Time to dust off these pages and fire off another shot. If you are trying to share content with others, or even yourself within your own home, be sure that you have paid for it, at least three times: once for the tape version, once for the CD version, and once for the mp3/digital DVD version, or you will be very, very sorry; the cartels want to stick it to you, making you pay for each and every listen and view--and remember, it's not copyright infringement, it's 'piracy!!!' (much scarier sounding), so prepare to be boarded, you rotten scalawag:
Defendant was required to provide the name and address of each person who used his computer during the three years prior to commencement of the lawsuit.
I always keep a running log dating back three tears detailing the name and address of everyone who has accessed my computer, don't you?
If that's not enough, the Powers that be behind the RIAA/MPAA want to make it so that you have to pay for each and every listen and view of your legally purchased content, even if it's within your own home; (I've been predicting this all along, but for them to state it so boldly is a bit of a shock)
Burger remarked that the broadcasting industry is keen to put controls on sharing media between devices even if those devices are on a home network and even if the sharing is strictly for personal use. When pressed as to why broadcasters would want to do this, Burger replied simply 'because they want you to pay for that right.'"
May as well just put a dollar bill/coinbox on each and every device you own, and make it a true jukebox; the RIAA/MPAA security forces will have the only key, and can come around at their convenience to collect their take.
I'll bet you're glad of the freedom you enjoy living the old US of A, aren't you? The freedom to pay top dollar, while residents of China can pay just a fraction (1$) of what you do, for that glorious new system from Microsoft, Vista:
"Microsoft this week cut the retail price of Windows Vista Home Basic in China by 67% — from 1,521 renminbi to 499 renminbi ($65.80). This is a steep discount compared to what users in the US and elsewhere are charged for the software. The reason for the price reduction? Battling piracy, of course.
But wait! If 'piracy!!!' brings down prices, and forces more competitiveness, then is it still bad? I'm getting confused. Clearly Americans need to pick up the pace on that front. (Just kidding, it's wrong to infringe copyright.)
It's not enough that you have to keep a record of each and everything someone else might do on your computer (and you have to keep a three year log of names of addresses of said persons), or that you have to pay for each and every listen even within your own home, or even that AT&T, the RIAA/MPAA, and Microsoft will be screening all your content for the horrid 'pirated!!!' zeroes and ones; no, your computer needs to think about the children!!!(of the USofA, and nowhere else), so the government is going to install a super-duper content screening chip on all your devices, because you can't just turn them off, or something:
The Senate Commerce Committee has stepped in and approved a legislation asking the Federal Communications Commission to 'oversee the development of a super V-chip that could screen content on everything from cell phones to the Internet.' Since the content viewed by children is no longer restricted to TV or radio Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., the sponsor of the Child Safe Viewing Act, feels that the new law is necessary
Good thing both parties are thinking of the children; it's not like they need health care, adequate food or education; those things are so 20th century, don't you know? They might see something upsetting that would put them off their gruel. Bravo, brave Senate! Thanks for protecting the vulnerable eyes and ears of our children (and no one else's!); I'm sure you'll get around to protecting their minds, stomachs,and other parts sometime in the next century or so. Bravo, Dear Sirs and Madams! Bravo!
And what about Linux taking over the desktop market? Well, according to the most learned of individuals, don't hold your breath:
So, things have changed. But, enough for Linux to take over? No, and that is because Microsoft’s initial success has basically meant that it made most of the rules. People have gotten used to the way Microsoft’s software works. We’ve gotten used to the way they do things.
Hmm. Good point. Microsoft has made most of the rules, or at least the ones it hasn't broken or openly flouted;
The popularity of Windows also means that most vendors dedicate most of their energy to making their wares work in Windows. And therein lies the reference to the capitalist market I made in the prior article. The market has chosen Windows and now we are dealing with that choice.
Ah, yess. The market. And it has chosen wisely, no doubt about it. But what of virtualization/emulation, you may well ask?
Wine isn’t perfect. It can run some software, but the support is spotty. Another option would include virtual machines inside of Linux to run Windows software, but that doesn’t appear to be very workable at this point either.
Yup, that's a toughie. My own uses of vmware-server has been a total bust. The friggin' thing just doesn't work! What ever can one do? Might there be a solution to us Open Source luzers?
Linux needs to operate more and more like Windows. It is getting there. But, Linux needs to get such that you don’t need a command line hardly at all. Installing programs should be as easy as double-clicking a file (not tracking down package dependencies).
There you have it. Make it more like Windows! And just remove that nasty console from the kernel while you're at it. And one more thing: don't make us hunt down dependencies!!! I spend nearly all my time doing just that, and never a moment to use and install all the distros that I do. Or something.
So remember to pay for all your music and movies at least three times, choose only software and operating systems that look and act like Windows, and never, ever let down the children!!! A final simple reminder: Copyright infringement='Piracy!!!', Linux='Piracy!!!', and Open Standards are what Redmond says they are (and nothing else!). Oh, and that $139 Linux computer? Just a figment of your imagination. Plus it doesn't run Vista. Move along, nothing to see.