Posts by Mark

Microsoft claims 'landmark victory' against defunct UK reseller

re: Rant, rant, rant....

WFT???

Stu, get that pic of Corporation HQ out your pants and listen:

There was no unfairness: each and every other reseller could have done the same.

So kick that load of crap out at the start.

Adobe cites bad blood for closed Flash

@Bryan Sylvester

No, you're wrong.

US patents are considered "prior art" for UK patents, but that is as far as WTO goes.

They aren't even legal in the US if expressed as mathematical formulae.

And patents do not stop (in the US) ***personal*** use of a patent. So you can download the patented code from some other area that doesn't recognise that patent (much as the holywood industry ignored Edison's patents) and use it yourself. You can't export it to someone in a business relationship, however.

Trigger-happy Welsh cops taser sheep

@Blubster

And claimed it was ram raiding at the time?

re: Tazers aren't the problem, the training is

"but which would you rather have, a cop deciding that you need to be stopped right now and taking a baton to your head, or a quick, (hopefully) non-lethal battery recharge?"

How about "Neither".

Yeah. maybe we ought to give the officers acid sprays to blind you, 'cos which would you prefer: Blind or Dead, huh?

FFS.

re: utilise

Tazer them.

For each word in the sentence that USES that bastardized word.

As to:

"Another chipped in with: "Free counselling and compensation for all involved! While we're at it, let's launch an expensive public enquirey. Our world has become a sick joke."

Well when a copper is harmed, there's a HUUUUGE manhunt for one person encountering the risk of their job. Why waste money finding the perp?

Ah, because we're supposed to *care*.

re: Look at it this way

Two trained officers couldn't work out how to get a sheep to move so shot it with an electric prod.

HOW FUCKING DUMB ARE THEY????

Look, if the sheep runs **away**, then if there are two of you, you place yourselves that the "most away " from each of you is the direction you want the sheep to do.

A fricking SHEEPDOG worked that one out.

Microsoft taints open source CodePlex well

re: @Jonas Finnemann Jensen

And microsoft should have chosen a better name than "Windows".

They still got to sue Lindows for using a name ***LIKE*** Windows.

OSI isn't the copyleft. FSF are.

Do your homework before commenting as authoritative.

re: Huh?

1) MS-LPL isn't OSI approved. It's on there, though.

2) GPL3 is OSI approved but the MS website bans any software under that license.

That's why we say this.

For the 70% of people programming who do so on Windows, they will be unable to tell the difference (unless they port the code to a non-windows platform and MS spot it). However, this isn't open source (note: although this moniker doesn't have capitals as per trademark attempt by the OSI, this doesn't make a difference. Just as sony electronics won't manage to get away with that name if Sony Electronics notices). And so the meaning of open source is diluted, which is why sony's products would not be allowed in the marketplace where Sony has a brand: Sony's brand would be diluted.

And a Sony TV

Doesn't have to be made by that Sony (Japan) corporation. It could be Sony, the latvian start up that just happens to make TVs.

I'm sure that Sony Electronics wouldn't mind AT ALL...

Now open source doesn't mean you can read it. Visible source is that: you can read it. But you can't "open source" like you "open doors", so what could "open" mean?

Well, it means you can USE the source code for your own reasons. It is defined by OSI. Not by fiat but because the term "open source" meant nothing until OSI coined the term.

Remember, MS is the company that sued Lindows for making off their name (and had to go all around the world to find a court that would agree with them). What do you think MS are doing with this "Open Source" moniker? Making off the name of Linux and other Open Source (OSI defined) projects such as Apache, etc.

Also, can anyone tell me why, since MS like the BSD license so much and want others to use it, they don't use BSD license for their code released "Open Source"? I mean, GPL is viral for MS but the BSD is sweet. So use it.

Dell UK releases Ubuntu netbook but favours Windows

re: @Rick Leeming

£49 plus vat is what I got from Watford Electronics.

You could hold out for full retail price if they refuse to show what they are paying MS for a copy and what their markup on it is (and how much support costs for windows, Dell support it, not MS).

re: Give Dell a break

So can I return a Dell because it hasn't got a Windows install CD? Can I return it because of all the crapware it has on it?

UK minister looks for delete key on user generated content

Esther Rantzen

"This involved a couple of very young kids pretending to be lost and distressed in the middle of a large shopping mall. The cameras recorded hundreds of people ignoring the children, and some people actually taking evasive action, before one woman had the courage to intervene to offer help."

And why did that take courage? Because the Think Of The Children!!! brigade would have the mum so scared that her first reaction on finding her children being led by someone else (especially male) would be "YOU STOLE MY CHIDLREN!!!!!".

'I can see dinosaurs from my back porch'

@Yirall talking out your arse

So you're saying that we are similar to apes not because we have a common ancestor but because the omnipotent God was a lazy bugger?

">And if God can be an uncaused effect then so, in principle, could the universe itself <

Could, were it not for the evidence that it is running down - evidence that it once had a begining and will have an end."

Take a shit, your throat's full. WFT??? How does that do ANYTHING to counter the quote you responded to? To quote from B5: all answers are replies but not all replies are answers. This was a reply that was not an answer.

God doesn't exist. Proof? Because I lost a sock three months ago.

re: @Yirral goin' ta hell

PS how does a computer manufacturer prove god?

Please. Demonstrate the proof of God's existence.

Yirrals a different species

"No, speciation is quite different from Evolution"

Speciation is a result of evolution.

@Yirral GITM

God is NOT in the machine.

Was God designed or did he just evolve? Did he just appear? If he did, why can nothing else?

Yirrals a different species

"Genetic material is effectively information on the variable features of the form of life encoded in a highly efficient manner. "

Nope. If it were, why is there so much junk DNA?

If we aren't evolved from apes why do we have one less DNA strand and the one we have different is the same as two from chimps fused together AND has telomeres (which occur only at the ends of DNA stretches) in the middle.

Either

a) Weird design

b) two DNA strands merged

PS yirrel

It isn't a relapse to vulgarity. It's just an evident truth: you ARE a fuckwit.

@peter Mellor

"The evidence for it is so overwhelming that no rational person seriously doubts it, any more than they would doubt that the Earth is round."

Here you have hit upon the nub of the problem. Yirrel is a fuckwit. He's irrational. Either because he's the sort of christian that give christians a bad name, or he's just a fuckwit troll.

I've told you before - MRSA isn't Evolution. It is still a virus.

And Humans are still animals. Like apes.

So where's your problem with the descent of man from ape?

Mindless parroting by a fuckwit strikes again.

Apple ups the ante in Psystar battle

re: Car analogies?

Nope, you don't license. You buy it.

The "you've licensed this" is what the grabby little fuckers WANT people to believe.

But you pay for it as retail. It IS retail.

If it's licensed, where's by DVD version of my VHS movies? If it's licensed, where's the recovery of goods at production cost if my CD's are stolen or scratched?

See, it's only "licensed not bought" when they want it treated like a license. It's "Bought" when it suits them (e.g. "Buy now on DVD!" "Buy to own now!" or "No, you scratched it, you buy a new one").

re: Mercs again

There's no such thing as IP.

The rest of your message is right, but stop spreading the BS the monopolies and cartels are trying to get us to swallow.

THERE IS NO "IP".

There's copyright.

There's patent.

There's trade secret.

etc.

THERE IS NO "IP".

"The underlying technology is irrelevant!

But that's the only copyright Apple have: the underlying technology.

Which, if irrelevant, means there's nothing relevant to complain about.

YOUR degree of misunderstanding here is scary..

"Modifying someone's closed source, compiled software to get it to work on your machine is not legal... end of story."

And NOT modifying someone's code but making your own and reverse engineering IS legal.

And, except in Germany, not legal does not mean illegal.

Shit. And YOU'RE telling US "we don't understand"!!!! Fuck, learn to understand what you say first!

@Spearbox

PS there's no such thing as IP. There's copyright, there's patent and there's trade secret available here.

PPS read up about reverse engineering. No need to take copyright. Patents don't apply here unless they are ridiculously vague. And trade secrets are lost if they get out.

@Spearbox

No.

That isn't legal though.

If your car detected who was driving and how many people were in the car and refused to start if you weren't the one driving or you had four people including yourself in there, would you think the car broken? What if you find out the car manufacturer did that deliberately? Class action.

Yes. Not legal.

Other reasons why the apple mac isn't "a single unit".

Can you only buy and use Apple Mice with your mac?

Can you buy and use only Apple branded graphics?

Monitors?

Keyboards?

No.

And copyright (the ONLY thing that gives an EULA force) has nothing to say on installing software you bought.

Now, ***support*** of this non-Apple branded hardware is not Apple's business. Just like if you take your Ferarri down to the local whiz garage mechanic and get the timings tuned for you. Ferrari do not say you can't do that with ANY mechanic. They CAN say that the three year warranty doesn't apply to an engine tuned by a non-certified engineer.

Yes, you are blinded by Job's shining butthole.

re:Sorry, is this The Sun letters page?

Well, if it is, why not just buy the branded Mac and ignore the non-branded machine?

If someone doesn't think it is worth it, then they (rather than NOT be an Apple Mac customer) may buy

a) Apple software

b) non-Apple hardware

You aren't FORBIDDEN to buy branded hardware just because there's non-branded PC's able to run OS X, you know. It's still available.

So what's your beef?

@McObvious

So? You don't see Linux on telly advertised as even being AVAILABLE.

They sell their OS in retail.

They don't forbid non-apple branded hardware with their OS or with their own branded hardware.

That they don't advertise "you can use the Phillips TouCam on your Mac OS X" doesn't mean they have banned you from it.

@Gulfe

"Mark - "why are they selling OS X separately" - So that I can upgrade my Mac, of course."

Which contradicts AC's message:

"There's a fundamental difference between Microsoft and Apple that you've missed. Apple are providing, as their "product" a full suite - whereas Microsoft are only offering the OS."

Hence the response.

Don't le the sun shining from Jobs' arse blind you. Apple are in the wrong here.

Two words: Boot. Camp.

"Essentially a Windows/Linux based PC is no different from a PC that runs MacOS. "

Are Apple aiding and abetting piracy with that???

re: @Re: These analogies

"There is no legal requirement for Apple to licence non-Apple hardware, and their current stance does not distort the marketplace."

And there's no legal requirement for someone to USE their software on Non-Apple hardware. Copyright has nothing to say on USE, only on those rights solely the remit of the author.

Re: Re: "Its a monopoly"

Uh, why are they selling OS X separately then?

Also, as an entire "thing", then merchantability laws mean that many sections of the EULA are illegal and that there is a warranty on getting the software TO WORK AS ADVERTISED (i.e. bug fixes must be made available or a refund given at any time a bug is found and not fixed).

Though that may be why Apple sell OS X separately...

re: How?

You do it like you do with any abusive monopoly: you ban competitors into the market.

Duh.

PS Starter for 10: What is copyright?

Catholic priests cane YouTube over blasphemous vids

re: What's good for the goose....

So when the memorial of the pope after his death is pissed on and a U tube vid shown, that can be removed.

Real people died in the holocaust. And that happened whether you believed in God, Satan, Nothing or the FSM. They died.

And that was why the memorial vid was taken down. Not for sacrilege but for the contempt shown for the real people who died and the real people who survived in a small way from the horror.

Same as if the War Memorial were to be pissed on and video'd: the people who died for our country had been pissed on. Not christianity.

Ransomware author tracked down, but not nicked

There are over 2000 terrorists

there are over 2000 terrorists according to the Home Office in the UK.

Are the UK soft on terrorism?

Or is it they don't have the manpower to persue?

Hell, there are war criminals we know and name in the US and the US refuse to let them go to trial. Why is russia given the bog boo? Because they own all our gas?

Secret Service camera bought on eBay

re: @Reid Malenfant

Aren't both of you guilty of exactly the same thing as you are accusing everyone else of doing?

Kneejerk: This story was in the Sun so CANNOT be correct.

That's what you two are doing.

re: FACTS!!!

And how much is your data worth on your computer?

Were ALL computers taken?

Will the police not look at his personal stuff, but just look for copies of the files from the camera on his computer?

When McKinnon was arrested, why was it $5000 per computer which cost $500 if "data on a computer" is worthless?

Sky told to hand over footy and film rights

Sky and government

"BT's & BG's networks were constructed with taxpayers money, while Sky's was funded by private investment."

Uh, without government regulation, Sky would owe me rent for making money off their access to my land.

Tax breaks and a lack of payment for disruption to services (like road, say) also constitute a HUGE investment from the taxpayers.

Sky's abuse is YOUR FAULT.

"And to be fair, SKY's service has become worse and worse recently. As a poster above stated, before you could watch all of the PL games on SKY sports, then a few (top) games were made into pay-to-view, then more and more and more."

And you know how that came about? Lennox Lewis and some other famous bugger were to be shown on Sky Sports. Up until then, all sports shown on Sky Sports were free if you'd paid for the channel.

This one, was considered a "premium" content and Sky required you to pay for watching this boxing match.

"This is only ever going to be a very rare event. It is so that those who don't want to subscribe to the channel can still watch the most pivotal sports ventures through Sky".

Well, that's what they said.

"Bollocks" I thought.

All people had to do was NOT PAY. They didn't even have to forgo watching the fight: go down the pub/club and watch it there. The pub/club had to pay anyway and the total value to Sky would be increased by naff all.

But no, you mouth breathing idiots HAD to have it on their TV. "they said only occasionally, so that's OK, aint it?".

Well, now you know.

They tested whether you'd give them a hand shandy for a buck. Now you've accepted that, they asked for a BJ and when you still said yes, you're getting a ramrod up your arse.

And NOW you're complaining???

@Steve Kay

What a load of bollocks you said just there.

If Orange didn't let you call anyone (even landline customers), THAT would be the equivalent here.

Sky are banning effectively anyone from watching live football. Orange can't ban you from calling O3 customers. Or your mum on landline.

re: Much as I hate Sky and Here, here

Well, Sky shouldn't have bought exclusivity.

It's already illegal to corner a market. And Sky were doing the same here.

AJ has the right idea, though. Ban exclusivity deals.

Royal Society says goodbye to creationism row vicar

Less clueless than you, Yirrel

Information doesn't have anything to do with meaning. Intelligence has nothing to do with it: If a tree falls in the forest and nobody sees it, did it fall? YES. Even though there was no intelligence watching.

Read up about Shannon theory. Or information theory full stop.

Of course this will show you where you're wrong, so I don't suppose you'll do that.

My intelligence is vastly higher than yours, but I still cannot make a coin turn heads by the power of my mind.

Bur flu could NOT be passed to humans. Until it evolved to have the key that opens the human cell system.

Proof reading

proof Yirrel is not reading a damn thing:

"'Fraid if you are going to criticise a book you have to read it. Even fiction needs to be read before it is criticised."

Where has Badger said he has never read the bible? It's part of junior school in the UK.

Yirrels nethers speak again

"Actually, if they discovered a fossil that threw doubt on ToE it would be ignored. Can't have anything casting doubt on the creation myth of the atheist can we."

Uh, a paeontologis would give his right eye for a find like that.

Hard to ignore it when there's a nobel prize for them in the works.

fuckwit. I hope Shiva spit roasts you and eats your liver for eternity for obeying the fictitious false god YHWH (who can't even spell his own name!!!).

Woman sues EA over 'secret' Spore DRM

re: easier

Don't buy it and get the pirate version.

Then the company that demands DRM goes out of business. Or decides not to bother with DRM. Or closes shop.

The first is a good thing: the free market at work (copyright, which is a breech of the free market is not allowed to work to stop the free market operating).

The second is even better: people will be employed to make entertainment software and you can buy it again.

The last is "fuck you" from the company. However, since they'd said "fuck you" with DRM and you returned the "favour" by pirating their software (unfortunately, no raping, looting or making the scurvy knaves walk the plank :-( ), each have managed to convey their disgust at the other and all is even.

Indian chief exec murder 'a warning for management'

Union busting was acceptable

Now India have turned that pony around with CEO busting.

Not happy with the death, but the minister WAS right. This IS a warning to CEO's et al.

And ministers say that about the terrorist bombings: they are a threat to ordinary citizens. 'cept for some reason that's not "frankly flabbergasting" when they use it there.

Hypocritical wankers. CEOs should get 2x average pay and shares to double that. Each and every worker works to make the business a success but the CEO is the one that gets most of the bonus. If he's so indispensable, why not do without any workers and see how productivity shoots up.

Stratus tolerates faults on Windows HPC

Stu stFu

Don't PROVE you're a retard.

Turkish court bans Dawkins' website

@NT

No disagreement. I understand it so why tell me?

Bear squeeze blues: How to destroy a bank

On Short-termism

See Yahoo/Icahn for how individuals absolutely do not care if a market gets screwed as long as they get to do the screwing.