To the computer enthusiasts of the time, it would have been even more laughable had Bill Gates said "in the next two decades, Microsoft software will completely destroy OS/2, will render Apple a shell of its former self by stealing all its innovations, and will demand 1 GB of RAM." So even if he had his world domination plans set in 1989, he couldn't exactly let the world know without being laughed at.
Mono wasn't ported by Microsoft, and I'm guessing that Microsoft will eventually shut down (via legal means) the VB port. While C# is partially an open standard, which is why Mono can create a C# compiler with no issues, VB is completely closed.
I'm not even sure why someone would want to run VB under Linux. C# is a fantastic language, and well suited for any O/S. VB (and VB.NET) is far more Microsoft-specific, and any developers using it run the risk of future Mono compilers not supporting its features after Microsoft has it removed.
Agreed. We'll have configurable computing platforms for decades, whether they are in the form of desktops, laptops, tablets, PDAs, or some not-yet-invented device doesn't matter. It's unreasonable to assume we'll ever run everything off the web, as the web can never provide the access and reliability of a disconnected device.
Also, how has Linux missed the boat? Linux is WAY behind on desktop usability features (from a typical end-user POV), but there are thousands of developers working to improve it. Logically, someone will release a Linux-based desktop/laptop O/S that will be a real contender for desktops given the critical mass of developers and investors behind it.
Isn't the whole point of open-source software free distribution, repackaging, use, modification, etc.? Unless there are non-OSS components that Novell is distrubting, I don't see how the FSF or anyone else would ever have any control over their "distribution rights", unless Novell tried to close the source and violate the license agreements.
In all seriousness, I wonder if there's any way to solve this problem? Would a super-strong electromagnetic connected to a series of huge satellites orbitting in the wrong direction clear out the space junk?
If you're worried about power consumption, you're not going to buy a top of the line gaming rig. You'd probably buy a relatively low powered laptop (or even buy a very underpowered laptop similar to a OLPC machine). Gaming machines will continue to be bigger and bigger power hogs. More power consumption = faster and better gameplay, no way around it.
Primarily because the users are worried that they'll start getting a ton of unsolicited mail, popups, etc. while logged into the Yahoo network. If you're an "old skool" user, you can at least direct all messages to spam and won't be "logged in" after leaving flickr. My personal opinion is that Yahoo is evil, and will do everything possible to collect information about me while I'm surfing. Take their toolbar, or even worse, their purchase of MyBlogLog. Users view both as spying, and most want nothing to do with it.
The argument that software will get slower assumes that most consumer software will continue to have additional CPU requirements without being coded for multi-core applications. This doesn't make sense. The average consumer uses an Office product, e-mail, and a browser. None of these use anywhere close to 100% of the CPU for very long even on a Pentium 3, let alone on a 2GHz+ core in a multi-core processor.
Workstation computing will suffer some until software vendors catch up, but this is already happening (e.g. most CAD, Animation, Video Processing are starting to come out with multi-core optimized software). Sure, some apps will continue to be single-threaded, but eventually, who would buy them? Software vendors aren't dumb.
Games will probably speed up significantly as well. Imagine the possibilities of having a game engine where each AI character utilizes 100% of a single core? Game designers aren't going to sit around desiging games that run on single core engines, they always push the boundaries and will continue to do so.
Here's what I don't get: this is the British police, not some elite hacking group. They are probably using pretty basic hacking methods to hack into government computers. If this is the case, why aren't the computers more secure to begin with? If the police can do it, I'll bet your kid's lunch money that your teenage neighbor can as well. To me, the lack of adequate security is a far more significant embarrassment than the hacking itself.
Sun has been in trouble for years, and this is a smart first step to getting out of it. Their chips are no longer the powerhouses they once were, and we're truly moving to a commodity chip market anyway. I hope this marks the beginning of Sun moving entirely to Intel/x86 based chips, this way Sun can focus on their other ailing businesses. Sun (just like Mac) is not big enough to keep up with AMD and Intel on chip performance, so why spend Millions/Billions trying?
Is there really that much of an explosion/fire risk for very small and microbatteries? Sure, these nanobatteries would be fantastic for small robots, but I'd guess we're well over 4 years away from being able to make large batteries (e.g. laptop batteries) utilizing nanofabrication techniques that could also reduce fire/explosion risks.
This is certainly a huge oversight/blunder by the government... and I imagine that with enough outrage by contractors they'll create/implement a Linux/Mac version of the software. In the meantime though, it doesn't seem like such a huge inconvenience to have a single $200 Windows computer sitting around just for this purpose.
WOW - if it pans out, this device is amazing. It only weighs 40lbs, and can withstand the impact from a car or elephant gun? If he can really mass produce it for $2,000 a piece, I would think the government would buy thousands (especially considering decent upper body armor can cost the same amount, and provides limited protection in comparison).
Income inequality is a fact of life in a capitalistic society, and should be embraced, not scowled upon. The biggest problem facing the U.S. isn't the wage gap, but the surge of regulations that prevent the poor from becoming rich (and prevents small companies from becoming large one).
Regulatory reform (healthcare, business, education, legal, etc. etc.), and the return of governing powers to the states, is what we need to ensure the U.S. doesn't become a bankrupt ex-super giant on par with Brazil... enacting Japanese or Swedish social reforms will just put more strain on our economy as more people jump on the dole.
Sure, there wouldn't be an income gap with such a system, but I'd rather have the opportunity to work hard and become wealthy than coast through life with a lower-middle class income after taxes.
This is ridiculous. I don't know why some company doesn't just put up a few Million dollars (or 10s of millions) to buy SCO and put all these stupid legal battles behind us. They'll never win any of them, but they'll continue to be a nuisance. Ugghhh.
Actually, they probably ARE all millionaires, or darn close. Microsoft minted millionaires out of thousands of early employees. Google stock has gone up by over 500%, it's pretty reasonable to assume the first 100 employees were given at least 2,000 shares over time in the $1-5 range... which would make each of them millionaires.
Rather than just tell people not to use APE, Landon Fuller (who reported this bug on his blog), should have written an APE SHell Investigative Tool to help people find and fix this error.
As a teen, I worked at a garbage dump and gas station, and a friend worked as a nuclear waste cleanup technician at TMI. I'd definitely classify those amongst the bottom 100.
My years working 100 hour weeks as a Management Consultant at Accenture seemed like comparitive walk in the park. These lists are alway so subjective anyway.
Sucks to be one of the bloggers who accepted an Acer... sounds like Microsoft wasn't being nice at all, maybe they're just increasing their spy network.
So how can Tesla, a startup company with little manufacturing and car experience relative to GM, build an electric car that can make it 200 miles on a charge, while GM can only build one that makes it 40? Come on GM, put a bigger Li-Ion battery in the thing and create a car that works for commuters.
Sure, the Volt is moving in the right direction, but it looks wacky and won't meet many people's expectations. Still, if it was under $25K, I'd consider one.
After seeing the "Top Blogs Mention 'Wikipedia'" section in the press release, I wonder how many SEO obsessed bloggers will insert the word 'wikipedia' over and over in their posts (or link to it in every post). I'll bet by next year, the # of mentions of the word 'wikipedia' will go up by at least 10X due to this reason alone.
Yeah, talk about sensationalizing... got my attention. Even so, 20 years ago this probably would have started WWIII, or at least fueled speculation of a WWIII by the talking heads.
Putin and Bush's spats aside, I guess this means we're still on somewhat friendly terms with the Russians. Sure, space watchers saw it coming, but I bet there'd be a far greater degree of skepticism regarding Russian debris then than there is now.
Here's my bet: someone will have Qflix hacked before the first content provider moves it past the beta stages. This certainly isn't going to prevent movie copying/sharing/pirating, although it probably will limit the percentage of the population savvy enough to pirate them.
I can agree that it's basically worthless to teach elementary school kids Excel and PowerPoint (or any spreadsheet/slidshow app)... there's absolutely no reason for an elementary school kid to use either. While there's a small case for PowerPoint (e.g. photo slideshows), the alternatives are far better at fostering creativity.
Word processing is a different story. I feel that every kid should know how to write, and know the basics for writing in at least one word processing package. I'm not talking weeks of training, just how to open/save documents, how to change font sizes, bold, tabstops, etc. Probably a week of 45 minute classes for a kid.
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To the computer enthusiasts of the time, it would have been even more laughable had Bill Gates said "in the next two decades, Microsoft software will completely destroy OS/2, will render Apple a shell of its former self by stealing all its innovations, and will demand 1 GB of RAM." So even if he had his world domination plans set in 1989, he couldn't exactly let the world know without being laughed at.
Mono wasn't ported by Microsoft, and I'm guessing that Microsoft will eventually shut down (via legal means) the VB port. While C# is partially an open standard, which is why Mono can create a C# compiler with no issues, VB is completely closed.
I'm not even sure why someone would want to run VB under Linux. C# is a fantastic language, and well suited for any O/S. VB (and VB.NET) is far more Microsoft-specific, and any developers using it run the risk of future Mono compilers not supporting its features after Microsoft has it removed.
Agreed. We'll have configurable computing platforms for decades, whether they are in the form of desktops, laptops, tablets, PDAs, or some not-yet-invented device doesn't matter. It's unreasonable to assume we'll ever run everything off the web, as the web can never provide the access and reliability of a disconnected device.
Also, how has Linux missed the boat? Linux is WAY behind on desktop usability features (from a typical end-user POV), but there are thousands of developers working to improve it. Logically, someone will release a Linux-based desktop/laptop O/S that will be a real contender for desktops given the critical mass of developers and investors behind it.
Isn't the whole point of open-source software free distribution, repackaging, use, modification, etc.? Unless there are non-OSS components that Novell is distrubting, I don't see how the FSF or anyone else would ever have any control over their "distribution rights", unless Novell tried to close the source and violate the license agreements.
In all seriousness, I wonder if there's any way to solve this problem? Would a super-strong electromagnetic connected to a series of huge satellites orbitting in the wrong direction clear out the space junk?
If you're worried about power consumption, you're not going to buy a top of the line gaming rig. You'd probably buy a relatively low powered laptop (or even buy a very underpowered laptop similar to a OLPC machine). Gaming machines will continue to be bigger and bigger power hogs. More power consumption = faster and better gameplay, no way around it.
Primarily because the users are worried that they'll start getting a ton of unsolicited mail, popups, etc. while logged into the Yahoo network. If you're an "old skool" user, you can at least direct all messages to spam and won't be "logged in" after leaving flickr. My personal opinion is that Yahoo is evil, and will do everything possible to collect information about me while I'm surfing. Take their toolbar, or even worse, their purchase of MyBlogLog. Users view both as spying, and most want nothing to do with it.
The argument that software will get slower assumes that most consumer software will continue to have additional CPU requirements without being coded for multi-core applications. This doesn't make sense. The average consumer uses an Office product, e-mail, and a browser. None of these use anywhere close to 100% of the CPU for very long even on a Pentium 3, let alone on a 2GHz+ core in a multi-core processor.
Workstation computing will suffer some until software vendors catch up, but this is already happening (e.g. most CAD, Animation, Video Processing are starting to come out with multi-core optimized software). Sure, some apps will continue to be single-threaded, but eventually, who would buy them? Software vendors aren't dumb.
Games will probably speed up significantly as well. Imagine the possibilities of having a game engine where each AI character utilizes 100% of a single core? Game designers aren't going to sit around desiging games that run on single core engines, they always push the boundaries and will continue to do so.
Here's what I don't get: this is the British police, not some elite hacking group. They are probably using pretty basic hacking methods to hack into government computers. If this is the case, why aren't the computers more secure to begin with? If the police can do it, I'll bet your kid's lunch money that your teenage neighbor can as well. To me, the lack of adequate security is a far more significant embarrassment than the hacking itself.
Sun has been in trouble for years, and this is a smart first step to getting out of it. Their chips are no longer the powerhouses they once were, and we're truly moving to a commodity chip market anyway. I hope this marks the beginning of Sun moving entirely to Intel/x86 based chips, this way Sun can focus on their other ailing businesses. Sun (just like Mac) is not big enough to keep up with AMD and Intel on chip performance, so why spend Millions/Billions trying?
Is there really that much of an explosion/fire risk for very small and microbatteries? Sure, these nanobatteries would be fantastic for small robots, but I'd guess we're well over 4 years away from being able to make large batteries (e.g. laptop batteries) utilizing nanofabrication techniques that could also reduce fire/explosion risks.
This is certainly a huge oversight/blunder by the government ... and I imagine that with enough outrage by contractors they'll create/implement a Linux/Mac version of the software. In the meantime though, it doesn't seem like such a huge inconvenience to have a single $200 Windows computer sitting around just for this purpose.
WOW - if it pans out, this device is amazing. It only weighs 40lbs, and can withstand the impact from a car or elephant gun? If he can really mass produce it for $2,000 a piece, I would think the government would buy thousands (especially considering decent upper body armor can cost the same amount, and provides limited protection in comparison).
Income inequality is a fact of life in a capitalistic society, and should be embraced, not scowled upon. The biggest problem facing the U.S. isn't the wage gap, but the surge of regulations that prevent the poor from becoming rich (and prevents small companies from becoming large one).
... enacting Japanese or Swedish social reforms will just put more strain on our economy as more people jump on the dole.
Regulatory reform (healthcare, business, education, legal, etc. etc.), and the return of governing powers to the states, is what we need to ensure the U.S. doesn't become a bankrupt ex-super giant on par with Brazil
Sure, there wouldn't be an income gap with such a system, but I'd rather have the opportunity to work hard and become wealthy than coast through life with a lower-middle class income after taxes.
This is ridiculous. I don't know why some company doesn't just put up a few Million dollars (or 10s of millions) to buy SCO and put all these stupid legal battles behind us. They'll never win any of them, but they'll continue to be a nuisance. Ugghhh.
Actually, they probably ARE all millionaires, or darn close. Microsoft minted millionaires out of thousands of early employees. Google stock has gone up by over 500%, it's pretty reasonable to assume the first 100 employees were given at least 2,000 shares over time in the $1-5 range ... which would make each of them millionaires.
Rather than just tell people not to use APE, Landon Fuller (who reported this bug on his blog), should have written an APE SHell Investigative Tool to help people find and fix this error.
Technology needs more catchy acronyms
As a teen, I worked at a garbage dump and gas station, and a friend worked as a nuclear waste cleanup technician at TMI. I'd definitely classify those amongst the bottom 100.
My years working 100 hour weeks as a Management Consultant at Accenture seemed like comparitive walk in the park. These lists are alway so subjective anyway.
Sucks to be one of the bloggers who accepted an Acer ... sounds like Microsoft wasn't being nice at all, maybe they're just increasing their spy network.
So how can Tesla, a startup company with little manufacturing and car experience relative to GM, build an electric car that can make it 200 miles on a charge, while GM can only build one that makes it 40? Come on GM, put a bigger Li-Ion battery in the thing and create a car that works for commuters.
Sure, the Volt is moving in the right direction, but it looks wacky and won't meet many people's expectations. Still, if it was under $25K, I'd consider one.
After seeing the "Top Blogs Mention 'Wikipedia'" section in the press release, I wonder how many SEO obsessed bloggers will insert the word 'wikipedia' over and over in their posts (or link to it in every post). I'll bet by next year, the # of mentions of the word 'wikipedia' will go up by at least 10X due to this reason alone.
Yeah, talk about sensationalizing ... got my attention. Even so, 20 years ago this probably would have started WWIII, or at least fueled speculation of a WWIII by the talking heads.
Putin and Bush's spats aside, I guess this means we're still on somewhat friendly terms with the Russians. Sure, space watchers saw it coming, but I bet there'd be a far greater degree of skepticism regarding Russian debris then than there is now.
Here's my bet: someone will have Qflix hacked before the first content provider moves it past the beta stages. This certainly isn't going to prevent movie copying/sharing/pirating, although it probably will limit the percentage of the population savvy enough to pirate them.
I can agree that it's basically worthless to teach elementary school kids Excel and PowerPoint (or any spreadsheet/slidshow app) ... there's absolutely no reason for an elementary school kid to use either. While there's a small case for PowerPoint (e.g. photo slideshows), the alternatives are far better at fostering creativity.
Word processing is a different story. I feel that every kid should know how to write, and know the basics for writing in at least one word processing package. I'm not talking weeks of training, just how to open/save documents, how to change font sizes, bold, tabstops, etc. Probably a week of 45 minute classes for a kid.
More like 2017, unless you consider 1 or 2 more $20M trips by Billionaires "Big".