This isn't meant as a flame, but do people really get online and do this stuff? I mean, I used to play Quake Mega TF online quite a bit, but it was a game. Do people really chat about TV shows, and music, and other crap? Do they really hit on girls JUST because they think they are girls? These games really impact their LIVES?
I understand that gaming is much bigger now than when I used to play online, but I guess I am just genuinely surprised that there seems to be so many people in these online worlds. When I hear all that 'gaming speak' about raids, and 'plus this' and 'casting spells' and all of it - I just snicker inside. I do find it interesting that so many people seem to REALLY get into it, enough to ruin their lives/marriage/jobs. It just seems so ridiculous. Maybe I am the odd one, because I just don't get it.
Really, what do you expect the people to do in this situation? Wave their magic wands or something?
Did you vote in the last Presidential election?
Who did you vote for?
Bush got elected the first time, and I didn't understand... I thought it was obvious he was an idiot. Time proved me right. But to RE-ELECT him? I was amazed. Granted, I didn't have much confidence that Kerry would be our next great President, but compared to Bush? I voted for Kerry, but not because I really wanted him as President, but because he was the only one who had a chance to get Bush out of office. Getting Bush out of office was my number one priority in that election, and I stand by that decision. Our 2 party system sucks because you essentially only have 2 choices, and in this case it wasn't about choosing which dildo felt the best, it was about choosing which one hurt the least.
If you voted for Bush the first time, you may be forgiven. But if you voted for him the second time, you are a fool and should be ashamed of yourself. All the evidence you needed was in front of your stupid face, yet you chose to ignore it. If you chose not to vote, then fuck you too and stop your complaining. Or, maybe START complaining because it might mean you are starting to care.
Apart from your use of OS to mean two different things, as well as expanding the acronym, I understood what you said....;)
But my point was that you can create Open Source Software regardless of the Operating System used... OSS != Linux, which a lot of people seem to forget. The article was about Open Source in schools - that doesn't mean they have to run Linux.
I think that too many times people just equate the two, when that isn't the case at all.
I'd add air ducts into the walls, so you can vent your equipment properly. I recently just vented my Linux machine, running 24/7, out into my garage using a dryer hose kit. It ain't pretty, but it does keep my office much cooler. (which is especially helpful in the AZ summers) Luckily my office is right next to the garage so I could do this, but you would never want to just vent it into the wall! If you had some air ducts with some controllable fans to pull air, it might make doing this much easier.
PS: Wireless worked out of the box for my laptop, something that didn't on Windows XP SP2.
We just bought a new laptop for my wife... and I went with WinXP. (thanks to Dell Small Business, I didn't have to go to Vista). I've been using Linux as my main OS since Redhat 6.2, and I currently run Kubuntu (6.10). Now the MAIN reason we went with XP is because it was my wife's machine and she does the finances on Quicken. Sorry, no FOSS software can compare and I have tried them.
I knew Dell had Ubuntu available, but I was still a little gun-shy. For a laptop, things like battery management, hibernate/suspend, and wireless were all critical. I am sure that Dell would have all this stuff pre-configured with Ubuntu, but to be honest I was more confident it would all work well on XP. Ubuntu wasn't offered on the laptop I got, which was a really good deal. If it had been, I may have paused to think about it, but I probably would have still gotten XP. I'll tinker with my machine, but don't want to have to do that on my wife's machine. And although we are light-years away from Redhat 6.2 in ease of use and the "tinker factor", the fact is that I still need to do it from time to time on my machine. (e.g. when I did the upgrade to 6.10, Xwindows wouldn't boot. Had to hand-edit the xorg.conf file.)
I am a very big supporter of Linux and FOSS, but I still think that there is a time and place for Windows. Although to your point about Windows drivers, I reinstalled her old PC with Win2k for our daughter to use. I had to hunt down all the hardware drivers, which was a huge pain. I had an ATI Rage Pro card in there and none of the legacy ATI driver packages from their website would install. I luckily found a CD with the drivers on it in my stash. And it was an old machine (Athlon 650 - slot!) so it wasn't like there was any specialty or new hardware in it. It would be interesting to compare that install to a Linux distro from 2000.
Many critics of US policy, both European and American, will say the major root cause is due to the ignorance of the American people.
Hmm, I wouldn't say the root cause. Because while the American people could know and do more, the root cause is that our government is run by a bunch of power-hungry a-holes. The ignorance of the American people didn't order troops into Iraq for no reason. We were told some lies, our government was CAUGHT telling lies (enriched uranium?), and they went ahead with their plans anyway. It is clear that it doesn't matter what the American people want. We wanted a change in government, and elected the opposing party to put a stop to the Bush administration's shenanigans... and it hasn't happened yet.
I firmly believe that even if the American people would wake up and see the light, they still wouldn't do anything about it. It is a catch-22, because we know that no matter what happens, the government will keep taking our money and doing whatever they want with it. They'll keep fighting wars for their own financial gain and personal vendettas. They'll keep lying, stealing, and pillaging the planet. We are a brash, young, stupid nation who is asking for trouble. The problem is that we are going to get it. It is sad, because we have so much potential in this country, and we are just letting it waste away.
I applaud that everyone has a right to protest things in a way that they see fit, and am glad that people still do things like this.
However, for the last several years, the US Government has caused the deaths of thousands of people, many of them Americans, for no good reason. We the people, have been lied to repeatedly. Our country will not be able to recover financially for at least a generation. We are making more and more enemies across the globe and have lost what respect we did have in the eyes of the world.
All of this happened in just a few years - and there is no end in sight.
Sorry to be brash, but fuck you and your book burning. There are bigger issues at stake right now.
You know, at first I thought "it's just a TV show, what is the big deal?"
Then I thought "Well, if people really want to take the time to protest for something they like, then good for them."
Then I thought "You know, it is pretty sad that THIS is what people will protest about when our government is bankrupting the country, making enemies for us around the world, putting our fighting forces in harm's way for no good reason, and generally fucking up this country for not only this, but probably the next couple of generations."
So to everyone who protests about your favorite TV show getting cancelled - fuck you.
This is true if and only if his router speaks for him. Legally, since you can't transfer power of attorney to an inanimate object, this is legally dubious.
Well then, *technically* the man's computer that connected to the network would have committed the crime. After all, the computer (inanimate object) surely couldn't pass its power of attorney to the user. Right? Jeez, this is starting to sound like a passage in a Hofstadter book.:)
I think that Windows is good enough. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but let's not kid ourselves. Linux isn't a walk in the park either. Granted, it has come an *extremely* long way over the years, but there are still things that annoy me about it, and I use Kubuntu.
Look, I have been using it on my main PC since Redhat 6.2. I love it, and prefer it. However, my wife doesn't want the hassle, and I don't want the hassle either. We recently got her a new laptop, and it has XP on it. (thank goodness Dell Small Business will install XP, I didn't want to wrestle with Vista). XP is installed, wireless works great, it all just works pretty well. She is already used to it, and we have all of her programs tranferred over. Once of those is Quicken. I know there is GnuCash and others, but when I started using them I found them to be cumbersome, and for some reason it wasn't able to import any of my bank statements. Finally got fed up with it, and turned the finances over to my wife and Quicken. It's been great ever since.
Look, why does Linux have to take over the world? Can't you just use it and enjoy it? I understand being passionate about it, I promote it where it makes sense. But honestly, it isn't a replacement for Windows. And there is no need for it to be.
The post I replied to was specifically talking about non-software companies... so it isn't an option for them to maintain it themselves. It would be a colossal pain to try to figure out (for a non-software company) how to go about finding someone to maintain it. My point is that while proprietary software can effectively 'die', the same thing happens to OSS, regardless of the reasons. But at least with OSS, there is a chance. With proprietary software, when it is gone, it is gone forever unless someone buys it.
We can all rally around the great things about OSS, but it doesn't hurt to look at the downsides too, in order to improve upon those as well.
Well, all software rots in a way, in that everything around it may change. Try installing Redhat 6.2 on a new computer. It can probably be done, but would be painful.
Open Source then means that you can rely on the software working in the future, for as long as you need it to (not just as long as the company who wrote it finds it profitable)...
Hmm, I'd be careful with the word 'rely' here. Open Source software will only work as long as someone maintains it. Many an Open Source project has fallen by the wayside. I understand that someone COULD still be maintaining it because the source is available, but you mentioned a scenario where a company was just a user of the software.
I strongly support OSS, and advocate it *when appropriate*. I personally don't think it is always appropriate. It is no panacea by any means.
Personally, I'd be ashamed to be sponsoring anything involved with the Indy 500. Have you ever been to it? I went once. Talk about a bunch of backward-ass ignorant rednecks. I went with my parents and a couple of their friends, who have been going to the Indy500 for years. This guy was talking about one year, there was an old boy who was sitting outside the main gate with a cane pole with a watermelon on the end of the line, and he had a big sign that said "Fishing for Niggers". He laughed as he told the story, and saying people were giving him high fives and thumbs up. I asked him when this happened, thinking that it must have been many many years ago. He said he thought it was about '91 or so. I found out later that 1991 was the first year a black driver raced in the 500.
The rest of my experience at the 500 wasn't as obvious, but you could see it everywhere. I had been to a Formula 1 race in Indy previously, and it was great! But this was just... sad. I couldn't wait to get out of that place.
Your definition of "Free Speech" doesn't really matter in this situation.
The real issue is that there are people who actually pay money for, and listen to this program. They want what they want, and right now XM isn't giving it to them.
The 'backlash' by the listeners of their show sickens me. It really almost makes me weep for the American culture. They are 'protesting' because they can't get this kind of entertainment. Now they have every right to their 'shock' radio. But I am saddened that there was no backlash about WHAT was said on this program. They were laughing about holding down a woman, raping her, and punching her in the face. I didn't hear it, I read the transcripts. No, they didn't say the original comment, but they chimed in and laughed about it. YES, I understand they have the right to say it - but that doesn't make it any less despicable. And the fact that people aren't upset about that really makes me wonder about our society. WHY aren't people upset about that? Do people really think that is funny?
And a big F U to those who will respond to this post and say "I paid for uncensored!" or "Free Speech!". That isn't my point. Do *YOU* think that was funny in any way? If you do, you have to question your value as a human being.
Boy, Buddhists are really screwed then. "If you see the Buddha along the road, do not look him in the eye and start dialing your lawyer" just doesn't have the same impact.
A big middle finger in the air to all those Lucas haters out there.
There are alot of stories in the Star Wars universe that can be done and done well.
But not by Lucas. His true vision is Ep1-3, he said so himself. He said in an interview that the original movies (at least 4 and 5) were not what he wanted, they weren't his true vision. They were by FAR the best movies. When he started to gain control, we got ROTJ, which was kind of accepted as the weak part of the trilogy. Now we can see it fits more in line with the other heaps of crap.
Bottom line is, he is a bad film-maker. By my count, he gets 2.5/5.0, the half being for ROTJ. He only has a possible 5 with me because I haven't seen Ep3. And won't. Why should I, just because he made it? Ep1 was a huge letdown, and I just rented and ffwded through most of Ep2.
Stop being a sheep and consuming it just because it has the Star Wars name on it.
TV, like magazines, newspapers, and radio are financed through ads and sponsors.
Huh?
Let me be more clear...
TV (over the airwaves) is financed through ads and sponsors. What about Cable TV, which I pay for? Why do I have to watch ads on those channels? And moreover, this article is about on-demand pay-per-view... why have ads in that? It isn't about financing it, it is about making more money. Unless they are going to lower the price because now the ads will assist in financing it. I think not.
If magazines are financed through ads (which is clear from their HUGE percentage of the magazine content) then why do I have to buy them?
Newspapers - same as magazines.
Radio - OK, here is the one area where you don't pay for it, so you endure the advertisements (or just change the station).
It doesn't support Office Communicator. :(
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Pidgin 2.0 Released
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I wish it supported Office Communicator. I am a function-first kind of guy, and the damn client doesn't even used tabs!! It is so clunky it is painful.
Now I have to use it at work, and use it all day. It is nice that it integrates with the Office calendars, and updates your status according to your calendar. Everyone uses it, and the ability to look people up in the directory is nice (and no dorky names, your id is your email address). But having multiple different windows up instead of just 1 kills me.
I've looked around, but are there any decent 3rd party clients for Office Communicator? (and no, getting off of Communicator isn't an option. I don't think I can change the minds of the largest bank in the country.)
This is true. Three years ago people on/. were predicting the demise of Intel and now they're on top again. Personally, I am going to always do a cost/benefit analysis of any component I use.
True. But to be fair, we are talking BIG business. The average consumer who builds his own computer is a drop in the ocean. True, AMD used the computer-builder to burst onto the market, but they still didn't completely 'take over' in terms of market share. I have used only AMD processors, but I also haven't build a new computer for several years. I am not the target market for these companies.
Until recently the balance usually tilted in favor of AMD, but I guess that I don't see how brand loyalty will benefit me at all. What am I going to get, better service from one of the two companies? In seven years in the PC business, I have never had the occasion to even talk to someone at either Intel or AMD.
I have. One of my closest friends works at Intel. He's been there for about 10 years, and has worked with their thermal solutions, and obtained access to the Fab floors. He is now a quality engineering manager.
I always gave him crap about AMD, and he agreed that AMD was good for Intel because they were complacent. But he said at the peak of when AMD was taking their market share, they had many meetings about them. There was some concern, and Intel took them VERY seriously. But after some analysis, some very senior technical people gave presentations to them about AMD, and basically said they were not a long-term threat. Here is basically what he told me:
o AMD innovated, but we can catch up because we have the expertise to do so.
o AMD is brash and stupid - they blow a ton of money on frivolous things. We need to make sure we are smart, and are in things for the long term.
o We will kill them with our Fabs. This was a key issue, that Intel had the muscle, money, and size to leap ahead of AMD. AMD burst onto the scene, but Intel would be able to recover and leapfrog them in technology. Fabs are VERY expensive, and when AMD woke Intel up, that was one of the first things they started working on.
I was skeptical at first when he told me all of this, because I thought it was just Intel scrambling. But it was a measured response, and it pretty much turned out to be right. Their next-gen Fabs would take AMD years to reach or surpass, and Intel will be doing the same thing while their new Fabs are running.
AMD has some serious work to do. They basically hit a 800 lb gorilla in the nuts, and it has recovered.
And in other news, Satan has relocated to Arizona. When asked to comment on the change of venue,
he stated : "There's only enough room for one of us down there, and though I invented Lawyers this guy owns them all."
Thank goodness, we have enough of these a-wipes with their "Cornerstone" and Calvin-praying-at-the-foot-of-the-cross stickers on their cars. And Mormons. But then again, it's yet another Red voter.
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I understand that gaming is much bigger now than when I used to play online, but I guess I am just genuinely surprised that there seems to be so many people in these online worlds. When I hear all that 'gaming speak' about raids, and 'plus this' and 'casting spells' and all of it - I just snicker inside. I do find it interesting that so many people seem to REALLY get into it, enough to ruin their lives/marriage/jobs. It just seems so ridiculous. Maybe I am the odd one, because I just don't get it.
Did you vote in the last Presidential election?
Who did you vote for?
Bush got elected the first time, and I didn't understand... I thought it was obvious he was an idiot. Time proved me right. But to RE-ELECT him? I was amazed. Granted, I didn't have much confidence that Kerry would be our next great President, but compared to Bush? I voted for Kerry, but not because I really wanted him as President, but because he was the only one who had a chance to get Bush out of office. Getting Bush out of office was my number one priority in that election, and I stand by that decision. Our 2 party system sucks because you essentially only have 2 choices, and in this case it wasn't about choosing which dildo felt the best, it was about choosing which one hurt the least.
If you voted for Bush the first time, you may be forgiven. But if you voted for him the second time, you are a fool and should be ashamed of yourself. All the evidence you needed was in front of your stupid face, yet you chose to ignore it. If you chose not to vote, then fuck you too and stop your complaining. Or, maybe START complaining because it might mean you are starting to care.
But my point was that you can create Open Source Software regardless of the Operating System used... OSS != Linux, which a lot of people seem to forget. The article was about Open Source in schools - that doesn't mean they have to run Linux.
I think that too many times people just equate the two, when that isn't the case at all.
What does the operating system it runs on have to do with whether it is closed source or open source?
I'd add air ducts into the walls, so you can vent your equipment properly. I recently just vented my Linux machine, running 24/7, out into my garage using a dryer hose kit. It ain't pretty, but it does keep my office much cooler. (which is especially helpful in the AZ summers) Luckily my office is right next to the garage so I could do this, but you would never want to just vent it into the wall! If you had some air ducts with some controllable fans to pull air, it might make doing this much easier.
We just bought a new laptop for my wife... and I went with WinXP. (thanks to Dell Small Business, I didn't have to go to Vista). I've been using Linux as my main OS since Redhat 6.2, and I currently run Kubuntu (6.10). Now the MAIN reason we went with XP is because it was my wife's machine and she does the finances on Quicken. Sorry, no FOSS software can compare and I have tried them.
I knew Dell had Ubuntu available, but I was still a little gun-shy. For a laptop, things like battery management, hibernate/suspend, and wireless were all critical. I am sure that Dell would have all this stuff pre-configured with Ubuntu, but to be honest I was more confident it would all work well on XP. Ubuntu wasn't offered on the laptop I got, which was a really good deal. If it had been, I may have paused to think about it, but I probably would have still gotten XP. I'll tinker with my machine, but don't want to have to do that on my wife's machine. And although we are light-years away from Redhat 6.2 in ease of use and the "tinker factor", the fact is that I still need to do it from time to time on my machine. (e.g. when I did the upgrade to 6.10, Xwindows wouldn't boot. Had to hand-edit the xorg.conf file.)
I am a very big supporter of Linux and FOSS, but I still think that there is a time and place for Windows. Although to your point about Windows drivers, I reinstalled her old PC with Win2k for our daughter to use. I had to hunt down all the hardware drivers, which was a huge pain. I had an ATI Rage Pro card in there and none of the legacy ATI driver packages from their website would install. I luckily found a CD with the drivers on it in my stash. And it was an old machine (Athlon 650 - slot!) so it wasn't like there was any specialty or new hardware in it. It would be interesting to compare that install to a Linux distro from 2000.
Hmm, I wouldn't say the root cause. Because while the American people could know and do more, the root cause is that our government is run by a bunch of power-hungry a-holes. The ignorance of the American people didn't order troops into Iraq for no reason. We were told some lies, our government was CAUGHT telling lies (enriched uranium?), and they went ahead with their plans anyway. It is clear that it doesn't matter what the American people want. We wanted a change in government, and elected the opposing party to put a stop to the Bush administration's shenanigans... and it hasn't happened yet.
I firmly believe that even if the American people would wake up and see the light, they still wouldn't do anything about it. It is a catch-22, because we know that no matter what happens, the government will keep taking our money and doing whatever they want with it. They'll keep fighting wars for their own financial gain and personal vendettas. They'll keep lying, stealing, and pillaging the planet. We are a brash, young, stupid nation who is asking for trouble. The problem is that we are going to get it. It is sad, because we have so much potential in this country, and we are just letting it waste away.
However, for the last several years, the US Government has caused the deaths of thousands of people, many of them Americans, for no good reason. We the people, have been lied to repeatedly. Our country will not be able to recover financially for at least a generation. We are making more and more enemies across the globe and have lost what respect we did have in the eyes of the world.
All of this happened in just a few years - and there is no end in sight.
Sorry to be brash, but fuck you and your book burning. There are bigger issues at stake right now.
Then I thought "Well, if people really want to take the time to protest for something they like, then good for them."
Then I thought "You know, it is pretty sad that THIS is what people will protest about when our government is bankrupting the country, making enemies for us around the world, putting our fighting forces in harm's way for no good reason, and generally fucking up this country for not only this, but probably the next couple of generations."
So to everyone who protests about your favorite TV show getting cancelled - fuck you.
Well then, *technically* the man's computer that connected to the network would have committed the crime. After all, the computer (inanimate object) surely couldn't pass its power of attorney to the user. Right? Jeez, this is starting to sound like a passage in a Hofstadter book.
Look, why does Linux have to take over the world? Can't you just use it and enjoy it? I understand being passionate about it, I promote it where it makes sense. But honestly, it isn't a replacement for Windows. And there is no need for it to be.
We can all rally around the great things about OSS, but it doesn't hurt to look at the downsides too, in order to improve upon those as well.
Well, all software rots in a way, in that everything around it may change. Try installing Redhat 6.2 on a new computer. It can probably be done, but would be painful.
Hmm, I'd be careful with the word 'rely' here. Open Source software will only work as long as someone maintains it. Many an Open Source project has fallen by the wayside. I understand that someone COULD still be maintaining it because the source is available, but you mentioned a scenario where a company was just a user of the software.
I strongly support OSS, and advocate it *when appropriate*. I personally don't think it is always appropriate. It is no panacea by any means.
The rest of my experience at the 500 wasn't as obvious, but you could see it everywhere. I had been to a Formula 1 race in Indy previously, and it was great! But this was just
The real issue is that there are people who actually pay money for, and listen to this program. They want what they want, and right now XM isn't giving it to them.
The 'backlash' by the listeners of their show sickens me. It really almost makes me weep for the American culture. They are 'protesting' because they can't get this kind of entertainment. Now they have every right to their 'shock' radio. But I am saddened that there was no backlash about WHAT was said on this program. They were laughing about holding down a woman, raping her, and punching her in the face. I didn't hear it, I read the transcripts. No, they didn't say the original comment, but they chimed in and laughed about it. YES, I understand they have the right to say it - but that doesn't make it any less despicable. And the fact that people aren't upset about that really makes me wonder about our society. WHY aren't people upset about that? Do people really think that is funny?
And a big F U to those who will respond to this post and say "I paid for uncensored!" or "Free Speech!". That isn't my point. Do *YOU* think that was funny in any way? If you do, you have to question your value as a human being.
A prime opportunity to point out that OpenOffice.org can write directly to PDF while MS Word cannot, and you blow it! For shame.
DAMMIT! GNU/Linux violates hundreds of Microsoft patents!!!!!!
Boy, Buddhists are really screwed then. "If you see the Buddha along the road, do not look him in the eye and start dialing your lawyer" just doesn't have the same impact.
There are alot of stories in the Star Wars universe that can be done and done well.
But not by Lucas. His true vision is Ep1-3, he said so himself. He said in an interview that the original movies (at least 4 and 5) were not what he wanted, they weren't his true vision. They were by FAR the best movies. When he started to gain control, we got ROTJ, which was kind of accepted as the weak part of the trilogy. Now we can see it fits more in line with the other heaps of crap.
Bottom line is, he is a bad film-maker. By my count, he gets 2.5/5.0, the half being for ROTJ. He only has a possible 5 with me because I haven't seen Ep3. And won't. Why should I, just because he made it? Ep1 was a huge letdown, and I just rented and ffwded through most of Ep2.
Stop being a sheep and consuming it just because it has the Star Wars name on it.
Huh?
Let me be more clear...
TV (over the airwaves) is financed through ads and sponsors. What about Cable TV, which I pay for? Why do I have to watch ads on those channels? And moreover, this article is about on-demand pay-per-view... why have ads in that? It isn't about financing it, it is about making more money. Unless they are going to lower the price because now the ads will assist in financing it. I think not.
If magazines are financed through ads (which is clear from their HUGE percentage of the magazine content) then why do I have to buy them?
Newspapers - same as magazines.
Radio - OK, here is the one area where you don't pay for it, so you endure the advertisements (or just change the station).
I wish it supported Office Communicator. I am a function-first kind of guy, and the damn client doesn't even used tabs!! It is so clunky it is painful.
Now I have to use it at work, and use it all day. It is nice that it integrates with the Office calendars, and updates your status according to your calendar. Everyone uses it, and the ability to look people up in the directory is nice (and no dorky names, your id is your email address). But having multiple different windows up instead of just 1 kills me.
I've looked around, but are there any decent 3rd party clients for Office Communicator?
(and no, getting off of Communicator isn't an option. I don't think I can change the minds of the largest bank in the country.)
True. But to be fair, we are talking BIG business. The average consumer who builds his own computer is a drop in the ocean. True, AMD used the computer-builder to burst onto the market, but they still didn't completely 'take over' in terms of market share. I have used only AMD processors, but I also haven't build a new computer for several years. I am not the target market for these companies.
Until recently the balance usually tilted in favor of AMD, but I guess that I don't see how brand loyalty will benefit me at all. What am I going to get, better service from one of the two companies? In seven years in the PC business, I have never had the occasion to even talk to someone at either Intel or AMD.
I have. One of my closest friends works at Intel. He's been there for about 10 years, and has worked with their thermal solutions, and obtained access to the Fab floors. He is now a quality engineering manager.
I always gave him crap about AMD, and he agreed that AMD was good for Intel because they were complacent. But he said at the peak of when AMD was taking their market share, they had many meetings about them. There was some concern, and Intel took them VERY seriously. But after some analysis, some very senior technical people gave presentations to them about AMD, and basically said they were not a long-term threat. Here is basically what he told me:
o AMD innovated, but we can catch up because we have the expertise to do so.
o AMD is brash and stupid - they blow a ton of money on frivolous things. We need to make sure we are smart, and are in things for the long term.
o We will kill them with our Fabs. This was a key issue, that Intel had the muscle, money, and size to leap ahead of AMD. AMD burst onto the scene, but Intel would be able to recover and leapfrog them in technology. Fabs are VERY expensive, and when AMD woke Intel up, that was one of the first things they started working on.
I was skeptical at first when he told me all of this, because I thought it was just Intel scrambling. But it was a measured response, and it pretty much turned out to be right. Their next-gen Fabs would take AMD years to reach or surpass, and Intel will be doing the same thing while their new Fabs are running.
AMD has some serious work to do. They basically hit a 800 lb gorilla in the nuts, and it has recovered.
Linux is just a desktop OS, it just isn't ready for the server room.
Thank goodness, we have enough of these a-wipes with their "Cornerstone" and Calvin-praying-at-the-foot-of-the-cross stickers on their cars. And Mormons. But then again, it's yet another Red voter.