I have just reviewed the Terratec EWX 96/24 and at AU $599 it rocks. No "whoopla" (their words not mine) which means no 3D audio or even wave sound generation - just a precision piece of German engineering with high quality ADCs.
If you really want Pro audio for recording or listening to music (forget games) then get this card.
The United States of Australia has also enacted a similar piece of legislation to the DMCA. Whilst not quite as draconian (because you can't get slammed just for having DeCSS or DiXV on your PC), it is still one sided nevertheless.
Our weak-kneed government seemed to roll over and play dead when asked by the US to enact these type of laws. (No wonder Asia calls Australia the US's deputy... and our dumb Prime Minister is proud of it).
Here is where you can find the Australian legislation Copyright Amendment (Digital Amendment) Act 2000
Unfortunately, since Australia does not have the first amendment, there is nothing that an Australian academic can do to defend themselves against s132 (5B)(c) which makes it an offence to "distribute a circumvention device with the intention of trading, or engaging in any other activity that will affect prejudicially an owner of copyright
Imaging if cave-people had intellectual property???
Uug!..you no use wheel unless you give sabre tooth tiger royalty! Hin!..fire patented, you give wife and first born as royalty Gug!...you no use clothes...my idea!!
Cool...we all run around in the nude eating raw fruit...great civilisation guys!
I wonder what happened to those innovative Romans?????
Whilst the interface is important, the interface alone will not make or break an operating system. The main reason why people use Windoze is because they can get Microsoft Word for Windows but not for Linux! Like it or not 80+% of the computer population use Word...you email a colleague a document in Word and he or she can open it. You send someone an Excel spreadsheet they too can opening it. Until Jot becomes fully Word compatible (in which case Micro$oft will sue the pants off you), there is no incentive for anyone to move to Linux.... they just cannot use it as a day to day work tool. True Linux has some great applications, it is robust, reliable, open, customisable...you know what I mean. But there really is nothing in it to attract the masses (who only use computer for work, games, eduction or downloading Porn off the net). I believe that the lack of applications (and the fact that it was tied to proprietary hardware) is what caused the death of OS/2. Word Perfect's initial lack of support for Windows cause the death of Word Perfect. If we are not careful, Linux's lack of compatible productivity applications will kill it.... it will become the Betacam of the future! If Micro$oft were to own Linux, put the pictures on it and then release Microsoft Office for Linux, Outlook for Linux and (please try not to puke) put paperclips and Einstiens on it [well maybe a little annoying animated penguin that asks if you want help]... you will find that Linux will take off. But would we want to use it??? My $0.02 ReportDave... a real life report...but who do I write for??
I think that this is *exactly* the point that Jon Katz is trying to make. If the Anonymous Coward would like to criticise Jon's article he/she/it should do it constructively. Why does Jon Katz suck? What does he suck? What should he do to make his articles less "sucky"? Why are his articles crap? They seem to raise a valid point which people may disagree with. IMHO Jon does tend to exaggerate but surely that is not a ground to "ban" him from Slashdot. The reason that I like Slashdot is that it reflects a real diversity of views and news....unlike AOL, CNN or other mass media organisations which are severely criticised on Slashdot. From time to time we may read something we disagree...by all means voice that disagreement but do so in a way that adds value to the discussion.
Yes, So is whistling whilst you work since that also constitutes a public performance which violates the owner's copyright in the work. I used to sit and laugh at the legal stupidity in the US...now I cry because our politicians seem to have caught the same disease and are busily passing laws to protect the big & powerful corporations from those irrating people who happen to live here. I produce copyrighted work (yes in real life I am a reporter/journalist) and I would not like you to steal my work...but if you ask me you can have it. If you need if for education or training or helping disadvantaged kiddies it is yours for free. If you want to make money out of it sure...just give me a small percentage as I have to eat too. I think this is a healthy attitude which most geeks/hackers and true artists probably agree with. Unfortunately large corporations are not aware of the concept of charity and sharing...maybe this Christmas???
Slashdot Mirror
I have just reviewed the Terratec EWX 96/24 and at AU $599 it rocks. No "whoopla" (their words not mine) which means no 3D audio or even wave sound generation - just a precision piece of German engineering with high quality ADCs.
If you really want Pro audio for recording or listening to music (forget games) then get this card.
The United States of Australia has also enacted a similar piece of legislation to the DMCA. Whilst not quite as draconian (because you can't get slammed just for having DeCSS or DiXV on your PC), it is still one sided nevertheless. Our weak-kneed government seemed to roll over and play dead when asked by the US to enact these type of laws. (No wonder Asia calls Australia the US's deputy... and our dumb Prime Minister is proud of it). Here is where you can find the Australian legislation Copyright Amendment (Digital Amendment) Act 2000 Unfortunately, since Australia does not have the first amendment, there is nothing that an Australian academic can do to defend themselves against s132 (5B)(c) which makes it an offence to "distribute a circumvention device with the intention of trading, or engaging in any other activity that will affect prejudicially an owner of copyright
Imaging if cave-people had intellectual property???
Uug!..you no use wheel unless you give sabre tooth tiger royalty!
Hin!..fire patented, you give wife and first born as royalty
Gug!...you no use clothes...my idea!!
Cool...we all run around in the nude eating raw fruit...great civilisation guys!
I wonder what happened to those innovative Romans?????
Whilst the interface is important, the interface alone will not make or break an operating system. The main reason why people use Windoze is because they can get Microsoft Word for Windows but not for Linux! Like it or not 80+% of the computer population use Word...you email a colleague a document in Word and he or she can open it. You send someone an Excel spreadsheet they too can opening it. Until Jot becomes fully Word compatible (in which case Micro$oft will sue the pants off you), there is no incentive for anyone to move to Linux.... they just cannot use it as a day to day work tool. True Linux has some great applications, it is robust, reliable, open, customisable...you know what I mean. But there really is nothing in it to attract the masses (who only use computer for work, games, eduction or downloading Porn off the net). I believe that the lack of applications (and the fact that it was tied to proprietary hardware) is what caused the death of OS/2. Word Perfect's initial lack of support for Windows cause the death of Word Perfect. If we are not careful, Linux's lack of compatible productivity applications will kill it.... it will become the Betacam of the future! If Micro$oft were to own Linux, put the pictures on it and then release Microsoft Office for Linux, Outlook for Linux and (please try not to puke) put paperclips and Einstiens on it [well maybe a little annoying animated penguin that asks if you want help]... you will find that Linux will take off. But would we want to use it??? My $0.02 ReportDave... a real life report...but who do I write for??
I think that this is *exactly* the point that Jon Katz is trying to make. If the Anonymous Coward would like to criticise Jon's article he/she/it should do it constructively. Why does Jon Katz suck? What does he suck? What should he do to make his articles less "sucky"? Why are his articles crap? They seem to raise a valid point which people may disagree with. IMHO Jon does tend to exaggerate but surely that is not a ground to "ban" him from Slashdot. The reason that I like Slashdot is that it reflects a real diversity of views and news....unlike AOL, CNN or other mass media organisations which are severely criticised on Slashdot. From time to time we may read something we disagree...by all means voice that disagreement but do so in a way that adds value to the discussion.
Yes, So is whistling whilst you work since that also constitutes a public performance which violates the owner's copyright in the work. I used to sit and laugh at the legal stupidity in the US...now I cry because our politicians seem to have caught the same disease and are busily passing laws to protect the big & powerful corporations from those irrating people who happen to live here. I produce copyrighted work (yes in real life I am a reporter/journalist) and I would not like you to steal my work...but if you ask me you can have it. If you need if for education or training or helping disadvantaged kiddies it is yours for free. If you want to make money out of it sure...just give me a small percentage as I have to eat too. I think this is a healthy attitude which most geeks/hackers and true artists probably agree with. Unfortunately large corporations are not aware of the concept of charity and sharing...maybe this Christmas???