Hmm, sounds good to me. But I'm not sure the Palm has the processor power necessary for the calculations you need in, say, your car. A cool way to do it would be to have a dedicated machine of some sort in your car which must interface with the palm for input-output but which handles all the processing internally. Right now, you can get clamps and stand and such for handhelds to be mounted in a car so you can keep for hands (mnostly) on the wheel.
The only computer that can't be hacked over the internet is a computer that can't be accessed over the internet.
Along the lines of yesthatman's comment... Mark Fabi recently wrote a fairly good cyberpunkish SF novel called Wyrm that takes place in the days leading up to 01/01/00. Though it has some pretty far-fetched stuff about what computers can do, there was one very intriguing idea: a virus planted all over the place, especially in pornography, in the hope that some gov't employee would download the stuff and transfer it to a "secure" missile-command computer not connected to the internet. The virus would then analyze the system and prepare a "report" that was transmitted back the next time something went from the secure computer to a net-connected computer. Then another virus would be prepared, to carry out more isntrucitons, and so forth. Kinda time consuming, but the whole thing was being orchestrated by an "AI." As I said, far-fetched. But it came to mind upon reaidng your post.
This is somewhat OT, but I think it should be noted that being a "computer geek" and being in the Magnet have become fairly synonymous at Blair. Everyone thinks that I am a magnet student upon first meeting me. That may be a combination of the Palm, the glasses, and the computer know-how.
I think the magnet makes for a unique situation at Blair. Computer "geeks," as you noted, have a place to go, a group that will accept and understand them (Ack, Katz attack! Help!) and that is, in a manner of speaking, "school-sanctioned." Also, we have a very large school population, so groups like that really don't get picked on much (in my experience).
For some reason, I find it utterly hilarious to find that on Slashdot. Heh, I see the humor there, now that you point it out.
As I said in my repsonse to Rix's comment, I'm used to the roguelike community, in which every release is accompanied swiftly if not immediately by a DOS/Windows port. Many games are developed in Windows. I don't have much interest in porting, either, in addition to lacking the skills. But I think Rix does have a point to a limited extent: the source is there to be played around with, and that inlcudes portation (ok, not a word, sue me;-) ). Someone could and maybe should port this to DOS. It just needn't - it won't - be me
I think one of the main points of releasing the source with a program is that anyone can do whatever they want with it - including port it to their system. However, I do think it's a bit unfair to expect someone to be able to do something like port a program. We aren't all C++ programmers, here...
The main thing is, I don't know enough C++ to be comfortable porting it myself. I think maybe I'm too used to the roguelike community, which is port-crazy. It's made me lazy.
That was Avery Brooks, right? The guy in the TV ads raving about flying cars?
Anyway. I completely agree. There's so much we spend on stuff that we don't need that would be better spent getting us to Mars. We could get there. All we need is the money. I want to retire to an environment pod in the Asteroid Belt. Get moving, NASA.
Eh, my main problem is how they deal with CSS, especially NS4.7 and its refusal to let CSS persist through table cells.
As for who is using NS4.7... well, my school, for one. Every flaming Mac and PC on the network has NS4.7 and, unless a student has installed somethign else, only NS4.7 I think I've talked them into including NS6 in the next network iamge, but we'll see.
Yeah, really. We're moving pretty fast here, aren't we? Hells, most browers now aren't fully standards-compliant (how that annoys me!). Also, what about web designers who are learning the language now? I've known HTML for quite a while, but my mastery of tables and their relationships with CSS has been more recent. Nevermind whether XHTML is better or worse, this will probably confuse everyone involved with web design, from coders like me to browser designers.
BTW(and OT), I've recently switched from IE and NS4.7 to Mozilla 0.6 and I'm quite satisfied with it. Though I still have to use IE to post to/....
Well he might not tell me that actually, given his perosnality, but I acknowldege the point.
That summation of my view is not complete enough. I acknowledge that Napster broke no law, but it did facilitate it. Napster makes piracy significantly easier. I don't think it should be "shut down," but it requires significant examination.
Surely you mean a Joyous Hanukkah or some such. I mean, that looks like a menorah to me, but I could be wrong.;)
In terms of music... I was scheduled to "debate Napster" on a school radio show today. Essentially, the producer picked me 'cause he knows I'm "good with computers." He also knows I'm sort of "against" Napster, so I got to be the Con side. By argument is pretty much "File sharing is Good, federal crime is Bad, if you don't like copyright law, the way to change it is not to break it. Oh and, this is what 'fair use' really means." I wasn't too sure that would hold up... fortunately, the show was postponed because the Pro girl had to go produce a TV show. I have to do it tomorrow agianst someone else, a guy who is frighteningly bombastic and determined that he has a right to download whatever the hells he wants. Can anyone point me toward some better stuff for my side of the debate?
Hmm... see The Conquerors' Saga by Timothy Zahn. The alien culture artfully portrayed therein uses an a very base-ten system. A second is a "beat," a minute a "hun-beat," etc. There are also cute names for larger temporal increments, but they escpae me at the moment.
Anyway, they're good books, and he's a damn fine author.;)
And given the price, it might even be said to have very large teeth. You know, taking a big bite out of your wallet... Ah, never mind, it's early yet for humor.;)
Yes, it does look nicer than the old PQA. Though the new PQA actually looks pretty nice. Very cleverly designed, if naught else. And cooler, form-factor-wise, than the Visor+VisorPhone. I'm not a huge admirer of the Visor (I fear that's due to loyalty to my Palm IIIxe), but this is a great application of the Springboard. However, read the discusison threads on the Visorphone on any handheld site (like Palmstation) and you'll see the problems. Cost, coverage, compatibility, etc. I won't rehash each of those issues here.
For the disposable-income-laden power user, this looks like The Way To Go. But otherwise... I'm not so sure. This seems partially to be a "because we can" feat that will need time to become perfected.
which boasts a sound system with approximately the same fidelity as a realaudio porno stream
Thank you for that highly accessible comparison. Not that this is critical to the review, but I'm not sure how many of us reading this review know what kind of fidelity a realaudio porno stream has. Frankly, I'd rather not.
But Cyn is definitely right. The IIIxe is a really cool device (I've had mine since May), and probably the best Palm OS handheld out there. The Vx is, IMFFHO, a bit of a waste; as Cyn said, it's a IIIxe in a shiny case. Of course, I have big hands, so I'm a lot more comfortable with the IIIxe... I can't stand the V[x]'s shape.
As far as interface with Linux is concerned, I don' think there are too many problems... the IIIxe has a serial cradle, and I know of several Palm Deskop apps for Linux. I don't know if AvantGo has linux software, though...
This seems to be mostly fanciful. A bit heavy on the amazingly expensive stuff.
To be a bit more down to earth, why not some accessories that geek you know who just got a handheld computer? Depending on their budget and the handheld, getting a handheld can potentially be a dent in the wallet, so to speak, preventing them from getting accessories for a little while.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I want a Kodak PalmPix for my PalmIIIxe...
OK, I'm getting perplexed. How does one pluralize EULA? The plural of aggreement is agreements, so EULAs would make sense. Also, if you treat EULA as a stand-alone word, which most do, then EULAs seems to work. But my Latin instincts are taking over... wouldn't EULAe be more suitable?
-J
I did... once, thankfully
on
EULA In Games
·
· Score: 1
So I was setting up a handheld AvantGo channel for our school online paper (http://silverchips.mbhs.edu
). I had everything set up server-side: the template file that contains headlines, a CGI script to convert them to handheld-friendly formatting, and a nice, 160x160 readable page. I went to avantgo's website(http://www.avantgo.com
) and started going through the process to register as a "content provider" (ooooh!). There was, at one point, a big, EULA-style contract that i had to read and agree to. I almost blew it off, like the things you have to agree to for free web space or web-based email. But for some reason, I skimmed though it... and some very large numbers caught my eye. Specifically, the fact that I would have to pay them $5,000 (give or take a power of 10) of we got more than 5,000 (give or take a power of 10... I don't remember exactly) subscribers to the channel.
Ouch. I stopped right there, and I'm now setting up the channel differently. I don't know how legally binding such contracts are (nor do I expect 5,000+ subscribers), but it's not a risk I want to take.
I still usually don't read software EULAs (EULAe?), though.
Those of you jesting about big keyboards and little PDAs and cumbersomeness, etc, you're not getting the point.
I have a Palm IIIxe, and a Palm Portable Keyboard (rebranded Stowaway). I do a lot of writing, and the PPK makes that infinitely easier. I'm a deft hand with graffiti; when someone gives me their phone nunmber, I jot it down with the stylus. Likewise for quick notes, reminders, etc. But when I'm on a long car journey, in the library, sitting on the porch, and i want to write, all I need is my palm (always with me), my PPK(usually with me), and a firm surface (easy to find). I can even lie on my stomach and use the floor.
A Palm user I know with too much disposable income bought a GoType (and later a PPK). I dislike the GoType, because a) it is small (ppk is the size of a Mac laptop) and b)it destroys the portability factor utterly. I can wear jeans and have the IIIxe and wallet in one pocket and PPK in another. Whereas the GoType requires a separate bag. For my life, a PPK is infinitely better.
I've seen some jokes about impressing girls with such geek toys.. all I know is that my girlfriend goes into hysterics whenever I take out the PPK and start typing... *sigh*
I'm in the middle of one piece that is now 33k and growing... latest draft at http://pearwood.webprovider.com (shameless plug!). I wrote an A-essay for English class on my PPK+IIIxe in the car. It's like a laptop, but without all the extra stuff that I wouldn't use.
The foldable keyboard is a brilliant idea. It has its flaws (somewhat flimsy, occsaionally buggy drivers), but they are far outweighed by its benefits.
Slashdot Mirror
Yah, the Palm would work especially well for data portability. Sort of a multipurpose disk with an interface.
-J
Hmm, sounds good to me. But I'm not sure the Palm has the processor power necessary for the calculations you need in, say, your car. A cool way to do it would be to have a dedicated machine of some sort in your car which must interface with the palm for input-output but which handles all the processing internally.
Right now, you can get clamps and stand and such for handhelds to be mounted in a car so you can keep for hands (mnostly) on the wheel.
-J
The only computer that can't be hacked over the internet is a computer that can't be accessed over the internet.
Along the lines of yesthatman's comment... Mark Fabi recently wrote a fairly good cyberpunkish SF novel called Wyrm that takes place in the days leading up to 01/01/00. Though it has some pretty far-fetched stuff about what computers can do, there was one very intriguing idea: a virus planted all over the place, especially in pornography, in the hope that some gov't employee would download the stuff and transfer it to a "secure" missile-command computer not connected to the internet. The virus would then analyze the system and prepare a "report" that was transmitted back the next time something went from the secure computer to a net-connected computer. Then another virus would be prepared, to carry out more isntrucitons, and so forth. Kinda time consuming, but the whole thing was being orchestrated by an "AI."
As I said, far-fetched. But it came to mind upon reaidng your post.
-J
I thought that was you, Justin. ;) (it's Joe)
This is somewhat OT, but I think it should be noted that being a "computer geek" and being in the Magnet have become fairly synonymous at Blair. Everyone thinks that I am a magnet student upon first meeting me. That may be a combination of the Palm, the glasses, and the computer know-how.
I think the magnet makes for a unique situation at Blair. Computer "geeks," as you noted, have a place to go, a group that will accept and understand them (Ack, Katz attack! Help!) and that is, in a manner of speaking, "school-sanctioned."
Also, we have a very large school population, so groups like that really don't get picked on much (in my experience).
Just thought I'd share these thoughts.
-J
Hmm. Sounds like that might have potential for a first-person shooter spin-off...
Alternatively, when do we get Nibbles 3D? Or has that been done?
-J
Ooh, you may be right. Certainly an excellent game. Though NIBBLES.BAS was pretty good, too.
-J
For some reason, I find it utterly hilarious to find that on Slashdot.
;-) ). Someone could and maybe should port this to DOS. It just needn't - it won't - be me
Heh, I see the humor there, now that you point it out.
As I said in my repsonse to Rix's comment, I'm used to the roguelike community, in which every release is accompanied swiftly if not immediately by a DOS/Windows port. Many games are developed in Windows. I don't have much interest in porting, either, in addition to lacking the skills. But I think Rix does have a point to a limited extent: the source is there to be played around with, and that inlcudes portation (ok, not a word, sue me
-J
Now, was that directed at myself, or Rix?
I think one of the main points of releasing the source with a program is that anyone can do whatever they want with it - including port it to their system.
However, I do think it's a bit unfair to expect someone to be able to do something like port a program. We aren't all C++ programmers, here...
I'm not gonna touch the "nerd" comment.
-J
I'm not sure it's greed. Laziness, perhaps.
The main thing is, I don't know enough C++ to be comfortable porting it myself. I think maybe I'm too used to the roguelike community, which is port-crazy. It's made me lazy.
-J
Disadvantages of the game include lack of sound and network play.
Not to mention lack of a DOS version.
-J
I want my flying cars.
That was Avery Brooks, right? The guy in the TV ads raving about flying cars?
Anyway. I completely agree. There's so much we spend on stuff that we don't need that would be better spent getting us to Mars. We could get there. All we need is the money.
I want to retire to an environment pod in the Asteroid Belt. Get moving, NASA.
-J
Eh, my main problem is how they deal with CSS, especially NS4.7 and its refusal to let CSS persist through table cells.
As for who is using NS4.7... well, my school, for one. Every flaming Mac and PC on the network has NS4.7 and, unless a student has installed somethign else, only NS4.7 I think I've talked them into including NS6 in the next network iamge, but we'll see.
-J
Just when I learned how to do tables ....
/. ...
Yeah, really. We're moving pretty fast here, aren't we? Hells, most browers now aren't fully standards-compliant (how that annoys me!). Also, what about web designers who are learning the language now? I've known HTML for quite a while, but my mastery of tables and their relationships with CSS has been more recent.
Nevermind whether XHTML is better or worse, this will probably confuse everyone involved with web design, from coders like me to browser designers.
BTW(and OT), I've recently switched from IE and NS4.7 to Mozilla 0.6 and I'm quite satisfied with it. Though I still have to use IE to post to
-J
Well he might not tell me that actually, given his perosnality, but I acknowldege the point.
That summation of my view is not complete enough. I acknowledge that Napster broke no law, but it did facilitate it. Napster makes piracy significantly easier. I don't think it should be "shut down," but it requires significant examination.
-J
And a Merry Christmas for those who celebrate it.
;)
Surely you mean a Joyous Hanukkah or some such. I mean, that looks like a menorah to me, but I could be wrong.
In terms of music... I was scheduled to "debate Napster" on a school radio show today. Essentially, the producer picked me 'cause he knows I'm "good with computers." He also knows I'm sort of "against" Napster, so I got to be the Con side. By argument is pretty much "File sharing is Good, federal crime is Bad, if you don't like copyright law, the way to change it is not to break it. Oh and, this is what 'fair use' really means." I wasn't too sure that would hold up... fortunately, the show was postponed because the Pro girl had to go produce a TV show. I have to do it tomorrow agianst someone else, a guy who is frighteningly bombastic and determined that he has a right to download whatever the hells he wants. Can anyone point me toward some better stuff for my side of the debate?
-J
Hmm... see The Conquerors' Saga by Timothy Zahn. The alien culture artfully portrayed therein uses an a very base-ten system. A second is a "beat," a minute a "hun-beat," etc. There are also cute names for larger temporal increments, but they escpae me at the moment.
;)
Anyway, they're good books, and he's a damn fine author.
-J
Yah, I noticed that after the fact. I even used the Preview button! ;) I got a general sense of wrongness looking at my post, but...
My brain is muddled from too many Palm sites and too flaming many acronyms with "P."
-J
And given the price, it might even be said to have very large teeth. ;)
You know, taking a big bite out of your wallet... Ah, never mind, it's early yet for humor.
-J
Yes, it does look nicer than the old PQA. Though the new PQA actually looks pretty nice. Very cleverly designed, if naught else. And cooler, form-factor-wise, than the Visor+VisorPhone.
I'm not a huge admirer of the Visor (I fear that's due to loyalty to my Palm IIIxe), but this is a great application of the Springboard. However, read the discusison threads on the Visorphone on any handheld site (like Palmstation) and you'll see the problems. Cost, coverage, compatibility, etc. I won't rehash each of those issues here.
For the disposable-income-laden power user, this looks like The Way To Go. But otherwise... I'm not so sure. This seems partially to be a "because we can" feat that will need time to become perfected.
-J
which boasts a sound system with approximately the same fidelity as a realaudio porno stream
Thank you for that highly accessible comparison. Not that this is critical to the review, but I'm not sure how many of us reading this review know what kind of fidelity a realaudio porno stream has. Frankly, I'd rather not.
-J
Well, not really, because tobacco smells nasty.
But Cyn is definitely right. The IIIxe is a really cool device (I've had mine since May), and probably the best Palm OS handheld out there. The Vx is, IMFFHO, a bit of a waste; as Cyn said, it's a IIIxe in a shiny case. Of course, I have big hands, so I'm a lot more comfortable with the IIIxe... I can't stand the V[x]'s shape.
As far as interface with Linux is concerned, I don' think there are too many problems... the IIIxe has a serial cradle, and I know of several Palm Deskop apps for Linux. I don't know if AvantGo has linux software, though...
-J
This seems to be mostly fanciful. A bit heavy on the amazingly expensive stuff.
To be a bit more down to earth, why not some accessories that geek you know who just got a handheld computer? Depending on their budget and the handheld, getting a handheld can potentially be a dent in the wallet, so to speak, preventing them from getting accessories for a little while.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I want a Kodak PalmPix for my PalmIIIxe...
-J
OK, I'm getting perplexed. How does one pluralize EULA? The plural of aggreement is agreements, so EULAs would make sense. Also, if you treat EULA as a stand-alone word, which most do, then EULAs seems to work. But my Latin instincts are taking over... wouldn't EULAe be more suitable?
-J
So I was setting up a handheld AvantGo channel for our school online paper (http://silverchips.mbhs.edu ). I had everything set up server-side: the template file that contains headlines, a CGI script to convert them to handheld-friendly formatting, and a nice, 160x160 readable page. I went to avantgo's website(http://www.avantgo.com ) and started going through the process to register as a "content provider" (ooooh!). There was, at one point, a big, EULA-style contract that i had to read and agree to. I almost blew it off, like the things you have to agree to for free web space or web-based email. But for some reason, I skimmed though it... and some very large numbers caught my eye. Specifically, the fact that I would have to pay them $5,000 (give or take a power of 10) of we got more than 5,000 (give or take a power of 10... I don't remember exactly) subscribers to the channel.
Ouch. I stopped right there, and I'm now setting up the channel differently. I don't know how legally binding such contracts are (nor do I expect 5,000+ subscribers), but it's not a risk I want to take.
I still usually don't read software EULAs (EULAe?), though.
-J
Those of you jesting about big keyboards and little PDAs and cumbersomeness, etc, you're not getting the point.
I have a Palm IIIxe, and a Palm Portable Keyboard (rebranded Stowaway). I do a lot of writing, and the PPK makes that infinitely easier. I'm a deft hand with graffiti; when someone gives me their phone nunmber, I jot it down with the stylus. Likewise for quick notes, reminders, etc. But when I'm on a long car journey, in the library, sitting on the porch, and i want to write, all I need is my palm (always with me), my PPK(usually with me), and a firm surface (easy to find). I can even lie on my stomach and use the floor.
A Palm user I know with too much disposable income bought a GoType (and later a PPK). I dislike the GoType, because a) it is small (ppk is the size of a Mac laptop) and b)it destroys the portability factor utterly. I can wear jeans and have the IIIxe and wallet in one pocket and PPK in another. Whereas the GoType requires a separate bag. For my life, a PPK is infinitely better.
I've seen some jokes about impressing girls with such geek toys.. all I know is that my girlfriend goes into hysterics whenever I take out the PPK and start typing... *sigh*
I'm in the middle of one piece that is now 33k and growing... latest draft at http://pearwood.webprovider.com (shameless plug!). I wrote an A-essay for English class on my PPK+IIIxe in the car. It's like a laptop, but without all the extra stuff that I wouldn't use.
The foldable keyboard is a brilliant idea. It has its flaws (somewhat flimsy, occsaionally buggy drivers), but they are far outweighed by its benefits.
-J