The reason most of us are drawn to this particular OS is because of all the different flavors to choose from. Let Corel or Red Hat make their "standard" Corporate Distro, and the rest of us will use Slackware to learn and play, and Debian for our personal projects. The PPC geek will run yellowdog, &c, &c.
Standardizing Linux will make it the new Windows. This is the most frustrating thing about Linux zealotry: Linux should NOT replace Windows! It should compete with it -- be different from it.
Screwdrivers and wrenches are separate tools for a reason.
I feel like bashing Katz is something we all do too easily, but the fact of the matter is that his constant flirtation with hyperbole and sensationalism is a transparent attempt to lend excess weight to his subject. Not every technological issue deserves to be heralded as "reality-changing," Jon. For goodness' sake -- closing my right eye "alters" my "reality," but you don't see me with jaw clenched, writing an article about it. Until writers like Jon emerge from their Neal Stephenson-esque penchant for technological melodrama, their ideas -- most of which are well-informed and worthy of serious discussion -- will be ignored by readers like me, who demand sensible, rational journalistic prose.
AMD has no inroads into the portable/notebook market. Its processors are bad fits for small, light, battery-powered machines because they burn a lot of power and they're big. The new mobile Athlon 4 announced about two Mondays ago, like the Thunderbird, fits on a much larger die than the mobile Pentium processors, and so requires a larger mainboard and will be incompatible with ultraslim notebooks and the like. Transmeta's processors, on the other hand, are smaller and incorporate their own north bridge, so they fit on much smaller PCBs. And we all know about Crusoe's power efficiency.
I agree that Transmeta's success is largely because of the hype (due in no small part to the buzz surrounding everything Linus touches), but I think this is an interesting move on AMD's part to further undercut Intel's dominance in the market. AMD has already made processors (Athlon) that are faster than the Pentium line, and much, much cheaper. I forsee a near future (until new applications start really exploiting the P4's netburst architecture, anyway) in which the P4 has nothing on AMD's chips except name recognition, and slightly better benchmarks in Quake III.
Amtrak requires that you give them your CC# to make a reservation, but if you make the reservation over the phone and tell them you have a voucher to redeem, they'll just give you the reservation number. When you get to the station, pay cash.
It could be argued that Microsoft's software has, since the early stages of Windows, simplified its user interface to the point of "condescending" to the user. Windows 95 introduced us to "My Computer" and "My Documents," referring to elements of the operating system as a child might refer to his posessions ("mine, mine.") Windows 98 introduced a stern, almost parental warning that must be clicked through before the user may view to contents of his or her system folder -- etc.
This simplification must be a lucrative marketing strategy for Microsoft in a world where AOL's user base continues to grow, and more and more end users would prefer to own a computer that requires less computer knowledge. On the other hand, Windows NT caters to the business market where UI simplification usually means lack of control over the OS in the best case and lack of OS security in the worst case.
I'm curious to know what conflict, if any, this dual-mindedness causes within Microsoft, and how, if at all, it makes life more difficult for Microsoft marketers like yourself.
When you think about it, domain names are essentially virtual real estate: My home or business is located HERE.COM. It's where people go to visit you or purchase your goods or services. Mail is addressed to you there; you pay rent for its use.
The limitation on.org registration was essentially a zoning law (or regulation), and in the world of real estate, zoning is subject to change. The topless bar down the street will have to relocate if the area isn't zoned for that type of business or organization, and that's that.
But the rules changed, and domain name owners were allowed to build a homes and businesses on these domains..ORG domain names became integral to the identities of countless online entities, many of which invested thousands and thousands of dollars in establishing those identities.
Would we allow an board of corporate individuals whom we did not elect to decide that we were no longer allowed to reside at 219 Main Street, or 1290 Washington Avenue?
Well, it's a catch-22, isn't it? Developers can't take an optional survey to determine which hardware to support -- such a survey would be worthless. What if the only people to respond happened to be 3dfx users?...
IMHO, the correct thing to have done would have been to fully explain the situation in the docs, and have a popup window when you start the first network game that states what information is sent to idsoftware, with a "don't show me this again" checkbox. From there, it's the user's option: send the information to id, or don't buy the game.
It should be obvious that Linux will not die when its hype does, but I do think Linux's hype will be short-lived -- and that there's no way it will ever "replace" Windows. There will always be a market for a weak, friendly-to-the-point-of-patronizing-the-user OS, and that's a market Linux will never -- and should never -- fill.
Windows should exist!!! There are people out there who need an OS that's a no-brainer to install, use, etc. WinX has its place in the market, as does Linux, as does Unix, as does MacOS, as does __insert_personal_fanatacism_here__. There is no one solution -- contrary to Bill Gates' belief. There are appropriate tools for every job, but Gates would have us use a screwdriver not only for screws, but for pounding in nails, opening car doors and serving salad. That's just not the way it works.
...and they really wanted this release to be for its technical contribution to the emulation scene... why no source code?
They knew what they were doing: one-upping other coders in the scene. How cocky is it to proclaim that your software "...may well be the emulation release of 1999" (README.TXT, line 11)... in January of 1999?
The makers of UltraHLE intended this emulator to be used with ROM images with full knowledge that the vast minority of ROM image owners own the ROM itself. The author of this open letter is right: they acquiesced when they should have stood up for the appropriate philosophy.
Of course, this is easy for me to say, because Nintendo's lawyers aren't breathing down my neck...
Slashdot Mirror
"Linux must be this..." "Linux must be that..."
The reason most of us are drawn to this particular OS is because of all the different flavors to choose from. Let Corel or Red Hat make their "standard" Corporate Distro, and the rest of us will use Slackware to learn and play, and Debian for our personal projects. The PPC geek will run yellowdog, &c, &c.
Standardizing Linux will make it the new Windows. This is the most frustrating thing about Linux zealotry: Linux should NOT replace Windows! It should compete with it -- be different from it.
Screwdrivers and wrenches are separate tools for a reason.
ms
"No fingers. Just thumbs."
Now maybe we can set up a decent mirror for the LOTR trailer..
If anyone has a real mirror, please post it.
I feel like bashing Katz is something we all do too easily, but the fact of the matter is that his constant flirtation with hyperbole and sensationalism is a transparent attempt to lend excess weight to his subject. Not every technological issue deserves to be heralded as "reality-changing," Jon. For goodness' sake -- closing my right eye "alters" my "reality," but you don't see me with jaw clenched, writing an article about it. Until writers like Jon emerge from their Neal Stephenson-esque penchant for technological melodrama, their ideas -- most of which are well-informed and worthy of serious discussion -- will be ignored by readers like me, who demand sensible, rational journalistic prose.
AMD has no inroads into the portable/notebook market. Its processors are bad fits for small, light, battery-powered machines because they burn a lot of power and they're big. The new mobile Athlon 4 announced about two Mondays ago, like the Thunderbird, fits on a much larger die than the mobile Pentium processors, and so requires a larger mainboard and will be incompatible with ultraslim notebooks and the like. Transmeta's processors, on the other hand, are smaller and incorporate their own north bridge, so they fit on much smaller PCBs. And we all know about Crusoe's power efficiency.
I agree that Transmeta's success is largely because of the hype (due in no small part to the buzz surrounding everything Linus touches), but I think this is an interesting move on AMD's part to further undercut Intel's dominance in the market. AMD has already made processors (Athlon) that are faster than the Pentium line, and much, much cheaper. I forsee a near future (until new applications start really exploiting the P4's netburst architecture, anyway) in which the P4 has nothing on AMD's chips except name recognition, and slightly better benchmarks in Quake III.
If this were chess, I'd rate AMD's move "!?"...
Amtrak requires that you give them your CC# to make a reservation, but if you make the reservation over the phone and tell them you have a voucher to redeem, they'll just give you the reservation number. When you get to the station, pay cash.
It could be argued that Microsoft's software has, since the early stages of Windows, simplified its user interface to the point of "condescending" to the user. Windows 95 introduced us to "My Computer" and "My Documents," referring to elements of the operating system as a child might refer to his posessions ("mine, mine.") Windows 98 introduced a stern, almost parental warning that must be clicked through before the user may view to contents of his or her system folder -- etc.
This simplification must be a lucrative marketing strategy for Microsoft in a world where AOL's user base continues to grow, and more and more end users would prefer to own a computer that requires less computer knowledge. On the other hand, Windows NT caters to the business market where UI simplification usually means lack of control over the OS in the best case and lack of OS security in the worst case.
I'm curious to know what conflict, if any, this dual-mindedness causes within Microsoft, and how, if at all, it makes life more difficult for Microsoft marketers like yourself.
When you think about it, domain names are essentially virtual real estate: My home or business is located HERE.COM. It's where people go to visit you or purchase your goods or services. Mail is addressed to you there; you pay rent for its use.
.org registration was essentially a zoning law (or regulation), and in the world of real estate, zoning is subject to change. The topless bar down the street will have to relocate if the area isn't zoned for that type of business or organization, and that's that.
.ORG domain names became integral to the identities of countless online entities, many of which invested thousands and thousands of dollars in establishing those identities.
The limitation on
But the rules changed, and domain name owners were allowed to build a homes and businesses on these domains.
Would we allow an board of corporate individuals whom we did not elect to decide that we were no longer allowed to reside at 219 Main Street, or 1290 Washington Avenue?
Script kiddie this, script kiddie that. I'm sick of it. I pay my taxes, I'm balding, I'm in serious debt to MasterCard... I'm a script adult.
Well, it's a catch-22, isn't it? Developers can't take an optional survey to determine which hardware to support -- such a survey would be worthless. What if the only people to respond happened to be 3dfx users?...
IMHO, the correct thing to have done would have been to fully explain the situation in the docs, and have a popup window when you start the first network game that states what information is sent to idsoftware, with a "don't show me this again" checkbox. From there, it's the user's option: send the information to id, or don't buy the game.
Brian,
i l.html
your web site has a photograph of a woman who is nude from the waist down. The photograph can be found at
http://visitors.978.org/people/profiles/diagona
Even if n2h2 isn't aware of this, this image certainly warrants censorship by an anti-porn blocker.
Neil
It should be obvious that Linux will not die when its hype does, but I do think Linux's hype will be short-lived -- and that there's no way it will ever "replace" Windows. There will always be a market for a weak, friendly-to-the-point-of-patronizing-the-user OS, and that's a market Linux will never -- and should never -- fill.
Windows should exist!!! There are people out there who need an OS that's a no-brainer to install, use, etc. WinX has its place in the market, as does Linux, as does Unix, as does MacOS, as does __insert_personal_fanatacism_here__. There is no one solution -- contrary to Bill Gates' belief. There are appropriate tools for every job, but Gates would have us use a screwdriver not only for screws, but for pounding in nails, opening car doors and serving salad. That's just not the way it works.
(my $.02)
Okay.
The "Adam" action figure has a navel.
I'm going to bed now.
...and they really wanted this release to be for its technical contribution to the emulation scene... why no source code?
They knew what they were doing: one-upping other coders in the scene. How cocky is it to proclaim that your software "...may well be the emulation release of 1999" (README.TXT, line 11)... in January of 1999?
The makers of UltraHLE intended this emulator to be used with ROM images with full knowledge that the vast minority of ROM image owners own the ROM itself. The author of this open letter is right: they acquiesced when they should have stood up for the appropriate philosophy.
Of course, this is easy for me to say, because Nintendo's lawyers aren't breathing down my neck...