Actually, I've never used KDE in my life, and that sir, is the honest truth whether you believe it not, Mr. Anonymous ball washer. I've been a gnome user ever since using my first linux desktop several years ago.
However, when I look at the "what's new" page for this release, I'm not impressed. When I go to the KDE website to see what that desktop is all about, I see a lot of things I like... tons of mature apps, a large user base. So on my gentoo system, as I write this post, I'm emerging KDE to give it a shot. After spending a few hours studying KDE through documentation and several websites, I'm convinced I'll enjoy my experience, and will likely kick myself in the balls for not making the switch sooner.
I'm currently running gnome 2.8... I just upgraded from 1.4 the other day, and really I haven't noticed much of a difference. Everything is just about the same, only dumbed down a bit. Maybe that's why you like gnome so much... but either way, I'm getting the distinct feeling that if I remain a gnome user, I really shouldn't expect any major revelations in desktop excellence any time soon.
I think you're missing some of the bigger features in the new release:
- A new "about box" in GTK+ 2.6! (I was wondering when this feature would finally arrive!)
- When using keyboard navigation to open the parent folder (Alt-Up), the current folder will be selected! (yay)
- New background images and patterns! (that'll go great with the solid color currently on my desktop)... and lets not overlook the new crazy features in Epiphany:
- The location bar now indicates whether the site is secure, and shows its favicon! (wow, favicons!)
---
Alrighty then... following this new superb release of gnome, I'm going to upgrade straight from 2.8 to KDE!
Ever hear of Onstar? Ever hear of the black box under your seat? Got one of those new fancy cars with the built in map displays? If you believe that gps tracking in your vehicles isn't being done yet, then you might want to wake up.
... and 998 of these functions have one- or two-letter names!
I've never seen the gmail code, but let's do some basic math, shall we?
26 letters in the alphabet... assuming all 2-letter combinations (ignoring case), 26 x 26 = 676.
676 2-letter combinations + 26 possibilities for the function names with 1 letter = 702.
702 possible function names, as long as we ignore case. BUT, AFAIK, javascript is a case sensative beast -- function "bb" is not the same at "BB".
998 - 702 = 296.
296 could be a couple of things... it could be that the gmail code has multiple occurances of the same letter combinations, but using different cases, which would be scary. It's also possible that the same function names are appearing multiple times within the code, perhaps in different scopes (does javascript even have scoping?).
Yeah, I'm with you man... and the few other posters that have mentioned it. Except for the TLD mafia (ICANN), there isn't any real purpose served by TLDs in the modern internet. Let's get rid of this useless crap already!!
It starts like this... robots that can digest flies.
Next, the technology gets better and the robots can digest multiple "foods".
Then, the technology gets better and the robots can use the energy to produce acids and other materials it needs to support the digestion of it's energy source, becoming autonomous in the realm of energy.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots become more efficient and have better motor skills.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots are able to be built with organic "computers" and parts.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots gain reasoning, intelligence and emotion via AI.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots are able to build copies of themselves... reproduction.
Then, we shuttle a few of these new units off to another planet and it's our turn to play god and watch as they repeat the process.
Sorry guys... link is broken... I went on the assumption that the problem with the link was the missing slash after ".com"... but I guess that wasn't it! Apparently the original poster is just an idiot.
I'd like to know why this municipality is wasting money on hiring someone without a well defined job. No offense buddy, just that governments shouldn't have extra money to waste.
Here's just my observation about the whole signal "shifting" problem...
First of all, it's doppler shift. Amateur radio operators deal with doppler shift in radio signals when operating amateur satellites. Basically, when either a transmitting station or receiving station are in motion, the transmitted signal will appear lower or higher in frequency at the receiving station, depending on whether the stations are moving closer together or further apart.
It was suggested in the article that the cause of the "drifting" would be due to planetary motion... ie: doppler shift of the frequency. It was also noted by the author that any intelligent life transmitting a beacon signal should be "smart enough" to adjust the frequency to compensate for the shift, and that since the signal doesn't appear to be adjusted for doppler, it can't be an alien signal.
Here's the problem with that assumption: It assumes that the aliens are intending earth as the recipient of the signal.
It's most likely that the subject signal is being pointed somewhere else and intended for someone else... not us.
It's important here to point out that doppler shift will vary between any two points. SO... a signal pointed toward one recipient and corrected for doppler may indeed be received at another point with increased shift because of doppler plus the correction factor. This would explain the wild swings in frequency shift.
Additionally, going on the theory here that we are not the intended recipients of the signal... and thus perhaps not directly in the path of the strongest part of the signal, also explains why reception was a bit weak here at earth.
A mortgage is a serious transaction... so why in the hell would anyone in their right mind trust somebody who can't even spell mortgage in an honest way? It baffles my mind!
No thanks, I'll pass on that m0Rt~ga'gE offer, you shithead.
The author has demonstrated his lack of understanding of RF basics.
Even a sliver of new unlicensed spectrum in the very low frequencies could therefore make an enormous difference. It could, for example, make possible a cheap alternative to cable and digital-subscriber line modems (for which roads have to be dug up and trees uprooted) in delivering high-speed internet access across "the last mile" to the consumer.
Nope, sorry captain. "Very low frequencies", A.K.A. "VLF" cover about 10-30kHz. Read up on Nyquist's theorem... there's some math involved, but it basically dictates maximum data rates at any given frequency. Even then, in real world applications, maximum data rates are typically lower than nyquist rates.
For example, I'm a licensed amateur radio operator, and I actively transmit and receive data at 144.390 mHz... at this frequency (VHF, much higher than VLF), data is typically sent at 1200baud. Much higher than that and it becomes more difficult.
Basically, theoretical data rates increase as the frequency of a signal increases.
In another ham band, around 435mHz (UHF), satellites typically send data at 9600baud.
So, data rates are still relatively useless for broadband applications at any realistic point below anything ending with "gigahertz". There's no way in hell (do the math, thank you nyquist) that VLF could be a "last mile" solution.
On to another point regarding "mesh networks"... (thank you oh great queen of buzzwords)... I encourage you to study some basic radio theory, get your ham license, and experiment with the APRS network which runs on 144.390mHz... it's a world-wide "mesh network" which is very active, and very effective, and very well suited for it's purpose.
I really think it's funny that a single comment against U2 has suddenly brought on comments from people that assume to know the type of music I listen to. Funny, really!
Redux: Radiohead is worse than U2. Hello Computer? No clue man, never heard of 'em. From another comment, Metallica? c'mon!! Although, good gawd at least nobody accused me of listening to country.
I agree... it would indeed be sad to see Spaceship-One go into a hanger and never come out again, except for a trip to the smithsonian 30 years later.
Of course, I really want to see a successful X-prize flight, followed by a series of private companies getting in line to order their own spacecraft from Scaled Composites.
NASA would make a very smart move by buying a couple of these and using them for actual routine space-flights. Of course, my intuition tells me that NASA would buy a few of these and then somehow figure a way to make a launch cost 100 million with a 2-year turn around on launch times.
Can you imagine the not-so-distant future where there will be several companies around the globe operating these craft, performing such tasks as launching microsats, ferrying world leaders around the globe in a matter of a few minutes, etc.? It's going to be amazing. If it progresses to the point where several companies are operating spacecraft, then NASA will have no purpose, other than perhaps acting as a regulatory agency like the FAA.
Yep, that's exactly it! I know this first hand because I wrote software for motor vehicle registration which is used by several municipalities within the state of Maine. Due to state regulations, the software relies on the VIN as a UNIQUE value to represent each vehicle record. So, when VINs are no longer unique, the software will need to be fixed. If VINs are extended, the software will need to be fixed. Either way, something as seemingly simpls as a VIN number could make an impact on the economy.
In the article, the author gives an example of an application that doesn't work properly under WineX... GAIM. Well, WTF... why the hell would anyone running WineX try to run Win2k GAIM when the app is native to *nix anyway? Just a thought.
Slashdot Mirror
... from the Stating The Obvious files, comes an image of the current shuttle crew and their affinity for their current location behind the shuttle.
m /0 5pd0490-m.jpg
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/mediu
Actually, I've never used KDE in my life, and that sir, is the honest truth whether you believe it not, Mr. Anonymous ball washer. I've been a gnome user ever since using my first linux desktop several years ago.
... I just upgraded from 1.4 the other day, and really I haven't noticed much of a difference. Everything is just about the same, only dumbed down a bit. Maybe that's why you like gnome so much... but either way, I'm getting the distinct feeling that if I remain a gnome user, I really shouldn't expect any major revelations in desktop excellence any time soon.
However, when I look at the "what's new" page for this release, I'm not impressed. When I go to the KDE website to see what that desktop is all about, I see a lot of things I like... tons of mature apps, a large user base. So on my gentoo system, as I write this post, I'm emerging KDE to give it a shot. After spending a few hours studying KDE through documentation and several websites, I'm convinced I'll enjoy my experience, and will likely kick myself in the balls for not making the switch sooner.
I'm currently running gnome 2.8
I think you're missing some of the bigger features in the new release:
... and lets not overlook the new crazy features in Epiphany:
- A new "about box" in GTK+ 2.6!
(I was wondering when this feature would finally arrive!)
- When using keyboard navigation to open the parent folder (Alt-Up), the current folder will be selected!
(yay)
- New background images and patterns!
(that'll go great with the solid color currently on my desktop)
- The location bar now indicates whether the site is secure, and shows its favicon!
(wow, favicons!)
---
Alrighty then... following this new superb release of gnome, I'm going to upgrade straight from 2.8 to KDE!
Bravo! I agree with that 100% ... Rutan's designs never cease to amaze me, and someday I'd like to shake his hand.
Ever hear of Onstar? Ever hear of the black box under your seat? Got one of those new fancy cars with the built in map displays? If you believe that gps tracking in your vehicles isn't being done yet, then you might want to wake up.
EMP Pulse
Electro-Magnetic Pulse Pulse? Sweet!
... innovative memory card packaging technology ...
Umm... no, not really "technology". Innovative? Definitely. New technology? Not really.
... and 998 of these functions have one- or two-letter names!
... assuming all 2-letter combinations (ignoring case), 26 x 26 = 676.
... it could be that the gmail code has multiple occurances of the same letter combinations, but using different cases, which would be scary. It's also possible that the same function names are appearing multiple times within the code, perhaps in different scopes (does javascript even have scoping?).
I've never seen the gmail code, but let's do some basic math, shall we?
26 letters in the alphabet
676 2-letter combinations + 26 possibilities for the function names with 1 letter = 702.
702 possible function names, as long as we ignore case. BUT, AFAIK, javascript is a case sensative beast -- function "bb" is not the same at "BB".
998 - 702 = 296.
296 could be a couple of things
The threat may be incurable bacterial infections we have no cure for.
Wisdom from the Department of Redundancy Department.
Yeah, I'm with you man ... and the few other posters that have mentioned it. Except for the TLD mafia (ICANN), there isn't any real purpose served by TLDs in the modern internet. Let's get rid of this useless crap already!!
First clue ... anything with the word "hip" in it, isn't.
My vote is that it was probably designed by an empty gray haired jackass filling a $3000 suit with minimal connections to reality.
Here's a clue for you folks at Hip-E hipquarters... telling a teen that something is cool, makes it not so.
Umm... dude, better read up on HTTP/1.1
It starts like this ... robots that can digest flies.
... reproduction.
Next, the technology gets better and the robots can digest multiple "foods".
Then, the technology gets better and the robots can use the energy to produce acids and other materials it needs to support the digestion of it's energy source, becoming autonomous in the realm of energy.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots become more efficient and have better motor skills.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots are able to be built with organic "computers" and parts.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots gain reasoning, intelligence and emotion via AI.
Then, the technology gets better and the robots are able to build copies of themselves
Then, we shuttle a few of these new units off to another planet and it's our turn to play god and watch as they repeat the process.
Sorry guys... link is broken ... I went on the assumption that the problem with the link was the missing slash after ".com" ... but I guess that wasn't it! Apparently the original poster is just an idiot.
http://www.alienware.com/alxpagesarea51alx.aspxsit eid3oid2100-1042-5347518ontid1040lopnlex/
I'd like to know why this municipality is wasting money on hiring someone without a well defined job. No offense buddy, just that governments shouldn't have extra money to waste.
Here's just my observation about the whole signal "shifting" problem ...
... ie: doppler shift of the frequency. It was also noted by the author that any intelligent life transmitting a beacon signal should be "smart enough" to adjust the frequency to compensate for the shift, and that since the signal doesn't appear to be adjusted for doppler, it can't be an alien signal.
... a signal pointed toward one recipient and corrected for doppler may indeed be received at another point with increased shift because of doppler plus the correction factor. This would explain the wild swings in frequency shift.
First of all, it's doppler shift. Amateur radio operators deal with doppler shift in radio signals when operating amateur satellites. Basically, when either a transmitting station or receiving station are in motion, the transmitted signal will appear lower or higher in frequency at the receiving station, depending on whether the stations are moving closer together or further apart.
It was suggested in the article that the cause of the "drifting" would be due to planetary motion
Here's the problem with that assumption: It assumes that the aliens are intending earth as the recipient of the signal.
It's most likely that the subject signal is being pointed somewhere else and intended for someone else... not us.
It's important here to point out that doppler shift will vary between any two points. SO
Additionally, going on the theory here that we are not the intended recipients of the signal... and thus perhaps not directly in the path of the strongest part of the signal, also explains why reception was a bit weak here at earth.
Armchair scientists unite!
A mortgage is a serious transaction ... so why in the hell would anyone in their right mind trust somebody who can't even spell mortgage in an honest way? It baffles my mind!
No thanks, I'll pass on that m0Rt~ga'gE offer, you shithead.
The author has demonstrated his lack of understanding of RF basics.
... at this frequency (VHF, much higher than VLF), data is typically sent at 1200baud. Much higher than that and it becomes more difficult.
... (thank you oh great queen of buzzwords) ... I encourage you to study some basic radio theory, get your ham license, and experiment with the APRS network which runs on 144.390mHz ... it's a world-wide "mesh network" which is very active, and very effective, and very well suited for it's purpose.
Even a sliver of new unlicensed spectrum in the very low frequencies could therefore make an enormous difference. It could, for example, make possible a cheap alternative to cable and digital-subscriber line modems (for which roads have to be dug up and trees uprooted) in delivering high-speed internet access across "the last mile" to the consumer.
Nope, sorry captain. "Very low frequencies", A.K.A. "VLF" cover about 10-30kHz. Read up on Nyquist's theorem... there's some math involved, but it basically dictates maximum data rates at any given frequency. Even then, in real world applications, maximum data rates are typically lower than nyquist rates.
For example, I'm a licensed amateur radio operator, and I actively transmit and receive data at 144.390 mHz
Basically, theoretical data rates increase as the frequency of a signal increases.
In another ham band, around 435mHz (UHF), satellites typically send data at 9600baud.
So, data rates are still relatively useless for broadband applications at any realistic point below anything ending with "gigahertz". There's no way in hell (do the math, thank you nyquist) that VLF could be a "last mile" solution.
On to another point regarding "mesh networks"
I really think it's funny that a single comment against U2 has suddenly brought on comments from people that assume to know the type of music I listen to. Funny, really!
Redux: Radiohead is worse than U2. Hello Computer? No clue man, never heard of 'em. From another comment, Metallica? c'mon!! Although, good gawd at least nobody accused me of listening to country.
... and in a related article containing an even worse threat, "U2 Threatens To Release Another Album".
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! THE CRAPPY MUSIC COMETH!
Oh, you mean the US isn't the entire world? Sorry, I didn't know.
This is very a very smart comment!
I agree... it would indeed be sad to see Spaceship-One go into a hanger and never come out again, except for a trip to the smithsonian 30 years later.
Of course, I really want to see a successful X-prize flight, followed by a series of private companies getting in line to order their own spacecraft from Scaled Composites.
NASA would make a very smart move by buying a couple of these and using them for actual routine space-flights. Of course, my intuition tells me that NASA would buy a few of these and then somehow figure a way to make a launch cost 100 million with a 2-year turn around on launch times.
Can you imagine the not-so-distant future where there will be several companies around the globe operating these craft, performing such tasks as launching microsats, ferrying world leaders around the globe in a matter of a few minutes, etc.? It's going to be amazing. If it progresses to the point where several companies are operating spacecraft, then NASA will have no purpose, other than perhaps acting as a regulatory agency like the FAA.
Yep, that's exactly it! I know this first hand because I wrote software for motor vehicle registration which is used by several municipalities within the state of Maine. Due to state regulations, the software relies on the VIN as a UNIQUE value to represent each vehicle record. So, when VINs are no longer unique, the software will need to be fixed. If VINs are extended, the software will need to be fixed. Either way, something as seemingly simpls as a VIN number could make an impact on the economy.
In the article, the author gives an example of an application that doesn't work properly under WineX ... GAIM. Well, WTF... why the hell would anyone running WineX try to run Win2k GAIM when the app is native to *nix anyway? Just a thought.