JPEG XR is actually quite good and is now an open standard. I recently did an extensive evaluation of JPEG 2000 vs. JPEG XR. While JPEG 2000 has slightly better compression quality (less visible artifacts) at the same file sizes it’s decode performance is substantially slower than JPEG XR (the same is true for encode performance, but decode is much more important). In my testing, one of the fastest JPEG 2000 libraries, Kakadu, is anywhere from 1.8 to 2x slower than JPEG XR at decoding files. Kakadu is a commercial framework, the open source OpenJPEG library is supposed to be substantially slower.

Compared to standard JPEG, JPEG XR has on average the same or very similar decode performance. The bottom line is that with JPEG XR you get compression quality and file sizes that are similar to JPEG 2000 with performance that is similar to standard JPEG. In my eyes, it’s the best successor available to replace JPEG. But it has a long uphill battle ahead of it.

That a software license covering a reference software implementation that Microsoft provided, not a patent license. They've made the patents freely available to implementers since 2007 as part of their Microsoft Open Specification Promise:

I gather you haven't actually lived in Manhattan? Refills aren't free at most restaurants in NYC. It's just another one of those "taxes" that you pay for the privilege of living in the city.

Anyway, I'm glad I no longer live there especially with Bloomberg trying to pull crap like this.

That's what happens when you become a god.

And I call that bullshit. For how many years have Comcast and other ISPs been overcharging their customers for the services they provide? If they sell unlimited bandwidth then they should expect heavy usage and they should be investing heavily in upgrading their network to support the bandwidth requirements of the future. Comcast's customers have been paying a premium for years to use the bandwidth. If Comcast was shortsighted enough to not see that bandwidth usage would be increasing dramatically then it's their own damn fault for not upgrading their infrastructure to keep pace.

The subscribers have been and are currently paying for the bandwidth. Level 3 shouldn't have to pay for something that Comcast's customers have already paid for.

Not to be a dick but I paid for the fucking bandwidth. And so did all of Comcast's other subscribers. Comcast is trying to double-dip here - chargin me, the subscriber, for the bandwidth as well as charging Level 3 for the bandwidth. And that's just bullshit.

Kind of like what AT&T just did for the iPhone and iPad?

No one that matters cares about this. By which I mean almost all consumers could care less if a product is endorsed by the FSF - the vast majority will have never heard of them.

Oh you'll start caring if Skype pulls this same bullshit for their Android client and starts charging for Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G. I think you might care about that.

Because Skype's been too busy with their thumb up their ass trying to figure out how to "monetize" Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G for the iPhone. And, as others have pointed out, Skype has been available for some time on the iPhone, they've just restricted it to only working over WiFi up until now.

AT&T lifted the 3G VOIP restriction months ago and Skype should have been able to release an update the day that AT&T did that. After all, it requires MORE code to check if you're on a 3G connection and display an error message. When there are no restrictions you don't need any code to check what type of connection you're using you just use the data connection without regard to where it's coming from. But no, Skype sat on their asses trying to figure out - Hey, how can we get iPhone users to pay us more money? Then some conceded dumb fuck said - I know, let's start charging for Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G, that will get us making some money.

Yeah, the service that's always been free for any other computer, phone or any other device. Skype's going to start charging us for the 3G data plan that we're already paying for. Well, I'm sorry Skype but you can go fuck yourselves if you think I'm going to pay you for that.

They made the change when they unveiled iPhone OS 4. That the release of CS 5 was coming soon is a coincidence and nothing more.

The problem is that the fundamentalist/extremist Muslims don't fear the repercussions of their actions. The reason why they don't fear retaliation is because we don't have the resolve or guts to break their will. In ancient warfare you decimated your enemy until he had no desire or will to continue fighting. There was no care or hesitation for collateral damage. That type of warfare will never happen in this day and age (at least not from us) which is why we'll never be able to fully suppress zealots such as these.