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User: cthrall

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  1. Largely unchanged? on Lenovo Tinkers With Larger Delete and Escape Keys · · Score: 1

    While it is a small change, it is fairly radical to tinker with an area of hardware which has been largely unchanged since the 19th century.

    Every keyboard I've ever used has been different. I wish there was a spec, and it was tied to a circa 1997 Microsoft Natural keyboard.

  2. Pushing software via update mechanism != Store on Sun To Build World's Biggest App Store Around Java · · Score: 1

    A store would be interesting, especially if Sun leveraged the cross-platform power of Java to let people run the same game on multiple computers. Play something on your desktop at home, get up in the morning and play the same game on your mobile device on the train.

    But that's not what he's talking about at all.

    Candidate applications will be submitted via a simple web site, evaluated by Sun for safety and content, then presented under free or fee terms to the broad Java audience via our update mechanism.

    As Schwartz mentions in his post, the Java update mechanism recently offered to install the Google toolbar. It was configured to install by default.

    What Schwartz is talking about is getting paid to distribute applications by the Java update mechanism. That install by default unless you tell it not to.

    The first time somebody runs the Java updater, it will install some software. The user will promptly uninstall the software and the Java updater, and perhaps Java itself.

  3. Re:I already have one, its called an iPhone ... on Mobile Wi-Fi Hot Spot · · Score: 1

    I have an iPhone. I used to have a Treo on VZN. I really miss the ability to tether my phone to my laptop, and I really miss the great speed and coverage of VZN. It cost the same as the data plan for the iPhone, too.

    The iPhone is cool, but there's no Rhapsody client, actually doing anything in ssh with the iPhone kbd is impossible, as is remote desktop over VPN.

  4. Huh. on Google Losing Up To $1.65M a Day On YouTube · · Score: 4, Funny

    Researchers from HP Palo Alto studied videos uploaded to YouTube

    I see I'm not the only one who gets paid to do this.

  5. Ahhhhhhh pontificating on The Case Against Web Apps · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Note that many desktop apps hit web services or communicate via HTTP now, mostly because it's 1. easy and 2. SOA became the flavor of the month about a year or so ago.

    Also, many enterprise web apps, at least that I've used, have some sort of plugin/JVM requirement. Are they a desktop app? Web app? Some awesomely funky in-between?

    Personally, I think these "thick vs. thin" client discussions are a nice waste of time and excuse to get page impressions.

    Let's deconstruct, shall we?

    What sense does that make when any modern laptop packs enough CPU and GPU power to put yesterday's Cray supercomputer to shame?

    Running Outlook and Office will immediately slow that poor laptop to molasses. Add a nice shiny .NET app, or worse, Java, and you've got yourself a tarpit.

    Web UIs are a mess

    You, my friend, have never used internally developed VB6 apps. I say no more.

    Browser technologies are too limiting.

    For some applications, I completely agree. But not everybody needs to see dynamic fluid modeling or stock quotes for 3000 securities in a real-time heatmap.

    The big vendors call the shots.

    Good call, time to turn to Java and .NET, which aren't controlled by big vendors.

    Should every employee have a browser?...But if your internal applications are Web-based, you'll need to either host them onsite or maintain careful router or firewall rules to prevent abuse of your Internet services.

    Because deploying and maintaining desktop apps across thousands of machines is wicked easy.

  6. Not One Size Fits All on Who is Winning the Web Talent War · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's always kind of funny when companies wonder about retaining staff. It shouldn't be that hard to answer that question.

    If people are happy with their compensation and their work, they will stay. If they are not happy, they will leave.

    And this is different for everybody. Some people want to work 40hrs. Some people are ok working more if the compensation is there. Some people want to work on prototyping with new technology. Some people want to work on designing large scale solutions.

    When you are small, it is arguably easier to treat everybody differently. Once you scale, you start having these "one size fits all" reviews and compensation packages that don't really capture what people think is important.

    Free lunch is cool, but will it make up for the fact that your manager isn't any good? Spending 20% of your week on your own project is cool, but what if you already worked 50hrs on something that's overdue where you didn't come up with the estimate?

  7. Re:I could have told them that years ago on Napster - Music Subsciptions Are Overrated · · Score: 1

    I totally agree. I've been a Rhapsody user for about four years or so. The Tivo deal means I can now use Rhapsody in my living room through my Tivo. All my playlists showed up when I logged in. I can download as much as I want to the 2G card in my Treo and listen there.

    Finding music is very easy on Rhapsody. They have related albums and influences listed for almost every artist.

  8. Re:I, for one,... on Democrats Take House, Senate Undecided · · Score: 1
    Somehow no one even got fired for that.


    We just took care of that.

    Oh, and he quit.
  9. Re:Define qualified on IT Worker Shortages Everywhere · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Being able to competently engineer concurrent network software is not, IMHO, a niche. Any experienced senior engineer should theoretically be able to handle threads and multiple requests being concurrently serviced.

  10. Re:Why I didn't on $100 PC Pledges Fail To Meet Minimum · · Score: 1
    Depending on the African nation, they need teachers who won't get shot, kids who won't go hungry, parents who won't die from AIDS, and/or textbooks that won't be burned for fuel.


    The scary thing is, you just described many urban environments in America...
  11. Re:The whole thing failed for very sound reasons.. on $100 PC Pledges Fail To Meet Minimum · · Score: 1

    Maine is trying to.

    Much of the criticism against the project has been of the "let them catch up, then give them technology" variety. I think Negroponte's whole point is third world countries will never catch up if they don't have technology. I think he's onto something.

  12. Re:Obviously on Bruce Schneier Blasts Politicians, Media · · Score: 1
    lest he have to go and find a real job.


    Dude, I think he's got a real job.
  13. Re:man-made Global Warming is unproven on First "Carbon-Free" CPU Fights Global Warming · · Score: 1
    Always an interesting topic.


    Definitely.

    The old regulations that called for coal plants to install scrubbers when expanding capacity seemed like a fair trade to me. We could still burn coal with greatly reduced emissions. I guess to me, the cost associated with upgrading the technology is completely worth it.

    I think there would be an impact economically, and that's what the current administration uses an excuse when discussing environmental regulations, but nobody can explain what the potential impact would be.

    It's kind of funny, really. We're completely willing to mess with the atmosphere even though the projections of our impact on it don't look very good at all. But anything that might have a slight impact on the economy is dismissed.
  14. Re:man-made Global Warming is unproven on First "Carbon-Free" CPU Fights Global Warming · · Score: 2, Informative
    Regulating restrictions on emissions can create new jobs as well. Somebody has to design those cleaners/scrubbers/etc.

    The amount of pollution that we emit is small compared to China

    Not that small.
  15. Roosevelt Franklin on Review: Nerdcore Hip-Hop Compilation CD Project · · Score: 1

    If you haven't heard anything by Roosevelt Franklin, go get their album "Something's Gotta Give."

  16. Question on Net Neutrality or Not? · · Score: 1

    So, what the telecoms seem to be saying is they want to build new infrastructure and they want to charge sites access fees, possibly based on the bandwidth used by those sites.

    How will these new technologies tie in to my internet connection? This all seems very vague.

    My question is...which way will this go:

    * Telecoms successfully build new network that is different than the internet, come up with billing methods to get money from both client and server, and...nobody uses it.
    * Telecoms start charging Google and Amazon $$$ for their existing net access.
    * Or the combo: telecoms try to create another network, nobody goes for it, so they are start charging GOOG and AMZN for existing net access.

  17. Mix on Document Management and Version Control? · · Score: 1

    * For project technical documentation, write it in Word/OO/vi/whatever and check it in with the project.
    * For FAQ/project overview, use a Wiki.
    * Create a technical mailing list where people can ask/answer questions informally.

    Most importantly:

    * Provide a browser-based search for all your various sources of information, formal or informal.

    The search is arguably more important than the repository.

  18. Web 2.0 Business Model on TiVo from AdZapper to Advertiser's New Best Friend · · Score: 1

    0. Purchase shares in company.
    1. Grovel web for podcasts about company.
    2. Have blog partner summarize podcast.
    3. Post link to /.
    4. Profit!

  19. Re:Another downside... on Google Releases AJAX Framework · · Score: 1
    Seriously, why isn't MS doing that : when you install an app (MS or 3rd party), it writes somewhere a link to an internet repository, that will be checked when going to Control Panel -> Add/remove apps.


    Application developers can add links and version info in Add/Remove Programs.

    Also, Active Directory admins can publish packages to clients on the domain. The packages will auto-install or show up in Add/Remove Programs, depending on how it's configured.

    This would be similar to the internal RPM repositories I've seen used at past jobs.

    Just because people don't use it doesn't mean it's not there.
  20. Re:Because we can on WebOS Market Review · · Score: 1

    Pushing new client code w/o actually pushing anything to the client is always nice. Knowing the majority of the computers out there meet the requirements for your software is also very nice. Cross-platform support is, most likely, easier than a traditional C++/.NET/Java client.

    It's not for every application, but there are a lot of reasons to do it.

  21. Re:You got some stuff wrong there, chief on Climate Researchers Feeling Heat From White House · · Score: 1
    It can reasonably be disputed based on our current evidence.

    Are there any peer-reviewed published articles that argue we are not causing global warming?

    the fact he is giving the NOAA extra money for research rather than prevention is quite interesting


    Congress cut that funding. NASA's science missions have also been cut, even though the spacecraft is built.

    Bush talks about doing more research, while cutting funding for that research. It's pretty obvious.
  22. Re:Throw out the coin. on Climate Researchers Feeling Heat From White House · · Score: 1
    Clinton was no better, no matter what the Progressives might say.


    Bush's administration has attempted to gut, with some success, some of the Clean Water work done by the Clinton administration. Bush also backed off on his "Clean Coal" initiative that was promised on the campaign trail (shocker), and removed the restrictions forcing plants to install emissions reducing gear if they were going to upgrade the capacity of the plant.

    Clinton was much better on the environment. Saying he's no different is just ignoring the facts.
  23. Re:There is competition on The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart · · Score: 1

    The two times I have shopped at Walmart, there was no alternative (rural upstate NY). On the road, nothing else in town (literally), I needed it that night...and all I needed was a Sharpie marker and some Post It Notes.

    In some places (also out in the plains), there is no competition. It either went out of business because Walmart showed up, or because the small town supporting it dried up.

  24. Re:arrrg on Windows Drivers for Mac Rolling Out · · Score: 1
    3)tax software. This is a big one for this, why bother buying a win machine for something you do once a year when you can just install win on your nice mac.


    I've used TurboTax Online for the last couple years. I much prefer it to the installable software. I think people are using it on Macs.
  25. Re:Web 2.0: Where solutions don't need problems? on Web 3.0 · · Score: 1

    Pushing client apps to the desktop isn't trivial, even if you're using the latest and greatest technologies to do so. The kind of UI you can create with AJAX is closer to a client app. I'm not saying thick clients will go away, just some people might use AJAX where they might have used a client app before.