With apologies

This just proves we ARE evolved from the Golfrinchians.

MIT

I agree with Synja and JStor shouldn't be getting the heat they are. MIT wouldn't drop the case even when JStor agreed to.

So, one of the consortium members was basically overruling the consortium. They need to sort out who should be the predominant voice in these situations. Although, MIT is where the actual "damage" took place so perhaps they should have more say.

This is an aside from how the USA took down the servers and the loss of access to legal files people had (stupidly) kept on a site designed to be a way around copyright. I don't agree with the methods and I think the site should have had a cease and desist order issued by the hosting country and/or the country where the owner/s reside. That would have given time for legal files to be moved, for the illegal files to be tracked when they were moved (which provides evidence for future court proceedings) and time for the owner/s to prepare their legal defense.

If you copy a copyrighted file to avoid paying the copyright owner their fee, that is theft. I don't care what semantics you try to use. If you don't think that movie, music, artwork or picture is worth the price then don't buy it. Don't go and download it from a buddy and claim that since you weren't going to buy it anyway that there is no loss to the owner. I will grant that that loss is hard to quantify, and most of the numbers being used in court cases are complete bull.

For those of you that are going to claim that you pirate whatever to see what artists you like so you can then purchase their stuff; let's just say I believe you to be an extreme minority, like leprechauns and unicorns.

"Don't cross the beams Ray!"

HR

In our company there is a disconnect between HR and IT. They'll drop someone's belongings off the roof into a bin and escort them off the premises without telling us. Ever. We find out when we get a request to change the name on the phone line to the new person. Sometimes this is months later.

We are very lucky we haven't been trashed remotely.

Cage match

How about we put all the lawyers and top execs from both companies in a caged death match? Last one standing wins. Then shoot that one.

Invalidate all the patents from both companies that are being contested here and prohibit them being reassigned.

Then disband the USPTO and do it over with out any previous employee/manager/political halfwit appointee being allowed in the new office.

Quit poking me, I'm having a nice nap here.

barriers

Until such time as Western politicians find the fortitude to mirror China's regulatory scheme Western businesses will not get a foothold in China.

Western economies (especially the US) are eventually going to collapse because we've sold our base manufacturing capability down the river and we've flat out become soft. We regulate our own businesses to the point they can't compete domestically with China, while China outright bars outside investment. They are smart enough to realize they can keep their money in house as well as get our money by allowing cheap manufacturing to continue and we won't do anything substantial about it.

Now finally a middle class is evolving in China and putting pressure (subtle but there at least) on the ruling class to allow more freedoms. There is even a budding environmental movement which will eventually put the same economic pressures on their manufacturing as we have. Once the trifecta of environmental regulation, health and safety regulation and increasing demand for similar amenities as other nations have take root there it will sway the balance back towards our domestic suppliers. The question is whether it will be too late to save our economies. Or will the West become the suppliers of cheap manufacturing and desktop support for the new wealthy elite countries of China, India, etc?

There would be some karma in that, but I don't want to see it come about. Call me what you will. I would prefer that we ALL have safe, clean and economically viable jobs whatever they might be and that the cultures of various nations be respected by all. Since I don't partake of reality altering substances I probably won't be seeing that, but it is a nice pipe dream.

Collusion

There is nothing that I found that says potential class action claimants couldn't collude to introduce small claims in hundreds of jurisdictions on the same day instead of pursuing a class action. That virtually guarantees MS will not have enough coverage lawyer-wise (unless they contract out at going rates - $) to handle the deluge.

Bonus is that the individual winners will actually get the money, vs the typical class-action lawsuit.

Our local laws allow for reasonable compensation for time lost, costs, etc.

Now, I don't agree with the SC's assertion that a standard form should allow companies to get out of class action status, however the ambulance chasers have brought this on us by their very actions.

Thanks Simon!

good on them

I hope they plan this out and do the transition right. If it works, it will help foster more expertise and interest in *nix rollouts.

That in turn might make MS get off their a$$ and tighten up the code (and the costs) for Windows.

That makes it better for all platforms.

Fair competition is good.

I actually think MS did a reasonable job with 7, and I think that is because their pocketbook got hurt with Vista and the subsequent race to alternatives. People realizing that they don't need a pc for watching youtube videos and facebook hurt them too.

Shaq is 22.x flaccid penises. Is that *cold* flaccid penises or room temperature?

Both

Knowing the schizophrenia of the US government in general and the FBI in particular, I would say they are playing both sides. The investigative arm has an ongoing (if fairly recent) investigation of Carrier IQ and the techie/support/observation peeps are perusing the logs captured by Carrier IQ in other venues.

Let's not count out the rest of the DHS and their alphabet soup of agencies. I would bet good money that the FBI is not the only agency using AND investigating Carrier IQ.

Good thing someone bought me some tinfoil and someone else posted instructions for its use...

Obligatory

Pot calling Kettle!

Here there be a title.

Vaporware.

Google Earth

Google Earth installs in much the same way. No admin rights necessary.

Big problem: Google Earth is only free for HOME use. Corporate use requires a bought and paid for license. If IT can't stop the install, how can we insure we are not going to be sued for having illegal copies of software on the computer?

Chrome Frame isn't licensed apparently (yet) so that isn't an issue with it, but it opens the door for other apps that are licensed.

I run SRware Iron and I like it, but Google in and of itself can go blow meat whistles.

I wonder.

If Skype had not just been purchased by MS if some of these comments would change? What if it were still a darling of the startup crowd and Bushamov did this? Would it still not be a big deal?

Yeah, yeah, yeah title schmitle.

Vegetarian is an old Native American word for "poor hunter".

benchmarks

It would have been nice to see it benchmarked against the Ipad 1 & 2 and the Xoom.

If manufacturers keep punting these tablets out they have to eventually get it right. It looks like Acer is on the right track at least.

little mistake

I don't think she made her bed. I think she rumpled it!

Apparently she's been reading our (US) papers. There is always a story about some bs lawsuit that enriched a pos.

The problem is that insurance companies pay out instead of fighting the case. They consider it more economical to pay a little every time than get hit with an outlandish settlement from some cockamamie jury. Coffee anyone?

I say fight it till the bitter end and drag her through the mud. Lots of pictures, full disclosure of the facts, etc. And then hire a lawyer for her ex-husband so he can sue her for emotional suffering.

Vendors

We would love to ditch IE6 across the board. Unfortunately we have vendors that WILL NOT update their product for a variety of excuses.

"We are coming out with a cloud app." A favorite of the square glasses crowd. 2 years and counting.

"We are working on a whole new revision that will support everything." Yeah, for 6 freaking years you zipperhead. *

"That application isn't being supported anymore." But there isn't a replacement in the cycle and they are still charging for licenses. And because it is a niche market there isn't competition to go to.

Our other problem is users. Confusing them by changing so much as the background color of their desktop or moving or changing an icon calls for days of training and repeated calls for support even after that. Do you really think they can handle swapping to Chrome, Firefox or even a newer IE without swamping support?

*Zipperhead is my affectionate name for those people whose doctors left in a zipper after the first lobotomy just in case they didn't get it all.