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Good morning and happy rainy day Monday. It'll be not so good on the roads. It has been a while since the last rain, and the road oils which built up are floating out... slip-n-slid time. It is Monday, right?
I managed to rebuild my Start Page yesterday, finally. Broke things out into categories a bit, though not their final layout, I think. I added an "I Read" section, for personal journal and blog sites that I try to get two every day or four, but not from the Daynotes Gang... You're welcome to drop by, have a look at my Start, and see what I've written in the wet sand there, from time to time.
In other news, I was looking at an message from the Linux-Newbie mailing list this morning. This guy writes constantly, on many, many different topics he has questions. I've chipped in and tried to help out from time to time, either because I knew the answer, or I wanted to know the answer, and so could help him out and learn something for myself at the same time.
However, this morning's question was like some of the others he's done in the past, "Does anyone know if Linux 2.4 has USB?" To which I wanted to reply, "Don't you ever, ever search for an answer on your own using Linux sites and Google, before falling back on the Linux-Newbies mailing list to replace your own little gray cells?" Already that's more polite than I felt in that moment.
I immediately clicked on reply... then took a couple of deep breaths and canceled the reply without typing a response. I went through the rest of my mailbox, then returned to that message. I opened another reply, and responded, "Yes." Hope that helps him... <g> He'll probably be more... explicit in his next post, and I'll provide some guidance to the correct resources to answer the question on his own, and some un-asked for advice to try what he can, and run into problems, then report the problems and ask for help.
Now to work with me. I'll be back later. TTFN.
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Later, in this case, being today. Heh. Mmmm. I don't know what happened to last night... Oh, that's right, I did virtually none of the things I was going to do, and instead played worked with GnuPG. I'm only partially successful at incorporating gpg awareness into Vim - I can read encrypted files in just fine, but the encrypted output part is garbled and destroyed. Not at all what is wanted. Hmmm.
Even with a sticky note on the bezel, I neglected to address an email with questions from the kind Mr. Bowman... (kind? Well, I'm still breathing, and we know who has HAL's ear, so to speak (still a better case than having Van Gogh's ear, eh?)). I promise I'll get to it today sometime, Dan!
I came across a decent reference for "Setting up a home network" using Linux on the front lines. After a first, brief scan, I don't see any fundamental problems, so here's the link. One terminology translation for those whom it may help - the author refers to crossover cables as "twist", but does use them in appropriate locations.
Keep an eye on the new SourceForge Project that Matt Beland has started, Project Conestoga. I don't see Matt as a D. D. Harriman, but he might want the Leslie LeCroix spot... Hmmm. Open Source moon colonization may sound a bit ... kooky, but so far as I'm concerned, any effort is way better than none at all. If you're interested, sign up for an account at SourceForge, then send an email to Matt signing up.
Oh, blessings and great joy from this household to the Syroid's, especially that newly employed one, Tom. Hurrah, Huzzah, and RaH!!! More words like that. It's a great relief to my heart, since worrying for a friend is part of the gig, but nice to wave "buh-bye" to, eh? Kinda blows that 17 weeks to a new job theory out of the water, but in a good way. Yes, Virginia, you can find a job that quickly, if the skillsets match the need, and your work is very public, as Tom's is. Cool. Good for you, dude. Deep breath.
Now, I should go. The Accu-Lie [tm] Forecast for today was more rain, but that didn't happen - they've put it out to tomorrow or Thursday, and Saturday. Dry roads, and I should be on one of them. Take care, people.
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Morning. Quick weather check (since the professional fabricator said it was going to rain continuously, last night through tomorrow sometime)... Dry roads now, cloudy skies. Hmmm.
Nice verbal chats with the two freshly employed gents last night. Tom and I talked about the merits and challenges of the commercial vs. open source SSH packages. I made a couple of statements that I want to check, then I'll post some thoughts here. Matt and I (then Keri and Marcia) talked about the new job, and their pending move. If things work out right, they'll be able to stop by on their way north. You may or may not remember that Marcia met the Belands when she was in the AZ for a sales meeting last summer.
Unexpected chores. One minute after waking up this morning, I'm lying on my belly in the hall, banging on the valve body and re-lighting the pilot light in the wall furnace. It can't have been out all night, or we'd be corpsicles. But still, it takes about 7 minutes for the thermostats and sensors to normalize, once things are re-started. The main culprit is the electronic thermostat's valve assembly - it sticks. Floyd, the maintenance manager, told me once that he just raps on them firmly, since they ALL do that. Smacks of bad design, if you ask me. Maybe they should have build in an automatic valve rapping device... nope, something else to break.
Also last night, I came home from work to find a message from Speakeasy Tech Support inquiring about the results and reliability of the changes we put into effect last week... Honestly, it had been solid as can be - both Monday and Tuesday I stayed logged in to home all day, keeping the connection live and tested. So, with some computer work in front of me last night, I called in and waited to get through to a warm body and tell them all was well, close the ticket...
Disappointingly, as the tech picked up the phone, the line de-sync'd, and went into the broadband equivalent of atrial fibrillation, again. After a few agonizing minutes, I had him open another tier three ticket and kick me upstairs. From there, Josh and I got Covad on the horn and ramped the speed back down to 128K/608K. It's not what I wanted, but then, life isn't perfect. I'll take reliable connectivity over raw speed.
Finally for now, go have a look at the Baen Library (warning: frames), read the introduction (the whole introduction) by Eric Flint, and tell me what you think. It's yet another perspective on content and piracy, and the Baen answer.
Anyway, it's to work with me. Have a great day. See y'all later.
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Good morning. The rains did finally arrive, by mid-morning yesterday. It is still raining now. How nice. It's supposed to continue for a couple of days yet, leaving a soaked field for the Raiders to bury the Ravens in, or so I hear - I've not watched any football this season, and I'm looking to preserve my perfect record. I was almost tempted to Monday nights, just to hear Dennis Miller on football (?)... but, nah!
Briefly, then I'm going to hit the road: Last night I caught Doc Searls, who's been busy with the Cult of Personality show up in SF (MacWorld). However, Doc pointed out a link to Chris Locke (Cluetrain co-author). Now, I sometimes have problems with the demagogic, frenetic style that Chris uses, but the piece that Doc sent me to last night was a gem. It ended with:
Here we were, all these wild and sullen half-devil children fooling around with the net, engaging in strange rituals and idolizing false gods. Then along comes the Fortune 500 to civilize our heathen asses and get us all to worship at the One True Disney World. Wow, thanks.
That's the online version of Locke's email list, called EGR. Please note that if you follow the link, you may see words that will offend people, some in all caps - on your head be it. But I really like the message buried in parts of that mailing. Hmmm. I might have to subscribe, just to keep an eye out for gems among the gravel.
I suppose that I'd best be going - yes, I called and harrassed Mr. Syroid for referring to me as "Venerable", but then, there you are. We had an interesting conversation about ways to provide some ease of use service features for Saskat customers, while reserving power and security for those that merit and want the responsibility. Please note that I am not formally involved in the Saskat effort - I'm merely an un-asked for kibbitzer. Mmmm. Later.
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Later is definitely relative. Good morning. I didn't make it back here last night because I was installing Mandrake fresh a couple of times of Gryphon, and documenting it. Two reasons. I'd munged some things, going too far down the 2.4 test tree prior to release of the 2.4 kernel, and I was looking for some clean load circumstances to help Bob and anyone else over on the Linux Chronicles message board (part of TTGNET). But mostly, it wasn't booting right anymore, and I was looking at downreving a number of pieces, but instead decided to work from scratch. It's documented in the first ODTL exercise of the year, Installing Mandrake 7.2. Not perfect, by any means, and I'm going to do a repeat shortly, in a VMware setup, to get screen shots. So I wrote 3000 words over there last night, rather than anything here. Also we have a screen-snap of SWAT (Samba Web Administration Tool, a 58K PNG file, full size) starting up.
Mmmm. In other news, California's energy crunch continues. Suppliers charged PGE gouging prices, broke the bank, and now won't sell to them because the credit rating isn't there... Feh. Rolling blackouts are imminent, according to the news reports. But the politicians keep making hay with this issue. So, possibly, if this site is down, then it's a power issue, sort of like a more major connectivity problem.
Have fun today, happy Friday, I'll be back.
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Good morning, and welcome to the weekend. I have some things I want to learn, in the process of making a better Mandrake installation tutorial page this morning, so I'll cut to the chase - there are some things to be said. We'll start with email from reader Richard Booth...
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 18:59:11 +0000 From: "Richard F. Booth" Subject: The Baen library Dear Brian, You asked for opinions on the Baen Library idea, so here's mine. I think Mr Flint is absolutely right. Like him, I borrowed (from libraries, from friends, from parents) a lot of books growing up. Like him, I've gone back and bought them now I have a little money. Heinlein's a good example for me, as it was for him, and I see my signature generator's picked me an appropriate one! Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven are another case in point; I borrowed their books from friends, and when I got around to it bought them all. It's often hard to find their books, so I make do with secondhand, tatty copies. I'll replace them when and if I can, because I like them. Does the radio hurt music sales? I doubt it, but maybe. Does Napster? Again, I don't know. I do know that I used Napster a little last year, and that as a direct result my CD collection has more than doubled in size. If I hear something good, I'm going to buy it if I can, and I don't think I'm alone. Yours, - Rick -- [email protected] http://www.ma.umist.ac.uk/rb/ Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house. -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love"
Mmmm. Yes. I do have a take on this, as self-proclaimed pond scum in the content production biz (hey, I helped write a Linux book, didn't I? Maybe it'll hit the shelves one of these months). Piracy is just another dirty word, laden with emotional overtones of rough men, bloody decks and frightened sheep - robbery on the open seas. Oh, yeah, thanks for the Lazarus quote, Rick. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for that old bastard. But now, to arms, to arms.
Pirated software
We're replaying the software protection scandals of the 1980s, all over again, in IMAX format. First, let me tell you about my experiences with software piracy in the mid-80s. I was doing a variety of jobs for the medical electronics firm, Nellcor. We did all our design the old fashioned way, drafting boards, Vemco X-Y equipment, and a lot of very sharp pencils. Oh, yeah, and an ammonia-based blueprint machine.
My dad knew this guy named John Walker. John had put together a company to do CAD (Computer Aided Drafting - later it was "Design", but in the beginning, Drafting was about it) called Autodesk. Previously you only did electronic design work on big expensive Unix workstations connected to Big Iron. The new software, AutoCAD, let you do 2-1/2 D design work on a PC. We're talking 80286 processors here, folks. I played with AutoCAD from about release 0.9 or so, if my memory serves me. I brought it into work one day, and started doing my design work on screen. Eventually I'd transfer the design to paper, but that'd be a simple copy operation, since I'd already gone through all the false starts quickly, electronically. I started to be able to re-use designs, and convinced my boss to pop for a small plotter. That started drawing crowds.
I'd do three different variations on a theme inside of an hour, without the benefit of a parametric geometry engine, plot them all and show off. Oh, yeah, that copy of AutoCAD... was a copy. It got me a gig as CAD-meister of Nellcor for a few years, and we bought a bunch of hardware and about 25 or 30 copies of the latest AutoCAD versions within a year or two, and kept up with upgrades from there forward. But without that original taste-test, it wouldn't have happened nearly that quickly or smoothly.
Then AutoDesk decided they'd had enough of the "piracy" of their products... sometime in the 2.X series they introduced hardware protection: dongles. No dongle, the software doesn't run. Damn near killed AutoDesk. Turns out that the most popular software in the PC CAD world, AutoCAD, was built on a base of "piracy" - a copy lended turned into a purchase and an upgrade revenue stream that was simply stellar, and they nearly hosed the whole thing. Oh, the dongles got retired in time.
This happens with a lot of software. Sure, there are lots of illegal copies of everything ever designed all over the world. Software that gains mindshare has a corresponding increase in legitimate sales. Period. However that mindshare is gained. There are limits, however. I'll return to limits shortly.
Pirated "books"
Until the advent of the Internet, books were physical things, easy to protect. Back then, theft was really theft - when you stole a book, you had something of substance. Of course, some books were given away, others lent. Hmmmm. My Marcia is reading If You Love That Lady, Don't Marry Her. She's reading it aloud, and taking the tapes to my grandmother, whose vision isn't what it once was. That's probably OK, since Grammy also owns a copy of the book. It's just a bit too heavy, and the print a bit too small. Marcia's tapes help her enjoy the book. Has Marcia stolen from the author? Now, when Grammy's done with the tapes, she passes them along to Uncle Mike, who flat can't read anymore. I don't know that he owns a copy of the book, and certainly he couldn't use the book in its dead tree format. Has the author suffered now? The publisher? Through an unlikely circumstance, this is all probably OK, since Uncle Mike is the author's father, but who's to tell. But this is small fry, right? A stretching of the fair use rights that all consumers have, in a good cause.
But what if I were to take the content of Tom Buckley's book and post it on my website? Well then, I'd have violated the author's copyright. But what if Tom thought it was a good idea, to get word of his book out. Sure, only 10 out of every 400 people who found it would buy the book. But then, that's 10 more each time than would have bought it, ever. Isn't that a gain? Would the publisher agree with that? From what I understand, unless you work with an extraordinarily enlightened publisher like Jim Baen, then probably not.
You know what? I love books. I mean, really, really love books. I like reading, and have since a young age. I was allowed to have 10 books checked out at a time from my grammar school library, when the normal limit for students was 3. But over a weekend, I could knock off 10 books, easy. I first tried to read Frank Herbert's Dune in the fifth grade. Didn't make it through that time, but kept coming back til I got it, because I knew there was a great story there.
I read Physics by Feynman and Hawkings, Anthropology, Archeology, Geology, Fiction, Non-Fiction, just about anything except tabloids and bodice-rippers. Hmmm. Good book stores let you read in the store. They trust you not to damage the merchandise (much), and to buy (frequently). There are people who hang out in those stores, reading and never buying. Does that mean that the stores shouldn't allow people to browse?
It's like the food-sample people in Costco. They clog the aisles with their miniature tables, serving up bits of this food product or that, and making sales happen. Each weekend, I see the same people wandering the store, getting their Sunday meal from the sample tables at Costco. But they sell lots more of the product for making the free stuff available, even though some people take advantage... So, how do you, or I, content providers all, discriminate between abusers and people who try before they buy?
A question of perspective - Samples or Theft
I propose that what I did was "sample" AutoCAD, all those years ago. Literally, of course, I stole it. Then I paid later. I can't walk into a dealership, and drive off with a car, without cold hard green, or signing the dotted line. If I could, then would I buy the car later? Or simply put it down, stop driving it if it didn't please me? Mmmm. The analogies between tangible and non-tangible items aren't so good, eh? Let's look at Stephen King's recent experiment.
He started publishing an episodic novel online, with payment on the honor system, and dollars counted against downloads. He (or his agent, or whoever) set the gating function at 75%. If 75% of the downloads weren't eventually paid for, then the project had failed, and he wouldn't finish the job.
I think he ripped us off, there. I planned on it failing, and didn't start reading, since I believed that I wouldn't be allowed to finish. When Green Mile was published in 6 novellettes (?), I knew I'd get the last one sometime. Why a rip off? Well, not really, he did state all the rules up front. But he should have committed to finishing the book from the start. I think the stop-in-the-middle possibility may have sabotaged the project - certainly it turned me off.
If I find a book from a known author online, legal copy or illegal copy, I am likely to check it out, to see if I want to buy it, or borrow it from a library. Online is for research, news, shopping, communicating, even perhaps some forms of entertainment. But not reading for pleasure. Not for me, or many others. OTOH, I don't seek out copies of books online. I'm told they're there, but then... so what? I don't want them, so now what? If I download a copy of the Thompson's PC Hardware in a Nutshell (link using Bob's FatBrain account, use THAT!), and use it without paying for it, then I've stolen. If I download a copy, and use it to decide whether or not I want to buy it, have I stolen? I don't think so. But then, I would only ever do the latter, and not the former. Hell, I buy books I *might* read one day.
The Future
The Baen Library is a step in the right direction. If I end up taking my third drink and playing Maker, then I'll push for a few key things in my contracts. I want the right to be able to self-publish in ANY FORM OR MANNER I CHOOSE any of my works that the publisher allows to go out of print, defined by being unavailable from (pick three major booksellers) for a period not to exceed one year. I want to be able to selectively self-publish while the book is in print. The publisher can advertise my work, why can't I? Print-on-request book sales changes the equation - perhaps a trip level of less than X copies sold in a period. I look forward to print-on-request. I can't get the whole E. E. "Doc" Smith collection right now, new. I'd pay real money for that -I haven't read about the Lensmen, or Dick Seaton in far too many years.
What about this place? Should I charge real money for the pleasure of your company? Mmmm. I pay a subscription to Jerry Pournelle. He wants that encouragement, and it's not so much that it's unreasonable. But then he's got a history, and a name. I look at myself as being in the Speaker to Animals stage. Eventually, my service to the Commonwealth will earn me my own name. Remember me to Golias. Nah. This is my soapbox, and you can come listen to the rant for free, anytime you want. I don't charge anything but the time you take to read. No advertisements except for those in-context things I mention - and since I'm not paid for any of them, I suppose that they aren't advertising either.
Limits
Ooops. Almost forgot. As a content producer, I don't mind people sharing my work, person to person. Period. For me right now, that's about all that'll occur, if even that. However, If I were a "corporate" producer, I'd still want the p2p exchange going full bore - Napster, whatever. It'll end in increasing my sales, now, and much further down the road.
Here's my personal limit - books and software - real pirates. Those who take copies of my work, produce it as hardcopy or CD or whatever, and sell it as though it was from the legitimate channel. Now THAT'S piracy, in my book. Nothing else is, IMO.
Thus endeth the rant.
There's always more to learn, and more factors in any situation than I am truly competent to evaluate. I also know that I can't count on humanity to behave ethically (present company excluded, of course), but I do the best I can for my own self, to salve what little conscience I have. Thanks for hanging out with me, and blame Rick for tripping the floodgate. <g>
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Welcome to Sunday. I hear there's a local football game going on around here someplace? Yes? No? Oh, well. Yesterday's commentary on copying and pirates drew a bit of mail, which is coming up momentarily. However, I've been busy with Brian's Mandrake Installation HOWTO, the Next Generation. It's got over 70 screenshots (all small PNG files, thumbnailed in the HOWTO), and it's not quite done yet - I am still filling out the text at the bottom, but it'll be completed later today. Now to the Baen Library followup topic mailbag:
From: "John Doucette" Subject: Pirated software Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 09:51:58 -0700 Hi Brian About a year ago Mike Copeland ( of Corel Fame ) said openly to a TV camera that he had nothing against Pirated Software as he felt that if I give my friend a copy of Word Perfect and he/she likes it, they likely will go out and buy the upgrade. This is exactly what happened with you and your employer with AutoCAD. Now as for self publishing your own works, I like that idea. We are both users of technology. Why not use that technology to help us do research. For example Tom and your Linux book, if you could sell me a copy in electronic form I would take it. In electronic form I could do searches, set bookmarks, etc which for me would be much nicer than having the printed form of the book. John
From: "Gary M. Berg" Subject: The "copying" Rant Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 23:12:10 -0500 Wow! Actually, pretty well reasoned. What I got was that your attitude is that if "sharing" doesn't interfere with the sale of a copy, or encourages it, that's good. If somebody makes money at your expense, that's bad. There's probably a gray area in the middle, but I don't know how to define it or give it a thumbs up or down. Now I'm not sure how to try to set up "business rules" that might implement what you've reasoned. Certainly what Baen does, which is to put a few chapters up at a time, and (at least usually) not put up the whole book, is obviously good. As he also is the publisher, it's pretty much anything goes. If I recall correctly Baen published online one of David Weber's Honor Harrington books (a new one, too, not one several years old) and everything saw was that people were waiting to get their "fix" and ordered it in hardcover at the same time. Certainly there needs to be some way to handle out of print books. A book ought to never be unavailable; if it is no longer popular enough it ought to go to "Print on demand" as you've suggested. I suspect that one impact of "P-O-D" is that _fewer_ books will be on the shelves; specifically older and less popular books. This will happen mostly at the high-volume, top-ten list stores; the big stores will still have a greater quantity of books. This will result in fewer unexpected "finds" while browsing the store. Hmm, I wonder what the impact on a library would be? Even now a patron can usually request the purchase of a book and if the budget isn't fully committed it will usually happen. With P-O-D it will happen even faster; no delay in receiving the book, and it can be an older book too. And the library can replace damaged books easily. A friend of mine who is a librarian, to whom I'm about to donate 300 or so SF books, asked if I had a particular book because their copy had literally fallen apart. With P-O-D, the book would always be available from the publisher. ------------------------- This email was sent without any attachment and should have arrived without any. If there are attachments, DON'T OPEN THEM!
Thanks for the input. Between that, and yet another Mandrake install HOWTO, this one with 70 images, under my belt in less than 24 hours, I'm about written out for the moment. These are good things to think about. The nice bit about all of this is that I'll still be able to read my books by firelight when they run out of power due to lack of political will. Though, from the first paragraph, that'd indicate that I'm against used book stores, since a resale doesn't benefit anyone except the bookseller. Nope. It's mass-copying and selling as though legitimately new that gets under my skin. Thanks for reading, and for your thoughts. If you have further input on reflection, I'd be glad to hear it. Regards,
From: "Gary M. Berg" Subject: RE: The "copying" Rant Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 10:59:18 -0500 >> Thanks for the input. Between that, and yet another Mandrake install HOWTO, this one with 70 images, under my belt in less than 24 hours, I'm about written out for the moment. << I can understand how that might be! I'd be burned out just "snapping" 70 images... >> I'll still be able to read my books by firelight when they run out of power due to lack of political will. << Have you folks been hit yet? The situation seems pretty weird there right now. Ohio is just starting power deregulation. It seems to me that somewhere along the line politians didn't pay attention to the lack of building new power sources. You can do your Abe Lincoln impression but I'd really rather have power to run the lights here! Of course, with natural gas prices up a lot here, I may have to choose between lights and heat...>> Though, from the first paragraph, that'd indicate that I'm against used book stores, since a resale doesn't benefit anyone except the bookseller. Nope. << You're right. I guess I would expect the author/publisher to get one "hit" from each book printed, and as long as that book is passed along (versus duplicated) there'd be no problem. Can you imagine how the world would change if we had StarTrek duplicators!?! Talk about copyright problems...
Where can I get one??? Ah, well. I have to get ready for the Costco run, then I am going to finish the HOWTO, then lighten up for the balance of the day. I may help our neighbor Scott go window shopping at Frys (terrible fate, but someone's gotta suffer, you know how it is), watch some TV or read a book, or who knows what? Have a lovely Sunday. TTFN.
16:00 - OK. The Mandrake Install Howto, V2 is done. Scott and I did his shopping at Frys, coming away with an Antec ATX Tower + 300W PS, an Intel D815EEAL (???) mobo, PIII-800/133 CPU, 256M of PC133 RAM (he didn't want to wait for Crucial or Kingston, I tried), a Maxtor 7200 EIDE 40G, and a 8x4x32 HP CDR/RW drive. On the way home I said, "Now you've got trouble - A new computer to put together and run, AND a football game on. What'cha gonna do???" <G> evil bastard that I am. Now to build a fire for my lovely, crack open one of the books I bought last week, put my feet up and relax. G'night.
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