No matter how you say it, it is an attack on the Star Trek franchise. He is dismissing the human element of the story in the same way that he claims Trek dismisses the technology element. I don't consider myself a Trekkie but I liked all of them to some extent (ok, except for DS9 anyway). Regardless of our current 'technology' level, the stories work, even the old ones are still relevant to some degree, even 40 years later, simply because human nature doesn't change that much, although technology has changed drastically in the last 40 years. What I find really odd is that life turned around and mimicked art. Many of the 'tech' toys in Star Trek turned into reality. Things like cell phones and PDA's, hand scanners, and nanorobotics, and now they are mathematically exploring things like warp bubbles, worm holes, and transportation at a subatomic level.
I'll grant that much of the 'technobabble' in Trek is just that, inserted to make a scene sound sufficiently 'interesting' and 'techie' but even I have to admit that many times the babble actually makes sense, at least in theory. Is it still irrelevant if it actually drives theorists and science to actually produce them in the real world?
Responding to criticism that the iTunes LP format has been priced out of reach for independent musicians and labels, Apple has said it plans to open the format in the near future.
Essentially they will allow anyone to design their own LP and bypass the $10,000 production fee.
I don't need to suggest anything. There are very clear rules defined for accepted benchmarking standards. As I said, I have no problem with a vendor tweaking their drivers to make some random game perform better, but when you specifically target a benchmark and then hide the fact that the work is actually being done by the CPU rather than the GPU, then I take issue.
If they allowed an option to prevent the CPU offload so that you could evaluate the GPU at face value, I wouldn't have a problem with that. That would require transparency from the GPU manufacturer, and the option to disable this offload to the CPU. I don't see that they offer either. There's a reason it's an industry standard. It's a basic yardstick as to how a GPU will perform. Perhaps they do this because they know how poorly their hardware performs on industry standard benchmarking?
Considering all new Mac's come with Wireless N, you get about 10-15 MB/s throughput with a compatible router (optional on the Mac Pro). It's not that much of a chore to do a backup over the air. You have to sit and watch the backup run;)
It runs in the background. Set it and forget it. I went with an external USB drive simply because I had quite a few laying around from old laptops and desktops, and a Frys close by with really cheap USB enclosures. Since I'm a home user, my data isn't THAT critical. About the only exception would be if I purchased some software online, and didn't have a hard copy on CD/DVD. In that case, I'd do an immediate backup.
I don't like the scheduling features in Time Machine, but I have to admit, it's pretty slick other than the aforementioned lack of scheduling options. I just disable the automated backup, and simply plug the drive in once a week or so and kick off the backup manually. Restores are just as easy since the interface is about as intuitive as it gets for backup software.
The bug itself is a nasty one. I suspect most businesses won't have this issue simply because most will disable any guest accounts as a standard practice. I know I do the same at home, so there is no chance I would ever see this either, but I suspect many home users don't know to disable the account, or they may have a valid reason for leaving one enabled.
In any case his point is valid, even if it does seem to dismiss the bug itself. A backup via Time Machine would mitigate it if they managed to see this bug. The fact that they mention this occurrence as 'Extremely Rare' would explain why it's difficult to nail down. There have been less than 100 posts on this in the Apple forums according to TFA. A little perspective...
Both ATI and nVidia have been caught cheating (and by cheating I mean specifically targeting the FutureMark benchmarks to make their products look better than they actually are). The above link is only a single instance. A quick google will net you a good sampling over the last decade or two.
Optimizing a driver for a specific game is not cheating as long as it doesn't affect quality. Optimizing your driver to get inflated scores specifically in a benchmark is cheating.
I disagree. They should fix the root of the problem. Force vendor compliance with a multi-user security model. Keep updates to the user space. Don't run everything as root. If they have to update something outside of the user space, then prompting for Admin credentials is fine. Turn off everything by default and only turn on those items the user asks for. Avoid 'everything on' by default. They've done decent work securing and minimizing the server installs. I don't understand why they aren't pushing the same on the desktop.
They also need to ditch the registry. Nice idea but it makes security a bit of a problem, forces the user to write to the system directory, puts all of your 'eggs' in one basket, and it's become a general mess of an implementation.
Where do they get these numbers? 80 MG a month? I'm probably on the net more than most, and my phone says 5 MB over 3G most months. The rest all runs over WiFi. I suspect a lot of people have the same usage habits.
Did anyone else immediately wonder the same thing that crossed my mind? I'm keep imagining a pool table in my head although I know it's not an accurate representation. Can you imagine the acceleration that someone would experience under such a drive? I did see a blurb in TFA about that which isn't all that encouraging:
"What's more, Felber predicts that this speed can be achieved without generating the sever stresses that could damage a space vehicle or its occupants. That's because the spacecraft follows a geodetic trajectory in which the only stresses arise from tidal forces (although it's not clear why those forces wouldn't be substantial)."
'SEVER'? I think a Chicago cabbie is probably a safer ride...
Julian May's 'Pliocene' series was an excellent read. I have to agree there. Along with the 'classics', I'd suggest some of my old favorites.
Roger Zelazney's Madwand series. Piers Anthony...almost anything from him ( "Mute", "Macroscope", and for a nice religious/social discussion, the Tarot Series as well as the 'Cluster' series).
David Eddings (The Belgariad). Anything from Greg Bear. Jack L Chalker (4 Lords of the Diamond, and Well World). Stephen R Donaldson's 'The Chronicals of Thomas Convenant'.
I have the same problem with the mighty mouse. It is too easy to click the 'wrong' side of the mouse, and it was just a little to vague for lack of a better term. The track ball was excellent, as was the precision, but I just couldn't use it.
I actually like the Mac touch pad. I would have never dreamed I would say such a thing as touch pads, in general, are right up there with root canal in my book. I actually found the Macbook Pro's multi-touch pad very sensitive, with perfect acceleration and excellent precision for tiny movements like renaming a file extension. Things like the three-finger functions are a little odd at first, but after about an hour I learned to love the thing. It's one of the few touch pads I could actually use rather than struggle with.
Hopefully this move will prompt vendors to get on the ball and resolve issues like you described where your software doesn't function properly under 64 bit. You also have the option to simply run your older software in VirtualPC, VMWare, VirtualBox, or whatnot. I suspect in a few years, the speed of a virtual machine will be sufficient that it will run as it does now performance-wise, but in a virtual session.
Why all the panic? They are taking a logical step. They are not saying you will no longer be able to use 32 bit apps or a 32 bit OS. They are just saying if you want that little logo that says your compatible with Windows 7, your system should be capable of running the 64 bit OS per MS specs. Nothing more. They are obviously offering a 32 bit version and that won't change between now and October 21st or whatever the release date is, but it IS a necessary step to push manufacturers in the right direction.
I always considered netbooks a matter of size rather than computing power. Price fluctuates too much and doesn't really define anything about the hardware except for..well..the price. I would consider anything with a screen smaller than 13" a netbook. The average of 13" seems to be the low end of notebook screen sizes before netbooks came along.
Is anyone else wondering if your underwear will be lead shielded? Seems like the craze these days is all about cell phone radiation. What are they doing to do when the very close you wear are cell capable?;)
You're implying that cracked software could be evaluated by the 'tech crowd'. I've never seen a cracker release the source code for their cracks.
You are essentially trusting a complete stranger (from the internet no less) with no responsibility, visibility, or accountability, and running an unknown executable. That is not safe.
Even the cracker/warez websites themselves are typically loaded with malware, spoofing/phishing attempts, etc.
Keep in mind though, that people willing to use hacked or pirated versions of windows are far more likely to encounter malware just from using cracked software.
Doesn't one normally wait until they have a good market for a product before they try to lock people in? This will only drive people to an engine that is more widely supported, or to an open standard that does the same thing. I understand the business reason, but it seems silly to show all your cards this early in the game.
I was actually surprised about that under windows 7. I was expecting user accounts to be standard users with the option to elevate priveledges if needed. Is it really that difficult to make a chang of that nature? (serious question as I am not a programmer). It seems like that would alleviate a lot of hidden threats other than the user themselves.
Agreed. Why is it important to know the race of a person seeking asylum? Are there unbreakable laws that all ethnicities must remain within their borders of origin forever? There is no such thing as an 'American' for example. We're just a big ol' mess of ethnicities and nationalities. This pilot makes no sense to me.
I have to agree. If the independent review is truly independent, I would have to question Symantec's comments. I have to wonder if they are stating such from a professional opinion, or simply in fear for their bottom line. I would take an independents opinion long before I considered a direct competitors negative comments as trustworthy.
Slashdot Mirror
No matter how you say it, it is an attack on the Star Trek franchise. He is dismissing the human element of the story in the same way that he claims Trek dismisses the technology element. I don't consider myself a Trekkie but I liked all of them to some extent (ok, except for DS9 anyway). Regardless of our current 'technology' level, the stories work, even the old ones are still relevant to some degree, even 40 years later, simply because human nature doesn't change that much, although technology has changed drastically in the last 40 years. What I find really odd is that life turned around and mimicked art. Many of the 'tech' toys in Star Trek turned into reality. Things like cell phones and PDA's, hand scanners, and nanorobotics, and now they are mathematically exploring things like warp bubbles, worm holes, and transportation at a subatomic level.
I'll grant that much of the 'technobabble' in Trek is just that, inserted to make a scene sound sufficiently 'interesting' and 'techie' but even I have to admit that many times the babble actually makes sense, at least in theory. Is it still irrelevant if it actually drives theorists and science to actually produce them in the real world?
Responding to criticism that the iTunes LP format has been priced out of reach for independent musicians and labels, Apple has said it plans to open the format in the near future.
Essentially they will allow anyone to design their own LP and bypass the $10,000 production fee.
I don't need to suggest anything. There are very clear rules defined for accepted benchmarking standards. As I said, I have no problem with a vendor tweaking their drivers to make some random game perform better, but when you specifically target a benchmark and then hide the fact that the work is actually being done by the CPU rather than the GPU, then I take issue.
If they allowed an option to prevent the CPU offload so that you could evaluate the GPU at face value, I wouldn't have a problem with that. That would require transparency from the GPU manufacturer, and the option to disable this offload to the CPU. I don't see that they offer either. There's a reason it's an industry standard. It's a basic yardstick as to how a GPU will perform. Perhaps they do this because they know how poorly their hardware performs on industry standard benchmarking?
Considering all new Mac's come with Wireless N, you get about 10-15 MB/s throughput with a compatible router (optional on the Mac Pro). It's not that much of a chore to do a backup over the air. You have to sit and watch the backup run ;)
It runs in the background. Set it and forget it. I went with an external USB drive simply because I had quite a few laying around from old laptops and desktops, and a Frys close by with really cheap USB enclosures. Since I'm a home user, my data isn't THAT critical. About the only exception would be if I purchased some software online, and didn't have a hard copy on CD/DVD. In that case, I'd do an immediate backup.
I don't like the scheduling features in Time Machine, but I have to admit, it's pretty slick other than the aforementioned lack of scheduling options. I just disable the automated backup, and simply plug the drive in once a week or so and kick off the backup manually. Restores are just as easy since the interface is about as intuitive as it gets for backup software.
The bug itself is a nasty one. I suspect most businesses won't have this issue simply because most will disable any guest accounts as a standard practice. I know I do the same at home, so there is no chance I would ever see this either, but I suspect many home users don't know to disable the account, or they may have a valid reason for leaving one enabled.
In any case his point is valid, even if it does seem to dismiss the bug itself. A backup via Time Machine would mitigate it if they managed to see this bug. The fact that they mention this occurrence as 'Extremely Rare' would explain why it's difficult to nail down. There have been less than 100 posts on this in the Apple forums according to TFA. A little perspective...
Both ATI and nVidia have been caught cheating (and by cheating I mean specifically targeting the FutureMark benchmarks to make their products look better than they actually are). The above link is only a single instance. A quick google will net you a good sampling over the last decade or two.
Optimizing a driver for a specific game is not cheating as long as it doesn't affect quality. Optimizing your driver to get inflated scores specifically in a benchmark is cheating.
I disagree. They should fix the root of the problem. Force vendor compliance with a multi-user security model. Keep updates to the user space. Don't run everything as root. If they have to update something outside of the user space, then prompting for Admin credentials is fine. Turn off everything by default and only turn on those items the user asks for. Avoid 'everything on' by default. They've done decent work securing and minimizing the server installs. I don't understand why they aren't pushing the same on the desktop.
They also need to ditch the registry. Nice idea but it makes security a bit of a problem, forces the user to write to the system directory, puts all of your 'eggs' in one basket, and it's become a general mess of an implementation.
Where do they get these numbers? 80 MG a month? I'm probably on the net more than most, and my phone says 5 MB over 3G most months. The rest all runs over WiFi. I suspect a lot of people have the same usage habits.
Never hurts to clarify, although I didn't think it was necessary since the image we saw in the link was on BoingBoing ;)
If you read a bit farther, it appears that the ISP did cave and remove the image.
"Update: Looks like Photoshop Disaster's ISP caved to a similar notice.
DMCA Infringement Notification
Update:: Ralph Lauren accepts responsibility for the dodgy 'shop, but no word on its DMCA takedown."
Did anyone else immediately wonder the same thing that crossed my mind? I'm keep imagining a pool table in my head although I know it's not an accurate representation. Can you imagine the acceleration that someone would experience under such a drive? I did see a blurb in TFA about that which isn't all that encouraging:
"What's more, Felber predicts that this speed can be achieved without generating the sever stresses that could damage a space vehicle or its occupants. That's because the spacecraft follows a geodetic trajectory in which the only stresses arise from tidal forces (although it's not clear why those forces wouldn't be substantial) ."
'SEVER'? I think a Chicago cabbie is probably a safer ride...
In case anyone was curious like myself and needed a history lesson on this AJAX bit, this page seems relevant and fairly informative:
http://ajaxpatterns.org/Whats_Ajax
Julian May's 'Pliocene' series was an excellent read. I have to agree there. Along with the 'classics', I'd suggest some of my old favorites.
Roger Zelazney's Madwand series. Piers Anthony...almost anything from him ( "Mute", "Macroscope", and for a nice religious/social discussion, the Tarot Series as well as the 'Cluster' series).
David Eddings (The Belgariad). Anything from Greg Bear. Jack L Chalker (4 Lords of the Diamond, and Well World). Stephen R Donaldson's 'The Chronicals of Thomas Convenant'.
I have the same problem with the mighty mouse. It is too easy to click the 'wrong' side of the mouse, and it was just a little to vague for lack of a better term. The track ball was excellent, as was the precision, but I just couldn't use it.
I actually like the Mac touch pad. I would have never dreamed I would say such a thing as touch pads, in general, are right up there with root canal in my book. I actually found the Macbook Pro's multi-touch pad very sensitive, with perfect acceleration and excellent precision for tiny movements like renaming a file extension. Things like the three-finger functions are a little odd at first, but after about an hour I learned to love the thing. It's one of the few touch pads I could actually use rather than struggle with.
Hopefully this move will prompt vendors to get on the ball and resolve issues like you described where your software doesn't function properly under 64 bit. You also have the option to simply run your older software in VirtualPC, VMWare, VirtualBox, or whatnot. I suspect in a few years, the speed of a virtual machine will be sufficient that it will run as it does now performance-wise, but in a virtual session.
Why all the panic? They are taking a logical step. They are not saying you will no longer be able to use 32 bit apps or a 32 bit OS. They are just saying if you want that little logo that says your compatible with Windows 7, your system should be capable of running the 64 bit OS per MS specs. Nothing more. They are obviously offering a 32 bit version and that won't change between now and October 21st or whatever the release date is, but it IS a necessary step to push manufacturers in the right direction.
I could possibly see that, but now flash drives are becoming more and more mainstream across all types of PC's (desktops, laptops, netbooks).
I always considered netbooks a matter of size rather than computing power. Price fluctuates too much and doesn't really define anything about the hardware except for..well..the price. I would consider anything with a screen smaller than 13" a netbook. The average of 13" seems to be the low end of notebook screen sizes before netbooks came along.
Is anyone else wondering if your underwear will be lead shielded? Seems like the craze these days is all about cell phone radiation. What are they doing to do when the very close you wear are cell capable? ;)
You're implying that cracked software could be evaluated by the 'tech crowd'. I've never seen a cracker release the source code for their cracks.
You are essentially trusting a complete stranger (from the internet no less) with no responsibility, visibility, or accountability, and running an unknown executable. That is not safe.
Even the cracker/warez websites themselves are typically loaded with malware, spoofing/phishing attempts, etc.
They have a bad reputation for a reason.
Keep in mind though, that people willing to use hacked or pirated versions of windows are far more likely to encounter malware just from using cracked software.
If they did it once...
Doesn't one normally wait until they have a good market for a product before they try to lock people in? This will only drive people to an engine that is more widely supported, or to an open standard that does the same thing. I understand the business reason, but it seems silly to show all your cards this early in the game.
I was actually surprised about that under windows 7. I was expecting user accounts to be standard users with the option to elevate priveledges if needed. Is it really that difficult to make a chang of that nature? (serious question as I am not a programmer). It seems like that would alleviate a lot of hidden threats other than the user themselves.
Agreed. Why is it important to know the race of a person seeking asylum? Are there unbreakable laws that all ethnicities must remain within their borders of origin forever? There is no such thing as an 'American' for example. We're just a big ol' mess of ethnicities and nationalities. This pilot makes no sense to me.
I have to agree. If the independent review is truly independent, I would have to question Symantec's comments. I have to wonder if they are stating such from a professional opinion, or simply in fear for their bottom line. I would take an independents opinion long before I considered a direct competitors negative comments as trustworthy.
I was actually imagining the PC guy cloning himself and dressing up in each of the cliche 'drag' roles for the party.
I think I just threw up a little...excuse me...