Heh, neat. Reminds me of George Hammond who has been spamming usenet about supposedly finding a scientic proof of God. If you read his "papers," you'll see that they are complete gibberish. Somehow he managed to get "published" on some obscure new aged websites. He uses that to claim that he has been peer reviewed. I'm not sure if he has his own FAQ yet, but he is definately on his way to net-kook fame.
-matthew
Doesn't this assume that the brain is a von neumann computing device? Can a non-von newmann computer be simulated by a traditional computer? Personally, I don't have much problem with the idea of a computer simulating a brain, but I think the basic problem in doing so is that they don't work the same way. First of all, how do you measure the processing power of the brain? There are no bits and bytes. No definite idea of a "process." How do you know how many operations are going on in a given second?
That is because emulating m68k on PPC is easy and relatively fast. m68k to PPC was a major step up. They could run old applications at 68040 speeds on the PPC. PPC to x86 would be a lateral move. Emulated applications on even the best x86 processor is dog slow compared to running them natively. Check out PearPC. It is essentially unusable. Sure, a little work could sqeeze some performance out of it, but it will always be a leap backwards in performance.
When consoles are good enough to run nethack, THEN PC gaming will be dead. They put all the technology into 3D acceleration, but what they need is text mode acceleration and more buttons on their ontrollers. Never gonna happen.
-matthew
Re:I think it is a good idea not to update quickly
on
Debian 3.0r6 Released
·
· Score: 1
One interesting thing about Linux vs. Windows as far as age of the OS goes... Windows 2000 will almost always run the latest greatest software. Maybe you have to update DirectX or whatever, but the API is pretty darn stable. I can run most current software on NT 4.0 from 1996!
I have many Woody systems around and getting the latest greatest software packages running on them can be a real pain... especially desktop stuff. Although any desktops I build these days are sarge. If someone hasn't gone through the trouble of backporting, you either have to backport yourself or start building stuff from source along with all the dependancies.
That said, I don't actually use Windows much. I'm a long time Debian fan. To some degree, debian makes up for Linux's tendancy to be a moving target by making it easy to upgrade to the newest version.
I don't have any reasons not to believe that there is life out there in the universe other than our planet, but it's more than likely pond scum.
How long can a planet go with a lot of 'pond scum' absorbing solar energy and producing organic material unchecked? The pond scum is either going to have to adapt (evolve) to the changing environment, or die out.
There are hundreds of factors that are needed for complex life that our rock has, but with the odds-
Sure, but how many of those factors have been with Earth from the very beginning? The Earth was not always the relatively pleasant place that it is now. In many ways, early life (pond scum) created the conditions which more complex life now enjoys such as an oxygenated atmosphere.
it may be a while before complex life can ever develop on other planets.
Or maybe we are the life that is lagging behind the rest.
Personally, I think it is extremely likely that intelligent life would be in other parts of the universe, but there are a few qualifications that should be made:
1) The chances of it being near us or even in our galaxy is not so good.
2) The chance of it existing concurrently with our little blip of time is even smaller.
Why are all these JavaScript UI libraries so darn ugly? I'm sorry, but I can't see many people writing rich applications with these. What is needed is something like Mozilla's XUL that runs on all browsers. The file layout can be a pain, but it really is a nice way to build applications using a browser and Javascript. Get AJAX functionality from JPSpan and you are set.
1) Contantly remap blocks so you don't get "hot spots".
2) Buy more friggin RAM!
If your system is hitting swap on a regular basis, you need more RAM. Virtual memory is a last resort. Especially in these days when RAM is dirth cheap.
Perhaps I wasn't captivated by the same myth as this guy, but I don't really see what is so sensational about Linux contributers being otherwise employed. If the coding is done while not being paid for it, it is a hobby. Doesn't matter if you also happen to code for money. Can't an electrician go home and tinker with electrical things as a hobby? Now, what might be interesting is if it turned out that the top 25 Linux contributers were actually being paid by an employer to contribute to Linux. Other than that, who cares?
Clue #1: Macs have the root user disabled by default. Most users who know enough about UNIX to need to enable the root user are probably wise enough to secure their networks.
Clue #1.1: Root user *login* is disabled by default. The root user and processes running as root are always there.
Except everyony does their daily work signed on as administrator (by everone I mean the majority of average users).
THIS is the problem that needs to be solved. Otherwise you are treating the symptoms and not the disease.
Maybe a desktop OS for the masses *should* be crippled in some ways, to protect people from themselves
Or maybe users shouldn't be given admin access by default. That way you can restrict the user without crippling the operating system. OS X does this. Users are by default are put in the admin group, but they still have to enter their password (su) to perform any administrative functions such as installing an application.
And people who need a full featured OS can use something else (a seperate version of Windows, or whatever).
I think you missed the point of the article. The author asks why do you care? In your car comparision you are in business of computer technology, if someone brings in a car to your repair shop are you going to turn away work? Of course not.
But you can recommend a better car that might not have so many problems!
Well, MS *is* biased. That much should be obvious. There is really no way around that one. Is there a conspiracy? Why not? Would it be all that astounding? I mean, all it takes is for one exec to say, "ya know, I think we ought to favor IIS because IIS (insert some lame justification here)."
What references? Maybe I am not reading the same thing as you are. I am reading the FAQ. There is not one single reference to any external source. And even if there was reference for a specific fact, how does that make your little space oribital fantasy sound like anything more than it is... a fantasy? It cost us billions of dollars just to put a manned station in space with highly trained astronauts using minimal life support and few comforts. And here you are talking about launching gigantic personal oribals with self contained ecosystems utilizing current technology? You're not a "poopy-head," your akook. Plain and simple.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm holding out for Sim Sim. WHere you can simulate any simulation imaginable. That is probably as close to God as computer science will ever get.
-matthew
Heh, neat. Reminds me of George Hammond who has been spamming usenet about supposedly finding a scientic proof of God. If you read his "papers," you'll see that they are complete gibberish. Somehow he managed to get "published" on some obscure new aged websites. He uses that to claim that he has been peer reviewed. I'm not sure if he has his own FAQ yet, but he is definately on his way to net-kook fame. -matthew
Doesn't this assume that the brain is a von neumann computing device? Can a non-von newmann computer be simulated by a traditional computer? Personally, I don't have much problem with the idea of a computer simulating a brain, but I think the basic problem in doing so is that they don't work the same way. First of all, how do you measure the processing power of the brain? There are no bits and bytes. No definite idea of a "process." How do you know how many operations are going on in a given second?
-matthew
That is because emulating m68k on PPC is easy and relatively fast. m68k to PPC was a major step up. They could run old applications at 68040 speeds on the PPC. PPC to x86 would be a lateral move. Emulated applications on even the best x86 processor is dog slow compared to running them natively. Check out PearPC. It is essentially unusable. Sure, a little work could sqeeze some performance out of it, but it will always be a leap backwards in performance.
-matthew
When consoles are good enough to run nethack, THEN PC gaming will be dead. They put all the technology into 3D acceleration, but what they need is text mode acceleration and more buttons on their ontrollers. Never gonna happen.
-matthew
One interesting thing about Linux vs. Windows as far as age of the OS goes... Windows 2000 will almost always run the latest greatest software. Maybe you have to update DirectX or whatever, but the API is pretty darn stable. I can run most current software on NT 4.0 from 1996!
I have many Woody systems around and getting the latest greatest software packages running on them can be a real pain... especially desktop stuff.
Although any desktops I build these days are sarge. If someone hasn't gone through the trouble of backporting, you either have to backport yourself or start building stuff from source along with all the dependancies.
That said, I don't actually use Windows much. I'm a long time Debian fan. To some degree, debian makes up for Linux's tendancy to be a moving target by making it easy to upgrade to the newest version.
Oh well.
-matthew
How long can a planet go with a lot of 'pond scum' absorbing solar energy and producing organic material unchecked? The pond scum is either going to have to adapt (evolve) to the changing environment, or die out.
There are hundreds of factors that are needed for complex life that our rock has, but with the odds-
Sure, but how many of those factors have been with Earth from the very beginning? The Earth was not always the relatively pleasant place that it is now. In many ways, early life (pond scum) created the conditions which more complex life now enjoys such as an oxygenated atmosphere.
it may be a while before complex life can ever develop on other planets.
Or maybe we are the life that is lagging behind the rest.
-matthew
Personally, I think it is extremely likely that intelligent life would be in other parts of the universe, but there are a few qualifications that should be made:
1) The chances of it being near us or even in our galaxy is not so good.
2) The chance of it existing concurrently with our little blip of time is even smaller.
-matthew
Well, it is not XUL, but it certainly looks better than standard HTML. Thanks for the link. I'll give it a try.
-matthew
-matthew
Two things can counter this:
1) Contantly remap blocks so you don't get "hot spots".
2) Buy more friggin RAM!
If your system is hitting swap on a regular basis, you need more RAM. Virtual memory is a last resort. Especially in these days when RAM is dirth cheap.
-matthew
Well, that much is well known.
Perhaps I wasn't captivated by the same myth as this guy, but I don't really see what is so sensational about Linux contributers being otherwise employed. If the coding is done while not being paid for it, it is a hobby. Doesn't matter if you also happen to code for money. Can't an electrician go home and tinker with electrical things as a hobby? Now, what might be interesting is if it turned out that the top 25 Linux contributers were actually being paid by an employer to contribute to Linux. Other than that, who cares?
-matthew
Dude, that's harsh.
Clue #1.1: Root user *login* is disabled by default. The root user and processes running as root are always there.
-matthew
THIS is the problem that needs to be solved. Otherwise you are treating the symptoms and not the disease.
Maybe a desktop OS for the masses *should* be crippled in some ways, to protect people from themselves
Or maybe users shouldn't be given admin access by default. That way you can restrict the user without crippling the operating system. OS X does this. Users are by default are put in the admin group, but they still have to enter their password (su) to perform any administrative functions such as installing an application.
And people who need a full featured OS can use something else (a seperate version of Windows, or whatever).
Totally unacceptable.
-matthew
I'm sure it had some specific motivation. Why not just ask the student to just think of ANY commercially viable use for the project? Why military?
-matthew
But you can recommend a better car that might not have so many problems!
-matthew
Was that an excercise to help you remain aware of potentially "bad" uses? Or to help you find projects that might get funding?
-matthew
Either way, such an indexing bias would make it an inferior product. Whether it was the coders or the execs that made it so.
It could remain as a little industry rumor and still have an effect.
As a bonus, it also becomes a honeypot!
-matthew
Well, MS *is* biased. That much should be obvious. There is really no way around that one. Is there a conspiracy? Why not? Would it be all that astounding? I mean, all it takes is for one exec to say, "ya know, I think we ought to favor IIS because IIS (insert some lame justification here)."
-matthew
What references? Maybe I am not reading the same thing as you are. I am reading the FAQ. There is not one single reference to any external source. And even if there was reference for a specific fact, how does that make your little space oribital fantasy sound like anything more than it is... a fantasy? It cost us billions of dollars just to put a manned station in space with highly trained astronauts using minimal life support and few comforts. And here you are talking about launching gigantic personal oribals with self contained ecosystems utilizing current technology? You're not a "poopy-head," your akook. Plain and simple.
-matthew
What "numbers" exactly? I didn't see anything substantial in the FAQ. Just a bunch of futurist nonsense.
No fundamental technological breakthroughs required nor even materials advances.
Of course not. Ya know, it is that kind of thoughtless claim that confirms that you and this "Mike Combs" guy are kooks.
-matthew