If they really felt this way then they would allow players and transmission without patent royalties. They would make it official and permanent. They have not. "I don't think", "99% of websites", and
"It would be stupid of them" doesn't cut it. If you want to put faith in them, go ahead. I'd like to think we know better then that.

Flash is an optional addon. There is no optional addon to play h.264. The support for the video is built into the browser, and once it's built in the browser cannot be redistributed due to patents. This is why Firefox can't play H.264, and the reason Theora doesn't have support from some key players. Without the patents, there is no control.

Of course it's H.264. That's the superior standard! And by superior I mean it allows a superior level of control over the once free and open Internet.

... researchers have found that putting a Formula One engine into a Mack truck wipes out the advantages of the 19,000 rpm.

I've had the opposite experience. I installed FreeNX on a VM at the office to provide remote desktops to my users. I didn't have any trouble at all setting it up (Kubuntu 9.10), and had it up and running in 15 minutes.

I had not heard of xrdp before. I'll have to look into it. One of the 'problems' with NX is requiring the user to install the NX client on their machine at home. Maybe if I switch I can eliminate that issue. Although I kind of doubt it's as bandwidth efficient and responsive as NX. Even remote 128k dsl connections are really, really smooth over NX.

I don't think you've used Ubuntu in a long time. The hardware manager pops up on first boot and gives you the option to install proprietary drivers for devices it's found on your system (like Nvidia/AMD cards). Also, the first time you try to use a media player you get the option to install proprietary codecs. This has worked for at least the last couple of years.

It wouldn't matter. They still couldn't allow it to be redistributed. They would have to keep track of every Firefox download and pay a fee for each one. Nobody could include Firefox in any other download. Linux distros would have to fork it to strip the patented code out. Mozilla is making the right choice by pushing for an open video format instead of trying to find a 'workaround' for getting h.264 working. H.264 is a minefield and doesn't belong on an open and Free Internet.

Sounds like a money grab. US arrests 'terrorists', S.C. fines them $25k for not registering...
I'm sure they will get their money too... hahahaha
Nevermind. This is just stupid.

Sorry, forgot /sarcasm on that post.

> fix a 3G connectivity problem
So will it work on AT&T now? T-Mobile doesn't have crap anywhere near where I live.

I'm not familiar with the sad situation you relate, but I do not believe it has anything to do with the parent comment. Also, I have noticed that at least half of the bicyclists in my area do not obey traffic laws in any form, and the rest obey them sporadically. They don't stay on their side of the road. They don't signal. They don't maintain safe distances. They cut traffic off. The list goes on. Many of the offenders are "professional" riders too. They compete at the local velodrome. They have friken sponsors. Hence, they should know better. When one of these idiots dies, and leaves behind a grieving family and friends, I feel bad for the survivors. However, any anger I have goes right to the idiot who got run over by the 18 wheeler because he did something stupid, not the poor truck driver who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and now has the face of said idiot burned into his mind for the rest of his life. Just because the bicyclist lost the fight with the truck does not mean it's not his fault.

Really, that's what makes people feel anger toward bicyclists. We all know how we would feel if we were that truck driver. The deceased problems are over. The survivors, including the driver, have to live with it. There is a lot more to weigh down on you then traffic tickets in that situation. I know that if some stupid bicyclist would run a stop sign around a blind corner and I hit and killed him, I would feel absolutely horrible for a long, long time. It doesn't matter who's fault it is. You feel horrible unless you're dead.

The article you mentioned seems to indicate the parents of that 7 year old were not at fault for the accident, but rather the driver was. That's a sad situation, and I would have fully expected the driver to face charges. Definitely a break down of justice in that case.

"I don't give a damn about their ideology or their patent concerns"

I'll just stop reading there. Thats really stupid of you.

The only asterisk/gsm related hardware I've ever found was for connecting asterisk to the gsm network (using cellular as a trunk) not connecting gsm phones to Asterisk.

I would love to have something like this that interfaces with Asterisk.

Sure, but a V8 can't touch a straight six turbo in the "looks good and hauls ass" department.

I'm sorry? Have you driven a modern V8 powered muscle car lately? Dollar for dollar a simple push-rod V8 will outperform an I6 turbo, last longer, and get comparable fuel efficiency to boot. Unlike what people seem to want to believe, these are NOT the same engines we had 50 years ago. They are far, far more efficient and powerful. That covers the 'hauls ass' part. As for the 'looks good', well, there is no accounting for taste. :)