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Comment Re:You Never Spoke A Truer Word (Score 1) 230

Certainly MS's attitude to patent abuse deserves to be punished. However, it is not as if this money is returned to the people from whom it was extracted in the first place. Rather, it goes to yet another bunch of thieving lowlife scumbags.

The patent system is so messed up that it can support multiple tiers of extortionists, each preying on the one below, but for MS to unilaterally moderate their own abuses of the system (which would be nice, admittedly) would have little effect on the overall state of affairs, where the entire business model of numerous companies is based upon extortionate patent litigation (though generally against much smaller, more vulnerable companies than MS).

Comment Re:The missing option.... (Score 1) 457

Alcohol, definitely. Probably strong. The exact variety consumed will depend upon season, inclination, and availability.

There are lots of calories in alcohol. And with a G&T there is the added health benefit of the vitamins in the slice of lemon (and the tonic will protect you from getting malaria).

Alcohol's main benefit though, is its mood-altering qualities, putting one in a better state of mind to enjoy and appreciate the film, whatever it may be.

Comment Re:Real world learning from video games? (Score 3, Interesting) 150

More to the point, this being Norfolk (right here, where I am), the job of tracking the entire county police force could be done by a single suitably-inclined human without computer assistance. (Someone with the right sort of Aspergers Syndrome, say.)

For example, in the small hours of the morning, (I have been reliably informed by a serving member of the Norfolk Constabulary) there are precisely two officers on patrol.

Comment Re:Developing markets (Score 1) 821

And MS expects some preteen in Singapore to know better? Good luck with that.

That's an unfortunate example to choose, preteens in Singapore being likely to be both better educated and more law-abiding than their US equivalents. (And quite possibly more affluent too.)

Software

Submission + - Orrin Hatch - Software copyright violater (fudreport.com) 2

fudreporter writes: "Wired.com has an article referring to comments Senator Orrin Hatch(R-Utah) made about downloading copyrighted material from the Internet... Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) suggested Tuesday that people who download copyright materials from the Internet should have their computers automatically destroyed. But Hatch himself is using unlicensed software on his official website, which presumably would qualify his computer to be smoked by the system he proposes. The senator's site makes extensive use of a JavaScript menu system developed by Milonic Solutions, a software company based in the United Kingdom. The copyright-protected code has not been licensed for use on Hatch's website. "It's an unlicensed copy," said Andy Woolley, who runs Milonic. "It's very unfortunate for him because of those comments he made.""
The Courts

RIAA's Attack On NewYorkCountryLawyer Fails 222

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "p2pnet.net reports that the RIAA has egg on its face. When the Electronic Frontier Foundation requested permission to file an amicus curiae brief on behalf of Boston University students challenging the RIAA's ex parte discovery order, the RIAA lawyers attacked the blog 'Recording Industry vs. The People' for its criticism of the RIAA as seeking to 'abuse the American judicial system, distort copyright law, and frighten ordinary working people and their children' and then falsely claimed that the blog's author is an EFF attorney — this despite the fact that they know that the blog's author (known on Slashdot as NewYorkCountryLawyer) is a partner in a New York law firm and not an EFF attorney. Judge Gertner apparently wasn't impressed, and granted the EFF's motion, rejecting the RIAA's objections, since she felt amici curiae might 'shed light' on the 'copyright law' and 'computer technology' issues before her."
Software

Submission + - Best Corporate IM client?

GJSchaller writes: We're looking for a new corporate IM client for our workplace. There's plenty of clients out there, but none quite seem to fit our needs. We're looking for a client that will connect to multiple protocols (MSN and AIM are primary, but others would be nice), and that has the ability to store preferences in a location other than the user's desktop, such as a home folder on the network (so that people can hop PCs and not need to reconfigure the client each time they do). I'm fond of many of the Open Source clients, but they don't seem to fit the ability to store a configuration somewhere on the network.

Has anyone come across a suitable IM client for the workplace that they can recommend? Open Source, Closed Source, or even an appliance are all options.
Windows

Submission + - Surprise, Microsoft Listed as Most Secure OS

david_g17 writes: According to a Symantec study reported by Information Week, Microsoft has the most secure operating system amongst its commercial competitors. The report only covered the last 6 months of vulnerabilities and patch releases, but the results place Microsoft operating systems above Mac OS X and Red Hat. According to the article,

The report found that Microsoft Windows had the fewest number of patches and the shortest average patch development time of the five operating systems it monitored in the last six months of 2006.
The article continues to mention the metrics used in the study (quantity and severity of vulnerabilities as well as the amount of time one must wait for the patch to be released).
Space

Submission + - France opens secret UFO files spanning 50 years

Radon360 writes: PARIS (AFP) — France became the first country to open its files on UFOs Thursday when the national space agency unveiled a website documenting more than 1,600 sightings spanning five decades. The online archives, which will be updated as new cases are reported, catalogues in minute detail cases ranging from the easily dismissed to a handful that continue to perplex even hard-nosed scientists. Known as OVNIs in French, UFOs have always generated intense interest along with countless conspiracy theories about secretive government cover-ups of findings deemed too sensitive or alarming for public consumption.
Java

Submission + - Original DOS Boots in Java Applet

Rhys Newman writes: "Oxford Physics Developers have just released a demo version of JPC; a pure Java applet which boots original DOS and can run a selection of classic DOS games. See the JPC homepage for more information and online demo.

JPC emulates all the hardware of a standard PC sufficient to get DOS booting and running classic (or old) software in original form. As the DOS software is running in a completely emulated environment, the standard JVM security model applies and makes JPC a 100% safe environment to run third party x86 untested/unvetted code.

JPC can run on a mobile phone (or any other device which supports a Java 2 VM), and is also intended to enable secure sharing of CPU resources in a computer grid deployment."
Music

Submission + - Judge: Pattis Santangelo Has Right to Day in Court

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "Judge Colleen McMahon in Elektra v. Santangelo, in White Plains, NY, federal court has rejected the RIAA's attempt to dismiss "without prejudice", ruling instead that she is "entitled to have her legal status resolved one way or the other." (pdf). The judge ordered the RIAA to dismiss with prejudice by April 1st, or be ready to go ahead with a plan for the trial on April 13th. The judge rejected the RIAA's claim that Ms. Santangelo had defrauded the court, ruling that "Nothing in any papers filed by plaintiffs suggests IN THE SLIGHTEST that Mrs. Santangelo has ever perpetrated any fraud on this court." (capitals in the original)."

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