To put it more bluntly:
A contemporary Windows PC is an appliance that allows you to run pre-made software that you buy / download for free.
A Linux PC *is* a computer in the previously mentioned sense, as it comes by default not only with all the programming tools you could dream of, but also with all the source code as examples or for you to tinker with. It was designed as a programming learning tool not as an appliance (albeit you can transform it into such).
hey I'm talking about Windows 7/8 here. In which ways do you think that MS designed it as a general programming environment for the end user? I see none. By the time you make cygwin work on it, you could have installed Linux instead, and that one comes with all the programming tools by default.
Been there, done that, ain't working. In order to insure direction and quality, the experienced guy will have to supervise / code review / correct / restart from scratch the monkeys at every step. By that time he could have written it all by himself.
If by "computer" you understand "general purpose / user programmable computer", then the differences are easy to explain. Neither the wi-fi card nor the smartphone have a built-in general purpose programming language/environment for the user to play with.
On the same lines one may notice that contemporary Windows PCs are not "computers" in this sense either. Back in the past they used to, but these days they don't come with any sensible general purpose programming environment either.
I do remember the days of the Spectrum / Commodore 64 etc. Now *those* were computers - they booted right into a programming environment.
Apparently they think that "engineering" and "coding" are about the same thing. What they really need are some good software engineers not generic code monkeys. But, as you mentioned, they don't get it.
Judging by the amount of profanity in the posts related to a certain Beta, I would had expected that a profanity slinging scientist would be Slashdot's hero of the day....
There's always a band pass filter between the DAC and the analog amp that drives the speakers. For 44k/16 signals the typical cutoff frequencies are 2Hz and 21kHz. So no matter what you do to the digital signal, you won't be able to hit the speakers with either DC or harmonics greater than 21kHz. Unless, of course, you "cost cut" that filter out of the design.
They're advertised as "Windows Notebooks". They should be able to boot Windows of the particular version mentioned on the activation code sticker. Anything else - not their problem. Sad but true.
You may also want to look at your electronic bank account in the same manner. It's a database record somewhere that needs continuous power, regular maintenance/backups and equipment replacements etc. My wild guess is that in the long run storing 1 penny coin in a jar is less expensive than a 1 penny balance bank account. Of course if your balance is much bigger than just 1 penny then things start to change, but nothing stops you to fill the jar with $100 bills either. Keeping the penny too.
Production cost = material cost (metal) + manufacturing costs (power, tools, wages etc). As long as material cost 1 penny nobody will melt it. OTOH you can also make such melting a criminal offense, as to raise the costs of doing it with some 25 years in jail.
The reason that 1 penny got to cost 2 pennies to mint is inflation, mr. smarty anonymous. Keep doing it and soon 1 dollar will cost 2 dollars to mint and so on. In the long run you would declare all and any money as being nothing but useless and just a rounding error.
A dick-tatorship could easily mandate that all existing computers (including privately owned PCs, tablets, smartphones etc) shalt run mining software 24/24h, with the results to be surrendered to the government. In fact they could mandate that you run a specific, government made piece of software, on all your devices, or else.
I don't get it why they keep saying that "if 1 penny costs 2 pennies to mint then we shouldn't make them anymore". Unless the government looks at "printing money" as a source of revenue. Which they shouldn't if you're looking at money as a transaction facilitator and nothing else. What happens is that it costs us 2 penny to mint 1 penny coin that will subsequently change hands via payments several million times before it gets too degraded (physically) and has to be retired. Thus the minting cost per transaction for that penny is actually very small. What you're really paying is the cost of the convenience of having pennies available for transactions, and judged per transaction it ain't looking that bad.
Slashdot Mirror
I hope you realize that there's no such thing as an non-outsourceable job. For those that can't be plainly offshored, H1B visas will do.
To put it more bluntly: A contemporary Windows PC is an appliance that allows you to run pre-made software that you buy / download for free. A Linux PC *is* a computer in the previously mentioned sense, as it comes by default not only with all the programming tools you could dream of, but also with all the source code as examples or for you to tinker with. It was designed as a programming learning tool not as an appliance (albeit you can transform it into such).
hey I'm talking about Windows 7/8 here. In which ways do you think that MS designed it as a general programming environment for the end user? I see none. By the time you make cygwin work on it, you could have installed Linux instead, and that one comes with all the programming tools by default.
Sure you can do that to them, but they were not designed for this, at least not from the part of the end user. They were designed as appliances.
Been there, done that, ain't working. In order to insure direction and quality, the experienced guy will have to supervise / code review / correct / restart from scratch the monkeys at every step. By that time he could have written it all by himself.
If by "computer" you understand "general purpose / user programmable computer", then the differences are easy to explain. Neither the wi-fi card nor the smartphone have a built-in general purpose programming language/environment for the user to play with.
On the same lines one may notice that contemporary Windows PCs are not "computers" in this sense either. Back in the past they used to, but these days they don't come with any sensible general purpose programming environment either.
I do remember the days of the Spectrum / Commodore 64 etc. Now *those* were computers - they booted right into a programming environment.
Apparently they think that "engineering" and "coding" are about the same thing. What they really need are some good software engineers not generic code monkeys. But, as you mentioned, they don't get it.
I'd be happy to see 1% of those 1000000 jobs.... were are they as I can't seem to be able to find them...
When the hiring is done by an MBA who has an ingrained "go for the cheapest alternative" knee-jerk reflex, you should indeed be terrified.
I've heard something about forex, drag queens and gay stallions. Would that work for you Sir?
Judging by the amount of profanity in the posts related to a certain Beta, I would had expected that a profanity slinging scientist would be Slashdot's hero of the day....
What's next? EPA reading the next page on Steve Milloy's JunkScience website and deciding that DDT ain't bad either?
How about "Michael Clayton"?
I was expecting this to be moderated +5, Funny instead of Insightful.... The jesters please come out now!
There's always a band pass filter between the DAC and the analog amp that drives the speakers. For 44k/16 signals the typical cutoff frequencies are 2Hz and 21kHz. So no matter what you do to the digital signal, you won't be able to hit the speakers with either DC or harmonics greater than 21kHz. Unless, of course, you "cost cut" that filter out of the design.
So they were playing "risk management" then, didn't they? We all know where that leads to.
Most contemporary CD's are mastered like that. Yet I haven't damaged any speakers or headphones while listening to such.
They're advertised as "Windows Notebooks". They should be able to boot Windows of the particular version mentioned on the activation code sticker. Anything else - not their problem. Sad but true.
My bet is that, like anything else these days, it's run by some people with "business" or "economics" in their title.
You may also want to look at your electronic bank account in the same manner. It's a database record somewhere that needs continuous power, regular maintenance/backups and equipment replacements etc. My wild guess is that in the long run storing 1 penny coin in a jar is less expensive than a 1 penny balance bank account. Of course if your balance is much bigger than just 1 penny then things start to change, but nothing stops you to fill the jar with $100 bills either. Keeping the penny too.
Production cost = material cost (metal) + manufacturing costs (power, tools, wages etc). As long as material cost 1 penny nobody will melt it. OTOH you can also make such melting a criminal offense, as to raise the costs of doing it with some 25 years in jail.
The reason that 1 penny got to cost 2 pennies to mint is inflation, mr. smarty anonymous. Keep doing it and soon 1 dollar will cost 2 dollars to mint and so on. In the long run you would declare all and any money as being nothing but useless and just a rounding error.
You mean this business?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/charleskadlec/2012/02/06/the-federal-reserves-explicit-goal-devalue-the-dollar-33/
A dick-tatorship could easily mandate that all existing computers (including privately owned PCs, tablets, smartphones etc) shalt run mining software 24/24h, with the results to be surrendered to the government. In fact they could mandate that you run a specific, government made piece of software, on all your devices, or else.
I don't get it why they keep saying that "if 1 penny costs 2 pennies to mint then we shouldn't make them anymore". Unless the government looks at "printing money" as a source of revenue. Which they shouldn't if you're looking at money as a transaction facilitator and nothing else. What happens is that it costs us 2 penny to mint 1 penny coin that will subsequently change hands via payments several million times before it gets too degraded (physically) and has to be retired. Thus the minting cost per transaction for that penny is actually very small. What you're really paying is the cost of the convenience of having pennies available for transactions, and judged per transaction it ain't looking that bad.