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User: Ryan+Amos

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  1. Re:Cool, but... on Homebuilt 19" Mini-ITX Server Rack · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They're fine, even ideal for home server usage. If you don't need the CPU power anyway (and honestly an athlon XP 2000+ is way overkill for most home servers) the power savings are nice. A file server doesn't need more than a crappy CPU and some good SCSI/SATA cards. This is especially true because the server will likely be on 24/7.

  2. Re:They have a history of creative events on Movie Theater To Go On Tour · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Are you kidding me? The Alamo Drafthouse is legendary (and extremely successful) in Austin, TX. They've recently expanded to Houston and Dallas. Look for them to go national; a movie theater where you can buy beer and pizza for about the same price as soda and popcorn anywhere else will be very successful. Not to mention they are totally willing to throw you the fuck out if you're noisy/talking on your cell. At their all-day Monday matinee showings, they sell $1 sodas and popcorn. On Wednesday nights at midnight at the original location they show free B-movies which you are encouraged to get drunk and heckle.

    In other words, after going to the Alamo, I rarely see movies elsewhere. They survive by selling some pretty decent food (nothing spectacular, but it beats Chilis) for about the same price you'd pay at a normal restaurant, except you get to watch a movie while eating. Pray they open one in your town, the Alamo is run by film buffs for film buffs without that snooty film buff atmosphere.

  3. Re:YRO? on Might Episodes VII - IX Still Be Made? · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but it kind of took the excitement out of everything when they replaced Darlth Vader's lightsaber with a subpoena.

  4. Re:There are some problems with this. on Green buildings, Green Server Farms? · · Score: 1

    You can't power an entire server farm with solar power, but you can mount a crapload of solar panels on the roof to augment the power from the electric company. Most server farms are already running enormous battery systems (I recall InterNAP had to insert steel beams to reinforce the floor under their datacenter on the 10th floor of a high rise in Houston because of the weight of these batteries) so adding solar panels into the mix would probably not be too hard.

    Basically, solar is not reliable or powerful enough to replace the electric company, but the less grid electricity you use, the less coal needs to be burned (and the less money you have to fork over to your electric company every month.) The price of solar panels is only going down, so I think we'll start seeing a lot of businesses add at least some solar capacity.

    Eventually green power will be cheaper than fossil fuel power, as green power prices are only falling and fossil fuels will only rise in price. At that point I think we'll start seeing a lot of businesses start to take a serious look at green power. Business as a whole will never be ecologically minded until it is more profitable to do so.

  5. Re:But on Green buildings, Green Server Farms? · · Score: 1

    Heh, it should probably be +5 funny. Not that it's funny, but it does seem to be sarcastic, which counts as humor on slashdot. Yet again reinforcing my belief there should be a +5 Sarcastic Asshole moderator option.

  6. Re:Heh on Driver's-Seat Driving Game Controller · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why not go out and drive a real car? Because most of us can't afford cars that are fun to drive fast, nor do we know how to drive them safely at high speeds. As a graduating college student, I don't have the dough for a Ferarri Enzo, but I can drive a simulated one in a video game. For most of us, a video game is the closest we'll ever get to driving the supercar of our dreams. I can also wreck my Ferarri at 180 mph in a video game and come out unscathed, both physically and financially.

  7. Re:It's not GPL'ed either! on OpenOffice 2.0 Criticized on Use of Java · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Stallman is also a maniac who refused to give a speech on his views to the SIGLinux (LUG at the University of Texas) because we were using the name "Linux" and not "GNU/Linux." He doesn't know where to pick his fights and often ends up embroiled in petty feuds over things largely tangential to his main cause. His solutions are often overly idealistic and impractical, i.e. moving everyone who uses Java off of Java.

    Java code, in itself, is not bad. There is a need for a good, compile-once-run-anywhere format, and it seems Java has become the standard for this. Lots of people know how to code Java (in large part due to Sun's involvement in college curriculum,) and this is important, because when writing a piece of software, you want a large pool of knowledgable programmers to choose from. Lots of people know Java, and if Java fits your needs, you're gonna use it.

    Java also makes perfect sense for the kind of stuff OO.o is using it for: basically "plug-in" features not central to the usage of OO.o, but still very useful. This is useful because of the large number of platforms supported by OO.o, they can just release an update to the java code and it will more or less run the same on every platform they support.

    I think in the *nix arena, Java is more useful for application code because of the wide variety of OSes. Java VMs exist for pretty much every known architecture, and they were mostly written by the standards makers for Java (Sun) so they're gonna work pretty much the same. This involves a lot of trust in Sun, but it takes trust in some sort of standards-making body to unify any disjoint architectures. In any case, I trust Sun to start a project like this and stick with it over the years more than I do Stallman and the Free Software goblins.

    The BitKeeper issue is different entirely; it was a commercial product being offered for free, with the possibility that it could be yanked out from under them at any time. There should have been background work on an eventual replacement for BitKeeper well before anything happened. Why is this different from the Java example? Because the OS kernel is totally different and there was no alternative. If Sun were to suddenly make Java pay-to-use, the programs could, for the most part, be rewritten in C++ with minimal effort (most of the work could be done in 15 minutes by a Lisp program.)

  8. Re:Endowment? on Branden Robinson Lays Down the Law at Debian · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Debian is largely irrelevant now anyway; which is exactly why organizations like this should not really plan for the long term. Open source projects are notorious for forking, and open source users are fickle. Debian was the rock star of the Linux world 5 years ago, but now they seem like a shadow of their former self and on the decline in the face of newer distributions like Ubuntu. I don't know anyone who uses vanilla Debian anymore; the package system is cumbersome if adding packages from anyone but Debian and their software is so old that I wouldn't even bother.

    In other words, I guess it's ok to plan for the long term, but realize that in this industry, "long term" is about 5 years. Setting up an endowment might be a bit premature.

  9. Re:the MPAA would stop selling DVD's in France... on French Courts Ban DRM on DVDs · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Don't be stupid, the French love money just as much as the rest of us. Just because they make crappy movies that are "deep and insightful" doesn't mean they won't turn over and sell out at the drop of a hat.

  10. Re:Money on Deconstructing Stupidity - Why is IP Policy Bad? · · Score: 1

    I think this points to the main problem: Patents are not bad, but the current 19th century implementation of them are. There needs to be a quicker patent review and rejection process. If you file a stupid patent, and it is approved, and you try to sue somebody.. they should have the opportunity to prove prior art and overturn the patent in a quick process (I'm talking like a patent review board, not the courts.)

    Also, software patents should carry a shortened lifetime of 5 years because software patents are cheap/free to implement. The reason you normally have 20 (25?) years on a patent is so that you can patent your idea to protect it, then have time to develop the product without risk of someone else stealing it. Software is a different beast; almost any software patent can be implemented in a week or less by a single motivated person working in his basement and copied infinite times for negligable cost.

    Short story, you need the 25 years to develop manufacturing and supply line infrastructure for a product or process. You need a few days with software patents. The duration of software patents should be shortened to promote innovation and progress in the industry. Chances are whatever you came up with will be obsolete in 5 years anyway. This also limits the damage in the case of bad patents; sure they'll still exist, but they'll only be a pain in the ass for 5 years instead of 20.

  11. Re:Holy Hell! on Sony Online To Sell Virtual Property · · Score: 1

    Who cares. It's Everquest 2. The game is already like a job, so I guess Sony wants everyone to get paid for it. Everyone who enjoys this sort of game is playing World of Warcraft anyway, and Blizzard is so dead-set against gold/item selling that this will never happen there. And with the PvP Honor System just released, and EQ2 turning into chinabot heaven after this, I don't see EQ2 going the distance.

  12. Re:This is in no way unconstitutional on Texas Bill to Filter Highway Rest Stop Internet · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but it really doesn't matter. At libraries, you have the issue where sensitive material which may be blocked would have some sort of research value. Most people at a state park aren't going to be doing research, unless it's on fishing or something. :)

  13. Re:SFW on Dell Still Intel Only · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Trust me, if Dell felt it would be more profitable to use AMD, they'd use AMD. The business world has no illusions of brand loyalty (unless the CEO of AMD screwed Michael Dell's wife or something.) As it is, if you want an AMD based server, IBM happens to make some pretty nice ones, and they run 64-bit linux...

  14. This is in no way unconstitutional on Texas Bill to Filter Highway Rest Stop Internet · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a state deciding to block access on a service they provide. Normally I'm against this sort of censorship but it seems limited to the state-run wifi networks, so.. they can really do whatever they want. If you don't like it, they're not forcing you to use their service. I would hope porn would be blocked in city parks, etc. as there are many people (and children) around and honestly, if you need porn, the park/rest stop is probably not the best place anyway. They're just dictating the terms of use of their service though, and the state is free to legislate this sort of thing. In fact, it's their job.

  15. Re:Any reason why you are building it yourself? on Best Motherboard for a Large Memory System? · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Very, very good advice. PC parts (especially very high end stuff like this guy is looking for) are usually at a premium on the consumer market anyway. With an IBM server you get support and a guarantee that everything you buy will work properly under Linux. With bleeding edge high-end stuff, this is not always the case, at least not immediately. Try pricing out an equivalent machine from commodity parts; and remember that for a server you're going to want ECC registered memory. Also remember that, if this is for a business, they are essentially paying you by the hour to build a PC. It's probably cheaper to pay an assembly worker to build a computer than a system admin (and if it's not, you should ask for a raise ;) Like the saying goes, it's only free if your time is worthless.

    This goes for home-built systems as well. Often it's just cheaper to buy a system built in taiwan than to build your own out of the exact same parts. I'm all for geeking it out and building something to your own specs, but for gaming machines or just basic desktop apps a pre-built system saves a lot of headaches.

  16. Re:Overpriced on Router Built for Gamers · · Score: 1

    Most QoS implementations work by prioritizing certain ports or connections flagged as "low latency," i.e. connection negotiation packets and stuff like DNS. There often is no parsing of the data in the TCP packet. One notable exception is Kazaa; it has no native port and can be run on say, port 25 to sneak around filtering so if you want to block certain protocols, you do need some data parsing ability.

    Of course, the overhead adds maybe 2ms and can be handled on any home network by an old pentium. On a larger network you're probably going to be running real hardware from Cisco anyway, which is designed for this kind of stuff.

  17. Re:Overpriced on Router Built for Gamers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So it has QoS? While I agree this is a great feature and unique among routers marketed to home users, it's nothing new. QoS is essential for any network accessing the internet with more than about 10 users on it. There's always going to be some joker running BitTorrent and sucking up all the upstream, so just knock BT/Kazaa to the lowest priority and suddenly everyone else can use the internet again.

    Also this generally only works with outgoing traffic, if your downstream is saturated you still get shitty pings, unless the router on the other end does QoS routing as well. Basically, your router can only prioritize its outgoing queue, the incoming queue is held on the access providers router and you get no control over that. Unless you own the equipment at both ends, in which case you're probably not using one of these routers. :)

    Oh yeah, and Linux has done QoS routing for probably 4 or 5 years. I don't know, I've been using it for at least 2. Granted the Linux QoS implementation is a bit cumbersome, but it's pretty flexible and allows a lot more invasive packet routing (i.e. you can parse packets for god damn kazaa headers and route them into /dev/null .)

  18. Re:why are travellers worried? on Passport Chip Could Attract High-Tech Muggers · · Score: 1

    If you think it's hard to spot an American in a foreign country, you've obviously never been anywhere outside the US.

  19. Gotta love the editorial comments... on Israeli Army Frowns on D&D · · Score: 1

    I especially enjoyed the pictures of D&D players with swords, as generally the only thing in my hand during D&D is soda and/or swiss cake rolls.

    Yes, and that is why you are fat sitting at home and these guys are joining the IDF and killing people.

  20. Re:Other upgrades on SLI Primer · · Score: 1

    I back up anything important. Besides, with Windows you have to reformat every once in a while anyway. ;)

  21. Re:Other upgrades on SLI Primer · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually with a lot of games using seamless worlds these days, there is a lot of read/write activity in game. This creates noticible slowdowns (play World of Warcraft and try running through Ironforge.. lots of HD activity before it loads all the character models/textures/etc.) I actually have a RAID 0 myself, and it does speed things up a bit. Of course, your money is probably better spent on CPU, video and RAM.

  22. Re:People, this isn't RFID!!!!!!!! on Visa To Push Swipeless Credit Cards · · Score: 1

    Yes, RFID is the current buzzword so the slashbots all assume it is the only passive radio spec out there and like to say "RFID" because it makes them sound like they know what they're talking about, which is important because they didn't read the article. Dishonest and unprofessional? Dude, do you even read slashdot? Of course it's dishonest and unprofessional; it's been that way for years. Snide editorial comments that are at best misleading and at worst outright wrong are par for the course.

  23. Re:That's funny on Anti-Muni Broadband Bills Country Wide · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It'd work that way, really, if the corporations didn't play both sides of the game. You're never gonna get elected without a large, large sum of money. Namely because if you don't have it, your opposition does. And unfortunately, money DOES buy political races. Nobody knows who most people running for office even are, so whoevers commercials do a better job getting their name out there (most people vote on name recognition alone) will usually win.

    Don't think local politics is exempt from this; most local politicians aspire to higher offices. Local governments are often corrupt and short sighted, at least in large cities, and will put a few quick bucks ahead of any sort of long term progress, as they'll have a higher statewide office by the time anything bad comes of it. If they can show the corporations how much they care (as they did in Houston, by making it policy to ignore any and all environmental violations by the oil refineries; now Houston has the most polluted air in the country) then they can get some help when they want that next level of political power.

    It may be just my experiences with it, but government basically is run by corporations. IMO corporate donations to political parties should be banned outright. Politics should be the domain of the people, personal contributions to campaigns ONLY. Of course, this will never happen, and I'll let you figure out why.

  24. Re:Some more details... on The Super Superhighway · · Score: 1

    Well Austin traffic really isn't that bad unless you try to blow through town at 6:00, in which case you're pretty much screwed in ANY city. But also keep in mind that this is pretty much evolutionary; I-10 in Houston is being rebuilt (again) to widen it to 25 lanes. And it needs it, cause you haven't been in traffic till you've tried to drive from downtown to Katy during rush-hour. It takes about 3 hours to go 40 miles. The entire I-35 corridor really isn't that bad. The trouble spots in Dallas were alleviated with the construction of the Hi-5 there. No way it can really go *around* Dallas, when you're talking Texas cities there's lots of available land and thus ungodly urban sprawl.

    And I feel your pain on the small towns. Fuck you, Giddings, TX. And yeah, Texas is really big. I'll be driving 14 hours to New Mexico in a week, and 10 of those will be in Texas. ;)

  25. Re:Wikipedia on The Coming Atlantic Mega-Tsunami · · Score: 1

    Where's the cost? You could probably do it for a few million or less, which is nothing to a government agency. All you need are a few geologists and some dynamite. Of course, the same could be said for any persons who might WANT to create a 300 ft wall of water and send it at the eastern coast of the Americas. So who knows.