I've had the same problems with a Myrealbox.com and a MsgTo.com account. There SMTP server was sometimes down, this is of course not such a tradgedy, the bad thing was that there POP, IMAP servers were down and I noticed that I effectively lost mail.
I mailed them a couple of times about this but I never got a reply. I now use an e-mail alias which seems to be much more reliable.
Disclaimer: both services were (are?) still in beta when I used them, though that status must have been for over a year.
I don't think the TurboLinux CEO meant that there will be only one distro in the future.
What I do think he meant to say is that the Linux Standard Base will let the different distrobutions converge, meaning that all the distros will be about the same except for things like the installer, default Window manager, etc..
The companies that now make Linux distributions will compete on ease-of-installation, supported platforms and offered services.
Red Hat might e.g. make a one-click installer while Slackware will remain the choice for power-users.
It's not something you can show of to your friends.
gmc is just not usable in its current state, kfm kinda is but it still is no match for the Windows Explorer. KDE2 (with konquerer) and Gnome1.4 (with Nautilus) will hopefully fix all that.
But when will I be able to get a distro including Kernel 2.4, Gnome 1.4 and KDE 2.0? I want to show of Linux to my friends but I don't think the current distrobutions are ready for that.
That said, I do prefer a delay over a buggy kernel/desktop environment.
Actually I think that would be Prolog. A language that the Japanese invented , it is a 5th generation language to them IIRC.
I don't actually use the language so I can't go deeper into the subject but AFAIK the idea is to program using relations of objects (not as in OOP), something weird about it is that there's a gray besides black and white (perhaps besides false and true ?).
Well, that seems obvious to me though I don't seem to share the same opinion as the other/. readers.
Basicly I want to replace my cellphone with a palmtop. Palmtops (call them handheld PC's, PcketPC's, etc. if you want) that have a soundcard and that can utilize the GSM infrastructure and bluetooth could replace a large variety of devices.
Such a device could replace cellphones (using a bluetooth powered earspeaker of course;) ), walkmans (MP3 players), gameboys, etc.. And they could even add to the functionality (e.g. browsing the Internet, it works with Lynx so I imagine it can be done on a Palm).
The reason that such devices don't exist yet is, I think, that all those feautures can't be merged into a lean palmtop with the current technology (cellphones are still pretty thick IMHO, imagine all that technology being added to a Palm!! Of course a Palm VII like antenna is not an option;p).
A solution that is possible with todays technology is merging all that stuff into a cellphone. Adding MP3 functionality to a cellphone might be useful but that's about as far as it goes IMHO, the total idea of WAP is just stupid.
I bet we'll start seeing this kind of devices in a couple of years when the technology can make them small. After all, GSM's only made a real breakthrough when they got small.
As much as I like the idea of having a free Gnome-based word processor, I must say that Abiword is still in its infancy. I mean, I'd like to have a slim word processor but Abiword doesn't even support tables!
The Abiword developers seem to be pretty proud of their import filters but how hard can writing such a thing be for a word processor that doesn't support tables?
Don't get me wrong, this post is not meant as a flame but it seems to soon to name Abiword when it comes to Office tools.
Unless they start to request a credit card number for accounts... not to charge of course, no no no, this would just be to verify that you *had* one, and therefor were old enough to use the service.
From what I hear the situation is different in the US, but here in Europe (Belgium more specifically) most of us don't have credit cards.
Every child below 13 will create a new account stating he's at least 25.
Great, then when a twelve year old kid tries to start a conversation with someone of their own age that other kid will think (s)he is dealing with a pedophile (sp?).
Actually, there is something good about this language. It might encourage Sun to submit Java to the standard bodies (again). Who knows maybe Sun will consider a real open-source/free license.
Oh yeah, does anyone have those references in other than EXE formats?
However, I have run into Slack users and they have stated that most hard core linux users run Slack. I am curious as to what would be the advantages of Slack over Debian, and visa versa.
No, serious. I would have expected more hard core Linux users to install their system themselves. Is there something that is too hard to do yourself that prevents LFS from becoming as popular as e.g. Slackware?
One question: Will this get around the "where's the device driver?" problem that Linux faces? Or will every uPNP device still need a specifically developed Linux driver? (I suspect that later.)
It is in my understanding that there's no longer a need for drivers on your computer. The driver would be embedded in the device.
Think about it, nobody updates drivers for a printer so why couldn't those be embeded in the machine?
I don't commend my code hardly at all, believing that if it needs comments, I haven't done my job well enough of making the code clear.
I always comment my classes, fields in methods using JavaDocs. This way I can compile an easy reference as HTML documents (example).
I think documenting the behaviour and use of classes, fields and methods is important, not so much documenting the code that's inside a method (though I often document that too).
Another advantage of JavaDocs (There's a similar thing for C(++)) is that the HTML documents can be used as a specification (if done well, of course).
You make a valid point about updating the code though.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
Why do Europeans have to wait for new stories on Slashdot while America is sleeping? Slashdot is not US-only, is it?
I've always found this strange too, since CmdrTaco is from the Netherlands. But then again, maybe he's one of those weird people that actually do something besides sitting behind a computer during the day:-P.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
The major productivity applications such as the oft-cited Microsoft Office run on Mac OS, making it a useful computer for day-to-day tasks in a way that Linux can only dream of.
Who says Microsoft is going to keep supporting the MacOS? Remember, there's no GPL. The decision is entirely up to MS.
But now Apple need fear nothing from Windows, Inc., as the applications the Mac OS needs are made by Microsoft. And it is in Microsoft's best interest to sell as many copies of it's applications as possible, without concern for the operating system. This dynamic will benefit Linux, and possibly others, as well.
I wish! There are many other company's that only sell products for Windows. And many of them are not affiliated with Microsoft. What makes you think the application division of Microsoft will act different?
Steve announces that Mac OS X for Intel includes a Windows Migration Kit that simplifies the conversion of a PC from Windows to Mac OS X, while retaining all customer data. Included are coupons from major software manufacturers for low- or no-cost upgrades to the Mac OS X version of their applications.
Would that migration kit be something like Wine? People wouldn't need coupons if they choose Linux.
Millions of Windows users tired of IRQ conflicts, eternal consultant visits, convoluted interface design, and painful aesthetics can now install Mac OS X on their existing computer, keeping their data and their applications. Millions do.
Linux is much more a hype (bad word choice, but I couldn't find a better description), why would people be foolish to choose MacOS X. Even their beloved Ziff-Davis magazine will warn them of the risk that Apple can stop supporting the Intel platform at any time.
Apple's hardware sales decline as people take advantage of cheap PC hardware, then increase again as the platform gains momentum and former Intel users upgrade to Apple hardware. In any case, Apple can do without it's hardware entirely, as it makes more money as an operating system vendor than it ever did as a hardware manufacturer. Apple hadn't been concerned about that anyway, because a certain company in Redmond had already proven there was gold in operating systems.
Why would people upgrade to the expensive Apple hardware if they can get Intel at lower cost, besides. Observing the obsession many company's have with Wintel most MacOS X producs *would* be Intel only anyway. Apple wouldn't even be able to sell its OS because people would (have) switch(ed) to Linux.
With it's BSD/mach core and Aqua interface, Mac OS X starts to make serious inroads as a server operating system. Companies requiring high-end hardware redundancy can now use the Mac OS on suitable Intel-based server hardware. With the availability of single-rack-unit servers, Mac OS X finds a place in major hosting farms, as Mac OS users outsourcing their hosting needs begin to demand it.
Why would they care what Unix it ran, it's not like they need Quartz.
What about Linux? The vast majority of computer users--even professionals--want nothing to do with a command line. Witness the earlier success of Windows NT. Although Windows, Inc. makes Office available for Linux, the lack of a first-class unified graphical interface severely hobbles that platform for the majority of would-be users. People begin to realize that Linux has little to offer that Unix hasn't offered for years, and with Mac OS X's BSD core and Aqua interface running on cheap hardware, the needs of even die-hard geeks are being met. For those in the Open Source movement, Darwin is all they need.
Have you not seen Gnome/KDE? Linux users may soon not need the CLI anymore. And I don't think people in the Open Source movement will be satisfied with an OS of which only the very core is opensource (see Debian-KDE story).
Face it, Open Source/Free software is here to to make a difference.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
There's also the question as to whether scripts should be executed automatically by default (e.g. when you double-click or otherwise "activate" them). Personally, I don't care. Turn it off by default, sure, sounds good.
Or you could ask the user for confirmation when (s)he tries to run a script or program from the email client.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
Limbo avoids the complex object-oriented features of C++ but has more basic types - lists, strings, tuples, etc. - and programming concepts - threads, communication channels - built into the language.
basic types: lists seem to be the ArrayList in Java, strings exist as instances of the class String. I don't know what a tuple is though.
programming concepts: Java threads seem to be build in the language, just take a look at the class Thread/.
Also, the collector reclaims memory as soon as the last reference is released, to minimize the memory needed for execution.
Isn't that called reference counting? Something that compromizes execution speed.
Coupled with Limbo's `instant free' property, this eliminates the need even to write special free routines, let alone call them.
Yes, garbage collecting (or reference counting as I said before).
and a few comments to the poster:
Face it, Java was "designed" for appliances, then, made to work for applets and now, we're to understand it's just perfect for server side programming and practically made for XML. Give me a break.
Unix/Linux was designed for servers, then, made to work for the desktop and now, we're to understand it's just perfect for embedded devices.
We'll see... Too little, too late? I don't think so. Despite all the feverish development going on with Java, what real impact has it had? How many people really use Java in production systems today?
At the bottom of the article it says "Since we plan to provide Java support, Inferno is more a complement to Java than a competitor with it. ". The author doesn't seem to think Java's a lost cause. On a side note: if you want to know how many people use Java, ask on JavaLobby and ask.
--- Besides this, Inferno seems to be really cool! These were just some comments I had to make.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
Slashdot Mirror
It's about time for companies to grow some "cahunas" and stop dealing with places like this.
Yeah, like the US with there stuipid encryption and software patent laws. Why do they keep selling software there?
I mailed them a couple of times about this but I never got a reply. I now use an e-mail alias which seems to be much more reliable.
Disclaimer: both services were (are?) still in beta when I used them, though that status must have been for over a year.
I've posted about this at be.comp.os.linux and be.burgerrechten in the hope that someone knows what can be done about it.
Hmm, that first animal doesn't seem to be a penguin too. Perhaps they tried to draw the BSD daemon.
I don't think the TurboLinux CEO meant that there will be only one distro in the future.
What I do think he meant to say is that the Linux Standard Base will let the different distrobutions converge, meaning that all the distros will be about the same except for things like the installer, default Window manager, etc..
The companies that now make Linux distributions will compete on ease-of-installation, supported platforms and offered services.
Red Hat might e.g. make a one-click installer while Slackware will remain the choice for power-users.
It's not something you can show of to your friends.
gmc is just not usable in its current state, kfm kinda is but it still is no match for the Windows Explorer. KDE2 (with konquerer) and Gnome1.4 (with Nautilus) will hopefully fix all that.
But when will I be able to get a distro including Kernel 2.4, Gnome 1.4 and KDE 2.0? I want to show of Linux to my friends but I don't think the current distrobutions are ready for that.
That said, I do prefer a delay over a buggy kernel/desktop environment.
c:\>deltree -y \windows
Next time you might want to try "deltree /y \windows", just to make sure you won't have to press that pesky Y-key.
I don't actually use the language so I can't go deeper into the subject but AFAIK the idea is to program using relations of objects (not as in OOP), something weird about it is that there's a gray besides black and white (perhaps besides false and true ?).
Well, that seems obvious to me though I don't seem to share the same opinion as the other /. readers.
Basicly I want to replace my cellphone with a palmtop. Palmtops (call them handheld PC's, PcketPC's, etc. if you want) that have a soundcard and that can utilize the GSM infrastructure and bluetooth could replace a large variety of devices.
Such a device could replace cellphones (using a bluetooth powered earspeaker of course ;) ), walkmans (MP3 players), gameboys, etc.. And they could even add to the functionality (e.g. browsing the Internet, it works with Lynx so I imagine it can be done on a Palm).
The reason that such devices don't exist yet is, I think, that all those feautures can't be merged into a lean palmtop with the current technology (cellphones are still pretty thick IMHO, imagine all that technology being added to a Palm!! Of course a Palm VII like antenna is not an option ;p).
A solution that is possible with todays technology is merging all that stuff into a cellphone. Adding MP3 functionality to a cellphone might be useful but that's about as far as it goes IMHO, the total idea of WAP is just stupid.
I bet we'll start seeing this kind of devices in a couple of years when the technology can make them small. After all, GSM's only made a real breakthrough when they got small.
FAT32 file system
Does this mean scandisk will run if the XBox is not properly shut down?
The system will probably shut down correctly if the power button is pressed, I(?) just hope that the XBox doesn't hang on shutdown like Windows 98.
http://het.belgische.net/~jdv/nautilus/
As much as I like the idea of having a free Gnome-based word processor, I must say that Abiword is still in its infancy. I mean, I'd like to have a slim word processor but Abiword doesn't even support tables!
The Abiword developers seem to be pretty proud of their import filters but how hard can writing such a thing be for a word processor that doesn't support tables?
Don't get me wrong, this post is not meant as a flame but it seems to soon to name Abiword when it comes to Office tools.
Unless they start to request a credit card number for accounts... not to charge of course, no no no, this would just be to verify that you *had* one, and therefor were old enough to use the service.
From what I hear the situation is different in the US, but here in Europe (Belgium more specifically) most of us don't have credit cards.
Every child below 13 will create a new account stating he's at least 25.
Great, then when a twelve year old kid tries to start a conversation with someone of their own age that other kid will think (s)he is dealing with a pedophile (sp?).
Actually, there is something good about this language. It might encourage Sun to submit Java to the standard bodies (again). Who knows maybe Sun will consider a real open-source/free license.
Oh yeah, does anyone have those references in other than EXE formats?
However, I have run into Slack users and they have stated that most hard core linux users run Slack. I am curious as to what would be the advantages of Slack over Debian, and visa versa.
Hard core Linux users run Linux From Scratch :-P
No, serious. I would have expected more hard core Linux users to install their system themselves. Is there something that is too hard to do yourself that prevents LFS from becoming as popular as e.g. Slackware?
In all likelihood RedHat, SuSE and the rest will add RiserFS when they actually ship 2.4.x kernels.
SuSE has included ReiserFS in their distribution from 6.4, it just barely didn't make it into 6.3 IIRC.
I actually thought SuSE was the only distribution that included it, they sponsored it AFAIK. Of course you can correct me if I'm wrong.
One question: Will this get around the "where's the device driver?" problem that Linux faces? Or will every uPNP device still need a specifically developed Linux driver? (I suspect that later.)
It is in my understanding that there's no longer a need for drivers on your computer. The driver would be embedded in the device.
Think about it, nobody updates drivers for a printer so why couldn't those be embeded in the machine?
I don't commend my code hardly at all, believing that if it needs comments, I haven't done my job well enough of making the code clear.
I always comment my classes, fields in methods using JavaDocs. This way I can compile an easy reference as HTML documents (example).
I think documenting the behaviour and use of classes, fields and methods is important, not so much documenting the code that's inside a method (though I often document that too).
Another advantage of JavaDocs (There's a similar thing for C(++)) is that the HTML documents can be used as a specification (if done well, of course).
You make a valid point about updating the code though.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
LOL.
How embaressing. Well, I would have never found out at my own, thanks... I guess.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
Why do Europeans have to wait for new stories on Slashdot while America is sleeping? Slashdot is not US-only, is it?
I've always found this strange too, since CmdrTaco is from the Netherlands. But then again, maybe he's one of those weird people that actually do something besides sitting behind a computer during the day :-P.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
This really sounds like an article for OSOpinion.
But besides that
The major productivity applications such as the oft-cited Microsoft Office run on Mac OS, making it a useful computer for day-to-day tasks in a way that Linux can only dream of.
Who says Microsoft is going to keep supporting the MacOS? Remember, there's no GPL. The decision is entirely up to MS.
But now Apple need fear nothing from Windows, Inc., as the applications the Mac OS needs are made by Microsoft. And it is in Microsoft's best interest to sell as many copies of it's applications as possible, without concern for the operating system. This dynamic will benefit Linux, and possibly others, as well.
I wish! There are many other company's that only sell products for Windows. And many of them are not affiliated with Microsoft. What makes you think the application division of Microsoft will act different?
Steve announces that Mac OS X for Intel includes a Windows Migration Kit that simplifies the conversion of a PC from Windows to Mac OS X, while retaining all customer data. Included are coupons from major software manufacturers for low- or no-cost upgrades to the Mac OS X version of their applications.
Would that migration kit be something like Wine? People wouldn't need coupons if they choose Linux.
Millions of Windows users tired of IRQ conflicts, eternal consultant visits, convoluted interface design, and painful aesthetics can now install Mac OS X on their existing computer, keeping their data and their applications. Millions do.
Linux is much more a hype (bad word choice, but I couldn't find a better description), why would people be foolish to choose MacOS X. Even their beloved Ziff-Davis magazine will warn them of the risk that Apple can stop supporting the Intel platform at any time.
Apple's hardware sales decline as people take advantage of cheap PC hardware, then increase again as the platform gains momentum and former Intel users upgrade to Apple hardware. In any case, Apple can do without it's hardware entirely, as it makes more money as an operating system vendor than it ever did as a hardware manufacturer. Apple hadn't been concerned about that anyway, because a certain company in Redmond had already proven there was gold in operating systems.
Why would people upgrade to the expensive Apple hardware if they can get Intel at lower cost, besides. Observing the obsession many company's have with Wintel most MacOS X producs *would* be Intel only anyway. Apple wouldn't even be able to sell its OS because people would (have) switch(ed) to Linux.
With it's BSD/mach core and Aqua interface, Mac OS X starts to make serious inroads as a server operating system. Companies requiring high-end hardware redundancy can now use the Mac OS on suitable Intel-based server hardware. With the availability of single-rack-unit servers, Mac OS X finds a place in major hosting farms, as Mac OS users outsourcing their hosting needs begin to demand it.
Why would they care what Unix it ran, it's not like they need Quartz.
What about Linux? The vast majority of computer users--even professionals--want nothing to do with a command line. Witness the earlier success of Windows NT. Although Windows, Inc. makes Office available for Linux, the lack of a first-class unified graphical interface severely hobbles that platform for the majority of would-be users. People begin to realize that Linux has little to offer that Unix hasn't offered for years, and with Mac OS X's BSD core and Aqua interface running on cheap hardware, the needs of even die-hard geeks are being met. For those in the Open Source movement, Darwin is all they need.
Have you not seen Gnome/KDE? Linux users may soon not need the CLI anymore. And I don't think people in the Open Source movement will be satisfied with an OS of which only the very core is opensource (see Debian-KDE story).
Face it, Open Source/Free software is here to to make a difference.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
There's also the question as to whether scripts should be executed automatically by default (e.g. when you double-click or otherwise "activate" them). Personally, I don't care. Turn it off by default, sure, sounds good.
Or you could ask the user for confirmation when (s)he tries to run a script or program from the email client.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com
Some comments on the article:
Limbo avoids the complex object-oriented features of C++ but has more basic types - lists, strings, tuples, etc. - and programming concepts - threads, communication channels - built into the language.
Also, the collector reclaims memory as soon as the last reference is released, to minimize the memory needed for execution.
Isn't that called reference counting? Something that compromizes execution speed.
Coupled with Limbo's `instant free' property, this eliminates the need even to write special free routines, let alone call them.
Yes, garbage collecting (or reference counting as I said before).
and a few comments to the poster:
Face it, Java was "designed" for appliances, then, made to work for applets and now, we're to understand it's just perfect for server side programming and practically made for XML. Give me a break.
Unix/Linux was designed for servers, then, made to work for the desktop and now, we're to understand it's just perfect for embedded devices.
We'll see... Too little, too late? I don't think so. Despite all the feverish development going on with Java, what real impact has it had? How many people really use Java in production systems today?
At the bottom of the article it says "Since we plan to provide Java support, Inferno is more a complement to Java than a competitor with it. ". The author doesn't seem to think Java's a lost cause.
On a side note: if you want to know how many people use Java, ask on JavaLobby and ask.
---
Besides this, Inferno seems to be really cool! These were just some comments I had to make.
Donate Food for Free - http://www.thehungersite.com