Now, I'm not suggesting that the Proletariat sieze the means of production. Just that enough food be given away, in addition to paid exports, to make sure that people at least get a basic diet.
The West subsidising its farmers the GNP of half a dozen African nations then dumping it on them is part of the problem.
I've seen a few posts here that say the Chinese could always import food, rather than expanding their farmland. That's rather hypocritical for anyone who comes from a country who subsidises their farmers as much as the USA and Europe do.
Bullshit. Writing code from scratch is the *only* way to go if your existing code base is too hosed. Look at, for example, the Be Operating System. Written from scratch, from the ground up, and it shows just how much a computer can really accomplish if you start with a clean slate.
There is a *big* difference from writing from scratch for a new project, and rewriting from scratch when you have a large installed base. The point isn't that the code won't benefit from it but that your shipping code will stagnate, annoying your existing customers.
However, maybe I'm implicitly assuming that we have settled exactly what Avogadro's number is. But if we haven't, if we are still holding out for more and more accurate measurements of Avogadro's number, then yeah, we need to really nail down what a kilogram is.
This is more or less what the suggestion is, except they are suggesting using a single crystal of silicon (the technology for getting these amazingly pure is well known). I'm sure if you could grow an absolutely pure diamond crystal a foot or two across that would do almost as well.
I see on a couple of other threads that the best estimates of Avogadro's number is to about 8 figures. That's about the same precision that they have on comparing the current kilogram, and at much greater effort.
If one of those countries pisses Australia off, they can mass produce the country's currency, and drop it from aircraft. Making their economy tank in short order;-)
German intelligence tried this in WW2, under the name "Operation Bernhard". The BBC made a comedy! adaptation of it a while back, called "Private Schultz". I believe that is technically a war crime.
You're right, he did say some stupid things and he totally doesn't get Open Source.
So, Windows 2000 didn't steamroller Linux out of existance. Still, who looks more foolish: Metcalfe for saying that, or the well-known Open Source proponent who predicted that W2K would never ship?
Metcalfe has a good point: that open source is only essential when manufacturers don't play by the rules. Metcalfe's Law, which predicts that the winners are those who promote interoperability is important in understanding the success of Ethernet and the Internet as a whole.
Umm, sorry bud but it is YOU who is full of shit. The article you yourself quoted even says that such high utilization on ethernet is "theoretically" possible, and discussed how to implement hardware to get that kind of performance. While token ring had the real ability to saturate connections, no practical ethernet hardware was able to come even close.
That's nonsense, I'm afraid. Since when was it a problem with a network technology that it had *so much* bandwidth that the systems couldn't pump the data out that fast?
Re:ESR just couldn't resist...
on
OSI vs SCO
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· Score: 1
I am really saddened at the weak constitutions of most people today, even in the tech community. Everyone has a "why not conform?" attitude. What ever happened to actually having beliefs in something and standing up for it? Everyone derides ESR and RMS because they stick by what they believe in.
At some point you have to accept that natural languages change; writers of dictionaries realise this and eventually accept common usage.
The Jargon File defines exactly that - Jargon, of which one dictionary definition is "Speech or writing having unusual or pretentious vocabulary".
Insisting on the meaning of a word stay fixed is, sooner or later just another windmill-jousting exercise. To coin a phrase, "language wants to be free".
Why buy an Xbox with a warranty if you're just going to void it anyway?
You're probably right but saying 'doing X voids the warranty' doesn't make it so. It depends what you do, of course, but claiming that 'opening the box voids the warranty' is BS. In a lot of jurisdictions, it counts as tying of service to the original manufacturer, which is a big no-no.
It should be quite noticeable by now, that "hacker" has been used of computer criminals for at least 15 years
I believe you are mistaken. The term hacker has _always_ been defined as a computer expert or someone who is extremely adept at computer use. The derogatory term came about later.
Always is a long time; the references say mid 60's, with some evidence of use earlier. 'Wargames' came out in 1983 by which time the derogatory usage of hacker was in widespread use.
So, the 'wrong' usage has at least 20 years of common use, so probably longer and certainly more widespread than the original meaning. Natural languages morph; trying to fight the change is futile. One might as well insist that you have to be ordained in order to manage a hierarchical filesystem.
the problem is that if having printer ink cartridges that self-destruct after a certain amount of time becomes the status quo, then pretty much -all- printer manufacturers are going to follow suit and consumers won't be left with any more choices.
They're playing with fire if they do that; printer manufacturers are already under investigation for anticompetitive practices by the EU. If they have any sense, they'll back off fast.
I don't know what they bought specifically, but I seem to only remember that they bought the fab for Alphas, as well as DEC's NIC and StrongARM technology. IIRC, DEC kept the Alpha technology, but having been bought by Compaq and then HP
Intel bought the fabs off DEC. Compaq later sold the Alpha IP to Intel just before the HP merger, presumably because HP already had the Itanium as its migration path for HP-UX users.
People who break into other people's computers are trespassing. This represents an initiation of force -- a "natual crime" if you will -- because there is an actual breach of property rights
I certainly don't regard trespass as a 'natural crime'. In the UK, it isn't a crime at all. Only if damage is caused, or the area is restricted is it a crime.
The conflict between freedom to go where you will and enjoyment of property rights has been going on for centuries, without a clear resolution. For example, at Kinder Scout.
I think a bit more than that. White Dwarf used to be a great magazine, carrying articles on classic games like AD&D, Traveller and Runequest.
It took from 1986 (Warhammer announced) to 1987 (last AD&D article) for them to turn it around from probably the best games magazine around to a house catalogue.
But the real money-burner is promotion and distribution. Thousands, hundreds of thousands are spent on replication and distribution and marketing just so regular people (including the non net-savvy) can hear about new music. So I think $12.99 is more than fair. Even $14.99.
Distribution isn't the problem. In fact, the problem the RIAA has is that distribution is getting too easy, and difficult to control.
Promotion is probably a much bigger expense; however, it relies on the laziness of people. One or two acts I've followed in the past have broken off from big company contracts, and reduced albums on their own labels. The sad thing is that most of the time, even when I *know* I like the artists, I haven't checked out their indie albums. If I was less lazy, I would spend more time hunting reviews/samples down.
In the end the Net has a lot of promise for connecting people to what they want. And maybe the future holds a mixture of bulk, low-margin resellers of content, like Amazon, and small shops where there are people who know and love books or music; and the big high street chains will melt away.
Utopian, perhaps. Next time, I'll be putting my money where my mouth is, though. And I hope you will, as well.
Now I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but if OFTEL lowered the speed of what it called 'Broadband' to the same speed as channel bonded stock 2 channel ISDN then that suddenly means a lot more of the data links in use are 'Broadband' and the government wouldn't look quite so daft.
ISDN doesn't count. It doesn't meet the 'always on' criterion.
Shared source is *not* open source. It clearly fails to meet the OSD definition. You may prefer free licences to open ones but shared-source is neither free nor open.
Re:Other ways the market should be working
on
LCD Price Fixing?
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· Score: 1
Why aren't the 240T's with, say, eight dead pixels sold at a different price?
I guess it's because the standard doesn't have enough break points in it. More or less everything is sold as class II. If the manufacturers agreed on a IIa standard, that might allow them to differentiate a bit. Otherwise, it probably complicates things too much: what if one pixel more fails when you get it home, or within warranty?
Hey! You and I can throw a ball around a few hours a week and make major cash!
What? You mean I have to practice 20-30 hours a week for 15 years? You mean I press my body towards extremes of physical conditioning? You mean I have to not sit on my ass drinking Mountain Dew and Doritos?
True. However, you can make a living playing poker or bridge for money, if you're good enough. And a fair amount hustling pool or backgammon.
Heaven forbid that he should tell us what jurisdiction he lives in. He might, in some way, accidentally get an answer that might be in some way relevant.
Coal is the worst of all: not only does it pollute on a scale normally only seen in nightmares, it even produces more radiation than fission!
Do you have any links on the web to confirm what you are clamming? I never heard of that, and I am skeptic, but hey, I have an open mind...
It's correct but the reason given is spurious. Carbon dating is only good for relatively recent stuff: a million years, tops. The half-life is way too short to get anything from coal deposits. However, coal ash does tend to be radioactive because you collect huge volumes of 'stuff' and reduce it down; a bit like mining for gold. It tends to be trace contaminants, such as Uranium that are the radioactive parts.
Will we have to tell them we don't want to be listed like we have to do with land lines?
I'm fairly sure that in the UK, unlisted was the default. I still get maybe one or two telemarketers a year though. It hasn't bugged me enough to explicitly opt out.
Unix is a registerd trademark ad can only be used by software derived from the original AT&T code.
No. The "Open Group have held the rights for some time now. The make their money certifying products to XPG and Single Unix standards. You pass the conformance tests, you get to use the name.
$20 a month was serious money...Back then, $20 a month would have bought a lot of personal ethics.
When I was in college, the authorities would fine students real money if they made a sufficient nuisance of themselves. That generally readjusted their view of things.
Slashdot Mirror
Now, I'm not suggesting that the Proletariat sieze the means of production. Just that enough food be given away, in addition to paid exports, to make sure that people at least get a basic diet.
The West subsidising its farmers the GNP of half a dozen African nations then dumping it on them is part of the problem.
I've seen a few posts here that say the Chinese could always import food, rather than expanding their farmland. That's rather hypocritical for anyone who comes from a country who subsidises their farmers as much as the USA and Europe do.
Bullshit. Writing code from scratch is the *only* way to go if your existing code base is too hosed. Look at, for example, the Be Operating System. Written from scratch, from the ground up, and it shows just how much a computer can really accomplish if you start with a clean slate.
There is a *big* difference from writing from scratch for a new project, and rewriting from scratch when you have a large installed base. The point isn't that the code won't benefit from it but that your shipping code will stagnate, annoying your existing customers.
However, maybe I'm implicitly assuming that we have settled exactly what Avogadro's number is. But if we haven't, if we are still holding out for more and more accurate measurements of Avogadro's number, then yeah, we need to really nail down what a kilogram is.
This is more or less what the suggestion is, except they are suggesting using a single crystal of silicon (the technology for getting these amazingly pure is well known). I'm sure if you could grow an absolutely pure diamond crystal a foot or two across that would do almost as well.
I see on a couple of other threads that the best estimates of Avogadro's number is to about 8 figures. That's about the same precision that they have on comparing the current kilogram, and at much greater effort.
If one of those countries pisses Australia off, they can mass produce the country's ;-)
currency, and drop it from aircraft. Making their economy tank in short order
German intelligence tried this in WW2, under the name "Operation Bernhard". The BBC made a comedy! adaptation of it a while back, called "Private Schultz". I believe that is technically a war crime.
You're right, he did say some stupid things and he totally doesn't get Open Source.
So, Windows 2000 didn't steamroller Linux out of existance. Still, who looks more foolish: Metcalfe for saying that, or the well-known Open Source proponent who predicted that W2K would never ship?
Metcalfe has a good point: that open source is only essential when manufacturers don't play by the rules. Metcalfe's Law, which predicts that the winners are those who promote interoperability is important in understanding the success of Ethernet and the Internet as a whole.
Umm, sorry bud but it is YOU who is full of shit. The article you yourself quoted even says that such high utilization on ethernet is "theoretically" possible, and discussed how to implement hardware to get that kind of performance. While token ring had the real ability to saturate connections, no practical ethernet hardware was able to come even close.
That's nonsense, I'm afraid. Since when was it a problem with a network technology that it had *so much* bandwidth that the systems couldn't pump the data out that fast?
I am really saddened at the weak constitutions of most people today, even in the tech community. Everyone has a "why not conform?" attitude. What ever happened to actually having beliefs in something and standing up for it? Everyone derides ESR and RMS because they stick by what they believe in.
At some point you have to accept that natural languages change; writers of dictionaries realise this and eventually accept common usage.
The Jargon File defines exactly that - Jargon, of which one dictionary definition is "Speech or writing having unusual or pretentious vocabulary".
Insisting on the meaning of a word stay fixed is, sooner or later just another windmill-jousting exercise. To coin a phrase, "language wants to be free".
Why buy an Xbox with a warranty if you're just going to void it anyway?
You're probably right but saying 'doing X voids the warranty' doesn't make it so. It depends what you do, of course, but claiming that 'opening the box voids the warranty' is BS. In a lot of jurisdictions, it counts as tying of service to the original manufacturer, which is a big no-no.
It should be quite noticeable by now, that "hacker" has been used of computer criminals for at least 15 years
I believe you are mistaken. The term hacker has _always_ been defined as a computer expert or someone who is extremely adept at computer use. The derogatory term came about later.
Always is a long time; the references say mid 60's, with some evidence of use earlier. 'Wargames' came out in 1983 by which time the derogatory usage of hacker was in widespread use.
So, the 'wrong' usage has at least 20 years of common use, so probably longer and certainly more widespread than the original meaning. Natural languages morph; trying to fight the change is futile. One might as well insist that you have to be ordained in order to manage a hierarchical filesystem.
the problem is that if having printer ink cartridges that self-destruct after a certain amount of time becomes the status quo, then pretty much -all- printer manufacturers are going to follow suit and consumers won't be left with any more choices.
They're playing with fire if they do that; printer manufacturers are already under investigation for anticompetitive practices by the EU. If they have any sense, they'll back off fast.
I don't know what they bought specifically, but I seem to only remember that they bought the fab for Alphas, as well as DEC's NIC and StrongARM technology. IIRC, DEC kept the Alpha technology, but having been bought by Compaq and then HP
Intel bought the fabs off DEC. Compaq later sold the Alpha IP to Intel just before the HP merger, presumably because HP already had the Itanium as its migration path for HP-UX users.
People who break into other people's computers are trespassing. This represents an initiation of force -- a "natual crime" if you will -- because there is an actual breach of property rights
I certainly don't regard trespass as a 'natural crime'. In the UK, it isn't a crime at all. Only if damage is caused, or the area is restricted is it a crime.
The conflict between freedom to go where you will and enjoyment of property rights has been going on for centuries, without a clear resolution. For example, at Kinder Scout.
My estimate? perhaps the turn was 15 years ago.
I think a bit more than that. White Dwarf used to be a great magazine, carrying articles on classic games like AD&D, Traveller and Runequest.
It took from 1986 (Warhammer announced) to 1987 (last AD&D article) for them to turn it around from probably the best games magazine around to a house catalogue.
Timeline.
But the real money-burner is promotion and distribution. Thousands, hundreds of thousands are spent on replication and distribution and marketing just so regular people (including the non net-savvy) can hear about new music. So I think $12.99 is more than fair. Even $14.99.
Distribution isn't the problem. In fact, the problem the RIAA has is that distribution is getting too easy, and difficult to control.
Promotion is probably a much bigger expense; however, it relies on the laziness of people. One or two acts I've followed in the past have broken off from big company contracts, and reduced albums on their own labels. The sad thing is that most of the time, even when I *know* I like the artists, I haven't checked out their indie albums. If I was less lazy, I would spend more time hunting reviews/samples down.
In the end the Net has a lot of promise for connecting people to what they want. And maybe the future holds a mixture of bulk, low-margin resellers of content, like Amazon, and small shops where there are people who know and love books or music; and the big high street chains will melt away.
Utopian, perhaps. Next time, I'll be putting my money where my mouth is, though. And I hope you will, as well.
Now I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but if OFTEL lowered the speed of what it called 'Broadband' to the same speed as channel bonded stock 2 channel ISDN then that suddenly means a lot more of the data links in use are 'Broadband' and the government wouldn't look quite so daft.
ISDN doesn't count. It doesn't meet the 'always on' criterion.
Shared source is *not* open source. It clearly fails to meet the OSD definition. You may prefer free licences to open ones but shared-source is neither free nor open.
Why aren't the 240T's with, say, eight dead pixels sold at a different price?
I guess it's because the standard doesn't have enough break points in it. More or less everything is sold as class II. If the manufacturers agreed on a IIa standard, that might allow them to differentiate a bit. Otherwise, it probably complicates things too much: what if one pixel more fails when you get it home, or within warranty?
It is doing a 360
Going around in circles yet ending up where you started? I think you mean 180.
Nah. He could just have non-integral spin. We're not all bosons, you know.
Hey! You and I can throw a ball around a few hours a week and make major cash!
What? You mean I have to practice 20-30 hours a week for 15 years? You mean I press my body towards extremes of physical conditioning? You mean I have to not sit on my ass drinking Mountain Dew and Doritos?
True. However, you can make a living playing poker or bridge for money, if you're good enough. And a fair amount hustling pool or backgammon.
I don't see much of a difference there.
Just out of curiosity, are you in the US or not?
Heaven forbid that he should tell us what jurisdiction he lives in. He might, in some way, accidentally get an answer that might be in some way relevant.
Coal is the worst of all: not only does it pollute on a scale normally only seen in nightmares, it even produces more radiation than fission!
Do you have any links on the web to confirm what you are clamming? I never heard of that, and I am skeptic, but hey, I have an open mind...
It's correct but the reason given is spurious. Carbon dating is only good for relatively recent stuff: a million years, tops. The half-life is way too short to get anything from coal deposits. However, coal ash does tend to be radioactive because you collect huge volumes of 'stuff' and reduce it down; a bit like mining for gold. It tends to be trace contaminants, such as Uranium that are the radioactive parts.
US Geological Survey fact sheet
Will we have to tell them we don't want to be listed like we have to do with land lines?
I'm fairly sure that in the UK, unlisted was the default. I still get maybe one or two telemarketers a year though. It hasn't bugged me enough to explicitly opt out.
It claims that "some workers were rumoured to be placing orders for 50 or 60 of the computers at a time"
If I was Amazon, I'd fulfill all the single orders for the PR value and decline any bulk orders. That would teach "some workers" a valuable lesson.
Unix is a registerd trademark ad can only be used by software derived from the original AT&T code.
No. The "Open Group have held the rights for some time now. The make their money certifying products to XPG and Single Unix standards. You pass the conformance tests, you get to use the name.
$20 a month was serious money...Back then, $20 a month would have bought a lot of personal ethics.
When I was in college, the authorities would fine students real money if they made a sufficient nuisance of themselves. That generally readjusted their view of things.