Exactly. I am fairly conservative, but see the need for cell research. This sort of thing removes the ethical issues that many of us struggle with here, and move us away from a place where we are arguing about ethics of "alive or not" to the practical goal of helping people be healthier.
I couldn't agree more with you. Its a good case of tying a (possibly) viable business model to the production of software for the open source market (even if the software *gasp* costs me some cash). I fully expect Ximian to be panned by the more rabid open source folks, but I see this as a natural step in the (pardon the pun) evolution of the business model that folks like Ximian will have to make work to stick around.
Yeah, like, "Hey, Allchin, all those folks with Steve and Bill in court, aren't they lawyers? Maybe you oughtta get together with them and discuss this."
So, you got caught, now you are whining like the grade school bully being taken to the principals office. Stop whining, solve your problems, and move on.
So, why are computers so hard? In this case, the person has defined his use of computers hard, but for the average joe, wanting to run a word processor, surf the web, get email, maybe watch a movie or play a game, what is so bloody hard about that? Maybe our concept of the computer is wrong...
If TiVo is using MPEG2 transport stream frames for transmission (and storage) there is a clock reference in the stream that would take some effort to "fast forward" since its sync'ed to a 27MHz clock. Not that it can't be done, its just a bit of work that no one has thought of yet...
I guess that fast forward could play with the clock, but a variable clock is what we are trying to avoid (clock wander and long term degredation keep me up at night doing simulations...). My guess is from the technological point of view its feasible, just not desirable...sorry.
Having used many of the papers and ideas that came out of media lab as jumping off points for my own research, any cut back in their research will impact many others outside their doors. However, the loss of perks is just aligning them with the rest of the world.
The scariest part is the layoff of the staff. I hope that these weren't specifically research assistants (instead of admin staff). RA's (often unrecognized for their efforts) usually complete the necessary but inglorious tasks that really help get research done.
Okay, like many others, I don't know if I am happy or sad to see this. If this really meant that standards would be adhered to (here I mean legal as well as technical) then great, since by this time I doubt anyone thinks M$ is without blame ('cept maybe of course Bill G).
Unfortunately, I just can't help but think this just means that AOLTW just wants a bigger share of the pie (either direct through their browser or indirect through cash judgements). If AOLTW were not perceived as nearly as evil (at least here on/.), maybe we'd all be a little happier.
So, other than putting a crack in the armour of M$, what does AOLTW have to gain? Cash from a judgement (remember, M$ has about $36 Billion in the bank right now) isn't likely to mean much. AOLTW doesn't offer an OS (rumours to the contrary about acquiring RedHat ignored while proof is in the offing). MSN doesn't appear to be a threat to AOLTW. M$ is aiming to the home with the XBox (which will take years to come to any sort of fruition).
I'm not trying to be ignorant, but really, what is in this for AOLTW?
Indeed, I must agree. Having taught at the second year level of university, there are times when I assigned work for single person only, and other times when I said they could feel free to work with others, just let me know. There was NOTHING more frustrating than seeing simple assignments copied repeatedly (by a group of people who repeated the class the next year) despite being warned that we knew what they were doing. The worst part was having them not understand that changing the variables didn't make it their code. I actually required the class to decipher the code that was copied as part of the final, and ironically, the cheaters did very badly on it.
Its good to see that some folks understand that violation of the standard would ensure that customers may not be able to use their equipment (ergo reducing their market share). I may actually go buy something from Philips because of this.
I actually live not far from the guy who was convicted, and yes, what he did is illegal and yes, its hard to farm. What I was trying to point out (which I believe you saw) is that these people are not much interested in the "wellness of humanity" as they are the bottom line.
Be not surprised by this sort of actions. These people are so bottom line centered, they hired a private investigator in Canada to determine if a farmer was using their GM seed for a crop without their permission (or without paying a fee...something to that effect).
I love the smell of greed in the morning. It reminds me what a miserable bunch of animals humanity really is...
Nah, we're just using this as a step to create beer. Canadians looooove beer, especially Canadian beer. If only beer were an element, we'd be so much closer to the perfect society. We'd close the borders, turn on some hockey, start up the Beer maker, and have a few friends over...
Embedded developers often need very low level access to the operating system
This should be more like almost always. And the bug fix issue is why we are using Linux in the newest project where I work. We cannot wait for M$ to finally get off their backsides and fix broken things....
Yep, you are right, M$, Linux sucks so bad that a Linux set top box would be a bad idea. And goodness knows, there is no support for this sort of Linux.
When you consider the number of people that have multimedia systems that sometimes double as computers, the market will demand that either the copy protection will have to allow playing on standard systems or the market will turn to someone who circumvents the issue for them with a new means to access the data on the CD.
I think the last time we had a posting on this sort of thing, someone mentioned that if it has 1's and 0's, it would be ripped. I would say that they are correct.
Hemos, I write with all seriousness more about the concept than the story. I too thought (and posted) that the story looked goofy. If you have proof, would it be possible for you folks to show us (I looked for days for JohnKatz or yourselves to show it)?
Anyhow, to the issue, its more a case of you folks (and in this case I mean/. specifically) moving up in the world regarding on line journalism. Its important to have checks and balances to ensure this sort of forum has bothered to do the legwork to check the validity of the posted comment (I am referring to the stories you post, not the comments that follow).
Believe it or not, I don't really mean to flame or troll here. Its an honest question. On line journalism is gaining momentum (for example, more people where I work were looking to the web for news on Sept 11, even though there were multiple news feeds around the buildings on various tv's). You folks have immense readership, but the responsibility issue is something I haven't seen addressed (here I speak in generalities, not specifically about/.).
I am more interested in people accepting the responsibility that they get with their protections than how they feel that everyone is tromping on their rights.
Okay, so lets just say that maybe something odd pops up on say,/., something that most people think might be factually questionable. Most papers have to print a retraction. Especially if they want credibility.
Today in Saskatoon, its about -4 degrees F, and that is one of the nicer days we are looking at until March. Remote car starts are just fine, thank you very much...
Watchdog timers: Watchdog timers provide a way to create very reliable systems by always guaranteeing that the system is in a known state. When a watchdog timer is used, Windows software must regularly notify the watchdog timer that it is functioning correctly. If for any reason the Windows software fails to notify the watchdog timer within a preprogrammed period of time, the system is assumed to be in a frozen or unusual state. When this happens, the watchdog hardware typically resets the system. This allows the system to autonomously recover from an unusual state. Several third-party vendors offer watchdog timer hardware and corresponding device driver support
So, they are assuming that the system will encounter problems (wise, since most embedded systems will eventually run into a case the developer did not plan for). I actually bothered looking at the overview, and for the market I work in (really embedded systems) WindowsXP embedded is way overkill. Middleware is now being standardized on Java (sorry, can't find the link right now). So, I am thinking that large scale systems (like ATM's and public displays, etc) are their target.
As someone who is NOT an engineer (and reminded of it by people who are Big E Engineers), I find it laughable that I have my work reviewed by said Engineers (mostly EE's, but occasional Engineering Physicists). This wouldn't be so bad if the folks wearing the red jackets were vaguely aware of what the code is doing.
Up here in the northern part of North America, Engineering is a protected word (legally protected), and that is fine. However, under no circumstances should the same Engineers think they have enough of a clue to check and verify my work (I base this on experience where those words are used at software folks by Engineers). Sounds like a freaking power trip, but someone forgot to pay the power bill....
Software should be written by software professionals, but trying to define a software professional is pretty hard (try impossible). I would heartily suggest the good folks keep on designing stuff they know (Second Narrows Bridge anyone) and leave software alone.
Okay, this is a VERY good PR move by someone who could actually be around to provide support for a longer time. It would give their business much needed positive exposure to other customers and make them more attractive. It would also force the Open Source community to prove that the software is ready for prime time (and where it isn't, it would point out where the work needs doing).
So, we all probably doubt that M$ will go for it, but I would love to see this at least receive consideration in the press.
If only we were so lucky to have a shred of journalistic integrity here. I also would (and have) suggested this be pulled, but I doubt it will. A retraction would be nice, but again, I have my doubts.
Perhaps its time for the folks who run this site to learn about the word "Oops!" Seriously, this story should have been shot down once the people running/. saw the copy on the screen. We are very quick to slam technological errors by big business, so lets be honest enough to admit when we screw up. C'mon, Rob et al, lets get this crap out of here...
Why didn't you post my story?
This is a tough one.
Slashdot gets hundreds of submissions every day. Every day our authors go through these submissions, and try to select the most interesting, timely, and relevant ones to post to the homepage. There are probably as many reasons for stories to get rejected as there are stories, but here are some of the more common ones:
Badly worded subjects
Broken or missing URLs
Confusing or hysterical sounding writeup
It might be an old story
It might just be a busy day and we've already posted enough stories
Your story just might not be interesting!
This now needs a new addition...
Your story is not true
You are John Katz
All of the above
Any of the above
Come on guys, THINK about what you are posting. This is horse crap, you know it now, and you should have known it before this went on the front page. Frankly, I expect you pull this story until you can substantiate it or post a retraction.
Slashdot Mirror
Exactly. I am fairly conservative, but see the need for cell research. This sort of thing removes the ethical issues that many of us struggle with here, and move us away from a place where we are arguing about ethics of "alive or not" to the practical goal of helping people be healthier.
I couldn't agree more with you. Its a good case of tying a (possibly) viable business model to the production of software for the open source market (even if the software *gasp* costs me some cash). I fully expect Ximian to be panned by the more rabid open source folks, but I see this as a natural step in the (pardon the pun) evolution of the business model that folks like Ximian will have to make work to stick around.
So, you got caught, now you are whining like the grade school bully being taken to the principals office. Stop whining, solve your problems, and move on.
So, why are computers so hard? In this case, the person has defined his use of computers hard, but for the average joe, wanting to run a word processor, surf the web, get email, maybe watch a movie or play a game, what is so bloody hard about that? Maybe our concept of the computer is wrong...
If TiVo is using MPEG2 transport stream frames for transmission (and storage) there is a clock reference in the stream that would take some effort to "fast forward" since its sync'ed to a 27MHz clock. Not that it can't be done, its just a bit of work that no one has thought of yet...
I guess that fast forward could play with the clock, but a variable clock is what we are trying to avoid (clock wander and long term degredation keep me up at night doing simulations...). My guess is from the technological point of view its feasible, just not desirable...sorry.
Having used many of the papers and ideas that came out of media lab as jumping off points for my own research, any cut back in their research will impact many others outside their doors. However, the loss of perks is just aligning them with the rest of the world.
The scariest part is the layoff of the staff. I hope that these weren't specifically research assistants (instead of admin staff). RA's (often unrecognized for their efforts) usually complete the necessary but inglorious tasks that really help get research done.
Okay, like many others, I don't know if I am happy or sad to see this. If this really meant that standards would be adhered to (here I mean legal as well as technical) then great, since by this time I doubt anyone thinks M$ is without blame ('cept maybe of course Bill G).
/.), maybe we'd all be a little happier.
Unfortunately, I just can't help but think this just means that AOLTW just wants a bigger share of the pie (either direct through their browser or indirect through cash judgements). If AOLTW were not perceived as nearly as evil (at least here on
So, other than putting a crack in the armour of M$, what does AOLTW have to gain? Cash from a judgement (remember, M$ has about $36 Billion in the bank right now) isn't likely to mean much. AOLTW doesn't offer an OS (rumours to the contrary about acquiring RedHat ignored while proof is in the offing). MSN doesn't appear to be a threat to AOLTW. M$ is aiming to the home with the XBox (which will take years to come to any sort of fruition).
I'm not trying to be ignorant, but really, what is in this for AOLTW?
Indeed, I must agree. Having taught at the second year level of university, there are times when I assigned work for single person only, and other times when I said they could feel free to work with others, just let me know. There was NOTHING more frustrating than seeing simple assignments copied repeatedly (by a group of people who repeated the class the next year) despite being warned that we knew what they were doing. The worst part was having them not understand that changing the variables didn't make it their code. I actually required the class to decipher the code that was copied as part of the final, and ironically, the cheaters did very badly on it.
Its good to see that some folks understand that violation of the standard would ensure that customers may not be able to use their equipment (ergo reducing their market share). I may actually go buy something from Philips because of this.
This just in. God patents existence. PEARL will be "executing" the patent enforcement at dawn. Enjoy your evening...
I actually live not far from the guy who was convicted, and yes, what he did is illegal and yes, its hard to farm. What I was trying to point out (which I believe you saw) is that these people are not much interested in the "wellness of humanity" as they are the bottom line.
S
Be not surprised by this sort of actions. These people are so bottom line centered, they hired a private investigator in Canada to determine if a farmer was using their GM seed for a crop without their permission (or without paying a fee...something to that effect).
I love the smell of greed in the morning. It reminds me what a miserable bunch of animals humanity really is...
For those who haven't seen it, IBM has a whitepaper on this sort of thing.
Nah, we're just using this as a step to create beer. Canadians looooove beer, especially Canadian beer. If only beer were an element, we'd be so much closer to the perfect society. We'd close the borders, turn on some hockey, start up the Beer maker, and have a few friends over...
This should be more like almost always. And the bug fix issue is why we are using Linux in the newest project where I work. We cannot wait for M$ to finally get off their backsides and fix broken things....
Freakin' cheeseheads...
I think the last time we had a posting on this sort of thing, someone mentioned that if it has 1's and 0's, it would be ripped. I would say that they are correct.
Anyhow, to the issue, its more a case of you folks (and in this case I mean
Believe it or not, I don't really mean to flame or troll here. Its an honest question. On line journalism is gaining momentum (for example, more people where I work were looking to the web for news on Sept 11, even though there were multiple news feeds around the buildings on various tv's). You folks have immense readership, but the responsibility issue is something I haven't seen addressed (here I speak in generalities, not specifically about
I am more interested in people accepting the responsibility that they get with their protections than how they feel that everyone is tromping on their rights.
So, gentlemen of the press, where do you stand?
Today in Saskatoon, its about -4 degrees F, and that is one of the nicer days we are looking at until March. Remote car starts are just fine, thank you very much...
So, they are assuming that the system will encounter problems (wise, since most embedded systems will eventually run into a case the developer did not plan for). I actually bothered looking at the overview, and for the market I work in (really embedded systems) WindowsXP embedded is way overkill. Middleware is now being standardized on Java (sorry, can't find the link right now). So, I am thinking that large scale systems (like ATM's and public displays, etc) are their target.
Up here in the northern part of North America, Engineering is a protected word (legally protected), and that is fine. However, under no circumstances should the same Engineers think they have enough of a clue to check and verify my work (I base this on experience where those words are used at software folks by Engineers). Sounds like a freaking power trip, but someone forgot to pay the power bill....
Software should be written by software professionals, but trying to define a software professional is pretty hard (try impossible). I would heartily suggest the good folks keep on designing stuff they know (Second Narrows Bridge anyone) and leave software alone.
So, we all probably doubt that M$ will go for it, but I would love to see this at least receive consideration in the press.
Perhaps its time for the folks who run this site to learn about the word "Oops!" Seriously, this story should have been shot down once the people running
Come on guys, THINK about what you are posting. This is horse crap, you know it now, and you should have known it before this went on the front page. Frankly, I expect you pull this story until you can substantiate it or post a retraction.