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Comment Re:Where will decent software come from? (Score 1) 111

I have spent the last 4 nights, 3-4 hours each night, trying to build and install all the dependancies for FreeCAD v0.14 on a CentOS 6.5 box.

I had no problems at all installing on Ubuntu. At the school we installed onto several old Macbooks, and had no problems there either.

The build documentation is crap

Well, duh. It is open source, so of course the documentation will be crap.

And python? Why would a end-user want to learn Python just to create an object?

You don't have to use Python. It is just an option if you want to write macros or script repetitive tasks. All serious CAD programs have some sort of scripting, and using Python is much better than using some quirky, buggy, customized hack like AutoLISP.

Comment Re:Just like "free" housing solved poverty! (Score 4, Interesting) 262

"Natural monopoly" is a somewhat dubious term.

Internet service is NOT a natural monopoly. ISP monopolies are a result of bad public policies. Water and electric service are natural monopolies, because pipelines and electric cables are expensive, and an incumbent with existing infrastructure has a huge advantage. But fiber is dirt cheap. The only cost is the initial installation of the conduit, then dozens or even hundreds of fibers can go in that conduit at little additional cost. So the conduit should be owned by the public, and any bonded company should be allowed to run fiber through it.

Comment Re:Where will decent software come from? (Score 3, Interesting) 111

CAD is recognized by the FSF as an area with a lack of suitable Freely-licensed software.

Really? What is wrong with FreeCAD? It is a full parametric 3D modeling system. It can be scripted in Python. It exports industry standard STL. I find it far easier to use than AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or any other CAD program I have used. I have used it for dozens of projects, and have run into no limitations. I have also used it with a 3D printing class at an elementary school for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. They also had no problems with it. The license is GPL.

Comment Re:Why stop at Broadband? (Score 1) 262

Or are you suggesting that his post is racist because coloured folks tend to be poor more often than white folks? That makes you the racist, not him.

Be that as it may, it's also the standard currently used by US Courts to evaluate policies. In a sane world the Drug War would have been struck down for just this reason decades ago. Not like the CIA recruited the Bloods and Crips to sell crack to blacks or anything - it's all subtle discrimination. No, wait...

Comment Re:Did they have a warrant? (Score 1) 206

I'm not sure getting a warrant allows any entity to break the law as a means to an end.

If they have a valid warrant to do it, then it is not breaking the law. It is illegal for you to break into my house. If the police have a valid warrant, it is legal for them to break into my house. The whole point of a warrant is to allow the police to legally do things that would otherwise be illegal.

Comment Re:Every patient? (Score 2) 62

By and large, better treatment options cost less, not more, than the status quo.

It is not clear that this treatment option is "better". So far there is no evidence that 3D heart models result in better health outcomes. Even if they do, it is not clear that this is the best way to spend healthcare dollars. Doctors love shiny new technology, patients like to feel they are getting the "best" care, and neither has much incentive to care about the cost.

Comment Re:Theft. (Score 1) 143

The best solution, as I have stated, is to have the books needed to pass the standardized tests.

Except that the books are not, in any meaningful sense, an alternative to these iPads. These iPads have nothing to do with whether the schools can afford books or not. If the schools turn down the iPads, the chance that Apple will donate chemistry books instead is precisely zero. There is no magic pixie dust that can turn an iPad into a chemistry book. If you want to just ignore reality, then the books are still not the best solution. A better solution would be brain implants that can be preloaded with all the knowledge that these kids need. Another good solution would be for all the countries to declare world peace, and redirect all the military spending into schools. These are all just as likely as Apple donating chemistry books out of the goodness of their hearts.

Comment Re:Wow $100 Million (Score 1) 143

S corps are not essentially not corporations tax-wise because people taking your wrong advice.

So? Forming a C corp is even easier. Converting a C corp to an S corp requires an extra form, that takes an additional five minutes of your time to fill out and file. The big corporations lobbied for these tax breaks, but there is nothing to stop little people from taking advantage of them as well.

Comment Re:Time for Solidarity? (Score 3, Interesting) 284

It's time to organize the world's programmers ... to protect our common interests as programmers.

What "common interests" are shared by the world's programmers? Even with the exploitation, these Indian workers are likely better off than they would be back in India. So Indian programmers likely would want America to keep the H1B program. In my opinion, the proper "fix" is to eliminate H1Bs and give foreign tech workers visas that are not tied to any employer, so that they can come to America and compete for wages in a free job market. I doubt if many American programmers would support that.

Comment Re:Wow $100 Million (Score 1) 143

Those special deals/rules aren't available to people. Companies are taxed on profits. Citizens are taxed on income

Except that anyone can form a company for a cost of $0. You can even form a personal corporation for about $300 and about an hour of your time. So all those "special deals" certainly are available to you. It just takes a non-zero amount of effort to take advantage of them.

Comment Re:Wow $100 Million (Score 1) 143

it is quite possible that Apple could write-off a donation of around $1000 per device against $350 in cost.

No. The tax laws don't work that way. They can only get a write off for their actual costs. So for a donation that actually cost them $350, they would get a $350 deduction, which would save them about $100 on their taxes.

Comment Perplexing? (Score 2) 284

"There was no explanation for the change, and it is perplexing to researchers," reports Computerworld.

What kind of stupid researchers are these? Regulatory capture, corporate welfare, and political corruption are plenty sufficient to explain the changes.

Only a knave looking for social justice in every action by a bureaucrat should be surprised, but he should be working at a daycare facility, not as a university researcher.

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