what I've seen there is a lot of support for new *nix users and their hardware support seems to be above par. I've played with it a bit and honestly haven't even looked at Xandros or Linspire yet. My bad for not having the time or inclination to explore other options. I'm trying to work towards a non-MS household while having to support MS OS and apps as my day job. Xenix and HP were really the last *nix flavors I worked with on a day to day basis for previous employment. It doesn't help that for the last twenty years I've only had two employers. That kept my on job experience somewhat limited. Most companies seem to be predominately MS OS, Exchange, and Office with possibly a few non MS OS peripheral apps. Having seen so much attention towards Ubuntu, I've really only played with it. As a side note, BECAUSE Ubuntu is a free distro, I thought it was a good suggestion. The GUI is pretty and updates are easy.
You missed a representative Heinlein...
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
The Number of the Beast
I Will Fear No Evil
"Sadly, the company responsible is shirking their responsibilities:"
Not only are they shirking their responsibilities...they have been denying any responsibility despite the fact that they ignored drilling best practices.
Great information. I sincerely, thank you for your effort...no sarcasm...
To be completely honest, I couldn't be bothered to do that research. I expect the submitter of the story to do that research.
My basic point is that MS requiring a prior installation, CD key, or install CD is not unwarranted or unprecedented for an upgrade version. My secondary point is that if I don't choose to have to work with their options then I would buy the full version or go away from MS.
I'll bite back. I don't even use Ubuntu!
"It is quite well configured for your average 1-computer owning user, that I'll grant you, but it is not the solution to the problem you recognised, nor is it the best way to advocate Linux use."
It is the best solution I know for the problem I recognized. That problem being the need for MS users to have other options. Options that suit their abilities and skill set. Do you have a better suggestion for a *nix distro for a brand new user who has previously only known MS? Do you have a better way to advocate Linux use than getting ignorant users on an easy to use flavor? Do they have to learn everything via command line first? Try thinking about the lowest common denominator.
"You're prepared to rant and rave at anyone and everyone in that case, but are you prepared to take just a few seconds to read any fine print before you buy an entire new PC to ensure that what you THINK you should be getting is what you ARE getting?"
Ranting and raving often isn't necessary unless you fail to read the fine print. I know to read the fine print and ask specific questions. I also know how to enforce my rights if the fine print isn't followed. If I don't agree with fine print, I go elsewhere.
"To quote from the article that you forgot to read "If things worked according to the old scheme, people with upgrade coupons would essentially get a "free" OS because they could install the Vista upgrade anywhere, and continue to use the version of Windows XP that came with their computer.""
Great, what about the three sentences that precede your quote? "What does Microsoft hope to gain out of all of this? I can only speculate. First, the change prevents a dual-license situation with all of the free Vista upgrade coupons out there."
Let me emphasize the quote, "I CAN ONLY SPECULATE.". I still see NOTHING in the article that says users buying a new PC with XP but advertised as getting Vista will receive an upgrade version of Vista instead of a full version. They will receive AN upgrade to XP. It doesn't say that the Vista version they get is an upgrade only version. In fact, since MS is intending to push internet copies of Vista as much as possible, I would assume the opposite. Your assumption doesn't fly even based on previous MS behavior.
"A simple "use an OS that gives you the freedom to do a complete install, such as any fucking Linux distribution" would suffice"
"It just makes you a tosser and Linux is wasted on you. (I use most major Linux distributions, that's my Job... but I can make any one replace Windows, not just Ubuntu!!!)"
Oh, so because I chose the alternate OS that I personally feel is most user friendly for previously MS bound users I'm a tosser? You fucking narrow minded moron. Should I have suggested Xenix, HP-Unix, or some other mostly esoteric OS? How about this, next time I'll suggest OS2. That would really be productive in getting people to switch from MS, huh? Just because YOU can make any Linux replace Windows doesn't mean the everyday user of Windows can. Someone save us from rectal orifices of tremendous proportions.
"I've only done upgrade installs a half dozen times or so (considerably less than some of you who do it on a daily basis) so I may be wrong, but I've never had Windows ask for a CD key from a previous version"
I was just going along with the parent. I only do full version installs. It doesn't really matter whether you have to have the original CD or a CD key, it's an upgrade version and they can require either.
You are way the hell out there...
There are multiple options.
1) Buy an upgrade version that requires a previous OS version to already be installed.
2) Buy the full version to install however the hell you want.
3) Use an alternate OS other than MS.
Where does it say that users who have recently bought new "Vista" PC's will be receiving upgrade versions of Vista and not a full install? If I buy a brand new PC that comes preinstalled with XP because Vista wasn't ready yet, but says I get a free Vista OS, I sure as hell expect a full version. If I don't get that then I take it up with MS customer service. If they don't give me a full version then I go to the vendor or my state attorney's office. One way or another I get the full OS.
Respectfully...So? This isn't really surprising. MS has always tried to have UPGRADE versions require a previous MS OS already installed. Their allowing you to use a CD key from a previous OS version to do a fresh install of the new was somewhat of a kindness on their part. It is an UPGRADE version. If this is a pain in the ass, then buy a full version. Better yet...go Ubuntu.
"Canada Responsible for 50% of Movie Piracy"
Wow! The entire country of Canada is at fault? Shit! Someone get Bush to bomb the fuckers back to the stone age!!! Oh, wait...the US seems to be a little preoccupied elsewhere at the moment.
I am not arguing your points. Several appear to be valid.
"All it would take would be one publisher deciding Ebay was promoting violations and deciding to sue."
Not being an online gamer, I don't know a lot about selling/buying virtual world goods. Are there any sites out there specializing in this type of transaction? Have any been sued successfully? If the TOS prohibits these actions, I would expect the game site to go after the users first. They are the ones that agreed to the TOS. Maybe that's unrealistic. Of course, that means they need to expend the effort, time, and money to look for violations and violators. It might be easier to go after the sites that allow the infractions...kinda like the MPAA and RIAA...but then again, they do both. Someone enlighten me.
"This case however is politicaly sensitive and may or may not involve the Russian government, unlike the other case, there are many overriding reasons why the Russain governemnt would not wish to hand over the suspect."
Good point. If the Russian government is actually involved, they sure as hell won't want allow extradition.
"there are many overriding reasons why the Russain governemnt would not wish to hand over the suspect"
Although, I don't see any other obvious reasons not to allow extradition.
"the case you mentioned was a local offence that was not politicaly sensitive"
This is essentially a local offense too if the Russian government isn't involved in the assassination. The drunk driving case was politically sensitive. A diplomat with immunity was handed over because of the egregious nature of the offense. It's not like failure to pay parking tickets because you have diplomatic immunity which occurs in Washington DC and New York (United Nations representatives).
"I can't empathise in any way with those who are perfectly content to accept their computer is infected with some sort of adware and believe there is nothing they can do to prevent the infection of such malware."
I can empathize. I think most of those who are "content" aren't actually content. They're lost! They don't know how the problem started and certainly don't know how to fix it. Personally, I hate operating from a position of ignorance. I'm sure at least some, if not most of these folks do to. The problem is their operating system and apps have enough holes that they have no clue as to the precautions they should take. Also, they see "free" games and screensavers...oooh, cool! Do you really blame them for that? I just googled "securing windows" and got 6,920,000 results. Does the average user even know enough to do that? If they do, do they know enough to be able to separate the chaff or will they follow directions from some half-assed know it all who misses obvious or not so obvious weak points? Yes, everyone should put some effort into securing their systems but how can you not empathize with those who don't even know where to start? It's not as easy as knowing which end of a hammer to strike with and to most people a computer is just another tool.
I can see the solutions are out there. Alternative, more secure OS options and apps are available. The bigger problem is educating the every day, tool using, user that the options they are using ARE the problem.