Someone was kind enough to scan one in, I got hold of it and put it on my website at http://fantasticstories.8m.com - you'll have to read down through the text on the page to find the links, I didn't take the trouble to make it very obvious. Actually I got a copy myself, addressed to my "virtual" consulting company (me and a few sheets of letterhead paper), but I don't have a scanner.
I haven't tried Kylix yet, but I have used Delphi extensively and it's GREAT! Last time I suggested Pascal as a good language for beginners I got modded down as a Troll, but I don't care - it IS one of the best to learn on. And as far as OO goes, it's very good for doing "visual" stuff - the user interface - but to get any real work done you do need to learn (and learn well) the underlying principles of programming with ifs and loops and all those other horrible things the OO people seem to want to avoid.
And by the way, I have been around a long time (when I started in computers, they taught us assembler because that and Fortran was all there was!) and I have programmed in a large number of languages, so I have some perspective on this.
The market may be a great place for "those who know what they're doing", but an awful lot of "computer gurus" (me among them) are also "market imbeciles". Face it, if you're that good at financial stuff, why aren't you working on Wall Street instead of at a computer or internet firm? (And why are you hanging around on Slashdot????)
I believe in "The First National Bank of Beautyrest" - keep your money in your mattress!!
As usual IANAL, but the way I understand it, if you borrow your friend's CD and make a copy for yourself and never give the copy to anyone else, you are not breaking the law. Suppose you bought it from him for $1, made a copy, and sold it back to him for $1? Unlike software EULAs which specifically state that you must transfer or destroy all copies, music CDs do not have such a license, so buying it, making a backup, and then selling the original is considered legal.
On the other hand, if your friend makes a copy and gives it to you, he is breaking the law. Weird difference, but it is there. And it does not matter, either way, whether you ever listen to the copy or not. One is legal, the other isn't.
The REAL issue here was the question of software applications. If IBM goes strictly 100% OS/2, can they build enough momentum in getting others to write software apps to truly compete? Or are they going to be hamstrung because other companies are only writing Windoze apps? This is often cited as a problem with Linux, too, but the vast amount of Open Source software is making a difference.
Or, to take an alternate tack, does IBM set OS/2 up so it can also run Windoze apps? And if they do, what incentive is there for anyone to take the trouble to write native OS/2 apps? IBM tried this, and found themselves between a rock and a hard place - on one side, the reluctance of others to write for OS/2 if it could do Windoze apps, and on the other, Micro$quish deliberately and with malice aforethought changing the specs to break OS/2.
Sure, OS/2 could run a set of Windoze apps, but the next version of Windoze had some new stuff, which Micro$quish strongly encouraged (strong-armed?) other software manufactureres to use, and as soon as they did, those new apps wouldn't run on OS/2. IBM found themselves continually playing catch-up, with no way to ever get ahead. Eventually they decided it was too expensive to try, and (effectively) abandoned OS/2.
I liked OS/2, and the way Micro$quish killed it is one of the reasons that I personally am so anti-M$. What M$ did to OS/2 should have been a strong argument in the anti-trust suit, except it's probably too old by now.
Micro$quish is strongly opposed to personal liberty, they don't want anyone to have the liberty to use anything except Windoze!! I consider myself more or less a Libertarian, but I strongly disagree with the "official" Libertarian posistion cited above - I would gladly see the government crush M$ until their stock was down to TWO CENTS - this is the cost of fighting oppression.
By the way, I don't suppose there's any chance that that earthquake did something good, like totally levelling Redmond???
The "pledge drive" model won't work here. It works for PBS because they are non-profit and therefore a tax deduction. We are talking about a for-profit (well, hopefully!) corporation here.
Some of the other ideas may work, but not this one!
Sorry, this is really a matter of individual preference. I have been reading SF since the late 40's, and I tried reading some of the "New Wave" crap when it first started - Yuuuuchhh! "Mess with your head" pseudo-psychological junk thinly disguised as SF by using futuristic settings.
We are talking about Science Fiction here. Hal Clement was a great writer of this genre, and Mission of Gravity was a really great example. If you haven't read this, by all means do so. There is very little REAL Science Fiction being written nowadays, things to equal the greats like Asimov, Heinlein, and, yes, Hal Clement. Rather than read some of the alleged SF they publish nowadays, I'd sooner dig out Doc Smith's "Lensman" books.
I would love to participate in an open-source game development effort.
Unfortunately I am not encouraged by your website, where I get a pop-up suggesting that I download a Flash plug-in so I can see it! (It happens that I am currently on a system for which Flash does not make a plug-in!!!!) Given this, are you truly serious about a cross-platform effort?
Actually, I only care about "cross platform" up to but not including Windoze:-)
In the spirit of breaking game design away from BIG BUSINESS, I would like to suggest a couple more rules:
11. No game development team shall have more than TWO members.
12. No game development project shall spend more than $500 on software, tools, etc., above the cost of a "well-equipped" PC workstation. (I am assuming that such a well-equipped PC will have a compiler and some sort of graphics processor, and all the usual support tools).
This, more than anything else, would get us out of Big Business Games and back into the Garage-shop programming area where good ideas outweigh the bottom line.
There is at least one company, Cheapbytes, that sells "Red Hat Linux" on a CD. However, they clearly label it as a "Cheapbytes CD containing the downloadable version of Red Hat Linux" (or something like that), and they add a file or two of their own (a Readme or something). Apparently since you could download and burn it yourself, you can also pay them to perform this service for you as long as they clearly label what you are getting.
There is at least one company, Cheapbytes, that sells "Red Hat Linux" on a CD. However, they clearly label it as a "Cheapbytes CD containing the downloadable version of Red Hat Linux" (or something like that), and they add a file or two of their own (a Readme or something). Apparently since you could download and burn it yourself, you can also pay them to perform this service for you as long as they clearly label what you are getting.
Take the current compulsory license fee paid by radio stations, and calculate a "per estimated user" number (I think the fee already takes the station's estimated listeners into account). Use something in this general range as the "compulsory license download payment". Maybe bump it a little for digital vs. analog quality, or assuming that 3 or 4 people will "listen to" each download. Can anyone (except the RIAA) honestly say this would be unfair? I suspect this would exactly the sort of thing he has in mind.
Apparently I'm getting into this a little late... WTF is a "shell account"? I've never used one, I've never even seen anyone offering one. What is it, and why would I want one? What could I do with it that I can't do with a "web/email" type of account? I am limited to dialup, they haven't put DSL in here yet and I simply wouldn't trust our cable provider even if I could afford it! (This is not a troll, not flamebait, I am simply looking for information.)
I was (about 10 years ago) a would-be author. I wrote a bunch of science-fiction, fantasy, etc., short stories, and about half of a novel. Writing was easy, selling was not. I "sold" three or four stories, some to magazines that pay in copies, and my biggest sale was $17. Eventually I got tired and stopped, but the stories were all archived on my computer, and on diskettes.
Suddenly, a month ago, I had a brilliant idea! I am now "publishing" a web-magazine with my stories. Maybe somebody will read them, maybe not. Steven King can get away with charging, I can't (if I could, I would:-) ). And maybe now that I've found something to do with the stories, rather than just accumulating them in my computer, I'll go back and start writing some more.
But in the long run, this kind of thing (me and Steven King) is the way of the future. Just tell that AAP publisher's bitch to go fsck herself!
OK, I'll bite (byte?). Why, in the middle of all that right-to-left stuff in the screenshot, is the date rendered as "1997" instead of "7991"? Seems like this sort of inconsistency would make dealing with these languages even harder.
And if Micro$quish is so good at doing right-to-left, why haven't they released Visual APL????
But... but... but... If I didn't have HTML e-mail capabilities, how could I subscribe to critical information... like the daily "Foxtrot" which our local paper only carries on Sunday???? I mean, some things are IMPORTANT!
By the way, they mention Netscape Messenger 6 - are the older versions of Netscape (4.7x) immune? They do have the "Javascript on E-mail" switch, so one would assume thet do something with it.
Re:Let your feet do the walking ...
on
Juno And Privacy
·
· Score: 1
It's not a question of whether I want to pay for an ISP or not (of course I'd rather get it for free, who wouldn't?), it's simply another facet of the Micro$quish Monopoly!
Having to pay for an ISP when you use Linux, while the Windoze guy can get one for free is just like the "Micro$quish Tax" you have to pay for a new computer that comes with a copy of Windoze you are never going to use (and can't sell because it's locked to that machine).
The DOJ has been suing Micro$quish on anti-trust issues (although things don't look too good with Ashcroft being confirmed) in order to level the playing field and reduce M$'s competitive advantage - what I'm suggesting is along the same lines. Force ISP's to EITHER use a plain simple PPP interface that any OS can use (does an Acorn even have TCP/IP, I dunno?), OR, if they insist on a proprietary interface, provide it for ALL operating systems (OK, maybe limit it to a reasonable set - Windoze, Linux, *BSD, BeOS, Mac - that have a noticeable market share).
If Joe Blow can get a free ISP, I should be able to also, and if I have to pay, Joe Blow should have to pay, regardless of which OS either of us are using.
Re:Let your feet do the walking ...
on
Juno And Privacy
·
· Score: 1
Yeah, right, lots of them. NOT!!!! Windoze, Windoze, Windoze, and a few with Mac support. Not a God Damn one of them in my area has support for Linux! I had one (Freewwweb) once, but they went bankrupt and sold out to Windoze-only Juno. There have been rumors for well over a year of Netzero adding Linux support (not that Netzero is all that great, I've used them on Windoze, but free is free!) but absolutely nothing seems to be really happening.
There ought to be a law!! Get the FCC or someone to rule that ANY ISP must support ANY operating system, AND at the SAME price. (The one I use now has a much lower priced version than what I'm paying, but it's another damn Windoze-only ad-based version!)
Bottom Line: If you ain't using Windoze, expect to pay FULL PRICE for your ISP.
Actually, the report I read over on CNET news said that there would be a "personal" version, ONLY for Open-Source development, no closed-source/proprietary libs. And it would be either $99 (CD in a box, I think), or free if you download it (maybe Cheapbytes will come out with a cheap CD????).
I can't wait to get this, I have used Delphi a lot, and (this is NOT a troll, just my personal opinion) I happen to like Pascal a lot better than C!
OK, here's a question for you. WHY is it that on my system (Red Hat 6.1/Gnome), if I am logged on with the desktop running and I leave the machine idle for a while, APM shuts down the monitor, **BUT** if I am NOT LOGGED ON (console-mode login prompt) it blanks the screen but does NOT do an APM shutdown of the monitor?
This is a home machine and I do not leave it on all the time (usually once-a-day power down cycle). Seems like the non-APM if logged off is a good argument AGAINST leaving it on 24/7.
Re:Clean Design - Like Kuro5hin's?
on
Freshmeat II
·
· Score: 1
Imagine what would happen if one day in the US, Green = Stop and Red = Go?
Anyone remember the first episode of "Sliders"? That was exactly the "alternate world" change they showed (well, that and Elvis still alive - oh, wait, somebody just told me he is...). Anyway, it was a mess to get used to. I agree with the "familiarity" argument - it's been a week and I'm still not used the the CNET News new format.
Slashdot Mirror
Someone was kind enough to scan one in, I got hold of it and put it on my website at http://fantasticstories.8m.com - you'll have to read down through the text on the page to find the links, I didn't take the trouble to make it very obvious. Actually I got a copy myself, addressed to my "virtual" consulting company (me and a few sheets of letterhead paper), but I don't have a scanner.
I haven't tried Kylix yet, but I have used Delphi extensively and it's GREAT! Last time I suggested Pascal as a good language for beginners I got modded down as a Troll, but I don't care - it IS one of the best to learn on. And as far as OO goes, it's very good for doing "visual" stuff - the user interface - but to get any real work done you do need to learn (and learn well) the underlying principles of programming with ifs and loops and all those other horrible things the OO people seem to want to avoid.
And by the way, I have been around a long time (when I started in computers, they taught us assembler because that and Fortran was all there was!) and I have programmed in a large number of languages, so I have some perspective on this.
The market may be a great place for "those who know what they're doing", but an awful lot of "computer gurus" (me among them) are also "market imbeciles". Face it, if you're that good at financial stuff, why aren't you working on Wall Street instead of at a computer or internet firm? (And why are you hanging around on Slashdot????)
I believe in "The First National Bank of Beautyrest" - keep your money in your mattress!!
As usual IANAL, but the way I understand it, if you borrow your friend's CD and make a copy for yourself and never give the copy to anyone else, you are not breaking the law. Suppose you bought it from him for $1, made a copy, and sold it back to him for $1? Unlike software EULAs which specifically state that you must transfer or destroy all copies, music CDs do not have such a license, so buying it, making a backup, and then selling the original is considered legal.
On the other hand, if your friend makes a copy and gives it to you, he is breaking the law. Weird difference, but it is there. And it does not matter, either way, whether you ever listen to the copy or not. One is legal, the other isn't.
The REAL issue here was the question of software applications. If IBM goes strictly 100% OS/2, can they build enough momentum in getting others to write software apps to truly compete? Or are they going to be hamstrung because other companies are only writing Windoze apps? This is often cited as a problem with Linux, too, but the vast amount of Open Source software is making a difference.
Or, to take an alternate tack, does IBM set OS/2 up so it can also run Windoze apps? And if they do, what incentive is there for anyone to take the trouble to write native OS/2 apps? IBM tried this, and found themselves between a rock and a hard place - on one side, the reluctance of others to write for OS/2 if it could do Windoze apps, and on the other, Micro$quish deliberately and with malice aforethought changing the specs to break OS/2.
Sure, OS/2 could run a set of Windoze apps, but the next version of Windoze had some new stuff, which Micro$quish strongly encouraged (strong-armed?) other software manufactureres to use, and as soon as they did, those new apps wouldn't run on OS/2. IBM found themselves continually playing catch-up, with no way to ever get ahead. Eventually they decided it was too expensive to try, and (effectively) abandoned OS/2.
I liked OS/2, and the way Micro$quish killed it is one of the reasons that I personally am so anti-M$. What M$ did to OS/2 should have been a strong argument in the anti-trust suit, except it's probably too old by now.
Micro$quish is strongly opposed to personal liberty, they don't want anyone to have the liberty to use anything except Windoze!! I consider myself more or less a Libertarian, but I strongly disagree with the "official" Libertarian posistion cited above - I would gladly see the government crush M$ until their stock was down to TWO CENTS - this is the cost of fighting oppression.
By the way, I don't suppose there's any chance that that earthquake did something good, like totally levelling Redmond???
The "pledge drive" model won't work here. It works for PBS because they are non-profit and therefore a tax deduction . We are talking about a for-profit (well, hopefully!) corporation here.
Some of the other ideas may work, but not this one!
Sorry, this is really a matter of individual preference. I have been reading SF since the late 40's, and I tried reading some of the "New Wave" crap when it first started - Yuuuuchhh! "Mess with your head" pseudo-psychological junk thinly disguised as SF by using futuristic settings.
We are talking about Science Fiction here. Hal Clement was a great writer of this genre, and Mission of Gravity was a really great example. If you haven't read this, by all means do so. There is very little REAL Science Fiction being written nowadays, things to equal the greats like Asimov, Heinlein, and, yes, Hal Clement. Rather than read some of the alleged SF they publish nowadays, I'd sooner dig out Doc Smith's "Lensman" books.
I would love to participate in an open-source game development effort.
:-)
Unfortunately I am not encouraged by your website, where I get a pop-up suggesting that I download a Flash plug-in so I can see it! (It happens that I am currently on a system for which Flash does not make a plug-in!!!!) Given this, are you truly serious about a cross-platform effort?
Actually, I only care about "cross platform" up to but not including Windoze
In the spirit of breaking game design away from BIG BUSINESS, I would like to suggest a couple more rules:
11. No game development team shall have more than TWO members.
12. No game development project shall spend more than $500 on software, tools, etc., above the cost of a "well-equipped" PC workstation. (I am assuming that such a well-equipped PC will have a compiler and some sort of graphics processor, and all the usual support tools).
This, more than anything else, would get us out of Big Business Games and back into the Garage-shop programming area where good ideas outweigh the bottom line.
There is at least one company, Cheapbytes, that sells "Red Hat Linux" on a CD. However, they clearly label it as a "Cheapbytes CD containing the downloadable version of Red Hat Linux" (or something like that), and they add a file or two of their own (a Readme or something). Apparently since you could download and burn it yourself, you can also pay them to perform this service for you as long as they clearly label what you are getting.
There is at least one company, Cheapbytes, that sells "Red Hat Linux" on a CD. However, they clearly label it as a "Cheapbytes CD containing the downloadable version of Red Hat Linux" (or something like that), and they add a file or two of their own (a Readme or something). Apparently since you could download and burn it yourself, you can also pay them to perform this service for you as long as they clearly label what you are getting.
Take the current compulsory license fee paid by radio stations, and calculate a "per estimated user" number (I think the fee already takes the station's estimated listeners into account). Use something in this general range as the "compulsory license download payment". Maybe bump it a little for digital vs. analog quality, or assuming that 3 or 4 people will "listen to" each download. Can anyone (except the RIAA) honestly say this would be unfair? I suspect this would exactly the sort of thing he has in mind.
Apparently I'm getting into this a little late ... WTF is a "shell account"? I've never used one, I've never even seen anyone offering one. What is it, and why would I want one? What could I do with it that I can't do with a "web/email" type of account? I am limited to dialup, they haven't put DSL in here yet and I simply wouldn't trust our cable provider even if I could afford it! (This is not a troll, not flamebait, I am simply looking for information.)
And this law was passed while George Dubya was Governor, right?
No, no ... .NET.Box! Or better yet, .NUT.Box!
I was (about 10 years ago) a would-be author. I wrote a bunch of science-fiction, fantasy, etc., short stories, and about half of a novel. Writing was easy, selling was not. I "sold" three or four stories, some to magazines that pay in copies, and my biggest sale was $17. Eventually I got tired and stopped, but the stories were all archived on my computer, and on diskettes.
:-) ). And maybe now that I've found something to do with the stories, rather than just accumulating them in my computer, I'll go back and start writing some more.
Suddenly, a month ago, I had a brilliant idea! I am now "publishing" a web-magazine with my stories. Maybe somebody will read them, maybe not. Steven King can get away with charging, I can't (if I could, I would
But in the long run, this kind of thing (me and Steven King) is the way of the future. Just tell that AAP publisher's bitch to go fsck herself!
OK, I'll bite (byte?). Why, in the middle of all that right-to-left stuff in the screenshot, is the date rendered as "1997" instead of "7991"? Seems like this sort of inconsistency would make dealing with these languages even harder.
And if Micro$quish is so good at doing right-to-left, why haven't they released Visual APL????
But ... but ... but ... If I didn't have HTML e-mail capabilities, how could I subscribe to critical information ... like the daily "Foxtrot" which our local paper only carries on Sunday???? I mean, some things are IMPORTANT!
By the way, they mention Netscape Messenger 6 - are the older versions of Netscape (4.7x) immune? They do have the "Javascript on E-mail" switch, so one would assume thet do something with it.
It's not a question of whether I want to pay for an ISP or not (of course I'd rather get it for free, who wouldn't?), it's simply another facet of the Micro$quish Monopoly!
Having to pay for an ISP when you use Linux, while the Windoze guy can get one for free is just like the "Micro$quish Tax" you have to pay for a new computer that comes with a copy of Windoze you are never going to use (and can't sell because it's locked to that machine).
The DOJ has been suing Micro$quish on anti-trust issues (although things don't look too good with Ashcroft being confirmed) in order to level the playing field and reduce M$'s competitive advantage - what I'm suggesting is along the same lines. Force ISP's to EITHER use a plain simple PPP interface that any OS can use (does an Acorn even have TCP/IP, I dunno?), OR, if they insist on a proprietary interface, provide it for ALL operating systems (OK, maybe limit it to a reasonable set - Windoze, Linux, *BSD, BeOS, Mac - that have a noticeable market share).
If Joe Blow can get a free ISP, I should be able to also, and if I have to pay, Joe Blow should have to pay, regardless of which OS either of us are using.
Yeah, right, lots of them. NOT!!!! Windoze, Windoze, Windoze, and a few with Mac support. Not a God Damn one of them in my area has support for Linux! I had one (Freewwweb) once, but they went bankrupt and sold out to Windoze-only Juno. There have been rumors for well over a year of Netzero adding Linux support (not that Netzero is all that great, I've used them on Windoze, but free is free!) but absolutely nothing seems to be really happening.
There ought to be a law!! Get the FCC or someone to rule that ANY ISP must support ANY operating system, AND at the SAME price. (The one I use now has a much lower priced version than what I'm paying, but it's another damn Windoze-only ad-based version!)
Bottom Line: If you ain't using Windoze, expect to pay FULL PRICE for your ISP.
Actually, the report I read over on CNET news said that there would be a "personal" version, ONLY for Open-Source development, no closed-source/proprietary libs. And it would be either $99 (CD in a box, I think), or free if you download it (maybe Cheapbytes will come out with a cheap CD????).
I can't wait to get this, I have used Delphi a lot, and (this is NOT a troll, just my personal opinion) I happen to like Pascal a lot better than C!
OK, here's a question for you. WHY is it that on my system (Red Hat 6.1/Gnome), if I am logged on with the desktop running and I leave the machine idle for a while, APM shuts down the monitor, **BUT** if I am NOT LOGGED ON (console-mode login prompt) it blanks the screen but does NOT do an APM shutdown of the monitor?
This is a home machine and I do not leave it on all the time (usually once-a-day power down cycle). Seems like the non-APM if logged off is a good argument AGAINST leaving it on 24/7.
Imagine what would happen if one day in the US, Green = Stop and Red = Go?
...). Anyway, it was a mess to get used to. I agree with the "familiarity" argument - it's been a week and I'm still not used the the CNET News new format.
Anyone remember the first episode of "Sliders"? That was exactly the "alternate world" change they showed (well, that and Elvis still alive - oh, wait, somebody just told me he is
Here is a Goatse.cx link you can safely click on. Trust me!
A commercial company like Microsoft wouldn't do this because they have the financial responsibility of selling their goods.
A TRULY GREAT TROLL!
Nobody who knows what they're doing buys release 1 of ANYTHING from Micro$quish. All together, now, "Wait for the Service Pack!!!!"