Potentially, it could be a very Good Thing if these companies are all working together, and as the contributor points out, the current plan beats the heck out of Mindcraft (the more you pay, the better your benchmark). It will also, if it doesn't go up in smoke, provide for a lot more portability of applications between various Unix flavours. (I've seen a few Unix apps that didn't work quite the same depending on what flavour you had running.) Or at least, that's the theory...
Now, the article seems to indicate that this will be a seperate company with backing from various larger interests: Anyone know if this is true or will this end up as some kind of 'holding company'? Also, if it is a seperate company, any word on an IPO?
Everyone manipulates figures for their own benefit. Microsoft just does it more then most. Personally, I can think of several programs that cannot run on Windows, because I've talked to the developers of those programs.
As for there being 70,000 programs that run on the various incarnations of Windows, it would only be possible if they counted each new version of the program as a seperate program. If that's the case, there's easily 70,000 programs for Windows.
Kierthos
Gates of Borg got to the author...
on
Salon on the XBox
·
· Score: 1
I believe it is because of Delaware's more friendly laws towards incorporating businesses. A very large percentage of national corps incorporate in Delaware because the laws there favor them if they ever get sued by customers. I'm unsure how this would affect a corp vs. corp legal battle, but it's moot in this case as the suit was filed in federal court.
Mainly, I'm curious over what patents were supposedly violated...
Well, cavitation is the term for the air bubbles created when the prop(s) of a submarine spin too rapidly (or are improperly made to begin with) and create such turbulence (for lack of a better word) that it can be more easily detected by sonar systems. Surface craft can create cavitation as well, but with submarines, the idea is not to be spotted at all, while it is kind of hard to hide a surface ship.
Now, a cavitation torpedo is probably (I can't say for sure) a torpedo designed to home in on the sounds of cavitation of another craft. Mind you, this can be of limited use, especially against submarines that either turn their props slowly enough to not create (enough) cavitation, or if they stop dead in the water. Surface ships don't always have this option, of course, as it is much easier to target and destroy a surface ship.
From the article, it still has some application functionality problems, but it sounds nowhere near as buggy as Windows (making something as buggy as that would be a feat in itself).
I have to wonder about including the games though. What is the real point other then showing a little more versatility in the product? Besides, what are the games? Tetris (again), or Pinball? It's not like we're going to see Half-Life for this thing any time soon.
All in all, the main reason I can't see this becoming exceptionally popular at this point is the lack of drop-and-drag. Users like being able to do that. Of course, that could be easily corrected by adding a few lines of code. And it would still be smaller then SE.
Wait until some dope overclocks the silly thing...
Here's the thing I don't really understand (well, I understand it, but I don't accept it): Most programs and games don't need that fast a processor, so why are people buying it? The need for speed?
At what point is it going to be impossible to have a decent market processor that doesn't explode? Or is it just Intel?
While the opening of their brief appears to indicate that if you support Open Source, you "are a crook", they are not equating all Open Source with software or copyright piracy.
What they are saying is that Open Source supports the free and ready access of information, and so do a lot of the people illegally trading copyrighted materials.
Now, while it is wrong to even intimate that people who support Open Source are all software pirates, it is unlikely that the attorneys involved realized the ramifications of what they were writing in their brief. From my experience, most lawyers, unless they are very good at Patent Law (specialyzing in software) they will be unaware of what they are talking about.
Lawyers are paid to sound good; not necessarily to actually be knowledgeable about the subjects of which they speak.
Yeah, but back in the 60's or so, scientists were dead certain that global cooling was going to lead to another ice age. Twenty years later, they completely reversed their position in that global warming was going to destroy much of the arable land worldwide.
My point is that we should really take time to examine the process by which these conclusions are being made. I have no doubt that video games can help some people afflicted with ADD. But like with the whole global warming/cooling issue, the scientists are completely reversing their positions.
Oh well, at least they're thinking outside the box.
Does it strike anyone else as odd that 3 or so years ago, video games were part of the 'cause' of ADD, especially when the kids were supposed to be studying?
And now it's part of the cure??
Gotta love those scientists...
If it doesn't work as part of the problem, make it part of the solution... (Just like years before the global warming problem, there was the global cooling problem...)
From what a friend told me, Cartoon Network will probably not be showing two of the episodes during the Android series. I believe they are episodes 109 and 110.
I do know that he said that those episodes will not be sold on videotape, at least the dubbed version.
I'm not saying that China doesn't have the right. What I'm saying is that China has a long history of commerical pirating of software, hardware, music, etc.
Because of this history, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by using Linux. Since it is open source, it is preferable to other OS's in that they can more easily get access without hitting the 'copyright wall', whereas if they use Windows (or other OS's that are not open source) then they either have to pay for them, or as history has shown, they will pirate them. And since there is no point to pirate open source, well, you get the idea...
Actually, this is fairly intriguing. China has a reputation for software piracy, but the open source quality of Linux makes one of the more attractive OS's in the terms of that using it does not provoke reactions from Microsoft in terms of stealing the software.
Of course there is also the issue of translating Linux into Chinese, but I figure that is trivial based on the amount of software that is available in various languages. (Although seeing how certain commands are translated into Chinese may make for some humourous reading.)
No, I don't believe it does. I believe that the increase in Linux sales is only based on the amount of sales of the boxed copies rather then downloads, etc. of the product. After all, it is an increase in _sales_.
However, we all know how statistics can be manipulated.
...that Linux sales are up six times from where they were this time last year. Of course, that's only a sign of the popularity amongst End Users.
But does it really surprise anyone that a government agency is taking the stupid way out? Windows and other Microsoft products are so full of holes, memory leaks and safety "issues" that I'm surprised that any government agency still uses it, and NASA ceased to use NT long ago. But how much more evidence do they need to see the light?
Gas stations? Wow... that must be nice. I wouldn't use the bathrooms in half the gas stations I know of, much less buy a cellular phone at one.
Of course, here in the US, I wouldn't go to most of the places I know of that sell phones for one. I just don't see the need to make it even easier for people to reach me. That is what an answering machine is for. (And I can't screen my calls on a cell phone...)
Why must it be made explicit? Think about it...
99% of the newbies out there are not going to
go out and acquire a copy of Debian because
they are not going to know that it even exists.
For them, they are safe, happy, and in the
dark (like mushrooms) with whatever copy of
Winblows they have, or with their iFruit.
For those who do "have a clue" about these
things, they are sure to realize that if it's
a beta release, it's not going to be
automagically the most stable system in the
world. I think by now we've all been burned
to some degree or another by betaware, so
we should be fine....
Just my $0.02
Kierthos
Re:what the hell is a semiosphere?
on
The Regulon
·
· Score: 3
It's typical Katzism for the crap he makes up.
To 'dumb it down' for you, regulon would be a regulating or restraining agent acting on media (in this example), and the semiosphere would be the medium through which the media travels.
Of course, I could be completely off base here, but considering that Katz is making this shit up as he goes along, anything I say can't be that bad in comparison.
And as a last rant against Katz, how the screaming hell does he get to post whatever he wants to when legitimate articles that actually make sense languish under rejection posts?
Good christ, if you want to talk something killing media and ideas, then it's Katz and other "journalists" like him.
Slashdot Mirror
Potentially, it could be a very Good Thing if these companies are all working together, and as the contributor points out, the current plan beats the heck out of Mindcraft (the more you pay, the better your benchmark). It will also, if it doesn't go up in smoke, provide for a lot more portability of applications between various Unix flavours. (I've seen a few Unix apps that didn't work quite the same depending on what flavour you had running.) Or at least, that's the theory...
Now, the article seems to indicate that this will be a seperate company with backing from various larger interests: Anyone know if this is true or will this end up as some kind of 'holding company'? Also, if it is a seperate company, any word on an IPO?
Kierthos
Anyone got any good stats on how OS X will perform? Or at least credible rumours?
Kierthos
Everyone manipulates figures for their own benefit. Microsoft just does it more then most. Personally, I can think of several programs that cannot run on Windows, because I've talked to the developers of those programs.
As for there being 70,000 programs that run on the various incarnations of Windows, it would only be possible if they counted each new version of the program as a seperate program. If that's the case, there's easily 70,000 programs for Windows.
Kierthos
And he has been assimilated.
Kierthos
I believe it is because of Delaware's more friendly laws towards incorporating businesses. A very large percentage of national corps incorporate in Delaware because the laws there favor them if they ever get sued by customers. I'm unsure how this would affect a corp vs. corp legal battle, but it's moot in this case as the suit was filed in federal court.
Mainly, I'm curious over what patents were supposedly violated...
Kierthos
Well, cavitation is the term for the air bubbles created when the prop(s) of a submarine spin too rapidly (or are improperly made to begin with) and create such turbulence (for lack of a better word) that it can be more easily detected by sonar systems. Surface craft can create cavitation as well, but with submarines, the idea is not to be spotted at all, while it is kind of hard to hide a surface ship.
Now, a cavitation torpedo is probably (I can't say for sure) a torpedo designed to home in on the sounds of cavitation of another craft. Mind you, this can be of limited use, especially against submarines that either turn their props slowly enough to not create (enough) cavitation, or if they stop dead in the water. Surface ships don't always have this option, of course, as it is much easier to target and destroy a surface ship.
Kierthos
From the article, it still has some application functionality problems, but it sounds nowhere near as buggy as Windows (making something as buggy as that would be a feat in itself).
I have to wonder about including the games though. What is the real point other then showing a little more versatility in the product? Besides, what are the games? Tetris (again), or Pinball? It's not like we're going to see Half-Life for this thing any time soon.
All in all, the main reason I can't see this becoming exceptionally popular at this point is the lack of drop-and-drag. Users like being able to do that. Of course, that could be easily corrected by adding a few lines of code. And it would still be smaller then SE.
Kierthos
Wait until some dope overclocks the silly thing...
Here's the thing I don't really understand (well, I understand it, but I don't accept it): Most programs and games don't need that fast a processor, so why are people buying it? The need for speed?
At what point is it going to be impossible to have a decent market processor that doesn't explode? Or is it just Intel?
Oh well, AMD is looking better and better now...
Kierthos
Tesla was doing things like focusing sound decades ago. He caused a couple of minor earthquakes with it too....
The concept is sound. I just wonder how long before we'll have high-powered sonic drills, like in the sci-fi movies.
Kierthos
While the opening of their brief appears to indicate that if you support Open Source, you "are a crook", they are not equating all Open Source with software or copyright piracy.
What they are saying is that Open Source supports the free and ready access of information, and so do a lot of the people illegally trading copyrighted materials.
Now, while it is wrong to even intimate that people who support Open Source are all software pirates, it is unlikely that the attorneys involved realized the ramifications of what they were writing in their brief. From my experience, most lawyers, unless they are very good at Patent Law (specialyzing in software) they will be unaware of what they are talking about.
Lawyers are paid to sound good; not necessarily to actually be knowledgeable about the subjects of which they speak.
Kierthos
Yeah, but back in the 60's or so, scientists were dead certain that global cooling was going to lead to another ice age. Twenty years later, they completely reversed their position in that global warming was going to destroy much of the arable land worldwide.
My point is that we should really take time to examine the process by which these conclusions are being made. I have no doubt that video games can help some people afflicted with ADD. But like with the whole global warming/cooling issue, the scientists are completely reversing their positions.
Oh well, at least they're thinking outside the box.
Kierthos
Does it strike anyone else as odd that 3 or so years ago, video games were part of the 'cause' of ADD, especially when the kids were supposed to be studying?
And now it's part of the cure??
Gotta love those scientists...
If it doesn't work as part of the problem, make it part of the solution... (Just like years before the global warming problem, there was the global cooling problem...)
Kierthos
From what a friend told me, Cartoon Network will probably not be showing two of the episodes during the Android series. I believe they are episodes 109 and 110.
I do know that he said that those episodes will not be sold on videotape, at least the dubbed version.
Take this with a grain of salt, though...
Kierthos
I'm not saying that China doesn't have the right. What I'm saying is that China has a long history of commerical pirating of software, hardware, music, etc.
Because of this history, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by using Linux. Since it is open source, it is preferable to other OS's in that they can more easily get access without hitting the 'copyright wall', whereas if they use Windows (or other OS's that are not open source) then they either have to pay for them, or as history has shown, they will pirate them. And since there is no point to pirate open source, well, you get the idea...
Kierthos
Now there's a thought...
Does anyone know of a good re-compiler that will turn 'normal' C code into obfuscated C?
Kierthos
If someone (or a team) solves the challenge task in FP or ICON, I'll be impressed! Even if they don't win, that's worth bragging rights...
Kierthos
Actually, this is fairly intriguing. China has a reputation for software piracy, but the open source quality of Linux makes one of the more attractive OS's in the terms of that using it does not provoke reactions from Microsoft in terms of stealing the software.
Of course there is also the issue of translating Linux into Chinese, but I figure that is trivial based on the amount of software that is available in various languages. (Although seeing how certain commands are translated into Chinese may make for some humourous reading.)
Just a thought...
Kierthos
Hey, I'm in South Carolina... we have notoriously bad and confusing cell phone plans.
Kierthos
No, I don't believe it does. I believe that the increase in Linux sales is only based on the amount of sales of the boxed copies rather then downloads, etc. of the product. After all, it is an increase in _sales_.
However, we all know how statistics can be manipulated.
Kierthos
...that Linux sales are up six times from where they were this time last year. Of course, that's only a sign of the popularity amongst End Users.
But does it really surprise anyone that a government agency is taking the stupid way out? Windows and other Microsoft products are so full of holes, memory leaks and safety "issues" that I'm surprised that any government agency still uses it, and NASA ceased to use NT long ago. But how much more evidence do they need to see the light?
Kierthos
Gas stations? Wow... that must be nice. I wouldn't use the bathrooms in half the gas stations I know of, much less buy a cellular phone at one.
Of course, here in the US, I wouldn't go to most of the places I know of that sell phones for one. I just don't see the need to make it even easier for people to reach me. That is what an answering machine is for. (And I can't screen my calls on a cell phone...)
Kierthos
Just think, more and better cellulars, and it's still too late for those Iridium satellites. Oh well, just so long as none of them fall on my head....
Why must it be made explicit? Think about it... 99% of the newbies out there are not going to go out and acquire a copy of Debian because they are not going to know that it even exists. For them, they are safe, happy, and in the dark (like mushrooms) with whatever copy of Winblows they have, or with their iFruit. For those who do "have a clue" about these things, they are sure to realize that if it's a beta release, it's not going to be automagically the most stable system in the world. I think by now we've all been burned to some degree or another by betaware, so we should be fine.... Just my $0.02 Kierthos
It's typical Katzism for the crap he makes up.
To 'dumb it down' for you, regulon would be a regulating or restraining agent acting on media (in this example), and the semiosphere would be the medium through which the media travels.
Of course, I could be completely off base here, but considering that Katz is making this shit up as he goes along, anything I say can't be that bad in comparison.
And as a last rant against Katz, how the screaming hell does he get to post whatever he wants to when legitimate articles that actually make sense languish under rejection posts?
Good christ, if you want to talk something killing media and ideas, then it's Katz and other "journalists" like him.
Kierthos
Actually, Jon Katz adds confusion rather well. This article is actually below standard for him.
By the way, modern media does have a predator. Itself. Journalists feed on their young.
Kierthos