Reason #4 Why I Like Open-Source: Rhythmbox Fixed in 2 Days

I discovered a bug in Rhythmbox, which is the music-sorting and playing software on Ubuntu Linux. If you look at the link, I posted the problem on Sunday, the 22nd. Here it is 2 days later, and the problem is fixed. Now, the patch has not yet been posted, but I'm willing to bet that it is well and truly fixed. Why? Because I think the Rhythmbox maintainers had an idea where the problem was as soon as I posted it. It only took a couple of back-and-forth posts to figure out where the problem was. I was even able to test one of the maintainers' hypothesis myself. From there, I was able to post the results of my research back, and away they went.

One of the things that I most loved about this was that they showed me how I, a real newbie in programming and Linux, could capture the data they needed. They then provided me some feedback, asking me more detailed questions, showing me some mistakes I made in collecting the data (very patiently pointed it out, I might add), and continuing to work with me. That was my blinking light. That gave me a sense that something was happening. If the big software companies would take a hint from this, they might learn something.

Then again, maybe not.

Paranoia... Will Destroy Ya!

Found this in the review section of a Firefox add-on called "Ghostery". The comment was titled, "You can't get around tracking." It starts off well enough. (All bold-faced emphasis is mine.)

I implement tracking analytics so I can develop more user friendly sites. I have also implemented non-invasive adds in order to keep content free. By blocking my scripts, you are only preventing developers like me from creating a better (and free) experience for users like you. Most tracking data is anonymous anyways. Unless you click a link from an email, no one can tell your personal browsing habits. This plug-in is a security blanket for paranoid "the government is watching" people.

Okay. So far, so good. Logical. Rational. Seems like a person who's concerned that all of this ad-blocking and cookie-blocking, while well intended, may be having bad repercussions. Let's continue.

Just so you know, the government tracks every single page request in the US. There is no browser setting or plug in that can prevent this.

(Sound of a car careening off the cliff...) WTF?!?! Went from "Hey, I just want to make a living" to the fastest Dr Jekyll / Mr Hyde, instant-right-turn-into-the-Twilight-Zone switch I've ever seen. I have Michael Oldfield's seminal work playing in my head right now. Where's my garlic and hot-cross buns? But, hey, he's not satisfied with simply making a right turn off the cliff, he wants to go down in a blazing fireball. Let's read his spectacular finish.

Much the same way to preventing unwanted pregnancy is abstinance... same goes for tracking... you must stop using the internet if you don't want anybody to know what you are doing. Otherwise, watch your back... 'cause we're going to GET YOU!! hahahahahahahah

I didn't realize that the medication could wear off so fast. I'm wondering if there's a straitjacket missing its wearer right now. Regardless, I'm going to be giggling about this one for quite some time, after I install just about every ad-blocking, cookie-cutting add-on I can put in my browser.

It's the Money, Stupid

The BBC reports that the captain of a pirate-hijacked ship has died of wounds suffered when the ship was seized. Near the end of the report, the article adds:

The upsurge in piracy in the region is a consequence of the failure to find a solution to Somalia's political disputes, our correspondent adds.

No, you idiot. It has to do with something your article said earlier. But since you appear to have severe short-term memory failure, let me refresh your memory.

The pirates earlier told reporters they were leaving the ship after being promised a ransom of $3.5m (£2.1m), although there was no government confirmation of this.

Can you say, "Cha-CHING"? The pirates can. That, my friends, is what's driving them.

Any questions?

Need a Calculator for School? Try this!

I was reading through ticalc.org's web site and, especially, the update on the DMCA situation vis a vie TI's threat to sue Brandon Wilson because he dared to crack the encryption key TI uses to lock down the software in its top-o-the-line calculator, the TI-83+. Yup. That's right. It's a whoppin' 100 smackaroos to get you one of those babies. Perfectly understandable that they'd be upset.

Okay. Not really.

I was reading through the comments on their news site concerning this issue when I found this one explanation as to why TI is pissed (er, that means unhappy in this context, in case any one of my UK or Australian / New Zealand colleagues is reading this... doubtful... this web site gets less hits the the Chicago Cubs.) Anyway, here's his explanation:

Their latest reaction is baffling at first, but the reasoning is perfectly obvious if you understand who their customers are. Schools, CollegeBoard, ACT, Kaplan Inc, and other institutes have been hostile toward the whole 3rd-party OS issue for years. Now that calcs are a blank slate for anything we can cook up, TI must show their partners they won't take the situation laying down--even if it's a lost cause. Either way, this will be the stall tactic until new deals are made, or some kind anti-hacking revision rolls out. This line of reasoning may sound alien and incomprehensible from a coder's standpoint, but I witness it on a daily basis in the business world.

So, if this the problem, if schools and colleges are well and truly against 3rd-party operating systems, well, then, I have the cure. The picture says it all.

Any questions?