I would hope Direct3D runs faster, since they created a new kernel interface that's much more efficient. XP's D3D 9 interface didn't scale well as far as CPU overhead, so feeding next-gen cards like the 8800GTX was going to require some serious CPU horsepower to pull off. (and ironically, now we have it)
But I still spite Microsoft for modelling the D3D 10 kernel interface after OpenGL's XP kernel interface, and relegating OpenGL to sit on top. I suppose it made sense, and simplified developing Aero, but it still wasn't very nice to steal their idea. (and bump up OGL CPU usage at the same time due to the extra layer)
The UI is more responsive, which is the best indicator of what makes something "fast". People don't care if a task finishes in 18 seconds, or 20, or 22, if the UI isn't dog slow.
XP nailed UI responsiveness, even on slow hardware. (by today's standards)
Windows 7 is quite responsive, even on slow machines like Netbooks, which is impressive because it packs more features.
Vista though - ever seen that on a Netbook? I have - the first Compaq Mini-Notes. Vista isn't responsive on a netbook. Lots of time is spent waiting, and even the graphics lag a tad.:P
I've found OpenOffice to be quite consistent with Word 2000 and 2003 for simple formatting. Never tested it against Word 2007, but your point about different versions of Office is totally valid.
It's well known that huge organizations leave stuff unpatched for long periods of time. Wasn't it reported that the US Air Force took something like 6-12 months to roll out patches? They got a unified version of XP from Microsoft to simplify patch deployment time down to 60 days.
Good god man - there's a bookmarks toolbar for a reason!:P
You have a legitimate complaint, but I agree with Xaedalus that it doesn't apply to the majority of Firefox users. It probably only applies to <2% of them.
This would be like doctors giving preferential treatment to other doctors (eg. less waiting time in countries with socialized medicine) or teachers distributing textbooks only to the children of other teachers. This is not to say that it doesn't happen, but it is profoundly wrong.
Doctors do get preferential treatment here. Where I live (BC, Canada - bless the Liberals and their stance on Healthcare), stuff takes a ludicrously long time to happen.
Need a CT? We'll see you in 9-15 months! Fell down the stairs, and need an X-Ray, and Ultrasound to rule out internal bleeding? I'll book you for August! (over a month from now) Malignant melanomas? You've got two!? That's urgent, so we'll get those cut out in four and a half months!
What? You used to be a doctor? See you next week!
The only way to get in shortly is to go to emergency, fall down and roll around on the floor while drooling.
Or move to some other part of Canada. Or the US.
Side-Note: A teacher I know somehow got her kid registered for a computer programming course. When he started, he didn't even know how to turn the damn thing on. He's now in his second year, and frequently asks me for help, and I never even took the course. >_< He says he learns more off me than from college. (I'm not sure if this reflects poorly on him, the College, or his parents; regardless, it supports there already being a double standard)
Newspapers and media outlets censor info all the time. I remember shortly after Iraq was invaded, all these photos of maimed children, soldiers, and Iraqis started showing up. Did any make it on the US media? Only a select few, which could be disproven as fakes.
The CBC (Canadian) showed a few, but then stopped. Their reason? The pictures were unsightly, and didn't sit well with viewers.
I hate to burst your bubble, but all media has both bias and rampant censoring. There's plenty of examples out there - maybe you even have some yourself.
The engine isn't the only area of improvement, though. Aerodynamic can go a long way. People have demonstrated mods to gasoline vehicles with near-100% mileage gains.
There's a list at the bottom containing many mods done by other people.
There's nothing unfeasible about a 30+ km range. I agree that hundreds would be ludicrous without some new technology, but a cheap two-seater air-powered car would be a fine alternative to some of these expensive carts older people travel around in, and would be usable for other scenarios.
You'll have a hard time convincing me there isn't some market for short-range air powered cars, if the price is low enough.
While I'll grant that Google adds their own spin to the products and often integrates them better than acquisitions made by many of their competitors, it still does not change the fact that Google purchases their markets. And that... that is a damning argument against their "we're not that big" statement.
They buy in to new markets - but they actually keep advancing them. That's why they have an edge - not because of malicious saboteur activities.
Most companies stagnate when they get huge; they seem to lose their ability to advance forward, and stop innovating. Google doesn't seem to.
See: Sun, Microsoft, IBM, etc.; for companies this huge, I'd expect more advances than we get. Usually it's some smaller company(<1000 employees) which innovates, and then one of the big companies buys them out. If we're lucky enough for that company to be Google, the product will keep advancing, but none of the other big players have demonstrated that capability.
So what you're saying is Google has absolutely no lockin?
Well, you are correct about that. The only reason you keep using Google stuff is the extra features over the competition.
What I dislike about Google's competitors is the tactics they use. Every few months (it seems) Microsoft releases an IE update that resets search providers and the default browser back to MSN/IE. Lately whenever I install programs, those installers try to set Ask.com or Yahoo to be the default search, and most of them try to install toolbar crap too. I support Google because they're the best, and they don't resort to tactics like that.
If they use that fancy Australian Rotary Air Engine, they might have better luck. They might even attain a range of 30+ km, which would be enough to get me to work.:P
It all comes down to how cheap these cars end up. In India, they'll probably manufacture them for less than $3k. If we can get similar prices here, they will sell for select usage.
My Grandma just gave up her license. For the 5+ years prior, she mostly just drove to the grocery store, or to an occasional doctors visit.
For people with short trip scenarios, an air powered car could potentially save money. And if you have to travel a long distance... pick up a hybrid or one of those diesel rabbits for those spiffy 750 mile ranges.;)
They didn't. When Mac OS was created, there was no Windows. And obviously no Windows key.
Apple did a massive overhaul with OSX - but it appears this was one thing they didn't change or remap.
Only when Windows became the de-facto standard OS for generic PCs was when they introduced a Windows key. Sadly they went with the easiest route and did *not* remap shortcuts from Control to the Windows key. Which is why the Windows key on Windows is still largely useless.
WinKey isn't useless! Gamers everywhere scream from the accidental alt+tabs.:P
Seriously though... I start all my programs with the run box. Winkey+R. I've also noted that when a game and Steam get really jammed up, and Ctrl+Alt+Delete, Alt+F4, etc. do absolutely nothing, Winkey will still get me to the desktop.
One time I was encoding a video, when suddenly everything froze. All my I/O was gone, which means the second I tried to interact with anything, it froze instantly. I tried to get TaskMan open to kill that app, but it had to load off the disk, and therefore didn't load. Ctrl+Alt+Delete also did nothing, for obvious reasons. Using WinKey+R, though, I was able to tell it to kill the encoder.exe, and a short 9 minutes later it succeeded!
Side note: I had the same thing happen on Linux while encoding. Unfortunately, I had no button that I could press to terminate that sucker. I finally pressed Ctrl+Alt+Backspace, but that just turned the screen completely black until I rebooted.:/
Final Note: Said HDD has since been RMA'd to Seagate. Twice. What a piece of crap!
Heh. Insightful, to be honest. Ignoring the Ctrl+Alt+Delete combo, other combinations like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V are extremely common in every OS except OSX. Alt+F4 is a handy one too.
I don't know why Apple went and turned the Windows Key into their Ctrl equivalent. Yes, the Windows Key maps to the Mac Key, and all the commands on a Mac are Mac+C, Mac+V, Mac+F4, etc., earning it the title of the only OS that does things a different way.
Many online stores are not situated inside the US, and do not ship from the US, but do ship to it.
Places like... PlayAsia, I believe?
Here's a Chinese Handheld (Dingoo). I have trouble believing that $82 w/ free worldwide shipping includes patent fees to Nintendo for their wonderful DPAD.
Storing in a battery is probably more environmentally friendly and is definitely more efficient - but if you want to be truly environmentally friendly, you could just go with an air powered car.
Air powered cars have a few big benefits. 1) They can be made 100% recyclable. 2) Air can be compressed anywhere.
You can use the grid, at home, at work. You can run a compressor off solar or wind power. You can put a big compressor at gas stations without any huge retrofitting costs.
Air powered would be the easiest way to go, except that like all vehicles running on alternative energy, you can't get them anywhere.
Did you see that article listing the licensing fees of a TV at $40? Ouch - quite a lot. Talk about expensive patents! Imagine how high it must be for a smartphone - $60? $80?
It's no wonder China's crap is cheaper. Even the high quality non-crap from over there is way cheaper.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm still waiting for my last pigeon or else I'd have responded faster.
You use IPoAC too?
I still use Yahoo! mail for some functions as it's UI beats Gmail hands down.
Heretic!...Troll!... get off my third favourite website! ;)
Honestly, the only part of Yahoo that I personally cared about was Jumpcut.
I would hope Direct3D runs faster, since they created a new kernel interface that's much more efficient. XP's D3D 9 interface didn't scale well as far as CPU overhead, so feeding next-gen cards like the 8800GTX was going to require some serious CPU horsepower to pull off. (and ironically, now we have it)
But I still spite Microsoft for modelling the D3D 10 kernel interface after OpenGL's XP kernel interface, and relegating OpenGL to sit on top. I suppose it made sense, and simplified developing Aero, but it still wasn't very nice to steal their idea. (and bump up OGL CPU usage at the same time due to the extra layer)
The UI is more responsive, which is the best indicator of what makes something "fast". People don't care if a task finishes in 18 seconds, or 20, or 22, if the UI isn't dog slow.
XP nailed UI responsiveness, even on slow hardware. (by today's standards)
Windows 7 is quite responsive, even on slow machines like Netbooks, which is impressive because it packs more features.
Vista though - ever seen that on a Netbook? I have - the first Compaq Mini-Notes. Vista isn't responsive on a netbook. Lots of time is spent waiting, and even the graphics lag a tad. :P
I've found OpenOffice to be quite consistent with Word 2000 and 2003 for simple formatting. Never tested it against Word 2007, but your point about different versions of Office is totally valid.
It's well known that huge organizations leave stuff unpatched for long periods of time. Wasn't it reported that the US Air Force took something like 6-12 months to roll out patches? They got a unified version of XP from Microsoft to simplify patch deployment time down to 60 days.
Yikes!
Good god man - there's a bookmarks toolbar for a reason! :P
You have a legitimate complaint, but I agree with Xaedalus that it doesn't apply to the majority of Firefox users. It probably only applies to <2% of them.
The only way to get in shortly is to go to emergency, fall down and roll around on the floor while drooling.
That was slight over-exaggeration, but going to emergency is the only way you get in quick.
I can't speak for all of BC, but on Vancouver Island, yes, it's that bad.
This would be like doctors giving preferential treatment to other doctors (eg. less waiting time in countries with socialized medicine) or teachers distributing textbooks only to the children of other teachers. This is not to say that it doesn't happen, but it is profoundly wrong.
Doctors do get preferential treatment here. Where I live (BC, Canada - bless the Liberals and their stance on Healthcare), stuff takes a ludicrously long time to happen.
Need a CT? We'll see you in 9-15 months! Fell down the stairs, and need an X-Ray, and Ultrasound to rule out internal bleeding? I'll book you for August! (over a month from now) Malignant melanomas? You've got two!? That's urgent, so we'll get those cut out in four and a half months!
What? You used to be a doctor? See you next week!
The only way to get in shortly is to go to emergency, fall down and roll around on the floor while drooling.
Or move to some other part of Canada. Or the US.
Side-Note: A teacher I know somehow got her kid registered for a computer programming course. When he started, he didn't even know how to turn the damn thing on. He's now in his second year, and frequently asks me for help, and I never even took the course. >_< He says he learns more off me than from college. (I'm not sure if this reflects poorly on him, the College, or his parents; regardless, it supports there already being a double standard)
Newspapers and media outlets censor info all the time. I remember shortly after Iraq was invaded, all these photos of maimed children, soldiers, and Iraqis started showing up. Did any make it on the US media? Only a select few, which could be disproven as fakes.
The CBC (Canadian) showed a few, but then stopped. Their reason? The pictures were unsightly, and didn't sit well with viewers.
I hate to burst your bubble, but all media has both bias and rampant censoring. There's plenty of examples out there - maybe you even have some yourself.
I find this double standard pretty disgusting.
I agree. But I'm leaning towards keeping the captives alive, as being the proper course of action.
I really don't want my 15 minutes of fame if it gets me killed.
The engine isn't the only area of improvement, though. Aerodynamic can go a long way. People have demonstrated mods to gasoline vehicles with near-100% mileage gains.
See: http://www.aerocivic.com/
There's a list at the bottom containing many mods done by other people.
There's nothing unfeasible about a 30+ km range. I agree that hundreds would be ludicrous without some new technology, but a cheap two-seater air-powered car would be a fine alternative to some of these expensive carts older people travel around in, and would be usable for other scenarios.
You'll have a hard time convincing me there isn't some market for short-range air powered cars, if the price is low enough.
While I'll grant that Google adds their own spin to the products and often integrates them better than acquisitions made by many of their competitors, it still does not change the fact that Google purchases their markets. And that... that is a damning argument against their "we're not that big" statement.
They buy in to new markets - but they actually keep advancing them. That's why they have an edge - not because of malicious saboteur activities.
Most companies stagnate when they get huge; they seem to lose their ability to advance forward, and stop innovating. Google doesn't seem to.
See: Sun, Microsoft, IBM, etc.; for companies this huge, I'd expect more advances than we get. Usually it's some smaller company(<1000 employees) which innovates, and then one of the big companies buys them out. If we're lucky enough for that company to be Google, the product will keep advancing, but none of the other big players have demonstrated that capability.
So what you're saying is Google has absolutely no lockin?
Well, you are correct about that. The only reason you keep using Google stuff is the extra features over the competition.
What I dislike about Google's competitors is the tactics they use. Every few months (it seems) Microsoft releases an IE update that resets search providers and the default browser back to MSN/IE. Lately whenever I install programs, those installers try to set Ask.com or Yahoo to be the default search, and most of them try to install toolbar crap too. I support Google because they're the best, and they don't resort to tactics like that.
Indeedy. Google is a little guy, relatively speaking. That they're doing so well is a testament to their service and constant innovation.
They're using an inefficient piston engine.
If they use that fancy Australian Rotary Air Engine, they might have better luck. They might even attain a range of 30+ km, which would be enough to get me to work. :P
It all comes down to how cheap these cars end up. In India, they'll probably manufacture them for less than $3k. If we can get similar prices here, they will sell for select usage.
My Grandma just gave up her license. For the 5+ years prior, she mostly just drove to the grocery store, or to an occasional doctors visit.
For people with short trip scenarios, an air powered car could potentially save money. And if you have to travel a long distance... pick up a hybrid or one of those diesel rabbits for those spiffy 750 mile ranges. ;)
Wow, someone doesn't know their history.
So, so true. But luckily by posting stuff like that, knowledgeable people drop by with corrections. ;)
Well, I'm glad Microsoft decided to go with the flow, for once.
I was wondering where "Super" came from. I noticed it in Ubuntu, but never thought to ask!
WinKey, SuperKey - these are keys I want on my keyboard, regardless of the reason they're there! ;)
They didn't. When Mac OS was created, there was no Windows. And obviously no Windows key.
Apple did a massive overhaul with OSX - but it appears this was one thing they didn't change or remap.
Only when Windows became the de-facto standard OS for generic PCs was when they introduced a Windows key. Sadly they went with the easiest route and did *not* remap shortcuts from Control to the Windows key. Which is why the Windows key on Windows is still largely useless.
WinKey isn't useless! Gamers everywhere scream from the accidental alt+tabs. :P
Seriously though... I start all my programs with the run box. Winkey+R. I've also noted that when a game and Steam get really jammed up, and Ctrl+Alt+Delete, Alt+F4, etc. do absolutely nothing, Winkey will still get me to the desktop.
One time I was encoding a video, when suddenly everything froze. All my I/O was gone, which means the second I tried to interact with anything, it froze instantly. I tried to get TaskMan open to kill that app, but it had to load off the disk, and therefore didn't load. Ctrl+Alt+Delete also did nothing, for obvious reasons. Using WinKey+R, though, I was able to tell it to kill the encoder.exe, and a short 9 minutes later it succeeded!
Side note: I had the same thing happen on Linux while encoding. Unfortunately, I had no button that I could press to terminate that sucker. I finally pressed Ctrl+Alt+Backspace, but that just turned the screen completely black until I rebooted. :/
Final Note: Said HDD has since been RMA'd to Seagate. Twice. What a piece of crap!
They blocked Canada a while back. 6 months? Maybe longer - I can't remember the exact date it first came up.
Heh. Insightful, to be honest. Ignoring the Ctrl+Alt+Delete combo, other combinations like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V are extremely common in every OS except OSX. Alt+F4 is a handy one too.
I don't know why Apple went and turned the Windows Key into their Ctrl equivalent. Yes, the Windows Key maps to the Mac Key, and all the commands on a Mac are Mac+C, Mac+V, Mac+F4, etc., earning it the title of the only OS that does things a different way.
Many online stores are not situated inside the US, and do not ship from the US, but do ship to it.
Places like... PlayAsia, I believe?
Here's a Chinese Handheld (Dingoo). I have trouble believing that $82 w/ free worldwide shipping includes patent fees to Nintendo for their wonderful DPAD.
Indeed. The most efficient way to get hydrogen isn't available to home owners.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production#High-temperature_electrolysis
Storing in a battery is probably more environmentally friendly and is definitely more efficient - but if you want to be truly environmentally friendly, you could just go with an air powered car.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_powered_car
Air powered cars have a few big benefits.
1) They can be made 100% recyclable.
2) Air can be compressed anywhere.
You can use the grid, at home, at work. You can run a compressor off solar or wind power. You can put a big compressor at gas stations without any huge retrofitting costs.
Air powered would be the easiest way to go, except that like all vehicles running on alternative energy, you can't get them anywhere.
Did you see that article listing the licensing fees of a TV at $40? Ouch - quite a lot. Talk about expensive patents! Imagine how high it must be for a smartphone - $60? $80?
It's no wonder China's crap is cheaper. Even the high quality non-crap from over there is way cheaper.
It transcodes to H.263/H.264.