The reason that machines now tend to say "Please Wait" or "processing card details" when you first insert the card rather than after you type in the pin number is because most debit cards in the UK are now smart cards ("chip and pin" as the industry calls them), hence the machine needs to read the (encrypted) details off the smart card before it can check your pin against it. This takes a bit more time than just reading a magnetic strip.
It adds a bit of complication by requiring you to know all those standards, but when you grok it (and believe me, it's not so hard - one can do it in a matter of days), it vbecomes clear and logical hierachy of content representation standards
But most people can pick up html in a number of minutes - It's certainly a lot easier to pick up than XML. A huge % of sites on the web are made by amatuers (look at geocities), and XML is just going to confuse the hell out of people.
Actually I saw this phenonenon myself running linux the other day - it just totally stopped responding, and I had to whack the reset button to get any kind of meaningful output from the computer.....
.... which turned out to be "No keyboard detected, press F1 to continue", so I reached round the back and plugged it back in.
I installed it for the first time the other day in a similar situation, you only need 2 floppies (is it that hard for you to find another).
As a newbie who's only used Windows and RedHat before now, the installer is the best I've seen - I haven't seen another (in my limited experiance) that gives you nearly as much control over the whole process. Installing Win98 scares me now.... ("What? You bastard, you overwrote my MBR without asking!! Noooooooo!")
I tend to do a similar thing at home - a couple of days ago I realised I had a spare gfx card and monitor so I installed XF86 4.0.1
I never want to go back to just one monitor again - I run my main screen at 1600x1200 (19") and a 15" next to it at 800x600 (though that might change) - it's so useful being able to keep stuff open all the time without it cluttering up your desktop.
Haven't you noticed that CmdrTaco will post absolutley anything that relates to Napster?
Tommorrow I'll write something about the Powder Puff Girls using Napster to trade anime because the don't like the the MPAA and support Nader for president 2000, and it's bound to make the/. front page:)
Bets: trool, off-topic, funny, insightful? why can there be an option for "all the above":)
A lot of people seem to underestimate the amount of skill involved in some FPS's - noteably playing Quake II online. If you want to do well, it's not just shooting at anything that moves bugger the consequenses, there's quite a large chunk of tactics and skillful moves involved (especially in teams play) - the only problem is that PC games don't have the pick up and play arcadey feel of consoles, where you can get to grips with a game in a couple of minutes, and stop playing it a few minutes later if you want to, but more likely playing it for a few hours.
What I think I'm trying to say is - console/retro games _can_ be played for hours on end, as they're addictive. Most PC games _have_ to be played for hours on end before you can get anywhere.
the problem with that is that a lot of these devices that use dialup aren't actually connecting to the internet - for example Sky digital over here, and TiVo in the US (from what I hear). And for those devices that do connect to the internet (iopener?) they _make_ the money from the phone calls, either from a monthly subscription or a freeserve style business model (for the americans, the deal with freeserve is that you dial an 0845/local rate number, and freeserve split the profits with BT effectivly)
I have ethernet at home, wires trailing all over the upstairs of the house. I only connect to the internet with a 56k modem (in the English countryside there's nothing else avaliable for a reasonable price), but that's shared over the 3 computers using a wonderful linux distro-on-a-floppy called freesco (www.freesco.org) and an old 486 with a broken HDD. If I bought a new device like a TiVo (they come out here in the "Fall" apparently - I think that means Autumn) then I wouldn't want to go to the hassle of installing phone sockets in the living room (it's an old house, there are very few phone sockets) if I had the option of installing an ethernet socket - ethernet is far more versatile, and more suited to what I'd want to do.
This is what contentville say about the dissertation's on their site:
<br><br><blockquote>
Where do Contentville's dissertations come from?<br>
Excerpts from the UMI® Dissertation Abstracts database are being used by Contentville, which, in turn, collects orders for full-text dissertations. Dissertation orders are fulfilled by UMI® Dissertations Publishing, whose mission is to expand scholarly communication and improve access to academic research. All Dissertation Publishing Agreements with authors remain in effect. Dissertation authors retain all rights to their dissertations. All sales will be tracked for royalty payments. All contracted royalties will be paid, per the agreement. The UMI program continues to expand access to research and maintain a permanent archive of scholarly works. Wider distribution of dissertation research is intended to support the international scholarly community.</blockquote><br><br>Place your bets - redundant or informative?
It also denies a free word processor (eg StarOffice) a "sale" - if they weren't using Word2 for free it strikes me as more likely they'd use a differant free word processor.
Slashdot Mirror
If you live in the UK, you just get used to paying silly prices for things like this.
Filling up with petrol yesterday cost me 79p/litre, which is almost $2/litre canadian - and that's the cheapest it's been for quite a while...
You're forgetting that half of all people are below average....
However:
2. a. The fact of passing over without seeing; omission or failure to see or notice, inadvertence.
You aren't the only person subscribing to oed.com...
Already has? They ALWAYS have.
Any port in a storm...
The reason that machines now tend to say "Please Wait" or "processing card details" when you first insert the card rather than after you type in the pin number is because most debit cards in the UK are now smart cards ("chip and pin" as the industry calls them), hence the machine needs to read the (encrypted) details off the smart card before it can check your pin against it. This takes a bit more time than just reading a magnetic strip.
I tried to read the Yahoo story, but a huge x10 ad popped up and took over my screen. How's that for irony.
aww, They won't let my snap up snapnames.com when it comes up for renewal.
But most people can pick up html in a number of minutes - It's certainly a lot easier to pick up than XML. A huge % of sites on the web are made by amatuers (look at geocities), and XML is just going to confuse the hell out of people.
Actually I saw this phenonenon myself running linux the other day - it just totally stopped responding, and I had to whack the reset button to get any kind of meaningful output from the computer.....
.... which turned out to be "No keyboard detected, press F1 to continue", so I reached round the back and plugged it back in.
I installed it for the first time the other day in a similar situation, you only need 2 floppies (is it that hard for you to find another).
As a newbie who's only used Windows and RedHat before now, the installer is the best I've seen - I haven't seen another (in my limited experiance) that gives you nearly as much control over the whole process. Installing Win98 scares me now.... ("What? You bastard, you overwrote my MBR without asking!! Noooooooo!")
Normally takes about 7 days doesn't it?
I tend to do a similar thing at home - a couple of days ago I realised I had a spare gfx card and monitor so I installed XF86 4.0.1
I never want to go back to just one monitor again - I run my main screen at 1600x1200 (19") and a 15" next to it at 800x600 (though that might change) - it's so useful being able to keep stuff open all the time without it cluttering up your desktop.
I'm not entirely sure that's the case - get hold of a RISC PC and change the resolution. Now look at the button bar at the bottom.
Good idea, but I'm not sure it's done on RISC OS...
(course I may be wrong)
Haven't you noticed that CmdrTaco will post absolutley anything that relates to Napster?
/. front page :)
:)
Tommorrow I'll write something about the Powder Puff Girls using Napster to trade anime because the don't like the the MPAA and support Nader for president 2000, and it's bound to make the
Bets: trool, off-topic, funny, insightful? why can there be an option for "all the above"
A lot of people seem to underestimate the amount of skill involved in some FPS's - noteably playing Quake II online. If you want to do well, it's not just shooting at anything that moves bugger the consequenses, there's quite a large chunk of tactics and skillful moves involved (especially in teams play) - the only problem is that PC games don't have the pick up and play arcadey feel of consoles, where you can get to grips with a game in a couple of minutes, and stop playing it a few minutes later if you want to, but more likely playing it for a few hours.
What I think I'm trying to say is - console/retro games _can_ be played for hours on end, as they're addictive. Most PC games _have_ to be played for hours on end before you can get anywhere.
the problem with that is that a lot of these devices that use dialup aren't actually connecting to the internet - for example Sky digital over here, and TiVo in the US (from what I hear). And for those devices that do connect to the internet (iopener?) they _make_ the money from the phone calls, either from a monthly subscription or a freeserve style business model (for the americans, the deal with freeserve is that you dial an 0845/local rate number, and freeserve split the profits with BT effectivly)
I have ethernet at home, wires trailing all over the upstairs of the house. I only connect to the internet with a 56k modem (in the English countryside there's nothing else avaliable for a reasonable price), but that's shared over the 3 computers using a wonderful linux distro-on-a-floppy called freesco (www.freesco.org) and an old 486 with a broken HDD. If I bought a new device like a TiVo (they come out here in the "Fall" apparently - I think that means Autumn) then I wouldn't want to go to the hassle of installing phone sockets in the living room (it's an old house, there are very few phone sockets) if I had the option of installing an ethernet socket - ethernet is far more versatile, and more suited to what I'd want to do.
I wonder if there'll be free beer :)
This is what contentville say about the dissertation's on their site:
<br><br><blockquote>
Where do Contentville's dissertations come from?<br>
Excerpts from the UMI® Dissertation Abstracts database are being used by Contentville, which, in turn, collects orders for full-text dissertations. Dissertation orders are fulfilled by UMI® Dissertations Publishing, whose mission is to expand scholarly communication and improve access to academic research. All Dissertation Publishing Agreements with authors remain in effect. Dissertation authors retain all rights to their dissertations. All sales will be tracked for royalty payments. All contracted royalties will be paid, per the agreement. The UMI program continues to expand access to research and maintain a permanent archive of scholarly works. Wider distribution of dissertation research is intended to support the international scholarly community.</blockquote><br><br>Place your bets - redundant or informative?
the first TOS you agreed to probably included something about them not needing your consent to change those TOS in future.
"Modern science has developed a pet that can check email"
:)
Why not just train your cat to check your e-mail? They seem to enjoy walking on keyboards
It also denies a free word processor (eg StarOffice) a "sale" - if they weren't using Word2 for free it strikes me as more likely they'd use a differant free word processor.
I wonder if you could link it up with another persons watch and end up with lots of little baby(-sized) watches :)