While the domain name itself doesn't represent anything physically tangible, you can bet your bottom dollar that the revenue that would have been generated from the domain is certainly tangible.
It should be a no brainer that Verisign cost this guy millions of dollars when they gave away his domain name.
Likening the domain name to stock certificates (if you read the article) was a very nice analogy.
I realize that ratio has 3 syllables, correctly pronounced.
I pronounce it that way, but from most people I hear "ray-show."
I was debating how to write that line...
My two choices were:
signal noise ratio falling
signal noise ratio falls
I went with the former even though I knew better. Understand that my post was incorrect not because I lacked the proper understanding of haiku, but rather because I lacked the discipline to adhere to it.
Perhaps this thread will result in a new form of art... A 5/8/5 poem. They will call it a Slashpii, and middle school english teachers will torture thier students with it for all eternity.
Re:Spammers use Haiku?
on
Haiku vs Spam
·
· Score: 2
There once was a spammer from Glendening,
Whose pills caused engorgement and swelling,
Three inches you'll grow,
or your money we'll sow,
Click here to find out where it's selling!
Re:As requested
on
Haiku vs Spam
·
· Score: 3, Funny
Posters do complain
Signal noise ratio falling
Slashdot fades to black...
They were doing well and it's a shame to see them go under just like that. On the other hand they are going under because cheap ass buyers go for the lowest prices and not the higher quality parts. I personally would not stick a card in my machines from the likes of Chaintech, PNY, Pine, and others. I go with what's known. This rule applies to all walks of life. Cheap ass buyers are the type that'd call Bose Hi-Fi and buy your bikes from a freakin' Wal-Mart.
Sure, there are people that go through the effort of learning every single minor detail that differentiates the product of one vendor from the product of another, but that segment of the market is very, very slight.
In the High-end Consumer 3D graphics market, those difference are simply too subtle. Once you get past the GPU itself, is there really any difference between one card and another?
To you, the typical Slashdot technology geek, the differences may be very pronounced. For most people, a Geforce4 card is a Geforce4 card.
Since most of the marketplace (and by most, I mean the vast majority, and by vast majority, I mean the vast majority of a very small segment because most people languish under the performance of the video subsystem that comes pre-installed in their HP Pavillion, or Compaq Presario...) doesn't care about the trivial differences, is all comes down to price.
If comparing two products that are essentially the same, it is price that will be the determining factor in the purchase. To overcome price, you need great marketing. Ever seen a VisionTek commercial? Half the people in this thread hadn't even heard of VisionTek, and Slashdot readers pride themselves on knowing that kind of thing.
I'm sorry to see them go... Their products have a really good reputation, and there seems to be no shortage of fans. That said, "Selective Destruction" is one of the features of capitalism that makes the marketplace work, and is ultimately good for consumers.
Someone will fill the gap. I'd like to see Asus jump in, but if they don't, somebody else will. Hopefully, they'll find a way to provide the same level of quality that VisionTek did, and do so at a price that keeps them competitive.
Welfare programs have a couple of major strikes against them:
First, they are funded through taxes, which is a clever way of taking money from the people that are actually out there earning it, and giving it to those that aren't.
Second, the programs simply don't work.
Understand that there is a difference between welfare and unemployment. Unemployment is not taxpayer funded... It is paid by employers and employees (Paid by the employer, but the cost has a direct relation to the salaries that employees earn).
Unemployment insurance does what you described above. It helps people get through while looking for work.
Welfare, on the other hand, is not funded by the individuals that receive its assistance. You mention that some States have placed caps on welfare benefits. That represents a reform of the welfare system. It's a step in the right direction, and in the States where such a limitation exists, a greater percentage of the participants are able to get off the program, and become self-sufficient.
That fact alone speaks volumes about the net-effect of Johnson's "War on Poverty." Government subsidies do more harm than good. Entitlement programs victimize the very people that they are intended to help.
Earlier in America's history, there were no government entitlement programs. Instead, when a person or family needed help, they turned to friends, family, local charities, or other organizations in their community. Assistance came from people they knew, with names, and faces. There was a sense of obligation not only to return to self-sufficiency, but to repay the debt of gratitude in some way, because the help had come from the community.
Today, assistance comes to the mailbox, or is directly deposited into a bank account. There is little shame in it. There is nobody to say "thank you" to, nor is there any reason to feel a sense of shame.
I'll never forget watching a program like 60 minutes, or some such program, interviewing a person on public assistance. The lady was in Wisconsin, back when Tommy Thompson had just become Governor, and had implemented the 5 year welfare limitation. The lady was very angry... She actually referred to her benefits as her "salary," as though she had earned it. I have had a job since the age of 13. I worked all through high school, and all of my adult life. I cannot tell you how much it angered me to hear this lady upset that she was finally going to have to find a way to pay her own way through life.
But I don't want to turn this into a diatribe about some lady in Wisconsin...
All of the issues you raise untimately leave me flat because they are all forms of wealth redistribution. Welfare... National Health Care... Food Stamps... Blah, blah, blah...
Nothing in this life is free. Someone is paying. I am perfectly willing to pay my own way through life. Further, if there's something that I want, or even something that I need, I have no right to demand that you, or anyone else pay for it. The moment I try, or have the government do my bidding, then I have forfeit my own property rights.
Once you do that, you have mothing left. If you have no right to property, you have no freedom at all. Your labor can be seized... You can be conscripted into the military, or some other "publically worthwhile" cause. They can dictate what you read, or see, or listen to.
The point is that once you allow government to cross the line, they can redefine the line repeatedly, whenever "the masses" demand it.
That is the fundamental difference between a "Democracy" an a "Republic."
In a Democracy, government can undertake any activity, so long as it has the support of the majority. It is, in essence, mob rule.
In a Republic, there are limitations on what a government can undertake, no matter what popular opinion may be at the moment. A government has a Charter, and it may not exceed the limits of that charter.
It is for that reason that a Republic is the only form of government worthy of consideration for a people that ascribe the rights theory.
Now bringing it around to your questions about the environment, sure, I want my children to be able to grow up in a world with fresh air, and clean water, and I want that for their children as well.
Does that mean that I think the only way to get there is by placing artificial limits on the quality of life for people in the United States, or anywhere else in the world? Of course not.
The answer lies not in turning back the clock. It lies in making the breakthroughs that allow us to elevate the rest of the world to our standard of living, and do so in such a way as to ensure the long term survival of the species.
It means ending the witch hunt against nuclear power, which remains the most efficient, and cleanest means of meeting our energy demands. It also means finding a better way to manage the waste that is produced. We need to begin testing the second generation of nuclear power... Why haven't we built a pebble-bed reactor? No possibility of melt-down... Dramatically reduced amount of waste material... Same amount of power output.
These things should be popping up all over the place until we can find a safe way to harness fusion power.
Also recognize that they age of oil is coming to a close. Fuel-cells will be taking off 10 years from now. They'll be fairly common 15 years from now.
The problems we face environmentally have solutions. We need to refine the solutions that we've already uncovered, and we need to discover the solutions that yet remain. Don't hamstring humanity in the interim...
It's very easy for the "have-nots" or the "have-lesses" to cry foul, and demand that first world nations abandon centuries of human progress. Our ancestors worked hard to provide the foundation upon which we stand. I don't think it's time to jump off.
Besides, there's an asteroid coming in 2019. Bask in excess while you can. The sky is falling!
Why is it that Marxism/Communism can only exist when it is enforced in oppressive authoritarian dictatorships? Because human nature causes most people to think only of themselves, their immediate friends, family, and about two generations of children ahead.
Exactly... Marxism/Communism is an unworkable system because it runs contradictory to human nature. Why not let the discussion end there? People are not programmed to show the same amount of concern for a complete stranger as they would a family member, or a friend. That's simply how we work.
Also, don't fool yourself into believing that you, as a self-proclaimed socialist, are any different from a marxist. You're not. Individual rights are cast aside by socialists and marxists. Some would argue that it's a matter of degree. I make no distrinctions... You are either for, or against, individual rights. Once you cross the line, you've chosen, and that's where you are.
You concede that Capitalism provides an excellent mechanism for balancing supply and demand, but you fail to recognize that it also seeks to minimize waste (In that it is more expensive to be wasteful, than not to be. Inefficiency is penalized in Capitamism, in the form of increased costs of production.). Take two companies providing an identical product, selling for an identical price as an example. Which of them will win out in the end? The one which can best utilize it's materials, minimizing the costs. They will be more profitable, and have the means to drive the other out of the marketplace.
Getting back to human nature, which economic system allows people the highest degree of freedom? Which allows the individual the greatest amount of personal choice? Which economic system demands the least amount of sacrifice?
I realize that from a detached perspective, such as that of a student engaged in scholarly pursuits, these questions seem somewhat less than noble, and that the "people must adjust their lifestyles for the greater good" position seems a perfectly reasonable stance. The reality is that only Capitalism respects the rights of the individual, and that "the greater good" is a myth used by those who seek power to influence those that are ruled.
We have seen the devastating results of socialism/marxism in practice. It results in the mismanagement of resources, including both raw materials, the means of production, and the application of labor. There is never going to be a 5 year plan that can successfully anticipate the needs of the moment. While capitalism cannot predict those needs either, it is certainly far more dynamic in responding to those needs once they are revealed.
Understand that the only "equality" that we should strive for is equality of opportunity. Beyond that, you'd like to see equality of outcome, and that is something that is never going to happen.
We, as people, are not equal. Some people are smarter than others. Some are stronger. Some are faster. Some are more creative.
These countless differences in people ensure that the various outcomes of our lives will vary tremendously. Capitalism allows people to make the best use of their individual, disparate talents, allowing us to be rewarded based on how useful our talents are to those seeking them. Beyond that, what else could be hoped for?
With that as a backgound, socialist schemes don't hold much appeal. If I put my talents to good use, and I can afford better health care than someone else, should I not be entitled to it? Health care, just like anything else, is a limited resource. Shouldn't price determine the allocation of that resource just as it does in any other market?
If not price, what else should be used? Need? Who determines the person in greater need? Is there a panel of experts? A single arbiter? Would there be a board of appeals? Is a street person more "needy" than someone that runs a company?
If there is some central controlling authority, is there any way to ensure that their influence isn't bought? How can we prevent corruption, or the playing of favorites?
You can't. It all comes back to the fact that socialism/communism is inherently unsuited to human nature. Life isn't fair, and people will never truly be equal. Capitalism makes the best of a bad situation, while allowing people the greatest amount of freedom, and opportunity, and for that reason, it is the best possible economic system for humankind.
The Dijkstra Algorythm is the mechanism that determines path selection in an OSPF routing domain.
RIP determines best path based solely on hop count, irrespective of the bandwidth of the links along the path.
OSPF determines path without considering hop count. Instead, it utilizes metrics derived from the bandwidth of the links between the source and destination as the determining factor in deciding the best path.
I'd rather send my packets across two DS-3 connections than one 9.6kbps connection in reaching the destination.
Couple that with it's support for VLSM and Classless operation, and it's super efficient update "flooding" mechanism, and you have the basis for the Mac Daddy of interior routing protocols.
This was a brilliant man. I'm sorry to hear of his passing.
I think you, and a number of others that are pursuing this "disk access" angle, are missing the purpose of 10GigE.
While I have no doubt that you'll see a 10GigE interface card soon, and that large hosts (Big Iron, Big Unix) may be able to take advantage, it's really not about Host-to-Switch connectivity.
It's about Switch-to-Switch connectivty.
I deploy a lot of networks where you have a tremendous number of ports at the access closet, and you typically end up with 1 to 2 Gbps to the closet (2 Gbps when channelling).
As an example, a Cisco Cat 4006 chassis, fully loaded, can support up to 240 users. That many users can certainly chew up a 1 Gbps uplink to the core.
Additionally, what about when you need to cascade multiple switches in a closet, or expand your core? Sure, maybe I get 64 Gbps across the backplane of a given switch, but what about between the two switches? I'm limited to 4 Gbps between them in a channel configuration, and in so doing, I have chewed up 8 (!) Gigabit ports.
Now, for those same 8 ports, I get 40 Gbps between the switches. Odds are, I can get away with only 1 or 2 connections, using just 4 ports.
The in-dash XM/Sirius enabled tuners are AM/FM/Sat tuners...
There are also XM only tuners, which play through your existing stereo via RF modulation, like a lot of CD Changers use.
I'm looking at the add-ons now, because I don't want to have a crappy, ill-fitting tuner in my dash. (I drive a Dodge Durango, and the Stereo is over sized... I hate the look of spacers, etc.)
Sony makes an Add-on tuner that is dockable, and the you can get an additional dock for use in the home. That way, you can take the XM into the house at night, if you wanted to. You do need an additional antenna though.
Also, keep in mind that the prices you see never seem to include the antennas. Apparently, $199 for the tuner is for the non-working solution. It takes some more money to get a functioning solution.
Back in the day, circa 1983-89, I used the Conan universe, Hyborea, as the basis for a long lasting campaign.
Geographically, Hyborea was Earth, prior to continental drift. The maps were basically the "Pancea" continent we all saw back in the days of "Earth Science."
Having been completely addicted to Robert E. Howard's Conan novels, they provided a rich, deep backstory, and a broad range of diversity. Howard never relied too heavily on Monsters, either, which I liked. I always thought the wandering monster aspect of D&D was somewhat ridiculous. Instead, the missions tended to be against the Snake Cult, set in Stygia (Directly mimicking Egypt and it's mythology), led by a powerful Wizard, or Pictish Warlords (Mimicking various tribes throughout Afica), or any number of other human historical groups throughout the ages.
This kind of backdrop provides near limitless possibility.
I'm sure that licensing issues would render it useless to WotC's goals here, but for any of you that are still into the RPG scene, and rolling your own campaigns, Hyborea makes for excellent source material.
I doubt you'll see anyone stripping IE. IE is the browsers of choice for those who use windows. I don't really care how it goes about it, loading files on startup or whatever, IE is by far the best browser offering for Windows. It may have from the enemy, but IE is here to stay.
IE may be here to stay, and without a doubt, it has long been the champ on Windows, but the "installed userbase" equation is about to change dramatically.
35,000,000 AOL users are going to end up with Netscape/Mozilla/Gecko as their browser of choice as AOL merges it into their software, and companies that court consumer dollars are going to have to wake up and smell the standards.
Crappy web pages with proprietary IE only "tricks" are about to become a thing of the past.
Back when Netscape was a player, most sites had to at least tip their hats in the general direction of standards, and browser portability. For the past few years, they haven't even had to bother. IE was the only game in town, and Netscape users were a segment that could be ignored.
It's rare that a product whose market share has eroded so completely could undergo any real resurgence, but all of those AOL users will ensure that the lizard comes back in force, and it will happen over night, when those AOL folks download their AOL Blah.blah upgrades.
Ironic, isn't it, that AOL will be the company that saves the Open-ness of the Web...
As Jaycn points out, it's a great way to disenfranchise a segment of the population.
The rationale for this is that criminals would likely seek to elect those who would soften criminal penalties, or eliminate whole categories of criminal activity from the books.
It's a way to ensure that the best interests of criminals is not reflected during the course of elections. It is, after all, the interests of honest citizens that ought to represented by our leaders.
I suppose it's a noble idea, and frankly, I'd prefer that criminals not have a say in who makes the law, but the implementation, and the unintended consequences (if indeed they are unintended), may outweigh the benefits, particularly since there are so many "victimless crimes" in our society.
I think that if you're going to take away someone's right to self-determination, you ought to be able to show me a victim, and a tangible victim at that; someone that has been defrauded, robbed, raped, or killed.
The right to self-determination is part of America's foundation, one of the assertions that lended legitimacy to our struggle for Independance. Taking it away from people needlessly cheapens the ideal, and diminishes America as an idea.
In deploying the VPN solution, you can set the security policy so that when attached to the VPN, *ALL* traffic must utilize the VPN connection.
The effect is that once you initiate the VPN connection, you can't even ping a device on your local segment, or on the Internet.
Once connected, the home/roaming user is insulated as though he were on the network behind the corporate firewall.
Cisco's VPN concentrators (formerly Altiga) behave this way... If you choose to allow split tunnelling, they can even demand that the remote station utilize personal firewall software (Like ZoneAlarm, etc) before completing the VPN connection.
At any rate, the problem you describe has long been solved.
In addition to the 'lynx' web browser, there is another, similar, console based text only browser called 'links.' It's actually a better browser, in that it correctly renders tables.
Maybe if you weren't such as asshole, just looking to pounce on other people, you'd know that.
MIRACLE MAX - Look who knows so much. Well, it just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Please open his mouth.
[Inigo does. Max inserts the bellows in Westley's mouth and starts to pump.]
MIRACLE MAX -
Now, mostly dead is slightly alive. Now, all dead...well, with all dead, there's usually only one thing that you can do.
INIGO -
What's that?
[He stops pumping.]
MIRACLE MAX -
Go through his clothes and look for loose change.
Until you consider the economics of such a situation...
Isn't it the case that Sony/MS/Nintendo sell the hardware at what amounts to a net loss? Don't they only begin to make money once the user buys 'X' number of games, revenue derived from licencing deals, etc?
If their plan is to have the user buy multiple platforms to be used in unison, then they had better figure out a way to manufacture these boxes at a dramitcally lower cost per unit.
From the consumer perspective, I can justify spending $300 to get the latest and greatest console platform, but having to shell out an additional $300 to get decent performance for my $60 Game Title? Or having to buy 4 $300 units?
This is a business plan that is doomed to failure.
Sony and Nintendo would indeed be wise to borrow Microsoft's idea, and assemble platforms based on mostly commodity hardware. Farm out the R&D to people like NVidia or ATI for graphics accellerators, and bus architectures.
This would allow the title developers to create games that could concievably run on 3 platforms, PLUS PCs, with only minor differences.
Seems to me that would have a lot of appeal, for consumers and developers.
Increasing performance by a multiple of 1000 is ridiculous in the span of a single generation. Doubling, tripling, or quadrupling? Maybe.
NVidia now owns all of the 3dfx SLI patents... They could do some "distrubutive processing" inside the single chassis if they thought this was the way to go. Effectively doubling the number of Graphics chips needed/used may allow them to gain some economics of scale to keep prices within reason, while boosting performance by factors of 2 or 4.
IMHO, Sun is like Apple: great hardware and absolutely fucking terrible software.
Ironic, considering that Sun's approach in the beginning was to *not* be in the hardware business.
Unlike IBM, HP, or DEC, Sun's claim to fame was that they didn't manufacture or design any of their own hardware. They would simply assemble components produced by third parties.
Mandrake's PHP Hammered: Announcement Text Below
on
Mandrake 8.2 Available
·
· Score: 0, Redundant
Mandrake Linux 8.2: Solid server, Friendly desktop.
Altadena, CA - March 18th 2002 - MandrakeSoft is proud to introduce Mandrake Linux 8.2 as the most feature-rich, multi-purpose Linux operating system ever made available to the public. This new version of our flagship product combines the power and flexibility of a full-featured Linux server with the simplicity and elegance of well designed graphical user interfaces.
Mandrake Linux 8.2 is the best "all-in-one" solution for saving time and money with personal computers: installation couldn't be easier with our world-famous graphical installer, and no post-configuration hassles means that your Mandrake system is immediately ready for work. Depending on your requirements, Mandrake 8.2 can be installed either as a full-featured & powerful Linux server, or as a highly productive personal workstation.
New server features include the ability to use an encrypted filesystem for protecting sensitive data; "kernel-secure" adds important security features to the default Linux kernel; and an "Enterprise" kernel delivers SMP (Symmetric Multi Processing) and Hi-memory support (above 1024 MB) for high-end servers. Mandrake Linux 8.2 also introduces a quick and efficient way to set up printers and scanners; a new file sharing feature for easily sharing files and directories in a networked environment; and improved "hot-plug" support that lets users install new devices quickly and painlessly without having to reboot the system. A new remote desktop utility, RFBdrake, is extremely useful for controlling machines remotely within a LAN or securely through the Internet.
New desktop features include a completely redesigned Mandrake Control Center that serves as a central location for Mandrake-specific tools and utilities, as well as many new configuration wizards. Desktop users will appreciate the task-oriented menus in GNOME and KDE which greatly simplify locating applications by categorizing them into common "tasks".
MandrakeFirstTime is an easy-to-use wizard that helps setup a desktop environment (KDE, GNOME, etc.), choose a theme and configure email settings. DrakNet, the Internet connection and network utility, efficiently helps users configure all types of network connections, from common dial-up modems to DSL and cable connections.
The reworked version of MSEC, a utility for configuring the security level of a machine (Standard, High, Highest, Paranoid) is more powerful than ever. Also included are the latest stable versions of KDE and GNOME which both offer some great new features and applications such as anti-aliased fonts and Evolution (an Outlook-like email client and personal information manager). StarOffice 6.0 is included with the ProSuite and PowerPack Editions.
"With version 8.2, Mandrake Linux proves that it is the ultimate Linux experience. This new release is the result of our four year commitment to providing the best operating system ever. Mandrake Linux has long been the preferred Linux distribution for individuals, but Mandrake 8.2 marks a new step in our penetration of the corporate environment. The features and unparalleled ease of use make 8.2 an incredibly efficient and affordable alternative to UNIX and Windows 2000" said Jacques Le Marois, CEO of MandrakeSoft.
Core System Components
Kernel 2.4.18
Improved Firewire support
Support for USB2, ECC memory, i830 DRM, ATA133, Geforce3
XFree86 4.2 provides 3D acceleration for many video cards previously only supported in 3.3.6
Glibc 2.2.4
Software and Applications
Apache 1.3.23
PHP 4.1.2
MySQL 3.23.47
PostgreSQL 7.2
Sendmail 8.12.1
Postfix 20010228
Staroffice 6.0 is the latest version of the famous Office Suite that boasts integrated creativity and productivity tools, improved interoperability with Microsoft Office files, support for XML file formats, and improved international support.
Evolution 1.02 is a full-featured personal information manager and advanced E-mail client. Evolution provides the best features in its class.
KDE 2.2.2 (KDE 3.0 RC2 is also provided as an alternative desktop for users who enjoy the bleeding edge) and GNOME 1.4.1 -- Enjoy the latest versions of these popular desktop environments. KDE 2.2.2 includes a new print system which has been integrated with PrinterDrake; GNOME 1.4.1 includes Evolution to closely match the features and look of MS-Outlook.
Mandrake Linux 8.2 is currently available for x86 processors, and will soon also be available for the PPC platform.
MandrakeSoft provides a trusted interface between users of information technology and open source developers. The company offers its enterprise, government and educational customers a set of GNU Linux and Open-Source software and related services, and user-friendly and highly competitive information technologies. In addition, MandrakeSoft offers technologists committed to open software and courseware a trusted channel to offer their services.
The company has technologists in over 20 countries, and is traded on Paris Euronext Marché Libre (Euroclear code: 4477.PA; Reuters code: MAKE.PA) and the US OTC market (stock symbol MDKFF). "Born on the Internet" in late 1998, MandrakeSoft established headquarters in the U.S.A., Montreal, England, Germany and France. Please visit the Web site, http://www.mandrakesoft.com for more information.
Slashdot Mirror
It should be a no brainer that Verisign cost this guy millions of dollars when they gave away his domain name.
Likening the domain name to stock certificates (if you read the article) was a very nice analogy.
I pronounce it that way, but from most people I hear "ray-show."
I was debating how to write that line...
My two choices were:
- signal noise ratio falling
- signal noise ratio falls
I went with the former even though I knew better. Understand that my post was incorrect not because I lacked the proper understanding of haiku, but rather because I lacked the discipline to adhere to it.Perhaps this thread will result in a new form of art... A 5/8/5 poem. They will call it a Slashpii, and middle school english teachers will torture thier students with it for all eternity.
Whose pills caused engorgement and swelling,
Three inches you'll grow,
or your money we'll sow,
Click here to find out where it's selling!
Signal noise ratio falling
Slashdot fades to black...
In the High-end Consumer 3D graphics market, those difference are simply too subtle. Once you get past the GPU itself, is there really any difference between one card and another?
To you, the typical Slashdot technology geek, the differences may be very pronounced. For most people, a Geforce4 card is a Geforce4 card.
Since most of the marketplace (and by most, I mean the vast majority, and by vast majority, I mean the vast majority of a very small segment because most people languish under the performance of the video subsystem that comes pre-installed in their HP Pavillion, or Compaq Presario...) doesn't care about the trivial differences, is all comes down to price.
If comparing two products that are essentially the same, it is price that will be the determining factor in the purchase. To overcome price, you need great marketing. Ever seen a VisionTek commercial? Half the people in this thread hadn't even heard of VisionTek, and Slashdot readers pride themselves on knowing that kind of thing.
I'm sorry to see them go... Their products have a really good reputation, and there seems to be no shortage of fans. That said, "Selective Destruction" is one of the features of capitalism that makes the marketplace work, and is ultimately good for consumers.
Someone will fill the gap. I'd like to see Asus jump in, but if they don't, somebody else will. Hopefully, they'll find a way to provide the same level of quality that VisionTek did, and do so at a price that keeps them competitive.
First, they are funded through taxes, which is a clever way of taking money from the people that are actually out there earning it, and giving it to those that aren't.
Second, the programs simply don't work.
Understand that there is a difference between welfare and unemployment. Unemployment is not taxpayer funded... It is paid by employers and employees (Paid by the employer, but the cost has a direct relation to the salaries that employees earn).
Unemployment insurance does what you described above. It helps people get through while looking for work.
Welfare, on the other hand, is not funded by the individuals that receive its assistance. You mention that some States have placed caps on welfare benefits. That represents a reform of the welfare system. It's a step in the right direction, and in the States where such a limitation exists, a greater percentage of the participants are able to get off the program, and become self-sufficient.
That fact alone speaks volumes about the net-effect of Johnson's "War on Poverty." Government subsidies do more harm than good. Entitlement programs victimize the very people that they are intended to help.
Earlier in America's history, there were no government entitlement programs. Instead, when a person or family needed help, they turned to friends, family, local charities, or other organizations in their community. Assistance came from people they knew, with names, and faces. There was a sense of obligation not only to return to self-sufficiency, but to repay the debt of gratitude in some way, because the help had come from the community.
Today, assistance comes to the mailbox, or is directly deposited into a bank account. There is little shame in it. There is nobody to say "thank you" to, nor is there any reason to feel a sense of shame.
I'll never forget watching a program like 60 minutes, or some such program, interviewing a person on public assistance. The lady was in Wisconsin, back when Tommy Thompson had just become Governor, and had implemented the 5 year welfare limitation. The lady was very angry... She actually referred to her benefits as her "salary," as though she had earned it. I have had a job since the age of 13. I worked all through high school, and all of my adult life. I cannot tell you how much it angered me to hear this lady upset that she was finally going to have to find a way to pay her own way through life.
But I don't want to turn this into a diatribe about some lady in Wisconsin...
All of the issues you raise untimately leave me flat because they are all forms of wealth redistribution. Welfare... National Health Care... Food Stamps... Blah, blah, blah...
Nothing in this life is free. Someone is paying. I am perfectly willing to pay my own way through life. Further, if there's something that I want, or even something that I need, I have no right to demand that you, or anyone else pay for it. The moment I try, or have the government do my bidding, then I have forfeit my own property rights.
Once you do that, you have mothing left. If you have no right to property, you have no freedom at all. Your labor can be seized... You can be conscripted into the military, or some other "publically worthwhile" cause. They can dictate what you read, or see, or listen to.
The point is that once you allow government to cross the line, they can redefine the line repeatedly, whenever "the masses" demand it.
That is the fundamental difference between a "Democracy" an a "Republic."
In a Democracy, government can undertake any activity, so long as it has the support of the majority. It is, in essence, mob rule.
In a Republic, there are limitations on what a government can undertake, no matter what popular opinion may be at the moment. A government has a Charter, and it may not exceed the limits of that charter.
It is for that reason that a Republic is the only form of government worthy of consideration for a people that ascribe the rights theory.
Now bringing it around to your questions about the environment, sure, I want my children to be able to grow up in a world with fresh air, and clean water, and I want that for their children as well.
Does that mean that I think the only way to get there is by placing artificial limits on the quality of life for people in the United States, or anywhere else in the world? Of course not.
The answer lies not in turning back the clock. It lies in making the breakthroughs that allow us to elevate the rest of the world to our standard of living, and do so in such a way as to ensure the long term survival of the species.
It means ending the witch hunt against nuclear power, which remains the most efficient, and cleanest means of meeting our energy demands. It also means finding a better way to manage the waste that is produced. We need to begin testing the second generation of nuclear power... Why haven't we built a pebble-bed reactor? No possibility of melt-down... Dramatically reduced amount of waste material... Same amount of power output.
These things should be popping up all over the place until we can find a safe way to harness fusion power.
Also recognize that they age of oil is coming to a close. Fuel-cells will be taking off 10 years from now. They'll be fairly common 15 years from now.
The problems we face environmentally have solutions. We need to refine the solutions that we've already uncovered, and we need to discover the solutions that yet remain. Don't hamstring humanity in the interim...
It's very easy for the "have-nots" or the "have-lesses" to cry foul, and demand that first world nations abandon centuries of human progress. Our ancestors worked hard to provide the foundation upon which we stand. I don't think it's time to jump off.
Besides, there's an asteroid coming in 2019. Bask in excess while you can. The sky is falling!
Exactly... Marxism/Communism is an unworkable system because it runs contradictory to human nature. Why not let the discussion end there? People are not programmed to show the same amount of concern for a complete stranger as they would a family member, or a friend. That's simply how we work.
Also, don't fool yourself into believing that you, as a self-proclaimed socialist, are any different from a marxist. You're not. Individual rights are cast aside by socialists and marxists. Some would argue that it's a matter of degree. I make no distrinctions... You are either for, or against, individual rights. Once you cross the line, you've chosen, and that's where you are.
You concede that Capitalism provides an excellent mechanism for balancing supply and demand, but you fail to recognize that it also seeks to minimize waste (In that it is more expensive to be wasteful, than not to be. Inefficiency is penalized in Capitamism, in the form of increased costs of production.). Take two companies providing an identical product, selling for an identical price as an example. Which of them will win out in the end? The one which can best utilize it's materials, minimizing the costs. They will be more profitable, and have the means to drive the other out of the marketplace.
Getting back to human nature, which economic system allows people the highest degree of freedom? Which allows the individual the greatest amount of personal choice? Which economic system demands the least amount of sacrifice?
I realize that from a detached perspective, such as that of a student engaged in scholarly pursuits, these questions seem somewhat less than noble, and that the "people must adjust their lifestyles for the greater good" position seems a perfectly reasonable stance. The reality is that only Capitalism respects the rights of the individual, and that "the greater good" is a myth used by those who seek power to influence those that are ruled.
We have seen the devastating results of socialism/marxism in practice. It results in the mismanagement of resources, including both raw materials, the means of production, and the application of labor. There is never going to be a 5 year plan that can successfully anticipate the needs of the moment. While capitalism cannot predict those needs either, it is certainly far more dynamic in responding to those needs once they are revealed.
Understand that the only "equality" that we should strive for is equality of opportunity. Beyond that, you'd like to see equality of outcome, and that is something that is never going to happen.
We, as people, are not equal. Some people are smarter than others. Some are stronger. Some are faster. Some are more creative.
These countless differences in people ensure that the various outcomes of our lives will vary tremendously. Capitalism allows people to make the best use of their individual, disparate talents, allowing us to be rewarded based on how useful our talents are to those seeking them. Beyond that, what else could be hoped for?
With that as a backgound, socialist schemes don't hold much appeal. If I put my talents to good use, and I can afford better health care than someone else, should I not be entitled to it? Health care, just like anything else, is a limited resource. Shouldn't price determine the allocation of that resource just as it does in any other market?
If not price, what else should be used? Need? Who determines the person in greater need? Is there a panel of experts? A single arbiter? Would there be a board of appeals? Is a street person more "needy" than someone that runs a company?
If there is some central controlling authority, is there any way to ensure that their influence isn't bought? How can we prevent corruption, or the playing of favorites?
You can't. It all comes back to the fact that socialism/communism is inherently unsuited to human nature. Life isn't fair, and people will never truly be equal. Capitalism makes the best of a bad situation, while allowing people the greatest amount of freedom, and opportunity, and for that reason, it is the best possible economic system for humankind.
The Dijkstra Algorythm is the mechanism that determines path selection in an OSPF routing domain.
RIP determines best path based solely on hop count, irrespective of the bandwidth of the links along the path.
OSPF determines path without considering hop count. Instead, it utilizes metrics derived from the bandwidth of the links between the source and destination as the determining factor in deciding the best path.
I'd rather send my packets across two DS-3 connections than one 9.6kbps connection in reaching the destination.
Couple that with it's support for VLSM and Classless operation, and it's super efficient update "flooding" mechanism, and you have the basis for the Mac Daddy of interior routing protocols.
This was a brilliant man. I'm sorry to hear of his passing.
It just goes to show you, you're never really safe.
(Sorry... It seemed apropriate, given all of the other movie references in this thread...)
Un-lame.
So sayeth the filter.
While I have no doubt that you'll see a 10GigE interface card soon, and that large hosts (Big Iron, Big Unix) may be able to take advantage, it's really not about Host-to-Switch connectivity.
It's about Switch-to-Switch connectivty.
I deploy a lot of networks where you have a tremendous number of ports at the access closet, and you typically end up with 1 to 2 Gbps to the closet (2 Gbps when channelling).
As an example, a Cisco Cat 4006 chassis, fully loaded, can support up to 240 users. That many users can certainly chew up a 1 Gbps uplink to the core.
Additionally, what about when you need to cascade multiple switches in a closet, or expand your core? Sure, maybe I get 64 Gbps across the backplane of a given switch, but what about between the two switches? I'm limited to 4 Gbps between them in a channel configuration, and in so doing, I have chewed up 8 (!) Gigabit ports.
Now, for those same 8 ports, I get 40 Gbps between the switches. Odds are, I can get away with only 1 or 2 connections, using just 4 ports.
There are also XM only tuners, which play through your existing stereo via RF modulation, like a lot of CD Changers use.
I'm looking at the add-ons now, because I don't want to have a crappy, ill-fitting tuner in my dash. (I drive a Dodge Durango, and the Stereo is over sized... I hate the look of spacers, etc.)
Sony makes an Add-on tuner that is dockable, and the you can get an additional dock for use in the home. That way, you can take the XM into the house at night, if you wanted to. You do need an additional antenna though.
Also, keep in mind that the prices you see never seem to include the antennas. Apparently, $199 for the tuner is for the non-working solution. It takes some more money to get a functioning solution.
Geographically, Hyborea was Earth, prior to continental drift. The maps were basically the "Pancea" continent we all saw back in the days of "Earth Science."
Having been completely addicted to Robert E. Howard's Conan novels, they provided a rich, deep backstory, and a broad range of diversity. Howard never relied too heavily on Monsters, either, which I liked. I always thought the wandering monster aspect of D&D was somewhat ridiculous. Instead, the missions tended to be against the Snake Cult, set in Stygia (Directly mimicking Egypt and it's mythology), led by a powerful Wizard, or Pictish Warlords (Mimicking various tribes throughout Afica), or any number of other human historical groups throughout the ages.
This kind of backdrop provides near limitless possibility.
I'm sure that licensing issues would render it useless to WotC's goals here, but for any of you that are still into the RPG scene, and rolling your own campaigns, Hyborea makes for excellent source material.
IE may be here to stay, and without a doubt, it has long been the champ on Windows, but the "installed userbase" equation is about to change dramatically.
35,000,000 AOL users are going to end up with Netscape/Mozilla/Gecko as their browser of choice as AOL merges it into their software, and companies that court consumer dollars are going to have to wake up and smell the standards.
Crappy web pages with proprietary IE only "tricks" are about to become a thing of the past.
Back when Netscape was a player, most sites had to at least tip their hats in the general direction of standards, and browser portability. For the past few years, they haven't even had to bother. IE was the only game in town, and Netscape users were a segment that could be ignored.
It's rare that a product whose market share has eroded so completely could undergo any real resurgence, but all of those AOL users will ensure that the lizard comes back in force, and it will happen over night, when those AOL folks download their AOL Blah.blah upgrades.
Ironic, isn't it, that AOL will be the company that saves the Open-ness of the Web...
The rationale for this is that criminals would likely seek to elect those who would soften criminal penalties, or eliminate whole categories of criminal activity from the books.
It's a way to ensure that the best interests of criminals is not reflected during the course of elections. It is, after all, the interests of honest citizens that ought to represented by our leaders.
I suppose it's a noble idea, and frankly, I'd prefer that criminals not have a say in who makes the law, but the implementation, and the unintended consequences (if indeed they are unintended), may outweigh the benefits, particularly since there are so many "victimless crimes" in our society.
I think that if you're going to take away someone's right to self-determination, you ought to be able to show me a victim, and a tangible victim at that; someone that has been defrauded, robbed, raped, or killed.
The right to self-determination is part of America's foundation, one of the assertions that lended legitimacy to our struggle for Independance. Taking it away from people needlessly cheapens the ideal, and diminishes America as an idea.
If Caldera and Company want to license support on a per seat basis, that's fine and dandy.
Licensing the software itself on a per seat basis is absurd. It's not their software to begin with.
Go RMS!
Go Away, Caldera!
In deploying the VPN solution, you can set the security policy so that when attached to the VPN, *ALL* traffic must utilize the VPN connection.
The effect is that once you initiate the VPN connection, you can't even ping a device on your local segment, or on the Internet.
Once connected, the home/roaming user is insulated as though he were on the network behind the corporate firewall.
Cisco's VPN concentrators (formerly Altiga) behave this way... If you choose to allow split tunnelling, they can even demand that the remote station utilize personal firewall software (Like ZoneAlarm, etc) before completing the VPN connection.
At any rate, the problem you describe has long been solved.
In addition to the 'lynx' web browser, there is another, similar, console based text only browser called 'links.' It's actually a better browser, in that it correctly renders tables.
Maybe if you weren't such as asshole, just looking to pounce on other people, you'd know that.
Anonymous Coward, indeed.
Obi-wan firmly states that he will take Anakin as his apprentice...
Yoda can be seen pacing back and forth during the conversation.
As though Debian were about market share, or corporate earnings, or business...
Fact: Trolling was once creative
Isn't it the case that Sony/MS/Nintendo sell the hardware at what amounts to a net loss? Don't they only begin to make money once the user buys 'X' number of games, revenue derived from licencing deals, etc?
If their plan is to have the user buy multiple platforms to be used in unison, then they had better figure out a way to manufacture these boxes at a dramitcally lower cost per unit.
From the consumer perspective, I can justify spending $300 to get the latest and greatest console platform, but having to shell out an additional $300 to get decent performance for my $60 Game Title? Or having to buy 4 $300 units?
This is a business plan that is doomed to failure.
Sony and Nintendo would indeed be wise to borrow Microsoft's idea, and assemble platforms based on mostly commodity hardware. Farm out the R&D to people like NVidia or ATI for graphics accellerators, and bus architectures.
This would allow the title developers to create games that could concievably run on 3 platforms, PLUS PCs, with only minor differences.
Seems to me that would have a lot of appeal, for consumers and developers.
Increasing performance by a multiple of 1000 is ridiculous in the span of a single generation. Doubling, tripling, or quadrupling? Maybe.
NVidia now owns all of the 3dfx SLI patents... They could do some "distrubutive processing" inside the single chassis if they thought this was the way to go. Effectively doubling the number of Graphics chips needed/used may allow them to gain some economics of scale to keep prices within reason, while boosting performance by factors of 2 or 4.
Ironic, considering that Sun's approach in the beginning was to *not* be in the hardware business.
Unlike IBM, HP, or DEC, Sun's claim to fame was that they didn't manufacture or design any of their own hardware. They would simply assemble components produced by third parties.
Altadena, CA - March 18th 2002 - MandrakeSoft is proud to introduce Mandrake Linux 8.2 as the most feature-rich, multi-purpose Linux operating system ever made available to the public. This new version of our flagship product combines the power and flexibility of a full-featured Linux server with the simplicity and elegance of well designed graphical user interfaces.
Mandrake Linux 8.2 is the best "all-in-one" solution for saving time and money with personal computers: installation couldn't be easier with our world-famous graphical installer, and no post-configuration hassles means that your Mandrake system is immediately ready for work. Depending on your requirements, Mandrake 8.2 can be installed either as a full-featured & powerful Linux server, or as a highly productive personal workstation.
New server features include the ability to use an encrypted filesystem for protecting sensitive data; "kernel-secure" adds important security features to the default Linux kernel; and an "Enterprise" kernel delivers SMP (Symmetric Multi Processing) and Hi-memory support (above 1024 MB) for high-end servers. Mandrake Linux 8.2 also introduces a quick and efficient way to set up printers and scanners; a new file sharing feature for easily sharing files and directories in a networked environment; and improved "hot-plug" support that lets users install new devices quickly and painlessly without having to reboot the system. A new remote desktop utility, RFBdrake, is extremely useful for controlling machines remotely within a LAN or securely through the Internet.
New desktop features include a completely redesigned Mandrake Control Center that serves as a central location for Mandrake-specific tools and utilities, as well as many new configuration wizards. Desktop users will appreciate the task-oriented menus in GNOME and KDE which greatly simplify locating applications by categorizing them into common "tasks".
MandrakeFirstTime is an easy-to-use wizard that helps setup a desktop environment (KDE, GNOME, etc.), choose a theme and configure email settings. DrakNet, the Internet connection and network utility, efficiently helps users configure all types of network connections, from common dial-up modems to DSL and cable connections.
The reworked version of MSEC, a utility for configuring the security level of a machine (Standard, High, Highest, Paranoid) is more powerful than ever. Also included are the latest stable versions of KDE and GNOME which both offer some great new features and applications such as anti-aliased fonts and Evolution (an Outlook-like email client and personal information manager). StarOffice 6.0 is included with the ProSuite and PowerPack Editions.
"With version 8.2, Mandrake Linux proves that it is the ultimate Linux experience. This new release is the result of our four year commitment to providing the best operating system ever. Mandrake Linux has long been the preferred Linux distribution for individuals, but Mandrake 8.2 marks a new step in our penetration of the corporate environment. The features and unparalleled ease of use make 8.2 an incredibly efficient and affordable alternative to UNIX and Windows 2000" said Jacques Le Marois, CEO of MandrakeSoft.
Core System Components
Software and Applications
Mandrake Linux 8.2 is currently available for x86 processors, and will soon also be available for the PPC platform.
To find out more about Mandrake Linux 8.2, please visit http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/82.php3
Pre-orders are now being accepted for the Mandrake Linux 8.2 ProSuite and PowerPack Editions at http://www.MandrakeStore.com
Or download your copy today at http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftp.php3
Mandrake Club members are entitled to download proprietary drivers and commercial software for 8.2: http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/club/
About MandrakeSoft
MandrakeSoft provides a trusted interface between users of information technology and open source developers. The company offers its enterprise, government and educational customers a set of GNU Linux and Open-Source software and related services, and user-friendly and highly competitive information technologies. In addition, MandrakeSoft offers technologists committed to open software and courseware a trusted channel to offer their services.
The company has technologists in over 20 countries, and is traded on Paris Euronext Marché Libre (Euroclear code: 4477.PA; Reuters code: MAKE.PA) and the US OTC market (stock symbol MDKFF). "Born on the Internet" in late 1998, MandrakeSoft established headquarters in the U.S.A., Montreal, England, Germany and France. Please visit the Web site, http://www.mandrakesoft.com for more information.