Up to now, just once. Generally I can find another competing product that does what I want without too much anguish (especially now! Hardware support in linux has never been better!). The one time was to email DirecPC. I was desparate for some high-speed internet and there's (still) no highspeed in much of where I live region. At that time DirecPC didn't suck. Yes, this was a few years ago!:-) I recall that they told me I had to buy some $300 US piece of software from Helius (or Helix, I don't remember). What I do remember is it was a binary (yuck!) and limited to just a few connections at a time. So I (nicely) told them no way.
I suppose I should email other companies too -- I'm just a little lazy.
Admittedly, I have one windows PC, filled with "runt" hardware that isn't too Linux compatible. [Don't hit me! It's for college, they're making me use VB, ok?:-]
>but only an idot would try to get a real education by only reading the course meterial
There was (and all too often, still is) the time that the only way to be informed was to teach it to yourself. I know that because that's how I learned computers! I was the only person on my block (actually, within most of the school) for over a decade that could do anything with a computer. 100% self taught from books. Now I help others use computers.
The problem with learning by being taught is that you only learn what the teacher has to tell you. And unless your teach has a photographic memory, that means you end up with less of an education. I always tell anyone I help who wants to fully comprehend the subject to read books on it. I make mistakes even when I teach people how to do things. I don't think that makes me a bad teacher -- I think it just proves I'm still learning how to do my job.
I believe a "real" education comes neither by rote, nor by hearing example cited. It comes from trying, doing, and being. You lean the "real" answer by correcting your mistakes. If you don't make mistakes, you aren't learning difficult enough subject matter.
>Not if you figure out the AOL auto-updating mechanism as part of the protocol
People already have that part figured out for the DirecTV H and HU cards. Still doesn't help when they send out dynamic code.
AOL will just start sending out little patches that do nothing (and are useless when decompiled) and all of a sudden send out a patch to put all the little patches together. Of course, then you are at square one again. Fun.
Or, heck, why not send out encrypted patches? I think its highly unlikely you'll see auto-linux-updates when it's illegal...:-)
Might solve your Linux woes... well... maybe... Probably not statically compiled so perhaps you are screwed. Well, that and its gonna be hard to find. Maybe try alt.binaries.warez.linux ?
>What ever made you think I was talking about your C ode?
Well, lessee...
You originally responded to this which was in response to this which is clearly C code.
Not only that, but the last referenced post is in response to this which is even more clearly C code.
Sorry if were all confused about where this thread was born...
I don't know DOS FAT all that well, but it does seem reasonable that they would drop the null terminator if the full 8.3 namespace were used. Either way, this thread is all about using C to interface with DOS FAT and the filename lengths associated with it.
You would find it difficult, if not impossible to use the strcpy function in C without it depositing a null terminator at the end of your filename and extension. And this post here is what this whole thread is about. He sez you only need 11 characters in C (because that's the code he's using) to format strings for the strcpy function, when the documentation for it clearly states it only works with standard, null terminated, strings.
Is it any wonder why Look TV is having difficulty with financial strategies like this:
"Due to overwhelming demand, we are no longer taking orders for our High-Speed wireless Internet services"
They are a product of the dot-bomb industry. Imagine if Dodge said "Due to overwhelming demand, we are no longer producing the Caravan". Uhhhhhh... Wow... To say the least.
If helping users was like helping cars, well... here you go. I guess I'm bored.
Idiot "My car has trouble stopping"
HelpDesk "Did you check the brake fluid level?"
Idiot "No. How do I do that?"
HelpDesk "Open the hood"
Idiot "How?"
HelpDesk "Use the hood release"
Idiot "What's a hood release?"
Helpdesk "The hood release is the lever on the left side of the dash. Look below it. Pull on the lever"
Idiot "Dash, lever, pull... Uhhh.. Okay. I think I got it."
HelpDesk "Ok. Did the hood open?"
Idiot "I don't think so."
HelpDesk (Getting exasperated) "Alright. Are there any lights on the dashboard?"
Idiot "Dashboard? You mean the thing with the speed and gas tank levels?"
HelpDesk "Yup."
Idiot "Yeah. There's a light there. It's an, uhh, what do you call those things? You know, the thing you use at the end of the sentence when you are shouting? One of those with circles."
HelpDesk (Realizing Idiot pulled on parking brake rather than hood release) "Hmmm. How do you normally stop your car?"
Idiot "Like everyone else. Why?"
HelpDesk "Well, could you describe it?"
Idiot (Getting Agitated) "What, do you think I don't know how to stop a car?"
HelpDesk (Appeasing) "No, No. Really sir, I'm sure you can drive a car very well." (Lying through his teeth) "Its just these new models have a different way of braking and I was wondering what method you were using to stop the car."
Idiot "Ahhh, Ok. I see. Well, when I want to stop I put the shifter into 'N'. I then put it into 'R'. This bucket makes some noises and slows down."
HelpDesk "I see. Have you tried pushing the pedal to the left of the accellerator?"
Idiot "Accellerator? You mean gas. No -- there's a pedal there?"
HelpDesk "Take a look. It shoul be there"
Idiot "Wow! That's for the other foot right?"
HelpDesk "No, you need to use one foot at once"
Idiot "Why? It seems to work fine with both at the same time!"
HelpDesk "Well, its in the manual that you need to use just one foot. It would void your warranty to do otherwise."
Idiot "Void my warranty?!?! First you jerks build a car that takes a mechanic to drive, then you tell me that if I use two feet on pedals designed for two feet the warranty's void?!?! That's it, next time I'm getting a Ford."
HelpDesk "I'll put you through to them right away..." [click]
I hate that piece of trash too. I only install realplayer, well, cuz there's always some moron who thinks its the best (and only) way to distribute video/audio via the net.
Here's how you can stop it being so hoggy (RP8 in this case):
- Click View
- Click Preferences
- Click the Geneneral tab
- Click the Settings button under start center
- Uncheck the Enable StartCenter checkbox
- Click OK
- Tell RealPlayer that you know your computer will set on fire for doing that
- Exit RealPlayer
- Free Bonus: If you choose "remind me later" as the registration option twice, the third time it will add an option "Do Not Register". Click it and enjoy. This also works with the plus players, BTW.
Looks a lot more like C than hex editor commands, doesn't it?
If that's commands to a hex editor, well, I'd like a copy of it. I can make it the default editor for anyone who calls helpdesk asking why xyz opens with zyx.
I know I've set my processor for incorrect multipliers before (like 4.5 x 100) and while it shows 450 Mhz, all the CPU measuring programs suggest the CPU is running at 550 Mhz.
Unless the BIOS crashes when it can't figure out the higher multipliers, should it really be a problem?
>but at some point manufacturers would stop bothering because it really doesn't mean jack to most people.
Until your house burns down because of a non-UL approved product.
I _always_ look for the CSA seal (same thing as UL but Canadian) on anything that's going to remain plugged in for any amount of time. If I didn't and it blew up, and the insurance company found out the non-CSA approved product caused it, there a good chance I wouldn't get any insurance money on the house.
Heck, I prefer to use wall warts on my electronics projects simply because while they often cause fires, most are 100% CSA approved. Home-made power supplies normally aren't.
>Why is there no pressure on companies to put out reliable products that work out of the box?
It's all price and performance nowadays, that's why.:-(
I saw this trend starting when I finally traded my C64 in for a shiny new samsung sensor 286. That machine worked fine, but was the start of the trend of crappy hardware. $35 soundcards that barely supported 8-bit SB emulation. Then $10 I/O cards that didn't fit into the slots properly. Then $30 28.8k modems that were actually warped, $25 printers that cracked if you put the slightest shearing force on them, $100 monitors that set on fire, $10 floppy drives that would write random data to write-protected disks, I could go on and on, but as far as I can tell, consumer PC hardware has sucked for a _long_ time.
Now, that C64, after a bumpy start (like many my first C64 toasted pretty fast) was rock solid by the time I got the C64-C (for nostalgia, I turned it on last year. Still works fine -- even the 1702 and 1541). Why can't the PC be the same?
Then why no fake copies of Number 9 video cards or S3 cards (actually it is supposed to be S cubed but I think they gave up on that when nobody wrote it that way...)? The first is a number, the second a common math term...
Oh, heres a few others:
- V8 (the juice), Rub A535 (the horrible smelling joint pain reliever), A7A266 (my motherboard's tradename), too tired to think of any more...
>Their civil liberty rights were not trampled because of a knee jerk reaction, but for their own safety.
Yeah, you know what, we'd *all* be safer if they stuck us all in internment camps. You first!
>but there was definite good motivation behind it.
The same kind of "good motivation" behind segregation of blacks and whites in the US in the early 1900's.
>There is a huge difference between a knee-jerk reaction and careful planning to situate oneself in a higher position of power or more stable existence.
Most opressors find that a very good reason for what they do. Ask the Chinese gov't why they kill dissenting citizens. I bet they say "it ensures the stability of China, and ensures the gov't stays in power".
If America wants a government that thinks like that, they'll have to take the baggage that goes along with it.
What's there to look at Finland? Oh yeah, they aren't anything like North America! You proved my point (if Finland really is the least dense place using GSM)! But here's the stats to back it up:
Taken from http://www.funet.fi/Finland/Finland-info.html
People per sq km: 16
(I'll use my home country, Canada to prove we need to use CDMA)
Taken from:
http://www.canadainfolink.ca/chartthree.htm
Canadian population: 30 million
Canadian land area: 10 000 000 sq km.
People per sq km: 3.
See what I'm talking about? I live in an area that would be considered 5 minutes out of town and my phone has to drop to analog to work! If it was GSM I wouldn't have service at all!
You might get away with only including the US in the stats, but even so, I'd be surprised if Finland's population were as evenly distributed as the US's.
>and it works over large parts of Russia
Great... a network that doesn't cover the times when you are out in the middle of nowhere and want to use the phone. Joy! Now I can take all my camping trips in fear that my car might explode on the way there since I can't afford an Iridium phone.
>hint you don't need many towers in Nebraska or Sibera because animals don't use mobiles
Try telling that to the 2 million "Animals" that live there under the mamalian class human.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/31000.ht ml
>You'd be hard pushed to find a more sparesely populated country
Nahh... I both live in one, and beside one.
I think you'll also find that wireless isn't popular here since it can't compete with local service. I pay $12 US a month for all the phone service I want. Is that how much it is in Finland? If its anything like the rest of europe, probably not.
I've heard of people in europe saying they use their mobile phones a lot because they hardly pay more to use them than a landline phone. I question if mobile phones can ever take off in a country where a local call is $0.15 US. Even the $30 US a month plans that include 600 minutes are a rip off! I can get more than 2 regular phone lines for that!
As long as wireless isn't cheap enough to be as popular as regular phones there won't be enough money coming in to build 12x the towers. Well, you could cut off customers and just have service in big cities like New York, but then everyone from europe would complain about how their phone only worked in the one city.
As you can see here GSM is not a viable solution for most of America. GSM requires almost 3.5 times more towers to operate. For a country so spread out as North America is (compare the total population of Canada and American against Europe and you'll see what I mean) you won't be putting up a tower for one or two people out in the country.
If America needs national coverage (and I think they do) CDMA is the obvious choice.
The DMCA is nothing different from the laws preventing people from "pirating" TV from satellite or cable.
Everyone who does this, or knows people that do this put up your hands [hand up].
Except, in the case of cable TV (and, to some extent, satellite TV) you can tell the people are pirating without entering their homes (you can use cable bullets, or just look for the BEV logo on a dish in the US). Yet you very rarely hear of people at home (not dealers) in your city getting busted for pirating TV, do you?
All in all, any laws preveting people from doing things in the privacy and comfort of their own homes that don't directly affect other people (ie: Copyright violation isn't direct like punching someone in the face, it is more like spitting on passing freeway vehicles from a bridge) will never work. Ever. Why? Because no one will complain as the only person who has to know about the crime to commit the crime is the offender. So, in otherwords, you are relying on the criminal to turn themselves in.
Uhhh... yeah... sure... that happens all the time.
We should be jailing people for 5 years and taking away their houses for thought crimes like hacking.
I think we should also jail people for 2 years for the thought crimes of bitching and moaning about things they don't like. Maybe that'll shut 'em up.
While we're at it, it should also be illegal to conspire in public to support a religion that believes in anything but the one true God.
Heck, just to top it off lets make it totally illegal to conspire to conspire against these laws.
How do I propose we do this glorious deed that will make America safe again? Why, it's simple. We can listen to them conspire, we can watch them hack, and we can read their mail. We just need to make those things legal, and it will be easy.
I also think we should force anyone who has ever commited these hateful, horrible, horrific crimes to wear special ID badges for the rest of their lives.
Not with me on the last point? 49% of America was in the last gallup poll.
Join me in my fight to ensure America is rid of all deviants, irregardless of creed or demographic! It's the American way! Uncle Sam Wants You!
Re:Not to start a flame war;)
on
VIM 6.0 is Out
·
· Score: 1
Well, if you want to have true backwards compatibility with old crap (not the editor, the age of the system), then you'd better learn ed. This is the only editor that can be trusted to be on all UNIX systems.
Well, that is unless you like cat << EOF > foo (or something like that)
>I have a USB->Optical connected right to my stereo.
Hey, this sounds pretty cool. What's the name of this little gem?
As far as the mouse goes, if its USB I suppose it could be the speed transfer difference (but that would be sorta lame, no?). Try the mouse on a separate USB root hub, or see if a PS/2 mouse clears up the problem (although I'm sure you thought of those ideas already).
>a minidisc sounds much better than your average mp3 (128kbs joint stereo)
Yeah, well if that sounds like crap (and it does) don't encode at that rate.
Encode at 256 kbps instead and it will sound as good as, if not better, than minidisc.
If you're talking about downloading MP3s the MP3 isn't going to sound any better when converted to ATRAC.
I'm glad the Japanese enjoy minidisc. Perhaps its because Sony (the ONLY people allowed to license minidisc) is a Japanese company? On that note, how many Chryslers sell in Japan compared to other car manufactueres?
Or maybe in Japan taping concerts is more popular than it is in the US? Personally, I find the "rips" of concerts such horrid quality I've no interest in hearing them (even when its from my more favourite artists). But if that's what you're into, well, I suppose minidisc would be a good choice. I would still argue that as an everyday replacement for a walkman a 3" CDR player makes a much better companion than a minidisc.
>now that sony has ceased production of its DAT decks
And that's the political reason never to buy minidisc. It's controlled by Sony, and as soon as Sony finds a better way to make money, goodbye minidisc.
Bye bye DAT, thank God I never invested thousands in your propietary and useless nature. Just another of the many reasons why minidisc will never take off in North America.
>and the media is MUCH cheaper than a "memory stick" or flash memory
And the media is much less versatile than those options you talk of. Besides, going back on topic, mini-MP3-CDRs hold more data in a similar size format, is faster to burn, and much more compatible with much more equipment and is also cheaper.
For some reason (and I might be wrong) I think its safe to assume there's more computers with CD-ROMs and sound in Japan than minidisc players.
Slashdot Mirror
>do you drop a note to the manufacturer?
:-) I recall that they told me I had to buy some $300 US piece of software from Helius (or Helix, I don't remember). What I do remember is it was a binary (yuck!) and limited to just a few connections at a time. So I (nicely) told them no way.
:-]
Up to now, just once. Generally I can find another competing product that does what I want without too much anguish (especially now! Hardware support in linux has never been better!). The one time was to email DirecPC. I was desparate for some high-speed internet and there's (still) no highspeed in much of where I live region. At that time DirecPC didn't suck. Yes, this was a few years ago!
I suppose I should email other companies too -- I'm just a little lazy.
Admittedly, I have one windows PC, filled with "runt" hardware that isn't too Linux compatible. [Don't hit me! It's for college, they're making me use VB, ok?
>but only an idot would try to get a real education by only reading the course meterial
There was (and all too often, still is) the time that the only way to be informed was to teach it to yourself. I know that because that's how I learned computers! I was the only person on my block (actually, within most of the school) for over a decade that could do anything with a computer. 100% self taught from books. Now I help others use computers.
The problem with learning by being taught is that you only learn what the teacher has to tell you. And unless your teach has a photographic memory, that means you end up with less of an education. I always tell anyone I help who wants to fully comprehend the subject to read books on it. I make mistakes even when I teach people how to do things. I don't think that makes me a bad teacher -- I think it just proves I'm still learning how to do my job.
I believe a "real" education comes neither by rote, nor by hearing example cited. It comes from trying, doing, and being. You lean the "real" answer by correcting your mistakes. If you don't make mistakes, you aren't learning difficult enough subject matter.
Just my two cents.
>Not if you figure out the AOL auto-updating mechanism as part of the protocol
:-)
People already have that part figured out for the DirecTV H and HU cards. Still doesn't help when they send out dynamic code.
AOL will just start sending out little patches that do nothing (and are useless when decompiled) and all of a sudden send out a patch to put all the little patches together. Of course, then you are at square one again. Fun.
Or, heck, why not send out encrypted patches? I think its highly unlikely you'll see auto-linux-updates when it's illegal...
See if you can get this to work.
Might solve your Linux woes... well... maybe... Probably not statically compiled so perhaps you are screwed. Well, that and its gonna be hard to find. Maybe try alt.binaries.warez.linux ?
>What ever made you think I was talking about your C ode?
Well, lessee...
You originally responded to this which was in response to this which is clearly C code.
Not only that, but the last referenced post is in response to this which is even more clearly C code.
Sorry if were all confused about where this thread was born...
I don't know DOS FAT all that well, but it does seem reasonable that they would drop the null terminator if the full 8.3 namespace were used. Either way, this thread is all about using C to interface with DOS FAT and the filename lengths associated with it.
You would find it difficult, if not impossible to use the strcpy function in C without it depositing a null terminator at the end of your filename and extension. And this post here is what this whole thread is about. He sez you only need 11 characters in C (because that's the code he's using) to format strings for the strcpy function, when the documentation for it clearly states it only works with standard, null terminated, strings.
Is it any wonder why Look TV is having difficulty with financial strategies like this:
"Due to overwhelming demand, we are no longer taking orders for our High-Speed wireless Internet services"
They are a product of the dot-bomb industry. Imagine if Dodge said "Due to overwhelming demand, we are no longer producing the Caravan". Uhhhhhh... Wow... To say the least.
If helping users was like helping cars, well... here you go. I guess I'm bored.
Idiot "My car has trouble stopping"
HelpDesk "Did you check the brake fluid level?"
Idiot "No. How do I do that?"
HelpDesk "Open the hood"
Idiot "How?"
HelpDesk "Use the hood release"
Idiot "What's a hood release?"
Helpdesk "The hood release is the lever on the left side of the dash. Look below it. Pull on the lever"
Idiot "Dash, lever, pull... Uhhh.. Okay. I think I got it."
HelpDesk "Ok. Did the hood open?"
Idiot "I don't think so."
HelpDesk (Getting exasperated) "Alright. Are there any lights on the dashboard?"
Idiot "Dashboard? You mean the thing with the speed and gas tank levels?"
HelpDesk "Yup."
Idiot "Yeah. There's a light there. It's an, uhh, what do you call those things? You know, the thing you use at the end of the sentence when you are shouting? One of those with circles."
HelpDesk (Realizing Idiot pulled on parking brake rather than hood release) "Hmmm. How do you normally stop your car?"
Idiot "Like everyone else. Why?"
HelpDesk "Well, could you describe it?"
Idiot (Getting Agitated) "What, do you think I don't know how to stop a car?"
HelpDesk (Appeasing) "No, No. Really sir, I'm sure you can drive a car very well." (Lying through his teeth) "Its just these new models have a different way of braking and I was wondering what method you were using to stop the car."
Idiot "Ahhh, Ok. I see. Well, when I want to stop I put the shifter into 'N'. I then put it into 'R'. This bucket makes some noises and slows down."
HelpDesk "I see. Have you tried pushing the pedal to the left of the accellerator?"
Idiot "Accellerator? You mean gas. No -- there's a pedal there?"
HelpDesk "Take a look. It shoul be there"
Idiot "Wow! That's for the other foot right?"
HelpDesk "No, you need to use one foot at once"
Idiot "Why? It seems to work fine with both at the same time!"
HelpDesk "Well, its in the manual that you need to use just one foot. It would void your warranty to do otherwise."
Idiot "Void my warranty?!?! First you jerks build a car that takes a mechanic to drive, then you tell me that if I use two feet on pedals designed for two feet the warranty's void?!?! That's it, next time I'm getting a Ford."
HelpDesk "I'll put you through to them right away..." [click]
I hate that piece of trash too. I only install realplayer, well, cuz there's always some moron who thinks its the best (and only) way to distribute video/audio via the net.
Here's how you can stop it being so hoggy (RP8 in this case):
- Click View
- Click Preferences
- Click the Geneneral tab
- Click the Settings button under start center
- Uncheck the Enable StartCenter checkbox
- Click OK
- Tell RealPlayer that you know your computer will set on fire for doing that
- Exit RealPlayer
- Free Bonus: If you choose "remind me later" as the registration option twice, the third time it will add an option "Do Not Register". Click it and enjoy. This also works with the plus players, BTW.
char fname[9]; strcpy( fname, "foo" );
char exten[4]; strcpy( exten, ".c" );
Looks a lot more like C than hex editor commands, doesn't it?
If that's commands to a hex editor, well, I'd like a copy of it. I can make it the default editor for anyone who calls helpdesk asking why xyz opens with zyx.
You don't happen to have an A7A266 motherboard do you? This happens with mine whenever it doesn't reboot properly...
It doesn't happen on the scores of other win systems I've toyed with. Methinks its a BIOS thing.
But wouldn't the BIOS only show the wrong speed?
I know I've set my processor for incorrect multipliers before (like 4.5 x 100) and while it shows 450 Mhz, all the CPU measuring programs suggest the CPU is running at 550 Mhz.
Unless the BIOS crashes when it can't figure out the higher multipliers, should it really be a problem?
>support the higher multipliers
:-)
Aren't most all x86 compatible processors made since about '99 factory clock-locked?
I thought that was what drove overclockers insane...
I know it means that I have to run the PCI bus on my BX board at ungodly rates.
If they are clock locked then you could set the multipler to 1x for all the processor cares.
>but at some point manufacturers would stop bothering because it really doesn't mean jack to most people.
Until your house burns down because of a non-UL approved product.
I _always_ look for the CSA seal (same thing as UL but Canadian) on anything that's going to remain plugged in for any amount of time. If I didn't and it blew up, and the insurance company found out the non-CSA approved product caused it, there a good chance I wouldn't get any insurance money on the house.
Heck, I prefer to use wall warts on my electronics projects simply because while they often cause fires, most are 100% CSA approved. Home-made power supplies normally aren't.
>Why is there no pressure on companies to put out reliable products that work out of the box?
:-(
It's all price and performance nowadays, that's why.
I saw this trend starting when I finally traded my C64 in for a shiny new samsung sensor 286. That machine worked fine, but was the start of the trend of crappy hardware. $35 soundcards that barely supported 8-bit SB emulation. Then $10 I/O cards that didn't fit into the slots properly. Then $30 28.8k modems that were actually warped, $25 printers that cracked if you put the slightest shearing force on them, $100 monitors that set on fire, $10 floppy drives that would write random data to write-protected disks, I could go on and on, but as far as I can tell, consumer PC hardware has sucked for a _long_ time.
Now, that C64, after a bumpy start (like many my first C64 toasted pretty fast) was rock solid by the time I got the C64-C (for nostalgia, I turned it on last year. Still works fine -- even the 1702 and 1541). Why can't the PC be the same?
>I don't believe you can copyright numbers
Then why no fake copies of Number 9 video cards or S3 cards (actually it is supposed to be S cubed but I think they gave up on that when nobody wrote it that way...)? The first is a number, the second a common math term...
Oh, heres a few others:
- V8 (the juice), Rub A535 (the horrible smelling joint pain reliever), A7A266 (my motherboard's tradename), too tired to think of any more...
>Their civil liberty rights were not trampled because of a knee jerk reaction, but for their own safety.
Yeah, you know what, we'd *all* be safer if they stuck us all in internment camps. You first!
>but there was definite good motivation behind it.
The same kind of "good motivation" behind segregation of blacks and whites in the US in the early 1900's.
>There is a huge difference between a knee-jerk reaction and careful planning to situate oneself in a higher position of power or more stable existence.
Most opressors find that a very good reason for what they do. Ask the Chinese gov't why they kill dissenting citizens. I bet they say "it ensures the stability of China, and ensures the gov't stays in power".
If America wants a government that thinks like that, they'll have to take the baggage that goes along with it.
Why is it hard to justify $60 for a try of insight when it costs that much (and so much more) to try outlook?
Or does MS offer a free copy of outlook for non-MS operating systems?
What's there to look at Finland? Oh yeah, they aren't anything like North America! You proved my point (if Finland really is the least dense place using GSM)! But here's the stats to back it up:
t ml
Taken from http://www.funet.fi/Finland/Finland-info.html
People per sq km: 16
(I'll use my home country, Canada to prove we need to use CDMA)
Taken from:
http://www.canadainfolink.ca/chartthree.htm
Canadian population: 30 million
Canadian land area: 10 000 000 sq km.
People per sq km: 3.
See what I'm talking about? I live in an area that would be considered 5 minutes out of town and my phone has to drop to analog to work! If it was GSM I wouldn't have service at all!
You might get away with only including the US in the stats, but even so, I'd be surprised if Finland's population were as evenly distributed as the US's.
>and it works over large parts of Russia
Great... a network that doesn't cover the times when you are out in the middle of nowhere and want to use the phone. Joy! Now I can take all my camping trips in fear that my car might explode on the way there since I can't afford an Iridium phone.
>hint you don't need many towers in Nebraska or Sibera because animals don't use mobiles
Try telling that to the 2 million "Animals" that live there under the mamalian class human.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/31000.h
>You'd be hard pushed to find a more sparesely populated country
Nahh... I both live in one, and beside one.
I think you'll also find that wireless isn't popular here since it can't compete with local service. I pay $12 US a month for all the phone service I want. Is that how much it is in Finland? If its anything like the rest of europe, probably not.
I've heard of people in europe saying they use their mobile phones a lot because they hardly pay more to use them than a landline phone. I question if mobile phones can ever take off in a country where a local call is $0.15 US. Even the $30 US a month plans that include 600 minutes are a rip off! I can get more than 2 regular phone lines for that!
As long as wireless isn't cheap enough to be as popular as regular phones there won't be enough money coming in to build 12x the towers. Well, you could cut off customers and just have service in big cities like New York, but then everyone from europe would complain about how their phone only worked in the one city.
To me it all looks like chicken & egg.
As you can see here GSM is not a viable solution for most of America. GSM requires almost 3.5 times more towers to operate. For a country so spread out as North America is (compare the total population of Canada and American against Europe and you'll see what I mean) you won't be putting up a tower for one or two people out in the country.
If America needs national coverage (and I think they do) CDMA is the obvious choice.
The DMCA is nothing different from the laws preventing people from "pirating" TV from satellite or cable.
Everyone who does this, or knows people that do this put up your hands [hand up].
Except, in the case of cable TV (and, to some extent, satellite TV) you can tell the people are pirating without entering their homes (you can use cable bullets, or just look for the BEV logo on a dish in the US). Yet you very rarely hear of people at home (not dealers) in your city getting busted for pirating TV, do you?
All in all, any laws preveting people from doing things in the privacy and comfort of their own homes that don't directly affect other people (ie: Copyright violation isn't direct like punching someone in the face, it is more like spitting on passing freeway vehicles from a bridge) will never work. Ever. Why? Because no one will complain as the only person who has to know about the crime to commit the crime is the offender. So, in otherwords, you are relying on the criminal to turn themselves in.
Uhhh... yeah... sure... that happens all the time.
We should be jailing people for 5 years and taking away their houses for thought crimes like hacking.
I think we should also jail people for 2 years for the thought crimes of bitching and moaning about things they don't like. Maybe that'll shut 'em up.
While we're at it, it should also be illegal to conspire in public to support a religion that believes in anything but the one true God.
Heck, just to top it off lets make it totally illegal to conspire to conspire against these laws.
How do I propose we do this glorious deed that will make America safe again? Why, it's simple. We can listen to them conspire, we can watch them hack, and we can read their mail. We just need to make those things legal, and it will be easy.
I also think we should force anyone who has ever commited these hateful, horrible, horrific crimes to wear special ID badges for the rest of their lives.
Not with me on the last point? 49% of America was in the last gallup poll.
Join me in my fight to ensure America is rid of all deviants, irregardless of creed or demographic! It's the American way! Uncle Sam Wants You!
Well, if you want to have true backwards compatibility with old crap (not the editor, the age of the system), then you'd better learn ed. This is the only editor that can be trusted to be on all UNIX systems.
Well, that is unless you like cat << EOF > foo (or something like that)
>I have a USB->Optical connected right to my stereo.
Hey, this sounds pretty cool. What's the name of this little gem?
As far as the mouse goes, if its USB I suppose it could be the speed transfer difference (but that would be sorta lame, no?). Try the mouse on a separate USB root hub, or see if a PS/2 mouse clears up the problem (although I'm sure you thought of those ideas already).
>a minidisc sounds much better than your average mp3 (128kbs joint stereo)
Yeah, well if that sounds like crap (and it does) don't encode at that rate.
Encode at 256 kbps instead and it will sound as good as, if not better, than minidisc.
If you're talking about downloading MP3s the MP3 isn't going to sound any better when converted to ATRAC.
I'm glad the Japanese enjoy minidisc. Perhaps its because Sony (the ONLY people allowed to license minidisc) is a Japanese company? On that note, how many Chryslers sell in Japan compared to other car manufactueres?
Or maybe in Japan taping concerts is more popular than it is in the US? Personally, I find the "rips" of concerts such horrid quality I've no interest in hearing them (even when its from my more favourite artists). But if that's what you're into, well, I suppose minidisc would be a good choice. I would still argue that as an everyday replacement for a walkman a 3" CDR player makes a much better companion than a minidisc.
>now that sony has ceased production of its DAT decks
And that's the political reason never to buy minidisc. It's controlled by Sony, and as soon as Sony finds a better way to make money, goodbye minidisc.
Bye bye DAT, thank God I never invested thousands in your propietary and useless nature. Just another of the many reasons why minidisc will never take off in North America.
>and the media is MUCH cheaper than a "memory stick" or flash memory
And the media is much less versatile than those options you talk of. Besides, going back on topic, mini-MP3-CDRs hold more data in a similar size format, is faster to burn, and much more compatible with much more equipment and is also cheaper.
For some reason (and I might be wrong) I think its safe to assume there's more computers with CD-ROMs and sound in Japan than minidisc players.
>Where can I find these?
:-)
In the US: OfficeMax sells spindles.
In Canda: FutureShop (although they only sell 5 packs, no spindles).
Dunno where else. I do know that the mini-CD-Rs are a little overpriced, but still beat minidisc hands down in that area.