There are lots of non-oss programs that have silly names. Nothing quite reaches GIMP in sheer... gimpyness, but some are a bit weird:
Powerpoint - I want a slideshow, not a thing to plug an appliance into.
Excel - WTF? Oh, the spreadsheet program.
Access - Erm, yeah, like the Aston-Tate Database competitor. Riiiiight.
Hypercard - Nope. No idea. Maybe Steve had shared his stash with the marketing department?
Visual Studio - for editing source code. So it's like, visual.
Outlook - Look out?
Safari - got Explorer envy?
The.NET framework - because I really want to search for a technology that happens to share the name of a TOP LEVEL DOMAIN. LIKE;.NET ALREADY TAKEN GUYS. What could be stupider than using a name that matches a large fraction of the internet?
com - as above.
Kazaar, Bittorrent, Limewire, Napster - do they get together to make a really big robot monster?
It's only a matter of time... until Wine is able to run Win32 programs better than the latest MS OS.
Remember the days when linux-based web browsers were crappy, because they couldn't render HTML the same way as IE? And then, what happened when firefox closed the gap?
Good times ahead for free software, even if the ecosystem won't be entirely free.
The danger is that search is not "Good Enough". Microsoft can't beat Linux servers because kernels are "Good Enough", but it can win in the office suite space.
In a design problem like "search the web, and return the most popular and relevant sites from the input phrase", there is just not a lot of scope to make massive improvements. Google's pagerank algorithm was probably the only massive step. Nobody needs to switch, unless Google makes a really heinous mistake, like adopting a Twitter-like interface.
Web browsers are interpreters, which are going to be slower than machines that run pre-compiled code. Could web servers pre-parse the html for target platforms, to speed things up? I'm sure Microsoft would be willing to lead the way forward:s
If it is a useful invention, and it's not easy to produce, you want to file a patent. Otherwise nobody will build it.
Let's say you invent a better wheel. If you publish it freely, then none of the car manufacturers will use it, because it will probably be too expensive to modify their machinery, and there is too much market risk (i.e. New Coke), and when they have done the hard yards to bring the new product to market their competitors will just copy it.
Patents are there to reward innovation, but they also reward the hard work in developing new markets.
Software is different (because it's trivial to implement), but real products need development.
It's more like an all-you-can-eat restaurant analogy situation than a car analogy situation. Some idiot will always pig out on the lobsters and oysters, even if it makes them sick. Doesn't matter whether it's private or public insurance, people will abuse the system.
More doctors and nurses can be trained (provided that they have hospitals to train in), and more hospitals can be built (as long as there are doctors and nurses to staff them). MRI machines can be built, just like cars.
We are only at the limit of how many surgeries can be performed because demand is not price sensitive. People getting the treatment don't care what it costs, because the health insurer (or government) is paying.
How is Java faster? If it's a trivial program, than it just doesn't matter. Actually, if it's a trivial program, for your own use, a Pythoneer will write the script and run the interpret (no compile!) before you can fire up Eclipse and type "private static void".
If we are talking about a non trivial program, then algorithms, data structures, caching, micro-optimization (like re-writing bits in C) and profiling can improve things by many many orders of magnitude. Too bad if the code has so many layers and adapters that any real change will be prohibitively expensive.
What's wrong with just teaching kids facts? Good, old fashion knowledge, that they can carry around in their heads. Stuff that they won't learn under their own steam.
What is the competitive advantage of educators teaching kids thing that they will learn on their own, or in the workplace?
If Bernanke is still looking for worthless (sorry, no market value) assets to "invest" in, to lower rates below zero, then I have some papers he might be interested in.
Even so, 10% is pretty damn good. Ask BMW, or Steve Jobs.
I'll agree - KDE is doing a lot of attractive stuff, with it's whole interoperability of user data focus. And the default theme looks better than Leopard.
Slashdot Mirror
Normal people don't play sport. And face it, cricket isn't *that* exciting for the uninitiated.
There are lots of non-oss programs that have silly names. Nothing quite reaches GIMP in sheer ... gimpyness, but some are a bit weird:
Powerpoint - I want a slideshow, not a thing to plug an appliance into.
Excel - WTF? Oh, the spreadsheet program.
Access - Erm, yeah, like the Aston-Tate Database competitor. Riiiiight.
Hypercard - Nope. No idea. Maybe Steve had shared his stash with the marketing department?
Visual Studio - for editing source code. So it's like, visual.
Outlook - Look out?
Safari - got Explorer envy?
The .NET framework - because I really want to search for a technology that happens to share the name of a TOP LEVEL DOMAIN. LIKE; .NET ALREADY TAKEN GUYS. What could be stupider than using a name that matches a large fraction of the internet?
com - as above.
Kazaar, Bittorrent, Limewire, Napster - do they get together to make a really big robot monster?
Oh, and my favorite - Windows.
It's only a matter of time ... until Wine is able to run Win32 programs better than the latest MS OS.
Remember the days when linux-based web browsers were crappy, because they couldn't render HTML the same way as IE? And then, what happened when firefox closed the gap?
Good times ahead for free software, even if the ecosystem won't be entirely free.
Twitter search will only be good while the spammers stay off. Which means it can never be too popular.
The danger is that search is not "Good Enough". Microsoft can't beat Linux servers because kernels are "Good Enough", but it can win in the office suite space.
In a design problem like "search the web, and return the most popular and relevant sites from the input phrase", there is just not a lot of scope to make massive improvements. Google's pagerank algorithm was probably the only massive step. Nobody needs to switch, unless Google makes a really heinous mistake, like adopting a Twitter-like interface.
Or the "cock-ups" videos. HAL-suited people crushing tools, slapping co-workers on the back. The inevitable Darwin awards.
It's $4000, so it's not out of range for a really cool toy.
I wonder if you could get a paintball cannon as well? :D
If "they" wanted to do real damage, wouldn't they invade the financial systems, rather than power grids?
Or maybe they did, but were unable sabotage anything without making it better.
Win7 = Vista, plus a pretty skin and a service pack. Therefore, Windows 7 will be faster and more stable than Vista.
Maybe Conroy is smarter than he looks. I bet he wants us all to install Tor!
90%? That's like, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and maybe Adelaide or Perth.
After it's done, we will still be limited by pissy little pipes going to the real world (i.e. China then Europe, or transatlantic cables to the USA).
It'll still be pretty cool though.
In the US:
* Dynastic leader retired with the lowest approval ratings since polls were taken, and his preferred successor loses the next election?
Check.
There are plenty of brainwashed people in the western world, but not all of them vote the same way.
Web browsers are interpreters, which are going to be slower than machines that run pre-compiled code. Could web servers pre-parse the html for target platforms, to speed things up? I'm sure Microsoft would be willing to lead the way forward :s
Or "Ideas in and of themselves are worthless until you steal them, and make at least three iterations to get rid of all the show-stoppers".
That's because there are no Pointy Haired Managers, and no dumb coders.
If it is a useful invention, and it's not easy to produce, you want to file a patent. Otherwise nobody will build it.
Let's say you invent a better wheel. If you publish it freely, then none of the car manufacturers will use it, because it will probably be too expensive to modify their machinery, and there is too much market risk (i.e. New Coke), and when they have done the hard yards to bring the new product to market their competitors will just copy it.
Patents are there to reward innovation, but they also reward the hard work in developing new markets.
Software is different (because it's trivial to implement), but real products need development.
It's more like an all-you-can-eat restaurant analogy situation than a car analogy situation. Some idiot will always pig out on the lobsters and oysters, even if it makes them sick. Doesn't matter whether it's private or public insurance, people will abuse the system.
More doctors and nurses can be trained (provided that they have hospitals to train in), and more hospitals can be built (as long as there are doctors and nurses to staff them). MRI machines can be built, just like cars.
We are only at the limit of how many surgeries can be performed because demand is not price sensitive. People getting the treatment don't care what it costs, because the health insurer (or government) is paying.
How is Java faster? If it's a trivial program, than it just doesn't matter. Actually, if it's a trivial program, for your own use, a Pythoneer will write the script and run the interpret (no compile!) before you can fire up Eclipse and type "private static void".
If we are talking about a non trivial program, then algorithms, data structures, caching, micro-optimization (like re-writing bits in C) and profiling can improve things by many many orders of magnitude. Too bad if the code has so many layers and adapters that any real change will be prohibitively expensive.
What's wrong with just teaching kids facts? Good, old fashion knowledge, that they can carry around in their heads. Stuff that they won't learn under their own steam.
What is the competitive advantage of educators teaching kids thing that they will learn on their own, or in the workplace?
If Bernanke is still looking for worthless (sorry, no market value) assets to "invest" in, to lower rates below zero, then I have some papers he might be interested in.
Hard drives are cheaper per G, and have been since 2002. Hard drives do fail, but usually due to impacts, or while in use.
It's like all those people who insist that putting objects in RAM will be slower than a "real" database...
I vote they copy Twitter for KDE5.
Zunestorm?
Besides, most accidents are on takeoff, landing, or when the pilot didn't notice the mountain. No time to deploy parachutes.
Even so, 10% is pretty damn good. Ask BMW, or Steve Jobs.
I'll agree - KDE is doing a lot of attractive stuff, with it's whole interoperability of user data focus. And the default theme looks better than Leopard.