Google will probably let me do what I want with it and not try to brick it. I bet I have access to it's memory intentionally!
Exactly. I am not a mobile developer, but I'd like to be able to do things like add music, ringtones and wallpapers with just a USB cable (without feeling like I am "hacking" it) or like Open Moko is doing, let me change the "theme" of the UI easily.
I really hope they continue this series somehow....
I, for one, am hoping to see some really excellent add-on maps for Portal, either community-created or Valve-created (or both). Portal is pretty much open-ended, as far as mechanics. I am sure Valve could continue the storyline in a sequel, but I think the best thing is to just utilize the mechanics and engine for a limitless number of puzzle rooms.
In a non-storyline mode, we could be seeing the birth of a new "casual-game" genre: Casual FPS.
The OpenMoko platform is looking like a good bet for a Linux-based phone/pda platform. ARM-based, iPhone-like touchscreen and a nice development kit available. It's due in Oct/Nov I beleve.
I have asked this question before and have never gotten an answer. After checking all over the openmoko site, I cannot find out if they are planning on offering something like this in a CDMA version. There are no GSM networks that I can connect to reliably within about a 15-mile radius of where I live and work (I am in Wisconsin).
Any ideas or alternate suggestions for anything even close to the openmoko idea?
The OpenMoko platform looks interesting. I have been reading up on it, but I cannot find anything that says if they are planning on a CDMA version or not. Most of the "open" phones I have read anything about are all GSM phones. Do I just give up or is there hope that a fully open Linux-based phone will make it to a CDMA network?
I use Sharepod and it cannot be used on the new iPods because of the database lockdown. I have no inclination to use Linux, but using a 3rd party app that isn't bloated or doesn't need to be "installed" is what I want to do. You just copy the Sharepod folder to your iPod and run it from the iPod itself. The download is about 600k.
Perhaps you were not aware but Valve originally planned to offer a "Black Box" with the same content, mines the two older titles, for $10 less. This offering was canceled because retailers didn't like the idea which is perfectly reasonable in my opinion.
But digital distribution is supposed to be the answer to this conundrum.
Valve has never said they wouldn't offer the Black Box on Steam. If it bothers you that much, why not wait and see if they do release it? Maybe they are only allowing pre-orders on one box set at a time.
I just pre-ordered the Orange Box a few minutes ago. The TF2 beta starts next week, but the pre-order is live already. Worth it to me, even though I already have HL2 and HL2 E1.
All pimply teenagers that want to be cool and need the latest gore and sex-laden game will buy those....
Are we still really propagating the falsehood that most gamers are "pimply teenagers"?
The gamer demographic is expanding beyond its core young male audience to include more women and older adults, and video games in general are becoming far more pervasive as the medium approaches mass market status, according to a Benchmark study released Thursday by Nielsen Entertainment's Interactive Group.
This portion of the spectrum also happens to be the one with two open access conditions attached to its sale mandating that all devices be allowed to access the band and that all applications can be able to run across the network. If the reserve price isn't met, the auction will be rerun without these two conditions in place, according to the FCC.
Great. So if AT&T outbids everyone, and comes in under the reserve, then we can all kiss the open spectrum goodbye. I wonder how much the FCC charged AT&T for that guideline.
the government is not deciding what your children can and can't watch in the privacy of your own home - you do. The government is mandating a tiny microchip that enables content filtering based on a rating system, switched off by default.
But how long until it is switched on by default, or not allowed to be switched off at all?
But I don't buy the idea that something's not beneficial because it's not perfect. I write software for a living, so I know where holding out for perfection gets you.
You are absolutely correct. I guess my protective instincts kicked in on that one. I would just wonder how many things are getting mis-rated, you know? It seems to come down to the fact that even with the V-chip, there is no guarantee that my kids are shielded from inappropriate content.
But it's not an easy way out. The V-Chip interfaces are invariably poorly-designed tangles of pain-in-the-ass menu hierarchies. You really need to care to use the damn thing.
So how many parents won't actually use this if that is the case?
I use Thunderbird for Windows XP to manage all my different email accounts. Would something like this be a danger, or does Thunderbird encrypt traffic?
Anyway, I think that parents should take the time to learn to use the V-Chip. It's one small tool to facilitate responsible parenting, not a replacement for it.
I agree that this would be a good idea if USED by the parents to actually monitor what their kids will be watching. Sadly, I think that this will turn into an alternative for the parents who don't know what their kids are doing. They'll probably look at it as an easy way out. Unless this chip, and the ratings system that drives it, are completely fool-proof and tamper-proof, I'd rather just actively monitor what my kids are watching.
Does anyone not wonder what has happened to parental responsibility? I know what my kids watch on tv, movies they watch and what sites they visit on the internet, all without government intervention. This will just be another crutch for the negligent parents to use.
The point is, you lose NOTHING by trying. Fire up bittorrent, grab Ubuntu (or whatever flavor you like), and try it.
You don't need to CONSIDER Linux. Just try it hands on. The thing even comes with a Live CD so you don't have to touch your hard drive... although the functionality is very limited on the Live CD.
I don't have much planned this weekend. I think I'll give it a try. I assume it wouldn't be too hard to set up a dual-boot with XP on my current rig, if I do decide to go with it? Or is that opening a whole other can of worms?
BTW, before I forget, thanks for the back and forth. It's refreshing to have a conversation about Linux and Windows with someone who is not a zealot. It lends a lot more credibility to what you are saying, and I don't have to just tune out the noise.
Slashdot Mirror
Your Ex-CoWorkers Will Kill Facebook
At least those idiots will do something right before they die.
Do some research and you'll find you don't need a service pack to tune Vista:
I agree...Black Viper to the rescue. I printed out his list of services for XP and still use it to this day when tweaking systems for friends/family.
Google will probably let me do what I want with it and not try to brick it. I bet I have access to it's memory intentionally!
Exactly. I am not a mobile developer, but I'd like to be able to do things like add music, ringtones and wallpapers with just a USB cable (without feeling like I am "hacking" it) or like Open Moko is doing, let me change the "theme" of the UI easily.
By the way, here are the "original" BOFH postings that are not on the Register website. The Register only runs them from 2000 and later.
...that he's the BOFH? In which case expect him to be back within a week with a 20% raise, and Steve Ballmer nowhere to be found.
Wow, that really brings back a lot of memories. I remember crying I was laughing so hard the first time I read the adventures of the BOFH. Thanks!
Ballmer found out he named his kids Ubuntu and Google
Anyone else remember that game? I'm sure there's an online version.. was way harder than the bioshock version...
I forgot how addicting this was.
I only work with Dingbats
Yeah me too. I can't stand listening to these morons at work.
I really hope they continue this series somehow....
I, for one, am hoping to see some really excellent add-on maps for Portal, either community-created or Valve-created (or both). Portal is pretty much open-ended, as far as mechanics. I am sure Valve could continue the storyline in a sequel, but I think the best thing is to just utilize the mechanics and engine for a limitless number of puzzle rooms.
In a non-storyline mode, we could be seeing the birth of a new "casual-game" genre: Casual FPS.
The OpenMoko platform is looking like a good bet for a Linux-based phone/pda platform. ARM-based, iPhone-like touchscreen and a nice development kit available. It's due in Oct/Nov I beleve.
I have asked this question before and have never gotten an answer. After checking all over the openmoko site, I cannot find out if they are planning on offering something like this in a CDMA version. There are no GSM networks that I can connect to reliably within about a 15-mile radius of where I live and work (I am in Wisconsin).
Any ideas or alternate suggestions for anything even close to the openmoko idea?
The OpenMoko platform looks interesting. I have been reading up on it, but I cannot find anything that says if they are planning on a CDMA version or not. Most of the "open" phones I have read anything about are all GSM phones. Do I just give up or is there hope that a fully open Linux-based phone will make it to a CDMA network?
I use Sharepod and it cannot be used on the new iPods because of the database lockdown. I have no inclination to use Linux, but using a 3rd party app that isn't bloated or doesn't need to be "installed" is what I want to do. You just copy the Sharepod folder to your iPod and run it from the iPod itself. The download is about 600k.
Perhaps you were not aware but Valve originally planned to offer a "Black Box" with the same content, mines the two older titles, for $10 less. This offering was canceled because retailers didn't like the idea which is perfectly reasonable in my opinion.
But digital distribution is supposed to be the answer to this conundrum.
Valve has never said they wouldn't offer the Black Box on Steam. If it bothers you that much, why not wait and see if they do release it? Maybe they are only allowing pre-orders on one box set at a time.
I just pre-ordered the Orange Box a few minutes ago. The TF2 beta starts next week, but the pre-order is live already. Worth it to me, even though I already have HL2 and HL2 E1.
All pimply teenagers that want to be cool and need the latest gore and sex-laden game will buy those....
Are we still really propagating the falsehood that most gamers are "pimply teenagers"?
The gamer demographic is expanding beyond its core young male audience to include more women and older adults, and video games in general are becoming far more pervasive as the medium approaches mass market status, according to a Benchmark study released Thursday by Nielsen Entertainment's Interactive Group.
The results of the study may go along way toward diminishing the gamer geek stereotype. Among the more eye-opening statistics: nearly 40 percent of gamers are female, and nearly a quarter of gamers are over the age of 40.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000873991
Foxit Reader
This portion of the spectrum also happens to be the one with two open access conditions attached to its sale mandating that all devices be allowed to access the band and that all applications can be able to run across the network. If the reserve price isn't met, the auction will be rerun without these two conditions in place, according to the FCC.
Great. So if AT&T outbids everyone, and comes in under the reserve, then we can all kiss the open spectrum goodbye. I wonder how much the FCC charged AT&T for that guideline.
Under server settings for your mail account, make sure either TLS or SSL is selected if you want to ensure that your connection is encrypted
Thanks! I'll check those settings. I don't use open networks very often, but when I have to, a little bit more protection is always wanted.
the government is not deciding what your children can and can't watch in the privacy of your own home - you do. The government is mandating a tiny microchip that enables content filtering based on a rating system, switched off by default.
But how long until it is switched on by default, or not allowed to be switched off at all?
But I don't buy the idea that something's not beneficial because it's not perfect. I write software for a living, so I know where holding out for perfection gets you.
You are absolutely correct. I guess my protective instincts kicked in on that one. I would just wonder how many things are getting mis-rated, you know? It seems to come down to the fact that even with the V-chip, there is no guarantee that my kids are shielded from inappropriate content.
But it's not an easy way out. The V-Chip interfaces are invariably poorly-designed tangles of pain-in-the-ass menu hierarchies. You really need to care to use the damn thing.
So how many parents won't actually use this if that is the case?
I use Thunderbird for Windows XP to manage all my different email accounts. Would something like this be a danger, or does Thunderbird encrypt traffic?
Anyway, I think that parents should take the time to learn to use the V-Chip. It's one small tool to facilitate responsible parenting, not a replacement for it.
I agree that this would be a good idea if USED by the parents to actually monitor what their kids will be watching. Sadly, I think that this will turn into an alternative for the parents who don't know what their kids are doing. They'll probably look at it as an easy way out. Unless this chip, and the ratings system that drives it, are completely fool-proof and tamper-proof, I'd rather just actively monitor what my kids are watching.
Nope: Wisconsin.
Does anyone not wonder what has happened to parental responsibility? I know what my kids watch on tv, movies they watch and what sites they visit on the internet, all without government intervention. This will just be another crutch for the negligent parents to use.
The point is, you lose NOTHING by trying. Fire up bittorrent, grab Ubuntu (or whatever flavor you like), and try it.
... although the functionality is very limited on the Live CD.
You don't need to CONSIDER Linux. Just try it hands on. The thing even comes with a Live CD so you don't have to touch your hard drive
I don't have much planned this weekend. I think I'll give it a try. I assume it wouldn't be too hard to set up a dual-boot with XP on my current rig, if I do decide to go with it? Or is that opening a whole other can of worms?
BTW, before I forget, thanks for the back and forth. It's refreshing to have a conversation about Linux and Windows with someone who is not a zealot. It lends a lot more credibility to what you are saying, and I don't have to just tune out the noise.