We live in a world where thousands of children starve to death every day, people are killed or imprisoned for expressing their beliefs, women/minorities/everybody are oppressed, and few people really care about any of it, because it's all someone else's problem. I find it kind of funny (and more than a little sad) that the use of a driver can be blithely written off as "immoral" just because you can't download the source.

So freedom is what you want me to do.

I get it!

That's what she said.

Exactly, which makes them Nice Fat 'n Juicy targets for some shmuck holding patents.

And re: Submarine patent proof: That's the whole point! If there was proof, they wouldn't be submarine!

Also, you can phone up your bank, if their site's not working for you and scream:
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T SUPPORT GOOGLE?"
and they'll get with the Google.

Try that with StarForce..

Also: Include the kazillions earned via merchandising! Cars made tons!

Steve Jobs becoming majority share holder of Disney

No, no, no! He is the *largest* (single) shareholder! A stake of around 7% from what I last heard...a majority shareholder would have > 50%+1!

How can you fudge numbers up like that - this is slashdot dammit!

I wish I could mod this all the way to the front page. Excellent comment.

I haven't subscribed to a landline telephone service in at least 7 years. I've never had an irrational desire to make use of those few little wires running through the walls in all that time. Just think, someday when little Tommy asks, "Daddy, what are these strange holes in the wall for?" you can share with him your fond memories of the technology of yesteryear. He will then share with you just how old he thinks you and the house are by saying, "you used to talk with wires?!?!"

This doesn't seem like a significant improvement over, say, carrying a pencil or marker, some paper, and a flare. Write message on paper, strike flare, hold up paper, and hope the good guys have a pair of binoculars handy and happen to notice you.

It seems like if you got into a situation where you couldn't use electronics but were close enough for someone else to see you and you didn't care if the enemy sees you, either, the set of messages would be pretty small. Probably mostly along the lines of, "OH SHIT! SEND TANK!"

Sure, but AMD is an anagram of MAD!

And that's the problem. Companies with shareholders are required by law to compete as hard as they can.

That's actually not true.

A common economic theory is that what's best for a company is to aim to Maximise Shareholder Value, and that the best way to do that is to compete as hard as they can. But it's not law.

But even then, "as hard as they can" doesn't include anti-competative behaviour (or other unlawful things, like bombing AMD offices) because the EU will go and sit on you.

Only a 2 I'm affraid.

No, it's because it's a necessary simplification of an uncertain future. Mark-to-market ftw, as the kids say.

You, sir, win.