Diebold's e-voting machines violate GPL, good taste

Diebold just can't seem to keep its nose clean these days. The nation's largest manufacturer of ATMs admitted not too long ago what everybody already knew: that their e-voting machines were totally bunk. Apparently in the course of that investigation it emerged that the company also thought it would be a laugh to load the open source Ghostscript Postscript interpreter software into those faulty machines without releasing its changes or paying the proprietary usage license fee -- leading Aritex, its developer, to file a lawsuit. It doesn't really instill confidence any further to hear that our nation's terrible electronic voting machines are running on stolen software, guys -- and to be honest, we're kinda starting to wish you'd get out of the ATM business, too.

[Sudo @ Nov 8th 2008 12:07AM]

I'm voting Dr. Evil.

[Flashpoint @ Nov 8th 2008 12:19AM]

Are you stupid?

Dr. Evil goes to a racist church that hates British people, he's secretly a capitalist and there is proof on the internet that he's secretly a muslim. Don't let his white skin and bald head fool you.

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 12:46AM]

flashpoint really needs to get laid or something

[Flashpoint @ Nov 8th 2008 12:55AM]

Phanbouy

i remember when someone called you out on the fact you post on Engadget like 50 times every single day and you barely get a 8 hour sleep.

Are you still keeping up your posting behavior? let me check.

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 12:59AM]

flashy, you're a creepy gaseous windbag who top posts the first post with self-serious tripe on every single article, hypocrite. learn to take a joke xD

[nerdtalker @ Nov 8th 2008 1:08AM]

For once, I agree with Phanbouy. C'mon, 8 hours of sleep is overrated anyways. I go for 5.

[phanbouy fan fan @ Nov 8th 2008 1:22AM]

in before phanbouy fan

[KarlW @ Nov 8th 2008 1:35AM]

In fact, there's evidence that 6 hours sleep is better for your health than 8.

I don't quite understand it, but I'm throwing it out there anyway. Surely someone reading this post does.

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 1:39AM]

speak for yourselves! if i don't get 8 hrs sleep i turn into a flashpoint

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 1:40AM]

and in any case, why does melting point care how much sleep i get?

[Flashpoint @ Nov 8th 2008 1:46AM]

You've posted 3 times as many times as I have and half of your bullshit has been low ranked.

give it up... YOU FAIL like SARAH FAILIN.

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 1:56AM]

give what up, crybaby? yeah, i've gotten into some arguments recently that got me lots of low ranks, mostly by being foolish enough to take troll bait, but remember your MONTHS long meltdown where 10 different people were arguing with you and you kept screaming "I DONT CARE KEEP LOW RANKING ME! WAAAHH"? i'm pretty sure you hold the record for most low ranked comments -- more than clak, zak, and ieye even.

you're counting my posts but i guarantee you've typed 3 times as many words as i have.

[gad get @ Nov 8th 2008 2:45AM]

*Rolleyes*

[BJ is Gooder @ Nov 8th 2008 3:14AM]

49% of phanbouys comments are pretty good...the problem is the majority of them make him sound like a real douche.
With a little effort you could swing my personal poll back in your favor though.

[genpatton7 @ Nov 8th 2008 4:29AM]

@ phanbouy + Flashpoint

Get a room.

[Charlie Calhoun @ Nov 8th 2008 5:24AM]

Flashpoint vs. phanbouy

Ready... FIGHT!

[XIYL @ Nov 8th 2008 8:21AM]

This has got to be the saddest example of trollism I have ever seen.

[r3loaded @ Nov 8th 2008 9:14AM]

I'm still of the opinion that clak and iEye are worse. Phanbouy and Flashpoint are just the neighbourhood clowns :)

[Samboini @ Nov 8th 2008 10:30AM]

This argument has got me rigid.

[tha-don @ Nov 8th 2008 1:14PM]

@Samboini

rigid huh....

rig·id (rjd)
adj.
1. Not flexible or pliant; stiff.


are you tryin to say you're gettin off on their argument?

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 2:22PM]

lolz. just statin' the facts XD

[og style @ Nov 8th 2008 12:09AM]

Who else is going to hack the vote? APPLE?

[Burt Reynolds @ Nov 8th 2008 12:11AM]

This is an abomination!

Not that the machines are running illegal licenses, but that the mainstream media TOTALLY ignored the candidacy of Dr.Evil / Mini Me

[phrank @ Nov 8th 2008 11:21AM]

Burt,

You got it backwards. Technically, it was the Mini-Me/Dr. Evil ticket, and they're done with their two terms, or will be in a few weeks, so their candidacy is pretty unconstitutional.

[MightyTomahawk @ Nov 8th 2008 3:21PM]

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!

[)law( @ Nov 8th 2008 12:17AM]

Why havnt those shit heads been shut down yet? Hmph and people worry about stealing music and stuff when there private information about funds could be hacked and thier votes altered...

[z0phi3l @ Nov 8th 2008 12:19AM]

They are needed by the Dems to constantly "contest" something.

[Bob @ Nov 8th 2008 12:29AM]

But hey, looks like the Reps have a use for 'em now.

[GoCarnivore @ Nov 8th 2008 12:25AM]

Clearly, Obama stole the election with a 51/49 die-bold flip-flop.

[Joe @ Nov 8th 2008 12:41AM]

It's rigged! Obama should have won the election by a far greater election!

[Joe @ Nov 8th 2008 12:41AM]

(margin)

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 12:46AM]

i liked it the first way better

[RAD Moose @ Nov 8th 2008 6:38PM]

I thought Obama already had a greater erection than McCain.

[Ian @ Nov 8th 2008 12:43AM]

Why touchscreen? What was wrong with ATMs with buttons down each side? We still have them in Australia, and guess what? No controversy. If there's an input error, it's entirely due to the user being incompetent, and that's the way it should be.

[Adam @ Nov 8th 2008 1:14AM]

I've never seen a touch screen ATM in the US, I think it's just the voting machines. Touch screen doesn't seem robust enough for the amount of use that ATMs get.

I guess there just isn't enough demand for voting machines. That must be why these companies can get away with really crappy products.

[JRM @ Nov 8th 2008 2:30AM]

They're robust enough. All the ATMs in Japan are touchscreen, and most people do all their banking on them, from college kids to grandparents.

[Valicore @ Nov 8th 2008 9:39AM]

The two biggest banks in the SF Bay Area (Wells Fargo and Bank of America) are making all of their ATMs touchscreen. They really work pretty well.

[BigD145 @ Nov 8th 2008 2:03PM]

It's not just the touchscreens. It's the fact that the GOP had hired a guy to write a program that changed Dem votes to Repub votes back in 2000.

[michas_pi @ Nov 8th 2008 2:48PM]

Most of the National City ATMs in Cleveland are touchscreen.

[EricC @ Nov 8th 2008 10:45PM]

@ Adam: I see more touchscreen ATMs in MA than I see non-touchscreen. *shrug*

[kerry @ Nov 8th 2008 12:47AM]

Oh come on. "ATM Machine"? Really?

[phanbouy @ Nov 8th 2008 12:51AM]

You Have Selected:

-Donate to RNC-

Press No to Approve.

[jorvay @ Nov 8th 2008 8:02AM]

Don't worry kerry, I got it. On a related note, if you're coming to my party, RSVP please. It's an acronym-butchering party. My buddy will be MCing then we're going to go for rides in my esuvee.

[Benson @ Nov 8th 2008 7:34PM]

You mean your SUV vehicle, right?

[EricC @ Nov 8th 2008 10:43PM]

@ jorvay: The "P" in "RSVP" doesn't stand for "Please."

[jorvay @ Nov 9th 2008 10:42AM]

@Eric
It's french. RSVP: répondez, s'il vous plaît. In english, that would be: reply please.

So, please RSVP is "please reply please"

[EricC @ Nov 23rd 2008 5:17PM]

The literal translation is, "answer, if you like." I suppose that it could be interpreted as, "answer, if you please," but that's a stretch. It also doesn't mean that the "P" stands for "please." The "P" stands for "plait."

[Chad Thompson @ Nov 8th 2008 1:15AM]

LOL. their voting division is getting stale in the news department, are we branching out now to trash their ATM division too? That will be alot harder considering their massive market share and surprisingly exceptional service they provide for them....

I have a simple solution for their GPL issue. they pay for the appropriate GPL license plus lawsuit reparations and walk away. It still won't change the fact however that their voting system stinks...

[Wiigee @ Nov 8th 2008 1:33AM]

Anyone else think that pic would be so much better if it was showing IRV in action? id go with 1 write in Kucinich 2 superman 3 Washington 4 Dr Evil

[The WC @ Nov 8th 2008 2:05AM]

I, for one...

Would welcome back the paper ballots.