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7626

Living Room / Re: If you had a medical implant would you rather it be closed or open source?

« Last post by wraith808 on January 06, 2012, 06:20 PM »

Back to the original post --- I firmly believe that software in medicine like that should be open source, GPL'd software.

-Renegade (January 06, 2012, 02:51 PM)

So what happened to uncle Dave??

Well he was trying to jailbreak his pacemaker and bricked himself.

-Stoic Joker (January 06, 2012, 05:45 PM)

That's hilarious!  And an indication why I, against the grain, like the fact that software in critical positions is closed source.  That said, I'd like for that software to be independently reviewed.  I worked on the side for a pretty high-priced lawyer that dealt with software in escrow, and I think it could work similarly.  For those unfamiliar with what I refer to, he would represent non-IT based companies that were buying mission critical software.  They would place their source in escrow against them going out of business (or other breaches of contract).  That source would be unavailable to the big company as long as the little guy was in business, and abided by the terms of the purchase contract (i.e. support, etc).  That gave the larger company peace of mind, while giving the smaller company a chance to compete in larger areas that might be a bit leery of purchasing from a 1-10 man shop.  My part in this was to verify that the source was complete, compiled, and the result had the same functionality as what was being delivered.

That said, the last time I worked for him on something like that was in the late 90's-early 2000's, so I'm not sure how prevalent that practice still is.

7627

Living Room / Re: Found on the Web: Short Rant Against Users of Free Web Apps

« Last post by wraith808 on January 06, 2012, 03:01 PM »

But what is the way?

-superboyac (January 06, 2012, 01:37 PM)

*sigh*  Work for the man.  *sigh*

And I say this from heartbreaking experience.

7628

Living Room / Re: If you had a medical implant would you rather it be closed or open source?

« Last post by wraith808 on January 06, 2012, 03:00 PM »

Shades of Miranda!

(In Serenity, the government put a pacifying agent in the water of a colony to calm them.  It was an unmitigated failure- it either pacified them to death, or turned them into a raving monster)

7629

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 Mugs, etc. -- All participants please read in

« Last post by wraith808 on January 06, 2012, 02:56 PM »

I still like Finalist best.

-mouser (January 06, 2012, 02:26 PM)

Doesn't finalist by definition imply a yet to be selected winner? It sounds unfinished.

-Stoic Joker (January 06, 2012, 02:45 PM)

Agreed.  I like Contributing Developer best, Developer second, and Contributor third.

7630

Living Room / Re: Found on the Web: Short Rant Against Users of Free Web Apps

« Last post by wraith808 on January 06, 2012, 08:15 AM »

Stop trying to make the word 'free' mean something it doesn't.

Want people to stop being confused about what 'free' means? That's easy. Just stop trying to confuse them...and maybe ban the word 'free' from our marketing vocabulary as one way of accomplishing that.

-40hz (January 05, 2012, 08:34 PM)

Many people respond to the word 'free' in a manner that is out of sync with what it actually means; they'll use things that they wouldn't use, and make an extraordinary effort just because 'free' is attached to it.  I was watching a tv show the other night, and there was a band that had been booked for a stage far off the beaten path.  They changed the name of the band to 'free beer', and a huge crowd showed up.   Now, this was only a TV show, but I think it speaks to the use of 'free' as a marketing tactic, the same as using '$ X.99' to make it seem like the price is lower than it really is.

Also, free is a matter of perspective.  From an absolute perspective, *nothing* is free.  In terms of money?  This site *is* free- it requires no monetary expenditure.  But you *are* spending your ability to not be contacted by the person.  And people don't understand this concept.  Even FOSS is not *free*.  Everything has its downsides, and in an absolute manner, that downside is a *cost*.  Not in money, but it is a cost.

7631

Living Room / Re: Found on the Web: Short Rant Against Users of Free Web Apps

« Last post by wraith808 on January 05, 2012, 08:21 PM »

Lesson: when requesting permission to conduct e-mail marketing it's usually much smarter to ask people to opt-in rather than breeze them into accepting and later offer them the opportunity to opt-out. Many times, requiring people to opt-out of an automatic enrollment results in bad feelings and suspicion.

-40hz (January 05, 2012, 05:40 PM)

I don't think he was referring to his original opt in preference, rather to the e-mail he sends out.  From the article:

When creating the letter, I have people agree to my privacy policy before they finish. It says I may contact them from time to time letting them know when our other site’s open for the holiday season.

i.e. you either create the letter and agree to let him contact you, or don't and don't.  In effect, it's not really free.  You're giving him the ability to contact you in exchange for using the service.

7632

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 Mugs, etc. -- All participants please read in

« Last post by wraith808 on January 05, 2012, 04:59 PM »

Yes, definitely!  That was the one I was referring to!

7633

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 Mugs, etc. -- All participants please read in

« Last post by wraith808 on January 05, 2012, 02:42 PM »

Images:
 (see attachment in previous post)

-mouser (January 05, 2012, 07:51 AM)

I like the third one!  I didn't want a shot glass, but wanted something new- now I see what that is!

7634

Living Room / Re: Hosters are impossible. (A.k.a. get me what I want, not what I don't want!)

« Last post by wraith808 on January 03, 2012, 07:16 AM »

@worstje - what do you mean multiple domains for simultaneous logins are no longer supported?  I do that all the time?  Unless I'm missing your point...

7635

Developer's Corner / Re: How do I Start a Ribbon Project?

« Last post by wraith808 on January 01, 2012, 08:55 PM »

It's a business management application ... So it really kinda has to be a MDI so users don't have to contend with lose windows scattered all over the desktop while looking up multiple clients/products/contracts/etc.

-Stoic Joker (January 01, 2012, 02:17 PM)

I've done something like this in SDI with WPF, and it actually turned out better once I got rid of my preconceptions. 

Two things I did to make window management simple:
1. The windows are aware of the other windows and there is a menu that allows you to select the other windows from that window
2. There is a launch application that everything is launched from, which also has an icon in the tray notification area.

How this helped and became a help rather than a hindrance:
1. They each run in their own process
2. All of the client machines have two monitors, so the MDI interface that they were used to actually limited their ability to position windows; they used to run two instances of the application.
3. They all are upgrading to windows 7; the positioning abilities of windows 7 actually made the layout more versatile.

So I'd say don't limit yourself by the classic UI, but look at the options and find out what actually works best for the client.

7636

Developer's Corner / Re: How do I Start a Ribbon Project?

« Last post by wraith808 on January 01, 2012, 01:46 PM »

Sorry for jumping in late- I've not been following the boards closely while I've been on vacation.

The preceding is incorrect.  You can do wpf with VS2008 (I started learning with VS2008).  

A good article on getting started with WPF in VS008 can be found here.

You can also do Ribbon with WinForms. A project on codeplex wraps this up here.

7637

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: Canceled NANY 2012 Pledge: Track My Stuff!

« Last post by wraith808 on December 31, 2011, 11:20 AM »

Sorry to hear it, but I totally understand, wraith. Looking forward to your contribution next year!

-kyrathaba (December 31, 2011, 10:32 AM)

My other one is still on, however...

7638

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 Pledge: Desktop URL Embed

« Last post by wraith808 on December 31, 2011, 06:51 AM »

No... not canceled.

7639

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 Pledge: Track My Stuff!

« Last post by wraith808 on December 31, 2011, 06:50 AM »

It will get released- just not in time for NANY unfortunately.

7640

Living Room / Re: How to destroy yourself on the internet in 24 hours

« Last post by wraith808 on December 30, 2011, 10:49 AM »

He used his site (4 million viewers) to destroy one customer support guy.

-wr975 (December 29, 2011, 06:42 PM)

I wouldn't say that.  He posted his opinion and the e-mails.  What happened after that was a result of the mob.  You have to be very careful what you post or e-mail on the internet, because your privacy isn't guaranteed, and the internet is vicious and has a long memory.  In the end, what happened was his own fault for forgetting that, and saying whatever he wanted.

7641

Living Room / Re: Hosters are impossible. (A.k.a. get me what I want, not what I don't want!)

« Last post by wraith808 on December 29, 2011, 03:07 PM »

Anyone able to help out with suggestions for good hosters and such?

-worstje (December 29, 2011, 08:02 AM)

I have my own server/service that I run, though I don't really advertise because I'm not in the business of hosting; I just do it for myself, referrals, and clients of my other services.  If what you're doing doesn't work out, I can give you exactly what you want, and you can pretty much decide what you think it's worth.

7642

General Software Discussion / Re: write app tutorial

« Last post by wraith808 on December 29, 2011, 01:04 PM »

If you want other options, you might also try ScreenSteps or StepShot.  I've used ScreenSteps, and it's top notch.  I have StepShot, but haven't had the opportunity to utilize it yet.

7643

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by wraith808 on December 28, 2011, 02:21 PM »

^ Probably a better indicator since the 1000 on that post will be gone when he posts again

7644

Best E-mail Client / Re: E-mail client recommendations

« Last post by wraith808 on December 28, 2011, 02:20 PM »

As as result, I try to use webmail as much as possible these days.

Don't much care for webmail either. But at least I don't need to worry about it crashing as much or unexpectedly corrupting my message store.

-40hz (December 28, 2011, 02:06 PM)

+1

7645

Living Room / Re: More Hilarity - "Can I have my spy plane back?"

« Last post by wraith808 on December 28, 2011, 12:21 AM »

Hopefully this works:

http://www.gpo.gov/f...LLS-112hr1540enr.pdf

That's for v7. Is that the right one or wrong one?

-Renegade (December 27, 2011, 08:01 PM)

Yes, that's the correct one, and the changes are in that one.

7646

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 Pledge and Early Beta: Christian Prayer Minder

« Last post by wraith808 on December 27, 2011, 11:44 AM »

Wow... you're working hard!  Good work!

7647

Living Room / Re: Adware is not freeware, right?

« Last post by wraith808 on December 27, 2011, 10:48 AM »

I meant the geek who was a geek because thats how they actually are, not the geek who just wants to appear that way to people around them.
People who actually spend time DOING things like programming, and not just talking about it.

People say Sheldon reminds them of me, it just annoys me. He spends too much time socialising ineptly. While I am perfectly capable but just have other things that amuse me more than other people.

-Fred Nerd (December 26, 2011, 08:23 PM)

But Sheldon *does* do things.  This is a sit-com, so they show his home life more than his lab life, right?  He even brings his work home with him...

7648

Living Room / Re: More Hilarity - "Can I have my spy plane back?"

« Last post by wraith808 on December 27, 2011, 10:47 AM »

It's moved from 1031 to 1021, so looks like I was out of date above and being ranty again.

http://thomas.loc.go...query/z?d112:HR01540: < You need to drill down. You can't link to it directly.

SEC. 1021. AFFIRMATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES TO DETAIN COVERED PERSONS PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE.

 (a) In General- Congress affirms that the authority of the President to use all necessary and appropriate force ... includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war.

 (b) Covered Persons- A covered person under this section is any person as follows:

 ...

 (2) ...any person who has committed a belligerent act...

It's still there. It still says "anyone we feel like". "Belligerent act" is simply massively broad.

-Renegade (December 26, 2011, 09:16 PM)

No, it's not still there.  Sections stay the same in bills, but can be dropped or added as needed, so you have to look at the final bill to see what is being voted on/passed.

This is the one that is being presented to the president (the same one in your quote on the 7th version).  Note that section 1021 does not exist.

The situation that Jim pointed out is the truth of the matter. (Thanks for that Jim)  Why it's being referred to as still being in the bill?  I don't know...

And the link I posted above tells the exact stage that the bill is in.

7649

Living Room / Re: More Hilarity - "Can I have my spy plane back?"

« Last post by wraith808 on December 26, 2011, 03:02 PM »

Section 1031?  I've read it, and it doesn't say that.  To quote in its entirety:

SEC. 1031. DEFINITION OF INDIVIDUAL DETAINED AT GUANTANAMO.

In this subtitle, the term `individual detained at Guantanamo' means any individual who is located at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on or after March 7, 2011, who--
(1) is not a citizen of the United States or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States; and
(2) is in the custody or under the effective control of the Department of Defense.

Unless you mean another section 1031?  But that's pulled directly from the bill's text.  Perhaps section 1034 is what you mean:

SEC. 1034. AFFIRMATION OF ARMED CONFLICT WITH AL-QAEDA, THE TALIBAN, AND ASSOCIATED FORCES.

Congress affirms that--
(1) the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces and that those entities continue to pose a threat to the United States and its citizens, both domestically and abroad;
(2) the President has the authority to use all necessary and appropriate force during the current armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note);
(3) the current armed conflict includes nations, organization, and persons who--
(A) are part of, or are substantially supporting, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners; or
(B) have engaged in hostilities or have directly supported hostilities in aid of a nation, organization, or person described in subparagraph (A); and
(4) the President's authority pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) includes the authority to detain belligerents, including persons described in paragraph (3), until the termination of hostilities.

But even that is limited, though the language is unclear.  The intent is towards combatants in the 'war', and this unclear terminology is being used as a talking point.

That fact (and Ron Paul's usage of the talking point) is made a bit more clear in this bit by Politifact.com.

Paul’s debate warning ties to the House-approved language adding "associated forces" to the Taliban and al-Qaeda as permitted U.S. targets--not to the Defense Department’s budget, contrary to his wording.

Most significantly, the U.S. government has laid claim to such authority for about a decade. So even if the cited provisions pass into law, they would not change how the government prosecutes detainees. Also, we saw no evidence that the change would make American non-combatants vulnerable. We rate Paul’s claim Mostly False.

This is not to say that there aren't still problems with the legislation as written.  My major point is that Ron Paul is a politician.  Relying on him to 'save us' is just like relying on Obama to enact 'change that we can believe in'.  Everyone is hampered by a lack of understanding that the politicians serve the people rather than themselves and special interests, so that the government is deadlocked.  The people need to send a clear word to the politicians that we don't want washington to be politics as usual.  But we don't.  And whomever wins is spun to be a victory by the people, but the people had little to do with it, other than being directed by the spending and commercials to vote for the lesser evil.

Obama never vetoed it. It went through.

-Renegade (December 26, 2011, 11:04 AM)

From govtrack.us

Status: Passed Congress. Next: Having passed in identical form in both the House and Senate, this bill now awaits the signature of the President before becoming law. [Last Updated: Dec 22, 2011 12:00PM]

Senate vote details

House Vote Details

As the President is on vacation (and has been since before that update) it has not been signed.

7650

Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?

« Last post by wraith808 on December 26, 2011, 02:36 PM »

All of this is just FUD, and maybe from a consumer prospective or even a small ISV prospective it might seem that this is just around the corner.  But coming from somewhere that has a huge IT department and that has just spent a sickening amount of money on VS2010 and MSDN, I can tell you that it just isn't so.

-wraith808 (December 26, 2011, 09:08 AM)

I'll have to respectfully disagree with you that all of this is "just" FUD. (Gotta be careful with that "just" argument. I'm often guilty of that myself.) But I suppose our corporate work experiences are rather different. 

Either way, time will tell. 

-40hz (December 26, 2011, 11:37 AM)

I'd guess it depends on the types of companies you work for, and the type of work that you do.  IT encompasses a whole lot now, but as a developer, I work for firms that to a large degree depend on software, even if they sell a different product.  My current company sells information- collated and sourced investment information.  Numbers and such when you break it down.  But they use software to get that, collate it, source it, check it, package it, and deliver it.  And though there might be third party tools used, its to a large degree very custom.  Too custom at times.  But when time to market is everything, using the same thing as everyone else is not going to cut it.  Believe me, we've discussed Metro and what it means.  And dealing directly with Microsoft, it doesn't mean what people are saying it means.  Of course, that could just be talking to the audience, and I'm not dismissive of any information (or at least try not to be), and excuse if the 'just' offended.

But as you say, it will all come out in time.  And it is a good thing to watch for signs so that when that time comes, you can be prepared.