Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Demon-Haunted World

locusmag.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

241–250 of 289 posts

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#241

Post by Fnoord »

computator wrote: post #168
jordigh wrote: post #145

There is so much "Stallman was right" in all of these examples... non-free software always manages to eventually sneak in malicious anti-user features, where the user has no recourse. At least with free software there's always the fundamental freedom to fork. You think systemd is a Red Hat plot to destroy Linux, then go use Devuan. You don't trust what Google could be doing with Chrome, take your pick of alternatives…

> Whenever someone refuses to show source code I always think, "what are you hiding in there?" There's usually something. There's a dilemma that developers face when deciding to release source code that's bigger than fear of software theft or the desire to hide something evil in the code. It's a fear of being scrutinized, ridiculed, or humiliated over the quality of their code. Imagine 2 programs that do something us…

With lower end software (like 'firmware') the reasons could also very well be legal. You may think of copyright infringement there, but I'd more think in the lines of licensing other software [either by source, or proprietary] as part of your software. Examples could be library, or firmware of specific hardware chips as part of an end product's hardware. Lack of open drivers is a serious problem in embedded land; specifically, it keeps phones on old Android versions where security fixes aren't backported.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#242

Post by mikeash »

kbenson wrote: post #31
mikeash wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Next time I get a new phone, I'm going to put together a performance testing plan and record a video of it on the new phone. Then any time I wonder about this, I can run through the plan again and compare with the recording. So, ask me again in a few years.

Please publish/open source the testing criteria, so others can do the test and submit their own results. That would be awesome. I would probably run around the house and test all the phones in my family. Even something as simple as Github and using pull requests for those that know how to do so (or manually just adding for those that email and don't) would give a lot of introspection, and allow you to share commit bi…

Sounds good. I'll at least toss up the testing plan on GitHub, and maybe compile results too.

I'll probably be doing this for the next iPhone, so it'll be soon.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#243

Post by mikeash »

woobar wrote: post #109
mikeash wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Next time I get a new phone, I'm going to put together a performance testing plan and record a video of it on the new phone. Then any time I wonder about this, I can run through the plan again and compare with the recording. So, ask me again in a few years.

Thanks for the idea. I just created a list of built-in apps, set them to point to some deafults that do not depened on the network performance (for instance, Calendar only includes Holidays, and displays year view), rebooted and measured time to start them in a succession. Apps that depends on internet are excluded. While this is not super accurate because OS and app updates could affect their startup time, it is sti…

I think it's OK for OS updates to affect it. Ideally you'd measure both, but measuring it with updates is the more useful of the two. The fact that security fixes don't get backported very much essentially makes updates mandatory, and as a user it doesn't really matter whether slowdowns come from hardware or software. The main thing is to confirm whether the devices really do get slower, or whether it's all a matter of rose-colored nostalgia glasses.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#244

Post by letlambda »

>instead, it tries to trick the reviewers, attempting to determine if it’s landed on a Car and Driver test-lot, and then switching into a high-pollution, high-fuel-efficiency mode.

This has actually been the case for some time. The car magazine wouldn't just go borrow a car, they would get one directly from the manufacturer. And the manufacturer would send a ringer, a vehicle with an EPA test-exemption that doesn't have to comply with any emissions regulations.

I suppose the era of Youtube car review channels is bringing that method to a close though.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#245

Post by tsbertalan »

freehunter wrote: post #78
SubiculumCode wrote: post #10

This is what I think about at the pump. More and more I see gas pumps ask if you want a receipt BEFORE the gas is dispensed. This seems risky. If you decline the receipt and then dispense gas, the pump could cheat on the amount of gas dispensed with less risk, as a papered record of the purchase amount and price is not produced. If on the other hand, the pump waits to ask if you desire a receipt until after the gasol…

The hard part with that is, see the sticker on the outside of the pump? That certifies that this pump meets your state's regulations and that someone has inspected it recently. In order to have a coverup like that, you'd need the government to be in on it too.

Wasn't the danger of encountering devices (somehow) programmed to act differently in a regulator's test regime than in daily use one of the points made in the article? (Actually achieving this in the gas pump situation is left as an exercise to the reader.)

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#246

Post by MrZongle2 »

iak8god wrote: post #45
MrZongle2 wrote: post #39

FTA: "Dieselgate killed people" What's the source for this claim?

Every year a shocking number of people die from illness caused by air pollution [1]. While it might be difficult or impossible to put a head count on "Dieselgate," the increased emissions certainly killed some. [1] http://news.mit.edu/2013/study-air-pollution-causes-200000-e...

"While it might be difficult or impossible to put a head count on "Dieselgate,"..."

Well, that was kind of my point. It's no less of a scandal, and BMW still deserves to be punished, but just casually linking their actions to deaths seemed hyperbolic. Assuming the MIT study is solid, it's still possible that BMW's malfeasance has resulted in zero deaths.

I don't mean to distract from Doctorow's article -- I don't disagree with the central premise -- but "Dieselgate killed people" just struck me as casually lazy. It's the kind of probably-technically-right-but-unproven meme that, repeated enough, is accepted without question. We have enough of that in society today.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#247

Post by sangnoir »

jabl wrote: post #217
captaincrowbar wrote: post #14

Doctorow mentions the cases where a printer company has made their software lie about how much ink was left in a cartridge to make consumers replace them more often. I always wondered why a manufacturer would want to do that. I mean, I understand the motive of making consumers buy ink more often, but from the manufacturer's point of view, why would they want to throw perfectly good ink away? Colour ink isn't as expen…

Sorry to hijack the thread, but what is considered a good printer brand nowadays? My requirements: - Someone who doesn't treat their customer as a criminal (e.g. no DRM in cartridges games, please) - Works on Linux/MacOS/Windows. In particular, I'm looking for a printer for my home. I don't print very much, so an inkjet is probably out if the cartridges still have a habit of drying up in a few months.

I have always heard that Brother is one of the more ethical companies. Disclaimer: I have never owned one myself.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#248

Post by johngalt »

astrange wrote: post #198
Nomentatus wrote: post #147

This isn't a new demon-haunted world, this is the old, demon-haunted world before nineteenth-century progressive politics, back when "milk" that wasn't half chalk still might have a fish in it (see famous Thoreau quote on evidence.) We aren't enforcing the laws we have and our grandfathers and mothers had. (Three guesses why.) Not on monopolies, contracts, patent misuse... nothing. Just this week I and Hearthstone ca…

> Blizzard's new policy insists on a credit card and that I owe them for purchases made if they leak the card no! This can’t hurt you if you use a credit and not a debit card. Any false charge on a credit card is not your fault, and it’s not your money. The CC company will pay for it.

A chargeback (reg E claim) is paid by the vendor not the CC company. The vendor absorbs the risk of fraud.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#249

Post by mcguire »

hutzlibu wrote: post #220
graphitezepp wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In past this was how I thought, and still is to a large degree and think smarter people is the core, but I do see ways in which regulation can create real positive change. Specifically on the issue of say, how companies are allowed to market. People might be smarter if they are less brainwashed.

hm, I see it more in a way, that people are not so smart because of regulation. Like, if the state allows this to be sold, it can't be fraud. So they don't bother to check further. And regulation s about brainwashing ... I am not sure how that could really work.

As an exercise, list everything you have bought in the last month or so; food, gas, electronics, whatever. Now list all the ways those products could be adulterated, fraudulently modified, or faked. Now list the specialized knowledge and skills you would need to detect the fraud.

Now try to get some work done while you are caveat emptoring.

Re: Demon-Haunted World

#250

Post by mcguire »

jorblumesea wrote: post #178
SubiculumCode wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without a receipt there are two things that can be a problem: 1) Less gas is pumped, 2) Charged more than the pump said. True the receipt protects against 2) more than 1) because the car's tank does not have an accurate guage. I remember listening to a story once about a fraud at the gas tank in which the normal amount of gas was only given out when requested in an even increment a five gallons which was how much The…

Gas is common enough and such a hot button issue that mass fraud like that would be easily noticed on credit card statements and in the tank. It's easy to test, confirm and verify, and can be done by just about anyone. Pull up to the station, fill up your gas canister, and check the price, volume etc. The places where this fraud is most likely to exist are niche markets and places where it's hard to verify. Walled ga…

On the other hand, there's a reason why the pumps have those weights and measures stickers on them.
Post reply on HN