> Meteor showers are rare. Showers that take place under a new moon
> are rarer still.
You have no idea!
Meteor showers, possibly born of an asteroid,
On the day of a (partial) solar eclipse,
Less than a month after a meteor storm,
In December, in the northern hemisphere, while:
Cherry trees bloom in Washington DC,
Wild sunflowers bloom in Missouri,
The maple tree in my back yard is at peak fall color,
Turkey vultures ride the thermals (here in Missouri, a sure sign of spring!),
Birds in some states are mating,
Kids in Arizona are looking forward to a possible white Christmas.
Sounds more like a divine epiphany or three. Oh look, we're having one on December 14th:
The rebirth and eleventh coming of the Great Deity of Peace and Happiness: Mothra Queen of Monsters.
The seventh coming of Mr. Killer Asteroid himself, King Ghidora (who has promised his big sis that he will behave -- and of course we believe him;).
The twenty-fifth coming of the Dreaded God of the Atom and of War, Destroyer of Cities, King of Monsters: Godzilla!
(Good thing Toho dresses real deities up in monster masks and bases their movies on various mythologies. You just can't pay for this kind of PR!;)
"Our plan understands the sea. We can keep watch for her coming.
At the end of noon, let's make our prayer.
Lighning shines on wavy beach, and all clouds are made right:
Happiness appears!"
From the song "Infant Girl" from the Japanese version of "Mosura" (1961).
My (hopefully not too bad) translation from the original Japanese.
> Apple hasn't had any kind of serious marketing blitz since the Apple ][
Then you are in for a treat. Check out the December 3rd (2001) issue of Time magazine. The second two page ad spread (right after the inside front cover one) is a whopping big ad from Apple about OS X. "The only thing we have a monopoly on is compliments." is about the only thing in the ad that was written by Apple. The rest are quotes from various reviews from publications like Business Week, USA Today, and ZDNet. The quotes pit OS X squarely against Windows XP, and go straight for Microsoft's jugular!
Five years of rebuilding Apple from its ashes, and quietly arming it for battle, are now over. The G5 will be here soon, and OS X will be the default boot OS for new systems next March. The 25 stores will be open next weekend. If the government won't stop Microsoft from continuing to break the law, then someone else is going to have to. Between the crumbling PC industry and Microsoft going all out to alienate its customers, there has never been a better time for an alternative to rise up and rip away a sizable chunk of Microsoft's core monopoly. Apple is that alternative.
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected a charred Apple sapling ("Mosura" 1996).
On December 14, 2001, Mothra will return to see its fruit ("Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki").
OS X: the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
> not be taken in by the religious nuts trying to confuse the issues.
But human beings are not robots. Emotional issues are important to people. As are the religious perspectives they use to model their universe, and the ethical value systems they live by. The real "religious nuts" that I see are people like bin Laden, who use their religion as a rational for mass murder. The rest of us see a big unknown scary thing called "genetic engineering" and "cloning" that can make nightmares real. Those nightmares can be anything from the classic mutant freaks, to ecological damage, to turning ourselves into mass murderers by raising and slaughtering thousands of mutated human beings that are given the term "specially bred animals". These are real fears, and given humanity's track record, not too irrational, especially with greed in the picture. You don't counter that fear by screaming "STUPID". You counter it with compassion and calm and careful discussion.
> but whats really amoral about adding a few human genes to make
> organs better suited for human implantation? Its not like they are
> getting a huge part of the human genome, or that they will suddenly
> get the capacity to become self-conscious.
I'm not too sure that that is what they are up to. The English summary refers to "combined human-animal embryos to be produced through cloning" and "the implanting of human cells into fertilized animal eggs". The language is confusing (probably due to a non-technical person doing the translating), but it doesn't sound like they are tweaking a few genes in an animal to make it produce organs that are more compatible for transplant. If that is really what they are doing, I don't think people would be that upset by it. The terminology the summary uses sounds to me like a sizeable amount of human dna would be used. Which makes me worry that either they actually think that a major cross between animal and human would be necessary for transplanting (which drags in all the ethical and emotional problems), or the language of the regulation will be sufficiently vague that cat women will be developed by greedy corporations to "treat" certain "medical" problems dealing with certain portions of the anatomy (again with associated problems).
This is not an issue to be trusted to weak governments, greedy and powerful corporations, or wimpy scientists who can't be bothered about the ethical ramifications of their work. Unfortunately, that's exactly who's running the show here.
"What do you think Mothra would do?" - Moll, "Mosura" 1996
She'll be here in 12 days. Ask her.
Silly troll. Your miracle was the solar flare that accompanied the announcement of the release of OS X.1. Apple has put OS X (as a secondary dual-boot OS) on hundreds of thousands of Macs since last May, and will be making it the default OS on all machines shipping starting next March. OS X is the mighty sword with which Apple plans to slice and dice Microsoft's monopoly!
In case you didn't even bother to read the title of the parent article (except for the letters "BSD"), OpenBSD 3.0 is going to be released on December 1st. New releases are not a good sign of impending doom.;) Although I firmly believe that OS X has a special place in Mothra's heart due to its role in her divine plan to save us from an evil monopoly;), I think it is best to have many versions of BSD, Linux, etc. so there is something to fit everyone's needs and preferences. OS X is great as an end user OS with both commercial and open source applications. OpenBSD is good if you need the security. Linux does great things as an embedded OS (and several other things). Etc. As long as they all play nicely with open standards, they can all coexist happily. The only things that needs to die are Microsoft's bad attitudes and their bugs.
"Mothra, you are Life Eternal! Hear the prayers of your servants. Come back to us from out of the legend. Come and save us with your power of Life!"
- From the US release of "Mothra"
The Apple Legions are doing a fine job of it too. Apple's Heroic, Wonder-Working Deity Mothra is well pleased, and reminds Her faithful that Her Return is nigh. Then will Her Apple rise up and smite the Evil Monopoly, and it will be no more. Mothra's Happiness and Peace will reign supreme, and even silly Slashdotters will have cause to rejoice.;)
Come quickly, Mothra!
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected an apple tree.
In 15 days, She will return to see its fruit:
OS X, the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
So it is perfectly legal in the USA to
1) Practice a religion involving human sacrifice,
2) Yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater,
3) Make false accusations against a highly respected member of the community and print them as fact in a newspaper, and
4) Peacefully assemble in the President's bedroom without an invite?!?
Gee, I can't wait to find out what the other nine ammendments let me get away with.;)
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected an apple tree.
In 15 days, she will return to see its fruit:
OS X, the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
(Of course, it is perfectly legal to take out a patent, but don't let that stop you from throwing a tizzy fit.;)
Yes I know, slashdotters view software patents like Microsoft views the GPL (of course Microsoft is wrong, but that doesn't stop them either). But before the Great Slashdot Hornet Swarm decends en masse on poor Apple, I'd like to point a few things out:
1) The patent dates back to 1992. According to O'Reilly's "Web Design in a Nutshell", PNG only dates back to January-February 1995. You'd think that if someone was starting a new graphics file format on which the future of the web depended, they'd check around for patents they might be violating first. Seems like common sense to me, especially since they are billing the format as "patent free".
2) None of the links in the parent posting pointed to anything that explicitly stated that Apple was refusing to license its patented technology to PNG or sending them cease and desist orders. I could not find anything on Google or on Apple's web site to support this. What I did find was this statement at "http://www.apple.com/about/w3c/" (part of Apple's statement in support of royalty free W3C standards:
"While the current draft patent policy does state a "preference" for
royalty-free standards, the ready availability of a RAND option
presents too easy an alternative for owners of intellectual property
who may seek to use the standardization process to control access to
fundamental Web standards. A mandatory royalty-free requirement for
all adopted standards will avoid this result."
One of the links on the Slashdot parent post did refer to lots of companies getting royalty free licensing for this patent. So all the PNG folks need to do, if they haven't already, is ask Apple nicely for their royalty free licensing option, since they are a web file format. End of problem.
3) I know you all really, really hate Apple. But if you are going to make them look evil, you are going to have to try a lot harder next time.;)
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected an Apple tree.
In 28 days, she will return to see its fruit:
OS X, the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
In an ideal world, all computer users would be well educated geeks capable of looking up any kind of document and understanding it instantly. This is not an ideal world.
Mac users (well, those of us who don't have professional Unix programming or system administration skills) are used to programs designed well enough that they are intuitive to use without reading a manual (except for programs like Photoshop, which you can stock a library with all the books written for it;). Such programs also do not need compiling, as they are nicely packaged, so they are child's play to install. Apple designed OS X well enough that the average Mac user shouldn't have to wander into the "geek only/read the docs" areas.
The problem arises when programs like Fink and MacGimp show up on sites like Version Tracker. VT doesn't have any special section for them, and doesn't provide any instructions. People download them, thinking (especially in the case of MacGimp) that they are just another Mac freeware program. If it isn't a package file that they can just double click, they can't even decompress it. If they somehow get it decompressed, they have no clue how to compile something, or where to put the files, or even access to the root login (which they are better off *not* knowing). If they were to somehow stumble across the documentation, could they even understand it?
Mac OS X is a wonderful operating system, that is bringing together a wide range software. That is great! What is not so great is that it is throwing together a developer community of the intellectual elite, with a user community that contains a lot of people that are barely computer literate beyond the basic concepts of drag-and-drop and clicking on icons. Apple is having plenty of trouble convincing some of these folks to move their mouse to a different part of the screen to do something (one of the major reasons old-timers give against upgrading). These people are *not* going to be reading man pages anytime soon.
So I guess its going to be up to the open source developers to change (if you want to develop for OS X/Darwin and want to reduce your stress levels and improve peoples' experiences with open source). Here's some suggestions:
1) If your application is to be used by non-developers, make sure the user interface is simple and intuitive. Demonstrate it to a friend or neighbor in the target audience to make sure it is relatively idiot proof.
2) Make sure that the target audience can understand the documentation. If the target is a wide one, you might want a simple section first for the beginner, followed by an indepth one for the expert (clearly label both). FAQs for both using and problem solving should be included, if applicable. Quick reference cards for GUI programs with a lot of options or keyboard shortcuts (like the GIMP) are nice too. Test with target audience.
3) Linux is not the only bit of open source that needs an easy, idiot-proof, install. Easy installs are nice for just about everything, but neccessary for anything aimed at a non-developer, especially for a GUI program. They are *absolutely essential* for something put up for download at a place like Version Tracker!
4) Make sure your descriptions on items you put up on sites like Version Tracker let the user know exactly what they are getting into. Is it an X Window, Java, Unix command line, Cocoa, Carbon, Classic, library, or whatever program? What type of install procedure is neccessary? Does it need specialized knowledge to run? If people know ahead of time whether or not they can install and use the program, they can just choose to not download it, and save you oodles of time supporting them.
5) The form letter FAQ to answer simple questions that several people have mentioned sounds like a great idea. Another thing that I have had done to me is to send an auto-response saying that you got their email, and giving them a random response number that they have to email back to you. Your auto-responder then sends them another email saying that you got their email, and giving them a random response number that they have to email back to you. Repeat until the user gets bored and goes off to find their own answer (usually tossing your program). Mind you, this won't endear you to your users, but it should help with your sanity.;)
One month until Mothra returns!
(With Godzilla, King Ghidora, and Baragon.)
> Now, you're really comparing apples to oranges here. Apple's bug was
> huge, and didn't just affect the software you were installing. I mean, it
> isn't like iTunes wouldn't play MP3s on certain hardware, or even
> created coasters or something.
Yes, you are quite right. I was comparing sweet Apples to rotten oranges. Of course Apple fixing a FREE program within 24 hours and offering to PAY to fix trashed hard drives is NOTHING like Microsoft REPEATEDLY trashing my hard drive because of an operating system I PAID FOR (twice actually, because I also bought the full version thinking it might work better than the upgrade), and NEVER acknowledging the problem existed, or repairing it in SIX YEARS.
Yep, the courage and compassion of Apple is quite different from the greedy callousness of Microsoft. How ever could I think I could compare them?;)
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected a charred Apple sapling ("Mosura" 1996).
In 34 days, she will return to see its fruit.
OS X: the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
There is something bothering me that is far worse than Microsoft's "naturally buggy software" (love that phrase, BTW), or the fact that their large user-base makes the bugs come to the surface. It is their arrogant attitude. The recent "responsibility" vs. "information anarchy" campaign is just the lastest of a looong history of irresponsibility and denial on the part of Microsoft. Back when I was spending 11 months trying to get a stable installation of Windows 95 (oh, let me count the hard drive reformats and reinstalls), PC Magazine was proudly proclaiming that Windows 95 had "no significant bugs". The really funny thing was when a Microsoft support person tried to tell some poor customer that their PC had a "preexistant virus" that had *overwritten* their install *CDROM* and wrecked a cab file. Yeah, right.;)
Contrast that with Apple's recent resolution of their iTunes 2 bug. They released the new version (a *free* download) on a Friday night. By Saturday, they had received word that it had a nasty tendency to delete the contents of hard drives, but only on OS X systems with multiple volumes. By sometime Saturday, the download was yanked from their site. Later Saturday night, within 24 hours of the original version post, they had posted a fixed version. Sunday they were posting tips on how to recover the lost files. Within a day or two of that, they were offering free copies of Norton Utilities, and a free hard drive repair to those harmed by the bug. Now that is what I call service! And all on a weekend, for a program they give away for free!
Microsoft, in the mean time, is throwing a snit because some "irresponsible" individual warned their customers about a bug that affects the security of their customers' computers (and effectively makes the browser unusable for ecommerce). "Boo-hoo, no patch for you!"
> Whether or not the states hold out on the
> case, let's be honest with ourselves --
> nothing except a massive increase in
> consumer intelligence and responsibility
> will save us from complete domination from
> Redmond.
Well, that might save us, if ordinary consumers were up to the occasion. Unfortunately, it is only "geeks", computer gurus, and power users who bother to keep informed of the issues.
The ordinary consumer can wander down to their mall, and check out those pretty computers made by a company with a real brand name that means something. "Hey, it runs Office (:b) and most of our favorite games! Have you ever seen Quicken look so gorgeous? What's that? I can make my own DVDs of my home movies?!? And there's this pod thingie that plays 1000 songs and has a battery life of 10 hours? Woohoo!"
You know, there is a reason why Apple wears black while most of the PC industry is trying on red.;)
> Let's look at ways to provide consumers
> with better options. For example, Mandrake
> 8.0 Powerpack edition comes with a
> number of games. 3 of these, including the
> enticing TuxRacer, crash my machine on
> startup.
I'll have to try the OS X port of TuxRacer sometime. I've been too busy playing the Sims, Tropico, and Cocoa Mines lately.
> Until we can have a simple Linux install
> (which Mandrake has almost perfected) that
> doesn't come with any broken components
> (which they've flubbed), the regular
> consumer won't switch
That isn't an issue, as most regular consumers don't install operating systems much anymore. They tend to buy them on the computer. The main challenges to Linux on the desktop are the lack of familiar, branded, boxed commercial applications on the shelves at places like CompUSA (most of the boxes on the shelves are distros, not Quicken or other familiar aps), and lack of branded PCs running Linux at the same stores. If a company like IBM would ever put a PC running Linux in a store that also carried Quicken for Linux, etc., (and accompanied it with a big marketing campaign that actually gave a consumer a reason to want to buy one), Linux would be a desktop contender. That's not all that needs to be done, but it would be a good start.
Until then, OS X and Apple will take on Microsoft on the consumer desktop. Linux can hold the server market and possibly tackle the enterprise desktop.
Watch IBM's Eclipse. I think it is nothing less than a blow aimed right at Microsoft. If successful, it should greatly increase the number of Linux applications, especially for the enterprise. I do wish IBM would ask Apple to join the party and add OS X support to Eclipse (Darwin is open source too). Both companies would benefit from such a deal.
> Had you done that you would have found the legends
> from the far-east referring to Gamora being
> destroyed by Godzilla... or was it Monster X?
Neither. When we last saw Gamera at the end of Gamera III, hordes of gigantic Gyaos (think Rodan with an attitude and a triangular head) were massing an attack on Japan (they eat people). It was a massive cliff-hanger with no conclusion. I imagine Mothra, after having just completed her own trilogy, would have put aside studio differences for the sake of Japan. Godzilla would have helped too, even if Mothra had to drag him to battle by the tail. Queen's perogative.;)
By "Monster X", I think you mean "Monster Zero" as King Ghidora was called on Planet X. Mothra cleaned his clock in "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks", which was never released stateside. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidora will all be returning in Godzilla's new movie this December "Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki". Ever since filming has been over, King Ghidora has been throwing an absolute fit over how he, the Great Devil and King of Terror, had to play A Good Guy! Fortunately, there have been no Permian Extinctions, yet, but there have been too many asteroids and other things falling or threating to fall from the sky. Personally, I don't even pretend to get the attraction for Pennsylvanian popcorn. I just know a certain kaiju had better settle down, or Mothra is going to notice, and when she does, we are going to have pieces of three-headed dragon falling from the sky.:b
King Ghidora defied her,
Capturing Japan's children.
Her heart reached beyond time, terror, and death.
Armored Mothra destroyed him!
> As the meteorite would have been 200m in radius,
> it wasn't visible over a certain distance away,
> although a couple of mystics claimed to to be a
> FireDrake come to destroy civilisation. These
> mystics were correct for the only time in their
> entire lives...
Close. Actually, since we know he was in the solar system near that time destroying Venus (from the Japanese version of "Ghidrah"), I bet it was King Ghidora (aka "the Great Devil that comes from the sky", "the King of Terror", and "the Strongest Foe"). I really don't see him flying by a new civilization without at least taking a pot shot at it in his killer asteroid persona.
"All we have to worry about is to slay King Ghidora."
Shouta, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
> How long until it becomes true, instead of being a
> whacked-out conspiracy theory fantasy?
Oh, I don't know. I think certain companies and groups in certain industries (Microsoft, RIAA, MPAA) are nearly there now. I'm half expecting someone to get arrested soon for possessing a pencil or a scanner (both highly illegal in a warped view of the already warped DMCA).
It seems that every few years/decades, some greedy moron(s) get some brilliant idea that will allow them to turn all their customers into cash cows, round them up, and milk them dry. Sooner or later, the usually placid customers start to resent such treatment and move on to the next, much greener, pasture (if the moron was lucky enough to have found some cows willing to be rounded up in the first place). This of course puts the idiots out of business. I'm sure the nice folks at Digital Convergence can explain that process to you in detail (assuming they have any staff left).
What we are seeing now is the usual greedy idiocy stuff, plus companies and whole industries that are feeling really threatened. Microsoft has pretty much reached the end of its Windows/Office gravy train and is thrashing around trying to figure out how to keep the cash coming in. The recording industry is facing the double threat of file sharing and basement recording studios. Hollywood is also troubled by Internet copying of movies, and has some reason to worry about digital video and the success of a film like Blair Witch (not to mention competition from the Internet itself as a form of entertainment).
Add to all that the uncertainty of the times, and you've got a bunch of scared, greedy folks who are grasping at anything to defend and expand their precious bottom line. Right now, they are all jumping on the intellectual property bandwagon. Sooner or later, John and Jane Q. Public are going to get fed up with their antics (probably when they try to tape the Super Bowl and find HDTV won't let them), and it will all stop.
For now, we need to work to keep said groups and companies from introducing idiotic laws. It also helps speed things along if you stop doing business with the idiots in question, and keep your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers informed of what is going on. Aunt Judy may not be a loyal Slashdot reader, but she would really care about being hauled off to jail for possessing a VCR. Better get her to write her congresspeople before that happens. Just be sure to tell her not to send snail mail (Anthrax scare), email (not taken seriously), call by phone (busy signals last I heard), or send a fax (probably out of paper due to it being stored in infected office buildings). Hm, maybe our (USA) lawmakers employ a psychic?;)
Microsoft, in particular, needs to just throw in the towel. They don't have the security to begin to attempt something like Passport. You can't just slap a EULA on someone's wallet, and say "Sorry, we aren't responsible". No amount of silencing security researchers or screaming "industrial terrorism" is going to cut it. Heck, Gates was on CNN this evening (talking about the stupid consent decree). He couldn't even face the camera and talk out of the front of his mouth like a real, honest, person! Sheesh!
Happy Birthday, Godzilla! (The movie "Gojira" first aired in Japan on November 3rd, 1954.)
> Apple has CD burning in the Mac OS (look at
> their ads - they're making a big deal out of it)
> yet Microsoft adding it to Windows is evil.
Apple is currently in the business of selling hardware that burns CD's, talks to digital video cameras, burns DVD's, etc. Not including software that allows the user to use what they paid good money for would be very dumb, as well as evil. So they generously include it (and include very nice implementations of the software), and they are still called evil. Grrr.
Microsoft doesn't sell the hardware to do these things, the PC manufacturers do. Yet Microsoft is bundling the software programs into its OS in order to put its rivals out of business. That *is* evil.
BTW, both Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player are available for Mac OS X. So much for them being a part of the Windows Operating System.:b
The DoJ's settlement is going to accomplish nothing. Microsoft wil ignore it because it doesn't have any teeth. Don't worry, though. Apple's two biggest fans are coming. One of them has lots of teeth, *really* big feet, and a short temper when it comes to imbeciles like Microsoft. The other one is the heroic, wonder-working Moth that brought Apple back five years ago, and who has a low tolerance for greedy and cruel corporations. Expect them to return December 14th. Sometime between then and Apple's arrival in Tokyo in March, I expect the hardware OS X was designed for to arrive. Then Microsoft is really going to be in trouble.
After all, who would want a crappy old Pentium running the evil beast of destruction (XP) when they could have a beautiful G5 that was two generations ahead of the Pentium, running an open source version of Unix with a drop dead gorgeous GUI? No contest really, even without Godzilla growling at you everytime you booted Windows.;)
Homage to Godzilla, King of Monsters, on the occasion of his forty-seventh birthday tomorrow.
Microsoft would like the world to believe that the fate of the economy rests on its shoulders. If that were true, MS would not be looking for new and exciting ways to milk money from people (auditing impoverished schools and children's charities, forcing people to pay to keep their software running, etc.) just to keep the company fed. Back in March and April of this year, upgrades of Windows 98 were outselling Windows ME, and Apple's OS X was outselling Windows 2000 upgrades. With all the reasons to hate or fear Windows XP, and all the anger MS's latest license policies are rousing, Microsoft is going to have a tough time selling Windows XP. Add to that the low PC sales (= OS sales) and MS so conveniently trying to overextend itself going for new markets (web services and game consoles), and you get a Microsoft that is weaker than it has been in years. It is ripe for its competition to unseat it, and removing its stranglehold on the market would free up a lot of room for real innovation that would actually spark growth. Microsoft is an ugly, smelly, half rotten weed. It is making the computer industry very sick.
Yes, Apple does make things user friendly (as opposed to MS merely making them user annoying). They have taken that talent, and applied it to an operating system based on an open source version of BSD Unix (plus the Mach kernal and a proprietary user interface). The result is the powerful, but easy to use, OS X. Finally we have a Unix that is as easy to use as Mac has always been, that runs Quicken and the Sims, is as powerful as Unix, and has a Terminal application that the brave can use to access a real Unix shell prompt. The result: Mac users who have never seen a command line before are eagerly rushing to acquire "mastery of the Terminal app", and are posting tips about their favorite cryptic command line like game cheats or easter eggs! OS X is quite capable of filling in Linux's weaknesses on the desktop. OS X makes the Mac a very credible threat to Windows, especially since Apple is the strongest of the desktop computer makers at the moment. Microsoft does not realize the danger here (Shhh, don't tell them).
Linux is nothing to be sneezed at either. It is doing very well against Microsoft on the server side. It is not out of the running on the desktop side either. Linux is a good choice for the enterprise desktop, in cases where commercial apps aren't needed, and MIS has competent people to administer the users' machines. Linux is also good for embedded systems.
Java is supposed to overtake Visual Basic and Visual C++ next year. The success of an OS depends on its developers. If the developers are moving to system independent Java, that weakens Windows and threatens.Net. Since MS couldn't lure people to their Java-alike called C#, they are now trying for another Java-alike called J#. But that isn't likely to work since people remember what a joke Visual J++ was. If Microsoft can't keep Windows developers, or get.Net developers, it is going to be in trouble.
The alternatives are here now, and ready to roll. Microsoft is either going to have to learn how to compete, or they are going down the tubes, and dragging with them any PC maker stupid enough to not find themselves a better OS. Somehow, I don't see MS learning how to make bug free programs that do what the customer wants any time soon. If I were IBM, I'd start making the rounds of the software companies and get them to start turning out Linux applications.
As for the antitrust trial, this is getting ridiculous. Microsoft has been found guilty of doing nasty, illegal things with their monopoly. Shame. Shame. To even consider "settlement" talks during the penalty stage of a trial is bad enough. Agreeing on the exact same thing that MS violated years ago is idiotic! MS already thinks it is above the law. Letting MS off is going to make it think it is the second coming.
Time to appeal to a higher court: the consumer. Punish Microsoft for their wicked ways by taking your business elsewhere!;)
Homage to Godzilla, King of Monsters, on the occasion of his 47th birthday this Saturday.
> You are misinformed. There was a breach
> of security, but the only login name and
> password leaked was to the internal SQL
> Server database housing the passwords
> you talk about. However, the server sat
> securely behind a firewall and no one's
> passwords were revealed.
Sorry, I *saw*, with my very own eyes, the code in question, and I *saw* the *multiple* server names, user names and passwords! Eye witness != misinformed. In any event, any security breaches in what Microsoft proposes have the potential to be very costly to anyone using their service.
> I think your paranoia is running away with
> your brain.
Oooh, gotta love the personal insult!:b
Part of what I said came true already. Hailstorm is going to be costly, even to developers using the service. Posting facts and details of Microsoft's new business plan is not paranoia. I'm not afraid of them, either. The more villainous they get, the more they anger their customers. Angry customers take their business elsewhere (OS X, Linux, etc.), making Microsoft weaker. Sooner or later, they either run themselves out of business, or they catch a clue and become a kinder, gentler company. Either way, the good guys win.
Right thought, wrong movie. Try "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks".
It seems that King Ghidora is pissed that he had to be a good guy (well monster) in "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidora: Dai Kaiju Soukougeki". So he's reverted to his Great Devil/King of Terror type from "Mothra 3", and is currently throwing quite a hissy fit, primarily over the eastern coast of the US. Which explains the problem we've been having with large objects falling (and threatening to fall) from the sky. (He's the kaiju deity of mass extinction asteroid impacts, meteor storms, and wind storms -- and Microsoft's patron deity.) If you look at KG's first attack on Tokyo's buildings, you'd notice the similarity to the events of 9/11, right down to King Ghidora flying into the twin towers and a guy with a cell phone talking while dodging the falling debris. Note also the similarity between a call in viewer on CNN describing the terrorists as "having no heart", and Belabera telling Lola that she "had her heart stolen" by King Ghidora.
Now, with terrorists running rampant and Windows XP's release making it seem like evil has triumphed over the computing world, it is like King Ghidora has resurrected after Mothra sacrificed herself to destroy him. He darkens the skies unchallenged.
But that isn't the end. Fujisan laughs at Ghidora's arrogance, and reveals a petrified cocoon, like an egg, on his slopes. The cocoon/egg explodes, and Mothra is reborn as the Armored Warrior, 130 million years of evolution making her even more powerful than Ghidora can ever imagine. She gives a mighty roar, and launches into the sky to destroy the King of Terror forever.
Where is Mothra? Look for her among the heroes of 9/11, the Russian soldiers who rescued the American soldiers, in the IRA laying down their weapons, in the spirit of peace and cooperation that has so prevailed among so many former enemies since 9/11. Look for her in her beloved Apple and OS X, and in the open source movement where generousity is the rule, not greed.
In the end, peace, life, and the power of the heart always triumph. Greed, terror, and hate, cruelty and evil of every stripe just aren't sustainable.
Let Microsoft have their billion dollar party. Thanks to Mothra and her Apple, OS X is here, and powerful enough to wipe XP out of the sky.
"Lola, kindness is not enough, look for the reason of hatred and anger. When you find and understand that, love becomes the strongest power; stronger than courage or wisdom."
Belabera, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
> So you don't like Passport. Why? Because
> it's made by Microsoft?
I'll give you some reasons:
- 32 pages of accusations of privacy violations and fraud filed by EPIC and friends with the FTC. This is very good reading.
- Microsoft's security precautions are laughable. A few days ago, there was a report of an error message on one of their sites that gave a link to the actual Passport code that had hardcoded user names, passwords and server addresses. Anyone who got the error and clicked on that link got a serious eyeful of stuff no one outside of Microsoft should have seen!
- Microsoft has an overweening tendency towards world domination and devouring. Passport and Hailstorm are part of.Net, Microsoft's big plan to take over the Internet, all our computers, applications, and data and turn them into one whopping big utility that they charge people to access on a monthly basis. (And charge, and charge...)
- And above all, there is no need for Passport. I'm perfectly capable of minding my own user ids, passwords, and personal data. Why should I pay someone I don't trust to do it? Hailstorm won't be free, and I doubt that MS will be giving away free Passport accounts for longer than it takes to get most people signed up.
Come on, Tok Wira, these sharks have gotta pay!
New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!
But Microsoft is already including Digital Rights Management in Windows XP (worldwide as far as I know). They have the only OS to do so. That is why I still think Microsoft is really behind this bill. It would make their OS the only legal one. All their competitors (OS X, Linux, etc.) would be outlawed overnight. They have more to gain from the SSSCA than anyone!
The SSSCA is a blatant expression of naked greed. No member of Congress has any business proposing or supporting such a travasty, especially in light of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and since then. If Congress is deaf to the people, then turn to the ones they will listen to: the businesses that will be hurt by the SSSCA. Write Apple, the PC makers, and IBM, mighty champion of Linux. Write the makers of VCRs (if they can't shoehorn copy control into HDTV, they will use the SSSCA instead), consumer electronics, PDAs, copiers and scanners. Write Ma Bell, and all her babies. Write Sun, whose Java runs PDA-like cell phones and other mobile devices. Write universities, whose advanced computer science classes might be threatened. Big powerful companies whose businesses are threatened for the sake of someone else's profit make powerful allies. If just a few of them making some unhappy noises can delay a hearing, just imagine what a lot of furious ones can do with all their lobbyists!
As for you, Disney, shame on you! As long as you continue to support this rubbish, I'm afraid I won't be attending Disney movies, buying Disney tape, DVDs and soundtracks. I'm not even going to listen/watch the ones I have. I like Mothra and Godzilla better anyway.:b
Come on, Tok Wira! These sharks have got to pay!
New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!
If it was, then Linux would have to win the war on every front, especially the desktop. But Linux is far from alone in this fight. It has allies.
The strongest ally of Linux is the one taking the desktop front: OS X. Unlike Linux, it does successfully bring Unix to the average desktop (no dishonor to Linux there - before Apple, no one had managed that feat). Also, unlike Linux, it has commercial apps begging to be ported over. It can run existing Mac apps (with Classic), Windows (Virtual PC), Linux apps (Virtual PC and X on X with a recompile), and Java apps. Beautiful and powerful, OS X.1 was launched to rave reviews and a solar flare. Don't worry, Linux, OS X can hold the desktop front for you for now. It can also teach you how to get there yourself.
Linux is no looser. It has gone from a college kid's pet project to being championed by no less a company than IBM itself. It's valiant deeds on the server side have even Microsoft worried. If the job of OS X is to slice into Microsoft's precious marketshare, then Linux' role is to block Microsoft from achieving its future monopoly:.Net. Only Linux can stop the Millenium monster from arising to soak up all our data!
Linux may well have a role to play on the desktop as well. For now, that is confined to those enterprise desktops whose conversion to Linux would *not* impair the ability of the employee to do their work. (The cruel act of the Linux technician is a sterling example of how the Linux community should *not* be emulating Microsoft's cruel ways.)
Later is another story. Given time, Linux can learn from OS X how to be a good consumer desktop. Apple is giving you a good example here. For the apps and the marketing, Linux needs to turn to the PC makers, and convince them that they need to drop Microsoft like a hot potato (or in this case, a hot bullet that is bleeding them to death). They don't have the profit margins to afford the Microsoft tax anymore, and XP is not going to come and save them. It's simple economic sense: who is the only one reporting millions of profit and billions of cash reserves? Apple. What are they putting on their systems? Open Source Unix. If the PC makers want to compete, they are going to have to dump Microsoft, embrace Linux, and go en masse to the software industry and tell them that all new computers will be running Linux next year. The easiest way to manage the massive port would be a OS X to Linux porting tool (made perhaps with some cooperation from Apple). War won.
Then everybody (except MS) lives happily ever after. OS X and Linux can have friendly competition. The PC makers can actually make PC's that sell again. Microsoft is then reduced to an application company that has to figure out how to port Office to Linux.;)
If you like this lovely dream of a future, please work to make it happen. Just leave the cruel treatment of users to Microsoft.
"Heart can reach, where hand cannot.
Climb over any wall..."
-Mothra (via Moll) "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
If a web or ftp site is breaking the law, the RIAA can just prove it to a judge and get a court order to take down the site.
The RIAA is not, as much as it would like to think otherwise, above the law. Their greed is going to the heads of the various entertainment and media groups. The law is not there to simply to serve their greed. The law is supposed to protect the citizens.
The entertainment industry needs to get over themselves, wipe the foam from their mouths, and get a life. There are far more important concerns right now than copyright violations.
Come on, Tok Wira, these sharks have gotta pay!
New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!
Laughter Is a Valid Weapon Against Terror
on
Bert Is Evil
·
· Score: 1
DNS-and-BIND wrote:
> Sure was meant as a joke...a tasteless,
> hurtful joke. Why is it not more funny that
> Bert has been actually linked to real evil? I
> would think your average person who thinks
> "Bert is EVIL!" is funny would find the real
> thing twice as funny. Look, either being
> hurtful is funny, or it's not.
No, what that evil man did on Sept. 11 was not funny. That isn't the point. Neither is the "evilness" of Bert the point.
The point is that this vile person wants us to feel terrified. He wants us to despair. If we do that, he has won. Anybody buying a gasmask, stockpiling antibiotics, wallowing in depression (instead of getting help), or mindlessly attacking a person because they are Islamic or of Arabic decent is handing bin Laden the victory on a silver platter.
Thanks to the silly "Bert is Evil" sites and the sheep-like stupidity of bin Laden's followers, now I can look at a picture of him and *laugh*! How can he terrify anyone when his idiot supporters are holding up pictures of Bert? He may be public enemy number one, but he is a complete failure as a terrorist. Here it is one month after he committed the most terrible act of terrorism in history, and people all over the world are laughing in his face!
There is another side to this. Bert is a New Yorker. The picture used to make the posters is of a very angry Bert. I think this probably is a very good representation of how New Yorkers feel about this attack. Bert's appearance on this poster gives a voice to bin Laden's victims, even in the midst of a protest in support of that madman.
The PTB behind Sesame Street are missing a golden opportunity to use Bert to teach children about just how bad intollerance can get (not to mention the evils and dangers of plagerism;). Justice is coming swiftly to that villain, no need to worry about that. But a lot of kids have fears relating to the attacks. If looking for Bert posters and laughing at them helps relieve those fears, Sesame Street should use that.
"Lola, kindness is not enough, look for the reason of hatred and anger. When you find and understand that, love becomes the strongest power; stronger than courage or wisdom."
Belabera, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
And then the Armored Warrior appeared, and she destroyed the King of Terror forever! Mothra's heart can reach!
> I do agree that it should be easier to change
> file associations. Me, I'm used to just using
> ResEdit... but it should be an option in the
> "Get Info" dialog. (Although this is irrelivent,
> since OS X uses file extentions, last I
> heard...)
On OS X, it *is* in the Get Info dialog. There is a drop down menu for what info to show, choose "Application". And there, in all its glory, is one of the nicest ways of handling file types that I have ever seen. You have the option of selecting a application for just the file in question, or using the general application for that file type (which you can change, right there in the dialog). You can also just drag the file to an app in the dock, even if it isn't running yet. So much easier than trying to use resedit.
I've been using computers of all stripes since 1980, and have been programming professionally since 1986, and *I* sometimes have problems finding the file types dialog in later versions of Windows 9.x. I can just imagine how difficult it would be for an average user whose eyes would glaze over half way through an explanation of what a file type is. This is an important issue with XP: important enough for Kodak to sue Microsoft over it. Kodak got MS to settle on allowing the user's choice of photo software, but they didn't do anything about any other application.
File types aren't evil in themselves. It's the deliberate hiding of the way to change them, and the selections of defaults based on Microsoft's greed. XP is the worst example of that greed yet.
Please don't feed the dragon.
"All we have to worry about is to slay King Ghidora."
Shouta, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
Slashdot Mirror
corebreech wrote:
;).
;)
> Meteor showers are rare. Showers that take place under a new moon
> are rarer still.
You have no idea!
Meteor showers, possibly born of an asteroid,
On the day of a (partial) solar eclipse,
Less than a month after a meteor storm,
In December, in the northern hemisphere, while:
Cherry trees bloom in Washington DC,
Wild sunflowers bloom in Missouri,
The maple tree in my back yard is at peak fall color,
Turkey vultures ride the thermals (here in Missouri, a sure sign of spring!),
Birds in some states are mating,
Kids in Arizona are looking forward to a possible white Christmas.
Sounds more like a divine epiphany or three. Oh look, we're having one on December 14th:
The rebirth and eleventh coming of the Great Deity of Peace and Happiness: Mothra Queen of Monsters.
The seventh coming of Mr. Killer Asteroid himself, King Ghidora (who has promised his big sis that he will behave -- and of course we believe him
The twenty-fifth coming of the Dreaded God of the Atom and of War, Destroyer of Cities, King of Monsters: Godzilla!
(Good thing Toho dresses real deities up in monster masks and bases their movies on various mythologies. You just can't pay for this kind of PR!
"Our plan understands the sea. We can keep watch for her coming.
At the end of noon, let's make our prayer.
Lighning shines on wavy beach, and all clouds are made right:
Happiness appears!"
From the song "Infant Girl" from the Japanese version of "Mosura" (1961).
My (hopefully not too bad) translation from the original Japanese.
RogrWilco wrote:
> Apple hasn't had any kind of serious marketing blitz since the Apple ][
Then you are in for a treat. Check out the December 3rd (2001) issue of Time magazine. The second two page ad spread (right after the inside front cover one) is a whopping big ad from Apple about OS X. "The only thing we have a monopoly on is compliments." is about the only thing in the ad that was written by Apple. The rest are quotes from various reviews from publications like Business Week, USA Today, and ZDNet. The quotes pit OS X squarely against Windows XP, and go straight for Microsoft's jugular!
Five years of rebuilding Apple from its ashes, and quietly arming it for battle, are now over. The G5 will be here soon, and OS X will be the default boot OS for new systems next March. The 25 stores will be open next weekend. If the government won't stop Microsoft from continuing to break the law, then someone else is going to have to. Between the crumbling PC industry and Microsoft going all out to alienate its customers, there has never been a better time for an alternative to rise up and rip away a sizable chunk of Microsoft's core monopoly. Apple is that alternative.
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected a charred Apple sapling ("Mosura" 1996).
On December 14, 2001, Mothra will return to see its fruit ("Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki").
OS X: the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
An AC wrote:
> There's a lot of irrational emotional issue's
and at the end:
> not be taken in by the religious nuts trying to confuse the issues.
But human beings are not robots. Emotional issues are important to people. As are the religious perspectives they use to model their universe, and the ethical value systems they live by. The real "religious nuts" that I see are people like bin Laden, who use their religion as a rational for mass murder. The rest of us see a big unknown scary thing called "genetic engineering" and "cloning" that can make nightmares real. Those nightmares can be anything from the classic mutant freaks, to ecological damage, to turning ourselves into mass murderers by raising and slaughtering thousands of mutated human beings that are given the term "specially bred animals". These are real fears, and given humanity's track record, not too irrational, especially with greed in the picture. You don't counter that fear by screaming "STUPID". You counter it with compassion and calm and careful discussion.
> but whats really amoral about adding a few human genes to make
> organs better suited for human implantation? Its not like they are
> getting a huge part of the human genome, or that they will suddenly
> get the capacity to become self-conscious.
I'm not too sure that that is what they are up to. The English summary refers to "combined human-animal embryos to be produced through cloning" and "the implanting of human cells into fertilized animal eggs". The language is confusing (probably due to a non-technical person doing the translating), but it doesn't sound like they are tweaking a few genes in an animal to make it produce organs that are more compatible for transplant. If that is really what they are doing, I don't think people would be that upset by it. The terminology the summary uses sounds to me like a sizeable amount of human dna would be used. Which makes me worry that either they actually think that a major cross between animal and human would be necessary for transplanting (which drags in all the ethical and emotional problems), or the language of the regulation will be sufficiently vague that cat women will be developed by greedy corporations to "treat" certain "medical" problems dealing with certain portions of the anatomy (again with associated problems).
This is not an issue to be trusted to weak governments, greedy and powerful corporations, or wimpy scientists who can't be bothered about the ethical ramifications of their work. Unfortunately, that's exactly who's running the show here.
"What do you think Mothra would do?" - Moll, "Mosura" 1996
She'll be here in 12 days. Ask her.
Silly troll. Your miracle was the solar flare that accompanied the announcement of the release of OS X.1. Apple has put OS X (as a secondary dual-boot OS) on hundreds of thousands of Macs since last May, and will be making it the default OS on all machines shipping starting next March. OS X is the mighty sword with which Apple plans to slice and dice Microsoft's monopoly!
;) Although I firmly believe that OS X has a special place in Mothra's heart due to its role in her divine plan to save us from an evil monopoly ;), I think it is best to have many versions of BSD, Linux, etc. so there is something to fit everyone's needs and preferences. OS X is great as an end user OS with both commercial and open source applications. OpenBSD is good if you need the security. Linux does great things as an embedded OS (and several other things). Etc. As long as they all play nicely with open standards, they can all coexist happily. The only things that needs to die are Microsoft's bad attitudes and their bugs.
In case you didn't even bother to read the title of the parent article (except for the letters "BSD"), OpenBSD 3.0 is going to be released on December 1st. New releases are not a good sign of impending doom.
"Mothra, you are Life Eternal! Hear the prayers of your servants. Come back to us from out of the legend. Come and save us with your power of Life!"
- From the US release of "Mothra"
15 days until Mothra returns!
The Apple Legions are doing a fine job of it too. Apple's Heroic, Wonder-Working Deity Mothra is well pleased, and reminds Her faithful that Her Return is nigh. Then will Her Apple rise up and smite the Evil Monopoly, and it will be no more. Mothra's Happiness and Peace will reign supreme, and even silly Slashdotters will have cause to rejoice. ;)
Come quickly, Mothra!
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected an apple tree.
In 15 days, She will return to see its fruit:
OS X, the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
Milican wrote:
;)
> Amendment I [...]
So it is perfectly legal in the USA to
1) Practice a religion involving human sacrifice,
2) Yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater,
3) Make false accusations against a highly respected member of the community and print them as fact in a newspaper, and
4) Peacefully assemble in the President's bedroom without an invite?!?
Gee, I can't wait to find out what the other nine ammendments let me get away with.
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected an apple tree.
In 15 days, she will return to see its fruit:
OS X, the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
Oh, the horror! The unethical behaviour!
;)
;)
(Of course, it is perfectly legal to take out a patent, but don't let that stop you from throwing a tizzy fit.
Yes I know, slashdotters view software patents like Microsoft views the GPL (of course Microsoft is wrong, but that doesn't stop them either). But before the Great Slashdot Hornet Swarm decends en masse on poor Apple, I'd like to point a few things out:
1) The patent dates back to 1992. According to O'Reilly's "Web Design in a Nutshell", PNG only dates back to January-February 1995. You'd think that if someone was starting a new graphics file format on which the future of the web depended, they'd check around for patents they might be violating first. Seems like common sense to me, especially since they are billing the format as "patent free".
2) None of the links in the parent posting pointed to anything that explicitly stated that Apple was refusing to license its patented technology to PNG or sending them cease and desist orders. I could not find anything on Google or on Apple's web site to support this. What I did find was this statement at "http://www.apple.com/about/w3c/" (part of Apple's statement in support of royalty free W3C standards:
"While the current draft patent policy does state a "preference" for
royalty-free standards, the ready availability of a RAND option
presents too easy an alternative for owners of intellectual property
who may seek to use the standardization process to control access to
fundamental Web standards. A mandatory royalty-free requirement for
all adopted standards will avoid this result."
One of the links on the Slashdot parent post did refer to lots of companies getting royalty free licensing for this patent. So all the PNG folks need to do, if they haven't already, is ask Apple nicely for their royalty free licensing option, since they are a web file format. End of problem.
3) I know you all really, really hate Apple. But if you are going to make them look evil, you are going to have to try a lot harder next time.
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected an Apple tree.
In 28 days, she will return to see its fruit:
OS X, the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
In an ideal world, all computer users would be well educated geeks capable of looking up any kind of document and understanding it instantly. This is not an ideal world.
;). Such programs also do not need compiling, as they are nicely packaged, so they are child's play to install. Apple designed OS X well enough that the average Mac user shouldn't have to wander into the "geek only/read the docs" areas.
;)
Mac users (well, those of us who don't have professional Unix programming or system administration skills) are used to programs designed well enough that they are intuitive to use without reading a manual (except for programs like Photoshop, which you can stock a library with all the books written for it
The problem arises when programs like Fink and MacGimp show up on sites like Version Tracker. VT doesn't have any special section for them, and doesn't provide any instructions. People download them, thinking (especially in the case of MacGimp) that they are just another Mac freeware program. If it isn't a package file that they can just double click, they can't even decompress it. If they somehow get it decompressed, they have no clue how to compile something, or where to put the files, or even access to the root login (which they are better off *not* knowing). If they were to somehow stumble across the documentation, could they even understand it?
Mac OS X is a wonderful operating system, that is bringing together a wide range software. That is great! What is not so great is that it is throwing together a developer community of the intellectual elite, with a user community that contains a lot of people that are barely computer literate beyond the basic concepts of drag-and-drop and clicking on icons. Apple is having plenty of trouble convincing some of these folks to move their mouse to a different part of the screen to do something (one of the major reasons old-timers give against upgrading). These people are *not* going to be reading man pages anytime soon.
So I guess its going to be up to the open source developers to change (if you want to develop for OS X/Darwin and want to reduce your stress levels and improve peoples' experiences with open source). Here's some suggestions:
1) If your application is to be used by non-developers, make sure the user interface is simple and intuitive. Demonstrate it to a friend or neighbor in the target audience to make sure it is relatively idiot proof.
2) Make sure that the target audience can understand the documentation. If the target is a wide one, you might want a simple section first for the beginner, followed by an indepth one for the expert (clearly label both). FAQs for both using and problem solving should be included, if applicable. Quick reference cards for GUI programs with a lot of options or keyboard shortcuts (like the GIMP) are nice too. Test with target audience.
3) Linux is not the only bit of open source that needs an easy, idiot-proof, install. Easy installs are nice for just about everything, but neccessary for anything aimed at a non-developer, especially for a GUI program. They are *absolutely essential* for something put up for download at a place like Version Tracker!
4) Make sure your descriptions on items you put up on sites like Version Tracker let the user know exactly what they are getting into. Is it an X Window, Java, Unix command line, Cocoa, Carbon, Classic, library, or whatever program? What type of install procedure is neccessary? Does it need specialized knowledge to run? If people know ahead of time whether or not they can install and use the program, they can just choose to not download it, and save you oodles of time supporting them.
5) The form letter FAQ to answer simple questions that several people have mentioned sounds like a great idea. Another thing that I have had done to me is to send an auto-response saying that you got their email, and giving them a random response number that they have to email back to you. Your auto-responder then sends them another email saying that you got their email, and giving them a random response number that they have to email back to you. Repeat until the user gets bored and goes off to find their own answer (usually tossing your program). Mind you, this won't endear you to your users, but it should help with your sanity.
One month until Mothra returns!
(With Godzilla, King Ghidora, and Baragon.)
autopr0n wrote:
;)
> Now, you're really comparing apples to oranges here. Apple's bug was
> huge, and didn't just affect the software you were installing. I mean, it
> isn't like iTunes wouldn't play MP3s on certain hardware, or even
> created coasters or something.
Yes, you are quite right. I was comparing sweet Apples to rotten oranges. Of course Apple fixing a FREE program within 24 hours and offering to PAY to fix trashed hard drives is NOTHING like Microsoft REPEATEDLY trashing my hard drive because of an operating system I PAID FOR (twice actually, because I also bought the full version thinking it might work better than the upgrade), and NEVER acknowledging the problem existed, or repairing it in SIX YEARS.
Yep, the courage and compassion of Apple is quite different from the greedy callousness of Microsoft. How ever could I think I could compare them?
On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected a charred Apple sapling ("Mosura" 1996).
In 34 days, she will return to see its fruit.
OS X: the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
There is something bothering me that is far worse than Microsoft's "naturally buggy software" (love that phrase, BTW), or the fact that their large user-base makes the bugs come to the surface. It is their arrogant attitude. The recent "responsibility" vs. "information anarchy" campaign is just the lastest of a looong history of irresponsibility and denial on the part of Microsoft. Back when I was spending 11 months trying to get a stable installation of Windows 95 (oh, let me count the hard drive reformats and reinstalls), PC Magazine was proudly proclaiming that Windows 95 had "no significant bugs". The really funny thing was when a Microsoft support person tried to tell some poor customer that their PC had a "preexistant virus" that had *overwritten* their install *CDROM* and wrecked a cab file. Yeah, right. ;)
:b
Contrast that with Apple's recent resolution of their iTunes 2 bug. They released the new version (a *free* download) on a Friday night. By Saturday, they had received word that it had a nasty tendency to delete the contents of hard drives, but only on OS X systems with multiple volumes. By sometime Saturday, the download was yanked from their site. Later Saturday night, within 24 hours of the original version post, they had posted a fixed version. Sunday they were posting tips on how to recover the lost files. Within a day or two of that, they were offering free copies of Norton Utilities, and a free hard drive repair to those harmed by the bug. Now that is what I call service! And all on a weekend, for a program they give away for free!
Microsoft, in the mean time, is throwing a snit because some "irresponsible" individual warned their customers about a bug that affects the security of their customers' computers (and effectively makes the browser unusable for ecommerce). "Boo-hoo, no patch for you!"
Microsoft grow up and get over yourselves!
35 days until Mothra returns!
An AC wrote:
;)
> Whether or not the states hold out on the
> case, let's be honest with ourselves --
> nothing except a massive increase in
> consumer intelligence and responsibility
> will save us from complete domination from
> Redmond.
Well, that might save us, if ordinary consumers were up to the occasion. Unfortunately, it is only "geeks", computer gurus, and power users who bother to keep informed of the issues.
The ordinary consumer can wander down to their mall, and check out those pretty computers made by a company with a real brand name that means something. "Hey, it runs Office (:b) and most of our favorite games! Have you ever seen Quicken look so gorgeous? What's that? I can make my own DVDs of my home movies?!? And there's this pod thingie that plays 1000 songs and has a battery life of 10 hours? Woohoo!"
You know, there is a reason why Apple wears black while most of the PC industry is trying on red.
> Let's look at ways to provide consumers
> with better options. For example, Mandrake
> 8.0 Powerpack edition comes with a
> number of games. 3 of these, including the
> enticing TuxRacer, crash my machine on
> startup.
I'll have to try the OS X port of TuxRacer sometime. I've been too busy playing the Sims, Tropico, and Cocoa Mines lately.
> Until we can have a simple Linux install
> (which Mandrake has almost perfected) that
> doesn't come with any broken components
> (which they've flubbed), the regular
> consumer won't switch
That isn't an issue, as most regular consumers don't install operating systems much anymore. They tend to buy them on the computer. The main challenges to Linux on the desktop are the lack of familiar, branded, boxed commercial applications on the shelves at places like CompUSA (most of the boxes on the shelves are distros, not Quicken or other familiar aps), and lack of branded PCs running Linux at the same stores. If a company like IBM would ever put a PC running Linux in a store that also carried Quicken for Linux, etc., (and accompanied it with a big marketing campaign that actually gave a consumer a reason to want to buy one), Linux would be a desktop contender. That's not all that needs to be done, but it would be a good start.
Until then, OS X and Apple will take on Microsoft on the consumer desktop. Linux can hold the server market and possibly tackle the enterprise desktop.
Watch IBM's Eclipse. I think it is nothing less than a blow aimed right at Microsoft. If successful, it should greatly increase the number of Linux applications, especially for the enterprise. I do wish IBM would ask Apple to join the party and add OS X support to Eclipse (Darwin is open source too). Both companies would benefit from such a deal.
OS X: the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
Metrol wrote:
;)
:b
> Had you done that you would have found the legends
> from the far-east referring to Gamora being
> destroyed by Godzilla... or was it Monster X?
Neither. When we last saw Gamera at the end of Gamera III, hordes of gigantic Gyaos (think Rodan with an attitude and a triangular head) were massing an attack on Japan (they eat people). It was a massive cliff-hanger with no conclusion. I imagine Mothra, after having just completed her own trilogy, would have put aside studio differences for the sake of Japan. Godzilla would have helped too, even if Mothra had to drag him to battle by the tail. Queen's perogative.
By "Monster X", I think you mean "Monster Zero" as King Ghidora was called on Planet X. Mothra cleaned his clock in "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks", which was never released stateside. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidora will all be returning in Godzilla's new movie this December "Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki". Ever since filming has been over, King Ghidora has been throwing an absolute fit over how he, the Great Devil and King of Terror, had to play A Good Guy! Fortunately, there have been no Permian Extinctions, yet, but there have been too many asteroids and other things falling or threating to fall from the sky. Personally, I don't even pretend to get the attraction for Pennsylvanian popcorn. I just know a certain kaiju had better settle down, or Mothra is going to notice, and when she does, we are going to have pieces of three-headed dragon falling from the sky.
King Ghidora defied her,
Capturing Japan's children.
Her heart reached beyond time, terror, and death.
Armored Mothra destroyed him!
An AC wrote:
> As the meteorite would have been 200m in radius,
> it wasn't visible over a certain distance away,
> although a couple of mystics claimed to to be a
> FireDrake come to destroy civilisation. These
> mystics were correct for the only time in their
> entire lives...
Close. Actually, since we know he was in the solar system near that time destroying Venus (from the Japanese version of "Ghidrah"), I bet it was King Ghidora (aka "the Great Devil that comes from the sky", "the King of Terror", and "the Strongest Foe"). I really don't see him flying by a new civilization without at least taking a pot shot at it in his killer asteroid persona.
"All we have to worry about is to slay King Ghidora."
Shouta, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
statusbar (jeff at statusbar dot com) wrote:
;)
> How long until it becomes true, instead of being a
> whacked-out conspiracy theory fantasy?
Oh, I don't know. I think certain companies and groups in certain industries (Microsoft, RIAA, MPAA) are nearly there now. I'm half expecting someone to get arrested soon for possessing a pencil or a scanner (both highly illegal in a warped view of the already warped DMCA).
It seems that every few years/decades, some greedy moron(s) get some brilliant idea that will allow them to turn all their customers into cash cows, round them up, and milk them dry. Sooner or later, the usually placid customers start to resent such treatment and move on to the next, much greener, pasture (if the moron was lucky enough to have found some cows willing to be rounded up in the first place). This of course puts the idiots out of business. I'm sure the nice folks at Digital Convergence can explain that process to you in detail (assuming they have any staff left).
What we are seeing now is the usual greedy idiocy stuff, plus companies and whole industries that are feeling really threatened. Microsoft has pretty much reached the end of its Windows/Office gravy train and is thrashing around trying to figure out how to keep the cash coming in. The recording industry is facing the double threat of file sharing and basement recording studios. Hollywood is also troubled by Internet copying of movies, and has some reason to worry about digital video and the success of a film like Blair Witch (not to mention competition from the Internet itself as a form of entertainment).
Add to all that the uncertainty of the times, and you've got a bunch of scared, greedy folks who are grasping at anything to defend and expand their precious bottom line. Right now, they are all jumping on the intellectual property bandwagon. Sooner or later, John and Jane Q. Public are going to get fed up with their antics (probably when they try to tape the Super Bowl and find HDTV won't let them), and it will all stop.
For now, we need to work to keep said groups and companies from introducing idiotic laws. It also helps speed things along if you stop doing business with the idiots in question, and keep your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers informed of what is going on. Aunt Judy may not be a loyal Slashdot reader, but she would really care about being hauled off to jail for possessing a VCR. Better get her to write her congresspeople before that happens. Just be sure to tell her not to send snail mail (Anthrax scare), email (not taken seriously), call by phone (busy signals last I heard), or send a fax (probably out of paper due to it being stored in infected office buildings). Hm, maybe our (USA) lawmakers employ a psychic?
Microsoft, in particular, needs to just throw in the towel. They don't have the security to begin to attempt something like Passport. You can't just slap a EULA on someone's wallet, and say "Sorry, we aren't responsible". No amount of silencing security researchers or screaming "industrial terrorism" is going to cut it. Heck, Gates was on CNN this evening (talking about the stupid consent decree). He couldn't even face the camera and talk out of the front of his mouth like a real, honest, person! Sheesh!
Happy Birthday, Godzilla! (The movie "Gojira" first aired in Japan on November 3rd, 1954.)
SteveX writes:
:b
;)
> Apple has CD burning in the Mac OS (look at
> their ads - they're making a big deal out of it)
> yet Microsoft adding it to Windows is evil.
Apple is currently in the business of selling hardware that burns CD's, talks to digital video cameras, burns DVD's, etc. Not including software that allows the user to use what they paid good money for would be very dumb, as well as evil. So they generously include it (and include very nice implementations of the software), and they are still called evil. Grrr.
Microsoft doesn't sell the hardware to do these things, the PC manufacturers do. Yet Microsoft is bundling the software programs into its OS in order to put its rivals out of business. That *is* evil.
BTW, both Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player are available for Mac OS X. So much for them being a part of the Windows Operating System.
The DoJ's settlement is going to accomplish nothing. Microsoft wil ignore it because it doesn't have any teeth. Don't worry, though. Apple's two biggest fans are coming. One of them has lots of teeth, *really* big feet, and a short temper when it comes to imbeciles like Microsoft. The other one is the heroic, wonder-working Moth that brought Apple back five years ago, and who has a low tolerance for greedy and cruel corporations. Expect them to return December 14th. Sometime between then and Apple's arrival in Tokyo in March, I expect the hardware OS X was designed for to arrive. Then Microsoft is really going to be in trouble.
After all, who would want a crappy old Pentium running the evil beast of destruction (XP) when they could have a beautiful G5 that was two generations ahead of the Pentium, running an open source version of Unix with a drop dead gorgeous GUI? No contest really, even without Godzilla growling at you everytime you booted Windows.
Homage to Godzilla, King of Monsters, on the occasion of his forty-seventh birthday tomorrow.
Moridineas wrote:
> No computer maker in their right mind would ship
> dual-booting computers.
Well, Apple has been shipping dual boot machines (OS 9 and OS X) since May. They may be crazy, but they made $66 million last quarter.
If Windows XP doesn't sell, Dell et. al. are going to have to find something to put on their machines that does, or go under.
Homage to Godzilla, King of Monsters, on the occasion of his 47th birthday this Saturday.
(In response to mrbkap.)
.Net. Since MS couldn't lure people to their Java-alike called C#, they are now trying for another Java-alike called J#. But that isn't likely to work since people remember what a joke Visual J++ was. If Microsoft can't keep Windows developers, or get .Net developers, it is going to be in trouble.
;)
Microsoft would like the world to believe that the fate of the economy rests on its shoulders. If that were true, MS would not be looking for new and exciting ways to milk money from people (auditing impoverished schools and children's charities, forcing people to pay to keep their software running, etc.) just to keep the company fed. Back in March and April of this year, upgrades of Windows 98 were outselling Windows ME, and Apple's OS X was outselling Windows 2000 upgrades. With all the reasons to hate or fear Windows XP, and all the anger MS's latest license policies are rousing, Microsoft is going to have a tough time selling Windows XP. Add to that the low PC sales (= OS sales) and MS so conveniently trying to overextend itself going for new markets (web services and game consoles), and you get a Microsoft that is weaker than it has been in years. It is ripe for its competition to unseat it, and removing its stranglehold on the market would free up a lot of room for real innovation that would actually spark growth. Microsoft is an ugly, smelly, half rotten weed. It is making the computer industry very sick.
Yes, Apple does make things user friendly (as opposed to MS merely making them user annoying). They have taken that talent, and applied it to an operating system based on an open source version of BSD Unix (plus the Mach kernal and a proprietary user interface). The result is the powerful, but easy to use, OS X. Finally we have a Unix that is as easy to use as Mac has always been, that runs Quicken and the Sims, is as powerful as Unix, and has a Terminal application that the brave can use to access a real Unix shell prompt. The result: Mac users who have never seen a command line before are eagerly rushing to acquire "mastery of the Terminal app", and are posting tips about their favorite cryptic command line like game cheats or easter eggs! OS X is quite capable of filling in Linux's weaknesses on the desktop. OS X makes the Mac a very credible threat to Windows, especially since Apple is the strongest of the desktop computer makers at the moment. Microsoft does not realize the danger here (Shhh, don't tell them).
Linux is nothing to be sneezed at either. It is doing very well against Microsoft on the server side. It is not out of the running on the desktop side either. Linux is a good choice for the enterprise desktop, in cases where commercial apps aren't needed, and MIS has competent people to administer the users' machines. Linux is also good for embedded systems.
Java is supposed to overtake Visual Basic and Visual C++ next year. The success of an OS depends on its developers. If the developers are moving to system independent Java, that weakens Windows and threatens
The alternatives are here now, and ready to roll. Microsoft is either going to have to learn how to compete, or they are going down the tubes, and dragging with them any PC maker stupid enough to not find themselves a better OS. Somehow, I don't see MS learning how to make bug free programs that do what the customer wants any time soon. If I were IBM, I'd start making the rounds of the software companies and get them to start turning out Linux applications.
As for the antitrust trial, this is getting ridiculous. Microsoft has been found guilty of doing nasty, illegal things with their monopoly. Shame. Shame. To even consider "settlement" talks during the penalty stage of a trial is bad enough. Agreeing on the exact same thing that MS violated years ago is idiotic! MS already thinks it is above the law. Letting MS off is going to make it think it is the second coming.
Time to appeal to a higher court: the consumer. Punish Microsoft for their wicked ways by taking your business elsewhere!
Homage to Godzilla, King of Monsters, on the occasion of his 47th birthday this Saturday.
An AC wrote:
:b
;)
> You are misinformed. There was a breach
> of security, but the only login name and
> password leaked was to the internal SQL
> Server database housing the passwords
> you talk about. However, the server sat
> securely behind a firewall and no one's
> passwords were revealed.
Sorry, I *saw*, with my very own eyes, the code in question, and I *saw* the *multiple* server names, user names and passwords! Eye witness != misinformed. In any event, any security breaches in what Microsoft proposes have the potential to be very costly to anyone using their service.
> I think your paranoia is running away with
> your brain.
Oooh, gotta love the personal insult!
Part of what I said came true already. Hailstorm is going to be costly, even to developers using the service. Posting facts and details of Microsoft's new business plan is not paranoia. I'm not afraid of them, either. The more villainous they get, the more they anger their customers. Angry customers take their business elsewhere (OS X, Linux, etc.), making Microsoft weaker. Sooner or later, they either run themselves out of business, or they catch a clue and become a kinder, gentler company. Either way, the good guys win.
I'm happy.
OS X: the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.
Right thought, wrong movie. Try "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks".
It seems that King Ghidora is pissed that he had to be a good guy (well monster) in "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidora: Dai Kaiju Soukougeki". So he's reverted to his Great Devil/King of Terror type from "Mothra 3", and is currently throwing quite a hissy fit, primarily over the eastern coast of the US. Which explains the problem we've been having with large objects falling (and threatening to fall) from the sky. (He's the kaiju deity of mass extinction asteroid impacts, meteor storms, and wind storms -- and Microsoft's patron deity.) If you look at KG's first attack on Tokyo's buildings, you'd notice the similarity to the events of 9/11, right down to King Ghidora flying into the twin towers and a guy with a cell phone talking while dodging the falling debris. Note also the similarity between a call in viewer on CNN describing the terrorists as "having no heart", and Belabera telling Lola that she "had her heart stolen" by King Ghidora.
Now, with terrorists running rampant and Windows XP's release making it seem like evil has triumphed over the computing world, it is like King Ghidora has resurrected after Mothra sacrificed herself to destroy him. He darkens the skies unchallenged.
But that isn't the end. Fujisan laughs at Ghidora's arrogance, and reveals a petrified cocoon, like an egg, on his slopes. The cocoon/egg explodes, and Mothra is reborn as the Armored Warrior, 130 million years of evolution making her even more powerful than Ghidora can ever imagine. She gives a mighty roar, and launches into the sky to destroy the King of Terror forever.
Where is Mothra? Look for her among the heroes of 9/11, the Russian soldiers who rescued the American soldiers, in the IRA laying down their weapons, in the spirit of peace and cooperation that has so prevailed among so many former enemies since 9/11. Look for her in her beloved Apple and OS X, and in the open source movement where generousity is the rule, not greed.
In the end, peace, life, and the power of the heart always triumph. Greed, terror, and hate, cruelty and evil of every stripe just aren't sustainable.
Let Microsoft have their billion dollar party. Thanks to Mothra and her Apple, OS X is here, and powerful enough to wipe XP out of the sky.
"Lola, kindness is not enough, look for the reason of hatred and anger. When you find and understand that, love becomes the strongest power; stronger than courage or wisdom."
Belabera, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
An AC wrote:
.Net, Microsoft's big plan to take over the Internet, all our computers, applications, and data and turn them into one whopping big utility that they charge people to access on a monthly basis. (And charge, and charge...)
> So you don't like Passport. Why? Because
> it's made by Microsoft?
I'll give you some reasons:
- 32 pages of accusations of privacy violations and fraud filed by EPIC and friends with the FTC. This is very good reading.
- Microsoft's security precautions are laughable. A few days ago, there was a report of an error message on one of their sites that gave a link to the actual Passport code that had hardcoded user names, passwords and server addresses. Anyone who got the error and clicked on that link got a serious eyeful of stuff no one outside of Microsoft should have seen!
- Microsoft has an overweening tendency towards world domination and devouring. Passport and Hailstorm are part of
- And above all, there is no need for Passport. I'm perfectly capable of minding my own user ids, passwords, and personal data. Why should I pay someone I don't trust to do it? Hailstorm won't be free, and I doubt that MS will be giving away free Passport accounts for longer than it takes to get most people signed up.
Come on, Tok Wira, these sharks have gotta pay!
New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!
But Microsoft is already including Digital Rights Management in Windows XP (worldwide as far as I know). They have the only OS to do so. That is why I still think Microsoft is really behind this bill. It would make their OS the only legal one. All their competitors (OS X, Linux, etc.) would be outlawed overnight. They have more to gain from the SSSCA than anyone!
:b
The SSSCA is a blatant expression of naked greed. No member of Congress has any business proposing or supporting such a travasty, especially in light of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and since then. If Congress is deaf to the people, then turn to the ones they will listen to: the businesses that will be hurt by the SSSCA. Write Apple, the PC makers, and IBM, mighty champion of Linux. Write the makers of VCRs (if they can't shoehorn copy control into HDTV, they will use the SSSCA instead), consumer electronics, PDAs, copiers and scanners. Write Ma Bell, and all her babies. Write Sun, whose Java runs PDA-like cell phones and other mobile devices. Write universities, whose advanced computer science classes might be threatened. Big powerful companies whose businesses are threatened for the sake of someone else's profit make powerful allies. If just a few of them making some unhappy noises can delay a hearing, just imagine what a lot of furious ones can do with all their lobbyists!
As for you, Disney, shame on you! As long as you continue to support this rubbish, I'm afraid I won't be attending Disney movies, buying Disney tape, DVDs and soundtracks. I'm not even going to listen/watch the ones I have. I like Mothra and Godzilla better anyway.
Come on, Tok Wira! These sharks have got to pay!
New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!
If it was, then Linux would have to win the war on every front, especially the desktop. But Linux is far from alone in this fight. It has allies.
.Net. Only Linux can stop the Millenium monster from arising to soak up all our data!
;)
The strongest ally of Linux is the one taking the desktop front: OS X. Unlike Linux, it does successfully bring Unix to the average desktop (no dishonor to Linux there - before Apple, no one had managed that feat). Also, unlike Linux, it has commercial apps begging to be ported over. It can run existing Mac apps (with Classic), Windows (Virtual PC), Linux apps (Virtual PC and X on X with a recompile), and Java apps. Beautiful and powerful, OS X.1 was launched to rave reviews and a solar flare. Don't worry, Linux, OS X can hold the desktop front for you for now. It can also teach you how to get there yourself.
Linux is no looser. It has gone from a college kid's pet project to being championed by no less a company than IBM itself. It's valiant deeds on the server side have even Microsoft worried. If the job of OS X is to slice into Microsoft's precious marketshare, then Linux' role is to block Microsoft from achieving its future monopoly:
Linux may well have a role to play on the desktop as well. For now, that is confined to those enterprise desktops whose conversion to Linux would *not* impair the ability of the employee to do their work. (The cruel act of the Linux technician is a sterling example of how the Linux community should *not* be emulating Microsoft's cruel ways.)
Later is another story. Given time, Linux can learn from OS X how to be a good consumer desktop. Apple is giving you a good example here. For the apps and the marketing, Linux needs to turn to the PC makers, and convince them that they need to drop Microsoft like a hot potato (or in this case, a hot bullet that is bleeding them to death). They don't have the profit margins to afford the Microsoft tax anymore, and XP is not going to come and save them. It's simple economic sense: who is the only one reporting millions of profit and billions of cash reserves? Apple. What are they putting on their systems? Open Source Unix. If the PC makers want to compete, they are going to have to dump Microsoft, embrace Linux, and go en masse to the software industry and tell them that all new computers will be running Linux next year. The easiest way to manage the massive port would be a OS X to Linux porting tool (made perhaps with some cooperation from Apple). War won.
Then everybody (except MS) lives happily ever after. OS X and Linux can have friendly competition. The PC makers can actually make PC's that sell again. Microsoft is then reduced to an application company that has to figure out how to port Office to Linux.
If you like this lovely dream of a future, please work to make it happen. Just leave the cruel treatment of users to Microsoft.
"Heart can reach, where hand cannot.
Climb over any wall..."
-Mothra (via Moll) "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
If a web or ftp site is breaking the law, the RIAA can just prove it to a judge and get a court order to take down the site.
The RIAA is not, as much as it would like to think otherwise, above the law. Their greed is going to the heads of the various entertainment and media groups. The law is not there to simply to serve their greed. The law is supposed to protect the citizens.
The entertainment industry needs to get over themselves, wipe the foam from their mouths, and get a life. There are far more important concerns right now than copyright violations.
Come on, Tok Wira, these sharks have gotta pay!
New Kirk calling Mothra, we need you today!
DNS-and-BIND wrote:
;). Justice is coming swiftly to that villain, no need to worry about that. But a lot of kids have fears relating to the attacks. If looking for Bert posters and laughing at them helps relieve those fears, Sesame Street should use that.
> Sure was meant as a joke...a tasteless,
> hurtful joke. Why is it not more funny that
> Bert has been actually linked to real evil? I
> would think your average person who thinks
> "Bert is EVIL!" is funny would find the real
> thing twice as funny. Look, either being
> hurtful is funny, or it's not.
No, what that evil man did on Sept. 11 was not funny. That isn't the point. Neither is the "evilness" of Bert the point.
The point is that this vile person wants us to feel terrified. He wants us to despair. If we do that, he has won. Anybody buying a gasmask, stockpiling antibiotics, wallowing in depression (instead of getting help), or mindlessly attacking a person because they are Islamic or of Arabic decent is handing bin Laden the victory on a silver platter.
Thanks to the silly "Bert is Evil" sites and the sheep-like stupidity of bin Laden's followers, now I can look at a picture of him and *laugh*! How can he terrify anyone when his idiot supporters are holding up pictures of Bert? He may be public enemy number one, but he is a complete failure as a terrorist. Here it is one month after he committed the most terrible act of terrorism in history, and people all over the world are laughing in his face!
There is another side to this. Bert is a New Yorker. The picture used to make the posters is of a very angry Bert. I think this probably is a very good representation of how New Yorkers feel about this attack. Bert's appearance on this poster gives a voice to bin Laden's victims, even in the midst of a protest in support of that madman.
The PTB behind Sesame Street are missing a golden opportunity to use Bert to teach children about just how bad intollerance can get (not to mention the evils and dangers of plagerism
"Lola, kindness is not enough, look for the reason of hatred and anger. When you find and understand that, love becomes the strongest power; stronger than courage or wisdom."
Belabera, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"
And then the Armored Warrior appeared, and she destroyed the King of Terror forever! Mothra's heart can reach!
stefan50 wrote:
> I do agree that it should be easier to change
> file associations. Me, I'm used to just using
> ResEdit... but it should be an option in the
> "Get Info" dialog. (Although this is irrelivent,
> since OS X uses file extentions, last I
> heard...)
On OS X, it *is* in the Get Info dialog. There is a drop down menu for what info to show, choose "Application". And there, in all its glory, is one of the nicest ways of handling file types that I have ever seen. You have the option of selecting a application for just the file in question, or using the general application for that file type (which you can change, right there in the dialog). You can also just drag the file to an app in the dock, even if it isn't running yet. So much easier than trying to use resedit.
I've been using computers of all stripes since 1980, and have been programming professionally since 1986, and *I* sometimes have problems finding the file types dialog in later versions of Windows 9.x. I can just imagine how difficult it would be for an average user whose eyes would glaze over half way through an explanation of what a file type is. This is an important issue with XP: important enough for Kodak to sue Microsoft over it. Kodak got MS to settle on allowing the user's choice of photo software, but they didn't do anything about any other application.
File types aren't evil in themselves. It's the deliberate hiding of the way to change them, and the selections of defaults based on Microsoft's greed. XP is the worst example of that greed yet.
Please don't feed the dragon.
"All we have to worry about is to slay King Ghidora."
Shouta, "Mothra 3: King Ghidora Attacks"