Open-Source Community Service? 6
Anonymous Coward writes "My friend and i were wondering if open source programming would count for community service hours, if, hypothetically speaking, the courts ever assigned me any. Should they count?"
Probably not. (Score:1)
My understanding is that when someone is sentenced to perform community services, they are supposed to serve the community which they diminished by their criminal actions. Unless your crime was to deface a website or otherwise disrupt or damage computer systems, then open-source programming probably wouldn't be seen as valid communit service.
I fear that if you had defaced a website or disrupted some computer services, that a 'merikan judge wouldn't see it as vandalism or mischeif but would label an act of "cyber-terrorism".
Maybe... (Score:1)
SALAD BARF! DELI-DUMP SUSPECT NABBED (Score:1)
SALAD BARF! DELI-DUMP SUSPECT NABBED
A gross-out gourmet was caught dumping human waste on a Midtown salad bar - and is suspected in more than a dozen similar stomach-turning incidents, police said.
Workers at the deli grabbed the feces-flinging fiend after they noticed him emptying two bottles of disgusting-smelling liquid onto food trays in the back of the store at around 5:40 p.m., police said.
Cops responding to the bizarre call arrested Arellano and confiscated the bottles, which were sent to the Health Department for testing.
"Oh, it makes me sick just thinking about it," said Alpine customer Dawn Riggins, a 33-year-old beautician from The Bronx. "What kind of person would do that? It's disgusting."
Arellano was charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal tampering and public urination.
And in a twist sure to make Midtown workers lose their lunch - or never eat it again - police said they are investigating numerous other incidents at eateries in Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, and around 42nd Street.
Officials said Arellano has already been identified by witnesses as the man who recently tried to foul the food at Mike's Take-Away Deli in Grand Central, and will soon be charged in that case.
Other suspected victims of the dung-disher in the past few days include a Krispy Kreme, Zaro's Bakery, and Caruso's Pizza in Penn Station, police sources said.
Police are also investigating him for other alleged incidents, officials said.
Police said several proprietors witnessed what they thought was bizarre behavior by a man matching Arellano's description - while others had customers complain of foul odors coming from certain foods.
Deli customer Keshia Williamson said the incident explains why deli salads often taste like, er, garbage.
"I'm sure this happens at other delis, too," said the 21-year-old college student. "The person who did this is an animal. He could've gotten people sick.
"I'm not going to eat anything more from a salad bar."
if open source programming would count for communi (Score:2)
It's supposed to be a form of punishment, remember.
Yes (Score:2)
As long as you do it in COBOL or VB.
-"Zow"
Probably not... (Score:3)
1) you get assigned X number of community service hours (in my case 12).
2) you go to a specified governement facility where you wait in line a long fscking time
3) the boring, bored person behind the desk shows you a list of available "jobs" and you agree on one. They call the people in charge and say that you're coming in at a certain date and time.
4) you get a little form that has to be signed.
5) you work
6) they sign the form
7) lather, rinse, and repeat 5&6 until you have done X number of hours.
The problems with this are:
- open source programming can rarely (if ever) be signed off by an "authoritative" body. Sure, the project leader could say that you did X number of hours, but why would the county/state/etc trust him/her??
- open source programming isn't on their list of things that count (although THIS could be something to look into... setting up a program in your area for law-breaking programmers to work for you)
- Usually, the tasks that have to be done are for other government agencies (i.e. I washed fire engines)... perhaps non-profits count too.
- I don't think there are that many
- The government wants community service to suck... remember, it's a punishment (although others will argue that it's an apology). Programming is something that most programmers enjoy (duh). So making them write little bits of code really isn't going to make them not want to commit a crime again.
I just don't think it would work. Perhaps you could count it for a scholarship, they're probably a bit more flexible.
Interesting idea though...