A recent article in DesktopLinux reported that four countries have each committed to buy 1 million laptops. The OLPC spokesperson was misquoted: no agreement had been signed. We continue to cooperate with Thailand, Brasil, Argentina, and Nigeria, but no one has committed to purchase laptops nor has OLPC asked anyone to sign a purchase agreement yet. We apologize for any confusion.
I would think that the best way to get an Alt OS to catch on would be to bundle it with hardware, and to only allow approved hardware (re: the company's own or a few select third party hardware providers).
Worked pretty well for Apple back in the day... however, there will always be people that complain, "this OS does not have support for this device or that device." Heck, this still happens now with OS X and Linux and they are major players.
So, in other words, make a new device that is revolutionary (a "usable" instant-on travel computer for instance with LOTS of storage -- Palm and CE just don't get the storage part yet, but I digress), bundle your own OS, and own hardware.
As long as the device and OS are good, fans and adopters will come.
Bad Example: Psion's EPOC devices: great little devices with little hardware options that ran for days on standard AA batteries, but unfortunately they had a lousy OS. Getting Close Example: the new 20gb Linux PMA devices from Archos, but they do not have a typable keyboard integrated and are just too expensive for the the masses.
It has to be a mix of good device and good OS, otherwise it won't work (oh, and price).
I see a lot of comments complaining that this device is too expansive, too big, not open enough (because it supports DRM), too small of screen, etc. I've also seen this compared to the iPod for some reason. Why? To me this looks like an extension of Archos popular (but flawed) AV400 with a Sharp Zaurus feature set added. It could be a Linux-hacker's dream (if affordable).
The main Pro to adding the Zaurus-like Qtopia here is that it will probably (or hopefully) be easy to port all the software over from the now dead Zaurus SL-5x00 series (which also has the same 240x320 screen resolution).
The other obvious pros are the 30gb drive and the Tivo-like ability. Can your PDA do that? I currently have a Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 with the 640x480 screen. It's an awesome device when paired with a CF connectivity card and a large SD card, but SD cards just do not provide enough storage for all my files. 30gb sure would. And the ability to push button record movies... that would save a lot of work with current PDA solutions.
There are negatives too however. (1) Archos support is questionable. (2) The screen. Why skimp on the screen? If you compare this device to the Sharp SL-C3000 with the 4GB mini HD it prices out about same, yet the C3000 has 640x480. (3) These devices that try to do everything ultimately leave you wanting more.... I've been through about 15 different PDAs, and 20 different mini-laptops. Still searching. (4) no integrated keyboard. If you put WiFi on a device, a keyboard sure is nice.
So many arguments, -Should a PDA play music, take pictures, mix drinks, or just do PIM? -Should a travel mini-computer need to run a full OS (like XP on the flipster and OQO)? Or should it be stripped down, cheaper, and have instant-on? -The feature-price-performance riddle will probably never be solved. What is right for one person, will just annoy the heck out of someone else. For example, next people will complain that this device does not have a phone.
END OF RANT. Cliffs-notes version: cool and tiny Linux device to keep the all that Zaurus software living on a little bit longer (if people buy it).
Ever try Google? This product IS available now from stores besides Amazon. Believe it or not, you can by products at stores besides Amazon (albeit a very few -- I've only found 4 that have this in stock right now)
One of the stores has this LOW COST player in stock now is eCost: http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecce/shop/detail.asp? dp no=511652
$170 for 20GB is pretty good, however people that have bought this (check engadget's forms) say it is a pretty cheap MP3 player. Think of it more as a external 20gb drive that just happens to play audio.
Link to the manufacturer's site is here: http://www.entempo.com/products.html
Give the man a break... I've seen a lot of criticism in these posts directed at Patrick for several reasons, including the following:
1. For sending a plea to the internet for help 2. For switching doctors 3. For bombarding himself with antibiotics 4. For trying to self-diagnose himself 5. For not saving everything he coughed up.
Give the man a break people. Stop criticizing and show some sympathy. He has been sick for a long time now, and he is obviously frustrated. There is nothing wrong with asking others for help or ideas that he can take to his doctor.
Having been through two major issues that doctors took 2-3 years to correctly diagnose, I can relate. My 8-year battle with a stomach/digestion/IBS issue (which I'm told now is untreatable) and my past equilibrium/inner ear/dizziness issues were not caught and treated until I switched doctors after 2 years of searching of an answer. In both cases, all my tests (blood, upper/lower G.I.s, etc, etc) came back negative over the years. The tests all said that I am healthy. It wasn't until I started keeping detailed symptom logs (and diet logs) and started searching on my own that I was able to convince my doctor(s) to try other solutions and we found better solutions together.
For example, on the dizziness issue, I always asked if my seasonal allergy mediation might be to blame. My doctor (and pharmacist) always told me that it was not my allergy medication. After two years and a home move I switched pharmacists, but kept the same doctor. This new pharmacist told me and gave me printed clinical proof that some of the side-effects of this medicine were dizziness and, in extreme cases, loss of equilibrium and joint and back pain (all of these were symptoms of mine). Armed with this new information I proceeded back to my doctor and he took me off the allergy medicine. Within a month I was back to normal. Again, this was after two years of tests, probes, and unfortunately doctor prescribed antibiotics to try and treat my illness (any idea why antibodies are prescribed so much?)
Oh, one more issue (and this is a little gross)... about once a month, due to my stomach "issues", I either crap blood or occasionally barf up something gross. In the EIGHT years that this has been going on, I have not collected each and every extraction to take to my doctors. I've caught a few over the years (all negative/normal), but the gut reaction to anything like this is to flush or rinse it down. So, when Pat says in the post that he coughed up yellow stinky stuff.... lay off him for not taking everything that comes out of him to a doctor for tests. That gets old for your doctor really quickly.
So, in summary, give the man a break and wish him well, and if you do have USEFUL help or suggestions for him, please provide them.
Pat.... I wish you the best of luck. Don't give up on your doctors. Make sure that they keep testing. Follow the good advice you receive for people (but mainly your doctors). Document everything if possible and only if you feel up to it. Also, multiple sources of information help doctors make decisions (I think others have already mentioned this). I sincerely hope you get the treatment, rest, and relaxation that you need. The Slackware community will still be here when you get back on your feet.
Good Luck and Get Well Soon!!!
Regards, -from a loyal Slackware user/subscriber
(user since v3.2 / subscriber since v8.1)
Thank You, I didn't know.... that's why I asked. I just wanted to know.
I guess I was confused because StarOffice always asks you to install Java too. Must be a Sun thing. So Star and OO do not need or use Java at all? Again, excuse my ignorance.
Excuse my ignorance here... and correct me, because I really want to know...
But are the load time issues with apps such as OpenOffice effected by Java? Java apps are still slower by leaps and bounds than than apps written in a non-interpretive language. This is not meant to start a flame war over Java. I think Java is great. It's really convenient to write an apps once than can be used on most systems that support Java.
I started the whole StarOffice/OpenOffice trip during the 5.x version in around 1999/2000. I tested them both on Windows (98/NT) and Linux (Slackware 7.x). 5.x took forever to load in those days (even on 300+ mHz hardware it would take sometimes 2 minutes). It was an interface that took over the task bar and our users hated it's speed and interface. This was at a time when our office was still using Lotus's Office Suite. We were evauluating whether or not to go to Microsoft Office, Wordperfect Office, or StarOffice (unfortunately we had to go with MS). We again evaulated StarOffice 6 and OpenOffice 1.0 a couple of years later. In all tests, users abosolutely hated the responsiveness of OpenOffice (and Star Office). MS Office and Wordperfect continue to finish 1 and 2 in our yearly user evals.
Now, I ask my original question with a new twist... Is that fact that Wordperfect Office, MS Office, and Lotus Suite are written in C++, VB, etc. and using native OS APIs what makes them more responsive? Or is the fact that OO and Star run through an intrepreter at run time? Is Java the reason OO is slow and not OO itself?
I'm just curious. I use OO on my home PC, but getting the office to switch is a losing battle because of the "feature-rich" speed of it.
By the way, I think the posted article is spot on... Very few average users update their hardware every year. Heck my father has run his first PC for 8 years and is going on 3 with his current Win2K box. He has no plans to upgrade machines, however he has been looking for a new OS. Sadly, his old 550-mhz chip will just not handle any current "User-Friendly" newbie-Linux (Lindows/Lycoris/Xandros). It seems to me that Linux has started making the assumption that the average Joe can afford to buy a new PC every 1-2 years. "Feature-richness" (aka Bloat) will keep Linux off the desktops of general public. General users, unfortunately for us in the Linux world, just want stuff that works quickly on what they've already got.
Just my 2-cents here. I'm admittedly wrong 50% of the time.
-Revoke
(Slackware 9.1/IceWM/curtom kernel for laptop)
Some general comments after reading the posts, and checking the links...
It looks like the actual WideScreen offering from Sony is the
S-series
(Link:
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/VGN-S70B/), not the E-series as
mentioned in the post. Looks cool, but I think the WideScreen to buy if
you are going to go ye old Windows or Linux route would be a 64-bit offering,
like the current
64-bit AMD laptop from eMachines.
Glad to see that Sony lowered the resolution on the U-series. The older
U1/U3/U101 model had XGA resolution on a 6.4 screen. I saw a U3 at trade
show...beautiful screen, but talk about turning you cross-eyed. It was
almost necessary to use the magnifier tool on every screen. 800x600 just
makes more sense on a screen this small.
Any finally, that new VAIO Pocket player looks more like
RCA Lyra Audio/Video jukebox then it does the iPod. I believe the Lyra
lasted less than a year for RCA (they don't sell it from their web site
anymore). I'd say Sony's will most likely follow that same fate.
Most consumers I know want more storage in a smaller size, not larger.
My Japanese is not that good, but my vision is... for now
Re:Lonely Planets and a very Rare Earth
on
Lonely Planets
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Actually, Ward and Brownlee do make estimates as to how many solar systems
there are in the known universe based on current projections of galaxies and
known (discovered) solar systems. They do not look at particular planets
and say that life does not exist on planet A, B, or C. Instead, they
discuss all the conditions necessary for the Earth to sustain life and show that
repeating Earth's environment (or even something close) is difficult.
Earth's evolution for instance proceeded in the way that it did due to millions
of factors (climate, planet changing events such as meteors, volcanoes,... etc.)
So, you are right... we cannot say for sure life does not exist on a
particular planet without knowing that a planet exists. However, based
and what we know about life-sustaining systems (such as Earth) and current
percentage of know solar systems, we can estimate the number and probability
that planets that meet the correct criteria for life can actually have life,
intelligent life, and sustain it.
Anyway, check out my original link to Rare Earth book, pick a used
copy somewhere (I believe
Alldirect.com and
Walmart have the best prices on the book new or used) and check out Ward and
Brownlee's arguments for yourself. I am not doing the book any justice
with my quick capsule review. Check it out for yourself if you are
interested in E.T. arguments and speculation.
Lonely Planets and a very Rare Earth
on
Lonely Planets
·
· Score: 4, Informative
If you like this book by Grinspoon, you may also like Rare
Earth by Ward and Brownlee. Rare Earth presents arguments to show
why intelligent life elsewhere in the universe may be very rare indeed.
Life may exist elsewhere, but complex and intelligent life? If you
consider all the variables needed on Earth (distance from star, size and effect
of moon, evolution, climate, etc.), the possibility that another planet with the
exact same conditions exists is very rare.
Ward and Brownlee don't come right out and say that other intelligent life
doesn't exist (there is always hope). They just show that the chances that
intelligent life does exist on other planets is low. A great read,
although more serious in tone and its science than Grinspoon. And for
those of you that love all the footnotes in Grinspoon's Lonely Planets,
you may want to check out his Venus book, Venus
Revealed, as well. Another great read. Grinspoon definitely
knows his stuff.
(okay, so I'm a little late with my comment on this one...)
What about selling physical copys of the CDs as well? Some people still would like a quality CD, not a CD-R that may or may not work in some CD players. Also, depending on the brand of CD-R and quality of CD-R burner, a burned disc may only last a couple of years (a believe Slashdot had a recent story a the short lives of CD-Rs). In short, If I buy an album that I know I'll keep, I want it to last. Downloads just don't cut it here.
Also, it's nice to get the artwork and liner notes. If I'm going to shell out $5-18 ($8 recommended) for a CD, I rather have the auctual CD with artwork.
Now where I see this model working is for bands that are passing fads... Remember, the swing movement a few years back... I didn't think so. If you only want to listen to one song/album for a little while and toss it, this model works.
So to sum up. Good for short term music listerner, but for people that like to keep things around a while (for example, classical music lovers), this model simply does not work.
Oh, one more note on the the Artwork/Classic comments above. I noticed that they have a CD by the incredably talented AND beautiful Lara St. John. You definitely want the artwork with her CDs (check it out for yourself).
It seems lots of companies are jumping on the Linxu PDA wagon these days (Powerplay V, Softfield VR3, Zaurus, etc). This is great for those of use that use Linux, but the the main problem I see with all of these devices is that they only Sync with Windows out of the box.
Empower Tech, Softfield, Sharp, and now Royal should all be providing software to Sync with Linux (as well as Windows for the Other 95% of the population).
Why is this this so important? Well what has annoyed me the most about linux PDAs is that all the dev tools are in Linux, then you have to transfer your apps over to a Windows Partition to use there Windows transfer software load it (or use Wine).
No Linux PDA will be successful until it Syncs (and Syncs well) with Linux. Heck, some Palm PDAs are easily to sync to with Linux then the current Linux PDA offerings.
The market already has successful PDA platforms that Sync with Windows (Palm, Pocket PC, Psion). Why not finally make one that Syncs with Linux out of the box?
Somehow I doubt Royal will step up to the plate in this regard.
I know I'm a little late with this suggestion, but here goes:
Casio has a CE device called the The Cassiopeia "Computer Extender" that comes in two flavors: one with/modem & PC Card (A22T) and one without (A22S). It is made for education. High School and College.
http://www.casio.com/personalpcs/section.cfm?sec ti on=20
The interesting thing about these two PDA/Palmtop devices is that they run 3 really nice Mathematical applications, namely:
1. Maple V for Windows CE-High School/College
2. The Geometer's Sketchpad
3. MRI Graphing Software
Now, all these applications do come at a cost (about $100) each, but then again, the Casio can be found for about $100(new) on eBay or another after market source.
I owned a A22T and the fact that it has two expansion slots (Compact Flash/PC Card) allow you to store a lot of data. And the modem let me share math problems to friends (who have Maple).
For me it was do everything machine. I took it traveling and used it like a digital wallet for any pictures I take and I used it as an MP3 player as well (handles 96kbps/128kbps OK). I could also, check in with friends using the modem. When I got home I could upload any files to a desktop machine.
PROS: The application set: Word, Excel, IE come with the device. Additional programs like MS Money, Pocket Streets, Mobipocket or Palm Pocket Viewer for ebooks, PocketC for development, MS Plus Pack (comes with an Image Viewer and Register Editor), and HUM MP3 Player will complete an excellent device. There is also a lot of older software for the SH3 available on the web (like Python which is too cool).
CONS: quick data entry is not all that possible. The keyboard is small and there is no handwritting software (unless you purchase Caligrapher or similar). The screen is not color, so the mathematical graphs, while very useful, may prove hard to read. Also, the 80mhz SH3 processor is a little slow compared to a device like the HP Jornada 720 which using the new MS standard 206mhz StrongARM. Also, only ARM devices will be used in future HandheldPC/PocketPCs so the applications will start to disappear for this little guy. Also, for those who HATE Microsoft, this is a Windows device. That means no Linux or MAC support.
TO SUM UP: It's worth a look, just don't expect lightning fast data entry.
I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned or not, but for those of you that don't want to break out an old DOS box try Interplay's versions, which run on modern OSes.
Interplay released the "Ultimate Wizardry Archives" a few years back. It runs great on Win 95/98/ME/etc and includes Wizardries 1 - 7 and Gold. 1 is still my favorite (kill those Murphy's Ghosts for big EXP points!)
You can even transfer the earlier versions of Wizardry to floppy and run them on another PC from within windows, all without those pesky scenario disks. I picked up the achives direct from Interplay for something like $15-20. I'd give you the exact price, but www.interplay.com is blocked by my work proxy:(
Still, for around $15 you get 8 classic Wizardry games for probably 1/3 of what Wizardry 8 will run.
For me, SlackWare is the more flexible Linux distro into terms of installing. Because of its 8.3 install file format, Old school DOS applications like INTERLNK.EXE can be used to transfer install files to a partition on a PC without a CD-ROM. With every other distro, this is not possible to do since they have long file names. It may sound very un-Linux to use 8.3 file format, but it allows me to install Linux on my old P133 laptop which does not have a CD-ROM or network card.
One of the initial draws to Linux was that it could run on hardware the was old or not all that powerful. Slackware still fills this part of Linux. A low end Pentium laptop, 32mb of RAM, and 2gb do nicely with SlackWare (even 8.0).
I hope the distro keeps going... I'll continue to use it on the best equipment 6 years ago had to offer.
Although the real way to keep a project going is to jump in and help, but since I'm not all that accomplished a programmer yet... all I have given to Slack is $$$ for the distro disks, which is probably something users who enjoy a piece of software should do. Pay for what you like, don't use/pay for the stuff you don't. If you like Slack and want to see it survive, then help keep it going (either with coding or cash).
Re:Compaq Armada M300 or Mitsubishi Amity CN2/3
on
Which Laptop To Buy?
·
· Score: 1
Oh, I almost forgot, the 4MB ATI graphic chipset (a little weak in comparison 8MB/16MB ATI's or the newer GeForce2Go chipsets) runs all my older SW games such a Dark Forces II, Rogue Squadron (my personal favorite), and Episode 1 Racer flawlessly. Pop on a USB joystick and you're ready to game (at least older games anyway).
-revoke
Compaq Armada M300 or Mitsubishi Amity CN2/3
on
Which Laptop To Buy?
·
· Score: 1
The M300 is by far the best laptop I've owned so far (and I've owned over 25 in my day). It is light enough to take with you everywhere, and has most of the needed ports already built in (no need for a clunky port replicator). If you need drives you can snap on its MEU docking slice which adds a floppy and a drive of your choice (DVD, LS-210, CDRW, 24X CD, Extra Battery, Extra HD). When I travel I usally just take the base unit. When I want to watch movies on the road I snap on the MEU (it only adds another 2.5 lbs for a total of around 6).
A great design by Compaq. You basically have an ultralight and an all-in-one in one unit. Also, the dual monitor support is great for programming. I plug in a 19 inch (1600x1200) to code on and bring up the manuals on the laptop screen (1024x768). The only down points of this laptop are the 90-minute battery life (upgrade to the 6-cell battery), and the touchpad (my other 24 laptops all had pointer sticks, I guess I just need to get used to it).
This laptop replaced a 2.2lb Mitsubishi Amity CN2 (with an 8GB drive modifiaction). Mitsubishi should have continued this line of 'tops. The Amity ran everything (Linux, BeOS, FreeBSD, etc.) and had all it's ports built in, with 96MB RAM, and 800x600 resolution. The best Mini ever (puts the older Libretto series to shame). If only you could fine one with a faster processor than a P200, then I'd still be using it (now it's my dad's travel laptop).
For all you complaining about this game being only available on PSX, they will be releasing the game on Dreamcast and for the PC.
Then you can use whatever controller you want. Dreamcast version ships on the 24th according to sites like Outpost and Amazon. PC version is listed at January 16, 2001. It's too bad they couldn't beat the Christmas rush.
So, if you have a PSX and a PC, I'd say wait for the PC version. The graphics are usually better and you typically get more patches, cheats, cracks, upgrades, etc. for a PC game.
Okay, forget that I even made reference to the CPU. How will a wedpad with a max battery life of 4.5 hours stack up against one with a max of 14?
My original point was not that the processor mattered, but that it seemed that other forthcoming wedpads are advertising longer battery life. Battery life is an important factor for some of us heavy travelers. So, if Device A is released with a battery life of 4.5 hours and Device B has 14 and both devices cost the same and have the same OS and feature set.... which one do you think I'm going to pick.
What chance does a device with such low battery life have? That's all I was asking. Sorry for the confusion.
Slashdot Mirror
References:
Original Article: http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7131519895.htm
Correction from OLPC: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Home
I would think that the best way to get an Alt OS to catch on would be to bundle it with hardware, and to only allow approved hardware (re: the company's own or a few select third party hardware providers).
Worked pretty well for Apple back in the day... however, there will always be people that complain, "this OS does not have support for this device or that device." Heck, this still happens now with OS X and Linux and they are major players.
So, in other words, make a new device that is revolutionary (a "usable" instant-on travel computer for instance with LOTS of storage -- Palm and CE just don't get the storage part yet, but I digress), bundle your own OS, and own hardware.
As long as the device and OS are good, fans and adopters will come.
Bad Example: Psion's EPOC devices: great little devices with little hardware options that ran for days on standard AA batteries, but unfortunately they had a lousy OS. Getting Close Example: the new 20gb Linux PMA devices from Archos, but they do not have a typable keyboard integrated and are just too expensive for the the masses.
It has to be a mix of good device and good OS, otherwise it won't work (oh, and price).
I see a lot of comments complaining that this device is too expansive, too big, not open enough (because it supports DRM), too small of screen, etc. I've also seen this compared to the iPod for some reason. Why? To me this looks like an extension of Archos popular (but flawed) AV400 with a Sharp Zaurus feature set added. It could be a Linux-hacker's dream (if affordable).
The main Pro to adding the Zaurus-like Qtopia here is that it will probably (or hopefully) be easy to port all the software over from the now dead Zaurus SL-5x00 series (which also has the same 240x320 screen resolution).
The other obvious pros are the 30gb drive and the Tivo-like ability. Can your PDA do that? I currently have a Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 with the 640x480 screen. It's an awesome device when paired with a CF connectivity card and a large SD card, but SD cards just do not provide enough storage for all my files. 30gb sure would. And the ability to push button record movies... that would save a lot of work with current PDA solutions.
There are negatives too however. (1) Archos support is questionable. (2) The screen. Why skimp on the screen? If you compare this device to the Sharp SL-C3000 with the 4GB mini HD it prices out about same, yet the C3000 has 640x480. (3) These devices that try to do everything ultimately leave you wanting more.... I've been through about 15 different PDAs, and 20 different mini-laptops. Still searching. (4) no integrated keyboard. If you put WiFi on a device, a keyboard sure is nice.
So many arguments,
-Should a PDA play music, take pictures, mix drinks, or just do PIM?
-Should a travel mini-computer need to run a full OS (like XP on the flipster and OQO)? Or should it be stripped down, cheaper, and have instant-on?
-The feature-price-performance riddle will probably never be solved. What is right for one person, will just annoy the heck out of someone else. For example, next people will complain that this device does not have a phone.
END OF RANT. Cliffs-notes version: cool and tiny Linux device to keep the all that Zaurus software living on a little bit longer (if people buy it).
Ever try Google? This product IS available now from stores besides Amazon. Believe it or not, you can by products at stores besides Amazon (albeit a very few -- I've only found 4 that have this in stock right now)
? dp no=511652
One of the stores has this LOW COST player in stock now is eCost:
http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecce/shop/detail.asp
$170 for 20GB is pretty good, however people that have bought this (check engadget's forms) say it is a pretty cheap MP3 player. Think of it more as a external 20gb drive that just happens to play audio.
Link to the manufacturer's site is here:
http://www.entempo.com/products.html
Enjoy!
Give the man a break... I've seen a lot of criticism in these posts directed at Patrick for several reasons, including the following:
1. For sending a plea to the internet for help
2. For switching doctors
3. For bombarding himself with antibiotics
4. For trying to self-diagnose himself
5. For not saving everything he coughed up.
Give the man a break people. Stop criticizing and show some sympathy. He has been sick for a long time now, and he is obviously frustrated. There is nothing wrong with asking others for help or ideas that he can take to his doctor.
Having been through two major issues that doctors took 2-3 years to correctly diagnose, I can relate. My 8-year battle with a stomach/digestion/IBS issue (which I'm told now is untreatable) and my past equilibrium/inner ear/dizziness issues were not caught and treated until I switched doctors after 2 years of searching of an answer. In both cases, all my tests (blood, upper/lower G.I.s, etc, etc) came back negative over the years. The tests all said that I am healthy. It wasn't until I started keeping detailed symptom logs (and diet logs) and started searching on my own that I was able to convince my doctor(s) to try other solutions and we found better solutions together.
For example, on the dizziness issue, I always asked if my seasonal allergy mediation might be to blame. My doctor (and pharmacist) always told me that it was not my allergy medication. After two years and a home move I switched pharmacists, but kept the same doctor. This new pharmacist told me and gave me printed clinical proof that some of the side-effects of this medicine were dizziness and, in extreme cases, loss of equilibrium and joint and back pain (all of these were symptoms of mine). Armed with this new information I proceeded back to my doctor and he took me off the allergy medicine. Within a month I was back to normal. Again, this was after two years of tests, probes, and unfortunately doctor prescribed antibiotics to try and treat my illness (any idea why antibodies are prescribed so much?)
Oh, one more issue (and this is a little gross)... about once a month, due to my stomach "issues", I either crap blood or occasionally barf up something gross. In the EIGHT years that this has been going on, I have not collected each and every extraction to take to my doctors. I've caught a few over the years (all negative/normal), but the gut reaction to anything like this is to flush or rinse it down. So, when Pat says in the post that he coughed up yellow stinky stuff.... lay off him for not taking everything that comes out of him to a doctor for tests. That gets old for your doctor really quickly.
So, in summary, give the man a break and wish him well, and if you do have USEFUL help or suggestions for him, please provide them.
Pat.... I wish you the best of luck. Don't give up on your doctors. Make sure that they keep testing. Follow the good advice you receive for people (but mainly your doctors). Document everything if possible and only if you feel up to it. Also, multiple sources of information help doctors make decisions (I think others have already mentioned this). I sincerely hope you get the treatment, rest, and relaxation that you need. The Slackware community will still be here when you get back on your feet.
Good Luck and Get Well Soon!!!
Regards,
-from a loyal Slackware user/subscriber
(user since v3.2 / subscriber since v8.1)
Thank You, I didn't know.... that's why I asked. I just wanted to know.
I guess I was confused because StarOffice always asks you to install Java too. Must be a Sun thing. So Star and OO do not need or use Java at all? Again, excuse my ignorance.
Excuse my ignorance here... and correct me, because I really want to know...
But are the load time issues with apps such as OpenOffice effected by Java? Java apps are still slower by leaps and bounds than than apps written in a non-interpretive language. This is not meant to start a flame war over Java. I think Java is great. It's really convenient to write an apps once than can be used on most systems that support Java.
I started the whole StarOffice/OpenOffice trip during the 5.x version in around 1999/2000. I tested them both on Windows (98/NT) and Linux (Slackware 7.x). 5.x took forever to load in those days (even on 300+ mHz hardware it would take sometimes 2 minutes). It was an interface that took over the task bar and our users hated it's speed and interface. This was at a time when our office was still using Lotus's Office Suite. We were evauluating whether or not to go to Microsoft Office, Wordperfect Office, or StarOffice (unfortunately we had to go with MS). We again evaulated StarOffice 6 and OpenOffice 1.0 a couple of years later. In all tests, users abosolutely hated the responsiveness of OpenOffice (and Star Office). MS Office and Wordperfect continue to finish 1 and 2 in our yearly user evals.
Now, I ask my original question with a new twist... Is that fact that Wordperfect Office, MS Office, and Lotus Suite are written in C++, VB, etc. and using native OS APIs what makes them more responsive? Or is the fact that OO and Star run through an intrepreter at run time? Is Java the reason OO is slow and not OO itself?
I'm just curious. I use OO on my home PC, but getting the office to switch is a losing battle because of the "feature-rich" speed of it.
By the way, I think the posted article is spot on... Very few average users update their hardware every year. Heck my father has run his first PC for 8 years and is going on 3 with his current Win2K box. He has no plans to upgrade machines, however he has been looking for a new OS. Sadly, his old 550-mhz chip will just not handle any current "User-Friendly" newbie-Linux (Lindows/Lycoris/Xandros). It seems to me that Linux has started making the assumption that the average Joe can afford to buy a new PC every 1-2 years. "Feature-richness" (aka Bloat) will keep Linux off the desktops of general public. General users, unfortunately for us in the Linux world, just want stuff that works quickly on what they've already got.
Just my 2-cents here. I'm admittedly wrong 50% of the time.
-Revoke
(Slackware 9.1/IceWM/curtom kernel for laptop)
Some general comments after reading the posts, and checking the links...
It looks like the actual WideScreen offering from Sony is the S-series
(Link: http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/VGN-S70B/), not the E-series as mentioned in the post. Looks cool, but I think the WideScreen to buy if you are going to go ye old Windows or Linux route would be a 64-bit offering, like the current 64-bit AMD laptop from eMachines.
Glad to see that Sony lowered the resolution on the U-series. The older U1/U3/U101 model had XGA resolution on a 6.4 screen. I saw a U3 at trade show...beautiful screen, but talk about turning you cross-eyed. It was almost necessary to use the magnifier tool on every screen. 800x600 just makes more sense on a screen this small.
Any finally, that new VAIO Pocket player looks more like RCA Lyra Audio/Video jukebox then it does the iPod. I believe the Lyra lasted less than a year for RCA (they don't sell it from their web site anymore). I'd say Sony's will most likely follow that same fate. Most consumers I know want more storage in a smaller size, not larger.
My Japanese is not that good, but my vision is... for now
Actually, Ward and Brownlee do make estimates as to how many solar systems there are in the known universe based on current projections of galaxies and known (discovered) solar systems. They do not look at particular planets and say that life does not exist on planet A, B, or C. Instead, they discuss all the conditions necessary for the Earth to sustain life and show that repeating Earth's environment (or even something close) is difficult. Earth's evolution for instance proceeded in the way that it did due to millions of factors (climate, planet changing events such as meteors, volcanoes,... etc.)
So, you are right... we cannot say for sure life does not exist on a particular planet without knowing that a planet exists. However, based and what we know about life-sustaining systems (such as Earth) and current percentage of know solar systems, we can estimate the number and probability that planets that meet the correct criteria for life can actually have life, intelligent life, and sustain it.
Anyway, check out my original link to Rare Earth book, pick a used copy somewhere (I believe Alldirect.com and Walmart have the best prices on the book new or used) and check out Ward and Brownlee's arguments for yourself. I am not doing the book any justice with my quick capsule review. Check it out for yourself if you are interested in E.T. arguments and speculation.
If you like this book by Grinspoon, you may also like Rare Earth by Ward and Brownlee. Rare Earth presents arguments to show why intelligent life elsewhere in the universe may be very rare indeed. Life may exist elsewhere, but complex and intelligent life? If you consider all the variables needed on Earth (distance from star, size and effect of moon, evolution, climate, etc.), the possibility that another planet with the exact same conditions exists is very rare.
Ward and Brownlee don't come right out and say that other intelligent life doesn't exist (there is always hope). They just show that the chances that intelligent life does exist on other planets is low. A great read, although more serious in tone and its science than Grinspoon. And for those of you that love all the footnotes in Grinspoon's Lonely Planets, you may want to check out his Venus book, Venus Revealed , as well. Another great read. Grinspoon definitely knows his stuff.
(okay, so I'm a little late with my comment on this one...)
What about selling physical copys of the CDs as well? Some people still would like a quality CD, not a CD-R that may or may not work in some CD players. Also, depending on the brand of CD-R and quality of CD-R burner, a burned disc may only last a couple of years (a believe Slashdot had a recent story a the short lives of CD-Rs). In short, If I buy an album that I know I'll keep, I want it to last. Downloads just don't cut it here.
Also, it's nice to get the artwork and liner notes. If I'm going to shell out $5-18 ($8 recommended) for a CD, I rather have the auctual CD with artwork.
Now where I see this model working is for bands that are passing fads... Remember, the swing movement a few years back... I didn't think so. If you only want to listen to one song/album for a little while and toss it, this model works.
So to sum up. Good for short term music listerner, but for people that like to keep things around a while (for example, classical music lovers), this model simply does not work.
Oh, one more note on the the Artwork/Classic comments above. I noticed that they have a CD by the incredably talented AND beautiful Lara St. John. You definitely want the artwork with her CDs (check it out for yourself).
It seems lots of companies are jumping on the Linxu PDA wagon these days (Powerplay V, Softfield VR3, Zaurus, etc). This is great for those of use that use Linux, but the the main problem I see with all of these devices is that they only Sync with Windows out of the box.
Empower Tech, Softfield, Sharp, and now Royal should all be providing software to Sync with Linux (as well as Windows for the Other 95% of the population).
Why is this this so important? Well what has annoyed me the most about linux PDAs is that all the dev tools are in Linux, then you have to transfer your apps over to a Windows Partition to use there Windows transfer software load it (or use Wine).
No Linux PDA will be successful until it Syncs (and Syncs well) with Linux. Heck, some Palm PDAs are easily to sync to with Linux then the current Linux PDA offerings.
The market already has successful PDA platforms that Sync with Windows (Palm, Pocket PC, Psion). Why not finally make one that Syncs with Linux out of the box?
Somehow I doubt Royal will step up to the plate in this regard.
I know I'm a little late with this suggestion, but here goes:
c ti on=20
Casio has a CE device called the The Cassiopeia "Computer Extender" that comes in two flavors: one with/modem & PC Card (A22T) and one without (A22S). It is made for education. High School and College.
http://www.casio.com/personalpcs/section.cfm?se
The interesting thing about these two PDA/Palmtop devices is that they run 3 really nice Mathematical applications, namely:
1. Maple V for Windows CE-High School/College
2. The Geometer's Sketchpad
3. MRI Graphing Software
Now, all these applications do come at a cost (about $100) each, but then again, the Casio can be found for about $100(new) on eBay or another after market source.
I owned a A22T and the fact that it has two expansion slots (Compact Flash/PC Card) allow you to store a lot of data. And the modem let me share math problems to friends (who have Maple).
For me it was do everything machine. I took it traveling and used it like a digital wallet for any pictures I take and I used it as an MP3 player as well (handles 96kbps/128kbps OK). I could also, check in with friends using the modem. When I got home I could upload any files to a desktop machine.
PROS: The application set: Word, Excel, IE come with the device. Additional programs like MS Money, Pocket Streets, Mobipocket or Palm Pocket Viewer for ebooks, PocketC for development, MS Plus Pack (comes with an Image Viewer and Register Editor), and HUM MP3 Player will complete an excellent device. There is also a lot of older software for the SH3 available on the web (like Python which is too cool).
CONS: quick data entry is not all that possible. The keyboard is small and there is no handwritting software (unless you purchase Caligrapher or similar). The screen is not color, so the mathematical graphs, while very useful, may prove hard to read. Also, the 80mhz SH3 processor is a little slow compared to a device like the HP Jornada 720 which using the new MS standard 206mhz StrongARM. Also, only ARM devices will be used in future HandheldPC/PocketPCs so the applications will start to disappear for this little guy. Also, for those who HATE Microsoft, this is a Windows device. That means no Linux or MAC support.
TO SUM UP: It's worth a look, just don't expect lightning fast data entry.
I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned or not, but for those of you that don't want to break out an old DOS box try Interplay's versions, which run on modern OSes.
:(
Interplay released the "Ultimate Wizardry Archives" a few years back. It runs great on Win 95/98/ME/etc and includes Wizardries 1 - 7 and Gold. 1 is still my favorite (kill those Murphy's Ghosts for big EXP points!)
You can even transfer the earlier versions of Wizardry to floppy and run them on another PC from within windows, all without those pesky scenario disks. I picked up the achives direct from Interplay for something like $15-20. I'd give you the exact price, but www.interplay.com is blocked by my work proxy
Still, for around $15 you get 8 classic Wizardry games for probably 1/3 of what Wizardry 8 will run.
Just thought I'd pass the info along...
-Revoke
For me, SlackWare is the more flexible Linux distro into terms of installing. Because of its 8.3 install file format, Old school DOS applications like INTERLNK.EXE can be used to transfer install files to a partition on a PC without a CD-ROM. With every other distro, this is not possible to do since they have long file names. It may sound very un-Linux to use 8.3 file format, but it allows me to install Linux on my old P133 laptop which does not have a CD-ROM or network card.
One of the initial draws to Linux was that it could run on hardware the was old or not all that powerful. Slackware still fills this part of Linux. A low end Pentium laptop, 32mb of RAM, and 2gb do nicely with SlackWare (even 8.0).
I hope the distro keeps going... I'll continue to use it on the best equipment 6 years ago had to offer.
Although the real way to keep a project going is to jump in and help, but since I'm not all that accomplished a programmer yet... all I have given to Slack is $$$ for the distro disks, which is probably something users who enjoy a piece of software should do. Pay for what you like, don't use/pay for the stuff you don't. If you like Slack and want to see it survive, then help keep it going (either with coding or cash).
Oh, I almost forgot, the 4MB ATI graphic chipset (a little weak in comparison 8MB/16MB ATI's or the newer GeForce2Go chipsets) runs all my older SW games such a Dark Forces II, Rogue Squadron (my personal favorite), and Episode 1 Racer flawlessly. Pop on a USB joystick and you're ready to game (at least older games anyway).
-revoke
The M300 is by far the best laptop I've owned so far (and I've owned over 25 in my day). It is light enough to take with you everywhere, and has most of the needed ports already built in (no need for a clunky port replicator). If you need drives you can snap on its MEU docking slice which adds a floppy and a drive of your choice (DVD, LS-210, CDRW, 24X CD, Extra Battery, Extra HD). When I travel I usally just take the base unit. When I want to watch movies on the road I snap on the MEU (it only adds another 2.5 lbs for a total of around 6).
A great design by Compaq. You basically have an ultralight and an all-in-one in one unit. Also, the dual monitor support is great for programming. I plug in a 19 inch (1600x1200) to code on and bring up the manuals on the laptop screen (1024x768). The only down points of this laptop are the 90-minute battery life (upgrade to the 6-cell battery), and the touchpad (my other 24 laptops all had pointer sticks, I guess I just need to get used to it).
This laptop replaced a 2.2lb Mitsubishi Amity CN2 (with an 8GB drive modifiaction). Mitsubishi should have continued this line of 'tops. The Amity ran everything (Linux, BeOS, FreeBSD, etc.) and had all it's ports built in, with 96MB RAM, and 800x600 resolution. The best Mini ever (puts the older Libretto series to shame). If only you could fine one with a faster processor than a P200, then I'd still be using it (now it's my dad's travel laptop).
For all you complaining about this game being only available on PSX, they will be releasing the game on Dreamcast and for the PC.
Then you can use whatever controller you want. Dreamcast version ships on the 24th according to sites like Outpost and Amazon. PC version is listed at January 16, 2001. It's too bad they couldn't beat the Christmas rush.
So, if you have a PSX and a PC, I'd say wait for the PC version. The graphics are usually better and you typically get more patches, cheats, cracks, upgrades, etc. for a PC game.
-Just my two cents...
Okay, forget that I even made reference to the CPU. How will a wedpad with a max battery life of 4.5 hours stack up against one with a max of 14?
My original point was not that the processor mattered, but that it seemed that other forthcoming wedpads are advertising longer battery life. Battery life is an important factor for some of us heavy travelers. So, if Device A is released with a battery life of 4.5 hours and Device B has 14 and both devices cost the same and have the same OS and feature set.... which one do you think I'm going to pick.
What chance does a device with such low battery life have? That's all I was asking. Sorry for the confusion.
-Revoke (aka "clueless!")