Ajax Sucks Most of the Time (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox December 2005) - why Jacob Nielsen is right - sometimes.
Archive 7. December 2005
Commentary - Sticky notes for websites, implemented as WSGI middleware. Very interesting, could be particularly interesting for source views or similar, or for longer texts.
France wants to tighten copyright law
France is going completely crazy now:
The background is an EU copyright directive from 2001. However, the French draft law goes far beyond its approach. For example, the use of free software to play multimedia files should be prohibited, as these can also read copy-protected DVDs. Even the dissemination of information about such tools should become punishable in the future.
This is absolutely outrageous. Now France is taking the lead, and certainly others will follow - if this nonsense goes through. And this clearly shows what the whole thing is about. Against the consumer - who is only allowed to use software approved by the respective industry - and especially against open source, which is a thorn in everyone's side anyway.
File-sharing software that does not prevent infringements from the outset is also to be prohibited.
This clearly shows how little technical knowledge the responsible parties have - or who is bribing them.
Is Sony in Trouble with Apple Now?
Secret function in Sony BMG copy protection
As computer scientist Alex Halderman discovered, the free software «DRMS» is included in «XCP», which can be used to circumvent the «FairPlay» copy protection used by online music market leader Apple. However, «XCP» does not use «DRMS» to crack music: «Instead, the program's code is used to supplement Apple's copy protection.» The routine is currently inactive, however.
It would be nice if Apple were to cause a bit of trouble for them now - after all, Sony BMG was one of the labels that caused Apple trouble over prices. It could be amusing to watch. The slowly mounting lawsuits against Sony could also be interesting. And never forget: BMG stands for Bertelsmann Music Group.
pyinotify - very nice, finally a usable wrapper for the notify function in Linux. With it, Python programs can be informed about changes in the file system - ideal for directory monitoring.
Strange Statements by Condoleezza Rice
USA ban cruelty in interrogations:
After massive European criticism, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced new guidelines from her government for interrogations of terrorism suspects during her visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev. From now on, representatives of her country are worldwide prohibited from treating prisoners cruelly, she said. This applies "to US officials, wherever they are, whether in the United States or outside the United States."
Does this imply that it was previously allowed, or am I misunderstanding? Because if it was not allowed before, there would be no reason for the explicit ban - then they would have talked about the incidents being condemned most severely and investigated with the utmost rigor - or whatever politicians say on such occasions when they have to lower their pants due to lack of control. But if she really said what Tagesschau reported here - then there was definitely a tolerance, possibly even an order, to torture.