I just go a Samsung I9000 Smartphone and I'm very impressed. I think the IPhone is good, too, but it costs twice as much. Apples motto seems to be "If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em".
This is a good thing from Microsoft, not bad. Stop bashing them for everything they do, even if its a good thing.
True, but it's just not typical of Microsoft. I must say, though I'm a linux user, I think they've made great strides with SkyDrive. Cudos where Cudos are deserved and I think this time MS has done a nice job.
Talk to Java heads they'll tell you Java is already faster than C++. They can show you some contrived tests to demonstrate this too! Of course they never seem to have a good answer for why if this is the case all performance important apps (like games, audio software, etc) are written in something else or why Java linpack pulls like 750Mflops on a system where native compiled (from C) Linpack gets 41Gflops. However they are sure it is faster!
I think what you will hear is that in many cases Java is "around" as fast as C++ when you don't have the time to tune a C++ app. If you tune a C++ app, it is almost always faster, but you have to know what you are doing. My background was C++ and other 3G languages for most of my career, but the last 11 have been in Java. Java does a pretty good job given that it's a generalized managed language, but I love the crispness of a C++/Gtk app.
It sounds like people have quit flying in droves since TSA implemented scanners and patdowns last year. Are there any other stories that could confirm this conclusion?
Not only that, but a number of people I have talked to here in Germany have changed plans of going to the states on vacation and instead are going elsewhere. They feel it's too invasive and the thought of TSA being able to confiscate your laptop sounds very much like the borders to East Germany which is a harsh reminder communism for many Germans who lived on both sides of the wall.
I understand the reasons behind the laws, but I don't think they are effective. Although, I must add that I do travel a couple of times a year to the US and have been treated courteously every time and gone through the lines quickly.
He was actually following the terms of his contract to the letter. AFAIK he was required to not give the admin passwords to anyone, even his boss. I think there's some grey area but it was clear that his acts were not simply malignant or illegal. IANAL, but isn't that reasonable double?
Well it doesn't appear to be that easy (from the article):... It is possible to disable NCSI by a registry setting if you don’t want Microsoft to be able to check your internet connection.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet Under the Internet key, double-click EnableActiveProbing, and then in Value data, type: 0.The default for this value is 1. Setting the value to 0 prevents NCSI from connecting to a site on the Internet during checks for connectivity.
True but if you put the IP address in lightbulbs and you add a little microphone to the little circuit board in the cfl bulbs you can record every conversation and send it back to the ministry of truth via the internet connection in your power lines.
Yahoo uses a lot of Linux now, not just FreeBSD, but I was also wondering if FreeBSD (or virtually any OS and probably most databases) might be a target...
Exactly! The "infringing" code was found in the linux kernel, not in Google code or special modifications.
Yesterday, I looked into my refrigerator to get some milk. While I had the door open, I noticed that the yogurt was expired and threw it away. In doing so I violated their patent. Had I closed the door first, and then reopened the door with the specific intent of removing expired food, I would have been okay. That's how ridiculous this patent is.
A method and system for producing a singular calculated result using two or more decimal-based input parameters and a modification symbol indicating the precise result required.
I know that any normal judge or jury would throw that lawsuit out so quickly that they'd be home for lunch, but the patent system is hopeless screwed up and you just can't rely on reason and common sense anymore. I hope you're right.
It's like patenting 2+3.
Patenting any software is like patenting math, IMHO.
I think Sergey Brin is just off his rocker. I've had Windows XP for almost ten years now, and I don't have to "manage" anything. Every year or so I wipe the drive with a fresh XP-CD install, and need to reinstall my favorite programs, but that would be true of any OS, whether it's Mac, Lubuntu, or Chrome.
Well, that's not quite true for the other operating systems. This is what I always find funny with Windows users. They truly believe that this is normal that you have to reinstall every year and that all OS's are that way. We have linux boxes at work that have been running without change since 2003. We also have several Windows machines which are no longer usable because they are so fully of viruses and the original install CD's (with the key) can't be found. They sit in storage. Windows users, I've got news for you: having to reinstall your OS once a year isn't something you have to do with other OS's and it's not normal.
We have 60 or so Linux computers and probably about 10 Windows computers. We have an admin who manages the Windows boxes and it's pretty much a full-time job. The linux boxes, once set up, just run. I use Windows and Linux at home, but at work I'm glad that most of our stuff is on Linux. Windows really is an administrative nightmare, especially when you've got some people on XP, some on Vista, some on 7 and a Windows Server box in the mix.
In my experience Process Assurance means little. The board or software fails certification testing, and the managers over-rule the failure, and mark it "passed" anyway. PA is just a smokescreen and managers act like politicians.
The last big company I worked for had all kinds of process and the end result was that the code was written to meet the test and not the requirements. It was crap, usually, with no inspiration, frustrated developers which took forever to complete. I'm not saying you don't need quality control but each situation is different. If you're writing software for the Space Shuttle the most important criterium is quality (reliability), if you are writing the ticketing system for the Olympics, the most important criterium is the deadline, if you are writing for a fixed price contract, the most important criterium is the price.
Lets make a drug analogy. Say you use both coke and heroine, but mostly it's the coke.
You still use both coke and heroine.
If someone has the choice and is still spending 95% of his time using Windows, then I would say he is using too much of both drugs;-)
No, but seriously folks, I spend 95% of my time with Ubuntu (laptop and desktop) and use Windows only for my multi-function printer because of the driver.
The US has a freight rail system that is the envy of Europe.
How true. I live in Europe (Germany). The highways are full of trucks. The problem is that the state owned railroads are mismanaged and inefficient. The US really does a great job with rail freight in comparison.
I know I'm stating the obvious for many readers. But that's because post WW2, oil was cheap, and driving equated to the ultimate form of personal freedom. So much freedom in fact that the suburbs were created in that time period too. Of course, cheap energy wont last forever. I can't predict what will happen in the future with regards to transportation, but I can predict that the current status quo will not last.
The problem wasn't our desire for freedom and independence with how we lived our lives. The problem was the instruments of energy we chose to achieve that without a clear vision or plan in mind to maintain it.
The low-hanging fruit in this equation is freight. If we could move a large portion of the long-distance freight to Rail, it would (1) relieve the interstate system and (2) save a lot of oil, since rail miles per gallon per ton is about 435. An 18-wheeler can transport about 36 tons and gets something like 7 or 8 mpg, which is about 250 miles per gallon per ton. Of course, there are other factors, such as the fact that the train will probably have a slightly longer route and that you will still need local delivery, but the potential savings, financial and ecological, are high.
Slashdot Mirror
Sir, I do believe you shall find that it is spelt "numbnuts".
sip
I believe that was the only word in his highly intelligent post the wasn't a form of "f**k".
I wonder if HURD will be a good basis for an efficient mobile OS? Has anyone heard about the resource requirements?
I just go a Samsung I9000 Smartphone and I'm very impressed. I think the IPhone is good, too, but it costs twice as much. Apples motto seems to be "If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em".
Brilliant, setting a said flag that said routine is said privileged. You don't say!
This is a good thing from Microsoft, not bad. Stop bashing them for everything they do, even if its a good thing.
True, but it's just not typical of Microsoft. I must say, though I'm a linux user, I think they've made great strides with SkyDrive. Cudos where Cudos are deserved and I think this time MS has done a nice job.
That's MS's version of security through obscurity.
Talk to Java heads they'll tell you Java is already faster than C++. They can show you some contrived tests to demonstrate this too! Of course they never seem to have a good answer for why if this is the case all performance important apps (like games, audio software, etc) are written in something else or why Java linpack pulls like 750Mflops on a system where native compiled (from C) Linpack gets 41Gflops. However they are sure it is faster!
I think what you will hear is that in many cases Java is "around" as fast as C++ when you don't have the time to tune a C++ app. If you tune a C++ app, it is almost always faster, but you have to know what you are doing. My background was C++ and other 3G languages for most of my career, but the last 11 have been in Java. Java does a pretty good job given that it's a generalized managed language, but I love the crispness of a C++/Gtk app.
What's a PSA in this context, anyway? Google gives "prostate-specific antigen", which doesn't seem entirely relevant.
I guess that shows who owns our *ss.
It sounds like people have quit flying in droves since TSA implemented scanners and patdowns last year. Are there any other stories that could confirm this conclusion?
Not only that, but a number of people I have talked to here in Germany have changed plans of going to the states on vacation and instead are going elsewhere. They feel it's too invasive and the thought of TSA being able to confiscate your laptop sounds very much like the borders to East Germany which is a harsh reminder communism for many Germans who lived on both sides of the wall.
I understand the reasons behind the laws, but I don't think they are effective. Although, I must add that I do travel a couple of times a year to the US and have been treated courteously every time and gone through the lines quickly.
Oops, that should have read reasonable doubt.
Here's an interesting article on the case which sheds more light on why they convicted him.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/195198/terry_childs_juror_explains_why_he_voted_to_convict.html
He was actually following the terms of his contract to the letter. AFAIK he was required to not give the admin passwords to anyone, even his boss. I think there's some grey area but it was clear that his acts were not simply malignant or illegal. IANAL, but isn't that reasonable double?
You can easily turn it off
Well it doesn't appear to be that easy (from the article): ...
It is possible to disable NCSI by a registry setting if you don’t want Microsoft to be able to check your internet connection.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet
Under the Internet key, double-click EnableActiveProbing, and then in Value data, type: 0.The default for this value is 1. Setting the value to 0 prevents NCSI from connecting to a site on the Internet during checks for connectivity.
True but if you put the IP address in lightbulbs and you add a little microphone to the little circuit board in the cfl bulbs you can record every conversation and send it back to the ministry of truth via the internet connection in your power lines.
You read it here first folks.
On Tuesday May 17, @01:17AM, David Gerard opined:
> Steve Ballmer has reiterated his willingness to hook up with Yahoo!
Yahoo already hooked-up with Microsoft's Bing 2 years ago. When you look at Yahoo search results, you're really looking at Bing results.
And when you are looking at Bing Results you are actually looking at the results Bing copied from Google.
http://searchengineland.com/google-bing-is-cheating-copying-our-search-results-62914
Yahoo uses a lot of Linux now, not just FreeBSD, but I was also wondering if FreeBSD (or virtually any OS and probably most databases) might be a target...
Exactly! The "infringing" code was found in the linux kernel, not in Google code or special modifications.
Yesterday, I looked into my refrigerator to get some milk. While I had the door open, I noticed that the yogurt was expired and threw it away. In doing so I violated their patent. Had I closed the door first, and then reopened the door with the specific intent of removing expired food, I would have been okay. That's how ridiculous this patent is.
Would that be something like:
A method and system for producing a singular calculated result using two or more decimal-based input parameters and a modification symbol indicating the precise result required.
I know that any normal judge or jury would throw that lawsuit out so quickly that they'd be home for lunch, but the patent system is hopeless screwed up and you just can't rely on reason and common sense anymore. I hope you're right.
It's like patenting 2+3.
Patenting any software is like patenting math, IMHO.
I think Sergey Brin is just off his rocker. I've had Windows XP for almost ten years now, and I don't have to "manage" anything. Every year or so I wipe the drive with a fresh XP-CD install, and need to reinstall my favorite programs, but that would be true of any OS, whether it's Mac, Lubuntu, or Chrome.
Well, that's not quite true for the other operating systems. This is what I always find funny with Windows users. They truly believe that this is normal that you have to reinstall every year and that all OS's are that way. We have linux boxes at work that have been running without change since 2003. We also have several Windows machines which are no longer usable because they are so fully of viruses and the original install CD's (with the key) can't be found. They sit in storage. Windows users, I've got news for you: having to reinstall your OS once a year isn't something you have to do with other OS's and it's not normal.
We have 60 or so Linux computers and probably about 10 Windows computers. We have an admin who manages the Windows boxes and it's pretty much a full-time job. The linux boxes, once set up, just run. I use Windows and Linux at home, but at work I'm glad that most of our stuff is on Linux. Windows really is an administrative nightmare, especially when you've got some people on XP, some on Vista, some on 7 and a Windows Server box in the mix.
Bad developers OR bad managers.
In my experience Process Assurance means little. The board or software fails certification testing, and the managers over-rule the failure, and mark it "passed" anyway. PA is just a smokescreen and managers act like politicians.
The last big company I worked for had all kinds of process and the end result was that the code was written to meet the test and not the requirements. It was crap, usually, with no inspiration, frustrated developers which took forever to complete. I'm not saying you don't need quality control but each situation is different. If you're writing software for the Space Shuttle the most important criterium is quality (reliability), if you are writing the ticketing system for the Olympics, the most important criterium is the deadline, if you are writing for a fixed price contract, the most important criterium is the price.
Thanks! My thoughts exactly.
I would say pretty obviously both.
Lets make a drug analogy. Say you use both coke and heroine, but mostly it's the coke.
You still use both coke and heroine.
If someone has the choice and is still spending 95% of his time using Windows, then I would say he is using too much of both drugs ;-)
No, but seriously folks, I spend 95% of my time with Ubuntu (laptop and desktop) and use Windows only for my multi-function printer because of the driver.
The US has a freight rail system that is the envy of Europe.
How true. I live in Europe (Germany). The highways are full of trucks. The problem is that the state owned railroads are mismanaged and inefficient. The US really does a great job with rail freight in comparison.
I know I'm stating the obvious for many readers. But that's because post WW2, oil was cheap, and driving equated to the ultimate form of personal freedom. So much freedom in fact that the suburbs were created in that time period too. Of course, cheap energy wont last forever. I can't predict what will happen in the future with regards to transportation, but I can predict that the current status quo will not last.
The problem wasn't our desire for freedom and independence with how we lived our lives. The problem was the instruments of energy we chose to achieve that without a clear vision or plan in mind to maintain it.
The low-hanging fruit in this equation is freight. If we could move a large portion of the long-distance freight to Rail, it would (1) relieve the interstate system and (2) save a lot of oil, since rail miles per gallon per ton is about 435. An 18-wheeler can transport about 36 tons and gets something like 7 or 8 mpg, which is about 250 miles per gallon per ton. Of course, there are other factors, such as the fact that the train will probably have a slightly longer route and that you will still need local delivery, but the potential savings, financial and ecological, are high.