The good news is Qwest is all set to kill Comcast. If you don't subscribe to the Comcast triple play package (TV, Telephone, Internet) and just get the Internet, they soak you about $60/month. Qwest is running DSL fiber in our area with prices close to $35, Comcast is toast as soon as Qwest can hook me up.
I tend to make an effort to use the format that others are using, rather than trying to convert people.
I just sent it to some who mentioned that MS was now supporting a open format. I sent it so show them otherwise. It worked. The MS Open Document spec isn't supported yet and they are not supprting Open Document formats by default. It was an eye opener for them. I even got to point out that free software is easy to install on a Windows machine to open the documents.
Why would anyone do this when you can usually rent it for a week cheaper?
If you long haul truck, in a week, you may be over 800 miles from the rental store. The only place I have ever seen a Flexplay disc is at a truck stop. Staples is a new one... I wonder who their target demographic is.
Staples and those far from home doesn't make sense except for business travelers, then I would expect them in airports instead of Staples office supply stores.
The blog post notes that Flexplay has actually been around for 5 years; the Staples distribution deal is what's new. The only place I've ever seen one of the self destruct discs has been in a truck stop. These have not been sold to geeks to rip. They are sold to convience those on the road without alternative diversions such as high speed internet and blockbuster. No returns on the road is the selling point. How they intend to sell the overpriced product in Staples is a mystery to me. They don't compete with the $5 bin at Wal*Mart.
The Linux OS itself doesn't provide any of the functionality the GP talks about.
Of course there are exceptions. The first that came to mind was burning ISO's. In linux right click on the iso. In Windows, search for an application...
Are you implying something is there yet? From what I've seen, Apple is closer to "there" than MS. Especially with Vista. MS may be close, but they are headed away from target. At least Linux and Apple are headed in the right direction.
it come to our attention that someone released a fake DT PRO version that is contaminated with trojans and viruses, among the fact it is only a DT Lite and not a PRO version!
Tried any bootleg copies of Microsoft compatable software lately? In Linux, malware is the exception. In Windows, you better have your AV up to date as malware, trojans, and viruses is pretty much standard on the shady side of town.
The fact that ignorant people from the older generations think that "email" is "new" isn't my problem, it's theirs.
Desktop PC's and internet for delivery of email is much newer than FAX.. An ASCII text file does not make a scanned signature. Compare FAX machines with flatbed scanners, POTS delivery against LAN delivery. Email may be older. Sending electronic images (Signatures) by FAX was first.
Don't assume original email supported sending scanned documents. It didn't. Even if it did, printing out the signature on your daisy wheel printer or TTY printer was problematic.
Wow, that was one of the most in-depth interviews I've ever read. They go really into the details of what makes it run and how the system works. Well worth the read!
The only part missing is the part about the service is at the mercy of the delivery ISP. If you think bandwidth shaping is bad for torrents, see what the Cable TV providers do when this competes with the cable company's own offering. I have enough Buffering..... playing. buffering...........playing...buffering....... to know this service will be at the mercy of the bandwidth providers. When it takes 6 hours to deliver a 2 hour movie, it won't be popular for many. Some will be lucky and actualy get enough bandwidth, but the number 1 complaint will be related to low resolution as a solution to interuptions to buffer content.
Too much of the contry has better bandwidth provided by Fedex, UPS, and Blockbuster. This will only get worse with high def content.
How many phones does the typical person have in a drawer, locked to some provider they had a falling out from?
This may be the end of locked phones. Pick up a phone that you like, not just what they push this week, and pick up a SIM card from your favorite carrier. This iPhone dilemma of nice phone, carrier sucks would end. Service would improve to reduce churn.
You are no longer forced to buy a new phone to change carriers. Why is this a bad thing? As a trend this way, one of the cell stores has a sidewalk sign board advertising unlocked phones for sale. This may be the beginning of a good thing.
How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?
I use one all the time and hate it when I have to use another keyboard. So many keyboards have stuck an extra key in between the CTL and ALT keys. I keep having to close the pop-up menu that keeps jumping in my face when I have to use another keyboard it really slows me down.
My Model M is the keyboard I use on my Core 2 Duo Ubuntu machine. There is no need for the Windows key.
I don't know, but I do know that some have better names than others. I was waiting for Feisty Fawn to come out, partly for the upgrade, but mainly for the name change. I skipped Edgy altogether. Feisty came out and gave Microsoft fits. I loved it. I'm still running it on my laptop.
if you start talking about breezy badges, gutsy gibbons, and hard herons in the average convenience store
You have a good point, but the chances of meeting someone who does know is increasing everyday. Where I work, I know 3 coworkers who use it and there is a lot of interest in others who hear us talking about it or see us using our personal laptops on break. The number of unwashed masses is starting to shrink, especially since several manufactures are now offering machines with some version of Linux. At work this week, a friend got a new Vista laptop and was asking what a good replacement for Vista was. As long as Vista remains a problem, the knowledge of alternates will continue to grow. Keep you ears open at the local convience store. You may be suprised. Bring up the subject and see if anyone has heard of it. I have had a convience store discusion on Ubuntu. It happens.
His big fat pay cheques and becomming one of the wealthiest men in the world? That's not a highpoint?
I couldn't agree more. I remember my problems with Widnows 95. I had a hard drive die. To reinstall it, I had to install DOS3.21, Windows 3.1, and then the Windows 95 upgrade. Bill Gates at that time had my money. It was the time I decided to no longer do any upgrade on an upgrade.
Fastforward to today. Vista is out. With Signed Drivers, WGA, etc.. I upgraded from Breezy Badger to Gutsy Gibbon, to Hardy Heron. My dad bought a Mac. The Vista release is nothing like the Windows 95 release.
To make matters worse, Most people here know what OS I am talking about in my upgrade without even mentioning it. In the Windows 95 days, most people knew of nothing in operating systems but Microsoft software or Apple Software.
The RV folks like a battery friendly PC. As a marine map display for boat use, or a topo map unit, these would make fantastic GPS map display units and double as an entertainment server for movies and music. Battery life with a 300 watt PC sucks. A sub 60 watt unit is more along the lines of usable in the evenings on battery power.
The article makes a plausible argument, but fails to give any real world examples.
The classic is the free razor. Give away the razor for free. The blades are not cheap. The new one is free cell phones. Get your free cell phone. The air time is not cheap.
Extended further is provide very inexpensive inkjet printers. There is no bargan on official ink.
If you use the free then fee model, be sure the item up for fee is something people will buy. I-tunes is free.. But it can be used to rip CD's. That's OK. The plan is to sell iPods and maybe a few tracks on the iTunes store.
Slashdot Mirror
Comcast is all set to kill Roku.
The good news is Qwest is all set to kill Comcast. If you don't subscribe to the Comcast triple play package (TV, Telephone, Internet) and just get the Internet, they soak you about $60/month. Qwest is running DSL fiber in our area with prices close to $35, Comcast is toast as soon as Qwest can hook me up.
I tend to make an effort to use the format that others are using, rather than trying to convert people.
I just sent it to some who mentioned that MS was now supporting a open format. I sent it so show them otherwise. It worked. The MS Open Document spec isn't supported yet and they are not supprting Open Document formats by default. It was an eye opener for them. I even got to point out that free software is easy to install on a Windows machine to open the documents.
OK, I'll feed the troll.
Citation?
Here is a refrence to 500,000 Windows victims in one shot.
http://www.astreet.com/article.php?sid=353
Care to take a guess on how this software got installed on that many PC's?
stupidest operating system release
I thought Bob was an application, not an operationg system.
There are numerous methods for obtaining such a license without directly paying for it.
Unless you build your own, most PC's come with a valid license. Who cares if it is uninstalled and replaced by Linux. It's still a valid license.
Considering the crap movie selection available,
I saw the price and the 2 day self destruct and left. I have no idea if they had any good titles. Does anyone have a list?
I put $10 bucks on the special adhesive being rendered useless due to a chemical hack 48 hours after the first set of these disks hitting the public.
The only thing new is Staples is getting into the act. Visit your local truck stop. They have been out for more than 48 hours.
Why would anyone do this when you can usually rent it for a week cheaper?
If you long haul truck, in a week, you may be over 800 miles from the rental store. The only place I have ever seen a Flexplay disc is at a truck stop. Staples is a new one... I wonder who their target demographic is.
Staples and those far from home doesn't make sense except for business travelers, then I would expect them in airports instead of Staples office supply stores.
The blog post notes that Flexplay has actually been around for 5 years; the Staples distribution deal is what's new.
The only place I've ever seen one of the self destruct discs has been in a truck stop. These have not been sold to geeks to rip. They are sold to convience those on the road without alternative diversions such as high speed internet and blockbuster. No returns on the road is the selling point. How they intend to sell the overpriced product in Staples is a mystery to me. They don't compete with the $5 bin at Wal*Mart.
... and my coworkers still have no idea that I switched to free software.
If I hadn't sent a bunch of ODT files instead of DOC files, I may have been un-noticed also. It was fun educating them on open formats.
The Linux OS itself doesn't provide any of the functionality the GP talks about.
Of course there are exceptions. The first that came to mind was burning ISO's. In linux right click on the iso. In Windows, search for an application...
Time to duck..
Linux *isn't* there yet.
Are you implying something is there yet? From what I've seen, Apple is closer to "there" than MS. Especially with Vista. MS may be close, but they are headed away from target. At least Linux and Apple are headed in the right direction.
it come to our attention that someone released a fake DT PRO version that is contaminated with trojans and viruses, among the fact it is only a DT Lite and not a PRO version!
Tried any bootleg copies of Microsoft compatable software lately? In Linux, malware is the exception. In Windows, you better have your AV up to date as malware, trojans, and viruses is pretty much standard on the shady side of town.
The fact that ignorant people from the older generations think that "email" is "new" isn't my problem, it's theirs.
Desktop PC's and internet for delivery of email is much newer than FAX.. An ASCII text file does not make a scanned signature. Compare FAX machines with flatbed scanners, POTS delivery against LAN delivery. Email may be older. Sending electronic images (Signatures) by FAX was first.
Don't assume original email supported sending scanned documents. It didn't. Even if it did, printing out the signature on your daisy wheel printer or TTY printer was problematic.
Wow, that was one of the most in-depth interviews I've ever read. They go really into the details of what makes it run and how the system works. Well worth the read!
The only part missing is the part about the service is at the mercy of the delivery ISP. If you think bandwidth shaping is bad for torrents, see what the Cable TV providers do when this competes with the cable company's own offering. I have enough Buffering..... playing. buffering...........playing...buffering....... to know this service will be at the mercy of the bandwidth providers. When it takes 6 hours to deliver a 2 hour movie, it won't be popular for many. Some will be lucky and actualy get enough bandwidth, but the number 1 complaint will be related to low resolution as a solution to interuptions to buffer content.
Too much of the contry has better bandwidth provided by Fedex, UPS, and Blockbuster. This will only get worse with high def content.
At least, not in a lump sum up front.
How many phones does the typical person have in a drawer, locked to some provider they had a falling out from?
This may be the end of locked phones. Pick up a phone that you like, not just what they push this week, and pick up a SIM card from your favorite carrier. This iPhone dilemma of nice phone, carrier sucks would end. Service would improve to reduce churn.
You are no longer forced to buy a new phone to change carriers. Why is this a bad thing? As a trend this way, one of the cell stores has a sidewalk sign board advertising unlocked phones for sale. This may be the beginning of a good thing.
Hi
Hi
Hi
Hi
How many people here have in the last couple of years actually tried to type on a Model M?
I use one all the time and hate it when I have to use another keyboard. So many keyboards have stuck an extra key in between the CTL and ALT keys. I keep having to close the pop-up menu that keeps jumping in my face when I have to use another keyboard it really slows me down.
My Model M is the keyboard I use on my Core 2 Duo Ubuntu machine. There is no need for the Windows key.
Seriously, what idiot names that damn thing?
I don't know, but I do know that some have better names than others. I was waiting for Feisty Fawn to come out, partly for the upgrade, but mainly for the name change. I skipped Edgy altogether. Feisty came out and gave Microsoft fits. I loved it. I'm still running it on my laptop.
if you start talking about breezy badges, gutsy gibbons, and hard herons in the average convenience store
You have a good point, but the chances of meeting someone who does know is increasing everyday. Where I work, I know 3 coworkers who use it and there is a lot of interest in others who hear us talking about it or see us using our personal laptops on break. The number of unwashed masses is starting to shrink, especially since several manufactures are now offering machines with some version of Linux. At work this week, a friend got a new Vista laptop and was asking what a good replacement for Vista was. As long as Vista remains a problem, the knowledge of alternates will continue to grow. Keep you ears open at the local convience store. You may be suprised. Bring up the subject and see if anyone has heard of it. I have had a convience store discusion on Ubuntu. It happens.
His big fat pay cheques and becomming one of the wealthiest men in the world? That's not a highpoint?
I couldn't agree more. I remember my problems with Widnows 95. I had a hard drive die. To reinstall it, I had to install DOS3.21, Windows 3.1, and then the Windows 95 upgrade. Bill Gates at that time had my money. It was the time I decided to no longer do any upgrade on an upgrade.
Fastforward to today. Vista is out. With Signed Drivers, WGA, etc.. I upgraded from Breezy Badger to Gutsy Gibbon, to Hardy Heron. My dad bought a Mac. The Vista release is nothing like the Windows 95 release.
To make matters worse, Most people here know what OS I am talking about in my upgrade without even mentioning it. In the Windows 95 days, most people knew of nothing in operating systems but Microsoft software or Apple Software.
There are so many other, better legal alternatives out there, I don't see this one flying.
DRM free MP3 downloads for your MP3 player at 79 cents each... What don't you like about it other than some of the songs are 64k?
I don't see how any of this matters in a desktop.
The RV folks like a battery friendly PC. As a marine map display for boat use, or a topo map unit, these would make fantastic GPS map display units and double as an entertainment server for movies and music. Battery life with a 300 watt PC sucks. A sub 60 watt unit is more along the lines of usable in the evenings on battery power.
The article makes a plausible argument, but fails to give any real world examples.
:C bar code scanners.. that were re-purposed instead of being subscribed to the non-free content.
The classic is the free razor. Give away the razor for free. The blades are not cheap.
The new one is free cell phones. Get your free cell phone. The air time is not cheap.
Extended further is provide very inexpensive inkjet printers. There is no bargan on official ink.
An example of the above gone wrong is the free
http://www.cexx.org/cuecat.htm
http://www.hackaday.com/2005/06/12/cuecat-hacking/
http://oilcan.org/cuecat/
The inexpensive I-Opener web device
http://www.ghettohardware.com/articles/iopener/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/03/23/netpliance_hobbles_iopener_99_pc/
If you use the free then fee model, be sure the item up for fee is something people will buy.
I-tunes is free.. But it can be used to rip CD's. That's OK. The plan is to sell iPods and maybe a few tracks on the iTunes store.
IQ test it ain't.
Agreed. It's a trivia quiz. Proof... MySpace is ahead of Slashdot at this time. MySpace.. 15th. Slashdot 19th. Funny, MySpace only has 43 members.