Ummm...I imagine that there are quite a large number of developers out there (which, unfortunately I am not*) that do just this. They do it for educational purposes. They do it for their jobs. They do it for fun.
Hell, I imagine that quite a large number of open source (and closed source developers, but OSS hits a bit closer to home for many) who do just this in order to learn from and build upon the software that is already out there.
Screw the "funny" mod. Parent should be modded "insightful".
*I say unfortunately, because right now though there are a good number of projects that I wish I could help out on (with uControl, a now abandoned OS X project being one that hits close to home) I unforunately lack the time to learn how to do so, though I would be more than happy to test out anyone's attempts.
I never finished college and it has yet to hurt me professionally, financially or emotionally (partly I didn't have the money, mostly I didn't really find it useful for my goals to bother coming up w/ the money - and I went to a good 4 year east coast school with an extremely good comp sci program).
I have seen several posts of this nature so far in this thread. For those of you who are successful without obtaining a degree, well, power to you.
However, I think a LOT of people are missing the REAL point of University and obtaining a 4 year degree. Sure, your degree shows that (ideally) you are knowledgeable in your field of study, but that isn't even that important.
The most important thing (IMHO) about obtaining a 4 year degree is that it shows the people who will be giving you money to do what you want to do (be it your boss, the people giving you grants, etc.) that you can apply yourself to something and not give up on it for at least 4 years.
Now, for some of you this may not be that important because you are being your own boss, or your boss perhaps trusts your ability to commit long-term.
However, it is a good metric. It simply shows that you have the discipline to do it for 4 years, and that is a valuable thing for many employers.
Ummm...if you like to play quake with a trackpad, power to you.
My post was in response to PowerBooks and iBooks not having second mouse-buttons. This has nothing to do with using an external mouse.
With a second, even third, mouse button I can surf the web with a tabbed browser while eating lunch. I can load my iPod (A gift, I didn't give Apple any of my cash) and create new play lists with ease, again, while my other hand is holding my sandwich while I eat lunch.
Wow! That is amazing. Like I said to the parent to my original post, it is SOOOO difficult to reach over with my pinky to control-click for a contextual menu. That said, it is even MORE difficult to use my ring finger to command-click while web-browsing to open links in new tabs. And, using two fingers on the track-pad to scroll? That is more difficult than walking and chewing bubble-gum at the same time!
Of course, we all know the true benefits of one-handed web-browsing.
BTW, about making playlists...is there something about the "Make Playlist" button that requires a second button that I don't know about?
Don't get me wrong...I am not anti-multiple-mouse-buttons. When I plug a mouse into my PB, I use a 4-button/scroll mouse (one button is mapped to expose, which is really convenient). But, that said, when talking about normal, average (or even above average) use of a laptop with a trackpad, there probably VERY few things (and those would probably be very specialized things) that you can do one handed that I cannot even though I only have a single mouse-button. So, I fail to see any major disadvantage for having only a single mouse button on a laptop.
...to reach over with your pinky to hit the Control key while clicking the mouse button with your thumb.
Like you, I also have difficulty hitting two buttons at the same time when using a computer. I could never survive without having that right mouse button on my laptop.
Even at 2 hours, it lasts longer than the battery of a desktop, and even many desktops with UPS.
I use a PowerBook 12" 1.33GHz, and it is powerful enough for my uses that I don't need a desktop. I still get anywhere from 3.5hrs to 5hrs of battery life, depending on what I'm doing (3.5hrs w/ processor set on "Highest", screen dimmed, using GarageBand and 5+hrs when just typing w/ processor on "Reduced"). When I am at home, I just kind of think of it as a really long lasting UPS.
of course, I've never been in a power outage, so YMMV with the usefulness of such a "feature".
This post is slightly tongue-in-cheek, but for those using a laptop as a desktop replacement, it can be a valuable feature.
Thanks to the parent poster for posting this information. I will definitely be participating in this forum, and I think it is important for all Slashdot users concerned about intellectual property rights and how you feel they should be inforced (if even at all). As an "artist"* I am very concerned about the current state of intellectual property laws.
IP law is ridiculously out of hand in my opinion and it makes me very sad to see most copyright holders in the world stealing from the public. Even though I do somewhat think of myself as an artist, I think the current situation (e.g. life of the creator +70 years) is insane and I do intend to voice my concerns and opinions about these things.
Please, everyone, if you feel as strongly about this as many of your rants on Slashdot make you seem to, please participate in the forum. This is a good chance to get our voices heard and hopefully make some changes...if WIPO will listen, that is...
*by "artist" I am an amateur photographer and I enjoy making electronic music. I do agree with some IP laws, in that I want my work protected (mainly from exploitation by corporations, which is why I use CC licenses), but also I am limiting myself to a 10 year copyright limit before I give my work (as crappy as it may be) back to the public domain (my earlier photos will become public domain in 2007). I wish more people thought like this.
We may think that megafauna are becoming extinct, but the truth of the matter is that they are all leaving the planet in droves and moving to Arcturus.
However, this is not an excuse for an "anything goes" attitude. We still need to work hard to preserve the earth; it is one of our greatest responsibilities.
While I agree with your overall statement, I don't think it is our responsibility to preserve the Earth. The Earth survived billions of years without us, and it will continue to survive beyond us.
It is, however, our responsibility to save ourselves (and that is the responsibility of all species, IMHO). You already stated the need for preserving the Earth: We are a natural part of Earth's ecosystem. Anything that happens to that ecosystem ultimately effects us. The Earth will survive our actions.
Can you imagine if they decide to re-release an "upgraded" Raiders of the Lost Ark? You remember the scene in the marketplace with all of they guys chasing Indy. The croud clears a circle and Indy is faced by a big guy with the sword. The guy shows off a bit swinging his sword around a lot. Then Indy just pulls out his gun and shoots the guy, and then walks away with a little grin on his face. (IMHO, one of the best scenes EVAR!)
Well, in the re-release he will wait and they guy comes charging at him. Indy dodges and then pistol-whips him on the back of the head and walks away with a remorseful look on his face because Lucas decides that he is really just a sensitive guy who would never shoot first, but only out of self-defense.
GAH! I think I need some mental-floss to clean that image out of my mind.
I'm still using one of the older (non-color, but color case) Handspring Visors and it suits my needs very well, with two exceptions, which I will get to in a moment.
My main uses for it are for my schedule (synced with iCal on my Mac with a redundant backup to my iPod), a nice, free Japanese-English dictionary (Dokusha - very nice but very slow for E-J lookups), reading eBooks, and jotting down the occasional memo. I also have some software loaded in for music stuff (fretboard, IIRC), dark room timing stuff (which I don't use much anymore since I no longer have a darkroom), and that is about it.
My only problems with it are speed (16MHz processor doesn't do somethings at all...like I said, E-J lookups take a couple of minutes...however J-E lookups are pretty much instantaneous) and storage space (only 8MB, which means I am severely limited to the number of books I can have loaded), but otherwise it functions well and I usually get about a month or two using 2 AAA batteries.
Not a bad little device...maybe I'll upgrade someday.
Apple had long been calling the things that opened in their Operating Systems "Windows" long before Microsoft ventured away from the DOS prompt.
What exactly is your point?
AFAICT, Tiger Direct does not market an operating system under their name, and it seems quite obvious that Apple is not using the word "Direct" in any of their marketing or naming strategies.
Again I ask, what exactly is your point?
Trademarks only reach so far, and Tiger Direct's does not (rightly IMHO) reach far enough. Next thing you know, African tour operators will be trying to sue Apple over the name of their browser, the French will be trying to sue Apple over their chosen name for autoconfig, mathemeticians and philosophers the world over will be trying to sue Apple over the name of their (bought out) music software, auto makers will be suing them over the use of the term "dashboard", etc. etc. etc.
It is a well known fact that the world drops off an invisible ledge about 1 meter (sorry...about 3 feet) over the border(s...both north and south) and about 1 kilometer (sorry...about.6 miles) out to sea and anything that you can see beyond that is merely an optical illusion created by God.
Also, any people you see crossing into the United States of Jesusland are actually not coming from anywhere but are being created at that moment by God himself! Pretty amazing, isn't it?
Any posts that you see on Slashdot (including this one) that are apparently from people located outside of the USJ are actually only figments created by God to test your faith.
This imaginary post is brought to you by a "person" living in "Japan" and is printed on "recycled electrons".
Have faith, brothers and sisters!! Amen!
**the fictional entity known as "interactive civilian" watches his karma go down the toilet**
That is an excellent way of thinking. Personally, I am 100% against multiple consecutive terms for politicians. That way only breeds career politicians who become so out of touch with the people they are supposed to represent that they are no longer useful as "public servants".
IMHO, any political office should not be allowed consecutive terms, and no more than 2 terms for president and three terms for any level below that.
As an addendum(sp?) to my original post (the GP to this one), I just wanted to add: if you do go for the idea of informing any potential runners for the next senate (against the incumbent) make sure you inform them and press the point of exactly why you are willing to support them. Make it abso-fucking-lutely clear that if they follow in the footsteps of those they may potentially replace, then they will be looking for new jobs when the time comes as well.
Come on, people! You live in a representative republic. Perhaps it is not the ideal situation, but you CAN make it work for you if enough of you care. Get to it. Let those whom YOU give power to know that you will will not stand for this kind of crap! You have the power. There are enough of you over on that side of the pond to make a difference in your own communities. Perhaps not alone, but like I said before, you know how to communicate. Get the word out. Get it out to those who can get it out to more. Get it out to those who can possibly step up to the plate next. You can do it.
I can't reiterate it enough. It is YOUR DUTY as US citizens! It isn't an easy job, but it is something you are completely capable of. Best of luck! I like the idea of the United States of America, and I think the US Constitution is one of the finest documents ever written in the history of mankind. Not too many things make me sadder than seeing the American people allowing (probably through ignorance) it to be used as toilet paper by those in power.
Do NOT vote for a single incumbent during the next Senate elections, (2006, right?). It doesn't matter if the incumbent is a Democrat or Republican, get them out.
Seriously, the American Slashdot crowd is huge and you know how to communicate. Start communicating with the people who will be running against the incumbents for seats in the Senate in the next election NOW. Give them ammunition against their opponents. Start grass roots campaigning and get the message out. Get it on people's minds and keep it there. If you have that much of a problem with this bill as many of you say, then get to work kicking out the idiots who voted in favor of the bill.
It must be nice to have a system that suggests a drink to go with opening your files. MacOS X just tells me that it doesn't know what the hell to do with it.
I wonder if the US could "help" India change its mind by threatening to withhold business if it doesn't comply.
Does anyone know some good numbers about the amount of labour being outsourced to India? Judging by the numbers of comments posted in those kinds of stories, I would guess it is pretty significant, so...
If the US tried to retaliate by withholding business from India, I guess the outsourcing would have to stop, right? Which means that US companies that outsource their labour would either have to a.) find another place to go that has a well-enough trained/educated workforce to be able to do the work, or b.) go back to employing the more expensive domestic labour force (since the reason for outsourcing is because it is cheaper, right?). I can't imagine many companies being thrilled with that.
So on the one hand, you have the US doing nothing and probably losing its "patent advantage" in the rest of the world, and on the other hand, you have retaliation which leads to reduced profits for the corporations (which put a lot of money into politics) due to more expensive operating costs, and I don't imagine them taking that lightly. Interesting.
I am somewhat reminded of something about rocks and hard places.
Sorry...I should have been more specific. I'm using the Mac version of FireFox. Alt(option)-d does nothing. nor does command-d.
HOWEVER, after trying one more combination, I am ready to kick myself in the head. Thanks for putting me on to this line of thinking.
Control-d works perfectly!!:D
I withdraw my earlier complaint (though it still kind of makes sense, at least to me, to have deny as the default choice in that dialogue). Cheers. (^_^)v
I completely agree. Or, even as a compromise, for those of us who want to be notified of cookies and choose to allow, deny, or allow for session, it would be REALLY nice if the default button was "deny" rather than "allow".
it is really annoying to have to mouse over to the button that I choose the most often.
btw, if there is anyway to change this behavior short of recompiling, I would love to know how.:D
The Toyota i-Foot may not be armed and isn't homemade, but it really walks and can apparently walk up stairs. On this page there is a link to a video of it moving at the bottom.
That sounds like it fits most of the basic requisites for "life".(note, I did NOT say "sentient life")
According to the Wikipedia definition of Life, consuming and using resources sounds a lot like metabolism. The "ability to expand its own capacity" sounds like growth. It can rebuild and maintain itself, and assuming this could also be in response to external, environmental factors, it can respond to stimuli. It can make a copy of itself, which seems to fit the definition of asexual reproduction.
Of course, the biggest differences when compared to biological "life" seems to be being mechanical rather than molecular in nature. However, such a machine could almsot be thought of as a "macro-cell" could it not? Does it have the ability to change and adapt to its environment? If so, then it sounds quite close to "life."
nor can one blame the policticians for being accomodating and writing the rules to benefit such a generous contributor.
Yes, you certainly can blame the politicians here. It is not their job to accomodate generous contributors. It is their job to represent the will of the people (ALL the people, not just the wealthy contributors) that they are supposed to be governing.
This "vicious circle" could be easily broken if there were politicians that actually cared about their constituents and the welfare of their city/state/country rather than caring for the almight dollar/yen/euro/etc.
Slashdot Mirror
Hell, I imagine that quite a large number of open source (and closed source developers, but OSS hits a bit closer to home for many) who do just this in order to learn from and build upon the software that is already out there.
Screw the "funny" mod. Parent should be modded "insightful".
*I say unfortunately, because right now though there are a good number of projects that I wish I could help out on (with uControl, a now abandoned OS X project being one that hits close to home) I unforunately lack the time to learn how to do so, though I would be more than happy to test out anyone's attempts.
However, I think a LOT of people are missing the REAL point of University and obtaining a 4 year degree. Sure, your degree shows that (ideally) you are knowledgeable in your field of study, but that isn't even that important.
The most important thing (IMHO) about obtaining a 4 year degree is that it shows the people who will be giving you money to do what you want to do (be it your boss, the people giving you grants, etc.) that you can apply yourself to something and not give up on it for at least 4 years.
Now, for some of you this may not be that important because you are being your own boss, or your boss perhaps trusts your ability to commit long-term.
However, it is a good metric. It simply shows that you have the discipline to do it for 4 years, and that is a valuable thing for many employers.
My post was in response to PowerBooks and iBooks not having second mouse-buttons. This has nothing to do with using an external mouse.
Wow! That is amazing. Like I said to the parent to my original post, it is SOOOO difficult to reach over with my pinky to control-click for a contextual menu. That said, it is even MORE difficult to use my ring finger to command-click while web-browsing to open links in new tabs. And, using two fingers on the track-pad to scroll? That is more difficult than walking and chewing bubble-gum at the same time!Of course, we all know the true benefits of one-handed web-browsing.
BTW, about making playlists...is there something about the "Make Playlist" button that requires a second button that I don't know about?
Don't get me wrong...I am not anti-multiple-mouse-buttons. When I plug a mouse into my PB, I use a 4-button/scroll mouse (one button is mapped to expose, which is really convenient). But, that said, when talking about normal, average (or even above average) use of a laptop with a trackpad, there probably VERY few things (and those would probably be very specialized things) that you can do one handed that I cannot even though I only have a single mouse-button. So, I fail to see any major disadvantage for having only a single mouse button on a laptop.
Like you, I also have difficulty hitting two buttons at the same time when using a computer. I could never survive without having that right mouse button on my laptop.
.
Yes, my tongue is firmly placed in my cheek.
I use a PowerBook 12" 1.33GHz, and it is powerful enough for my uses that I don't need a desktop. I still get anywhere from 3.5hrs to 5hrs of battery life, depending on what I'm doing (3.5hrs w/ processor set on "Highest", screen dimmed, using GarageBand and 5+hrs when just typing w/ processor on "Reduced"). When I am at home, I just kind of think of it as a really long lasting UPS.
of course, I've never been in a power outage, so YMMV with the usefulness of such a "feature".
This post is slightly tongue-in-cheek, but for those using a laptop as a desktop replacement, it can be a valuable feature.
IP law is ridiculously out of hand in my opinion and it makes me very sad to see most copyright holders in the world stealing from the public. Even though I do somewhat think of myself as an artist, I think the current situation (e.g. life of the creator +70 years) is insane and I do intend to voice my concerns and opinions about these things.
Please, everyone, if you feel as strongly about this as many of your rants on Slashdot make you seem to, please participate in the forum. This is a good chance to get our voices heard and hopefully make some changes...if WIPO will listen, that is...
*by "artist" I am an amateur photographer and I enjoy making electronic music. I do agree with some IP laws, in that I want my work protected (mainly from exploitation by corporations, which is why I use CC licenses), but also I am limiting myself to a 10 year copyright limit before I give my work (as crappy as it may be) back to the public domain (my earlier photos will become public domain in 2007). I wish more people thought like this.
;p
It is, however, our responsibility to save ourselves (and that is the responsibility of all species, IMHO). You already stated the need for preserving the Earth: We are a natural part of Earth's ecosystem. Anything that happens to that ecosystem ultimately effects us. The Earth will survive our actions.
The question is "will we?"
Can you imagine if they decide to re-release an "upgraded" Raiders of the Lost Ark? You remember the scene in the marketplace with all of they guys chasing Indy. The croud clears a circle and Indy is faced by a big guy with the sword. The guy shows off a bit swinging his sword around a lot. Then Indy just pulls out his gun and shoots the guy, and then walks away with a little grin on his face. (IMHO, one of the best scenes EVAR!)
Well, in the re-release he will wait and they guy comes charging at him. Indy dodges and then pistol-whips him on the back of the head and walks away with a remorseful look on his face because Lucas decides that he is really just a sensitive guy who would never shoot first, but only out of self-defense.
GAH! I think I need some mental-floss to clean that image out of my mind.
;p
My main uses for it are for my schedule (synced with iCal on my Mac with a redundant backup to my iPod), a nice, free Japanese-English dictionary (Dokusha - very nice but very slow for E-J lookups), reading eBooks, and jotting down the occasional memo. I also have some software loaded in for music stuff (fretboard, IIRC), dark room timing stuff (which I don't use much anymore since I no longer have a darkroom), and that is about it.
My only problems with it are speed (16MHz processor doesn't do somethings at all...like I said, E-J lookups take a couple of minutes...however J-E lookups are pretty much instantaneous) and storage space (only 8MB, which means I am severely limited to the number of books I can have loaded), but otherwise it functions well and I usually get about a month or two using 2 AAA batteries.
Not a bad little device...maybe I'll upgrade someday.
What exactly is your point?
AFAICT, Tiger Direct does not market an operating system under their name, and it seems quite obvious that Apple is not using the word "Direct" in any of their marketing or naming strategies.
Again I ask, what exactly is your point?
Trademarks only reach so far, and Tiger Direct's does not (rightly IMHO) reach far enough. Next thing you know, African tour operators will be trying to sue Apple over the name of their browser, the French will be trying to sue Apple over their chosen name for autoconfig, mathemeticians and philosophers the world over will be trying to sue Apple over the name of their (bought out) music software, auto makers will be suing them over the use of the term "dashboard", etc. etc. etc.
Trademarks only go so far.
Also, any people you see crossing into the United States of Jesusland are actually not coming from anywhere but are being created at that moment by God himself! Pretty amazing, isn't it?
Any posts that you see on Slashdot (including this one) that are apparently from people located outside of the USJ are actually only figments created by God to test your faith.
This imaginary post is brought to you by a "person" living in "Japan" and is printed on "recycled electrons".
Have faith, brothers and sisters!! Amen!
**the fictional entity known as "interactive civilian" watches his karma go down the toilet**
IMHO, any political office should not be allowed consecutive terms, and no more than 2 terms for president and three terms for any level below that.
As an addendum(sp?) to my original post (the GP to this one), I just wanted to add: if you do go for the idea of informing any potential runners for the next senate (against the incumbent) make sure you inform them and press the point of exactly why you are willing to support them. Make it abso-fucking-lutely clear that if they follow in the footsteps of those they may potentially replace, then they will be looking for new jobs when the time comes as well.
Come on, people! You live in a representative republic. Perhaps it is not the ideal situation, but you CAN make it work for you if enough of you care. Get to it. Let those whom YOU give power to know that you will will not stand for this kind of crap! You have the power. There are enough of you over on that side of the pond to make a difference in your own communities. Perhaps not alone, but like I said before, you know how to communicate. Get the word out. Get it out to those who can get it out to more. Get it out to those who can possibly step up to the plate next. You can do it.
I can't reiterate it enough. It is YOUR DUTY as US citizens! It isn't an easy job, but it is something you are completely capable of. Best of luck! I like the idea of the United States of America, and I think the US Constitution is one of the finest documents ever written in the history of mankind. Not too many things make me sadder than seeing the American people allowing (probably through ignorance) it to be used as toilet paper by those in power.
Godspeed!
Seriously, the American Slashdot crowd is huge and you know how to communicate. Start communicating with the people who will be running against the incumbents for seats in the Senate in the next election NOW. Give them ammunition against their opponents. Start grass roots campaigning and get the message out. Get it on people's minds and keep it there. If you have that much of a problem with this bill as many of you say, then get to work kicking out the idiots who voted in favor of the bill.
It is your duty as US citizens.
At least it could offer me a beer or something.
Or some apple juice, natch. ;p
EEZ is only 200 nanometres?? Wow...watch where you point that UV source.
If the US tried to retaliate by withholding business from India, I guess the outsourcing would have to stop, right? Which means that US companies that outsource their labour would either have to a.) find another place to go that has a well-enough trained/educated workforce to be able to do the work, or b.) go back to employing the more expensive domestic labour force (since the reason for outsourcing is because it is cheaper, right?). I can't imagine many companies being thrilled with that.
So on the one hand, you have the US doing nothing and probably losing its "patent advantage" in the rest of the world, and on the other hand, you have retaliation which leads to reduced profits for the corporations (which put a lot of money into politics) due to more expensive operating costs, and I don't imagine them taking that lightly. Interesting.
I am somewhat reminded of something about rocks and hard places.
HOWEVER, after trying one more combination, I am ready to kick myself in the head. Thanks for putting me on to this line of thinking.
Control-d works perfectly!! :D
I withdraw my earlier complaint (though it still kind of makes sense, at least to me, to have deny as the default choice in that dialogue). Cheers. (^_^)v
it is really annoying to have to mouse over to the button that I choose the most often.
btw, if there is anyway to change this behavior short of recompiling, I would love to know how. :D
More info can be found here.
Good thing this software came out then. ;p
According to the Wikipedia definition of Life, consuming and using resources sounds a lot like metabolism. The "ability to expand its own capacity" sounds like growth. It can rebuild and maintain itself, and assuming this could also be in response to external, environmental factors, it can respond to stimuli. It can make a copy of itself, which seems to fit the definition of asexual reproduction.
Of course, the biggest differences when compared to biological "life" seems to be being mechanical rather than molecular in nature. However, such a machine could almsot be thought of as a "macro-cell" could it not? Does it have the ability to change and adapt to its environment? If so, then it sounds quite close to "life."
interesting...
welcome to the modern world. :(
This "vicious circle" could be easily broken if there were politicians that actually cared about their constituents and the welfare of their city/state/country rather than caring for the almight dollar/yen/euro/etc.