Another great idea just BEGGING for poor execution. Although I do have to say, the innovation aspect does sound interesting.

To be fair, I haven't used Opera on my main computer for about two years, so I should try the new release. I used it on my BlackBerry Bold for about two days, but after crashing my phone eighteen times in 48 hours, I figured I'd give up the ghost.

Right, maybe emulated is the wrong word. What I meant by that was IE is the ultimate fallback - it does just about everything every other browser does, but doesn't seem to do any of it very well - it's inclusion for the sake of "me too" at this point.

Yeah, Google removed the beta tag from a lot of their products, but given their visible patterns, Chrome has a high chance of getting really fun when ChromeOS comes out - I'd bet dollars to donuts that the version released soon before or soon after the ChromeOS release will have made a few milestone improvements that really move it from just being adoptable to really being desirable for a larger audience of people.

The Acid3 test sort of bugs me. Yes, it's nice that browsers are fast, but even the most complex pages have lower kilobyte counts than most internet connections allow for, which means servers are the lag points, not your browser. I'd love to see a usability test sometime, rather than a flat-out speed rating. Webkit's neat, but with so many people using their browsers as a primary operating base - and we see proof of this approach in Google's development of the Chrome OS - usability is being sorely ignored in many technological benchmarks. I can't tell you how annoying it is to have Firebox' Live Bookmarks fail to load every ten minutes, it breaks the RSS experience. And while IE has its flaws and benefits, it's emulated, not inovating and old hat. Chrome is nice, I like how my computer treats it, but it's still in the works. Who's going to decide to pick up a new browser based on a speed test? Yes, CNet included some key features and noticed bugs, but Shiira and Arora both get termed works-in-progress, which does not make them underdogs now, it makes them next year's underdogs. And by the time they're ready for mass adoption, all of their good points will likely have been emulated as thoroughly as anyone cares for. Acid3 is like telling people your browser has 700 horse power, instead of the 300 horsepower their browsers have. No one cares if you top out at 200mph, the speed limit's still 60, folks.

Ok, perhaps I was over-specific, or the article was. I believe people should be given credit for their work. Monetarily or otherwise. I don't mean just in this case. I'm aware that tracking and crediting is a massive job, and I don't blame anyone for failing to embark on it, nor for not making themselves the examples by being the first to do so, but still. I just think it's a good idea.

Even if the software is free, it would be reassuring to see the government encourage further development by offering the coders behind these libraries some sort of honorarium - a public recognition that their work is being used for big things. Even if it's the slap-in-the-face One Dollar honorarium, public acknowledgement is big.

So... It's only illegal if you get caught in the act? We don't expect this to cause issues? I didn't monitor you downloading the mp3, but you have on your computer a file identical to three thousand others, and not a Britney CD in your ownership? Are you arguing this does not fall under the definiton of "stolen property"? All arguments about imaginary property aside, of course.

If you want to go all PvP on this, go right ahead. I don't want to be stuck in the crossfire, and without some form of lw or regulation, I've got no way to remove myself from the arena without leaving the net, which is a growing non-option. There will never be a sandbox for malware devs to play in without affecting people who flat out don't want to be involved. I don't care about you and your beef with FSF OR MS. It's none of my business, I'm just a user. ALl I want is a law that enables me to say "Leave me the frack alone and let me have my level playing field."

Twitter's not just bad for this - oh my, a new form of spam, I never saw it coming - but for poor context community as well. I feed my Tweets to my blog in a widget (Geekiest phrase ever, I know) and, thus, am searchable. Now, I put up a "Legal" page about my site - claiming authorship and all - and immediately was added by nearly forty Law-oriented "Free Advice" Twits who likely had never read another of my posts. I changed the page's name from "Legal" to "Disclaimer" and the additions halted. Changing the page to "Copyright" had the same effect - media trolls, dozens of them, now on my block list. It's incredible.

Twitter's nice for micro-posting, but seriously. This shilling thing? Been going on for some time. It's nothing new.