#Proprietary software

[el-ffej]

Regarding the DeepSeek AI Hysteria:

Text of posting:

To people who see the performance of DeepSeek and think: "'China is surpassing the US in AI." You are reading this wrong. The correct reading is: "Open source models are surpassing proprietary ones." DeepSeek has profited from open research and open source (e.g. PyTorch and Llama from Meta). They came up with new ideas and built them on top of other people's work. Because their work is published and open source, everyone can profit from it. That is the power of open research and open source.

Also recommended reading:

[el-ffej]

Or, to look at the situation from another angle:

Text of posting:

To people who see the performance of DeepSeek and think:

"'China is surpassing the US in AI."

You are reading this wrong. The correct reading is:

"Open source models are surpassing proprietary ones."

DeepSeek has profited from open research and open source (e.g. PyTorch and Llama from Meta). They came up with new ideas and built them on top of other people's work.

Because their work is published and open source, everyone can profit from it. That is the power of open research and open source.

I am very wary of people going "China does it better than America" because most of it is just reactionary rejection of your overlord in favor of his rival, but this story is 1. absolutely legit and 2. way too funny.

US wants to build an AI advantage over China, uses their part in the chip supply chain to cut off China from the high-end chip market.

China's chip manufacturing is famously a decade behind, so they can't advance, right?

They did see it as a problem, but what they then did is get a bunch of Computer Scientists and Junior Programmers fresh out of college and funded their research in DeepSeek. Instead of trying to improve output by buying thousands of Nvidia graphics cards, they tried to build a different kind of model, that allowed them to do what OpenAI does at a tenth of the cost.

Them being young and at a Hedgefund AI research branch and not at established Chinese techgiants seems to be important because chinese corporate culture is apparently full of internal sabotage, so newbies fresh from college being told they have to solve the hardest problems in computing was way more efficient than what usually is done. The result:

American AIs are shook. Nvidia, the only company who actually is making profit cause they are supplying hardware, took a hit. This is just the market being stupid, Nvidia also sells to China. And the worst part for OpenAI. DeepSeek is Open Source.

Anybody can implement deepseek's model, provided they have the hardware. They are totally independent from DeepSeek, as you can run it from your own network. I think you will soon have many more AI companies sprouting out of the ground using this as its base.

What does this mean? AI still costs too much energy to be worth using. The head of the project says so much himself: "there is no commercial use, this is research."

What this does mean is that OpenAI's position is severely challenged: there will soon be a lot more competitors using the DeepSeek model, more people can improve the code, OpenAI will have to ask for much lower prices if it eventually does want to make a profit because a 10 times more efficient opensource rival of equal capability is there.

And with OpenAI or anybody else having lost the ability to get the monopoly on the "market" (if you didn't know, no AI company has ever made a single cent in profit, they all are begging for investment), they probably won't be so attractive for investors anymore. There is a cheaper and equally good alternative now.

AI is still bad for the environment. Dumb companies will still want to push AI on everything. Lazy hacks trying to push AI art and writing to replace real artists will still be around and AI slop will not go away. But one of the main drivers of the AI boom is going to be severely compromised because there is a competitor who isn't in it for immediate commercialization. Instead you will have a more decentralized open source AI field.

Or in short:

[asestimationsconsultants]

Valuing Intellectual Property | A New Challenge for Industrial Estimating Services

Introduction As industrial sectors evolve through digitalization, automation, and innovation, intellectual property (IP) has become one of the most valuable assets within a project. From proprietary software and patented designs to custom manufacturing processes and smart technologies, IP is reshaping how value is created and assessed. However, traditional industrial estimating services—built around physical materials, labor, and equipment—are now faced with a complex challenge: how to accurately estimate the cost and value of intellectual property within industrial projects.

This emerging frontier calls for a redefinition of scope in industrial estimating services, expanding their role to account for intangible assets that drive both performance and competitive advantage.

Why IP Matters in Industrial Cost Estimation In many modern industrial developments, especially in high-tech manufacturing, advanced energy systems, and Industry 4.0-enabled factories, intellectual property comprises a significant portion of overall value. For instance:

A custom automation algorithm embedded in a robotics line

Proprietary energy-efficiency systems in a chemical plant

Secure software platforms for controlling distributed manufacturing

These IP-driven elements often represent a large portion of R&D investment and are critical to long-term operational efficiency. An accurate estimate must include not just the cost to implement or license such assets but also the potential risk, return, and lifecycle value they bring.

Key Categories of Intellectual Property in Industrial Settings Understanding how IP appears in industrial projects is essential for accurate estimation. Common categories include:

Patents: Inventions or processes owned or licensed by the project owner

Trade Secrets: Confidential formulas or methods applied during production

Software and Algorithms: Custom-coded tools used in automation and process control

Design Rights: Proprietary architectural or engineering designs

Licenses and Royalties: Payments made to third parties for the use of protected IP

Each of these categories demands unique valuation methods and estimation strategies that differ from traditional capital expenditures.

Challenges in Estimating IP Costs Valuing IP in industrial settings is inherently complex due to:

Intangibility: Unlike steel or labor hours, IP has no physical form and often lacks clear benchmarks.

Variable Cost Structures: Licensing fees, development costs, and long-term support vary widely by industry and supplier.

Lifecycle Uncertainty: IP might evolve or become obsolete quickly, adding estimation risk.

Confidentiality: Many IP assets are guarded by NDAs or corporate secrecy, limiting estimator access.

As a result, industrial estimating services must blend financial modeling, legal review, and technical expertise to deliver accurate assessments.

Approaches to Integrating IP into Estimates To manage these complexities, forward-thinking estimating services apply several strategies:

Cost-Based Estimation: Involves calculating the original R&D or development costs and applying a markup based on projected use.

Market-Based Valuation: Uses comparative licensing or sales data for similar IP assets, when available.

Income-Based Modeling: Projects future cash flows generated by the IP (e.g., operational savings, productivity gains) and discounts them to present value.

Expert Collaboration: Engaging IP lawyers, technology consultants, and accountants to accurately categorize and value protected assets.

Case Example: Estimating an Advanced Robotics System A manufacturing client planned to install a robotics line powered by proprietary AI software developed in-house. While the hardware had clear market prices, the software’s value was harder to define. The industrial estimating service worked with internal developers and finance experts to model the cost of development, anticipated efficiency savings over ten years, and licensing potential if the software was reused across other sites.

By incorporating both direct and indirect value contributions, the estimate provided a holistic picture that helped justify a higher upfront investment.

Benefits of IP-Savvy Estimating Industrial clients gain several advantages when IP is accurately included in estimates:

More Realistic Budgets: Avoids underbudgeting by recognizing the full cost of IP integration or licensing.

Stronger Business Cases: Supports ROI projections for innovation-driven projects.

Better Risk Assessment: Helps identify where IP exposure (e.g., licensing dependencies) may affect project costs.

Investor Appeal: Demonstrates comprehensive valuation, which is critical for attracting investment in innovation-heavy projects.

New Tools and Trends As the demand grows, some industrial estimating platforms are adapting to include IP modeling features:

Digital Asset Registries: Help track owned or licensed IP within the project scope.

AI-Powered Valuation Engines: Use historical and market data to suggest value ranges.

Blockchain for IP Tracking: Ensures provenance and licensing status of digital IP in complex supply chains.

These innovations indicate that IP valuation is becoming a mainstream requirement in industrial estimating practices.

Limitations and Ongoing Development Despite advances, valuing IP remains a partly subjective exercise. The uniqueness of each asset and the lack of standard benchmarks can introduce variability. Moreover, legal changes—such as patent law shifts or tax implications—can alter value significantly.

Estimating services must remain adaptive, continuously updating models and methodologies to reflect both technical and legal developments.

Conclusion The rise of intellectual property as a strategic asset in industrial projects is reshaping the landscape for estimating services. No longer confined to bricks, pipes, and wires, estimators must now navigate code, algorithms, and trade secrets. By embracing this challenge, industrial estimating services not only improve budget accuracy but also elevate their strategic role in capital planning and innovation management. The result is a more holistic view of project value—one that aligns with the digital age.

[an-ruraiocht]

i am all for alternative operating systems but can the Just Install Linux people please realise that many people need to use specific software for their actual jobs/careers which is not compatible with linux and it is not lack of awareness of the existence of linux that is at the root of their windows usage

[radioregine]

finally captured some recordings i'm happy with <3 rest of tonight is gonna be for decorating + scanning in the zine and linking downloads for the audio files

[girderednerve]

in my quest for more gifs of lestat i have descended into hell (trying to install ffmpeg on windows). please keep me in your thoughts, etc

[cellsshapedlikestars]

Weird question maybe but what laptop do you have? Mine finally stopped turning on and I need a new one for work and writing and I don't want to just give in and buy a mac

One that I would not recommend to anyone tbh.

I decided to try a Samsung bc I like my phones a lot and went "let's see how this goes!" Bad idea. The touchpad/mouse can be activated just by grabbing the base. I have clicked into things just by putting pressure *around* the touchpad. The speakers, for some reason, are on the bottom, so everything is weirdly low and muffled if you use it on anything that isn't a hard surface. You know, like a lap. Or my bed, where I watch videos at night. It sucks. 2/10 do not buy. The only thing that's kept me from buying a new one is that I just got it. Although looking back, it's been almost 2 years... But still, I can't bring myself to buy a new one when it *technically* works fine

I will never buy a Mac tbh. Apple and their proprietary bullshit can go to hell

If anyone has suggestions for anon, feel free to share

[vanishingmoments]

Fedora seems like it gets a very unnecessarily bad rap

[shroombies]

Do NOT show an autistic person w a special interest in learning the Obsidian notetaking software, they WILL abandon sleep entirely to fill up vaults with meandering deep dives

[brown-little-robin]

AUGH

[vortexanomaly]

[recreationaldivorce]

i installed the tumblr app bc tumblr on a mobile web browser was just awful but i tried tumblr web on mobile again just now and it seems ok... might uninstall the app

[unix--porn]

[Cinnamon] Enjoying my Modern Windows XP Setup

Everything I have used: Linux Distribution: Arch Linux x86_64 Desktop Environment: Cinnamon Desktop Terminal: Tilix Fetch: Fastfetch Shell: BASH Music Visualizer: Cavalier Mouse Cursor: Vanilla-DMZ Start Menu: CinnVIIStarkMenu Applet Theme: https://github.com/B00merang-Project/Windows-XP

Icons: https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1158349 Windows XP Tulips Wallpaper: https://www.reddit.com/r/wallpaper/comments/i2epjl/tulips_the_original_stock_image_of_a_windows_xp/ Windows XP User Account Profile Picture Pack: https://archive.org/details/WindowsXPUserAccountPictures

—RedditExplorer1111

[coolerdracula]

I hope the current investigations in Apple are actually fruitful because imessage being proprietary makes me so mad

[yukami08]

And this, kids, is why when you want to buy new hardware for your company, you buy standard stuff! For real though, who's the genius at QNAP that decided they were gonna make an enterprise grade NAS with a single board computer based on ARM v7? Fuck you. When the server reaches your pathetic EOSL, what happens? It stops being maintained and it has to be decommissioned. What happens then if someone wants to buy it back? Do they have to plug a security vulnerability on the network? All of that because you decided that using the cheapest components was a better idea? "But Yuka, you can hack the firmware to install Linux on it so you still have security updates" Debian isn't compiled for ARM Marvell anymore. The only version of Debian that is ready to install for this machine is Debian 10 which reached it's EOL only 2 years later! And that's not even taking into account the fact that you have to work around the system to flash the installer to the poor 16MB of unupgradable flash memory on board! "But further updates are too heavy on the system. It's just not powerful enough" Which is why it should have been made with standard components! So you can upgrade and maintain it! And then again, I'm not the one who decided that *an enterprise grade storage server* only needed 1GB of RAM! Tell me, oh great defender of garbage ideas, why do I have in my room a laptop from 2008 running ArchLinux in glorious 64bits with a desktop environment and everything if the system if just not powerful enough to get further updates? Tell me how the system is not powerful enough for updates when I used TrueNas Scale on my main storage server built on a Core2Duo from 2006! Not to even get into the default software of this thing which by itself is a crime but this isn't about that

[shapoopy178]

Jfc Windows, forced updates are one thing but unannounced forced updates that automatically install and reboot my computer overnight are something else entirely, like actively hostile to the user. I frequently leave calculations running overnight when I leave the office so that they're done when I get back in the morning, but now I can't trust my computer to not shut itself down and kill the calculation. Clown shoes operating system.