True, the devices themselves on which the WinCE platform runs are better, but that's because the WinCE platform demands all of that power! Why are 32, 64, even 128 meg RAM WinCE devices popping up, while the Palm lineup's biggest ones are 8 or 16 at the most? Because the applications on WinCE devices - the poorly designed, terrible-interface applications - suck up that much more RAM! My Visor Regular with 2 megs of RAM holds several day's worth of news from Wired and Suck.com, all the PIM and calendar programs I need to keep my day in line, all of the email in my inbox, several games, AND all of the software I need to get online, browse the web, telnet to my box at home, get email, and drive my keyboard. In 2 megs of RAM! And I still have perhaps 500K free at any time. All of this runs perfectly fast, by the way.
Why, then, does the staff at Slashdot seem content to berate Palm's OS while recommending WinCE - even Linux based handheld computers, where the command line is standard! It doesn't make a bit of sense. If I have to wait even half a second for my handheld to "boot up", it's not doing it's job.
I tried that keyboard awhile back - while it was still the chair-mounted version. Apart from the hushed oohs and aahs of my visiting friends, it was terrible. I was constantly rolling too far from the computer and snatching the cables out of the machine.
I have a friend who, about a year ago, came up with this interesting scheme to get free stuff from Microsoft. He would call up their returns and exchanges number, and claim "I bought [some product] at Best Buy and it doesn't work. They said to call you." The guy on the other end would then send my buddy a brand new whatever it was (always to some proxy address) and asked my friend to please send the receipt ASAP. Of course, he never did, and the bare-bones version of the product always arrived in a timely fashion.
Over the course of a few months, I think he got every piece of Microsoft-manufactured hardware that existed and was being sold in stores. Several of those top of the line Intellimouse Optical things, as well - Christmas gifts for a bunch of people (not me, of course). The scam ended when my buddy asked for some programmable remote control that was advertised on Microsoft's site.
"Yes, I bought this remote at Circuit City and it doesn't work."
"Sir, that remote isn't being sold in stores."
Needless to say, he stopped that practice relatively quickly. I bet the scheme still works, though.
We as a community must take action to prevent this most grevious of conclusions for our beloved Internet! All sites that take less than 1,000 visitors a week should hereby relinquish their domain and IP address to The Greater Good and set up camp at either Tripod or Angelfire.
All ISP or service providers: scale back your IP ranges! Everyone with a class A group of IPs should move to class B; everyone with B to C. All service providers currently shopping for IP addresses, please purchase one (1) and set up virtual domains.
You there! with the vanity domain for IRC vhosts and email - cut that shit out! And you, with the pointlessly obscure and insipidly dull "weblog" with it's own domain - to GeoCities with your ilk!
We can save ourselves, but only through moderation! (hint, hint!)
When I read "Burn Proof CDs" I thought the article had something to do with CDRs that were somehow impossible to burn. That didn't make too much sense, believe it or not, so perhaps a better title would be:
Coming Soon: Rip Proof CDs
Unless you're a big fan of, you know, blank CDRs that can't be burned. Sounds like a RIAA concept to me, if there ever was one.
Actually, it isn't. At some point _after_ Sealand declared soverignty (sp) the UK decided it wanted to increase it's territory, which engulfed Sealand and as a result was a bit on the illegal side. It's like Australia claiming their territorial waters extend into and past New Zealand - it just doesn't work that way.
Of course the question now is if Sealand's claim of soverignty is justifiable; apparently the UK gov. doesn't think so.
Friend Bear is most definately NOT a rip off of Pokey the Penguin. Friend Bear makes funny jokes. Pokey does not. Friend Bear alludes to things that it takes a bit of intellect to figure out. Pokey does not. Friend Bear's characters, situations, and language let you know that the author has an idea of what's going on, whereas Pokey is just a leap into a frying pan of random sayings and half- or quarter-funny jokes without a single thing to tie it together.
I'm not saying Pokey isn't good - it is - but Friend Bear is better (and also NOT a rip off). If you'd visit the site you'd figure that out - it's under the FAQ section. Hell, it IS the FAQ.
The best online comics somehow escaped mention. Without a doubt, Penny Arcade and Friend Bear are the two funniest comics around these days. Userfriendly? That piece of junk was, in my opinion, never funny. Dumb jokes about the same computer shit every week? No, thanks; PA has that category in the bag.
Hell, even CC vs. CC is better than some of this crap:) I never understood why some of this stuff got so popular - maybe I'm spoiled.
If you were posting this anonymously, I would dismiss it as a troll and figure the Score: 5 to be moderator error. But as you are not, I consider it to be the most subtle satire I've seen on Slashdot.
In fact, had it not been for your closing line - and fulfill our promises of greatness - I would have not re-read the piece and realized (The best minds of my day were like that and arts... and other trivial applications of human talents, etc.) what you were trying to accomplish. Even pandering to your audience; this is a joke you EXPECTED to be dismissed! I can see you laughing all the way down the comment list.
If, however, this was an earnest commentary on what you believe, you have failed. Horribly. I suggest you head back to school and pick up some communication skills - something perhaps left out of your comprehensive fact-based education?:D
Well, I suppose the optimistic way to look at this is that the gun would only go off once, at which point the trigger would be locked down and all further threats to safety would be eliminated. One dead civilian is better than six or seven or twelve (depending on the size of the magazine and the accuracy of the shot)
What exactly is the point of this thing? From a functional standpoint, it's bunk. Motion blur is only useful if it's placed against a, erm, "regular" background, and from these screenshots it looks like that doesn't really exist. About the only place this would serve a function would be at a trade show or something:
nVidiaFX rep: "Look! It's all blurry!"
Collective audience: "Oooooh. Undistinguishable features. Me want!"
It's kind of hard for me to figure out how RedHat got on top so quickly (and stayed there, it seems). Is it simply because they were the 'first' to offer Linux in a box with a tech support number? It just seems like there are so many better options, and RedHat doesn't stand out as a clear winner in any category.
-levine
How'dya know the space shuttle has 'good' sw?
on
Bob Metcalfe On NPR
·
· Score: 1
>...'good' closed software (ie on the space shuttle)
Hmm. I believe one of the latest missions admitted to running NT on a bunch of networked laptops for some sort of experiment... 802.11 of course;)
But I think you're talking about the actual operating system software - life support, propulsion, etc. etc. - in which case, how do you know it's 'good'? A moot point in your comment I know, but I'm curious... seems to me that the most obvious thing NASA could have done was whip up something along the lines of NASA-DOS that was programmed in a language even the Obfuscated C Contest winners couldn't decipher to make sure that all the 'talent' was kept in-house. Certainly, by OSS standards, this system would, well, suck. But it works, right?
Conversely, what if NASA used OSS systems? Wouldn't that be an interesting scenario...
Loading linux-2.2.17
updating gyroscope orientation...done
verifying CO2 filters...done
testing O2-N mixtures...OH MY GOD THE RING HAS FAILED WE'RE ALL GOING TO EXPLODE ...just kidding;)
You draw an incorrect analogy. Contrary to popular belief, having access to pornography in no way corrupts youth (at least at the age where they would begin to seek it). The fact that everyone - Congress, places like AFA.net, overzealous parents - seem to consider it such an evil, going to such lengths as to violate the Bill of Rights to "protect our children" from it (Remember the CDA? Children's Online Protection Acts? What jokes) only goes to show how close we are to a world that Huxley or Orwell envisioned some half a century past.
There is something to be savored from the actual, print copy of the book - namely, the many illustrations that, although not completely neccessary to understand what is going on, certainly help. ASCII just doesn't seem to cut it... but, in all fairness, it's better than nothing. Everyone - read this book! (.txt!) As someone once said about The People's History, "this book will knock you on your ass."
Slashdot Mirror
True, the devices themselves on which the WinCE platform runs are better, but that's because the WinCE platform demands all of that power! Why are 32, 64, even 128 meg RAM WinCE devices popping up, while the Palm lineup's biggest ones are 8 or 16 at the most? Because the applications on WinCE devices - the poorly designed, terrible-interface applications - suck up that much more RAM! My Visor Regular with 2 megs of RAM holds several day's worth of news from Wired and Suck.com, all the PIM and calendar programs I need to keep my day in line, all of the email in my inbox, several games, AND all of the software I need to get online, browse the web, telnet to my box at home, get email, and drive my keyboard. In 2 megs of RAM! And I still have perhaps 500K free at any time. All of this runs perfectly fast, by the way.
Why, then, does the staff at Slashdot seem content to berate Palm's OS while recommending WinCE - even Linux based handheld computers, where the command line is standard! It doesn't make a bit of sense. If I have to wait even half a second for my handheld to "boot up", it's not doing it's job.
Cheers,
levine
When virtual reality just isn't enough.
Maybe one of these will tear a MetLife blimp.
I will no longer be able to make jokes about TCP/IP over carrier piegons in jest! Curse you, RFC! CURSE YOU!
I tried that keyboard awhile back - while it was still the chair-mounted version. Apart from the hushed oohs and aahs of my visiting friends, it was terrible. I was constantly rolling too far from the computer and snatching the cables out of the machine.
Live and learn...
I have a friend who, about a year ago, came up with this interesting scheme to get free stuff from Microsoft. He would call up their returns and exchanges number, and claim "I bought [some product] at Best Buy and it doesn't work. They said to call you." The guy on the other end would then send my buddy a brand new whatever it was (always to some proxy address) and asked my friend to please send the receipt ASAP. Of course, he never did, and the bare-bones version of the product always arrived in a timely fashion.
Over the course of a few months, I think he got every piece of Microsoft-manufactured hardware that existed and was being sold in stores. Several of those top of the line Intellimouse Optical things, as well - Christmas gifts for a bunch of people (not me, of course). The scam ended when my buddy asked for some programmable remote control that was advertised on Microsoft's site.
"Yes, I bought this remote at Circuit City and it doesn't work."
"Sir, that remote isn't being sold in stores."
Needless to say, he stopped that practice relatively quickly. I bet the scheme still works, though.
Cheers,
levine
I hope someone closes the italics tag kind of quickly, because it's tiring to read all of Slashdot with emphasis.
READ MORE! 289 of 500 comments, dammit!
Cheers,
levine
With 64MB, this beats all but my most recent computer.
All but your most recent computer has less than 64 MB of storage space? No wonder all of my submissions get rejected...
Cheers,
levine
Ask Slashdot poses a question - a yes or no question, at that. I answered it, and somehow this is offtopic?
Methinks moderators need to take a step back and look at the whole situation before making hasty decisions. That, or jump off a cliff and die. *hug*
Cheers,
levine
As some people refer to it, the next incarnation of NeXT. With a BSD core, I suppose.
Cheers,
levine
We as a community must take action to prevent this most grevious of conclusions for our beloved Internet! All sites that take less than 1,000 visitors a week should hereby relinquish their domain and IP address to The Greater Good and set up camp at either Tripod or Angelfire.
All ISP or service providers: scale back your IP ranges! Everyone with a class A group of IPs should move to class B; everyone with B to C. All service providers currently shopping for IP addresses, please purchase one (1) and set up virtual domains.
You there! with the vanity domain for IRC vhosts and email - cut that shit out! And you, with the pointlessly obscure and insipidly dull "weblog" with it's own domain - to GeoCities with your ilk!
We can save ourselves, but only through moderation! (hint, hint!)
Cheers,
levine
When I read "Burn Proof CDs" I thought the article had something to do with CDRs that were somehow impossible to burn. That didn't make too much sense, believe it or not, so perhaps a better title would be:
Coming Soon: Rip Proof CDs
Unless you're a big fan of, you know, blank CDRs that can't be burned. Sounds like a RIAA concept to me, if there ever was one.
Actually, it isn't. At some point _after_ Sealand declared soverignty (sp) the UK decided it wanted to increase it's territory, which engulfed Sealand and as a result was a bit on the illegal side. It's like Australia claiming their territorial waters extend into and past New Zealand - it just doesn't work that way.
Of course the question now is if Sealand's claim of soverignty is justifiable; apparently the UK gov. doesn't think so.
Cheers,
levine
User Friendly speaks to those who have grown up and started working in the industry
So this means everyone who works in the industry is a zombie-faced miscreant without a hint of a sense of a humor in their body?
User Friendly is just plain not funny.
Cheers,
levine
Friend Bear is most definately NOT a rip off of Pokey the Penguin. Friend Bear makes funny jokes. Pokey does not. Friend Bear alludes to things that it takes a bit of intellect to figure out. Pokey does not. Friend Bear's characters, situations, and language let you know that the author has an idea of what's going on, whereas Pokey is just a leap into a frying pan of random sayings and half- or quarter-funny jokes without a single thing to tie it together.
I'm not saying Pokey isn't good - it is - but Friend Bear is better (and also NOT a rip off). If you'd visit the site you'd figure that out - it's under the FAQ section. Hell, it IS the FAQ.
Cheers,
levine
The best online comics somehow escaped mention. Without a doubt, Penny Arcade and Friend Bear are the two funniest comics around these days. Userfriendly? That piece of junk was, in my opinion, never funny. Dumb jokes about the same computer shit every week? No, thanks; PA has that category in the bag.
:) I never understood why some of this stuff got so popular - maybe I'm spoiled.
Hell, even CC vs. CC is better than some of this crap
Cheers,
levine
2001-03-19 22:25:34
My birthday!
Cheers,
levine
If you were posting this anonymously, I would dismiss it as a troll and figure the Score: 5 to be moderator error. But as you are not, I consider it to be the most subtle satire I've seen on Slashdot.
... and other trivial applications of human talents, etc.) what you were trying to accomplish. Even pandering to your audience; this is a joke you EXPECTED to be dismissed! I can see you laughing all the way down the comment list.
:D
In fact, had it not been for your closing line - and fulfill our promises of greatness - I would have not re-read the piece and realized (The best minds of my day were like that and arts
If, however, this was an earnest commentary on what you believe, you have failed. Horribly. I suggest you head back to school and pick up some communication skills - something perhaps left out of your comprehensive fact-based education?
Cheers,
levine
*tries to think of something original to say about the death of MIR*
*fails because it's been killed and resurrected roughly 1e6 times now*
I sure do hope it doesn't hit MY house! A-hyuck!
Cheers,
levine
Well, I suppose the optimistic way to look at this is that the gun would only go off once, at which point the trigger would be locked down and all further threats to safety would be eliminated. One dead civilian is better than six or seven or twelve (depending on the size of the magazine and the accuracy of the shot)
Cheers,
levine
What exactly is the point of this thing? From a functional standpoint, it's bunk. Motion blur is only useful if it's placed against a, erm, "regular" background, and from these screenshots it looks like that doesn't really exist. About the only place this would serve a function would be at a trade show or something:
nVidiaFX rep: "Look! It's all blurry!"
Collective audience: "Oooooh. Undistinguishable features. Me want!"
Just let me know when they'll be beta testing their boxen on my desktop.
Cheers,
levine
It's kind of hard for me to figure out how RedHat got on top so quickly (and stayed there, it seems). Is it simply because they were the 'first' to offer Linux in a box with a tech support number? It just seems like there are so many better options, and RedHat doesn't stand out as a clear winner in any category.
-levine
> ...'good' closed software (ie on the space shuttle)
;)
...just kidding ;)
Hmm. I believe one of the latest missions admitted to running NT on a bunch of networked laptops for some sort of experiment... 802.11 of course
But I think you're talking about the actual operating system software - life support, propulsion, etc. etc. - in which case, how do you know it's 'good'? A moot point in your comment I know, but I'm curious... seems to me that the most obvious thing NASA could have done was whip up something along the lines of NASA-DOS that was programmed in a language even the Obfuscated C Contest winners couldn't decipher to make sure that all the 'talent' was kept in-house. Certainly, by OSS standards, this system would, well, suck. But it works, right?
Conversely, what if NASA used OSS systems? Wouldn't that be an interesting scenario...
Loading linux-2.2.17
updating gyroscope orientation...done
verifying CO2 filters...done
testing O2-N mixtures...OH MY GOD THE RING HAS FAILED WE'RE ALL GOING TO EXPLODE
challenger login:
Cheers,
levine
You draw an incorrect analogy. Contrary to popular belief, having access to pornography in no way corrupts youth (at least at the age where they would begin to seek it). The fact that everyone - Congress, places like AFA.net, overzealous parents - seem to consider it such an evil, going to such lengths as to violate the Bill of Rights to "protect our children" from it (Remember the CDA? Children's Online Protection Acts? What jokes) only goes to show how close we are to a world that Huxley or Orwell envisioned some half a century past.
levine
There is something to be savored from the actual, print copy of the book - namely, the many illustrations that, although not completely neccessary to understand what is going on, certainly help. ASCII just doesn't seem to cut it... but, in all fairness, it's better than nothing. Everyone - read this book! (.txt!) As someone once said about The People's History, "this book will knock you on your ass."
Levine