My recently purchased Dell Inspiron 4000 has an ATI Mobility 3/4 chip (8 megs of VRAM) that flies. I was really surprised by how well it plays Quake and UT. It easily reaches 30-40 fps in reasonable resolutions.
I bought the Inspiron to be more of a "mobile word processor/internet station", but it's proven to be a solid gaming beast. Nvidia may introduce some decent chips for laptop gaming, but as it stands right now, the ATI chip performs more than admirably.
Uh, hello, every programming project I've ever done in college, at two schools, have been strictly on UNIX machines. I couldn't program on a Win32 machine if I tried. It wasn't allowed.
It should be the other way around. Students should be taught on Win32 machines as well as UNIX machines.
Even if it were at CompUSA, I wouldn't buy it. I worked there as a part-timer for close to 4 months and the corruption involved there -- everything from selling TAP (warranties) under penalty of being fired to kicking people out when the wanted customer service -- was deplorable.
Ever since then, when a friend wants a computer part I go to another store or get it from an online source.
If your "organisation is contemplating considerable investment", I would instead consider developing your own solution. Make a proprietary public-key system with a 3000-4000 bit key strength.
People are under the misguided impression today that the available products and services are always the best. It's trivial to set up something like a proprietary key setup in C++. The docs are all out there. Hell, I implemented a 512-bit version of DES for a computer project at Sarah Lawrence College (my school) last year.
If I recall correctly, while all of their ships in the book had "General Products" hulls, only one, the Longshot, could actually be sturdy enough to be used in such a dangerous mission.
Of course, I wouldn't use a General Products hull at all. I would use that radiation-shielded American-made craft from the future in Michael Chrichton's "Sphere".
Hell, that thing survived a trip bouncing off a black hole, went through time, sat at the bottom of the ocean for three-hundred years AND managed to pick up a gold alien ball that got the better of Samuel Jackson.
Maybe because IE 5.5 is, in relation to Netscape 6:
- Faster
- Less crashprone
- More compliant when it comes to international text
- More compliant when the JavaScript is written correctly
Also, Microsoft has a tendency to try things and, if they don't work, ditch them. Remember the Pointcast-like IE 4.0 channels? You have to dig to find them now, if at all, in the newest version of IE.
If people would start using IE, and stop making comments about IE 4.0 and IE 3.0 (which was out years ago -- I don't make comments about how bad Netscape 3.0 was) perhaps they will see it's not such a bad browser after all.
I would, provided it is a better browser. Right now, Netscape in Linux isn't the pretiest of page-renderers (and what's up with the widgets? Use the default ones in KDE or Gnome, for crying out loud).
If Microsoft produced a Linux browser that was standards compliant, fast and still free, I'd get it.
But that does not necessarily take away from the fact that Mozilla != good. Personally, I haven't been impressed with either Mozilla or Netscape 6. IE runs fast and well on my Win2K box. I'm sticking with it.
"Type handling" refers to standard C, Java, C++ etc. language types.
Badly typed languages allow the programmer to skip out and change types on a whim, causing OS instability. Strongly typed languages force a programmer to specify a long int or double float and stick with it.
Since Windows has relied on types since Win95's exception (nearly every GUI function call and return variable is typed) it makes sense that the OS would begin to focus more on strong types.
I've always argued this point. Seriously, aren't we going a bit overboard. I can understand protecting nuclear secrets and stuff like that, but having infinity-bit encryption so Alice can protect her porn files is just plain silly.
I think privacy activists walk a fine line between "practical" and "paranoid". Yes, I like encryption. Yes, if it's something I don't want others to read, I click the little "encryption" box in NTFS5 to enable it. But would I really care if they read it? I mean, honestly?
The only people I think truly need quantum encryption are doctors, lawyers and people working with hazardess materials. Everyone else can do just fine with public keys. (And if you're going to tell me that the government would actually use quantum computers to break into Joe Schmoe's porn files, you have another coming.)
Just to provide a little information for Linux fans, defragging as of Win2000 isn't really needed. The NTFS5 uses clusters that are so small, very rarely do they have to be defragged.
As an example, using the defrag utility on my Win2000 box right now, it says about 15%-20% of the drive is fragmented. Recommended course of action by the program: don't worry about it. Earlier Windows versions (and users) would have scoffed at 20% fragmentation. "It's one-fifth of the drive!". But not so in Windows 2000.
I defrag my current drive around once in every 4 months. About the number of times I had to sit through fsck in rebooting my Linux machine (for various reasons).
If they want to remove defrag, I say let them. It's barely used or needed.
How is Windows antialiasing "evil"? It sure looks pretty on my box.
That's one of the major reasons I stay away from X in the first place (besides the fact that my new Mobility chipset in my new laptop really isn't supported). It just doesn't look as "finished" as it does in Windows.
They have every right to do this. It's in the EULA when they install the software. The CD's have insignia all over them that say "do not make illegal copies of this software".
Clearly, VA Beach wasn't using legitimate software. Otherwise, MS wouldn't have gone after them.
Who actually believes this email is real? This email is about as real as the "Disney wants to send you money, we're using Microsoft software to track who you send this email to" scam.
It's good for academics -- what would happen if Bill Gates addressed all of his employees on the prospect of a competitor (not bloody likely) -- but as a "legitimate" email it falls far short.
Anyway, this looks like a bold and promising move for Sega. I always felt their software was the best product they created (Sega 32X and Sega CD were total bombs). In a lot of ways, the Dreamcast hardware is their best since Genesis, but their games are still where the money is.
So, write a program that can decode Minesweeper for any size board, and you will join the pantheon of mathematical greats, alongside Euler and Pythagoras.
And, of course, there is that million-dollar prize.
One question, though: wouldn't this be as simple as modifying basic human behavior? Would the first square be random (the only real option you have)? From there, solving the game is relatively easy, and a computer would be able to do it in a heartbeat.
Slashdot Mirror
I bought the Inspiron to be more of a "mobile word processor/internet station", but it's proven to be a solid gaming beast. Nvidia may introduce some decent chips for laptop gaming, but as it stands right now, the ATI chip performs more than admirably.
Ahh... but is it "free" beer?
It should be the other way around. Students should be taught on Win32 machines as well as UNIX machines.
Ever since then, when a friend wants a computer part I go to another store or get it from an online source.
People are under the misguided impression today that the available products and services are always the best. It's trivial to set up something like a proprietary key setup in C++. The docs are all out there. Hell, I implemented a 512-bit version of DES for a computer project at Sarah Lawrence College (my school) last year.
Of course, I wouldn't use a General Products hull at all. I would use that radiation-shielded American-made craft from the future in Michael Chrichton's "Sphere".
Hell, that thing survived a trip bouncing off a black hole, went through time, sat at the bottom of the ocean for three-hundred years AND managed to pick up a gold alien ball that got the better of Samuel Jackson.
- Faster
- Less crashprone
- More compliant when it comes to international text
- More compliant when the JavaScript is written correctly
Also, Microsoft has a tendency to try things and, if they don't work, ditch them. Remember the Pointcast-like IE 4.0 channels? You have to dig to find them now, if at all, in the newest version of IE.
If people would start using IE, and stop making comments about IE 4.0 and IE 3.0 (which was out years ago -- I don't make comments about how bad Netscape 3.0 was) perhaps they will see it's not such a bad browser after all.
If Microsoft produced a Linux browser that was standards compliant, fast and still free, I'd get it.
But that does not necessarily take away from the fact that Mozilla != good. Personally, I haven't been impressed with either Mozilla or Netscape 6. IE runs fast and well on my Win2K box. I'm sticking with it.
IE is better in not crashing every 5 minutes.
If the rendering was being down on a host of Win2000 machines instead of Linux machines, would this be posted on Slashdot?
"Type handling" refers to standard C, Java, C++ etc. language types.
Badly typed languages allow the programmer to skip out and change types on a whim, causing OS instability. Strongly typed languages force a programmer to specify a long int or double float and stick with it.
Since Windows has relied on types since Win95's exception (nearly every GUI function call and return variable is typed) it makes sense that the OS would begin to focus more on strong types.
I've always argued this point. Seriously, aren't we going a bit overboard. I can understand protecting nuclear secrets and stuff like that, but having infinity-bit encryption so Alice can protect her porn files is just plain silly.
I think privacy activists walk a fine line between "practical" and "paranoid". Yes, I like encryption. Yes, if it's something I don't want others to read, I click the little "encryption" box in NTFS5 to enable it. But would I really care if they read it? I mean, honestly?
The only people I think truly need quantum encryption are doctors, lawyers and people working with hazardess materials. Everyone else can do just fine with public keys. (And if you're going to tell me that the government would actually use quantum computers to break into Joe Schmoe's porn files, you have another coming.)
As an example, using the defrag utility on my Win2000 box right now, it says about 15%-20% of the drive is fragmented. Recommended course of action by the program: don't worry about it. Earlier Windows versions (and users) would have scoffed at 20% fragmentation. "It's one-fifth of the drive!". But not so in Windows 2000.
I defrag my current drive around once in every 4 months. About the number of times I had to sit through fsck in rebooting my Linux machine (for various reasons).
If they want to remove defrag, I say let them. It's barely used or needed.
That's one of the major reasons I stay away from X in the first place (besides the fact that my new Mobility chipset in my new laptop really isn't supported). It just doesn't look as "finished" as it does in Windows.
Hmmm... FUD anyone? It's hard to believe a "professional" that refers to it as "Windoze".
As a side note, I wish Slashdotters would get over the whole "M$" thing. It's purely childish. I'm a bigger FreeBSD fan, and I don't call it "Linsux".
If it's a hoax it has to be doubly as impressive that the user managed to hack into PCGamer's web site to post it. :)
Can we perhaps look at these stories without the bias of Slashdot-induced, "M$ is inherently evil" shades?
Clearly, VA Beach wasn't using legitimate software. Otherwise, MS wouldn't have gone after them.
If it was the MSN butterfly instead of the Linux penguin, would we care?
What would happen if the galaxy movement was greatly sped up, like .9c (where c is the speed of light)? Would relativity become a greater factor?
I agree with you wholeheartedly.
It's good for academics -- what would happen if Bill Gates addressed all of his employees on the prospect of a competitor (not bloody likely) -- but as a "legitimate" email it falls far short.
Anyway, this looks like a bold and promising move for Sega. I always felt their software was the best product they created (Sega 32X and Sega CD were total bombs). In a lot of ways, the Dreamcast hardware is their best since Genesis, but their games are still where the money is.
And, of course, there is that million-dollar prize. One question, though: wouldn't this be as simple as modifying basic human behavior? Would the first square be random (the only real option you have)? From there, solving the game is relatively easy, and a computer would be able to do it in a heartbeat.