Having voiced that same concern a while back, I can see your point.
However, BeIA and BeOS are the same operating system. Advances and developments for the IA aspect transparantly and seamlessly integrate into the desktop environment.
I see the BeIA move as a way for Be Inc. to gain apps and support for their desktop OS.
Also, I think that the overwhelming majority of people are still missing the point of an Internet-enabled device. They are not just for surfing the web. They are for a zillion other things.
Streaming media, communications, portibility, research, development, music, video, etc.
I think the problem is that the usage of the word "appliance" was not thought out properly. When I think of appliance, I think of a toaster, stove, microwave, washer or dryer, not a home stereo component, video game console, cell phone, GPS unit or car stereo.
My opinion, and I'm sticking to it. We're looking at the beginnings of a ubiquitous internet, just something thats there, not something you might be able to see.
Sakhmet. "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
This is good stuff, finally getting the 'scope up and running properly.
But its still passive observance. Not that I actually understand any of this, but wouldn't it be a good idea to spend some research dollars on a more active observation system? Impossible at today's tech level, but maybe not someday.
I guess I just want more pretty pictures.
Sakhmet. "When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Having recently played NFL2K on a dreamcast, I was appauled at the user interface. The game was just difficult to play. A major disappointment.
Though some games rise above the general level of white noise, most games a relegated to some grey area. Most likely because they don't provide the user with the most integral part of the experience:
Most modern games are not engaging!
Add to this the clones (1st person shooters, 2-player fighters, etc) we end up with a muddy environment of gaming that people quickly tire of.
Though I adore Quake, and my current choice of game is Soul Calibre, very few other games appeal. The quote about slapping new paint on the old whore is so poignant its not funny.
Soul Calibre offers engagement, namely, letting you and your friends have a fantastic laugh at the crazy (and sometimes suggestive) special moves you can make.
Quake allows you to pit your skills against other actual people, not just some badly designed AI. Engaging.
The future of gaming consoles? Bring Soul Calibre to a PC, and my Dreamcast is history.
Sakhmet. "When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
I've seen concerns on the Debian mailing lists that Corel is simply trying to raise stock price by jumping on the Linux bandwagon and isn't really contributing anything back to the community.
I was thinking this myself. It seems to be a popular thing to do these days. I am thinking of Be Inc. here, jumping on the free (beer) software bandwagon.
Any association with the word Linux pretty much guarantees a jump in stock price. However, if I remember my CS history correctly, didn't Corel stock tank when they released that Java office suite? History would show that Corel has a tendancy to jump on any bandwagon that looks good.
I was asked by a friend to explain open source. After monumentous effort to get her to understand, her final response was:
"Wow. So basically, someone found a way to get thousands of users to develop software for them. At no cost?"
Obviously I had to start explaining again. This is a major problem I see with the eventual adoption of Linux as mainstream. People just can't wrap their heads around it. And when they finally do, they are going to say "Hold on! I get all this stuff for no cost, and then Corel, who came along and took a basically already created product, added some bells and whistles, and now expect me to pay for an Office suite? No way!"
And they thought that the Windows environment promoted piracy?
Just my $0.02 US ($10,000,000.00 CDN) worth.
Sakhmet "When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Got to love games. Tetris? No thanks. Myst? Pretty graphics, I solved the mystery in, like, 45 minutes. Boring.
My game is Soul Calibre. Oh yeah baby! Good old fashioned Violence (capital V intended). Many of my friends love this game, and there isn't a male around that'll play against me any more.
I think the problem here (and as a general rule, everywhere) is that people take things too seriously. It's an ad, for Pete's sake. An ad. Don't like it? Don't look. Although I think the term "feminazi" used by a previous poster is a little harsh, I suspect that the reason many women don't read gaming magazines is more a matter of self-confidence than any political motivations.
I don't feel inadequate looking at those women. I don't feel inadequate watching Lara Croft run around in a bikini.
It's a game, ladies, not the world. It's not some attempt by "male CEO's" to put us down and keep us away from the computer or console.
My $0.02 US ($10,000,000.00 CDN) worth.
Sakhmet.
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Actually, I never mentioned anything about efficiency. Natural selection is NOT (IMHO) efficient. It is merely very good at what it does, over the long term.
I'm torn. We can map the genome, but can we ever really understand it? We can throw more instructions-per-second at it, and we can look at it from every angle, but will we ever understand the complex interaction of one segment of DNA with another?
No, I don't think a billion sperm to ferilize one egg is efficient, but it does ensure survival of the fittest (sperm, in any case).
Sakhmet "When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
I mean, it's only a patent on one specific technique, as near as I can tell.
Impact to me? Umm....none that I can see, at least at this time.
On another note...
Gene therapy scares me. I still don't think we understand what we are really messing with. I'm not worried about any kind of moralistic issues regarding gene therapy and cloning, just the scientific ones. Nature has been at this for a long long time, and I suspect that it's figured out the best methods for handling the improvement of genes.
Just my opinion, mind you.
Sakhmet "When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Maybe I am looking at this in a different light than many other posters here.
Inane comments, posted by anonymous cowards, are just a demonstration of immaturity and an unwillingness to take reponsibility.
On the other hand, I don't think the system should be changed at all. Let it be. The AC's posting inane, pointless and offtopic messages are excercising their right to be heard in a free communications medium.
Some of us may not like it, but we aren't being asked to like it. We are just being asked to tolerate it. I've never posted anonymously here, never flamed, never posted offtopically, and I don't intend to. What I have to say is what I have to say. If someone decides I need to be flamed into a little hole in the ground, so be it. I can take it.
Jon, have you actually talked to a lot of women about this? Some leave because this level of immaturity turns them off something they might otherwise be interested in, but lots just stick it out. Don't underestimate the femme-geeks.
Sakhmet. "When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
It's interesting, the responses this article is drawing. I suspect that the anonymous Cowards posting them think they are being "cool" or something. Ah well, I refuse to be driven away from this site because many of its readers are hopped up on testosterone. And they wonder why women don't give them a second glance.... JonKatz, keep up the good work, it's inspiring, informative, and interesting. Don't let them get you down. Sakhmet "When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Slashdot Mirror
There is some information on the bleem! site about this.
By putting out faster drives, they would have unlocked their copy-protection scheme.
My opinion. Abuse it as you wish.
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
You don't serve bacon to a Jewish guest, you don't serve wine to a Muslim Guest, and you don't give binaries to the Open-Source community.
My opinion, use it as you wish.
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
However, BeIA and BeOS are the same operating system. Advances and developments for the IA aspect transparantly and seamlessly integrate into the desktop environment.
I see the BeIA move as a way for Be Inc. to gain apps and support for their desktop OS.
Also, I think that the overwhelming majority of people are still missing the point of an Internet-enabled device. They are not just for surfing the web. They are for a zillion other things.
Streaming media, communications, portibility, research, development, music, video, etc.
I think the problem is that the usage of the word "appliance" was not thought out properly. When I think of appliance, I think of a toaster, stove, microwave, washer or dryer, not a home stereo component, video game console, cell phone, GPS unit or car stereo.
My opinion, and I'm sticking to it. We're looking at the beginnings of a ubiquitous internet, just something thats there, not something you might be able to see.
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
http://www.benews.com/story/2793
Check it out. Be seems to be garnering a lot of attention lately.
Share and Enjoy,
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
I love fighting games.
I'd love them more in full-screen high resolution OpenGL.
On an interesting note, CivCTP has already been ported to BeOS, and Worms:Armageddon is on its way.
I can't forsee the linux community having any difficulty getting games ported.
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
I'm a writer by trade and education, as well as an educated graphic designer.
Let me know of any of your projects require any UI work, and I'd me more than happy to assist.
Not being a coder, this is about all I have to offer the community.
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
I find this comment terribly disturbing. You *need* a law to raise your children properly?
Sincerely confused and concerned,
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
By this statement you imply that all bigots are female.
Perhaps the use of the word "them" or even "him/her" would have been more in keeping with the rest of your statement.
That said, I agree that ignoring the bigots is the best policy.
Words only gain power when someone allows themselves to be victimized by them.
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
Actually, I remember a statistic, though I can't recall where, that specifically stated that Racism is far more likely in educated people.
Racism and censorship is an iffy topic, and most, if not all arguments pro or con are going to end up based on heated emotions and no real fact.
Racism is a statement of opinion, and as we all know, opinions cannot be wrong.
Sakhmet.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
I'd vote Saturn, myself.
I think NASA needs all the good PR it can get right now. Though not catastrophic, the Mars missions have been less than spectacular as of late.
Sakhmet.
P.S. - No comment about AC's choice, unless he's my boyfriend.....
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
This is good stuff, finally getting the 'scope up and running properly.
But its still passive observance. Not that I actually understand any of this, but wouldn't it be a good idea to spend some research dollars on a more active observation system? Impossible at today's tech level, but maybe not someday.
I guess I just want more pretty pictures.
Sakhmet.
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Having recently played NFL2K on a dreamcast, I was appauled at the user interface. The game was just difficult to play. A major disappointment.
Though some games rise above the general level of white noise, most games a relegated to some grey area. Most likely because they don't provide the user with the most integral part of the experience:
Most modern games are not engaging!
Add to this the clones (1st person shooters, 2-player fighters, etc) we end up with a muddy environment of gaming that people quickly tire of.
Though I adore Quake, and my current choice of game is Soul Calibre, very few other games appeal. The quote about slapping new paint on the old whore is so poignant its not funny.
Soul Calibre offers engagement, namely, letting you and your friends have a fantastic laugh at the crazy (and sometimes suggestive) special moves you can make.
Quake allows you to pit your skills against other actual people, not just some badly designed AI. Engaging.
The future of gaming consoles? Bring Soul Calibre to a PC, and my Dreamcast is history.
Sakhmet.
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
I was thinking this myself. It seems to be a popular thing to do these days. I am thinking of Be Inc. here, jumping on the free (beer) software bandwagon.
Any association with the word Linux pretty much guarantees a jump in stock price. However, if I remember my CS history correctly, didn't Corel stock tank when they released that Java office suite? History would show that Corel has a tendancy to jump on any bandwagon that looks good.
I was asked by a friend to explain open source. After monumentous effort to get her to understand, her final response was:
"Wow. So basically, someone found a way to get thousands of users to develop software for them. At no cost?"
Obviously I had to start explaining again. This is a major problem I see with the eventual adoption of Linux as mainstream. People just can't wrap their heads around it. And when they finally do, they are going to say "Hold on! I get all this stuff for no cost, and then Corel, who came along and took a basically already created product, added some bells and whistles, and now expect me to pay for an Office suite? No way!"
And they thought that the Windows environment promoted piracy?
Just my $0.02 US ($10,000,000.00 CDN) worth.
Sakhmet
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Got to love games. Tetris? No thanks. Myst? Pretty graphics, I solved the mystery in, like, 45 minutes. Boring.
My game is Soul Calibre. Oh yeah baby! Good old fashioned Violence (capital V intended). Many of my friends love this game, and there isn't a male around that'll play against me any more.
I think the problem here (and as a general rule, everywhere) is that people take things too seriously. It's an ad, for Pete's sake. An ad. Don't like it? Don't look. Although I think the term "feminazi" used by a previous poster is a little harsh, I suspect that the reason many women don't read gaming magazines is more a matter of self-confidence than any political motivations.
I don't feel inadequate looking at those women. I don't feel inadequate watching Lara Croft run around in a bikini.
It's a game, ladies, not the world. It's not some attempt by "male CEO's" to put us down and keep us away from the computer or console.
My $0.02 US ($10,000,000.00 CDN) worth.
Sakhmet.
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
I'm torn. We can map the genome, but can we ever really understand it? We can throw more instructions-per-second at it, and we can look at it from every angle, but will we ever understand the complex interaction of one segment of DNA with another?
No, I don't think a billion sperm to ferilize one egg is efficient, but it does ensure survival of the fittest (sperm, in any case).
Sakhmet
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
I mean, it's only a patent on one specific technique, as near as I can tell.
Impact to me? Umm....none that I can see, at least at this time.
On another note...
Gene therapy scares me. I still don't think we understand what we are really messing with. I'm not worried about any kind of moralistic issues regarding gene therapy and cloning, just the scientific ones. Nature has been at this for a long long time, and I suspect that it's figured out the best methods for handling the improvement of genes.
Just my opinion, mind you.
Sakhmet
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
Inane comments, posted by anonymous cowards, are just a demonstration of immaturity and an unwillingness to take reponsibility.
On the other hand, I don't think the system should be changed at all. Let it be. The AC's posting inane, pointless and offtopic messages are excercising their right to be heard in a free communications medium.
Some of us may not like it, but we aren't being asked to like it. We are just being asked to tolerate it. I've never posted anonymously here, never flamed, never posted offtopically, and I don't intend to. What I have to say is what I have to say. If someone decides I need to be flamed into a little hole in the ground, so be it. I can take it.
Jon, have you actually talked to a lot of women about this? Some leave because this level of immaturity turns them off something they might otherwise be interested in, but lots just stick it out. Don't underestimate the femme-geeks.
Sakhmet.
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."
It's interesting, the responses this article is drawing. I suspect that the anonymous Cowards posting them think they are being "cool" or something. Ah well, I refuse to be driven away from this site because many of its readers are hopped up on testosterone. And they wonder why women don't give them a second glance.... JonKatz, keep up the good work, it's inspiring, informative, and interesting. Don't let them get you down. Sakhmet
"When I want to do something mindless to relax, I reinstall Windows 95."