ah, the old ad hominem attack. Is that all they're teaching folks in MBA school anymore? Don't respond to valid arguments and criticism; instead, discredit your detractors by branding them as "out of touch" or "communist" or a "tree hugger".
I find it incredibly discouraging to know that everything I need to know about running a global billion dollar software company, I learned on the playground in kindergarten.
There was also a significant impact on the weather the year Mt. Pinitubo in the Phillipines exploded. I beleive that there was also a slight but measurable impact from Mt. St. Helens, and from 9/11 (the days following 9/11 where there was no air traffic in the US, except for a few Saudi dignitaries Bush allowed to fly out, there was an overall higher average temperature by 3 degrees - just from the absence of contrail formation!)
Why aren't they suing BMW for including radios in their automobiles?? After all, it is a "value added" additional component. It's not a car. Why aren't aftermarket car stereo manufacturers banding together to petition the EU to sue BMW??? Why??
Because whether you have an aftermarket or stock radio in your car has ZERO effect on the standard format for radio broadcasts. THAT is strictly regulated by the FCC (in the US). There is no such regulation for file-formats, and network protocol streams. If one vendor can lock up the broadcast format with a proprietary scheme, then all other vendors would be locked out.
Your analogy fails to take this into account - and that's why bundling, in itself isn't a crime - but in the context of computer operating systems, where file formats and protocols are not open or regulated, we can all wake up one morning and find ourselves in a world owned by a corporation. It's not speculative paranoia.
I'm not advocating government regulation of file-formats and protocols (but effectively, that's what we have with the current software-patents and DMCA environment - but it has the OPPOSITE effect that rf spectrum regulation has). I think it's important that companies be allowed to compete in this area so that a "best of breed" solution can evolve. But when a monopoly ties up the marketplace and excludes competitors, someone's got to step in somewhere, because the invisible hand ain't gonna fix it.
What I am advocating is a special class of patent, or perhaps the application of copyright law instead, some government regulation which mandates interoperability, (or, perhaps, in return for patent protection, open-source is required, so that interoperability can be maintained without infringing on IP), and that has to be overseen by a standards body, because the interoperability-vs-noninfringement is a delicate balance that would have to be intelligently maintained on a case-by-case basis - unworkable? Probably. Prone to abuse? Most likely. But better than the situation we have now. Closed, proprietary formats and protocols are the problem. Not necessarily bundling. Bundling is just higher-up the food chain, where lawyers can get a foothold, because the law doesn't deal with protocols very well.
Tell me that Antz (crappy writing, crappy graphics, but still "computer animated") didn't take a bite out of "A Bug's Life's" marketshare.
I'm not saying that ten million Joe Sixpacks with iMovie, iDVD, Renderman, and Maya are going to put Pixar out of business. They're going to eat some marketshare. That's all. Are they a REAL threat? No. Are they perceived as a threat to the Control Freak that is Steve Jobs? IMNSHO, yes.
If the Pixar modeling/rendering software ran on MacOS X, then there'd be an army of Joe Sixpacks out there competing with Pixar, with a few thousand dollars worth of computers.
Steve JObs wants to keep this business obscure enough to keep the bar raised to where Pixar offers a unique and valuable service.
Above all, despite his $1 salary, Steve Jobs is the Elitist's Elitist.
I can definately see a market for a service where you hook up to a game server, and then pay a small fee for a "stooge" to let you kill him or her (doesn't really matter which) repeatedly in something like Tribes or Unreal Tournament.
They believed it was a natural god given right to be free, to have freedom.
it's true. (if you believe in such a thing).
In the Bible, in Genesis - the very first three words God says to us is "You are free. . . " (in the context of choosing to eat anything in the garden, except for a certain fruit. . . - the fact that Adam and Eve chose to eat that fruit means - they were TRULY free.)
I'm not so sure if I'm a big fan of Ballistic Weapons in space.
First off, there's the effectiveness issue. If you're talking about explosive devices, you need hit-to-kill accuracy anyway, because shock-waves do not propagate in a vacuum. Although I don't discount the effectiveness of nuclear weapons in space. (Personally, I would design a nuclear warhead to take a more directed approach in nuclear detonation - using neutron reflectors and such, you don't want a 360-degree nuclear blast, you want your warhead to get close to it's target, and direct as much of the device's output in the direction of the target as possible).
Considering the velocities at which spacecraft travel, then add to that, the velocities Science Fiction spacecraft are probably travelling (in order to cover interplanetary distances in the space of a few hours instead of months or years), and the distances at which these combats could take place, (in order to gain initiative, one must attack before being detected, in order to reduce the effectivness of defensive maneuvers, etc.) . . . you can see an enemy hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, let alone light him up with radar, or whatever - you need a VERY high speed (maybe reletavistic?) projectile (and a smart guidance system, dumb ballistic weapons won't hit jack shit at those ranges). Even with a laser, you're likely to spot your enemy possibly several minutes before the light-beam he's fired at you reaches you. Very high projectile speeds mean - either a propulsion system ON the projectile which makes each projectile rather expensive, or a high muzzle velocity. Newton's 3rd law of motion becomes an issue here. Case-in-point: the A-10 warthog's (http://www.a-10.org/) gun is connected to the engines so that when it fires, it boosts thrust output, so the plane doesn't stall from the thousands of pounds of mass it's spitting out the front-end.
Which leads to another point. Moving mass in space requires mass. (that dang Newton again) The more mass your projectile has, the more energy it can transfer to it's target to do damage. That's why we use Depleted Uranium projectiles. It's denser for lead - so for the same weapon bore, more mass gets shot out per-projectile, delivering more energy to the target. As the ship fights, it's mass changes dramatically. From leaving the launch bay fully loaded, you want to have as much of the ship's mass be propellant, so you can maneuver the ship. (a ship that can't maneuver is called a sitting duck). But with ballistic weapons, you're devoting valuable total mass to projectiles instead of propellant. And the propellant you DO have, is dedicated to accelerating the mass of your projectiles as well as the airframe. With a beam weapon, assuming you're getting electrical power from a radiation source, the energy you are putting into your target is not mass-related. Or at least as limited to the F=ma equation as a ballistic projectile would be. With a nuclear powered laser, you're limited by E=mc^2. (http://www.defensereview.com/modules.php?name=New s&file=article&sid=304)
Next, there's the issue of space-junk (Newton's 1st law of motion). Any space combat is going to create space-junk. But flying projectiles, if they miss their target, will be deadly forever. A hazard to any space traffic.
Finally, it's not a stretch to imagine directed-energy weapons powerful and accurate enough to be used to intercept projectiles. We're already reading about such technology being used to intercept artillery shells. The fact is, light travels buttloads faster than bullets or missiles. Over the range that a typical space combat would occur, that gives light a huge advantage in reaction time capability. Time-to-target of a few seconds, as opposed to many minutes (given sci-fi propulsion systems, etc) or hours.
All that said: I still FAR prefer the new BSG to the old BSG. Though I'd like to see the Cylons not so irrevocably married to a single form-factor as far as fighting ships g
This probably has something to do with the.Net API access via the command shell, or CSharpieness syntaxed scripting language.
Then maybe the file can be both executed, AND structured with XML - perhaps to give it some sort of object orientedness?
Or perhaps they're talking about embedding some kind of macro functionality into Word.XML documents? Maybe that's more likely - or a combination of both of these?
Of course, that wouldn't mean that looking at the source wouldn't be EXTREMELY helpful in the effort towards coding around issues caused by Microsoft cruft. No actual code would have to make it into the finished product.
Group C: Pharmaceutical CEO's who are worried that therepeutic cloning will eliminate the need for transplant patients to pay for expensive anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives.
Group D: Airline CEO's who relish the idea of getting a piece of the action every time an American has to fly to South Korea - first for the genetic sample to create the clone, and - second, for the transplant operation, after 6-12 months when the new organ has fully developed.
Group E: Arms manufacturers, who want to sell more bombs and tanks and guns to protect South Korea from North Korea, or India from Pakistan, so that our overseas Tech investments don't get nuked over some silly religious argument.
Group F: Bioresearch scientists who are interested in moving to a country overseas where they actually have freedom to pursue the career for which they trained for 8 years - they want it banned in America, of course, because if this technology develops in America, they'd have to stay, and all their IP will belong to the massive pharmaceutical companies who would own the research, instead of some South Korean startup, where they'd have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with some hot stock options.
Group G: Evil geniuses who want to live forever - but don't want the rest of the world to have access to the cloning technology - foreigners won't have it because they're too poor, and law abiding Americans won't have it because it's banned, but Evil Geniuses will have access to it, because they're rich, and don't care about American laws for whatever reason.
Group H: Unborn fetuses, not wanting to be born into this world and subject to the assholes running it.
This software bug may play in heavily - but there's a reason why that bug is there. . . a reason why it made it into mission-critical software, on a live production system, and a reason why it contributed to a massive cascade failure that affected such a wide area.
This is the same reason for the Enron/Worldcom/Tyco failures (via 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act). This is the same reason for 9/11 (airline security deregulation). This is the same reason for Janet Jackson's tit (regardless of whether you felt offended or outraged by it). This is the same reason for the California Rolling Blackouts of 2000.
Please THINK before you vote. Not all regulation is bad regulation. But even bad regulation is better than NO regulation.
Did VT pay as much for the Supercomputer as it did for the Football team - stadium - road-trips - athletic scholarships - uniforms - coach salaries - etc?
Don't know about VT - but in general, seems like sport's gambling is more important than academics in this nation's institutions of higher learning.
but why don't all the people complaining about the NYT simply register and forget about it??
That's the problem. I register, and then by the time another good article I'm intereted comes along six weeks later, I've forgotten about it - and I have to register AGAIN, or go throught the change password routine.
I swear to god - anyone who knows what city I was born in has complete access to my identity!
It's needless hoops to jump through for no damn good reason. NYT can suck my ass - because 90% of the time, someone links a mirror or posts the article in slashdot anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
ah, the old ad hominem attack.
Is that all they're teaching folks in MBA school anymore? Don't respond to valid arguments and criticism; instead, discredit your detractors by branding them as "out of touch" or "communist" or a "tree hugger".
I find it incredibly discouraging to know that everything I need to know about running a global billion dollar software company, I learned on the playground in kindergarten.
as any Bush-supporting Republican will tell you:
Surplus=BAD EVIL!
Debt=good.
There was also a significant impact on the weather the year Mt. Pinitubo in the Phillipines exploded. I beleive that there was also a slight but measurable impact from Mt. St. Helens, and from 9/11 (the days following 9/11 where there was no air traffic in the US, except for a few Saudi dignitaries Bush allowed to fly out, there was an overall higher average temperature by 3 degrees - just from the absence of contrail formation!)
Why aren't they suing BMW for including radios in their automobiles?? After all, it is a "value added" additional component. It's not a car. Why aren't aftermarket car stereo manufacturers banding together to petition the EU to sue BMW??? Why??
Because whether you have an aftermarket or stock radio in your car has ZERO effect on the standard format for radio broadcasts. THAT is strictly regulated by the FCC (in the US). There is no such regulation for file-formats, and network protocol streams. If one vendor can lock up the broadcast format with a proprietary scheme, then all other vendors would be locked out.
Your analogy fails to take this into account - and that's why bundling, in itself isn't a crime - but in the context of computer operating systems, where file formats and protocols are not open or regulated, we can all wake up one morning and find ourselves in a world owned by a corporation. It's not speculative paranoia.
I'm not advocating government regulation of file-formats and protocols (but effectively, that's what we have with the current software-patents and DMCA environment - but it has the OPPOSITE effect that rf spectrum regulation has). I think it's important that companies be allowed to compete in this area so that a "best of breed" solution can evolve. But when a monopoly ties up the marketplace and excludes competitors, someone's got to step in somewhere, because the invisible hand ain't gonna fix it.
What I am advocating is a special class of patent, or perhaps the application of copyright law instead, some government regulation which mandates interoperability, (or, perhaps, in return for patent protection, open-source is required, so that interoperability can be maintained without infringing on IP), and that has to be overseen by a standards body, because the interoperability-vs-noninfringement is a delicate balance that would have to be intelligently maintained on a case-by-case basis - unworkable? Probably. Prone to abuse? Most likely. But better than the situation we have now. Closed, proprietary formats and protocols are the problem. Not necessarily bundling. Bundling is just higher-up the food chain, where lawyers can get a foothold, because the law doesn't deal with protocols very well.
Tell me that Antz (crappy writing, crappy graphics, but still "computer animated") didn't take a bite out of "A Bug's Life's" marketshare.
I'm not saying that ten million Joe Sixpacks with iMovie, iDVD, Renderman, and Maya are going to put Pixar out of business. They're going to eat some marketshare. That's all. Are they a REAL threat? No. Are they perceived as a threat to the Control Freak that is Steve Jobs? IMNSHO, yes.
If the Pixar modeling/rendering software ran on MacOS X, then there'd be an army of Joe Sixpacks out there competing with Pixar, with a few thousand dollars worth of computers.
Steve JObs wants to keep this business obscure enough to keep the bar raised to where Pixar offers a unique and valuable service.
Above all, despite his $1 salary, Steve Jobs is the Elitist's Elitist.
I can definately see a market for a service where you hook up to a game server, and then pay a small fee for a "stooge" to let you kill him or her (doesn't really matter which) repeatedly in something like Tribes or Unreal Tournament.
Now, wouldn't THAT be a fun job?
Remember; eBay supports Terrorism.
They believed it was a natural god given right to be free, to have freedom.
it's true. (if you believe in such a thing).
In the Bible, in Genesis - the very first three words God says to us is "You are free. . . " (in the context of choosing to eat anything in the garden, except for a certain fruit. . . - the fact that Adam and Eve chose to eat that fruit means - they were TRULY free.)
IMO - the 4th Amendment pretty clearly states it.
If not, there's always the 9th and 10th. . .
I'm not so sure if I'm a big fan of Ballistic Weapons in space.
First off, there's the effectiveness issue.
If you're talking about explosive devices, you need hit-to-kill accuracy anyway, because shock-waves do not propagate in a vacuum. Although I don't discount the effectiveness of nuclear weapons in space. (Personally, I would design a nuclear warhead to take a more directed approach in nuclear detonation - using neutron reflectors and such, you don't want a 360-degree nuclear blast, you want your warhead to get close to it's target, and direct as much of the device's output in the direction of the target as possible).
Considering the velocities at which spacecraft travel, then add to that, the velocities Science Fiction spacecraft are probably travelling (in order to cover interplanetary distances in the space of a few hours instead of months or years), and the distances at which these combats could take place, (in order to gain initiative, one must attack before being detected, in order to reduce the effectivness of defensive maneuvers, etc.) . . . you can see an enemy hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, let alone light him up with radar, or whatever - you need a VERY high speed (maybe reletavistic?) projectile (and a smart guidance system, dumb ballistic weapons won't hit jack shit at those ranges). Even with a laser, you're likely to spot your enemy possibly several minutes before the light-beam he's fired at you reaches you. Very high projectile speeds mean - either a propulsion system ON the projectile which makes each projectile rather expensive, or a high muzzle velocity. Newton's 3rd law of motion becomes an issue here. Case-in-point: the A-10 warthog's (http://www.a-10.org/) gun is connected to the engines so that when it fires, it boosts thrust output, so the plane doesn't stall from the thousands of pounds of mass it's spitting out the front-end.
Which leads to another point. Moving mass in space requires mass. (that dang Newton again) The more mass your projectile has, the more energy it can transfer to it's target to do damage. That's why we use Depleted Uranium projectiles. It's denser for lead - so for the same weapon bore, more mass gets shot out per-projectile, delivering more energy to the target. As the ship fights, it's mass changes dramatically. From leaving the launch bay fully loaded, you want to have as much of the ship's mass be propellant, so you can maneuver the ship. (a ship that can't maneuver is called a sitting duck). But with ballistic weapons, you're devoting valuable total mass to projectiles instead of propellant. And the propellant you DO have, is dedicated to accelerating the mass of your projectiles as well as the airframe. With a beam weapon, assuming you're getting electrical power from a radiation source, the energy you are putting into your target is not mass-related. Or at least as limited to the F=ma equation as a ballistic projectile would be. With a nuclear powered laser, you're limited by E=mc^2. (http://www.defensereview.com/modules.php?name=New s&file=article&sid=304)
Next, there's the issue of space-junk (Newton's 1st law of motion). Any space combat is going to create space-junk. But flying projectiles, if they miss their target, will be deadly forever. A hazard to any space traffic.
Finally, it's not a stretch to imagine directed-energy weapons powerful and accurate enough to be used to intercept projectiles. We're already reading about such technology being used to intercept artillery shells. The fact is, light travels buttloads faster than bullets or missiles. Over the range that a typical space combat would occur, that gives light a huge advantage in reaction time capability. Time-to-target of a few seconds, as opposed to many minutes (given sci-fi propulsion systems, etc) or hours.
All that said:
I still FAR prefer the new BSG to the old BSG. Though I'd like to see the Cylons not so irrevocably married to a single form-factor as far as fighting ships g
I'm not a huge Anime fan, but Cowboy Bepop seems pretty cool to me.
Me too.
Last night's episode; Shuttle Columbia flies again. Brought tears.
This probably has something to do with the .Net API access via the command shell, or CSharpieness syntaxed scripting language.
Then maybe the file can be both executed, AND structured with XML - perhaps to give it some sort of object orientedness?
Or perhaps they're talking about embedding some kind of macro functionality into Word.XML documents? Maybe that's more likely - or a combination of both of these?
Of course, that wouldn't mean that looking at the source wouldn't be EXTREMELY helpful in the effort towards coding around issues caused by Microsoft cruft. No actual code would have to make it into the finished product.
Heh.
Ex employer. I think it's even a dead product now.
We produced a "data protection" product that was WAY cheaper than our three main competitors.
We increased the price, changed the name, and had an immediate spike in sales.
I think it still wasn't good enough though - and that product was axed by the Excel jockeys. Just like I was.
Worse still - if you work on any Open Source project, and you look at Microsoft Source code. . . DO NOT COPY IT!!!
We like Linux as it is. Reliable, stable, and fast. Copying Microsoft code in would jeopardize that. Never mind the IP issues. . .
/Beavis voice. . .
heh heh. . . he said "torrent". . .
Yay!
This needs to be done EVERY TIME a public official speaks publicly!!
Your post r0x0rz, cookie cutter.
Every woman who was ever born disposes of an egg cell every 28 days. It's a natural occurance, like breathing.
Group C:
Pharmaceutical CEO's who are worried that therepeutic cloning will eliminate the need for transplant patients to pay for expensive anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives.
Group D:
Airline CEO's who relish the idea of getting a piece of the action every time an American has to fly to South Korea - first for the genetic sample to create the clone, and - second, for the transplant operation, after 6-12 months when the new organ has fully developed.
Group E:
Arms manufacturers, who want to sell more bombs and tanks and guns to protect South Korea from North Korea, or India from Pakistan, so that our overseas Tech investments don't get nuked over some silly religious argument.
Group F:
Bioresearch scientists who are interested in moving to a country overseas where they actually have freedom to pursue the career for which they trained for 8 years - they want it banned in America, of course, because if this technology develops in America, they'd have to stay, and all their IP will belong to the massive pharmaceutical companies who would own the research, instead of some South Korean startup, where they'd have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with some hot stock options.
Group G:
Evil geniuses who want to live forever - but don't want the rest of the world to have access to the cloning technology - foreigners won't have it because they're too poor, and law abiding Americans won't have it because it's banned, but Evil Geniuses will have access to it, because they're rich, and don't care about American laws for whatever reason.
Group H:
Unborn fetuses, not wanting to be born into this world and subject to the assholes running it.
Deregulation.
This software bug may play in heavily - but there's a reason why that bug is there. . . a reason why it made it into mission-critical software, on a live production system, and a reason why it contributed to a massive cascade failure that affected such a wide area.
This is the same reason for the Enron/Worldcom/Tyco failures (via 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act).
This is the same reason for 9/11 (airline security deregulation).
This is the same reason for Janet Jackson's tit (regardless of whether you felt offended or outraged by it).
This is the same reason for the California Rolling Blackouts of 2000.
Please THINK before you vote.
Not all regulation is bad regulation. But even bad regulation is better than NO regulation.
What's your Football budget like?
Did VT pay as much for the Supercomputer as it did for the Football team - stadium - road-trips - athletic scholarships - uniforms - coach salaries - etc?
Don't know about VT - but in general, seems like sport's gambling is more important than academics in this nation's institutions of higher learning.
but why don't all the people complaining about the NYT simply register and forget about it??
That's the problem. I register, and then by the time another good article I'm intereted comes along six weeks later, I've forgotten about it - and I have to register AGAIN, or go throught the change password routine.
I swear to god - anyone who knows what city I was born in has complete access to my identity!
It's needless hoops to jump through for no damn good reason. NYT can suck my ass - because 90% of the time, someone links a mirror or posts the article in slashdot anyway.
that it will have to be x86 compatible, or it will never fly.
. . of course in Today's news, Powell's practically foaming at the mouth about wanting to regulate TV, both public AND pay.
I guess the little on/off button and channel selector that lets people watch something else if they don't like one program, was failed technology.