THis is a bit misleading, I think. I run some of the most crashworthy programs you can imagine on XP. 3D apps with beta drivers, AVID editing software, After Effects-- all things that are known for their crashiness, but it's VERY rare that I have to reboot. I do, howevever, ocassionally have to kill a process. Many users may not know how to find the misbehaving process and kill it. So they do what they know how to do-- hit the reset switch.
Ocassionally, while running Doom3, I might hard lock-- My office isn't well insulated, and my machine can get pretty hot when stressed.. Plus I'm running hacked drivers on my video card, so I don't really blame anybody but myself. Otherwise, I cannot remember the last time I HAD to reboot other than software/driver installation.. (And driver installation doesn't always require that anymore...)
This level of stability, in my experience, is virtually the same in Linux.. It runs programs that ocassionally crash, or you have to kill em, and you can get hardware video lockups causing a reboot if you try to do "daring" things (which most people don't do because of the lack of games/3D apps for linux.) I'm not trolling here, just trying to objectively compare the situation..
I think this is just part of computing-- and maybe all OS'es can do a better job of recognizing what apps are really crashed, and helping the user dispose of them a bit better.
I can see there's some genuine reasoning behind this: When they announce an exploit potential, they're serving warning to those who can actually generate the exploit. If they control WHO gets the information first, they can keep their "worst case scenario" customers happy.
Script kiddies aren't likely to subscribe, and if they were, it might make it easier to track them down or trap them.
I can see the logic in it. I don't know if it's a "good" solution, but it must be difficult when they become aware of a problem that has not been exploited yet. It's open season on the security hole thanks to reverse-engineering the patch, but if they don't announce it then their at fault for a "known hole"
I think anything where there's a working exploit out should be released immidiately to everyone, but non-exploited holes might be well served by slowly releasing it to clients that pay to have that information-- and therefore are more likely to listen up and patch their systems.
#1: Linux is harder than Windows The argument goes basically, "I tried to install Linux and (insert from list below). Therefore Linux is hard and not ready."
Um, yes. On my server which is my only linux box, after install it can not and did not support my sound card. Not only did it not detect and install drivers, it didn't even bother to notify me (Mandrake 9.2) The drivers are still available for windows for this (aureal based) card. I spent 3 hours and after reading numerous accounts of not being able to get this to work, I gave up on it.
The author argues that "installation comparisons aren't apples to apples because Windows is Pre-Installed" OK fine. Boot a linux installable CD vs windows 2000 CD with a blank hard drive and see who wins. Besides registration, you can basically hit enter a bunch of times and windows will install. Installing mandrake, I fretted about journaling filesystems, partitions, etc, and I still didn't get my drivers installed automatically. So, point 1 in my experience was accurate entirely.
Myth #2: Lack of Applications
Well, certainly the fact that the applications ship with Linux distros is a bonus, but let's face the facts, there is a lack of major applications-- especially in the art world. The Gimp is nice because it's free and has some unique features, but photoshop slaughters it. Just plain slaughters it. The author admits games are a problem, and for the apps that do exist (and for free) Usability is a HUGE issue. My wife cussed me out on numerous occasions after putting OpenOffice on her system, and couldn't figure out how to do the things which were totally intuative in MS office. Free is great, but almost every commercial app on Windows beats its Linux alternative hands down. (except on price, of course.)
Myth #3: It's hard to install software Compared to Windows? You bet your ass. With windows, you insert a disc and press enter a bunch of times. Everything else is spoonfed.
This guy's on crack. Every one of his Linux "Myths" is , in reality, pretty accurate in comparison to Windows.
I love the idea of linux. I like playing around with my linux server, but it's not nearly as user-friendly as windows.. sorry. And the most important reason that it's not viable as an end user desktop is that you can't take it to the local mom & pop computer shop or CompUSA and get support. (Admittdely, they'll probably just reinstall the OS anyway, and say "oh well," but at least they can do that!)
Honestly, I got through 3 examples before giving up. The real test for me is, "Is the link back to the official site? Or does it look like a link and take you to some mysterious 3rd party server?"
In this test *ALL* links pop up to a "for the purposes of this test, this link has been suspended" This makes the whole thing useless.
Anybody can copy a legit paypal or eBay email and change a few words and make it "look" real. The key is in the links and the data mining.
I'm a bit worried about the radio show. Trillian sounds like more like Dame Judi Dench than the new hotness that Trillian is/was. All of them are a bit too old, but they should have recast Trillian. She's just far too old lady.
I am really excited to hear the old space bajo tune again, though. Time to relive my childhood and feel young again!
The strangest place I read slashdot from is the John. But the weird thing is not really that I do-- I bet a lot of you do, it's that I'm too cheap to buy a wifi router, so I haul the 20 feet centrally located ethernet cable and my wife's laptop in for some "light"* bathroom reading.
Sure, I could read it on my Treo 600, but that would be cheating. And slow.
*light=not so light. The Dell Inspiron 1100 w/ 15" screen is like 10 lbs.
Hi. I'm here today representing the real world. Here, 90+% of our PCs have Windows on them. If you are at a college, please learn how to use the computers you'll be using 90+% of the time once you get out here.
What's that? You like Macs better? Good for you! Buy one for your home use. With the same money, we'll buy two or three of ours. We here in the real world have strapped budgets and are a bit technophobic, so when given a choice of something that's widely available, relatively cheep, and everybody already knows the most about it, we'll stick with that one, thanks!
As poor as schools are always claiming to be, I would be pissed as hell if my school wasted money on Macs unless they were for video production.
Sure, I'd love schools to run more linux, but then they'd have to spend more time and resources supporting the dumb users because they cant find the damn start button.
I guarantee you there's a correlation of IQ to $$$ success. Mac is, no doubt, for people who have more money. I know that if I had more money, I'd have a Mac too, but dollar-for-dollar it's a terrible value. For the "money is no object" set, I'm sure it's great.
"there is just no substitute for a media that cost cents.""
Bandwidth costs NOTHING but electricity and the averaged amount of installation/upkeep, which is currently WAY overpriced because of all the middlemen. When the pipes get fatter, bandwith prices are going to plummet. Permenenent storage cost is already tiny, and files can be housed in just a couple locations to feed many people.
I agree with Bill Gates on this one. His timetable may be aggressive, but he's right, whether it's 10 or 20 years.
Not that I like this idea, I'd much rather "own" my media, but I think it's an inevitability that distribution will be "online" in very short order.
I consistently insisted that my cell phone not be listed in the company employee directory. I threatened to change the number when once it was listed. If someone needed me over a weekend, they could call my home, and if I didn't answer, then tough. If the company wanted to pay for my cell phone service, THEN they could reach me after hours.
Don't give in on this issue. Do you really want your employer to have you at their beck and call 24/7 on your dime?
Man, this is just like the movie the wizard. Remember? Fred Savage's autistic younger brother was like the first person ever to play Super Mario Bros. 3? And he had to play it to win the competition. Nice.
What a great marketing ploy, I couldn't wait to get that game after that uh, cool, movie.
I'm shameless, I know. I'll even admit that I had a crush on that girl at the time. Which isn't as creepy as it sounds, I was like 13 or so.
About 10 months ago, I stopped by BB on my way home to pick up an iRiver IGP-150, because it supported Ogg and had 1.5 GB storage for a decent price. In checkout, the Cashier asked me to buy an ESP. I said, No thanks. She said "You HAVE to get one because your MP3 player could get a virus from "downloading mp3s from the internet", and that wasn't covered under the warranty." I laughed lightheartedly, and informed her politely that she was mistaken, this was impossible, and she shouldn't tell people this because it was wrong. She got uppity with me, told me "NO, YOU'RE WRONG," told me I was making a huge mistake and finished the sale. I walked right past the door, over to customer service, returned it, told them exactly why I was returning it, and informed them that I'd never shop there again-- and I haven't. This is the best way to deal with these people-- especially if it's a non-sale/rebate item.
Hell, do it for fun. Just go in there and tell them you're buying a widescreen TV or a plasma, and when you get up to the front, and they ask you to buy the plan, say no thank you. When they ask you again to buy it, (and you know they will) just snatch your card back and walk out the door.
Can you imagine how much simoniker is gonna rake in from Gates by getting so many people to read the email.. Lucky bastard. Wish I would have thought to post it on Slashdot.
No kidding. Tues PM, I spent 3 hours doing the same thing. The triple coctail of Hijack-This, Spybot and Adaware was fruitless. Then I realized I had system Restore on, and went back to Wed of last week, and everything was OK.
Right NOW, I've got a 7megabit/1megabit DSL connection right now with full throughput, static IP for $25/month (as part of a $50 telco/dsl package) I could never get service like this with such low latency from my cable provider. Plus I had to deal with the cable provider. yech.
Obviously, it helps that I'm 1/2 mile from a CO, but there are deals to be found!
I would think technologies that "convert" 2D to 3D could combine a few seperate methods to achieve this:
1) Detect focus. Most films and TV shows operate on the basic rules that the actors/items in the foreground are in focus, and the background is in varying degrees of soft focus. The system could make certain assumptions based on location in the frame and combine that with how "soft" the image is, and use MPEG data to get a good read. (MPEG compressions store "noise/compression" in soft focus-- there might be a very simple way to hand up z-buffer info on decompression.
2) Motion analysis/compensation. Many 2D/3D compositing programs can track objects through a moving scene. Create some basic algorithms to detect "objects" in a scene, then track them in realtime. Use other data to determine Zdepth, and render in 3D.
1/2b) Focus/Edge detection. Scenes like spaceship battles have objects that are much more detailed flying through a patterned, fairly uniform BG. Using data from methods 1 & 2, you can push these "objects" closest to the viewer.
3)Brigness/hilight cues. Some basic functions to determine how "bright" an object is in a scene might be used to bring things forward. After all, this is what artists use to bring depth to 2D images...
It's important to note that these things (and probably the technology in the article) won't be "gimmicky" 3d-- ie. objects that appear to come out of the set towards your face.. However, it will give the image some "depth" in the same way that video games have used multiple scrolling backgrounds to create depth for years now.. Which is basically what this probably is-- stripping the 2D frame down into "layers" and then putting those layers out to 3D.. using color masking or polarization methods...
It does have to connect to a real telephone exchange SOMEWHERE... If it was internet to internet telephony only, then I would be against this, but considering that it has to be able to send/recieve calls to other telcos, it should be considered a Telco itself, and taxed/regulated accordingly... Certainly vonage users should have to pay the 911 taxes. This is one of the few taxes in our society that actually pays for a service that is used directly.
I hate taxes (in general) as much as the next telephone user, I'm not saying they're fair-- but as long as they are there, customers should be taxed equally.
I'm a Tivo fanatic, and I've got a Hidef "ready" TV, so, in my blood, I'm itching to get the new HiDef DirecTV Tivo when it comes out in the next few weeks. Trouble is, it's MSRP is going to be $999. It's just too rich for my blood. Under $500, I could manage, but $999 is just crazy. I expect this price to fall like a rock-- perhaps faster than any other Tivo unit has so far. DirecTV is getting ready to go on a major HD push, even launching a new satellite. This device has got to be part of it.
I wonder if "Space Tourists" will look back to when the going price was $20 million and shudder. I hope so. I hope that visiting space will be an attainable expense within my lifetime.
Surely, the first few are so rich that it doesn't really matter, and the "honor" of being one of the first will be worth the price.. but it's numbers 10-100 that I wonder about. Is it really going to seem worth that price, after the fact?
The obvious answer to "tracking down" false whois registrants is to kill their domain.
I don't agree with this idea, nor do I agree with criminalizing false "whois" I, for one, left old phone numbers and addresses on mine because I am reluctant to have that information so freely available to anybody I might flame via email.:-)
This is excruciatingly unfair to the private citizen, while no big deal to any business with a business adress. It's akin to forcing people to have listed phone numbers.
I'm for this one, actually. I will find and copyright every SPAM database I can find, and AGGRESSIVELY pursue violations of my IP.
Hell, some trustworthy 3rd party could create a private "do-not spam" database, and if you recieve a spam, you could go after the sender for copyright violation.;-)
The most promising thing to me is the data rate. 36.55 Mbps is about twice what the broadcast HDTV standard MAX is. (Most local stations won't run at full bandwidth at that) It's good to know that you could have a really high quality image on there.
Slashdot Mirror
THis is a bit misleading, I think. I run some of the most crashworthy programs you can imagine on XP. 3D apps with beta drivers, AVID editing software, After Effects-- all things that are known for their crashiness, but it's VERY rare that I have to reboot. I do, howevever, ocassionally have to kill a process. Many users may not know how to find the misbehaving process and kill it. So they do what they know how to do-- hit the reset switch.
Ocassionally, while running Doom3, I might hard lock-- My office isn't well insulated, and my machine can get pretty hot when stressed.. Plus I'm running hacked drivers on my video card, so I don't really blame anybody but myself. Otherwise, I cannot remember the last time I HAD to reboot other than software/driver installation.. (And driver installation doesn't always require that anymore...)
This level of stability, in my experience, is virtually the same in Linux.. It runs programs that ocassionally crash, or you have to kill em, and you can get hardware video lockups causing a reboot if you try to do "daring" things (which most people don't do because of the lack of games/3D apps for linux.) I'm not trolling here, just trying to objectively compare the situation..
I think this is just part of computing-- and maybe all OS'es can do a better job of recognizing what apps are really crashed, and helping the user dispose of them a bit better.
I can see there's some genuine reasoning behind this: When they announce an exploit potential, they're serving warning to those who can actually generate the exploit. If they control WHO gets the information first, they can keep their "worst case scenario" customers happy.
Script kiddies aren't likely to subscribe, and if they were, it might make it easier to track them down or trap them.
I can see the logic in it. I don't know if it's a "good" solution, but it must be difficult when they become aware of a problem that has not been exploited yet. It's open season on the security hole thanks to reverse-engineering the patch, but if they don't announce it then their at fault for a "known hole"
I think anything where there's a working exploit out should be released immidiately to everyone, but non-exploited holes might be well served by slowly releasing it to clients that pay to have that information-- and therefore are more likely to listen up and patch their systems.
#1: Linux is harder than Windows
The argument goes basically, "I tried to install Linux and (insert from list below). Therefore Linux is hard and not ready."
Um, yes. On my server which is my only linux box, after install it can not and did not support my sound card. Not only did it not detect and install drivers, it didn't even bother to notify me (Mandrake 9.2) The drivers are still available for windows for this (aureal based) card. I spent 3 hours and after reading numerous accounts of not being able to get this to work, I gave up on it.
The author argues that "installation comparisons aren't apples to apples because Windows is Pre-Installed" OK fine. Boot a linux installable CD vs windows 2000 CD with a blank hard drive and see who wins. Besides registration, you can basically hit enter a bunch of times and windows will install. Installing mandrake, I fretted about journaling filesystems, partitions, etc, and I still didn't get my drivers installed automatically. So, point 1 in my experience was accurate entirely.
Myth #2: Lack of Applications
Well, certainly the fact that the applications ship with Linux distros is a bonus, but let's face the facts, there is a lack of major applications-- especially in the art world. The Gimp is nice because it's free and has some unique features, but photoshop slaughters it. Just plain slaughters it. The author admits games are a problem, and for the apps that do exist (and for free) Usability is a HUGE issue. My wife cussed me out on numerous occasions after putting OpenOffice on her system, and couldn't figure out how to do the things which were totally intuative in MS office. Free is great, but almost every commercial app on Windows beats its Linux alternative hands down. (except on price, of course.)
Myth #3: It's hard to install software
Compared to Windows? You bet your ass. With windows, you insert a disc and press enter a bunch of times. Everything else is spoonfed.
This guy's on crack. Every one of his Linux "Myths" is , in reality, pretty accurate in comparison to Windows.
I love the idea of linux. I like playing around with my linux server, but it's not nearly as user-friendly as windows.. sorry. And the most important reason that it's not viable as an end user desktop is that you can't take it to the local mom & pop computer shop or CompUSA and get support. (Admittdely, they'll probably just reinstall the OS anyway, and say "oh well," but at least they can do that!)
Honestly, I got through 3 examples before giving up. The real test for me is, "Is the link back to the official site? Or does it look like a link and take you to some mysterious 3rd party server?"
In this test *ALL* links pop up to a "for the purposes of this test, this link has been suspended" This makes the whole thing useless.
Anybody can copy a legit paypal or eBay email and change a few words and make it "look" real. The key is in the links and the data mining.
I'm a bit worried about the radio show. Trillian sounds like more like Dame Judi Dench than the new hotness that Trillian is/was. All of them are a bit too old, but they should have recast Trillian. She's just far too old lady.
I am really excited to hear the old space bajo tune again, though. Time to relive my childhood and feel young again!
The strangest place I read slashdot from is the John. But the weird thing is not really that I do-- I bet a lot of you do, it's that I'm too cheap to buy a wifi router, so I haul the 20 feet centrally located ethernet cable and my wife's laptop in for some "light"* bathroom reading.
Sure, I could read it on my Treo 600, but that would be cheating. And slow.
*light=not so light. The Dell Inspiron 1100 w/ 15" screen is like 10 lbs.
Hi. I'm here today representing the real world. Here, 90+% of our PCs have Windows on them. If you are at a college, please learn how to use the computers you'll be using 90+% of the time once you get out here.
What's that? You like Macs better? Good for you! Buy one for your home use. With the same money, we'll buy two or three of ours. We here in the real world have strapped budgets and are a bit technophobic, so when given a choice of something that's widely available, relatively cheep, and everybody already knows the most about it, we'll stick with that one, thanks!
As poor as schools are always claiming to be, I would be pissed as hell if my school wasted money on Macs unless they were for video production.
Sure, I'd love schools to run more linux, but then they'd have to spend more time and resources supporting the dumb users because they cant find the damn start button.
It's all well and good until you read
A 2mbps to 5mbps Fios connection will cost $35
towards the end of the article. It's not exactly $1 per mbps.
Still, exciting.. More competition is good. Lets hope the upstream capabilites are very good as well.
I guarantee you there's a correlation of IQ to $$$ success. Mac is, no doubt, for people who have more money. I know that if I had more money, I'd have a Mac too, but dollar-for-dollar it's a terrible value. For the "money is no object" set, I'm sure it's great.
"there is just no substitute for a media that cost cents.""
Bandwidth costs NOTHING but electricity and the averaged amount of installation/upkeep, which is currently WAY overpriced because of all the middlemen. When the pipes get fatter, bandwith prices are going to plummet. Permenenent storage cost is already tiny, and files can be housed in just a couple locations to feed many people.
I agree with Bill Gates on this one. His timetable may be aggressive, but he's right, whether it's 10 or 20 years.
Not that I like this idea, I'd much rather "own" my media, but I think it's an inevitability that distribution will be "online" in very short order.
I consistently insisted that my cell phone not be listed in the company employee directory. I threatened to change the number when once it was listed. If someone needed me over a weekend, they could call my home, and if I didn't answer, then tough. If the company wanted to pay for my cell phone service, THEN they could reach me after hours.
Don't give in on this issue. Do you really want your employer to have you at their beck and call 24/7 on your dime?
Man, this is just like the movie the wizard. Remember? Fred Savage's autistic younger brother was like the first person ever to play Super Mario Bros. 3? And he had to play it to win the competition. Nice.
What a great marketing ploy, I couldn't wait to get that game after that uh, cool, movie.
I'm shameless, I know. I'll even admit that I had a crush on that girl at the time. Which isn't as creepy as it sounds, I was like 13 or so.
About 10 months ago, I stopped by BB on my way home to pick up an iRiver IGP-150, because it supported Ogg and had 1.5 GB storage for a decent price. In checkout, the Cashier asked me to buy an ESP. I said, No thanks. She said "You HAVE to get one because your MP3 player could get a virus from "downloading mp3s from the internet", and that wasn't covered under the warranty." I laughed lightheartedly, and informed her politely that she was mistaken, this was impossible, and she shouldn't tell people this because it was wrong. She got uppity with me, told me "NO, YOU'RE WRONG," told me I was making a huge mistake and finished the sale. I walked right past the door, over to customer service, returned it, told them exactly why I was returning it, and informed them that I'd never shop there again-- and I haven't. This is the best way to deal with these people-- especially if it's a non-sale/rebate item.
Hell, do it for fun. Just go in there and tell them you're buying a widescreen TV or a plasma, and when you get up to the front, and they ask you to buy the plan, say no thank you. When they ask you again to buy it, (and you know they will) just snatch your card back and walk out the door.
Hell, I might do that at lunch.
Can you imagine how much simoniker is gonna rake in from Gates by getting so many people to read the email.. Lucky bastard. Wish I would have thought to post it on Slashdot.
No kidding. Tues PM, I spent 3 hours doing the same thing. The triple coctail of Hijack-This, Spybot and Adaware was fruitless. Then I realized I had system Restore on, and went back to Wed of last week, and everything was OK.
Cavalier telephone.
Mid-atlantic region
www.cavtel.net
This is vaporware.
Right NOW, I've got a 7megabit/1megabit DSL connection right now with full throughput, static IP for $25/month (as part of a $50 telco/dsl package) I could never get service like this with such low latency from my cable provider. Plus I had to deal with the cable provider. yech.
Obviously, it helps that I'm 1/2 mile from a CO, but there are deals to be found!
I would think technologies that "convert" 2D to 3D could combine a few seperate methods to achieve this:
1) Detect focus. Most films and TV shows operate on the basic rules that the actors/items in the foreground are in focus, and the background is in varying degrees of soft focus. The system could make certain assumptions based on location in the frame and combine that with how "soft" the image is, and use MPEG data to get a good read. (MPEG compressions store "noise/compression" in soft focus-- there might be a very simple way to hand up z-buffer info on decompression.
2) Motion analysis/compensation. Many 2D/3D compositing programs can track objects through a moving scene. Create some basic algorithms to detect "objects" in a scene, then track them in realtime. Use other data to determine Zdepth, and render in 3D.
1/2b) Focus/Edge detection. Scenes like spaceship battles have objects that are much more detailed flying through a patterned, fairly uniform BG. Using data from methods 1 & 2, you can push these "objects" closest to the viewer.
3)Brigness/hilight cues. Some basic functions to determine how "bright" an object is in a scene might be used to bring things forward. After all, this is what artists use to bring depth to 2D images...
It's important to note that these things (and probably the technology in the article) won't be "gimmicky" 3d-- ie. objects that appear to come out of the set towards your face.. However, it will give the image some "depth" in the same way that video games have used multiple scrolling backgrounds to create depth for years now.. Which is basically what this probably is-- stripping the 2D frame down into "layers" and then putting those layers out to 3D.. using color masking or polarization methods...
It does have to connect to a real telephone exchange SOMEWHERE... If it was internet to internet telephony only, then I would be against this, but considering that it has to be able to send/recieve calls to other telcos, it should be considered a Telco itself, and taxed/regulated accordingly... Certainly vonage users should have to pay the 911 taxes. This is one of the few taxes in our society that actually pays for a service that is used directly.
I hate taxes (in general) as much as the next telephone user, I'm not saying they're fair-- but as long as they are there, customers should be taxed equally.
I'm a Tivo fanatic, and I've got a Hidef "ready" TV, so, in my blood, I'm itching to get the new HiDef DirecTV Tivo when it comes out in the next few weeks. Trouble is, it's MSRP is going to be $999. It's just too rich for my blood. Under $500, I could manage, but $999 is just crazy. I expect this price to fall like a rock-- perhaps faster than any other Tivo unit has so far. DirecTV is getting ready to go on a major HD push, even launching a new satellite. This device has got to be part of it.
I wonder if "Space Tourists" will look back to when the going price was $20 million and shudder. I hope so. I hope that visiting space will be an attainable expense within my lifetime.
Surely, the first few are so rich that it doesn't really matter, and the "honor" of being one of the first will be worth the price.. but it's numbers 10-100 that I wonder about. Is it really going to seem worth that price, after the fact?
The First Ammendment to the US Constitution doesn't apply internationally..
The obvious answer to "tracking down" false whois registrants is to kill their domain.
:-)
I don't agree with this idea, nor do I agree with criminalizing false "whois" I, for one, left old phone numbers and addresses on mine because I am reluctant to have that information so freely available to anybody I might flame via email.
This is excruciatingly unfair to the private citizen, while no big deal to any business with a business adress. It's akin to forcing people to have listed phone numbers.
I'm for this one, actually. I will find and copyright every SPAM database I can find, and AGGRESSIVELY pursue violations of my IP.
;-)
Hell, some trustworthy 3rd party could create a private "do-not spam" database, and if you recieve a spam, you could go after the sender for copyright violation.
Send paypal donations to DarlMcBrideMarsTicket@yahoo.com.
The most promising thing to me is the data rate. 36.55 Mbps is about twice what the broadcast HDTV standard MAX is. (Most local stations won't run at full bandwidth at that) It's good to know that you could have a really high quality image on there.