Coming from an audio background, I can tell you that decoding engines are not all the same (not even for CD's, listen to a Wadia decoding engine sometime), especially for mp3. Everyone in the linux community is used to using mpg123 because it's open and free. That's too bad, cuz it rots compared to better engines out there, like Winamp's Nitrane, and Sonique's, which they call Stardust if I remember correctly. I am a linux and windoze user, and one of the frustrating things to me with Linux mp3 players is that they all use mpg123, and there's been nothing comparable to the better engines available on Windoze platforms. Hopefully this will be it.
I don't know how many people around here use it, since it's a Winblows program, but MediaJukebox is just about the coolest freaking MP3 player/organizer I've used since Digital DJ and Grip. They kept the product free until CDDB and Thompson started beating them up on licensing fees, and even though they charge now, you only have to pay if you want the services depending on the licensing fees (MP3 encoder and CDDB). Admittedly it's still Beta, but these guys really interact with their user community and are super commited to fixing any bugs. I'm not used to Windows software where I can regularly chat with the engineers and have them fix my problems within days and auto-update the software for me. If you do need to use a dreaded Redmond product, I highly recommend them, and I hope they switch to FreeDB.
I was just looking at the shape CDs at bizcard-cd.com. Hmmmm. How long until we see a rescue disk shaped like a penguin? P.S. - Don't even think about it, I've already patented it. And anyway, I think Amazon just patented free thought....
Win2K uses explorer.exe and the underlying libraries for just about everything. I think it's actually a smart move because it allows them to concentrate all of their efforts on one display engine. As much as we all might hate M$, anyone who has used all the browsers out there will tell you that IE's rendering engine is the fastest out there. For them to remove it from the OS would be tough, although perhaps hiding it would be easy enough. But personally, on this one I don't think Don or the judge get it. Having an integrated browser can be kinda nice, as anyone who uses KDE knows. Are the Fed's going to screw KDE development too? Don't laugh, it could happen. Additionally, the judge's assertion that IE integration added nothing to the OS and just introduced bugs was the same argument many UNIX and DOS users made about GUI's years ago. There are very few computer users today, however, that would say that an integrated GUI is just a buggy, useless feature that shouldn't be part of an OS (no, I'm saying normal computer users, not the dotheads on this site:). I think it's important to realize that while M$ makes all of us sick, have any of us been able to stand the government lawyers any better? The US government always makes the argument that it is doing things in the interest of the people when it screws us all. This gives them plenty of excuse to screw up the computer industry that we all love. It's always good to have a healthy fear of the government.
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Coming from an audio background, I can tell you that decoding engines are not all the same (not even for CD's, listen to a Wadia decoding engine sometime), especially for mp3. Everyone in the linux community is used to using mpg123 because it's open and free. That's too bad, cuz it rots compared to better engines out there, like Winamp's Nitrane, and Sonique's, which they call Stardust if I remember correctly. I am a linux and windoze user, and one of the frustrating things to me with Linux mp3 players is that they all use mpg123, and there's been nothing comparable to the better engines available on Windoze platforms. Hopefully this will be it.
I don't know how many people around here use it, since it's a Winblows program, but MediaJukebox is just about the coolest freaking MP3 player/organizer I've used since Digital DJ and Grip. They kept the product free until CDDB and Thompson started beating them up on licensing fees, and even though they charge now, you only have to pay if you want the services depending on the licensing fees (MP3 encoder and CDDB). Admittedly it's still Beta, but these guys really interact with their user community and are super commited to fixing any bugs. I'm not used to Windows software where I can regularly chat with the engineers and have them fix my problems within days and auto-update the software for me. If you do need to use a dreaded Redmond product, I highly recommend them, and I hope they switch to FreeDB.
If one of their employees used this system to hack a site, would Intel be liable for damages? Hmmm... (insert slow goatee massage)
I was just looking at the shape CDs at bizcard-cd.com. Hmmmm. How long until we see a rescue disk shaped like a penguin? P.S. - Don't even think about it, I've already patented it. And anyway, I think Amazon just patented free thought....
Win2K uses explorer.exe and the underlying libraries for just about everything. I think it's actually a smart move because it allows them to concentrate all of their efforts on one display engine. As much as we all might hate M$, anyone who has used all the browsers out there will tell you that IE's rendering engine is the fastest out there. For them to remove it from the OS would be tough, although perhaps hiding it would be easy enough. But personally, on this one I don't think Don or the judge get it. Having an integrated browser can be kinda nice, as anyone who uses KDE knows. Are the Fed's going to screw KDE development too? Don't laugh, it could happen. Additionally, the judge's assertion that IE integration added nothing to the OS and just introduced bugs was the same argument many UNIX and DOS users made about GUI's years ago. There are very few computer users today, however, that would say that an integrated GUI is just a buggy, useless feature that shouldn't be part of an OS (no, I'm saying normal computer users, not the dotheads on this site :). I think it's important to realize that while M$ makes all of us sick, have any of us been able to stand the government lawyers any better? The US government always makes the argument that it is doing things in the interest of the people when it screws us all. This gives them plenty of excuse to screw up the computer industry that we all love. It's always good to have a healthy fear of the government.