Some of the Unisys machines would be odd ports for other reasons. Some of them use a stack architecture instead of registers. I really don't know the specifics, but they were showing off one of their Mini's when I interviewed there in the 90's.
A big step in that direction are source-based architectures like Gentoo. You don't have to worry about binary incompadibility because everything is custom-compiled.
I say it's a step, because a lot of programmer do unwittingly bias their code for a specific architecture. Inline assembler is also going to be a major pain in the ass, but fortunately we've gone through that before with the PPC ports.
Where did you pull that figure out of? C is a compiled language, it will run on any darn architecture that a compiler exists for. And do it well because it is converted from human-reable code to object code and finally to machine code. There are not 1 but 2 places for architecture specific optimization.
The 32/64 bit limitation on GCC is hogwash. I also challenge you to find an architecture that doesn't have a "power of 2" word size, for starters. Remeber that includes 4, 8, 16. Are you saying there is a 15 bit platform out there somewhere? And if so why would you be messing with C, you have 32Kb of memory to play with. If you want to do anything worthwhile it would have to be in assembler.
Um, if CPM was dominant, I don't what to think about who was the submissive. Oh wait, that's S&M!
So tell me, when is the last time you have operated a VAX? I remember my last interaction with a VAX was the finance system in a Steel Mill, circa 1996.
Now, as far as the "stupid" directory system, type dir c:
On MY system I see:
Volume in drive C is ~/win Volume Serial Number is 1234-0003 Directory of C:\windows\Desktop
. <DIR> 12-15-03 2:54p. .. <DIR> 12-16-03 2:22p.. SHORTC~1 LNK 477 12-15-03 2:43p Shortcut to Mozilla.lnk (and so on)
What is that expression about glass houses and stone throwing?
This type of idiocy is not unique to windows. I have seen people do exactly the same thing in UNIX. They just did not make it to the UNIX core because that has barely changed in twenty years.
So the argument that UNIX is good security wise starts to look remarkably like the argument that a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Um, yes that lunacy IS unique to windows. Unix as a practice does not allow email apps to operate as root. A web server running with wheel privilages is considered a design flaw. While it is possible to create an environment where a script could enter a Linux box and infect the system, you would have to have the perfect storm of inept sysadmins running deliberately loose settings, exploiting a bug in the software.
All that comes free with Windows.
The chances of that same script being able to infect a second machine is near zero. The other machine would have to be a near clone of the first.
As far as Unix being locked in time, I would like to point out that we have been using Kerberos and Ldap long before Windows thought it was a good idea. (For your edification, Active Directory is an adulterated implementation of Kerberos and LDAP.) NT and it's ilk are also POSIX complient, meaning they strive to be unix-like.
I should also add that Unix does not have a giant world writable configuration system. Regedit is all I need to access the security files, system configuration settings, even policies. Show me a Windows setup that operates without the GUI, without Visual Basic, and without the registry. Then talk to me about security.
SCO has announced the hiring of Mr. Mohammed Sahhaf to the position of Press Relations. Mr. Sahhaf, known in the US as "Badgad Bob", had a few things to say during the announcement:
In regards to the outcome of the case he replied "Allah willing, we will be feasting on the penguin blubber of IBM!"
I regards to the recurring Denial of Service attacks on SCO's network: "They are committing suicide at the gateways!"
In regards to the present setback in court he replied: "We have them surrounded with caselaw."
I've actually seen a pickup in jobs around Philadelphia. All of them, though, seem to be 3 positions crammed into one description with requiring a degree, 10 years experience with Linux in enterprise computing settings, and be willing to work for $50k. And did I mention they are also looking for tons of experience with special purpose software to boot?
My guess: Jobs are opening up because people are retiring, quitting, or burning out. I'm also seeing the same job listed 4 and 5 times; Once by the company, and then by 3 different recruiting firms, and a rewrite as a third party contractor.
I'm laughing because the HR folks are thinking "hell in this economy we can replace Jimmy lickety split." They have no clue how impossible it is going to be to find someone who has that much experience with that quirky a system. And certainly not for less than Jimmy was making.
I for one would like to see how they tweak the kernel to handle real-time tasks. If you can make it work for a smartphone it could work in a hell of a lot of real-time control systems.
(Dark clouds form.) Of course there are plenty of military applications for a realtime kernel too.
Not so fast. Driving is a privilege in most jurisdictions. You can't get through Driver's Ed without having that fact drilled into your skull. You have not "right" to drive, only the privileges as stated in your license. You have no "right" to fly, only the privileges granted by your license.
That is why licenses need to be renewed. That is also why they can be taken away. (Speaking as a US citizen) You need no license to practice your religion. You don't need a permit to speak your mind. Protests are a little different because your are generally using someone else's property. (Your permit is for use of the area and use of city services, not for the protest itself.)
This is why congress can't just require a license for people to own guns. Most states have laws about carrying them, or using them, or the loss of the right because of a criminal background, but never strictly on ownership. Those laws get booted out by the courts because of the Second Admendment (In order to maintain an orderly militia, the RIGHT to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged.)
Have you ever sat down and worked out the probability of you surviving tomarrow? Calculated the raw probability of being wacked by a bus crossing the street, or spontaneously dying from a blood clot? Really bake your noodle, calculate the probability that you were born at all, or the probability that you managed to survive until this point.
Go ahead. Work it out. I'll wait.
If your math was done properly, you are dead by now. At least according to population figures based on everyone who has ever lived. Alright, you say, but medical science has advanced. Re-work your math based on people your age living where your live... and there you run into the problem.
Statistics only work when you throw out information and focus on what can be enumerated. Determinism only works if you ignore whole realms of possibility. You can explain a chunk of the world using those systems, but not the whole world.
And even in statistics you see signs of a higher order at work. Where does the "bell curve" come from? I understand regression to the mean, my question is WHY is there regression to the mean? If the bell curve is some fundimental law then WHY do outliers exist?
You learn, quickly, that why doesn't apply. You have to just sit back, shut up, and accept what your observations tell you. Thus, you are back where you started with before you compiled that statistic.
I put this right up there with consultant's who only "advise" and managers who only "coordinate". There is a fine line between sticking to your guns and having a target painted on your back. This is just plain old flexible spin(e) syndrome.
Headers are considered to be documentation for all sakes and purposes. They are intended to be an outline for external code to communicate with the major subsystems. That is why the headers are available seperately from the kernel sources.
This same system is used for proprietary binaries. They give you a pre-compiled binary or library with a set of headers for your code.
That said, the community has always looked unfavorably on binary-only drivers in the Kernel. They only tend to work for the major distros, and they also tend to lack the polish and peer review that goes into the normal bevy of OSS driver.
I for one don't understand why a vendor would only go halfway in supporting Linux. Release a patch and let the community support your device, or always be a day late and a dollar short trying to keep up with the developments in the system.
Ok. I do see one case: where the kernel "implements" a major function of the device in software. Even there a better approach exists. Simply provide the minimal communication hooks in the kernel itself, and devise a user-space program to perform the software control functions. The user space program can be as proprietary as you want, and it won't get stomped on as the kernel changes.
My Signal-to-Noise ratio on the article read a whopping zero. We all know a contract is different from a license. In fact, most licenses state that in X number of words.
I kept reading waiting for that new bit of information to process. They nugget to file. I was very dissappointed. Yes it was well written, but it contained no information. Worse, it contained information that seemed to be reassuring at first, but increadibly naive. The rules about contracts versus licenses varies depending on your jursdiction.
Just because law is being discussed on the Internet does not mean the law is influenced by it. Case law varies between countries, and in the case of the US in particular, WITHIN a country.
The question was vaporware, not "You have been sniffing too many vapors" ware. Software will always have bugs because life does not play according to the rules the programmers want it to play by. Users will use the device outside of it's parameters, some punk will figure out a way to exploit the software for access, or a
I'm personally a fan of the Sony Clie. A Palm device with built-in MP3 support via memory sticks. Sure I can't carry around my ENTIRE collection at a time, but it's certainly a few hours worth and I can carry an extra stick if I want more.
Plus no moving parts, no skips, and nothing but the case to break if I drop the sucker.
Slashdot Mirror
A fellow User Friendly Fan I see.
Some of the Unisys machines would be odd ports for other reasons. Some of them use a stack architecture instead of registers. I really don't know the specifics, but they were showing off one of their Mini's when I interviewed there in the 90's.
I say it's a step, because a lot of programmer do unwittingly bias their code for a specific architecture. Inline assembler is also going to be a major pain in the ass, but fortunately we've gone through that before with the PPC ports.
The 32/64 bit limitation on GCC is hogwash. I also challenge you to find an architecture that doesn't have a "power of 2" word size, for starters. Remeber that includes 4, 8, 16. Are you saying there is a 15 bit platform out there somewhere? And if so why would you be messing with C, you have 32Kb of memory to play with. If you want to do anything worthwhile it would have to be in assembler.
So tell me, when is the last time you have operated a VAX? I remember my last interaction with a VAX was the finance system in a Steel Mill, circa 1996.
Now, as far as the "stupid" directory system, type dir c:
On MY system I see:
What is that expression about glass houses and stone throwing?
Um, yes that lunacy IS unique to windows. Unix as a practice does not allow email apps to operate as root. A web server running with wheel privilages is considered a design flaw. While it is possible to create an environment where a script could enter a Linux box and infect the system, you would have to have the perfect storm of inept sysadmins running deliberately loose settings, exploiting a bug in the software.
All that comes free with Windows.
The chances of that same script being able to infect a second machine is near zero. The other machine would have to be a near clone of the first.
As far as Unix being locked in time, I would like to point out that we have been using Kerberos and Ldap long before Windows thought it was a good idea. (For your edification, Active Directory is an adulterated implementation of Kerberos and LDAP.) NT and it's ilk are also POSIX complient, meaning they strive to be unix-like.
I should also add that Unix does not have a giant world writable configuration system. Regedit is all I need to access the security files, system configuration settings, even policies. Show me a Windows setup that operates without the GUI, without Visual Basic, and without the registry. Then talk to me about security.
My guess: Jobs are opening up because people are retiring, quitting, or burning out. I'm also seeing the same job listed 4 and 5 times; Once by the company, and then by 3 different recruiting firms, and a rewrite as a third party contractor.
I'm laughing because the HR folks are thinking "hell in this economy we can replace Jimmy lickety split." They have no clue how impossible it is going to be to find someone who has that much experience with that quirky a system. And certainly not for less than Jimmy was making.
All that and it doesn't give a rat's ass about any "copy bit" that's turned on.
Nah. We don't produce anything here anymore except lawsuits and war equipment. I don't think there is a coincidence.
I for one would like to see how they tweak the kernel to handle real-time tasks. If you can make it work for a smartphone it could work in a hell of a lot of real-time control systems.
(Dark clouds form.) Of course there are plenty of military applications for a realtime kernel too.
I just sort of assume people on SlashDot are at least thirsty before coming to the trough. (Slaps head) Oh this is SlashDot, what was I thinking?
Look what binary-only drivers have done for the Windows world...
That is why licenses need to be renewed. That is also why they can be taken away. (Speaking as a US citizen) You need no license to practice your religion. You don't need a permit to speak your mind. Protests are a little different because your are generally using someone else's property. (Your permit is for use of the area and use of city services, not for the protest itself.)
This is why congress can't just require a license for people to own guns. Most states have laws about carrying them, or using them, or the loss of the right because of a criminal background, but never strictly on ownership. Those laws get booted out by the courts because of the Second Admendment (In order to maintain an orderly militia, the RIGHT to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged.)
Fair enough. But the US24,000 question: was it SlashDot worthy?
Over time his licensing scheme moved over to GPL, and he has also softened his stance on binary extensions.
Alas, to truely understand Linux you have to know the history.
Go ahead. Work it out. I'll wait.
If your math was done properly, you are dead by now. At least according to population figures based on everyone who has ever lived. Alright, you say, but medical science has advanced. Re-work your math based on people your age living where your live... and there you run into the problem.
Statistics only work when you throw out information and focus on what can be enumerated. Determinism only works if you ignore whole realms of possibility. You can explain a chunk of the world using those systems, but not the whole world.
And even in statistics you see signs of a higher order at work. Where does the "bell curve" come from? I understand regression to the mean, my question is WHY is there regression to the mean? If the bell curve is some fundimental law then WHY do outliers exist?
You learn, quickly, that why doesn't apply. You have to just sit back, shut up, and accept what your observations tell you. Thus, you are back where you started with before you compiled that statistic.
I put this right up there with consultant's who only "advise" and managers who only "coordinate". There is a fine line between sticking to your guns and having a target painted on your back. This is just plain old flexible spin(e) syndrome.
This same system is used for proprietary binaries. They give you a pre-compiled binary or library with a set of headers for your code.
That said, the community has always looked unfavorably on binary-only drivers in the Kernel. They only tend to work for the major distros, and they also tend to lack the polish and peer review that goes into the normal bevy of OSS driver.
I for one don't understand why a vendor would only go halfway in supporting Linux. Release a patch and let the community support your device, or always be a day late and a dollar short trying to keep up with the developments in the system.
Ok. I do see one case: where the kernel "implements" a major function of the device in software. Even there a better approach exists. Simply provide the minimal communication hooks in the kernel itself, and devise a user-space program to perform the software control functions. The user space program can be as proprietary as you want, and it won't get stomped on as the kernel changes.
I kept reading waiting for that new bit of information to process. They nugget to file. I was very dissappointed. Yes it was well written, but it contained no information. Worse, it contained information that seemed to be reassuring at first, but increadibly naive. The rules about contracts versus licenses varies depending on your jursdiction.
Just because law is being discussed on the Internet does not mean the law is influenced by it. Case law varies between countries, and in the case of the US in particular, WITHIN a country.
The question was vaporware, not "You have been sniffing too many vapors" ware. Software will always have bugs because life does not play according to the rules the programmers want it to play by. Users will use the device outside of it's parameters, some punk will figure out a way to exploit the software for access, or a
They must be subscribers to the Evil Lair on a Budget school of design.
Peace on Earth
A personal army of robots to conquer the placeted people with
Granted, several of them are in my head...
Plus no moving parts, no skips, and nothing but the case to break if I drop the sucker.