Apparently, you have NO idea what you're talking about. Microsoft regularly brings in groups of users from all experience groups to test software. I should know, I used to work for them. They aren't looking for quality testers, they're specifically looking for dipshits off the street, because if the dipshits can figure out how to make it work without breaking it, so can everyone else.
Not everything they do is because of some dark, evil conspiracy, you know.
Simple, you have TWO muscles for each part of your body in order to control movement. when one relaxes, the other contracts, and you are able to move your fingers, toes, arms, legs, what have you. This device causes BOTH muscles to contract, which will immobilize you.
Even IF this was valid at some point for British Telecom, they're going to lose the suit, and any rights they may have had, for failing to defend it for the past FOURTEEN YEARS! Remember, if the company doesn't defend their rights, they lose them.
Could someone explain to me how they can define heart size and metabolic rate from a bunch of fossilized bones? We're talking about tissue here, tissue that hasn't been around for millions of years.
Also, keep in mind that this "decision" has been made from the same group that can't figure out whether they were warm-blooded or not, or why they became extinct!
Gods, not THIS rumor again. I heard this one when Sega CD came out, and failed. I heard it again when the 32X came out, and failed. I heard it yet AGAIN when the Saturn came out, and failed as well. Save it for a press release kiddies, 'cause I'm tired of hearing this one.
Who keeps the corporations in check if there's no strong government?
Is the government doing this NOW? Wake up! The main reason corporations are so powerful right now is due to the extra power the government has. If the government doesn't have the power, there won't be any incentive for corportations to GIVE THEM MONEY to pass bad laws like the DMCA. I don't want the government OR the corporations deciding for me what I can do with something that I own. The only way to insure that is to take the power away from THEM, and give it back to ME. I know best how to run my life and spend my money, and I should be allowed to act as I choose, so long as I don't cause harm to anyone else. THAT'S what the government's for: To protect the intrests of the PEOPLE, and to provide for their security and defense.
Cisco's Aironet wireless products, (they bought aironet recently), are pretty bad-ass. Suckers seem to work REAL well, and they support 11Mbps wireless LAN rates. BreezeCOM and Lucent make pretty good wireless gear as well.
Nader will never win. He won't win, because in the United States, the popular vote doesn't determine who the president will be. The Electoral College does that. And there's know chance that a third-party candidate will win the electoral vote. The only solution is to dissolve the electoral college, unfortunately, and that'll probably never happen.
On the subject of wearable computers, I'd love to have one of these. Make an LCD that displays through a pair of mirrored sunglasses, belt or coat-mount it, (I have a nice suede trenchcoat that I could fit one into nicely), and plug one of my wireless PCMCIA cards into an expansion slot. With the wireless ethernet canvassing my company's doing, I'd be able to get real-time internet access anywhere.
Since there's a whole bunch of questions on this, and I've got some experience in this arena, I'll impart some of my knowledge.
No, it's not illegal. The 2.4Ghz band is a public band, so it's not tightly regulated by the FCC. It's a real pain in the ass when you've got a whole bunch of people running in the frequency range in the same area though,... (Guess how I know this?)
Provided you could get a signal, you'd be able to connect to the network from anywhere. All you need is a wireless ethernet card, and the information on how to connect to the network. (I currently have two different wireless PCMCIA cards, and should be getting a third soon). An actual "dish" is not necessary.
"Rain Fade" isn't really an issue, unless you're talking HEAVY rain. Rain Fade is a lot more of a problem when you're actually going through the cloud cover (a-la Satellite). The wireless stuff they're doing doesn't work that way.
That about covers it. BTW, the company that I work for is getting into this technology REALLY heavy in the US. Especially since Cisco bought Aironet, which has a wirless system that communicates at 11Mbps. That's pretty damn fast for radio, people.
Keep in mind, all of the above is bullshit, since Judge Jackson referenced the "illegal tying of IE into Windows" in his findings-of-fact, a decision that had already been overturned in the appellate court. I'm betting the appellate's going to take one look at that, and smack Judge Jackson's bitch-ass down.
Keeping that in mind, the FoF is probably going to fail the three-day-old fish test pretty easily. After that, picking apart everything else, especially considering Jackson's well-known and documented hatred of all things Microsoft should be gravy.
Has Microsoft done bad things? Yes, no one disputes that. But so has every other company on the planet, especially Apple, which seems to be a golden boy in the Slashdot community recently. Keep in mind that this "golden boy" is quite possibly the most closed-source, anti-competitive company on the planet right now.
But this isn't the way to go about it. In THIS case, I don't think MS has done anything wrong. The entire point of a business is to attempt to destroy all competition, because you want to maximize your profits. Microsoft is just VERY successful at it. They also neglected to realize that the rules change when you become a Monopoly. Slap them around a bit for that, give them a warning, and then kill them with extreme prejudice if they step out of line again.
Keep in mind, that just because you get a nasty-gram from some dipshit in legal, that doesn't mean that you actually have to do it. You don't have to do a damned thing until a Judge tells you to.
I get my DSL through Darwin, (which I also happen to work for), and I tend to not have any problems. (Of course, I also tend to fix it myself when it breaks, so feel free to take that statement with the usual grain of salt,...) Of course, we do our DSL a bit differently. We pipe a T-1 in to the MPOE of an apartment complex, and mount our DSL equipment there. That gives us a much faster install turnaround. In general, it isn't the DSL providers that are having problems, it's the damn ILEC's screwing them over (This happens ALL the time, ask anyone that works for one of the small-fry telco providers).
BTW, 144K isn't DSL. It's a weird type of hybrid that uses an ISDN-type signalling. Since it uses ISDN signalling, it's repeatable, which is why it can go longer distances than conventional DSL. It's also more expensive than the first stage of REAL DSL, which is 192K last I checked. With the advent of stable and cheap wireless technology, and the new ability to upload as well as download on Satellite transmissions, you'll have a lot more broadband solutions, (and providers) popping up like jackrabbits in your area. Either of those two would be a better solution than 144.
I saw several comments in here, so I'll just respond to all at once.
1. There's already several of these games in the works for consoles, most of them RPG's. Most notable (for me, at least,...) is Final Fantasy XI, which will be fully multiplayer.
2. As for the keyboard question, I've seen keyboards for all of the new console systems. They may not be real easy to find yet, but they are out there. Want to use a keyboard with one of the multiplayer games? Go buy one.
3. Modem data connection is SUCK. I think Sega really messed up here with the Dreamcast, hopefully they'll be able to build out a high-speed connection in to the box through an expansion port or something. PSX2's little hard-drive thingy should be coming with an ethernet port (can't remember where I read that), so I should be able to make use of my DSL line for multiplayer games. XBOX will start out with only the broadband option, with a modem option as a possible expansion. I really don't think connection speed will be an issue.
A couple people at the office were running Linux on Libretto's for field work, and it ran the OS absolutlely perfect. It's a bit of a bitch to get it installed, (since there's no built in floppy, CD or NET), but once you get an image on there and get it loaded, it worked extremely well. Very compact, fast enough for Linux, and had a pretty good battery life. You can get them for rock-bottom prices now too, since everyone's moved on to bigger and better,.....
One of the main problems with going to college is the fact that it becomes a detriment to getting a job in the IT industry, not an asset. People don't want to hire you for the high-paying jobs, because you have no experience, and you're knowledge is so far out of date, and they don't want to hire you entry-level, since you've got a four-year degree, and they don't think you'll stick around for shitty pay.
Frankly, I don't understand the problem here. They're supposed to card children who want to see movies that are rated "R", that want to buy porn, and various other things. If the parent doesn't have a problem with it, they can get off their lazy asses and take the kid to the store to purchase it.
In the case of EverQuest, I really don't see what the problem is. People still buy your game, and they still use your game.
Then you aren't paying attention. They aren't making money off of game sales, they're making money off of the monthly subcription fees to be able to actually PLAY the game (Don't get me started,...) If you can go play for free on "ServerX", why would you allow yourself to be dinged for that extra $10 or so every month for the honor of playing on the "official" server?
Does this mean all them nifty "multi-processor" G4's will become something other than vaporware then? It must be nice to have a high-end, dual-processor Mac, and an OS that only supports one processor,....
I am positive that this has NOTHING to do with all of that money that Sun has been throwing at those "dot in dot-com" commercials (by the way, when does that movie come out?).
Never mind the fact that Sun isn't "the dot in dot-com" anymore. There's an article from slashdot way back when about that server being replaced by an IBM box or something,...
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Apparently, you have NO idea what you're talking about. Microsoft regularly brings in groups of users from all experience groups to test software. I should know, I used to work for them. They aren't looking for quality testers, they're specifically looking for dipshits off the street, because if the dipshits can figure out how to make it work without breaking it, so can everyone else.
Not everything they do is because of some dark, evil conspiracy, you know.
Simple, you have TWO muscles for each part of your body in order to control movement. when one relaxes, the other contracts, and you are able to move your fingers, toes, arms, legs, what have you. This device causes BOTH muscles to contract, which will immobilize you.
Even IF this was valid at some point for British Telecom, they're going to lose the suit, and any rights they may have had, for failing to defend it for the past FOURTEEN YEARS! Remember, if the company doesn't defend their rights, they lose them.
Could someone explain to me how they can define heart size and metabolic rate from a bunch of fossilized bones? We're talking about tissue here, tissue that hasn't been around for millions of years.
Also, keep in mind that this "decision" has been made from the same group that can't figure out whether they were warm-blooded or not, or why they became extinct!
Gods, not THIS rumor again. I heard this one when Sega CD came out, and failed. I heard it again when the 32X came out, and failed. I heard it yet AGAIN when the Saturn came out, and failed as well. Save it for a press release kiddies, 'cause I'm tired of hearing this one.
Who keeps the corporations in check if there's no strong government?
Is the government doing this NOW? Wake up! The main reason corporations are so powerful right now is due to the extra power the government has. If the government doesn't have the power, there won't be any incentive for corportations to GIVE THEM MONEY to pass bad laws like the DMCA. I don't want the government OR the corporations deciding for me what I can do with something that I own. The only way to insure that is to take the power away from THEM, and give it back to ME. I know best how to run my life and spend my money, and I should be allowed to act as I choose, so long as I don't cause harm to anyone else. THAT'S what the government's for: To protect the intrests of the PEOPLE, and to provide for their security and defense.
Cisco's Aironet wireless products, (they bought aironet recently), are pretty bad-ass. Suckers seem to work REAL well, and they support 11Mbps wireless LAN rates. BreezeCOM and Lucent make pretty good wireless gear as well.
Not to get too OT, but,...
Nader will never win. He won't win, because in the United States, the popular vote doesn't determine who the president will be. The Electoral College does that. And there's know chance that a third-party candidate will win the electoral vote. The only solution is to dissolve the electoral college, unfortunately, and that'll probably never happen.
On the subject of wearable computers, I'd love to have one of these. Make an LCD that displays through a pair of mirrored sunglasses, belt or coat-mount it, (I have a nice suede trenchcoat that I could fit one into nicely), and plug one of my wireless PCMCIA cards into an expansion slot. With the wireless ethernet canvassing my company's doing, I'd be able to get real-time internet access anywhere.
Since there's a whole bunch of questions on this, and I've got some experience in this arena, I'll impart some of my knowledge.
No, it's not illegal. The 2.4Ghz band is a public band, so it's not tightly regulated by the FCC. It's a real pain in the ass when you've got a whole bunch of people running in the frequency range in the same area though,... (Guess how I know this?)
Provided you could get a signal, you'd be able to connect to the network from anywhere. All you need is a wireless ethernet card, and the information on how to connect to the network. (I currently have two different wireless PCMCIA cards, and should be getting a third soon). An actual "dish" is not necessary.
"Rain Fade" isn't really an issue, unless you're talking HEAVY rain. Rain Fade is a lot more of a problem when you're actually going through the cloud cover (a-la Satellite). The wireless stuff they're doing doesn't work that way.
That about covers it. BTW, the company that I work for is getting into this technology REALLY heavy in the US. Especially since Cisco bought Aironet, which has a wirless system that communicates at 11Mbps. That's pretty damn fast for radio, people.
Screw that, I want Bleem for PS2! The fact that PS2 doesn't do hardware anti-aliasing really pisses me off.
Keep in mind, all of the above is bullshit, since Judge Jackson referenced the "illegal tying of IE into Windows" in his findings-of-fact, a decision that had already been overturned in the appellate court. I'm betting the appellate's going to take one look at that, and smack Judge Jackson's bitch-ass down.
Keeping that in mind, the FoF is probably going to fail the three-day-old fish test pretty easily. After that, picking apart everything else, especially considering Jackson's well-known and documented hatred of all things Microsoft should be gravy.
Has Microsoft done bad things? Yes, no one disputes that. But so has every other company on the planet, especially Apple, which seems to be a golden boy in the Slashdot community recently. Keep in mind that this "golden boy" is quite possibly the most closed-source, anti-competitive company on the planet right now.
But this isn't the way to go about it. In THIS case, I don't think MS has done anything wrong. The entire point of a business is to attempt to destroy all competition, because you want to maximize your profits. Microsoft is just VERY successful at it. They also neglected to realize that the rules change when you become a Monopoly. Slap them around a bit for that, give them a warning, and then kill them with extreme prejudice if they step out of line again.
Keep in mind, that just because you get a nasty-gram from some dipshit in legal, that doesn't mean that you actually have to do it. You don't have to do a damned thing until a Judge tells you to.
I get my DSL through Darwin, (which I also happen to work for), and I tend to not have any problems. (Of course, I also tend to fix it myself when it breaks, so feel free to take that statement with the usual grain of salt,...) Of course, we do our DSL a bit differently. We pipe a T-1 in to the MPOE of an apartment complex, and mount our DSL equipment there. That gives us a much faster install turnaround. In general, it isn't the DSL providers that are having problems, it's the damn ILEC's screwing them over (This happens ALL the time, ask anyone that works for one of the small-fry telco providers).
BTW, 144K isn't DSL. It's a weird type of hybrid that uses an ISDN-type signalling. Since it uses ISDN signalling, it's repeatable, which is why it can go longer distances than conventional DSL. It's also more expensive than the first stage of REAL DSL, which is 192K last I checked. With the advent of stable and cheap wireless technology, and the new ability to upload as well as download on Satellite transmissions, you'll have a lot more broadband solutions, (and providers) popping up like jackrabbits in your area. Either of those two would be a better solution than 144.
I saw several comments in here, so I'll just respond to all at once.
1. There's already several of these games in the works for consoles, most of them RPG's. Most notable (for me, at least,...) is Final Fantasy XI, which will be fully multiplayer.
2. As for the keyboard question, I've seen keyboards for all of the new console systems. They may not be real easy to find yet, but they are out there. Want to use a keyboard with one of the multiplayer games? Go buy one.
3. Modem data connection is SUCK. I think Sega really messed up here with the Dreamcast, hopefully they'll be able to build out a high-speed connection in to the box through an expansion port or something. PSX2's little hard-drive thingy should be coming with an ethernet port (can't remember where I read that), so I should be able to make use of my DSL line for multiplayer games. XBOX will start out with only the broadband option, with a modem option as a possible expansion. I really don't think connection speed will be an issue.
Not to get too OT, but to be accurate, it should be "Moore's Theory", not "Moore's Law".
Ah, so it does. Thanks for the link.
Blow me. I've been on the net since before you were out of diapers.
Oh, and actually, nothing is lamer than an OT reply.
The real question is, does it support SMP? It would be nice for the second processor in the new G4's to be be more than an expensive heater,.....
A couple people at the office were running Linux on Libretto's for field work, and it ran the OS absolutlely perfect. It's a bit of a bitch to get it installed, (since there's no built in floppy, CD or NET), but once you get an image on there and get it loaded, it worked extremely well. Very compact, fast enough for Linux, and had a pretty good battery life. You can get them for rock-bottom prices now too, since everyone's moved on to bigger and better,.....
One of the main problems with going to college is the fact that it becomes a detriment to getting a job in the IT industry, not an asset. People don't want to hire you for the high-paying jobs, because you have no experience, and you're knowledge is so far out of date, and they don't want to hire you entry-level, since you've got a four-year degree, and they don't think you'll stick around for shitty pay.
Frankly, I don't understand the problem here. They're supposed to card children who want to see movies that are rated "R", that want to buy porn, and various other things. If the parent doesn't have a problem with it, they can get off their lazy asses and take the kid to the store to purchase it.
In the case of EverQuest, I really don't see what the problem is. People still buy your game, and they still use your game.
Then you aren't paying attention. They aren't making money off of game sales, they're making money off of the monthly subcription fees to be able to actually PLAY the game (Don't get me started,...) If you can go play for free on "ServerX", why would you allow yourself to be dinged for that extra $10 or so every month for the honor of playing on the "official" server?
Sounds like they're taking the IBM route:
"Looks like we're bleeding market share. Let's see if we can boost sales by making all of our products PROPRIETARY".
Remember MCA? I didn't think so. This kind of thing is what almost killed IBM, I wonder what's going to happen to Intel?
Does this mean all them nifty "multi-processor" G4's will become something other than vaporware then? It must be nice to have a high-end, dual-processor Mac, and an OS that only supports one processor,....
I am positive that this has NOTHING to do with all of that money that Sun has been throwing at those "dot in dot-com" commercials (by the way, when does that movie come out?).
Never mind the fact that Sun isn't "the dot in dot-com" anymore. There's an article from slashdot way back when about that server being replaced by an IBM box or something,...