Interesting stuff. This seems like a pretty nice step up from my current system. Question, would we be able to install linux onto these systems? (Will the generic pentium drivers,... work) or do all of the drivers still need to be written?
One other thing to add to this fray, Hotmail is part of MSN. At least, it goes through the same user-agent filtering that the main MSN website does.
It's one thing to say that your users can't go to MSN, and a whole different thing to say that your users can't check their email. This problem deserves more attention!
Sorry, I don't buy it. If other browsers have 'unsightly' bugs, then its up to the *browsers* to fix it. You don't get your website to user-agent filter. What often happens with the website browser sniffing is that small browser developers have no way of entering the site (short of altering their user-agent strings to fake IE). Lo and behold most of these websites really only use html3.2 anyway, and web design flaws are pretty minute. Why not just let them through in the first place?
Perhaps they're not singling out Opera, but MSN is definitely not allowing small browsers to enter, and *that* is the committed offense.
I hope that this problem is brought to more light. In fact, I wish that a legal solution can be made.
This problem actually hits home for me as I had to work on a product with an embedded (3rd party) browser. Since our browser had a small user base, I had no leverage whatsoever to reach MSN about fixing this problem. And let me tell you, my customers got pissed! Probably lost a few accounts in the process.
There's a very well documented bug on Mozilla's website which aims at this very issue (Gecko was one of the browsers that originally did not pass the user-agent filter). Luckily, Mozilla had some pull to get these problems resolved through MSN. However, by 'resolution', I mean that it was only fixed only for Gecko... every other small browser out there is still "broken".
Basically, any site that uses user-agent sniffing is irresponsible in my eyes. In fact, user-agent sniffing doesn't solve *anything* as developers will only alter the user-agent string to match IE's. MSN is not the only perp, but with their monopoly, they should really know better. Further, Independent web creators who do this are just without clue.
All of this talk about faster processors - don't forget that Google is also fast (for the user) in part because their website isn't choked up with unnecessary graphics and scripts. A fast processor isn't going to expand the network bandwidth.
Another reason that they're fast is because of the relevancy of their hits. Typically I don't have to trudge through 10 pages of hits to reach my search term. Again, raw processing power doesn't have much to do with this.
Why do I always hear people saying that browsers suck? I never understand that... what are they comparing it to? What makes them suck? How fast are browser *supposed* to render pages?
Don't make this such an absolute concept. Most people *need* change in their lives and will go through *several* careers through 40 years of employment. You have to ask if these people will also be satisfied with working at their new careers for 8 or 20 years from now. Again, I'm not criticizing the depth of their commitment. Things change, that's all.
Well, the thing that pops into my mind is that Flash is getting some embedded systems interface use. In reality this is probably a much smaller consideration in the overall scheme, but think of Moxi digital and their STB UI- its Flash based.
Microsoft, I think, is having some trouble in the embedded market. XP embedded is simply too expensive. CE.net is a good option for certain devices but embedded Linux looks awfully juicy next to it. Flash as a solution for developers to create fancy UI's for their embedded devices ensures that Microsoft will have a play in this area no matter who's OS gets used.
1- Consoles do not run Windows, and are therefore much more stable.
Hmmm. I don't agree with this. Firstly, Xbox does run a variation of Win2000 (or is it XP?). Granted, its not Windows 98, Me, but its still Windows. Also, console games are more stable because they have a set hardware. Their QA testing is much more focused and lean.
I sort of agree with your point of the expensive video cards though. I spent $150 on a card two years ago and it won't do much in terms of this year's batch of games.
Can you imagine coding with anything other than a keyboard? If anything this prediction assumes that you won't have to learn a completely different paradigm of input in the next 10 years.
Interesting to think of how email may or may not evolve by 2012. This is offtopic, but this article made me think of that line from "dead poet's society" where When you think of why written language was able to take off as a medium - "to woo [men/women]".
The keyboard holds no small part in this endeavor. Had it not been for the alphabet, our society may be communicating through paintings(?), songs(?). Imagine the prediction of the parallel universe - karaoke machines will still be around in the year 2012.;).
Sorry, but I don't see this as a chance to preach Mac advocacy. This article was talking about how people aren't *buying new computers* but are instead realizing that their old computers are *good enough* for the tasks at hand.
I have to disagree, and would say that its about time that advertisers entered the picture. I don't like ads as much as the next guy, but you have to admit that this is a way to introduce a new revenue stream. Only a large franchise like the Sims can get the process started.
Of course, you are right in that there's a lot of bad that can come from this. Talented game developers may bow to the pressures of higher authorities and create a compromising flop. Lot's of things can happen.
In time, game publishers can either distinguish themselves with a untainted work or one in which they can subsidize through other means and make less expensive to the consumers. There are lots of gray regions here too.
Note also that advertising in games is unlike spam. Spam comes at a detriment to the ISP's email server that you pay for and subscribe to. Spam COSTS US money. Advertising DOES NOT. In fact, if anything, ad revenue often saves the consumer money. Advertising in games is more like product placement in a TV show, movie, or ads in magazines.
I can get plenty of opinions about XUL by looking through previous Mozilla/. posts. I just want to know if I should buy the book. Do they have a tutorial and step us through a FOO test application? If so, what is the application? What other tools do I need to create the application?
I can assure you that the company's were not approached to do these interviews in the faith that they'd be competing against one another for openness. As someone wrote before, "Damned if you do, damned if you don't." The articles were supposed to be COMPLIMENTARY... not competing!
Furthermore, yes, the articles were interesting to me... as a layman. ATI engineer interview was not so revealing that perhaps any experienced ASIC engineer could have given them.
Re:Time for a Cringely topic icon?
on
Open Source TV
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· Score: 1
I really like his stuff too, but if you put a Cringely icon, won't people perceive him to be an editor at slashdot? And even if they don't, this opens things up for lots of writers who think that they deserve icons. I like the icon system the way it is, icons about the topic, rather than the source.
Well, if you've never cracked your window or used the radio on your way to work to energize yourself, then you're a better person than I am. My hats off to you.
If they're going to ban cell phones while driving, they need to ban radios
I've heard of a couple of incidences where the radio had a bearing in the accident but my feeling is that radios probably save more lives than it kills. Falling asleep while driving is one of the greatest dangers on longer trips. Tuning the radio to a good station and opening windows are tricks that we've all used to stay awake.
Isn't there a way to shield calls from entering buildings? I hate when people take phone calls in theatres as much as anyone else, but even worse is if my tax dollars go to creating laws such as this and enforcing it. The carphone issue is legitimate because there's at least a factor of saving lives.
Good interface projects - Nautilus
on
GUIs for Everyone
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· Score: 1
There are some good Open Source projects out and about, but without money to support and with a behemoth like Microsoft to contend with its more than difficult taking on a project as large as an OS.
Eazel, for instance, had one of the most elegant window managers that'd I'd ever seen - on *any* desktop. It was a real shame that project went away.
I wish that this Media Center would've gotten a little more attention here on Slashdot. This is actually a pretty interesting development for Microsoft. Incidentally, isn't this what everyone thought the XBox will evolve into? Those false rumours got a lot more attention than this article. Anyway, think of this product like this. Microsoft is finally moving to a more regulated hardware platform, much like Apple has done over their business model. Media Station won't be offered to any joe looking for an upgraded Windows OS. That solves some stability issues as well as limits customer support problems. They bundle Media Center with certain systems that are equipped with DVD player, TV Tuner(s), Sufficient HD, Processor, Audio, Networking, and IR receiver. They they offer services such as PVR, Movie and Audio players, etc. One large ramification of this is that it'll play any movie file. In other words, it works with File sharing programs!!!
While I like and agree with the spirit of this post, I don't quite agree with the practicality of it. Specifically, some of the applications listed are for pretty business-like purposes. these aren't the buyers of Wal-mart Linux PC's. Anyway, there are as many cheap alternatives to these programs in windows as there are in Linux - Photodeluxe, for example is considerably cheaper than Photoshop and has roughly the same interface, can probably read native photoshop files.
Also, there are some applications on windows that aren't available to Linux - e.g. Macromedia flash 6.0. Even with the latest version of Xine, I have problems with Quicktime movies. Not to mention playing of native (asf) Mediaplayer files. Oh, and is there even an antivirus program for Linux?
I see this working if... and only if... the hardware is tightly controlled at the beginning. (Much like Apple controls their hardware). No crazy support for everything old and new that typical Linux projects must contend with. Focus on a few quality components and a few standard components. Also, every developer should run out and buy one of these units. Create rpms that install in the correct directories that Mandrake defaults to. Then basically QA the hell out of the software before any releases.
Slashdot Mirror
Interesting stuff. This seems like a pretty nice step up from my current system. Question, would we be able to install linux onto these systems? (Will the generic pentium drivers,
One other thing to add to this fray, Hotmail is part of MSN. At least, it goes through the same user-agent filtering that the main MSN website does.
It's one thing to say that your users can't go to MSN, and a whole different thing to say that your users can't check their email. This problem deserves more attention!
Sorry, I don't buy it. If other browsers have 'unsightly' bugs, then its up to the *browsers* to fix it. You don't get your website to user-agent filter. What often happens with the website browser sniffing is that small browser developers have no way of entering the site (short of altering their user-agent strings to fake IE). Lo and behold most of these websites really only use html3.2 anyway, and web design flaws are pretty minute. Why not just let them through in the first place?
Perhaps they're not singling out Opera, but MSN is definitely not allowing small browsers to enter, and *that* is the committed offense.
I hope that this problem is brought to more light. In fact, I wish that a legal solution can be made.
This problem actually hits home for me as I had to work on a product with an embedded (3rd party) browser. Since our browser had a small user base, I had no leverage whatsoever to reach MSN about fixing this problem. And let me tell you, my customers got pissed! Probably lost a few accounts in the process.
There's a very well documented bug on Mozilla's website which aims at this very issue (Gecko was one of the browsers that originally did not pass the user-agent filter). Luckily, Mozilla had some pull to get these problems resolved through MSN. However, by 'resolution', I mean that it was only fixed only for Gecko... every other small browser out there is still "broken".
Basically, any site that uses user-agent sniffing is irresponsible in my eyes. In fact, user-agent sniffing doesn't solve *anything* as developers will only alter the user-agent string to match IE's. MSN is not the only perp, but with their monopoly, they should really know better. Further, Independent web creators who do this are just without clue.
All of this talk about faster processors - don't forget that Google is also fast (for the user) in part because their website isn't choked up with unnecessary graphics and scripts. A fast processor isn't going to expand the network bandwidth.
Another reason that they're fast is because of the relevancy of their hits. Typically I don't have to trudge through 10 pages of hits to reach my search term. Again, raw processing power doesn't have much to do with this.
Why do I always hear people saying that browsers suck? I never understand that... what are they comparing it to? What makes them suck? How fast are browser *supposed* to render pages?
Don't make this such an absolute concept. Most people *need* change in their lives and will go through *several* careers through 40 years of employment. You have to ask if these people will also be satisfied with working at their new careers for 8 or 20 years from now. Again, I'm not criticizing the depth of their commitment. Things change, that's all.
Well, the thing that pops into my mind is that Flash is getting some embedded systems interface use. In reality this is probably a much smaller consideration in the overall scheme, but think of Moxi digital and their STB UI- its Flash based.
.net is a good option for certain devices but embedded Linux looks awfully juicy next to it. Flash as a solution for developers
Microsoft, I think, is having some trouble in the embedded market. XP embedded is simply too expensive. CE
to create fancy UI's for their embedded devices ensures that Microsoft will have a play in this area no matter who's OS gets used.
Sort of makes you wonder if HDTV quality content will ever come into play. I wonder what is the throughput for *that* resolution.
1- Consoles do not run Windows, and are therefore much more stable.
Hmmm. I don't agree with this. Firstly, Xbox does run a variation of Win2000 (or is it XP?). Granted, its not Windows 98, Me, but its still Windows. Also, console games are more stable because they have a set hardware. Their QA testing is much more focused and lean.
I sort of agree with your point of the expensive video cards though. I spent $150 on a card two years ago and it won't do much in terms of this year's batch of games.
Can you imagine coding with anything other than a keyboard? If anything this prediction assumes that you won't have to learn a completely different paradigm of input in the next 10 years.
Interesting to think of how email may or may not evolve by 2012. This is offtopic, but this article made me think of that line from "dead poet's society" where When you think of why written language was able to take off as a medium - "to woo [men/women]".
The keyboard holds no small part in this endeavor.
Had it not been for the alphabet, our society may be communicating through paintings(?), songs(?). Imagine the prediction of the parallel universe - karaoke machines will still be around in the year 2012.;).
Sorry, but I don't see this as a chance to preach Mac advocacy. This article was talking about how people aren't *buying new computers* but are instead realizing that their old computers are *good enough* for the tasks at hand.
I have to disagree, and would say that its about time that advertisers entered the picture. I don't like ads as much as the next guy, but you have to admit that this is a way to introduce a new revenue stream. Only a large franchise like the Sims can get the process started.
Of course, you are right in that there's a lot of bad that can come from this. Talented game developers may bow to the pressures of higher authorities and create a compromising flop. Lot's of things can happen.
In time, game publishers can either distinguish themselves with a untainted work or one in which they can subsidize through other means and make less expensive to the consumers. There are lots of gray regions here too.
Note also that advertising in games is unlike spam. Spam comes at a detriment to the ISP's email server that you pay for and subscribe to. Spam COSTS US money. Advertising DOES NOT. In fact, if anything, ad revenue often saves the consumer money. Advertising in games is more like product placement in a TV show, movie, or ads in magazines.
I can get plenty of opinions about XUL by looking through previous Mozilla /. posts. I just want to know if I should buy the book. Do they have a tutorial and step us through a FOO test application? If so, what is the application? What other tools do I need to create the application?
I can assure you that the company's were not approached to do these interviews in the faith that they'd be competing against one another for openness. As someone wrote before, "Damned if you do, damned if you don't." The articles were supposed to be COMPLIMENTARY... not competing!
Furthermore, yes, the articles were interesting to me... as a layman. ATI engineer interview was not so revealing that perhaps any experienced ASIC engineer could have given them.
Hey, new feature in Word!
I really like his stuff too, but if you put a Cringely icon, won't people perceive him to be an editor at slashdot? And even if they don't, this opens things up for lots of writers who think that they deserve icons. I like the icon system the way it is, icons about the topic, rather than the source.
Well, if you've never cracked your window or used the radio on your way to work to energize yourself, then you're a better person than I am. My hats off to you.
If they're going to ban cell phones while driving, they need to ban radios
I've heard of a couple of incidences where the radio had a bearing in the accident but my feeling is that radios probably save more lives than it kills. Falling asleep while driving is one of the greatest dangers on longer trips. Tuning the radio to a good station and opening windows are tricks that we've all used to stay awake.
Isn't there a way to shield calls from entering buildings? I hate when people take phone calls in theatres as much as anyone else, but even worse is if my tax dollars go to creating laws such as this and enforcing it. The carphone issue is legitimate because there's at least a factor of saving lives.
There are some good Open Source projects out and about, but without money to support and with a behemoth like Microsoft to contend with its more than difficult taking on a project as large as an OS.
Eazel, for instance, had one of the most elegant window managers that'd I'd ever seen - on *any* desktop. It was a real shame that project went away.
I wish that this Media Center would've gotten a little more attention here on Slashdot. This is actually a pretty interesting development for Microsoft. Incidentally, isn't this what everyone thought the XBox will evolve into? Those false rumours got a lot more attention than this article. Anyway, think of this product like this. Microsoft is finally moving to a more regulated hardware platform, much like Apple has done over their business model. Media Station won't be offered to any joe looking for an upgraded Windows OS. That solves some stability issues as well as limits customer support problems. They bundle Media Center with certain systems that are equipped with DVD player, TV Tuner(s), Sufficient HD, Processor, Audio, Networking, and IR receiver. They they offer services such as PVR, Movie and Audio players, etc. One large ramification of this is that it'll play any movie file. In other words, it works with File sharing programs!!!
While I like and agree with the spirit of this post, I don't quite agree with the practicality of it. Specifically, some of the applications listed are for pretty business-like purposes. these aren't the buyers of Wal-mart Linux PC's. Anyway, there are as many cheap alternatives to these programs in windows as there are in Linux - Photodeluxe, for example is considerably cheaper than Photoshop and has roughly the same interface, can probably read native photoshop files.
Also, there are some applications on windows that aren't available to Linux - e.g. Macromedia flash 6.0. Even with the latest version of Xine, I have problems with Quicktime movies. Not to mention playing of native (asf) Mediaplayer files. Oh, and is there even an antivirus program for Linux?
I see this working if... and only if... the hardware is tightly controlled at the beginning. (Much like Apple controls their hardware). No crazy support for everything old and new that typical Linux projects must contend with. Focus on a few quality components and a few standard components. Also, every developer should run out and buy one of these units. Create rpms that install in the correct directories that Mandrake defaults to. Then basically QA the hell out of the software before any releases.