I think software-wise we're now at a stage where we were in hardware-wise in the late 1980's. Back then you could only connect pieces of hardware that were made by the same company together. So if you wanted i diskdrive to use with your Commodore 64 you had to buy a Commodore diskdrive. Companies would go to great lengths to ensure incompatibility. The IBM PC changed all that, and now I can use my Logitech trackball with my Apple iMac. Maybe OpenOffice now plays the role the IBM PC had in the late '80's, but now for software: act as a bridge between formats from different competitors.
Further, he added, "this proposal acknowledges that Open Document does not address pictures, audio, video, charts, maps, voice, voice-over-IP, and other kinds of data our customers are increasingly putting in documents and archiving."
I can't believe that Open Document does not address pictures, but what I find even harder to believe is that anyone would want to put VOIP in a document.
We can easily solve this dispute by stating that both interfaces are crap.
Re:Sorry to bust the bubble...
on
Cyan Worlds Closes
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Dying adventure genre? There haven't been as many new adventures out in years as in the past two years or so. I'd say the adventure genre is slowly coming back to us. Check out Adventure gamers, Just adventure, and Gamespot
Re:We could re-do Myst...better, even!
on
Cyan Worlds Closes
·
· Score: 1
I can imagine that is because Myst was/is played by older people who could afford to buy it. Doom to me looks more like a game highschool kids and students would play.
I don't care what they do as long as they make a Mac/Linux version, OR make sure it's compatible with Skype. I do not want to use my game machine for anything other than playing games.
OK, now I understand what you're on about. And you're right. I was thinking more along the lines that you have to know what a file is and that you can place it in a directory, and that, using this knowledge, you can store your files in an ordered and logical way.
But still, even for the most simple mobile phones you need a manual to get the most out of it. It's nearly impossible to make an interface that is both very easy to use AND gets you to use all the functions of a particular program, machine, or whatever easily. What I mean is, indeed you need not know how your computer performs all the tasks you order it to, but you still have to learn how to get it to do those tasks. The need for studying manuals will never disappear.
I really don't understand what you mean by this. Either we are arguing about something that we agree on (namely the fact that computer interfaces are not very good yet) or one of us is missing a point. Please elaborate.
Usage of common household appliances, like television sets, microwaves, and computers, should NOT take any specific effort to use. And if they do, then they're either ill-conceived, poorly designed, or in an unfinished experimental stage.
I think computer interfaces are still in the unfinished experimental stage. Until they come out of that, people will have to learn how to operate computers.
The root of the problem is that most people do not care where their files are located. They just want it to work.
That attitude (of the most people you are talking about) to me is just like, for instance: ``I don't want to learn about strings and notes, I just want to play the guitar!''
People will have to get it into their heads that computers are complicated things and you need some basic understanding of how they work before being able to use them. Have you ever seen a `My Documents' folder of someone who doesn't want to know about computers? No wonder they're always complaining that `it doesn't work.'
Of course the etch rate depends on the temperature and the reactivity of the ions. A plasma etching machine also puts quite a lot of energy in the plasma to get a high etch rate. But plasma etching isn't just a chemical process; there is a strong physical component as well. Even with the low energies involved in getting a plasma screen to work, the ions that are formed in there will still hit the walls of their confinement chamber hard enough to remove material from them, and thus slowly destroy them.
In our cleanroom, we use plasmas for etching silicon. Plasma etching is a standard process that is used in the manufacturing of just about every chip. The plasma in TV-screens is generated in the same manner as the plasma in our etching machines. Therefore I have to conclude that plasma screens will suffer from the etching, and will not have a long lifetime. Add to that the amazing energy consumption, and my choice for my next TV is made: LCD, or maybe even another CRT. I still think CRT monitors give a better poicture than LCD, and for TV's the difference is even greater.
Good point. I think this whole blogging thing is way overhyped. Why would anyone be interested in your or my boring life? Of course it's handy when a blogger lives near a spot where something interesting happens, but all this talk about bloggers taking over the work of journalists was way over the top in my opinion. Being a journalist takes more than being able to write a readable text.
The funniest mistake I made was accidentally removing everything in/etc. After doing that, my computer told me: ``You don't exist. Go away.'' I reinstalled the whole system and everything was fine again.
Has anyone designed a space elevator yet? It looks like were're going to be able to build it soon. Just in time, with the troubles NASA has with the Space shuttle!
If you mean intelligent, thinking people, the question is rhetorical. If you mean governments, which at least in the Anglo-American sphere seem to have none of the former class of people, then the answer is "when coal, oil and natural gas run out", since they really don't give a toss about anything that doesn't help them get re-elected in four years time.
I think it's when they realize it's cheaper to develop alternative sources of energy than to start yet another oil war.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm more like Rincewind. I like boring. It lasts.
I think software-wise we're now at a stage where we were in hardware-wise in the late 1980's. Back then you could only connect pieces of hardware that were made by the same company together. So if you wanted i diskdrive to use with your Commodore 64 you had to buy a Commodore diskdrive. Companies would go to great lengths to ensure incompatibility. The IBM PC changed all that, and now I can use my Logitech trackball with my Apple iMac. Maybe OpenOffice now plays the role the IBM PC had in the late '80's, but now for software: act as a bridge between formats from different competitors.
Further, he added, "this proposal acknowledges that Open Document does not address pictures, audio, video, charts, maps, voice, voice-over-IP, and other kinds of data our customers are increasingly putting in documents and archiving."
I can't believe that Open Document does not address pictures, but what I find even harder to believe is that anyone would want to put VOIP in a document.
We can easily solve this dispute by stating that both interfaces are crap.
Dying adventure genre? There haven't been as many new adventures out in years as in the past two years or so. I'd say the adventure genre is slowly coming back to us. Check out Adventure gamers, Just adventure, and Gamespot
Impossible. You can only do that with LaTeX.
I can imagine that is because Myst was/is played by older people who could afford to buy it. Doom to me looks more like a game highschool kids and students would play.
This is great news. Hopefully this will work on humans too in the near future.
I wonder how much the mice have been suffering though. This don't seem very nice experiments from the mice's point of view.
Did I spell mice's right?
I don't care what they do as long as they make a Mac/Linux version, OR make sure it's compatible with Skype. I do not want to use my game machine for anything other than playing games.
OK, now I understand what you're on about. And you're right. I was thinking more along the lines that you have to know what a file is and that you can place it in a directory, and that, using this knowledge, you can store your files in an ordered and logical way.
But still, even for the most simple mobile phones you need a manual to get the most out of it. It's nearly impossible to make an interface that is both very easy to use AND gets you to use all the functions of a particular program, machine, or whatever easily. What I mean is, indeed you need not know how your computer performs all the tasks you order it to, but you still have to learn how to get it to do those tasks. The need for studying manuals will never disappear.
I really don't understand what you mean by this. Either we are arguing about something that we agree on (namely the fact that computer interfaces are not very good yet) or one of us is missing a point. Please elaborate.
You have a point there.
Usage of common household appliances, like television sets, microwaves, and computers, should NOT take any specific effort to use. And if they do, then they're either ill-conceived, poorly designed, or in an unfinished experimental stage.
I think computer interfaces are still in the unfinished experimental stage. Until they come out of that, people will have to learn how to operate computers.
The root of the problem is that most people do not care where their files are located. They just want it to work.
That attitude (of the most people you are talking about) to me is just like, for instance: ``I don't want to learn about strings and notes, I just want to play the guitar!''
People will have to get it into their heads that computers are complicated things and you need some basic understanding of how they work before being able to use them. Have you ever seen a `My Documents' folder of someone who doesn't want to know about computers? No wonder they're always complaining that `it doesn't work.'
Of course the etch rate depends on the temperature and the reactivity of the ions. A plasma etching machine also puts quite a lot of energy in the plasma to get a high etch rate. But plasma etching isn't just a chemical process; there is a strong physical component as well. Even with the low energies involved in getting a plasma screen to work, the ions that are formed in there will still hit the walls of their confinement chamber hard enough to remove material from them, and thus slowly destroy them.
In our cleanroom, we use plasmas for etching silicon. Plasma etching is a standard process that is used in the manufacturing of just about every chip. The plasma in TV-screens is generated in the same manner as the plasma in our etching machines. Therefore I have to conclude that plasma screens will suffer from the etching, and will not have a long lifetime. Add to that the amazing energy consumption, and my choice for my next TV is made: LCD, or maybe even another CRT. I still think CRT monitors give a better poicture than LCD, and for TV's the difference is even greater.
That was really funny.
I checked his court records and he has like 10 convictions on his record for theft, drug charges and some smaller things.
Pardon me for being ignorant but how can you check someones court records? Isn't that private info?
Good point. I think this whole blogging thing is way overhyped. Why would anyone be interested in your or my boring life? Of course it's handy when a blogger lives near a spot where something interesting happens, but all this talk about bloggers taking over the work of journalists was way over the top in my opinion. Being a journalist takes more than being able to write a readable text.
Well, here in Holland they painted the room grey. Extremely depressing, I wish somobody would do something about it.
I remember there were stories about people buying Win 95 who didn't even have a computer. Unbelievable. How can people not have a computer?
The funniest mistake I made was accidentally removing everything in /etc. After doing that, my computer told me: ``You don't exist. Go away.'' I reinstalled the whole system and everything was fine again.
Has anyone designed a space elevator yet? It looks like were're going to be able to build it soon. Just in time, with the troubles NASA has with the Space shuttle!
Well I didn't know that. Next time they tell me it's not turtles all the way down.
I never delete any cookies. I find it too much work and I'm not that concerned about my privacy.
If you mean intelligent, thinking people, the question is rhetorical. If you mean governments, which at least in the Anglo-American sphere seem to have none of the former class of people, then the answer is "when coal, oil and natural gas run out", since they really don't give a toss about anything that doesn't help them get re-elected in four years time.
I think it's when they realize it's cheaper to develop alternative sources of energy than to start yet another oil war.