I think the point is that they would like to be able to sell the books as well, but the publishers have entered into a DRM related agreement with the vendors that lock other vendors out of the market. The publishers might be requiring the DRM, but if they are requiring Amazon DRM, then nobody else gets to play.
>"The DMV project began in 2006, according to the California Technology Agency. Instead of using 40-year-old, "dangerously antiquated technology," DMV staffers were supposed to get a modern, user-friendly system that minimized the risk of "catastrophic failure," according to a DMV report on the project."
This encapsulates solving multiple problems at the same time. This cannot be done. You update large systems by plotting a path through incremental improvements that get deployed, tested and fixed before the next increment, so that get you to where you need to be. It might not seem like the optimal path, but anything involving a switch over of technology, UI, back end, infastructure and buckets of code all at the same time is simply never going to work.
In the case of the DMV, it might involve unifying disjoint databases pair by pair until you have only one, while maintaining the same interface to the heterogeneous clients. Then one by one converting the heterogeneous clients to a standard back end interface. Then one by one adding the features of a client to the grand unified client and switching over that system, until the GUC has all the features for all the clients are new client. Then one by one, updating the organizational procedures to make them better, and updating the GUC while doing so. You can make these changes one by one. You can roll back one step if it doesn't work right the first time. You can measure progress by the number of working updates, not in how much less non-working the global-replace-systems is today.
An average user, expects that when they select a rectangle, plant the mouse in the middle and drag it, the contents move. This happens in photoshop. It sometimes happens in GIMP, but usually not. This is something to do with layers, it is massively annoying and it is the barrier to entry that leaves most people saying GIMP sucks.
If I encounter this non functionality, I can usually drill through some menus and find something to 'merge layers' so they behave like the bitmap they are supposed to behave like. But most people don't manage to do that and give up.
It is inexcusable that when you import a jpeg picture it comes in as more than one layer and GIMPs tools then interact with a different invisible layer, frustrating the user trying to edit the image.
That is why GIMP sucks. If they fixed the layer interface, GIMP would not suck. I'd do it myself, but I'm too busy designing chips to fork GIMP and fix it.'
OrCAD never recovered from the transition from dos to windows.
The mouse thing got better with time, but the killer was that they broke keyboard macros. What replaced them (VB script) wasn't fit for purpose. A decade of carefully crafted tools to auto generate symbols from libraries got thrown in the toilet.
I can do all that. But I have a wife that doesn't appreciate a wiring loom in the kitchen. It should be in the control panel of the oven with a standard two pin temperature probe socket on the control panel.
I want to be able to stick a thermometer in my food, whether in the oven, microwave or on the hob and have the thing use feedback to follow a temperature vs. time profile.
Why waste $5k on immersion heaters and vacuum packers for sous vide setups when a simple thermometer input and a few lines of code could achieve the same thing on a conventional kitchen oven?
>My understanding was that UPnP was for punching a hole in the firewall/NAT for incoming requests
No, uPnP is primarily about AV devices finding each other so they can do stuff like sending video from the video source to the TV. It's network detection and selection, device discovery, service discovery and service negotiation. All run of the mill consumer electronic behaviors that the industry has managed to massively screw up for the past 30 years. P1394 tried and screwed it up (discovery and negotiation). uPnP tried and screwed it up (bad security, ineffective discovery). P802 tried and screwed it up - LLDP (too little), 802.21 (too late). I could go on. You still cannot string one wire, or wireless interface between standards compliant boxes, computer, dvd, tv, speakers, roku-esque box and have them find each other and present a user with the right options like "watch dvd" or "watch roku" or "watch TV".
The punching-a-hole thing is a router behavior to allow uPnP to work across the router (whether firewalled or not), because by default they block uPnP, as they should.
Slashdot Mirror
at/pat. uck.
>Are they saying all the Americans are fat birds, unable to fly?
Not without an 'enhanced' at down. No.
I think the point is that they would like to be able to sell the books as well, but the publishers have entered into a DRM related agreement with the vendors that lock other vendors out of the market. The publishers might be requiring the DRM, but if they are requiring Amazon DRM, then nobody else gets to play.
Try shooting skeet with an AR15.
No they are wevil wobbers.
>"The DMV project began in 2006, according to the California Technology Agency. Instead of using 40-year-old, "dangerously antiquated technology," DMV staffers were supposed to get a modern, user-friendly system that minimized the risk of "catastrophic failure," according to a DMV report on the project."
This encapsulates solving multiple problems at the same time. This cannot be done. You update large systems by plotting a path through incremental improvements that get deployed, tested and fixed before the next increment, so that get you to where you need to be. It might not seem like the optimal path, but anything involving a switch over of technology, UI, back end, infastructure and buckets of code all at the same time is simply never going to work.
In the case of the DMV, it might involve unifying disjoint databases pair by pair until you have only one, while maintaining the same interface to the heterogeneous clients. Then one by one converting the heterogeneous clients to a standard back end interface. Then one by one adding the features of a client to the grand unified client and switching over that system, until the GUC has all the features for all the clients are new client. Then one by one, updating the organizational procedures to make them better, and updating the GUC while doing so. You can make these changes one by one. You can roll back one step if it doesn't work right the first time. You can measure progress by the number of working updates, not in how much less non-working the global-replace-systems is today.
Back in my day, EDS were the masters at cost overruns and delays on cost-plus government IT projects.
>I agree Gimp sucks
It's the layers. They are what makes GIMP suck.
An average user, expects that when they select a rectangle, plant the mouse in the middle and drag it, the contents move. This happens in photoshop. It sometimes happens in GIMP, but usually not. This is something to do with layers, it is massively annoying and it is the barrier to entry that leaves most people saying GIMP sucks.
If I encounter this non functionality, I can usually drill through some menus and find something to 'merge layers' so they behave like the bitmap they are supposed to behave like. But most people don't manage to do that and give up.
It is inexcusable that when you import a jpeg picture it comes in as more than one layer and GIMPs tools then interact with a different invisible layer, frustrating the user trying to edit the image.
That is why GIMP sucks. If they fixed the layer interface, GIMP would not suck. I'd do it myself, but I'm too busy designing chips to fork GIMP and fix it.'
OrCAD never recovered from the transition from dos to windows.
The mouse thing got better with time, but the killer was that they broke keyboard macros. What replaced them (VB script) wasn't fit for purpose. A decade of carefully crafted tools to auto generate symbols from libraries got thrown in the toilet.
I take you you've watched Idiocracy.
>There are almost no foods that are better cooked in a microwave oven, vs. a regular oven.
Except frozen peas.
For the record, I'm a military aviator, and I've got plenty of experience in both sims and the actual aircraft.
For the record, I flew hand built RC planes about 10 years ago. This qualifies me to comment on all aspects of aviation, both military and commercial.
Like this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4yMVM2Vxas
And in the next seven years, it isn't going to be indium antimonide gates. PCM might make a showing if you're lucky.
>However, it's made with indium antimonide, which apparently doesn't work well with existing fabrication methods.
So it's dead then.
PC+Steam. Easy
The link is ok. But I appreciate that you appreciate that I put a little effort into choosing my words.
I can do all that. But I have a wife that doesn't appreciate a wiring loom in the kitchen. It should be in the control panel of the oven with a standard two pin temperature probe socket on the control panel.
I have one. It's basically a bedroom issue vibrator with silicone plastic legs attached. It rotates around the pot stirring it. Great when you want to boil cream for an hour.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=354782&catid=184266&aid=338666&aparam=goobase_filler
I want feedback.
I want to be able to stick a thermometer in my food, whether in the oven, microwave or on the hob and have the thing use feedback to follow a temperature vs. time profile.
Why waste $5k on immersion heaters and vacuum packers for sous vide setups when a simple thermometer input and a few lines of code could achieve the same thing on a conventional kitchen oven?
Yes. Millions of vulnerable uPnP implementations in consumer electronics, behind cheap NAT routers that by default allow a uPnP hole.
>My understanding was that UPnP was for punching a hole in the firewall/NAT for incoming requests
No, uPnP is primarily about AV devices finding each other so they can do stuff like sending video from the video source to the TV. It's network detection and selection, device discovery, service discovery and service negotiation. All run of the mill consumer electronic behaviors that the industry has managed to massively screw up for the past 30 years. P1394 tried and screwed it up (discovery and negotiation). uPnP tried and screwed it up (bad security, ineffective discovery). P802 tried and screwed it up - LLDP (too little), 802.21 (too late). I could go on. You still cannot string one wire, or wireless interface between standards compliant boxes, computer, dvd, tv, speakers, roku-esque box and have them find each other and present a user with the right options like "watch dvd" or "watch roku" or "watch TV".
The punching-a-hole thing is a router behavior to allow uPnP to work across the router (whether firewalled or not), because by default they block uPnP, as they should.
I use G+.
Facebook is for jokes, memes, family stuff. Little of consequence.
On G+ I interact with the engineers, kernel developers, cryptographers and other work related connections beyond my immediate employer.
There's a simple work/play divide between G+ and Facebook and that separation is good.
Yes. GlusterFS with HekaFS.
Tahoe-LAFS FTW!
FTW is an anagram of WTF. Coincidence? I don't think so.
bittersweet symphony is one of the best songs ever, though
Not to my ears. I'd put Suberidai or Mayonaki Wa Jyunketsu way ahead of that dirge.
Each to their own.