Every new feature added to an Operating System puts another hundred Computer Operators in the bread line.
Whilst we are being theoretical about it, it also creates more jobs for testers and bug fixers.
Although, in reality, the same features are made and remade by multiple different groups (to various degrees of completeness), nearly always the sample size or range of testers is too small, testers complaints get less priority than marketing, some bugs go neglected for years, and other bugs are classed as features. But, hey, that's a good thing because it also keeps those dealing with complaints employed.
Okay. I should stop being facetious and get my 7 hours of sleep (relative to current Earth's rotation period - has to be said, because it is slowing down).
"even primate peoples who have been shown the device could operate it"
MODERATORS: How can a statement be "informative" if there is no indication of any kind that what is being said can be verified?
Ignoring the bizarre idea of "primate peoples" (WTF??), we need to have a special tag on/. for when this happens:
Well. Actually, the non-human primate, the bonobo, has been filmed playing Pacman (with considerable skill I would say) out of curiosity. This starts from 15:51. Before that, the bonobos do less important things like light fires and such (although they cheat and use a lighter). It's not much of a stretch to imagine them using a touchscreen.
Plus, in these hard economic times it's conceivable that Microsoft just substituted bonobos for testers, due to the fact that bonobos don't require payment for their efforts. And, since I've never seen what goes on in Microsoft research, you've probably never seen what goes on, and neither of us is likely to take the time to find out (this being/.), who's to say they don't use bonobos right now?
Can I put a different wallpaper on different desktops yet? That's the main feature I miss from KDE when I use Gnome (I tend to have different versions of the same code open on different desktops, so a visual queue as to which one I'm looking at really helps).
What I've done (just yesterday) is concatenate 2 pictures together using GIMP. To do this I doubled the horizontal canvas size, offset the 1st picture to the right and pasted in the picture on the left. Takes about half a minute, although I do see why it would be better to have it done properly.
As a related aside -- shouldn't GNOME support transparent backgrounds by now for wallpaper with icons, so that other programs can make use of the background as well?
I'll try not to make a habit of replying to my own posts, but I was talking about a multi-monitor setup whilst the GP was probably refering to virtual desktops.
Compiz's wallpaper plugin can put different wallpapers on different virtual desktops, but currently needs nautilus to not draw the background. However, this means that you won't have any icons on the desktop! All that need be done by GNOME developers (specifically nautilus/eel people) is add an alpha channel to the background wallpaper pixmap -- which they may one day do.
Can I put a different wallpaper on different desktops yet? That's the main feature I miss from KDE when I use Gnome (I tend to have different versions of the same code open on different desktops, so a visual queue as to which one I'm looking at really helps).
What I've done (just yesterday) is concatenate 2 pictures together using GIMP. To do this I doubled the horizontal canvas size, offset the 1st picture to the right and pasted in the picture on the left. Takes about half a minute, although I do see why it would be better to have it done properly.
As a related aside -- shouldn't GNOME support transparent backgrounds by now for wallpaper with icons, so that other programs can make use of the background as well?
First and foremost, if they are going to go with more CPU's they might as well sort out the problem with the extra heat output.
On a hot day (say, 35C+ or 95F+), I wince when I try to run a multi-threaded application on my dual core machine (Intel Pentium-D 2.67 GHz); or some background process runs at the same time as my foreground process.
Why is this, you maybe asking? Well, it's because it sounds like old-style CD recording gone wrong. It starts off with a low sounding hum and gradually gets louder and louder at increasing pitch with seemingly no end.
It's fine and dandy on a normal or cool day, but unbearable on hot days. I just wonder how many other people have to use CPU limiters to play certain games for a few weeks a year. Alternatively, I realise I could have damaged the thermal paste over the processor when installing it (I have 3 standard fans inside a roomy case).
I think that to fit in with the other already established, weirdly named particles, they should call it the "turtle" particle. Then if they find other new particles at higher energies related to this one it could be "turtles" all the way up.
I was under the impression that if you made the source code available then those creating the distribuitions would maintain the packages
Does this not apply to viruses too?
No. There are two main reasons for this.
1.) Virus writers hardly ever release their code if they really want to infect lots of machines.
2.) I don't think you'd find many distribution maintainers who will maintain virus packages (due to low demand, cost of bandwidth, and keeping a good reputation).
...Except when I use windows. Then EVERYTHING steals focus, ALL THE TIME. It's god damned annoying, and there seems to be no fix for it.
If you have problems with various stuff constantly stealing your focus with respect to windows, I recommend the following fix: hammer. I can guarantee that correct usage will make it much easier to focus, and you won't have this problem again.
It is probably running Linux and not a Windows Server. Really, now. Why would linux.com not run Linux servers?
When I tried the command the parent posted output for, I get something quite different.
nmap -sS -O -v linux.com
Starting Nmap 4.62 ( http://nmap.org/ ) Initiating Ping Scan at 11:03 Scanning 140.211.167.55 [2 ports] Completed Ping Scan at 11:03, 0.25s elapsed (1 total hosts) Initiating Parallel DNS resolution of 1 host. at 11:03 Completed Parallel DNS resolution of 1 host. at 11:03, 0.73s elapsed Initiating SYN Stealth Scan at 11:03 Scanning fossology.org (140.211.167.55) [1715 ports] Discovered open port 80/tcp on 140.211.167.55 Discovered open port 443/tcp on 140.211.167.55 Discovered open port 22/tcp on 140.211.167.55 SYN Stealth Scan Timing: About 42.88% done; ETC: 11:04 (0:00:40 remaining) Completed SYN Stealth Scan at 11:04, 77.09s elapsed (1715 total ports) Initiating OS detection (try #1) against fossology.org (140.211.167.55) Retrying OS detection (try #2) against fossology.org (140.211.167.55) Host fossology.org (140.211.167.55) appears to be up... good. Interesting ports on fossology.org (140.211.167.55): Not shown: 1712 filtered ports PORT STATE SERVICE 22/tcp open ssh 80/tcp open http 443/tcp open https Warning: OSScan results may be unreliable because we could not find at least 1 open and 1 closed port Device type: general purpose|WAP|switch|storage-misc|print server|remote management|broadband router Running (JUST GUESSING) : FreeBSD 6.X (91%), Linux 2.6.X (86%), Actiontec Linux 2.4.X (85%), HP embedded (85%), Linksys embedded (85%), Netgear embedded (85%), Buffalo embedded (85%) Aggressive OS guesses: FreeBSD 6.2-RELEASE (91%), Linux 2.6.24 (Debian) (86%), HP Brocade 4100 switch; or Actiontec MI-424-WR, Linksys WRVS4400N, or Netgear WNR834B wireless broadband router (85%), Buffalo TeraStation NAS device (85%), HP 4200 PSA (Print Server Appliance) model J4117A (85%), HP Onboard Administrator management console (85%), HP Brocade 4Gb SAN switch (85%), Linksys WRV200 wireless broadband router (85%), Linksys WAP54G WAP (85%), Linksys WRT300N wireless broadband router (85%) No exact OS matches for host (test conditions non-ideal).
Nmap done: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 87.182 seconds
Raw packets sent: 5216 (233.304KB) | Rcvd: 39 (2500B)
about 0.5 per cent a day... topping one per cent by day four
-
Sure it's right. I'm surprised you don't see it like that. Here at/. it is often pointed out that it's the number of zeros at the end matters. Apple (or some fan of apple) just rounded up 0.25 to 0.5.
Now, if they were saying 0.50 per cent a day there would be a problem. As it is, it's just another technically correct, yet purposely misleading statistic (like 9 out of 10 dentists prefer such and such).
*imagined response from a new programming language writer*
Sure, they've already used A, B, C, D, E, F, and assorted appendages (A+, B++, C#, C--, C++). However, mark my words, G will leave a different legacy. G (for generic) will be the be all and end all language.
G will be able to compile for binary, trinary, and anything ending in -nary with the change of a single number.
It will have solved the problems of security in that no buffer overflows will be possible, no memory management will be done by hand, and the computer even correct code for transactions. Any program which is insecure will be fixed automatically based on the logical structure and purpose of the program.
Mathematical equations merely will need to be entered in and automatically solved.
G will be faster on parallel architectures and will even do your dirty laundry!
Now you see why G needs to be made. A, B, C, D, E, F, and assorted appendages just can't do it exactly right.
*A few years later a new guy steps onto the scene*
G is so outdated and full of holes. It doesn't do X, Y, and Z. It doesn't deal well with the new data storage equipment. It's security started off good, but after they found those few gaping flaws became a joke.
What we really need is a new language. Let's call it the H programming language.
Even as a trolling devices go, it seems to me like a pretty retarded one.
Gah! How can you fail so spectacularly to see the irony the GP intimated with respect to your use of the word "retarded?"
I find it quite painful to read text where someone brands this/that "retarded." I think it only shows a lack of mental development on the part of the submitter that uses such branding to express themselves.
Furthermore you should be hanged!
PS - I didn't actually mean that last statement: I'm just trying to spread a new meme.
I don't count any infinite loops in the title of TFA. The title and the article read more like a contradiction (i.e. suggesting the term "sustainable power" is an oxymoron).
Anyhow, I should take the time to thank you for saving the human race from Skynet. Thanks.
Since fusion is not happening on the planet and it is a large gas planet, with a regular orbit one might expect a band structure of the atmosphere. As it is four times the mass of Jupiter (and thus likely larger), one might also expect that the storms are more intense, numerous, long-lived, and larger than on Jupiter occurring within the bands.
My question to someone more knowledgeable is whether or not such a planet, as described in the article, could sustain some sort of atmospheric band structure on one side of the planet? And, if so, could it maintain such a structure when close to its star? Given best circumstances of course, such as the geometry of the aforementioned prolate spheroid.
This will save you using the "cx" variable, register, or whatever it is. This means that the value of "cx" does not have to be separately saved and restored.
In addition, if "#x" is a register, then the hard drive calls can be spaced out more and "ax" may be processed further whilst this call is being made.
Of course this response is written in true/. style as I haven't actually programmed in assembler that looks like this before.
That _does_ leave the question of what you _should_ name the versions leading up to your x.0 release. Clearly, they aren't (x - 1).y when they're based on a whole new platform. But you do need to name them something, especially when development on them is going to take a long time. Suggestions?
Hmm. Google and KDE together screwed up alpha, beta, release candidate minor versioning - so that's out. However, how about doing away with the minor version numbering/lettering all together and label them something meaningful? Like so...
KDE - eat your children release
KDE - may turn off your cooling fan release
KDE - discover bizarre screen artifacts release
KDE - one size fits all release
KDE - half functionality of previous major version release
KDE - 4.0 (stable and more or less feature-complete)
Sure the KDE folks wouldn't have got so many takers for the first few, but people ought to be warned if it may eat your children (as thoughtfully mentioned in this thread first by the GP).
Another idea... don't put it in an actual capsule at all.
Climate controlled closet, visual inspection of the system yearly, boot test every three years. Also, every year or two, fresh burns of optical media.
What about the mystery factor? When you open a capsule from 50 years back you can't quite know what to expect. With your idea you are taking that aspect away.
One other thing about the capsule though. You should definitely include a piece of paper showing the on switch and such - just so people opening the capsule don't mistake it for a fancy chair.
After going through all the usual suspects like yourself, it turned out that that particular line of Dell laptops was just badly designed. It simply couldn't cope with the heat build up and slowed down the CPU instead.
I wonder if you are talking about a certain earlierrange of Dell laptops? If so, then you might be glad that it is slowing down and not doing something else.
PS - I couldn't resist the joke and have nothing against Dell.
Slashdot Mirror
The current lot plus these suggestions are, with exception of the UID length related and the April Fools achievements, still relatively easy to get.
Here's an achievement that would be really rare and may actually take some time before any single /.er would have it:
Every new feature added to an Operating System puts another hundred Computer Operators in the bread line.
Whilst we are being theoretical about it, it also creates more jobs for testers and bug fixers.
Although, in reality, the same features are made and remade by multiple different groups (to various degrees of completeness), nearly always the sample size or range of testers is too small, testers complaints get less priority than marketing, some bugs go neglected for years, and other bugs are classed as features. But, hey, that's a good thing because it also keeps those dealing with complaints employed.
1 ton = 1000kg, welcome to the metric system.
Not so fast. Do you mean a British ton, US ton, or metric ton(ne)? And, for more confusion, see that there is also a French ton.
Okay. I should stop being facetious and get my 7 hours of sleep (relative to current Earth's rotation period - has to be said, because it is slowing down).
"even primate peoples who have been shown the device could operate it"
MODERATORS: How can a statement be "informative" if there is no indication of any kind that what is being said can be verified?
Ignoring the bizarre idea of "primate peoples" (WTF??), we need to have a special tag on /. for when this happens:
Well. Actually, the non-human primate, the bonobo, has been filmed playing Pacman (with considerable skill I would say) out of curiosity. This starts from 15:51. Before that, the bonobos do less important things like light fires and such (although they cheat and use a lighter). It's not much of a stretch to imagine them using a touchscreen.
Plus, in these hard economic times it's conceivable that Microsoft just substituted bonobos for testers, due to the fact that bonobos don't require payment for their efforts. And, since I've never seen what goes on in Microsoft research, you've probably never seen what goes on, and neither of us is likely to take the time to find out (this being /.), who's to say they don't use bonobos right now?
Can I put a different wallpaper on different desktops yet? That's the main feature I miss from KDE when I use Gnome (I tend to have different versions of the same code open on different desktops, so a visual queue as to which one I'm looking at really helps).
What I've done (just yesterday) is concatenate 2 pictures together using GIMP. To do this I doubled the horizontal canvas size, offset the 1st picture to the right and pasted in the picture on the left. Takes about half a minute, although I do see why it would be better to have it done properly.
As a related aside -- shouldn't GNOME support transparent backgrounds by now for wallpaper with icons, so that other programs can make use of the background as well?
I'll try not to make a habit of replying to my own posts, but I was talking about a multi-monitor setup whilst the GP was probably refering to virtual desktops.
Compiz's wallpaper plugin can put different wallpapers on different virtual desktops, but currently needs nautilus to not draw the background. However, this means that you won't have any icons on the desktop! All that need be done by GNOME developers (specifically nautilus/eel people) is add an alpha channel to the background wallpaper pixmap -- which they may one day do.
Can I put a different wallpaper on different desktops yet? That's the main feature I miss from KDE when I use Gnome (I tend to have different versions of the same code open on different desktops, so a visual queue as to which one I'm looking at really helps).
What I've done (just yesterday) is concatenate 2 pictures together using GIMP. To do this I doubled the horizontal canvas size, offset the 1st picture to the right and pasted in the picture on the left. Takes about half a minute, although I do see why it would be better to have it done properly.
As a related aside -- shouldn't GNOME support transparent backgrounds by now for wallpaper with icons, so that other programs can make use of the background as well?
First and foremost, if they are going to go with more CPU's they might as well sort out the problem with the extra heat output.
On a hot day (say, 35C+ or 95F+), I wince when I try to run a multi-threaded application on my dual core machine (Intel Pentium-D 2.67 GHz); or some background process runs at the same time as my foreground process.
Why is this, you maybe asking? Well, it's because it sounds like old-style CD recording gone wrong. It starts off with a low sounding hum and gradually gets louder and louder at increasing pitch with seemingly no end.
It's fine and dandy on a normal or cool day, but unbearable on hot days. I just wonder how many other people have to use CPU limiters to play certain games for a few weeks a year. Alternatively, I realise I could have damaged the thermal paste over the processor when installing it (I have 3 standard fans inside a roomy case).
I think that to fit in with the other already established, weirdly named particles, they should call it the "turtle" particle. Then if they find other new particles at higher energies related to this one it could be "turtles" all the way up.
I was under the impression that if you made the source code available then those creating the distribuitions would maintain the packages
Does this not apply to viruses too?
No. There are two main reasons for this.
1.) Virus writers hardly ever release their code if they really want to infect lots of machines.
2.) I don't think you'd find many distribution maintainers who will maintain virus packages (due to low demand, cost of bandwidth, and keeping a good reputation).
...Except when I use windows. Then EVERYTHING steals focus, ALL THE TIME. It's god damned annoying, and there seems to be no fix for it.
If you have problems with various stuff constantly stealing your focus with respect to windows, I recommend the following fix: hammer. I can guarantee that correct usage will make it much easier to focus, and you won't have this problem again.
It is probably running Linux and not a Windows Server. Really, now. Why would linux.com not run Linux servers?
When I tried the command the parent posted output for, I get something quite different.
...just rounded up 0.25 to 0.5.
Yikes! I just read my parent post again. This is why one shouldn't be posting late at night.
about 0.5 per cent a day... topping one per cent by day four
-
Sure it's right. I'm surprised you don't see it like that. Here at /. it is often pointed out that it's the number of zeros at the end matters. Apple (or some fan of apple) just rounded up 0.25 to 0.5.
Now, if they were saying 0.50 per cent a day there would be a problem. As it is, it's just another technically correct, yet purposely misleading statistic (like 9 out of 10 dentists prefer such and such).
Seems fair to me, even if it is like beating a one-legged man.
Hate to be pedantic here, but you have to specify what kind of contest. Otherwise, it is ambiguous.
For instance, if it were a hopping contest, the one-legged man might have the slight edge.
*imagined response from a new programming language writer*
Sure, they've already used A, B, C, D, E, F, and assorted appendages (A+, B++, C#, C--, C++). However, mark my words, G will leave a different legacy. G (for generic) will be the be all and end all language.
G will be able to compile for binary, trinary, and anything ending in -nary with the change of a single number.
It will have solved the problems of security in that no buffer overflows will be possible, no memory management will be done by hand, and the computer even correct code for transactions. Any program which is insecure will be fixed automatically based on the logical structure and purpose of the program.
Mathematical equations merely will need to be entered in and automatically solved.
G will be faster on parallel architectures and will even do your dirty laundry!
Now you see why G needs to be made. A, B, C, D, E, F, and assorted appendages just can't do it exactly right.
*A few years later a new guy steps onto the scene*
G is so outdated and full of holes. It doesn't do X, Y, and Z. It doesn't deal well with the new data storage equipment. It's security started off good, but after they found those few gaping flaws became a joke.
What we really need is a new language. Let's call it the H programming language.
"Rogue Anti-Malware" (which seems to me should just be called 'Malware')
Uh, no. I think "bogus anti-malware" is a better description, but whatever you call it, it's not a useless term.
Too right! How else are they going to classify "anti-bogus anti-malware"?
Even as a trolling devices go, it seems to me like a pretty retarded one.
Gah! How can you fail so spectacularly to see the irony the GP intimated with respect to your use of the word "retarded?"
I find it quite painful to read text where someone brands this/that "retarded." I think it only shows a lack of mental development on the part of the submitter that uses such branding to express themselves.
Furthermore you should be hanged!
PS - I didn't actually mean that last statement: I'm just trying to spread a new meme.
That sounds like the effect of toxoplasma on the rat(s).
I don't count any infinite loops in the title of TFA. The title and the article read more like a contradiction (i.e. suggesting the term "sustainable power" is an oxymoron).
Anyhow, I should take the time to thank you for saving the human race from Skynet. Thanks.
Since fusion is not happening on the planet and it is a large gas planet, with a regular orbit one might expect a band structure of the atmosphere. As it is four times the mass of Jupiter (and thus likely larger), one might also expect that the storms are more intense, numerous, long-lived, and larger than on Jupiter occurring within the bands.
My question to someone more knowledgeable is whether or not such a planet, as described in the article, could sustain some sort of atmospheric band structure on one side of the planet? And, if so, could it maintain such a structure when close to its star? Given best circumstances of course, such as the geometry of the aforementioned prolate spheroid.
Your optimization may not be best either.
Try,
mov ax, row
shl ax, #4
mov bx, ax
shl bx, #2
add ax, bx
mov bx, col
shl bx, #1
add ax, bx
mov pos, ax
This will save you using the "cx" variable, register, or whatever it is. This means that the value of "cx" does not have to be separately saved and restored.
In addition, if "#x" is a register, then the hard drive calls can be spaced out more and "ax" may be processed further whilst this call is being made.
Of course this response is written in true /. style as I haven't actually programmed in assembler that looks like this before.
That _does_ leave the question of what you _should_ name the versions leading up to your x.0 release. Clearly, they aren't (x - 1).y when they're based on a whole new platform. But you do need to name them something, especially when development on them is going to take a long time. Suggestions?
Hmm. Google and KDE together screwed up alpha, beta, release candidate minor versioning - so that's out. However, how about doing away with the minor version numbering/lettering all together and label them something meaningful? Like so...
KDE - eat your children release
KDE - may turn off your cooling fan release
KDE - discover bizarre screen artifacts release
KDE - one size fits all release
KDE - half functionality of previous major version release
KDE - 4.0 (stable and more or less feature-complete)
Sure the KDE folks wouldn't have got so many takers for the first few, but people ought to be warned if it may eat your children (as thoughtfully mentioned in this thread first by the GP).
Another idea... don't put it in an actual capsule at all.
Climate controlled closet, visual inspection of the system yearly, boot test every three years. Also, every year or two, fresh burns of optical media.
What about the mystery factor? When you open a capsule from 50 years back you can't quite know what to expect. With your idea you are taking that aspect away.
One other thing about the capsule though. You should definitely include a piece of paper showing the on switch and such - just so people opening the capsule don't mistake it for a fancy chair.
Are you absolutely certain? I got a different picture and some people might have a different interpretation also.
After going through all the usual suspects like yourself, it turned out that that particular line of Dell laptops was just badly designed. It simply couldn't cope with the heat build up and slowed down the CPU instead.
I wonder if you are talking about a certain earlier range of Dell laptops? If so, then you might be glad that it is slowing down and not doing something else.
PS - I couldn't resist the joke and have nothing against Dell.