I think this article is interesting in that it gives some rare insights into language design. You always hear people complaining about why didn't x (where x is C++, Java, Perl, etc) do this or that? Why this feature or syntax? Here Larry points out some trade off that may not be obvious to "end user". And all written in a easy to understand language called English too;-)
While this is not a complete redesign, it is not everyday you get to see just exactly one design an programming language used by millions of people. Good stuff, definitely stuff that matters. This is a must read for people interestined in programming language. I am really looking forward to the next one.
OT: The design of Perl6 is somewhat similar to the kernel: anyone can submit rfc (patch) and Larry (Linus) has the final say on what goes it.
(No, I don't know where I am going with this either:-)
"use, modify, copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display,
publicly perform, reproduce, publish, sublicense, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any such communication"
Now all you Aussies should start sendding your smutty emails via Hotmail. You never know who will publiclty perform that picture you send to your co-workers.
Nowadays, everyone is suing everyone else so how come M$ can still get away with crappy software? Now, some of you may say "IE and Outlook are free, so what are you gonna do?". Wait a minute! Didn't M$ paid some serious $$$ to a bunch of lawyers last year to provide, in court, that IE is an essential and inseparable part of the Windows Operating System? IE is bolted to Win98 and up, and there is no option to NOT install, right? And you did pay for your OS, right?
So basically someone is forcing you to buy faulty software, and no one is suing? Imagine you brought a car with door locks that only work 50% of the time. If it was stolen, it is the fault of the thief AND the manufacturer.
But then again I am sure you already "sign" away all your rights (and your soul) in the Windows EULA (sp?).
It is cool to have all these latest high toys, but how many schools can afford them? Many schools don't even have decent computers at this day and age, Palm? I'd rather have better libraries, computer labs that run GNU software. And with the way things are going, probably some metal detectors and armed guards:-(
But of course I am not say teachers shouldn't have fun. God forbidden if schools become boring.;-)
Unlike other "office suite", Abiword is for one thing and one thing only: word processing. Taking to heart the UNIX principle of having small programs that each only do one thing, but do it WELL.
So what if Abiword can't do your spreadsheet, access the web and send your doc as email attachment (yuck!). With support for GNOME's component architecture, it will be possible to combine Abiword with other applications, like piping one command after another on the CLI.
Since Abiword runs on multiple platforms like Windows and Mac, it is a great way to introduce new users to GNU software without forcing them to install Linux (yet). Like the Windows version of GIMP, it shows that not all GNU/Linux programs are "hard to use command line programs", a common FUD attack.
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Can't please some people...
on
NSA Inside?
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· Score: 1
The attitude of the editor is unfortunate. Are you going to judge code contribution based on a person 's job, country of origin, sex, race? What if some NSA programmers want to work on GNU projects in their spare time, is that okay with you?
Here we have a high profile agency from the US government openly accept and promote Linux, and some people seems determine to give them a hard time. Perhaps michael, after reviewing all the source code, has some concern about certin part of it. Care to share with the rest of us?
Farming with salt water? That is HUGE. You can build a climate controlled green house, you can have artificial light and chemical fertilizer but you always need WATER to grow things. And lots of them. They are hard to "create" (water distillation plants or wait for nature to do its thing) and store (massive water towers if you don't have a reliable water source). And fresh water is NOT necessary an infinite resource! If you can rely on the sea, you are guaranteed a regular and reliable supply.
Imagine a world with no Hunger... it got to be more "matter" than, say a drop in Napstar traffic, don't you think?
This is another case where the internet is getting the "special treatment"... If two men met in a bar and exchange child porn (or drugs, guns), is the bar responsible? Maybe they should search their customers before they enter? Sounds crazy? Now we replace our setting from a bar to a chat room or newsgroup. Yes, ISPs has been sued (successfully?) for that.
Just because it is possible to electronically monitor someone activities, and without them knowing, should we do? This time, some judges said no. But what about the next time?
I am not completely on AOL's side either:
Once the threat of lawsuits is removed, ISPs can take steps to police themselves, Carome (Patrick Carome, AOL lawyer) argued.
It seems to me that companies only become self-policing (or censoring or regulating, etc) when there is a possibility of law suits, government regulations and such. How can a business justify spending $$$ on something that they don't have to do? They may do it out of "social responsibilities", but will that be enough? And how far can (should) they go?
Who is to blame (in addition to that two offenders)? This is really a legal gray area, and IANAL.
IT professionals are among the best informed and most sophisticated of all Microsoft's customers.
Really? Too bad you don't know some of the MSCEs I have meet. (Start with joke, checked:-)
But seriously, it is not very clear how the "Microsoft Activation Center" is going to work. For example if I call them up and tell them "I have complete overhaul my computer please give me the new code", but the truth is I've just install it on another machine. Or if it helps, build the second machine with some parts from the first one. But how are they going to know the difference? Come to my home and take a look?
Maybe there is a way to disable the old code remotely? Of course you can get around this by not connect that machine to the net. But what this is really about is this:
If you read the last question on the Microsoft Product Activation Q&A, they finally mentioned.NET. I think the only way to really enforce this code is to have a OS/software that are completely useless unless you connect to a.NET server. That is where they can really monitor if a activation code is being used from different machines/locations.
BTW I hope you know that M$ can already "read" your W2K reg number when you visit their site, without actually submitting anything. Try getting windows updates from the MS site directly for with a machine using a special/cooperate license.
...that can convert the audio from television and radio broadcasts in to text.
I don't understand why they specifically mentioned TV and radio. If the audio is digitised before being pass to the software, it doesn't really matter where it comes from. Maybe they are trying to draw attention from the fact that it can be used on things like making transcripts of phone calls, normal conversations recorded with various listen devices?
About that feature that id the speaker, imagine a conversation that goes like this:
Speaker 1: You the Man.
Man: No, YOU the MAN.
Man: No no, you Da Bomb
Da Bomb: Hehe
Watch word: BOMB Alert! Alert!
As a final side note, I won-der... if... it... works... if... you... talk like... Cap-tain... K-irk...;-)
Unless Matt himself *live* in Sealand, he didn't enjoy any kind of protection from RIAA. If I am the bad guys, I'd just sue his ass till he can't afford to pay Sealand (do you how much lawyers charge these days?:-). I am sure the Sealand guys are nice people: but business is bussiness, if you can't pay your bill, the server will be shut down.
You know this IS a chain letter: an emaili containing an unusual idea/story, in this case pick Jedi as your reglion, then it ask you to forward it to as many people as possible. Whoever wrote the original message, I salute you! Your chain letter just went on/.
Imagine this... every 15 minutes your browser went blank. No it didn't crash, it is time for a few words from our advertisers! Your browser will now display full screen ads for a couple of minutes then it is back to your regular browsing.
Don't want to watch the ads? Sure, you can open another browser window (switch channel), go get something to eat, or whatever. But the ads will play on, just like on TV or Radio.
How is the money distribute? Well either the ads are from the site you are looking at and they sell time to advertisers. Or they could come from your ISP which in turns pay the sites you visit for making you stay on line. Or you can pay to see (too much) ads, like with cable tv.
Think this is crazy? Everyone is saying that it is time for the internet to move to the living room: set top box on the family TV. So why not use the TV advertising model, which proven to be so successful?
Even if you are a CLI true believer, tell your friends, co-workers and people on the street that: "Yes, Linux has many graphical updaters. And here is another one". One of the biggest misconceptions about Linux is that it is hard to maintain, "So many packages, so many patches/upgrades. How can I possibly manage this mess?".
Things like Red Carpet (and the older HelixUpdate) really help out new users who just want to be told what to update (and why). HelixUpdate (don't have RC yet:-), shows a list of available updates organised by importance (security fixes, bug fixes, new packages etc) and with brief explanations on what they are for. I don't think there are similar programs for Windows (or Mac?) that let you check for updates, not only for your OS, but other applications as well.
With RC and most under Linux updaters, they provide updates for many common packages so you can update your browsers, irc client and print software all at one go (actual example). If this isn't ease of use, I don't know what is.
The federal law treats all internet content as film, and requires material to be rated by the Office of Film and Literature Classification accordingly.
Sometime you have to wonder... do they actually know what the Internet is? Can someone tell me if South Australia is actually some kind of giant cave? There isn't enough censors on earth to go rate all the "interenet content" out there. Would it kill them to call it the Office of Internet, Film and Literature Classification since the Internet is such a menace.
Objectionable material includes items classifiable as X or RC, such as child pornography, and sites instructing in or inciting criminal activity," he said.
Child porn? Okay, I don't remember this kind of stuff NOT being mentioned everytime someone want to censor something. How about a site that teaches people to double park? And some other dumb laws!
I think it will be really interesting to have a show with a non-federation point of view. Will others races see the Federation as an evil monopoly that forces their ways to others? The Federation way or no way! Anyone not in the federation is pretty much a bad guy. I can see it now...
We can't give you replicator or transportor technology unless you join us. And when you finally get them, you will need our technical people to install them for you. Of course you will also need our energy source, comm system, etc. Can't pay us? No problem, we don't belive in material wealth. Just lets our crew have their R&R in your planet, setup bases in your system...
Netscape is a well known brand name, even among non technical people; while Mozilla is pretty much still a best kept secret. To you (and myself) there really is no reason to use Netscape 6.x when the latest Mozilla is just as good if not better. I am really suprise that several people I know who are "brave" enough to install Netscape 6 on their Win98+ have no idea about Mozilla at all.
Now that AOL/TimeWarner own Netscape Corp., it make sense for them to contiue to push this brand name. Not only as a portal but an internet brand that is as famous as Yahoo or AOL itself. Imagine Netscape Chat, Netscape Mail, Netscape Messager; theses are things that will appeal to many AOL users. And this makes good business sense.
I think the best way to resolve this is to call for a vote. Just to be fair, only people who ever contributed code to the OpenSSH project are allow to vote. They help create it and it is time they decide what they want to do.
I further suggestion a first round vote to decide if "OpenSSH" must go. If so, then a submission period for new names then vote on that again. Perhaps for the second round everyone can vote?
I mean really, how can the name XBox be valuable to the other guy. Without advertising, and lots of it, the name XBox is just as valuable as YDFA. And like others point out, this company haven't done anything with it yet, and they don't seem to have any actual product either. (If they have I can't see why they didn't use all this free publicities to promote it. They seem more concern with the name than any actual product/service that will be confused with a game console.
All this noise is just to help them get more $$$ from M$. If all of a sudden, M$ say "Okay you can have it. We will call our console BBox." What then? They just miss out on several cool millions that can be used to fund whatever they are doing and to figure out another name for it.
Does this mean you should just roll over whenever M$ wants? In this case I think the other guy has nothing and this is the smart thing to do.
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Don't worry, they already thought of that....
on
Juno And Privacy
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· Score: 1
... see the first "app" they download to your machine will be kernal 2.4.1
What if you have legitime reason to speed up? Say you are on your way to the hospital (no really, Constable!) or you need to speed up to over take, or to make way for ambulance, etc.
Say if you put in some margin of errors on the speed limit, eg legal limit + 5km/h, then everyone will just drive at that limit. So what is the point?
With a GPS chipset that supports WAAG (fixed-position, ground-based GPS transmitters) we can determine your position to +/- 3 meters--but the road data frequently isn't that accurate.
+/- 3 meters? I can see it now... The system thinks you are on the wrong side of the road and send a "This is not America, you yank!" exception and crashed your car's OS.
Slashdot Mirror
I think this article is interesting in that it gives some rare insights into language design. You always hear people complaining about why didn't x (where x is C++, Java, Perl, etc) do this or that? Why this feature or syntax? Here Larry points out some trade off that may not be obvious to "end user". And all written in a easy to understand language called English too ;-)
While this is not a complete redesign, it is not everyday you get to see just exactly one design an programming language used by millions of people. Good stuff, definitely stuff that matters. This is a must read for people interestined in programming language. I am really looking forward to the next one.
OT: The design of Perl6 is somewhat similar to the kernel: anyone can submit rfc (patch) and Larry (Linus) has the final say on what goes it. (No, I don't know where I am going with this either :-)
====
Now all you Aussies should start sendding your smutty emails via Hotmail. You never know who will publiclty perform that picture you send to your co-workers.
====
Nowadays, everyone is suing everyone else so how come M$ can still get away with crappy software? Now, some of you may say "IE and Outlook are free, so what are you gonna do?". Wait a minute! Didn't M$ paid some serious $$$ to a bunch of lawyers last year to provide, in court, that IE is an essential and inseparable part of the Windows Operating System? IE is bolted to Win98 and up, and there is no option to NOT install, right? And you did pay for your OS, right?
So basically someone is forcing you to buy faulty software, and no one is suing? Imagine you brought a car with door locks that only work 50% of the time. If it was stolen, it is the fault of the thief AND the manufacturer.
But then again I am sure you already "sign" away all your rights (and your soul) in the Windows EULA (sp?).
====
It is cool to have all these latest high toys, but how many schools can afford them? Many schools don't even have decent computers at this day and age, Palm? I'd rather have better libraries, computer labs that run GNU software. And with the way things are going, probably some metal detectors and armed guards :-(
But of course I am not say teachers shouldn't have fun. God forbidden if schools become boring. ;-)
====
Unlike other "office suite", Abiword is for one thing and one thing only: word processing. Taking to heart the UNIX principle of having small programs that each only do one thing, but do it WELL.
So what if Abiword can't do your spreadsheet, access the web and send your doc as email attachment (yuck!). With support for GNOME's component architecture, it will be possible to combine Abiword with other applications, like piping one command after another on the CLI.
Since Abiword runs on multiple platforms like Windows and Mac, it is a great way to introduce new users to GNU software without forcing them to install Linux (yet). Like the Windows version of GIMP, it shows that not all GNU/Linux programs are "hard to use command line programs", a common FUD attack.
====
The attitude of the editor is unfortunate. Are you going to judge code contribution based on a person 's job, country of origin, sex, race? What if some NSA programmers want to work on GNU projects in their spare time, is that okay with you?
Here we have a high profile agency from the US government openly accept and promote Linux, and some people seems determine to give them a hard time. Perhaps michael, after reviewing all the source code, has some concern about certin part of it. Care to share with the rest of us?
How do anyone become a /. editor anyway?
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Farming with salt water? That is HUGE. You can build a climate controlled green house, you can have artificial light and chemical fertilizer but you always need WATER to grow things. And lots of them. They are hard to "create" (water distillation plants or wait for nature to do its thing) and store (massive water towers if you don't have a reliable water source). And fresh water is NOT necessary an infinite resource! If you can rely on the sea, you are guaranteed a regular and reliable supply.
Imagine a world with no Hunger... it got to be more "matter" than, say a drop in Napstar traffic, don't you think?
====
This is another case where the internet is getting the "special treatment"... If two men met in a bar and exchange child porn (or drugs, guns), is the bar responsible? Maybe they should search their customers before they enter? Sounds crazy? Now we replace our setting from a bar to a chat room or newsgroup. Yes, ISPs has been sued (successfully?) for that.
Just because it is possible to electronically monitor someone activities, and without them knowing, should we do? This time, some judges said no. But what about the next time?
I am not completely on AOL's side either:
It seems to me that companies only become self-policing (or censoring or regulating, etc) when there is a possibility of law suits, government regulations and such. How can a business justify spending $$$ on something that they don't have to do? They may do it out of "social responsibilities", but will that be enough? And how far can (should) they go?
Who is to blame (in addition to that two offenders)? This is really a legal gray area, and IANAL.
====
Really? Too bad you don't know some of the MSCEs I have meet. (Start with joke, checked :-)
But seriously, it is not very clear how the "Microsoft Activation Center" is going to work. For example if I call them up and tell them "I have complete overhaul my computer please give me the new code", but the truth is I've just install it on another machine. Or if it helps, build the second machine with some parts from the first one. But how are they going to know the difference? Come to my home and take a look?
Maybe there is a way to disable the old code remotely? Of course you can get around this by not connect that machine to the net. But what this is really about is this:
If you read the last question on the Microsoft Product Activation Q&A, they finally mentioned .NET. I think the only way to really enforce this code is to have a OS/software that are completely useless unless you connect to a .NET server. That is where they can really monitor if a activation code is being used from different machines/locations.
BTW I hope you know that M$ can already "read" your W2K reg number when you visit their site, without actually submitting anything. Try getting windows updates from the MS site directly for with a machine using a special/cooperate license.
====
I don't understand why they specifically mentioned TV and radio. If the audio is digitised before being pass to the software, it doesn't really matter where it comes from. Maybe they are trying to draw attention from the fact that it can be used on things like making transcripts of phone calls, normal conversations recorded with various listen devices?
About that feature that id the speaker, imagine a conversation that goes like this:
Speaker 1: You the Man.
Man: No, YOU the MAN.
Man: No no, you Da Bomb
Da Bomb: Hehe
Watch word: BOMB Alert! Alert!
As a final side note, I won-der... if... it... works... if... you... talk like... Cap-tain... K-irk... ;-)
====
The closest artcile I can find is this one, and it compares the throughput of Gigabit Ethernet on NT vs W2K??
It kind of match Cringely's story:
Further proof that /. will print anything?
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I find it a bit interesting that the article has no link to the websites of the testing lab or the actual benchmark result...
So where is it?
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Unless Matt himself *live* in Sealand, he didn't enjoy any kind of protection from RIAA. If I am the bad guys, I'd just sue his ass till he can't afford to pay Sealand (do you how much lawyers charge these days? :-). I am sure the Sealand guys are nice people: but business is bussiness, if you can't pay your bill, the server will be shut down.
====
You know this IS a chain letter: an emaili containing an unusual idea/story, in this case pick Jedi as your reglion, then it ask you to forward it to as many people as possible. Whoever wrote the original message, I salute you! Your chain letter just went on /.
Midichlorians my @$$...
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Imagine this... every 15 minutes your browser went blank. No it didn't crash, it is time for a few words from our advertisers! Your browser will now display full screen ads for a couple of minutes then it is back to your regular browsing.
Don't want to watch the ads? Sure, you can open another browser window (switch channel), go get something to eat, or whatever. But the ads will play on, just like on TV or Radio.
How is the money distribute? Well either the ads are from the site you are looking at and they sell time to advertisers. Or they could come from your ISP which in turns pay the sites you visit for making you stay on line. Or you can pay to see (too much) ads, like with cable tv.
Think this is crazy? Everyone is saying that it is time for the internet to move to the living room: set top box on the family TV. So why not use the TV advertising model, which proven to be so successful?
====
Even if you are a CLI true believer, tell your friends, co-workers and people on the street that: "Yes, Linux has many graphical updaters. And here is another one". One of the biggest misconceptions about Linux is that it is hard to maintain, "So many packages, so many patches/upgrades. How can I possibly manage this mess?".
Things like Red Carpet (and the older HelixUpdate) really help out new users who just want to be told what to update (and why). HelixUpdate (don't have RC yet :-), shows a list of available updates organised by importance (security fixes, bug fixes, new packages etc) and with brief explanations on what they are for. I don't think there are similar programs for Windows (or Mac?) that let you check for updates, not only for your OS, but other applications as well.
With RC and most under Linux updaters, they provide updates for many common packages so you can update your browsers, irc client and print software all at one go (actual example). If this isn't ease of use, I don't know what is.
====
Sometime you have to wonder... do they actually know what the Internet is? Can someone tell me if South Australia is actually some kind of giant cave? There isn't enough censors on earth to go rate all the "interenet content" out there. Would it kill them to call it the Office of Internet, Film and Literature Classification since the Internet is such a menace.
Child porn? Okay, I don't remember this kind of stuff NOT being mentioned everytime someone want to censor something. How about a site that teaches people to double park? And some other dumb laws!
====
I think it will be really interesting to have a show with a non-federation point of view. Will others races see the Federation as an evil monopoly that forces their ways to others? The Federation way or no way! Anyone not in the federation is pretty much a bad guy. I can see it now...
Just a joke, Trekkies leave me alone!
====
Netscape is a well known brand name, even among non technical people; while Mozilla is pretty much still a best kept secret. To you (and myself) there really is no reason to use Netscape 6.x when the latest Mozilla is just as good if not better. I am really suprise that several people I know who are "brave" enough to install Netscape 6 on their Win98+ have no idea about Mozilla at all.
Now that AOL/TimeWarner own Netscape Corp., it make sense for them to contiue to push this brand name. Not only as a portal but an internet brand that is as famous as Yahoo or AOL itself. Imagine Netscape Chat, Netscape Mail, Netscape Messager; theses are things that will appeal to many AOL users. And this makes good business sense.
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I think the best way to resolve this is to call for a vote. Just to be fair, only people who ever contributed code to the OpenSSH project are allow to vote. They help create it and it is time they decide what they want to do.
I further suggestion a first round vote to decide if "OpenSSH" must go. If so, then a submission period for new names then vote on that again. Perhaps for the second round everyone can vote?
====
I mean really, how can the name XBox be valuable to the other guy. Without advertising, and lots of it, the name XBox is just as valuable as YDFA. And like others point out, this company haven't done anything with it yet, and they don't seem to have any actual product either. (If they have I can't see why they didn't use all this free publicities to promote it. They seem more concern with the name than any actual product/service that will be confused with a game console.
All this noise is just to help them get more $$$ from M$. If all of a sudden, M$ say "Okay you can have it. We will call our console BBox." What then? They just miss out on several cool millions that can be used to fund whatever they are doing and to figure out another name for it.
Does this mean you should just roll over whenever M$ wants? In this case I think the other guy has nothing and this is the smart thing to do.
====
... see the first "app" they download to your machine will be kernal 2.4.1
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What if you have legitime reason to speed up? Say you are on your way to the hospital (no really, Constable!) or you need to speed up to over take, or to make way for ambulance, etc.
Say if you put in some margin of errors on the speed limit, eg legal limit + 5km/h, then everyone will just drive at that limit. So what is the point?
====
With a GPS chipset that supports WAAG (fixed-position, ground-based GPS transmitters) we can determine your position to +/- 3 meters--but the road data frequently isn't that accurate.
+/- 3 meters? I can see it now... The system thinks you are on the wrong side of the road and send a "This is not America, you yank!" exception and crashed your car's OS.
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So the Dreamcast is not dead after all. Perhaps it can be made into a Firewall? Run X on your big screen TV? Maybe even to emulate PS2? ;-)
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