This list focuses on computer technology and related systems only, though it is a good start and sometimes points to other areas of technology. Before using individual reports in Risks as examples, do some research. Teaching a subject without knowledge of the facts is a risk in itself.
ESPN.com is simply an amateurish disaster, designed by people who know little about standards, browsers, or usability.
I wouldn't be that harsh...though they aren't a good example of standards compliance. On a practical note, even on a 1280x1024 with Mozilla 1.3 the text chop/overlap problem is obvious. Just increase the font once or twice and look at the menus.
BTW...what's the point using a fixed width page? Why not use variable width columns?
As for "philosophical issues"... everyone with a right mind or at least some experience *knows* that a good firewall will block *everything* you haven't said personally is OK, whether from outside *or* inside. I sure hope you are not one of those that blocks everything from the outside, and then let everything from the inside pass unchecked. That is a disaster just waiting to happen.
While I generally agree, ATMAvatar had a point. To drive that home...
A firewall is NOT security.
If one port is open, or communication is initiated either direction over a port, you are implicitly trusting the software on your end to do the right thing and not be insecure itself . If you don't know what that software is doing you do not have security; you are hoping that the software you use isn't going to abuse your systems or allow others to do the same.
In this case, the software implicitly has full access and can make system changes. That's a big deal and looking at Microsoft's track record it is a level of trust that they have not earned.
After seeing how well Babylon 5 and Farscape handled a growing story -- and characters who weren't robots -- I could really care less about a show where one episode is as unimportant as the rest.
I'm talking about mixing in some suspense and drama with the sci-fi/speculative fiction.
Kill some characters off. Make the ones that don't change. Have a plot that lasts. The soft-porn sections are (let's be honest) nice, but I'd trade them for a plot.
We have something of a blame culture where I work, and so I find it necessary to have an audit trail of conversations.
I do that too -- depending entirely on the person and the environment. Even in bad environments, if the person is reasonable I tend not to leave as explicit a paper trail.
Last time I saw anything from mozillaquest, it was another of their mozilla "news" articles. The whole site was essentially an anti-mozilla troll.
Same here...though I learn quick (1 article was enough). With a track record like that, I'll keep clear of them and I advise others to do the same.
We have enough sensationalism to wade through already, no point in paying attention to the obvious trolls.
If MozillaQuest wants to change that opinion, they (he?) will have to stay "clean" for a year or more. Do something positive...not that that will make me trust them, but maybe the negitive reaction won't be as strong.
Thanks and I agree. I've gotten people to switch, though most would not have on thier own. I was there, I demonstrated it, they were impressed and wanted Mozilla or Phoenix.
The method is UGLY, as the author of the code points out; "Actually, IE does have PNG alpha transparency, but it does it in an IE specific way. It sucks that it has to be done that way, but it does work, I have done proof of concept on it in the past."
The comparison here isn't really between two opposites - business plans are driven by the goal of satisfying customer demand, which is the best measure whether something "benefits human beings". All too often techies get wrapped up in what they think is a great innovation, but in reality the broader user base doesn't really care (see the dot-com bust)...
I agree, the two aren't opposites. On your other points, I hope that you aren't serious and if you are I call B#!! $#!T .
In business you are neglegent if you do not benifit corporate health first and your customers needs and demands second. The default goal of any company is to stay in business, even if that means providing a suboptimal product to your customers.
As an individual in a company you can guide a business to not do dammage and to provide an optimal product or service, though if you forget your first requirement you should be fired or run out of the business. Even non-profits know this.
Thinking up examples where a corporate needs often swamp any customer demands is easy. Think of drug companies, news organizations, fast food companies, oil companies, banks, and in this situation software companies ("New version 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,...").
Keep in mind that I am neither justifying or lambasting the poor judgements of these groups, nor am I saying that they are saints or demons. The base motivation in each case is first protect the company. If as a side effect, this allows people in those companies to meet customer demands, so be it.
As an aside: The differing motivations of open source projects and businesses that incorporate these projects does seem to produce a good result. Even in those cases, the results aren't for the consumers as the motivations aren't solely for the consumers.
This is about whether *big* innovations are possible; innovations that will convince the masses of IE users to switch.
I think that Mozilla's current feature set is good enough. It doesn't wash your dishes for you, or take out the trash, but it does browsing very very well. When I get a chance, I show it or Pheonix to folks and most decide that they do want to switch -- for reasons that they think are substantial enough. That said, here's a true story;
Like many of you, I get tapped as tech support by friends and relitives. In one case, I was attempting to figure out what was wrong when a friend of my little sister went to a web page.
When asked what browser she was using, she replied "Netscape -- I always use Netscape". Asking the version was painful, so I skipped that question (bad idea).
After going through the menus for 15 minutes over the phone, looking for an option that might enable support for what she said was "broken", I decided that she was must be lying. For one, she seemed so certian ("definately Netscape -- it's all I use"). Also, she kept telling me how "I don't know about this new version -- it's not as nice".
An old tech support method kicked in;
Me: "Could you describe what you see?"
Her: "I dunno -- it's just not working."
"Do you see an N in the upper right hand corner?"
"No...why?"
"Do you see a little E or a globe in the right hand corner?"
"Yes! The little globe."
Five painful minutes later, and a couple misdirections, I figured out what to tell her to get her to make the repair.
Last time I asked, she still insists that she uses Netscape, only Netscape.
Point 1: Many Janes and Joes don't have a clue what software they are using -- yet they will brag or defame it at the drop of a hat.
Point 2: People won't switch but will use what they get -- and only if it's bundled. This is the core problem with adoptation of software -- from browsers to operating systems.
I can't recall where it was right now (I'll have to scour my bookmarks later), but I've seen some very old Suns going for about $5 (plus Shipping if you can't make it to the store).
That's about what some of them are worth. That said, if someone is reading this and in the Washington DC area, let me know. No promises, though if there are no takers from my short list I'll be glad to let you have it.
That is only because the test failed, not the device.
Nope...I've tested memory testers professionally. The memory (or a related memory subsystem/connector) is almost always at fauly...not the tester. If you want verification, I'd be glad to charge you for it...
I'm sure you average/. reader has at least this if not a spare room full of old 286 boxes.
Not me. That's what friends and charities are for. I'm about to get rid of a few system boards, speakers, 1-2 Sun boxes, SCSI equipment (CDs, small drives, cables), and excess cables (network, power, otherwise).
The oldest thing I have is a 1.2M 5.25 floppy drive...strictly for data recovery.
Slashdot Mirror
Windows _has_ moved on since that.
So, Windows is now processor-independant! Great! When can I load it on my Mac?
It's the beginning of the A. E. Newman age!
Suppose you were a student, or suppose you were a commie-lovin' bastard...though I repeat myself.
Agreed. Whenever I see "Homeland" it seems like too many umlauts are missing.
This list focuses on computer technology and related systems only, though it is a good start and sometimes points to other areas of technology. Before using individual reports in Risks as examples, do some research. Teaching a subject without knowledge of the facts is a risk in itself.
Now now...does it really matter?
I wouldn't be that harsh...though they aren't a good example of standards compliance. On a practical note, even on a 1280x1024 with Mozilla 1.3 the text chop/overlap problem is obvious. Just increase the font once or twice and look at the menus.
BTW...what's the point using a fixed width page? Why not use variable width columns?
While I generally agree, ATMAvatar had a point. To drive that home...
If one port is open, or communication is initiated either direction over a port, you are implicitly trusting the software on your end to do the right thing and not be insecure itself . If you don't know what that software is doing you do not have security; you are hoping that the software you use isn't going to abuse your systems or allow others to do the same.
In this case, the software implicitly has full access and can make system changes. That's a big deal and looking at Microsoft's track record it is a level of trust that they have not earned.
That's what this mandate says to me. Keep your eyes open folks! :)
I'm talking about mixing in some suspense and drama with the sci-fi/speculative fiction.
Kill some characters off. Make the ones that don't change. Have a plot that lasts. The soft-porn sections are (let's be honest) nice, but I'd trade them for a plot.
http://icculus.org/updates/ssam
http://icculus.org/news/news.php?id=1324
Thug: McFly, you will bring my ID card to my classes, right?
Victim: Well, Biff, it's not nice to cut --
Thug: Did I ask your opinion? Why else would I sign up for the same classes as you? And oh -- I better get a good grade on that report.
I do that too -- depending entirely on the person and the environment. Even in bad environments, if the person is reasonable I tend not to leave as explicit a paper trail.
Clue: md5sum
Same here...though I learn quick (1 article was enough). With a track record like that, I'll keep clear of them and I advise others to do the same.
We have enough sensationalism to wade through already, no point in paying attention to the obvious trolls.
If MozillaQuest wants to change that opinion, they (he?) will have to stay "clean" for a year or more. Do something positive...not that that will make me trust them, but maybe the negitive reaction won't be as strong.
Face it...they #ed up.
Clipped and saved...thanks!
Thanks and I agree. I've gotten people to switch, though most would not have on thier own. I was there, I demonstrated it, they were impressed and wanted Mozilla or Phoenix.
IE can't use PNGs for non-rectangular images...what can it use? GIFs...so we're back to GIFs.
OK -- I take it back. Here's how to do alpha channel PNGs with IE 5.5 and above.
The method is UGLY, as the author of the code points out; "Actually, IE does have PNG alpha transparency, but it does it in an IE specific way. It sucks that it has to be done that way, but it does work, I have done proof of concept on it in the past."
IE can't use PNGs for non-rectangular images...what can it use? GIFs...so we're back to GIFs.
I agree, the two aren't opposites. On your other points, I hope that you aren't serious and if you are I call B#!! $#!T .
In business you are neglegent if you do not benifit corporate health first and your customers needs and demands second. The default goal of any company is to stay in business, even if that means providing a suboptimal product to your customers.
As an individual in a company you can guide a business to not do dammage and to provide an optimal product or service, though if you forget your first requirement you should be fired or run out of the business. Even non-profits know this.
Thinking up examples where a corporate needs often swamp any customer demands is easy. Think of drug companies, news organizations, fast food companies, oil companies, banks, and in this situation software companies ("New version 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ...").
Keep in mind that I am neither justifying or lambasting the poor judgements of these groups, nor am I saying that they are saints or demons. The base motivation in each case is first protect the company. If as a side effect, this allows people in those companies to meet customer demands, so be it.
As an aside: The differing motivations of open source projects and businesses that incorporate these projects does seem to produce a good result. Even in those cases, the results aren't for the consumers as the motivations aren't solely for the consumers.
I think that Mozilla's current feature set is good enough. It doesn't wash your dishes for you, or take out the trash, but it does browsing very very well. When I get a chance, I show it or Pheonix to folks and most decide that they do want to switch -- for reasons that they think are substantial enough. That said, here's a true story;
Like many of you, I get tapped as tech support by friends and relitives. In one case, I was attempting to figure out what was wrong when a friend of my little sister went to a web page.
When asked what browser she was using, she replied "Netscape -- I always use Netscape". Asking the version was painful, so I skipped that question (bad idea).
After going through the menus for 15 minutes over the phone, looking for an option that might enable support for what she said was "broken", I decided that she was must be lying. For one, she seemed so certian ("definately Netscape -- it's all I use"). Also, she kept telling me how "I don't know about this new version -- it's not as nice".
An old tech support method kicked in;
Her: "I dunno -- it's just not working."
"Do you see an N in the upper right hand corner?"
"No...why?"
"Do you see a little E or a globe in the right hand corner?"
"Yes! The little globe."
Five painful minutes later, and a couple misdirections, I figured out what to tell her to get her to make the repair.
Last time I asked, she still insists that she uses Netscape, only Netscape.
Point 1: Many Janes and Joes don't have a clue what software they are using -- yet they will brag or defame it at the drop of a hat.
Point 2: People won't switch but will use what they get -- and only if it's bundled. This is the core problem with adoptation of software -- from browsers to operating systems.
That's about what some of them are worth. That said, if someone is reading this and in the Washington DC area, let me know. No promises, though if there are no takers from my short list I'll be glad to let you have it.
Post here if interested...
Nope...I've tested memory testers professionally. The memory (or a related memory subsystem/connector) is almost always at fauly...not the tester. If you want verification, I'd be glad to charge you for it...
Not me. That's what friends and charities are for. I'm about to get rid of a few system boards, speakers, 1-2 Sun boxes, SCSI equipment (CDs, small drives, cables), and excess cables (network, power, otherwise).
The oldest thing I have is a 1.2M 5.25 floppy drive...strictly for data recovery.
I disagree. If you run memory tests for long enough (1/2 through to ~3 days), you will find a much higher failure rate. ECC not included, of course.