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CNET Says CueCat Restrictions Are Bogus 98

Posted by Hemos from the dc-is-going-down dept.
Barondude writes: "Steve Fox at CNET Insider wrote The CueCat: When Free Isn't Worth the Price. Besides mentioning Slashdot, he brings to the general public many of the points that have been made here."
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CNET Says CueCat Restrictions Are Bogus More

CNET Says CueCat Restrictions Are Bogus

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  • It's not neccessarily true. Depends on what you're using it for, and how good the scanner is. If you wanna catalogue your cd/book/video collection a scanner can very well be the way to go.

    And from a marketing company's standpoint, a cuecat code is definitely better than a url. They wanna track their traffic based on which ads people are reacting to and what publications they're from. The only way to do that is creating complicated URLs that contain ad/publication tracking infos, and people like you and I would just chop off everything after the top level domain name. So the codes are a definite plus for advertisement people.

    The problem is that the cuecat reader is not that good to begin with. I've had the pleasure of playing with one, and basically it involved a lot of random waving back and forth, and turning the sucker at all the weird angles I could think of before the code went through. That does make it more hassle than it's worth.

    If they made it good and accurate, it's sitting right there by the keyboard, heck, I'd use it if I found an ad with the code on it... Maybe the first few ads I'd even scan in if I wasn't interested in the product. Just for the sheer heck of it. Unfortunately for them, like I said, the scanner isn't too accurate.

  • they used TCWWW. Bonus karma to the two of you who still remember what that means :)
    ~luge
  • I would love to but the use of a laser pointer to entertain a feline is currently protected by a US patent.

    I wish I was joking....
  • I got mine without even divulging my real name (In case anyone at DC is reading -- it's Rod Malba and I live pretty darn near Bob Hope State University, I swear it!) and immediately took it apart after I got home (I would have ripped the cover off while driving the 0.2 miles home, but I caught a green light, of all the shitty luck.)

    It's cuet, but within seconds I was bored and decided to see what makes the fridge tick and now have a new hair style (Note: unplug first -- then tear apart compressor) I'm about to take apart my laptop computer, it sure is tiny and I'd love to see how they laid out all the parts in this thing!

    IMHO Steve Fox didn't shed any new light here, nothing on the order of "violation of statute X" or "precedent Y" We're pretty much still left to our humble opinions, same as he is. Yes, it's absurd to think D:C will appear on my (Rod's) door step at 10:03 PM (PST^H^H^HEST) and demand the return of the Cat. Same as it's absurd that they are right now scavenging a landfill in Dayton, Ohio for a CueCat that was delivered to a non-forwarding address and got gratis ride on the trash trolley. So, where does that leave reverse engineering? Still laughing at D:C, but too chicken to release the code (c'mon, c'mon, I'm getting bored, I need a new toy), or emboldened, like Micron, which is going great guns at DDR while prepping to do the litigation waltz with Rambeaux?

    Now where's that nibbling tool...


    --

  • Yo u mean this? [blockstackers.com]


    -- flossie
    http [2130706433] telnet [017700000001]

  • ...because of the typo?


    -- flossie
    http [2130706433] telnet [017700000001]

  • Check out the CueCat Collector's Club [techsynthesis.com]! I know mine are gonna be worth millions some day!

  • Pull that CueCat out from where the sun don't shine and check out the CueCat Collectors Club [techsynthesis.com]!

  • Wow you get to spend $65 so you can trade your type A for 2 type B with the only other member (owner). IF you got a low SER type A, put it on e-bay. They don't charge $65 to register.

    By the way I have a couple with the SER # 0000000000000000 and ----------------

    Are they worth much?

  • The Cursed WWW, from back when slashdot preferred to be called http://slashdot.org/ rather than http://www.slashdot.org/ (though the latter still worked). =P

    [flaunts his low userID]
  • A bit off topic, but:
    Browse slashdot at +3 threshold, cut and paste into Word (or Emacs if you prefer), submit article.
    I could make some good dough this way...
  • Parent post have 'Moderation Totals:Offtopic=2, Total=2.' Uh ?
  • My thought was to get a mag stripe scanner and use one of your credit cards for PW entry. The CueCat would definitely simplify that.

    --
  • I wouldn't do that. If I saw you scan the Dew to login I could bring my own Dew and do the same.

    If you ever let me play with your cat, I could capture the serial# output and type it in by hand along with the code for the Dew.

    I'm just not a big fan of using known information as a pw.

    The best use for the cat that I've seen is This one [dashslot.org]. It actually serves a purpose!

  • Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets? Would a wingless fly be called a walk? Answers, I need answers!

    Kamikaze pilots wear helmets so that they don't bang their head on the canopy and become unconscious rendering them unable to fly their plane in such a manner as to impact upon a predetermined target.

    Also, I wingless fly would be referred to in the scientific sense as a "creepy crawly thingie". I hope that I have been of assistance to you. :)
    _____________

  • That is really PAGE 2 of the article! The link in the /. article is the PAGE 1. Understand?
  • i think the obsession comes from free hardware. i could care less about cues or whatever, but i will enjoy cataloging my books and cds.

    wish
    ---
  • "Besides mentioning Slashdot, he brings to the general public many of the points that have been made here."

    C|Net readers are the general public? I don't think so. C|Net is nearly as geeky as Slashdot, but far more commercial (As can be seen by its television shows, which sure as hell never garner mainstream timeslots). C|Net tries to report on other stuff, but in the long run C|Net is by techies for techies, and the general public doesn't have a clue that it exists.
  • NO,The case in point is who you are, what you eat,what you like...
    • Demagraphics
    This is just another idea that some moron with an MBA said "Hey this company has a product that people will love, well screw them over for the product change the direction and vision of the company and at the same time let's do a little data mining".
    As most of us all ready know NOTHING IS FREE! Ok go ahead and say Open Source is free, no it is not. I know that my time is worth a lot more that $.00/h.
    The Idea behind the scanner is kind of a cool novelty, but giving corperate america my underwear size is a little too much for me!

  • Re:ShooCat!! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Could someone explain to me Slashdot's obsession with the CueCat?

    Let's see:

    • It's free
    • It has it's own serial number that has been hacked
    • A Ridiculously unenforceable EULA
    • No support for Linux, and the fact that they don't want people writing code for the OS
    • Bullshit laywer speak
    • A clueless, craptacular boat load of suck for a business plan

    This has all the makings of Slashdot story, covers privacy, hardware, Linux and cluelessness. I'd be happy with daily updates!


    Hayduke out
  • I'd say /. isn't obsessed, D:C is. It's like a war: D:C versus all-those-who-do-naughty-things-with-*our*-crap:ca t-as-outlined-in-our-*vague*-EULA. I'd say that most (if not all) of the people who do these "naughty" things are /.ers, so I think it involves them, especially since D:C is pointing fingers at people who have done nothing wrong. And as for EULA covering hardware... well... D:C must be on crack.

    I'm quite glad to see that people outside /. are finally understanding how stupid D:C is. Articles about D:C should all be written like this. Actually, IMHO their idea has (had?) potential to be *somewhat* good, but they have screwed it up really bad.

    I don't believe D:C will last much longer, all this bad PR can't be good for business :)
  • ...on the other hand, there's going to be a lot of people who've never heard of slashdot before the article... the ones who can't figure out a keyboard and the higly technical process of typing the URL probably wouldn't be welcome here anyway.
  • whois slashdot.com [whois.internic.net] Whois Server Version 1.3

    Domain names in the .com, .net, and .org domains can now be registered
    with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
    for detailed information.

    Domain Name: SLASHDOT.COM
    Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
    Referral URL: www.networksolutions.com
    Name Server: NS1.ANDOVER.NET
    Name Server: NS2.ANDOVER.NET
    Updated Date: 11-apr-2000


    -- flossie
    http [2130706433] telnet [017700000001]

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Really. Think about it. For so many people, /. IS media, if we define media by that which people collectively glean information form the world at large from.

    /. reports on a story on cnet, who reports on a story at /.

    What does that tell you?

  • Rehash, no new info. Talk amongst yourselves.
    ---
  • The obsession is with the frivolous bullying by the parent company, and how it's patently rediculous that they should even TRY to send cease and desist letters. This could almost be considered harassment; any lawyer would KNOW that there is no legal ground to stand on.

    Shouldn't the threat of legal action without followup be illegal in itself?
  • Read this from Jakob Nielsen:

    See September 15, 2000 [useit.com]

    Jakob Nielsen is the world's foremost expert on software and web usability.

    He links to this Scott Rosenberg Salon.com article [salon.com] for more.

    Bad cat.

  • I've got 4 in my collection [techsynthesis.com]. So far.

  • This is just ongoing fallout from the "good old days" when VCs would throw money at any idea with Internet in it. Just the other day, I got a T-shirt from Swapit.com, even though I have never used their service and have no intention of ever doing so.

    A lot of silly stuff is still in the pipeline. Even though VC money isn't flowing as freely as it was, it will take a while for these things to stop because companies have already signed contracts and ordered things.

  • From the article:

    Third, the courts have found that reverse engineering is legal (as long as chunks of the original software code are not present in the resulting software).

    Hasn't the DMCA effectively made reverse engineering illegal? (Or has the DMCA not yet really been tested in court? I thought the DeCSS case was an example of a judge indicating that we aren't going to get reasonable judgements about DMCA.) (A reasonable judgement meaning the trashing of the whole thing.)

    -Rob

  • Better yet, the wireless cuecat could have a little screen, so you didn't have to go to the computer. Wow! waddya know. We've just invented Handsprings and Pilots. Let's patent something and sue both of them.

    Actually, a scanner module for the Handspring would be useful, if there isn't one already. A hearty handshake to the first hacker who grafts a Cue Cat onto a handspring.

  • I have 16 at last count, most in various stages of disection. Two type B's bravely sacrificed their lives that I may learn the secret to bypassing their encryption. Let us observe a moment of silence.
    Another type B sheds a warm red glow on my wall at night.
    A type A was modified to be portable. Makes a great little flashlight.
    Several are scattered in pieces on my desk and may one day get reassembled. All my computers have at least one, my main system has 3.
    I also gave a neutered one to my mom for use in her retail store.
    I shipped two (2) to a couple of poor souls in Canada that can't get them.
    All the others are neatly stacked in their little plastic bags on top of my dresser. I haven't quite decided what to do with them yet.

    _______
  • There's a flaw in the concept, however, since most people don't read magazines, eat cereal, or view videos while seated at their computers.

    Erhm, my morning is spent reading my linux [journal|mag] (if it has arrived in said month and I'm not done it) and eating cereal in front of my box, while surfing to /. first thing in the morning. A sad and depressing life to be sure, but still it proves that the author of the article has no clue. :)

    Hmm... I want a cuecat now... I think I'll construct a security grid around the computer so that I don't even have to turn my head occasionally to see if my back is about to be attacked by one of the cats...

  • Here is an idea. Get a few hundred thousand or so of your friends to get the barcodes of the worst products available, put them up on the net and a printer-friendly form, and scan them in on a regular basis. This way all of these crappy companies have inflated statistics, there stocks will rise, and then all of a sudden all of the day traders will one day realize that maybe ``Chia colostomy Bag'' was not such a good product afterall, and the market will crash.

    Who said that this product was useless? It has within its power to be the most destructive weapon that capitalism has in its arsenal.
  • I didn't have to sign anything either. But, I did have to give my name and address like you do whenever you make a Radio Shack purchase. The scanned the package, like a normal purchase and I got a reciept that had the price of the CueCat as $0.00.

    Also, I didn't even bother installing the software, so I didn't "agree" to any licensing.
  • Wow you get to spend $65 so you can trade your type A for 2 type B with the only other member (owner).

    And it was said: "So shall the Internet draw forth from the masses the humour impaired."

    Duh. It's a joke.

  • Then there is the feature that allows you to scan a barcode on a website and go to a link. Can someone explain to me why I would take my hand off the mouse, then pick up the cat, then swipe the monitor. I could more easily have left my hand on the mouse and clicked on a link.

    Um....swipe the monitor? Are you sure that's not a crackpipe you're waving around?

    There's no "feature" to scan a barcode on a WEBSITE. The barcodes appear in print, or on products - not on webpages. You scan the product's UPC, or the print advertisement's barcode (Called a "cue"), and the software takes you to a relevant website. You don't scan your monitor.

    Sheesh. Where the hell did you read that?

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

  • I could not possibly think of a better waste of time in my life.

    You're not very imaginative, are you?

    And it was said: "So shall the Internet draw forth from the masses the humour impaired."

    Duh. It's a joke.

  • I say fuck em. WAAAAAAAAAAA i'm a multinational corporation and I smell bad. I cant make EVEN MORE money cuz i'm lazy WAAAAAA! Shows what kind of logic I have left after a Psychology class :P
  • Personally I still think it's easier to read and type a url than to fumble around with some scanner.
  • They do it to gain demographic data. Whenever you scan an item, they add it to a huge database connecting the product you bought with your name, address, and other personal data that you supply when you install the software. Remember the huge controversy over their database being 'hacked'?

    This isn't a conspiracy theory, it's business. However, you're supplying them with the info.

    For more info, refer to this [slashdot.org] or this [slashdot.org] or ...

  • The Home Page of 4:C [techsynthesis.com] has been updated with a message for a small portion of the Slashdot community. (Not YOU, of course. Oh, no. No way.)

  • Hacking the cue:cat doesn't harm anyone, and is thus a prime example of situations where the DMCA and like legislation are a bad idea.

    Like Hell it doesn't! You take their free product, use it in a way that prevents the profits they were expecting from its use, and claim that it hasn't hurt them? They're minus one barcode scanner with nothing to show for it.

    Legal or not, ethical or unethical, you're still screwing them, and discouraging such products from being given away in the future.

    I don't think it's a good example of what's wrong with the DMCA at all. It's something you'd never have given you if they'd have known you'd hack it, you didn't pay a fair price for it, and generally wouldn't have bothered buying if they didn't offer it.

    I think it's a focus of discussion precisely because it's a marginal case. Cuecat tries to screw the consumer (by not being completely open and honest about why they're giving the things away and what data they're gathering), and the consumers screw Cuecat (by denying them the expected return on investment). Nobody's really holding the moral high ground, so there's plenty of room for argument.

    --------
  • That was supposed to be:
    Cheap enough for me?
    But I'm having a moment of the stupids.
  • I wear medium boxers ... and if corporate america wants to send me some ... they're more than welcome to. Seriously ... there's some information that I really don't care who has.

  • Good enough for me! (Score:5)

    by Xerithane ( 13482 ) <xerithane.nerdfarm@org> on Monday October 30, 2000 @07:10PM (#663740) Homepage Journal
    Cheap enough for free?
    Bah, look at all the cool stuff you get..
    A barcode scanner
    A marital aid
    A good time harassing the Radio Shack employee
    Thousands of minutes spent thinking, "What can I waste my time doing with this thing?"
    Hours of Slashdot stories updating the idiocy of DC and their marketing strategy
    Being embraced by DC's approach of loving the linux hackers
    heh.. I found that it just looked to ridiculous to use it myself.. but it has provided me with a lot of laughter.
  • You take their free product, use it in a way that prevents the profits they were expecting from its use, and claim that it hasn't hurt them?

    The key word is "take". DC sends CueCats free to people who haven't requested them, and has Radio Shack handing them out to everyone, many people who don't really want one, but are willing to try some free electronic gizmo. I don't see how consumers are taking anything from DC.

    Now maybe if it was the sort of thing where you sign-up on a webpage and agree to use it for a certain purpose, then change your mind when it arrives... But unless you ask for it, you're not taking anything from them.

    The problem is that they want to take away people's rights to tinker with things they own. (And people *do* own the CCs, US postal regulations and laws governing gifts make this clear.)

    For DC to say you can't tinker with a CueCat is like Compaq saying you can't tinker with your PC, or Ford saying you can't tinker with your car. Once you own it, you have the moral and legal right to do anything you want with it. DC is trying to take that away.

    But, I predict they'll be bankrupt in less than a year. I've already seen links to scripts that send in fake CC scans with random user ids and barcodes from some huge list... When the companies that would pay DC for their ill-gotten demographics see how likely it is that the statistics are all fake, they won't pay a dime. And I'm glad, DC is another good-for-nothing company existing completely on lawyer power. Fuck them.

  • slashdot? (Score:3)

    by dieMSdie ( 24109 ) on Monday October 30, 2000 @07:11PM (#663742)
    Yeah, they mention Slashdot alright... but, erm..

    from the article:

    (For an extensive, often impassioned discussion of the issues, check out Slashdot, at www.slashdot.com )

    I know. It works, but still :)
  • Stupid patent no problem. Once you possess the hardware, you have physical ownership (90% of the law), and once you make a modification of any kind, you have, changed the device and created a new (possibly patentable!!!) device.

    My CueCat is now my BookBoffin...I wrote a little VB app that catalogs my home library by scanning the ISBN's into a spreadsheet.

    The only thing better than free hardware is free beer!

  • Congratulations! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    /., you've made .com status! How many more weeks before we see you on fuckedcompany? ;-)
  • You're forgetting one thing- It's a great security device.

    Since each device has its own special header code, you can set your root password by scanning a mountain dew, and no one will ever guess that your root pw is ".C3nZC3nZC3nYChbZDhb6CxnX.fHmg.C3jXC3T2CW."
    -------

  • More info (Score:4)

    by 1010011010 ( 53039 ) on Monday October 30, 2000 @07:14PM (#663746) Homepage
    It's doubtful, but someone may have missed the previous 6,000 cuecat stories.

    If you're seeking more information, I have a lot of links to news stories, info on the hardware (including disabling and reprogramming the serial number), and software for Linux, Windows and the Mac at http://www.flyingbuttmonkeys.com/foocat/ [flyingbuttmonkeys.com]



    ________________________________________
  • I have 42. I'm useing them for halloween decorations. Those two red lights look really creepy in pitch darkness!
    -------

  • You Know You've Been Reading alt.tasteless too... (Score:4)

    by Tackhead ( 54550 ) on Monday October 30, 2000 @07:15PM (#663748)
    You Know You've Been Reading alt.tasteless too long when you read...

    > a handheld scanner fetchingly shaped like a cat

    ...and, remembering what the CueCat's shaped like [userfriendly.org], you wonder how a word like "felchingly" got past CNet's censors...

  • I prefer the 'dead horse' as suggested before (sorry, too lazy to search the archives). Is it too late to mod up that comment?

    I got mine, but I'm still waiting for someone to come up with a useful application for one, other than the flashlight [umsl.edu] suggestion.
  • I recently got me a pair of Cue Kitties and have had a ball with the mIRC script and excell cataloging all my DivX rips and namely my Mp3 cds as well as my music cds and dvds. Barcodes on everything and using my own derived DewDecimal system. What im looking to help with or find is someone that has preferably web based (i am stuck in windows, sorry) or windows based (agian, sorry) that works with bar code scanners (and you could say an unauthorized 'hack' for the cue cat) to scan and look up barcodes and also, print them to labels. Would be fun and nice for my 300+ discs I have around here, not to mention nice for when I let people borrow my cds!

  • Java Classes for CueCat (Score:3)

    by mtDNA ( 123855 ) on Monday October 30, 2000 @08:32PM (#663751) Homepage
    I wrote some Java classes for handling CueCat scans. They are called CCScan and they are available at:

    http://www.popbeads.org/Software [popbeads.org]

  • How would it benefit anyone to scan the barcode of the can of Coke that they are drinking to see a Coke advertisement. If I'm drinking a Coke I don't need to be advertised to. I don't do inferior drugs like Pepsi and I can't easily obtaint the good drugs like Jolt.

    Preaching to the choir is not a very effective way to spend advertising dollars

    Then there is the feature that allows you to scan a barcode on a website and go to a link. Can someone explain to me why I would take my hand off the mouse, then pick up the cat, then swipe the monitor. I could more easily have left my hand on the mouse and clicked on a link. They must be targeting the Ultra newbie.

    For the record my entire argument is all based on hearsay evidence because I don't have a Colon:Cat and I haven't had someone run out of a Raidio Shack in Canada to give me one with a license agreement to laugh at.

    I do have to admit, however, the ability to scan a bottle of water to find out which Ontario nuclear plant it was bottled downstream from would be an asset.

  • or DC for that matter. This event is just one example of a seemingly rising trend of revocation of consumer rights. I personally have no desire to take apart a cue cat. But I am an electrical engineer. What if I did? What if I wanted to figure out how it works, then put it to good use in some other barcode related application?

    I think whats important here is what precedent gets set. If DC wins and is able to prevent us from investigating objects in our possession, it sets a legal precedent for another company to do the same thing.

    Another reason why Slashdotters have latched onto this story is because it is a very good example for us. The ability to circumvent copy protection schemes to pirate movies is morally hazy. Hacking the cue:cat doesn't harm anyone, and is thus a prime example of situations where the DMCA and like legislation are a bad idea.

    I'm relatively new to Slashdot, but I think I've captured the gist of it. Any veterans care to add / respond?

    Captain_Frisk
  • On a side note: Has anyone else seen that awful Digital Convergence "Infomercial" about the cuecat? You know, the one where the students and teachers (in our future) revel in the fact that the Cuecat and it's related technologies will be single-most important factor in labotomizing the Internet and the Information Age?

    Ick... I caught some of that damn program... Sounded like an attempt at brainwashing if I ever heard one... kinda scary actually... these guys seem hell-bent on trying to take over at least part of the world or something... I sure hope they run themselves into the ground soon. I never did bother to get a :Cue:Cat... I don't like dealing with the Radio Shack guys much... they always seem annoyed when I ask them questions they don't have answers for... and then they gloat when they get to explain something to me I didn't know... like it bothers me that I'm learning or something... anyhow...

  • Re:He called you slashdot.com (Score:3)

    by Nopaca ( 98621 ) on Monday October 30, 2000 @10:07PM (#663755)
    Yeah, and I went to the slashdot.com site. It's terrible, they've framed the site with ad banners from ThinkGeek and such, and then wrapped all of the content in moronic and misleading commentary.

    At least the stuff that they add is so poorly edited that it's clear that it is not part of the true, professional Slashdot site.

    "We will compete with anybody."

    - Michael Risse, general manager at a company that complains that all antitrust complaints are instigated by competitors

  • I thought the DeCSS case was an example of a judge indicating that we aren't going to get reasonable judgements about DMCA

    Nevermind the fact that the judge was also Time Warner's Lawyer during their whole DVD fiasco.

  • As most of us all ready know NOTHING IS FREE! Ok go ahead and say Open Source is free, no it is not. I know that my time is worth a lot more that $.00/h.

    As opposed to closed source software, which is only free if neither your time nor your money has value.
  • I especially liked his comment about criminalizing the indiscriminate use of colons (as in D:C). Of course this coming from C|Net.

    -- "On second thought, let's not go there. 'Tis a silly place."

  • I've seen that link 100 times. Every Patent story slashdot posts usually has some AC linking to that article. It's somewhat amusing, but just as the: I want to patent air, resperation, breathing etc.. It's beginning to wear quite thin.
  • Even if we didn't have to worry about security, privacy, and potential spamwaves, I still can't get over the shape of this thing!

    Just look at it here [cuecat.com].

    Why did they have to make it that shape? Did they collaborate with the net pr0n industry to prototype this thing??

    Leave the cue cat where it belongs: in mom's underwear drawer.
  • Knowing how many times the DeCSS code has been posted here, he probably feared the legal ramifications of linking directly.
  • "How would it benefit anyone to scan the barcode of the can of Coke that they are drinking to see a Coke advertisement. If I'm drinking a Coke I don't need to be advertised to."

    How about:

    - Scan this bar, win a million bucks! (AKA Scan the bar, get free stuff).
    - Scan here to find out more about our great prizes...
    - Scan here to be added to our free mailing list.

    Admittedly, some of those require giving DC permission to share your personal information with advertisers, but as the various Coke Card, Pepsi stuff campaigns show, advertisers think there's enough suckers out there to make it work.

    The key thing for DC is to make the reader and the barcode ubiquitous. When they can tell advertisers that over n% of the population has and uses a :cat, well, they're printing money.

    c.
  • Thankyou for the clarification. I am no longer living in a world of wonder. I shall have to change my .sig now... ;)
  • Picture this in say 2004
    MeowPawjects new Internet Applience the NetCat includes a liccens agreement that compells the user to use free software (open source, public domain etc.. the MP deffenition of free) and never again use commertal software unless as part of continued employment or use of a commertal service.

    When asked MP owner Felinoid simply said "We make our proffits from Internet traffic from people downloading our software.. as long as people use commertal alternitives we lose money".

    Many software and hardware makers are said to be conserned about this move one industry analist called it "a rock and a hard place" many busnesses rely on exactly the same kind of liccens to protect themselfs and may now be on the side of having to sue against it.

    Open source advocates are noted to be joyful at this event thow in the preplexing position of chearing Microsoft in suing Meow Pawjects saying "We'd rather Meow lost and get rid of this stupid legalistic nightmare than have them win and strong arm people into open source".

    [I use MP as an example becouse it's my project.. and I don't have anything going so don't bother.. get your software from FreshMeat.. thats were all my announcments go]

  • pretty good summary (Score:3)

    by Alien54 ( 180860 ) on Monday October 30, 2000 @07:16PM (#663765) Journal
    The article is a pretty good blow by blow summary of the situation as it now stands.
    "In fact, the CueCat license agreement asserts any number of rights, many of them unsupportable and unenforceable."
    Pretty much says it all right there, but definitely worth the read
  • When I first heard about the Cue Cat I went out and got one that very day. Just to try it out. The next day my dad recieved one in the mail from Forbes. A few days later my mom gets another from Radio Shack and we now have one for each computer that has a PS/2 port.

    Since I read the article on /. about the reverse engineering of the Cue Cat I didn't bother registering and installing the software. Luckily I didn't because as you know the Digital Convergence DB was cracked.

    My uncle also got one and as a test scanned in one of his sons Britney Spears CDs. Hopefully he won't be getting spam from Radio Shack about other Britney things.

    As soon I heard about the unique bar code number I decided not to uninstall the software. Personally I think it was an interesting idea but not carried out the best way possible. I don't mind having a Cue Cat, but the only regret I have is having to put up with the guy at the store.

    Andrew

    PS: For the guy at radio shack. If you don't want me to touch a computer maybe you should put a DO NOT TOUCH sign on it!!!
  • This guy gets it. I must say I am impressed. From the article:

    Yikes! Let's get real for a minute. The CueCat is free. D:C sent it out to magazine readers without them even requesting it. Consider a few analogies: If I send you a free microwave, can I then demand that you use it only to heat liquids? Can I force you to power it using only electricity from my favored energy utility? Could I prohibit you from sawing it in half and using it as a miniature golf obstacle? Similarly, if I mailed you a free, unsolicited PC, could I force you to install Windows on it, if you'd rather use Linux? My lawyer friends tell me no.

    I only wish there was more reporting like this, and as Hemos notes, they do say that Slashdot is one of the better places for this kind of discussion. Now I only wish that I could get a cue cat here in Canada. I checked out www.getcuecat.com [getcuecat.com] and they are not avalible here. I asked at the local Radio Shack, and they are supposed to be coming here soon. I can't wait to get one and get the software for Linux for it. Bizzare licence agreements be dammned!
  • I have always like C|Net for their unbiasedness, or at least they do a good job of hiding it. They like to stick it the mainstream often, especailly Microsoft, delievering blunt, and hopefully accurate portrayls.
    My only hope is that this is still coherent even after my hangover

  • He called you slashdot.com (Score:5)

    by e_n_d_o ( 150968 ) on Monday October 30, 2000 @07:28PM (#663769)
    And you STILL posted the article?
  • "There's a flaw in the concept, however, since most people don't read magazines, eat cereal, or view videos while seated at their computers. " the article points out. And then there is the security issue.

  • They only mentioned /. to draw page hits. Their servers can take it. Also: perhaps by your argument they should have included a barcode so those with :Colon:Cats could find /. without using their mouse and keyboard.

  • Has anyone seen the 30min infomercial for the CueCat? It takes place in a future hi-tech classroom where the teacher is teaching the class that the CueCat changed history. The students couldn't believe that people used to type in URLs or use search engines to find information on the net. After about 5 minutes I had to change the channel before I gagged. Digital:convergence really has delusions of grandeur.
  • I had three :Cats, but I had to give one away because my landlord only lets me have 2 of them.

    I can have a Cue:Dog, but only if it weighs less than 20 pounds, doesn't byte the mailman, and if I pick up the bits it leaves in the grass.

  • Besides mentioning Slashdot

    Guys, unless it's the Secretary-General of the UN mentioning slashdot, it's not a big deal anymore. The Economist has mentioned Slashdot. You're important, get used to it.

  • do like they did in fight club, pour gasoline in it and wait for them to turn it on in the morning. :)
    or something...

    eudas
  • Taunting Digital Convergence is just too much fun. More fun than we've had in years, in fact. We'll ride them for all they're worth before they go out of business in a blaze of, well, some VC's investment capital.
  • $ whois slashdot.org
    [whois.networksolutions.com]
    The Data in Network Solutions' WHOIS database is provided by Network
    Solutions for information purposes, and to assist persons in obtaining
    information about or related to a domain name registration record.
    Network Solutions does not guarantee its accuracy. By submitting a
    WHOIS query, you agree that you will use this Data only for lawful
    purposes and that, under no circumstances will you use this Data to:
    (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission of mass
    unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations via e-mail
    (spam); or (2) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes
    that apply to Network Solutions (or its systems). Network Solutions
    reserves the right to modify these terms at any time. By submitting
    this query, you agree to abide by this policy.

    Registrant:
    Andover.net (SLASHDOT5-DOM)
    50 Nagog Park
    Acton, MA 01720

    Domain Name: SLASHDOT.ORG

    Administrative Contact:
    DNS Administration (DA19113-OR) dns_admin@ANDOVER.NET
    Andover.Net
    50 Nagog Park
    Acton, MA 01720
    US
    (978) 635-5300
    Fax- (978) 635-5326
    Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
    DNS Technical Support (DT1415-ORG) dns_tech@ANDOVER.NET
    Andover.Net
    50 Nagog Park
    Acton, MA 01720
    US
    (978) 635-5300
    Fax- (978) 635-5326
    Billing Contact:
    DNS Billing (DB2055-ORG) dns_billing@ANDOVER.NET
    Andover.Net
    50 Nagog Park
    Acton, MA 01720
    US
    (978) 635-5300
    Fax- (978) 635-5326

    Record last updated on 08-Feb-2000.
    Record expires on 01-Feb-2002.
    Record created on 01-Feb-2000.
    Database last updated on 29-Oct-2000 17:53:44 EST.

    Domain servers in listed order:

    NS1.ANDOVER.NET 209.207.224.196
    NS2.ANDOVER.NET 209.207.224.197

    $ whois slashdot.com
    [whois.networksolutions.com]
    The Data in Network Solutions' WHOIS database is provided by Network
    Solutions for information purposes, and to assist persons in obtaining
    information about or related to a domain name registration record.
    Network Solutions does not guarantee its accuracy. By submitting a
    WHOIS query, you agree that you will use this Data only for lawful
    purposes and that, under no circumstances will you use this Data to:
    (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission of mass
    unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations via e-mail
    (spam); or (2) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes
    that apply to Network Solutions (or its systems). Network Solutions
    reserves the right to modify these terms at any time. By submitting
    this query, you agree to abide by this policy.

    Registrant:
    Andover.net (SLASHDOT6-DOM)
    50 Nagog Park
    Aston, MA 01720
    US

    Domain Name: SLASHDOT.COM

    Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
    DNS Technical Support (DT1415-ORG) dns_tech@ANDOVER.NET
    Andover.Net
    50 Nagog Park
    Acton, MA 01720
    US
    (978) 635-5300
    Fax- (978) 635-5326
    Billing Contact:
    DNS Billing (DB2055-ORG) dns_billing@ANDOVER.NET
    Andover.Net
    50 Nagog Park
    Acton, MA 01720
    US
    (978) 635-5300
    Fax- (978) 635-5326

    Record last updated on 11-Apr-2000.
    Record expires on 11-Apr-2001.
    Record created on 11-Apr-2000.
    Database last updated on 29-Oct-2000 17:59:08 EST.

    Domain servers in listed order:

    NS1.ANDOVER.NET 209.207.224.196
    NS2.ANDOVER.NET 209.207.224.197

    $ nslookup slashdot.org
    Server: [snip]
    Address: [snip]

    Non-authoritative answer:
    Name: slashdot.org
    Address: 64.28.67.48

    $ nslookup slashdot.com
    Server: [snip]
    Address: [snip]

    Non-authoritative answer:
    Name: slashdot.com
    Address: 64.28.67.48

    eudas
  • I thnk a wireless cuecat would be better becasue really.. who reads magazines at their computer? I sure don't. Then jsut scan them and then when I come to my computer I can look athe things I scan? Just a thought....
  • It was a joke... he wasn't trying to say that slashdot.com doesn't point to slashdot.org, but rather say that he called the site "slashdot.com" instead of the normally used title "slashdot.org". That's all nothing more, nothing less.
  • I had three :Cats, but I had to give one away because my landlord only lets me have 2 of them.

    Your landlord has a problem with cats. It's the :Land:Lord you should worry about.

  • If you took a spare computer w/nothing but a power supply and motherboard, how many cuecats could you daisychain together through the keyboard port?

  • Why put in a motherboard? The keyboard voltage is 5 volts, right? Can't you get that directly off the power suppy?

    -David T. C.

  • You haven't seen the scanner for the handspring only because you haven't looked!

    So far, PalmGear's Springboard Module page [palmgear.com] hasn't listed a module for barcode scanning. Not saying that it doesn't exist yet, but PalmGear is the first place Handspring suggests you look for modules.

  • AFAIK the DCMA only applies to reverse engineering controls on copyrighted material. I don't think the barcodes are copyrighted.
  • To put an actual anchor tag in the article where they mentioned /.

    I think not. They did it for D:C, and for the other referenced articles.

  • Technically, Slashdot is a commercial website and has been since they were purchased by Andover.net.

  • Request. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Perhaps someone with a better degree of knowledge in EE and/or optics can help me here. I want to convert my cuecat into a PS/2 powered laser pointer for the purposes of feline exercise and stimulation. The cat loves the laser pointer, in fact she loves it so much I run out of batteries about once a week. If I could manage to fit the relative electronics inside a case with the proper lens and maybe a ps/2 extension cable, this would no longer be a problem, and my cat could start losing some of that weight she's getting (eating better than me, no less!).

    Anyway, if you or someone else could possible come up with a way to accomplish this (I promise I won't use it at theatres with my laptop for the purposes of patron-annoyance) and send details to the flyingbuttmonkeys to post, I would be very thankful.

    Agradecimentos,
    Ó
  • Could someone explain to me Slashdot's obsession with the CueCat? Since when is bar code tech the most important thing going? It isn't and won't take off, and I challenge one Slashdotter to give me a decent indication that there is any chance for this ridiculous system. Now meta-fingerprinting...there's a tech that should be discussed. But I guess none of the editorial staff has shared in the MIT audio encryption tech. Well at least for now.

    1. O P E N___S O U R C E___H U M O R [mikegallay.com]
  • When I got my cuecat, I don't remember any license agreement.

    I have heard some people say that the license agreement was something that they had to sign when they picked up there's at Radio Shack, but I didn't sign anything.

    Maybe there is a license agreement during the software installation process. I don't know. I have never installed their software, so I didn't "click" anything to agree.

    None of the accompanying paperwork had anything that looked like a license agreement.

    Looks like I got away scottfree.

    Seriously, from what I understand, the Radio Shack employee is supposed to get you to sign some paperwork when you get your scanner. But they certainly didn't have me sign ANYTHING. Maybe "digital convergence" should be going after Radio Shack instead of hardware hackers.

    -----------
    On a side note: Has anyone else seen that awful Digital Convergence "Infomercial" about the cuecat? You know, the one where the students and teachers (in our future) revel in the fact that the Cuecat and it's related technologies will be single-most important factor in labotomizing the Internet and the Information Age?

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