My bank in the UK (Barclays) has issued me with a secure ID card, that I type my PIN into, and it then gives me a number to type into the online banking system.
I think it is only a matter of time before this gets transferred to shop terminals - if you need to bring something and remember something, then it makes life a lot harder for hackers.
It's a false economy though, isn't it?
It is going to cost more in the future to fix it than it does now.
If only the executives would listen to us geeks...
I work for a company which uses the voice-print technology and it actually won't let you do that, as the voice-print is altered every time you authenticate to stop exactly that happening.
I don't work for PerSay - but if I did I'd tell them to put this back on their website:
I used to prefer to buy my music on CD - then I could rip it and would still have a copy which couldn't be accidentally deleted, and didn't have the lossless compression until I copied it onto my computer (but this article isn't about music formats). Plus you can read the sleeve notes, look at the lyrics and lend it to your friends.
But then I discovered the new Napster - 15 quid a month and I can download pretty much any music I like - legally... As soon as I stop paying, the songs will no longer work on my mp3 player - because of DRM. I really like this service - I've got a massive music library at my finger tips for the price of 2 CDs a month.
I really like the Napster service - and accept that the DRM must be on the files because of the price that I am paying doesn't reimburse the artist and record companies as much as the traditional media. It also encourages me to try out alternative music, which supports the smaller record labels.
What people forget is that with Napster and itunes you can burn the songs onto a CD anyway - and then copy them around with your friends... so what is the problem?
Well - part of my problem is the closed formats - I have to dual boot Linux and Windows to use Napster - I bet it never works on Linux. And DRM isn't just about music - what about films, books and hardware?
Thinking about hardware DRM for example - having to pay to unlock extra cores in your processor, or being restricted to a certain operating system when you buy a machine. I think that the problem here is that DRM doesn't become copy protection, it becomes hardware restriction. With Napster, I am getting what I paid for - but if I pay 1000 pounds for a PC, I don't want to pay another 1000 pounds to unlock it so that I can run Linux. I can't listen to the tunes I download on Napster on an ipod - so I am restricted to using Windows and certain types of MP3 player...
I just hope that market forces keep the choices open for us consumers...
I'm not advocating this and agree with your consensus that it is unprofessional - but you could plant a logic bomb that appears to be a new problem (that only you can solve).
yeah - point taken. Now I think about it I have seen glitchy phones - particularly the "smart" ones ironically.
Now I've got a Sony Ericsson walkman phone and it really isn't *that* bad! Like you say - perhaps part of it is conditioning as I sometimes have to reboot it and the keys can be unresponsive at times - so yes, I suppose it is glitchy as well!
But I genuinely am happy with the phone that I'm using - I play games on it and the text messaging interface is great. I didn't pay a lot for it either - although I pay a lot for my monthly contract - about 25 quid.
I don't think that the post is necessarily flamebait, as it is being modded.
In my experience the phones that I've used in the UK (only Nokias and Sony Ericssons) are very easy to customise and not really glitchy. Nokia seems to have lost the plot recently but the latest Sony phones are great.
I think that you missed the point on Android though - the advantage is that it is Open - like Java ME which is much more popular than Windows Mobile IMO.
The problem with J2ME is that all phones have a different API, so apps and games have to be programmed for more than one platform - a fault of the hardware manufacturers rather than the J2ME design I think...
Seems like a failure in marketing to me too - since this is the first time that I have read about it.
I thought it took so long to copy a file in Vista because of the DRM - but if it is actually doing something useful as well then I am impressed...
Well they say that there are features other than his face that can identify him, so in this case I think it wouldn't be possible.
(Hope they get the bastard)
But with wireless, it isn't always apparent to inexperienced users that they are actually stealing someone else's connection.
Computers automatically connect to unsecure wireless networks by default, so how can you legislate against that?
I was thinking the same thing - but after reading the comments I realise that this is the perfect slashdot article combining the geek "no girlfriend" stereotype with the "why did you install windows" argument...
Maybe Sun should extend their invitation to Microsoft as well - surely this would be the killer to getting the more open standard accepted.
Or maybe Sun should be working to adopt Office Open XML, which is likely to be the most adopted format. I know that Microsoft could have some ulterior motives behind making their XML format open - and perhaps it isn't open at all, but why can't the open source community use the same tactics to their advantage and make an effort to steer the populist formats towards their personal goal?
Microsoft would say that the user does not have a problem, because they're using proprietary software and they have a proprietary solution to their problem
An OSS enthusiast could say you have a problem because you're using proprietary software and to reach your full audience, you should've used an OSS solution.
In a sense, you could argue that the cheaper (at least in terms of time taken) alternative would be to embed a spreadsheet in internet explorer and use the software that you already have experience of - but this could come at the cost of losing customers (if the product in question is targeted at customers). Judging by the results of the poll on this page, you could lose a lot of slashdot readers!
The company I work for have a timesheet input system which uses IIS exclusively on Internet Explorer - so I have to run IE to do my timesheets (as if it wasn't enough of a pain). But where is their business case for changing their timesheet system? It would be a waste of money and resources.
If I was bothered enough I could develop an extension to Firefox which allowed the website to run properly - and release it to the open source. I'm not sure whether this would be encouraging or discouraging the proper use of standards however! Maybe this is one of the many reasons for my apathy!
I don't think that this can be compared to Vista. There are lots of reasons that the new HD formats aren't enjoying instant success.
They are expensive and even more expensive if you include a high definition TV in the package
People aren't sure which format will become successful - so many are waiting to see which one is more popular before committing
As you say - what people have already is doing the job very well. It took a while for DVDs to take off and they added lots of features over VHS, but as VHS became less available and the price of DVDs came down, people took it up. The conversion from DVD to High Def formats has less advantages to me than from VHS to DVD
You also mention DRM, and I think this does stop some people (e.g. slashdot readers) from buying the new formats - but the majority of people (e.g. my mother) doesn't know what DRM is and so won't even care (which is why she bought an ipod).
I think that you can make the connection that there are other ways of compromising a system without getting around the added security in Windows Vista. For example, buffer overflow errors...
Slashdot Mirror
My bank in the UK (Barclays) has issued me with a secure ID card, that I type my PIN into, and it then gives me a number to type into the online banking system.
I think it is only a matter of time before this gets transferred to shop terminals - if you need to bring something and remember something, then it makes life a lot harder for hackers.
It's a false economy though, isn't it?
It is going to cost more in the future to fix it than it does now.
If only the executives would listen to us geeks...
I work for a company which uses the voice-print technology and it actually won't let you do that, as the voice-print is altered every time you authenticate to stop exactly that happening.
I don't work for PerSay - but if I did I'd tell them to put this back on their website:
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:71Fnb-hno7gJ:www.persay.com/news_10.asp+site:www.persay.com+recording&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk
Still - it is a valid point that you can bypass such things as 2 from 4 PINs using touch tones if you can listen in enough to your neighbour...
You're right - we need more companies like Apple...
I had to wikipedia it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppressive_Person
Thought it was a stupid petitioner for a minute...
I am split 50/50 on this subject.
I used to prefer to buy my music on CD - then I could rip it and would still have a copy which couldn't be accidentally deleted, and didn't have the lossless compression until I copied it onto my computer (but this article isn't about music formats). Plus you can read the sleeve notes, look at the lyrics and lend it to your friends.
But then I discovered the new Napster - 15 quid a month and I can download pretty much any music I like - legally... As soon as I stop paying, the songs will no longer work on my mp3 player - because of DRM. I really like this service - I've got a massive music library at my finger tips for the price of 2 CDs a month.
I really like the Napster service - and accept that the DRM must be on the files because of the price that I am paying doesn't reimburse the artist and record companies as much as the traditional media. It also encourages me to try out alternative music, which supports the smaller record labels.
What people forget is that with Napster and itunes you can burn the songs onto a CD anyway - and then copy them around with your friends... so what is the problem?
Well - part of my problem is the closed formats - I have to dual boot Linux and Windows to use Napster - I bet it never works on Linux. And DRM isn't just about music - what about films, books and hardware?
Thinking about hardware DRM for example - having to pay to unlock extra cores in your processor, or being restricted to a certain operating system when you buy a machine. I think that the problem here is that DRM doesn't become copy protection, it becomes hardware restriction. With Napster, I am getting what I paid for - but if I pay 1000 pounds for a PC, I don't want to pay another 1000 pounds to unlock it so that I can run Linux. I can't listen to the tunes I download on Napster on an ipod - so I am restricted to using Windows and certain types of MP3 player...
I just hope that market forces keep the choices open for us consumers...
I'm not advocating this and agree with your consensus that it is unprofessional - but you could plant a logic bomb that appears to be a new problem (that only you can solve).
I'm sure this happens quite a lot.
But worrying about it being vaporous...
Me too but I'm thinking of getting a USB stick as it's hard to dictate 100mb documents down the phone
yeah - point taken. Now I think about it I have seen glitchy phones - particularly the "smart" ones ironically.
Now I've got a Sony Ericsson walkman phone and it really isn't *that* bad! Like you say - perhaps part of it is conditioning as I sometimes have to reboot it and the keys can be unresponsive at times - so yes, I suppose it is glitchy as well!
But I genuinely am happy with the phone that I'm using - I play games on it and the text messaging interface is great. I didn't pay a lot for it either - although I pay a lot for my monthly contract - about 25 quid.
I don't think that the post is necessarily flamebait, as it is being modded.
In my experience the phones that I've used in the UK (only Nokias and Sony Ericssons) are very easy to customise and not really glitchy. Nokia seems to have lost the plot recently but the latest Sony phones are great.
I think that you missed the point on Android though - the advantage is that it is Open - like Java ME which is much more popular than Windows Mobile IMO.
The problem with J2ME is that all phones have a different API, so apps and games have to be programmed for more than one platform - a fault of the hardware manufacturers rather than the J2ME design I think...
Seems like a failure in marketing to me too - since this is the first time that I have read about it. I thought it took so long to copy a file in Vista because of the DRM - but if it is actually doing something useful as well then I am impressed...
I think that his point is that even with j2me there are still different APIs for different brands of phone...
Well they say that there are features other than his face that can identify him, so in this case I think it wouldn't be possible. (Hope they get the bastard)
This kind of thing makes me want heaven and hell or reincarnation to really exist...
But with wireless, it isn't always apparent to inexperienced users that they are actually stealing someone else's connection.
Computers automatically connect to unsecure wireless networks by default, so how can you legislate against that?
I was thinking the same thing - but after reading the comments I realise that this is the perfect slashdot article combining the geek "no girlfriend" stereotype with the "why did you install windows" argument...
It's better than walking the streets...
Well - it's not even owned by an Australian company anymore is it?
erm - did I say more open, I meant more popular...
Maybe Sun should extend their invitation to Microsoft as well - surely this would be the killer to getting the more open standard accepted.
Or maybe Sun should be working to adopt Office Open XML, which is likely to be the most adopted format. I know that Microsoft could have some ulterior motives behind making their XML format open - and perhaps it isn't open at all, but why can't the open source community use the same tactics to their advantage and make an effort to steer the populist formats towards their personal goal?
I don't quite agree...
Microsoft would say that the user does not have a problem, because they're using proprietary software and they have a proprietary solution to their problem
An OSS enthusiast could say you have a problem because you're using proprietary software and to reach your full audience, you should've used an OSS solution.
In a sense, you could argue that the cheaper (at least in terms of time taken) alternative would be to embed a spreadsheet in internet explorer and use the software that you already have experience of - but this could come at the cost of losing customers (if the product in question is targeted at customers). Judging by the results of the poll on this page, you could lose a lot of slashdot readers!
The company I work for have a timesheet input system which uses IIS exclusively on Internet Explorer - so I have to run IE to do my timesheets (as if it wasn't enough of a pain). But where is their business case for changing their timesheet system? It would be a waste of money and resources.
If I was bothered enough I could develop an extension to Firefox which allowed the website to run properly - and release it to the open source. I'm not sure whether this would be encouraging or discouraging the proper use of standards however! Maybe this is one of the many reasons for my apathy!
I think that you can make the connection that there are other ways of compromising a system without getting around the added security in Windows Vista. For example, buffer overflow errors...
No - it'd be a boring job though, just going through the motions...