No offense, but anyone who thinks it was a mistake or leak doesn't understand marketing.:)
Oooh, now thanks to Michael, I understand those devious marketdroids. Silly me, I thought the halloween document was a real leak, or at least a fake, but now I understand why Microsoft's image and sales have sky-rocketed since its release : it's because their marketing department released it on purpose !
So, for the purpose of having evidence for future possible lawsuits, first email messages must be recorded for 2 years or whatever, then IM messages, then what next ?
Here's a way to take care of the problem for good : log *all* incoming and outgoing TCP, UDP and ICMP packets, so you'll have plenty of evidence when that lawsuit comes. And hire me to sift through the records to find that crucial piece of evidence : it won't take me very long and I only take $45/hr. I'll sell you hard-disks to store all the packets too if you want...
- Limited version : when you pay, you get a key that unlocks the full product
- Full working version : the author asks you nicely to pay, or send a postcard, coin stamp...
Concerning the former, at first, people who know how crack it (tracing with a debugger and NOPing away the final key test), others reinstall regularly or play with the system time to get the program to continue working, and some do pay. Finally, if the program is successful enough, there'll be a key on a crack site eventually anyway.
For the latter, it's like spammers : authors hope for a 1% return rate, knowing full well most people won't nicely send them money for their hard work once they've installed the software.
Most people aren't honest. It's sad but it's a fact, and it's especially true for software users. So, the real question is : are current times so desperate for gaming software shops that developers revert to releasing shareware instead of selling their work as regular products ?
Okay, so when I started maintaining my first opensource project many years ago, I pull that one too : I released something one day, version 0.8.0, put it up for download on my web page, announced it and, a day or two later, I figured it was so great that I just changed the version number to 1.0.0 and re-released it. Then later again, I discovered a small typo, so I corrected it, repackaged, and re-released as version 1.0.0 because the change was so small.
Net result ? the last 1.0.0 tarball was broken, and people would send me bug reports regarding 0.8.0 and 1.0.0 and I wouldn't know which was which. There were several different tarballs of the thing with the same version number, or identical tarballs with different version numbers out there on the net and I looked like a bloody idiot. That's when I learned the hard way that when something is released, it's frozen and that's it, and if something changes, it'll be in the next version and too bad if the version I just released sucks.
So USB 1.1 != USB 2 ? well, too bad if some lusers are confused, USB 1.1 is USB 1.1, not USB 2. Even if marketing or support considerations come into play, it's still USB 1.1 feature-wise, not USB 2. Renaming USB 1.1 to USB 2 to con people isn't just a cheap trick, it most importantly shows a complete lack of professionalism, and it's the support people who will have a hard time answering calls about non-working USB 2 devices.
If ReiserFS has good disk access latency, Hans doesn't : boy did he take a long time to answer the questions, I thought it would never come. The guy must be real busy with his work...
Here was the first Linux www browser worth that name, that wasn't perfect but it was working, that became more and more bloated and unstable, while at the same time Microsoft decided to give away IE for free, effectively killing off Netscape. Then Netscape sold out to AOL like a cheap whore and the browser has now become a giant marketing turd.
The happy end of the story ? Netscape released the source code of the browser, enabling the Mozilla project to begin. Thanks guys !
You can see the code too !
on
Settling SCOres
·
· Score: 4, Funny
someone in Germany is claiming to have viewed the SCO-alleged infringing Linux source code without having to sign a NDA
Give yourself a few days to read the whole kernel source code and have your ass sued by SCO for having read their source code without NDA.
That's bollocks
on
42-Volt Autos
·
· Score: 5, Informative
A 42-volt system will slash weight
Where ? 12V lead/acid batteries have 6 elements, 42V batteries would have 21. That's 21 lead plates and associated acid cell. The only thing that would be lighter would wire harnesses, because the wires would be lower-gauge wiring since they wouldn't have to transport as much current. I can't see that being a real weight economy.
improve fuel economy
How ? do 42V alternators have a better efficiency than 12V ones ? And even if that was the case, wouldn't, say, driving the alternator with something else than a rubber belt improve efficiency much more dramatically ?
permit the replacement of many mechanical parts with electrical ones
How ? what are the mechanical parts that can't be replaced by 12V electrical equivalents that could be replaced by 42V ones ?
power all sorts of new gizmos like seat heaters, video, etc,
I can't wait to see cars with seat heaters or video units...
and, of most concern to us, improve efficiency for all automotive electrical devices
I don't know about overall efficiency, but in all fairness, that's true : it's easier to step the voltage down than up. So yes, many devices would become lighter, cheaper and probably more efficient.
opening the door to higher audio amplifier power with far less complexity than the current crop of 12-volt, high-power amplifiers. Not only can will this translate to lower cost and more compact aftermarket power amps, even head units could cheaply integrate 100-plus RMS watts per channel power.
That's about the only application where I can see a 42V system be useful.
All I see in that "improvement" is trouble, exactly like when cars switched from 6V to 12V, and more money to aftermarket accessory makes. For many years, you'll have dual-voltage devices (complicated and defeating the purpose of having a higher voltage in the car) that will be more expensive and heavier, you'll have to buy another cell phone charger, power-supply, CB and whatnot, you'll have to use voltage converters, people without a clue will plug 12V devices in 42V cars, giving more money to garages,... Okay, when the switch to 42V is made, then everything will supposedly be peachy. But that's not tomorrow : there are still cars around with 6V batteries, or negative hot, *today* while those standards are supposed to be long dead.
In short, a half-load of technical shit, trouble for everybody and a lot of money for the automotive industry...
it's nice to see a mainstream publication like the Times, the gold standard of book reviews as I understand it, giving such prominent and positive attention to a novel by a former 'software engineer'
I've read the review, it suck. Here it is: Welcome to The New York Times on the Web!
For full access to our site, please complete this simple registration form. As a member, you'll enjoy:
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Thanks for review NYTimes. Here's one book I won't buy : it's all about internet junk !
2. You have to request the code for the specific modules you want. It is not valid to issue a request for any "code you may be using."
Well then, what if I ask Linksys to send me any GPL code they're using ? is that valid enough ? because mething they'd have to send it to me.
As for asking what modules I want specifically, how would I know without reverse-engineering the product ?
I know the GPL allows users of GPLed code to require people to ask for the source code of whatever GPL stuff they're using, but when Linksys tells you you have to ask in writing, including a self-addressed stamped envolope, I call that bad will. It would show good grace if they provided a link to the sources on their site, and it would cost them less than processing snail mail.
So Linksys, put your money where your mouth is and show you're a real proponent of Linux and OSS. Right now, you look like freeloaders who want to make the process of getting your sources as painful as possible.
Speaking of which, Microsoft has decided it makes more sense to embrace schools
Kids beware, Microsoft now embraces schools. Learn to recognize Microsoft employees : they're the funny-looking people with long raincoats waiting for you outside the school.
What I want is a global extremely-high-speed ad-hoc wireless data & voice network, where the only entry cost is a mobile phone (or newtork card or whatever)
Yes well, what I want is a brand new Ferrari for the price of a used Skoda.
What is that POS article anyway ? do you view your ISP as an unnecessary maffia-like toll to get online ? who do you think runs your outgoing and incoming mail server, your news server, the box that serves your homepage, the dhcp box that gives you an IP when your DSL modem connects, the DNS server, link you up to the backbone... And no, even if you could do it yourself, you wouldn't want to.
You don't want IPSs ? that's easy : be your own ISP : get a T1, get all the hardware, configure it all and after you're done, well, you're your own boss on the inurnet. And most likely you'll be so broke you'll have to sublet your services, like an ISP.
apple is offering sweet $300 dollar rebates to students, and they have just dropped the price on many models like the powerbook. might be a good time to jump on one.
or avoid these products like the plague : usually, when companies do big rebates and drop price, it's because they're desperate for cash.
Using Windows CE or XP as a real-time OS is possible, it's just a matter of warping time. Time warping isn't possible yet, but the Microsoft RTOSes that use this feature already exist. That's how far ahead of the curve Microsoft is.
waterproof version of RHex, which was made neutrally buoyant
How did they do that ? Depending on the density of the water you immerse the thing it, they might approach neutral buoyancy by adjusting the amount of ballast manually, but they'll never achieve true static buoyancy without some kind of active process controlling the amount of water in a ballast tank. Otherwise the object would sink to the bottom or bob up to the surface eventually. Or do they maintain the thing's depth in the water with dynamic buyoancy using the robot's forward movement ? I don't see depth control planes on the robot, could they use its legs to achieve this ?
Oh dear, like there isn't enough crap around on the innurnet...
Methink someone should create a blog rating server that blog readers could vote in and people could consult before choosing to read a blog. Blogs are very low S/N ratio, simply because they implement the hey-I-can-talk-so-I-will-even-if-I-have-nothing-in telligent-to-say paradigm. Most of them are stupid, some are okay, and a precious few are really worth reading.
SCO sues IBM because they use Linux code that SCO says has SCO code in it. Novell says Unix isn't SCO's. SCO says Unix is theirs to exploit. Linux geeks angered by SCO says SCO copied Linux code into its products,... etc etc...
When I was, oh what?, five years old, I remember that kind of talk in the courtyard at school during recess:
- Hey, Johnny stole my yellow marble - No I DID NOT ! - YES YOU DID ! - It's not your marble anyway, it was mine, I just told you to borrow it, I didn't give it to you - I'll tell my Mom Bruce stole Robert's marble, and you'll be GROUNDED ! - I DID NOT ! - YES YOU DID !...
Replace one of these kids by SCO, another by Novell, a third by IBM, a fourth by the Linux community, the one who tells Mom by Microsoft, the courtyard by the computer industry and Mom by the DOJ and there you have it.
Slashdot Mirror
No offense, but anyone who thinks it was a mistake or leak doesn't understand marketing. :)
Oooh, now thanks to Michael, I understand those devious marketdroids. Silly me, I thought the halloween document was a real leak, or at least a fake, but now I understand why Microsoft's image and sales have sky-rocketed since its release : it's because their marketing department released it on purpose !
hmm ... they fund them ? :-)
Check out all the Canopy-funded company : only one is viable, and it's Center 7.
So, for the purpose of having evidence for future possible lawsuits, first email messages must be recorded for 2 years or whatever, then IM messages, then what next ?
...
Here's a way to take care of the problem for good : log *all* incoming and outgoing TCP, UDP and ICMP packets, so you'll have plenty of evidence when that lawsuit comes. And hire me to sift through the records to find that crucial piece of evidence : it won't take me very long and I only take $45/hr. I'll sell you hard-disks to store all the packets too if you want
There are 2 types of shareware :
...
- Limited version : when you pay, you get a key that unlocks the full product
- Full working version : the author asks you nicely to pay, or send a postcard, coin stamp
Concerning the former, at first, people who know how crack it (tracing with a debugger and NOPing away the final key test), others reinstall regularly or play with the system time to get the program to continue working, and some do pay. Finally, if the program is successful enough, there'll be a key on a crack site eventually anyway.
For the latter, it's like spammers : authors hope for a 1% return rate, knowing full well most people won't nicely send them money for their hard work once they've installed the software.
Most people aren't honest. It's sad but it's a fact, and it's especially true for software users. So, the real question is : are current times so desperate for gaming software shops that developers revert to releasing shareware instead of selling their work as regular products ?
Analysts say that this should fully eliminate any mix-ups
...
Speak for yourself, I'm sure hi-full-speed cocktails would be a blast at trendy parties. Shaken, not stirred of course
Okay, so when I started maintaining my first opensource project many years ago, I pull that one too : I released something one day, version 0.8.0, put it up for download on my web page, announced it and, a day or two later, I figured it was so great that I just changed the version number to 1.0.0 and re-released it. Then later again, I discovered a small typo, so I corrected it, repackaged, and re-released as version 1.0.0 because the change was so small.
Net result ? the last 1.0.0 tarball was broken, and people would send me bug reports regarding 0.8.0 and 1.0.0 and I wouldn't know which was which. There were several different tarballs of the thing with the same version number, or identical tarballs with different version numbers out there on the net and I looked like a bloody idiot. That's when I learned the hard way that when something is released, it's frozen and that's it, and if something changes, it'll be in the next version and too bad if the version I just released sucks.
So USB 1.1 != USB 2 ? well, too bad if some lusers are confused, USB 1.1 is USB 1.1, not USB 2. Even if marketing or support considerations come into play, it's still USB 1.1 feature-wise, not USB 2. Renaming USB 1.1 to USB 2 to con people isn't just a cheap trick, it most importantly shows a complete lack of professionalism, and it's the support people who will have a hard time answering calls about non-working USB 2 devices.
If ReiserFS has good disk access latency, Hans doesn't : boy did he take a long time to answer the questions, I thought it would never come. The guy must be real busy with his work ...
Here was the first Linux www browser worth that name, that wasn't perfect but it was working, that became more and more bloated and unstable, while at the same time Microsoft decided to give away IE for free, effectively killing off Netscape. Then Netscape sold out to AOL like a cheap whore and the browser has now become a giant marketing turd.
The happy end of the story ? Netscape released the source code of the browser, enabling the Mozilla project to begin. Thanks guys !
someone in Germany is claiming to have viewed the SCO-alleged infringing Linux source code without having to sign a NDA
Give yourself a few days to read the whole kernel source code and have your ass sued by SCO for having read their source code without NDA.
A 42-volt system will slash weight
...
... Okay, when the switch to 42V is made, then everything will supposedly be peachy. But that's not tomorrow : there are still cars around with 6V batteries, or negative hot, *today* while those standards are supposed to be long dead.
...
Where ? 12V lead/acid batteries have 6 elements, 42V batteries would have 21. That's 21 lead plates and associated acid cell. The only thing that would be lighter would wire harnesses, because the wires would be lower-gauge wiring since they wouldn't have to transport as much current. I can't see that being a real weight economy.
improve fuel economy
How ? do 42V alternators have a better efficiency than 12V ones ? And even if that was the case, wouldn't, say, driving the alternator with something else than a rubber belt improve efficiency much more dramatically ?
permit the replacement of many mechanical parts with electrical ones
How ? what are the mechanical parts that can't be replaced by 12V electrical equivalents that could be replaced by 42V ones ?
power all sorts of new gizmos like seat heaters, video, etc,
I can't wait to see cars with seat heaters or video units
and, of most concern to us, improve efficiency for all automotive electrical devices
I don't know about overall efficiency, but in all fairness, that's true : it's easier to step the voltage down than up. So yes, many devices would become lighter, cheaper and probably more efficient.
opening the door to higher audio amplifier power with far less complexity than the current crop of 12-volt, high-power amplifiers. Not only can will this translate to lower cost and more compact aftermarket power amps, even head units could cheaply integrate 100-plus RMS watts per channel power.
That's about the only application where I can see a 42V system be useful.
All I see in that "improvement" is trouble, exactly like when cars switched from 6V to 12V, and more money to aftermarket accessory makes. For many years, you'll have dual-voltage devices (complicated and defeating the purpose of having a higher voltage in the car) that will be more expensive and heavier, you'll have to buy another cell phone charger, power-supply, CB and whatnot, you'll have to use voltage converters, people without a clue will plug 12V devices in 42V cars, giving more money to garages,
In short, a half-load of technical shit, trouble for everybody and a lot of money for the automotive industry
eek_the_kat writes :
Looks like the poster had a direct experience with one of those robot graspers.
I've read the review, it suck. Here it is
Welcome to The New York Times on the Web!
For full access to our site, please complete this simple registration form.
As a member, you'll enjoy:
In-depth coverage and analysis of news events from The New York Times FREE
Up-to-the-minute breaking news and developing stories FREE
Exclusive Web-only features, classifieds, tools, multimedia and much, much more FREE
Signing up is as easy as 1-2-3
Thanks for review NYTimes. Here's one book I won't buy : it's all about internet junk !
2. You have to request the code for the specific modules you want. It is not valid to issue a request for any "code you may be using."
Well then, what if I ask Linksys to send me any GPL code they're using ? is that valid enough ? because mething they'd have to send it to me.
As for asking what modules I want specifically, how would I know without reverse-engineering the product ?
I know the GPL allows users of GPLed code to require people to ask for the source code of whatever GPL stuff they're using, but when Linksys tells you you have to ask in writing, including a self-addressed stamped envolope, I call that bad will. It would show good grace if they provided a link to the sources on their site, and it would cost them less than processing snail mail.
So Linksys, put your money where your mouth is and show you're a real proponent of Linux and OSS. Right now, you look like freeloaders who want to make the process of getting your sources as painful as possible.
Speaking of which, Microsoft has decided it makes more sense to embrace schools
Kids beware, Microsoft now embraces schools. Learn to recognize Microsoft employees : they're the funny-looking people with long raincoats waiting for you outside the school.
What I want is a global extremely-high-speed ad-hoc wireless data & voice network, where the only entry cost is a mobile phone (or newtork card or whatever)
... And no, even if you could do it yourself, you wouldn't want to.
Yes well, what I want is a brand new Ferrari for the price of a used Skoda.
What is that POS article anyway ? do you view your ISP as an unnecessary maffia-like toll to get online ? who do you think runs your outgoing and incoming mail server, your news server, the box that serves your homepage, the dhcp box that gives you an IP when your DSL modem connects, the DNS server, link you up to the backbone
You don't want IPSs ? that's easy : be your own ISP : get a T1, get all the hardware, configure it all and after you're done, well, you're your own boss on the inurnet. And most likely you'll be so broke you'll have to sublet your services, like an ISP.
apple is offering sweet $300 dollar rebates to students, and they have just dropped the price on many models like the powerbook. might be a good time to jump on one.
or avoid these products like the plague : usually, when companies do big rebates and drop price, it's because they're desperate for cash.
they're producing circuits that run 30% faster
Not to worry, the next generation of Windows will no doubt be that much slower.
Using Windows CE or XP as a real-time OS is possible, it's just a matter of warping time. Time warping isn't possible yet, but the Microsoft RTOSes that use this feature already exist. That's how far ahead of the curve Microsoft is.
waterproof version of RHex, which was made neutrally buoyant
How did they do that ? Depending on the density of the water you immerse the thing it, they might approach neutral buoyancy by adjusting the amount of ballast manually, but they'll never achieve true static buoyancy without some kind of active process controlling the amount of water in a ballast tank. Otherwise the object would sink to the bottom or bob up to the surface eventually. Or do they maintain the thing's depth in the water with dynamic buyoancy using the robot's forward movement ? I don't see depth control planes on the robot, could they use its legs to achieve this ?
it occurs to me that Wal-mart's core customer group are not exactly likely to own DVD players.
Not yet, but people will see the DVD rental box and say "hey, we need a DVD player !". And smart kids will say "hey, we need a PC with a DVD burner !"
Oh dear, like there isn't enough crap around on the innurnet ...
n telligent-to-say paradigm. Most of them are stupid, some are okay, and a precious few are really worth reading.
Methink someone should create a blog rating server that blog readers could vote in and people could consult before choosing to read a blog. Blogs are very low S/N ratio, simply because they implement the hey-I-can-talk-so-I-will-even-if-I-have-nothing-i
Look at the counter on the guy's page : it has only 4 digits. How much do you bet it already rolled over a hundred times ?
..."
I can just picture the guy in trance mumbling "no, no, I'm not slashdotted, my server isn't smoking, it can't be, I only have 4000 hits so far
SCO sues IBM because they use Linux code that SCO says has SCO code in it. Novell says Unix isn't SCO's. SCO says Unix is theirs to exploit. Linux geeks angered by SCO says SCO copied Linux code into its products, ... etc etc ...
:
...
When I was, oh what?, five years old, I remember that kind of talk in the courtyard at school during recess
- Hey, Johnny stole my yellow marble
- No I DID NOT !
- YES YOU DID !
- It's not your marble anyway, it was mine, I just told you to borrow it, I didn't give it to you
- I'll tell my Mom Bruce stole Robert's marble, and you'll be GROUNDED !
- I DID NOT !
- YES YOU DID !
Replace one of these kids by SCO, another by Novell, a third by IBM, a fourth by the Linux community, the one who tells Mom by Microsoft, the courtyard by the computer industry and Mom by the DOJ and there you have it.
*sigh*
We've also queried local hotels for available conference rooms, and thought about power consumption requirements
Make sure they have spare fuses and candles.