The 8 bit bus path of the 8088 was essential to get the system cost down into personal user range for the first generation of PCs. IBM started shipping the PC in 1981, Motorola started shipping the 68008 in 1982. So much for the original PC. Then when the PC bus grew up a couple of years later, even though the 68K handled big address spaces infinitely better than the 8086 or 286, Motorola could never catch up with Intel's instructions per second. Partly because of lagging slightly in the megahertz race, but mainly because of fatter machine instructions made the memory bottleneck of the day even worse. Most probably, there was also hardball going on behind the scenes as well, but Motorola lost on technical grounds and to a lesser extent, timing issues. If there had been a killer app early in the game that lived and died on big address space, Motorola would have had a fighting chance. I suppose the original Mac could have been that application, but by then network effects had seriously kicked in and that memory bottleneck never went away.
...there are a few kinds of software that will never be released as free software from day one. One is high-production-value video games, which tend to consist of more cultural works (meshes, textures, scripts, audio) than code...
Never say never. There are already counterexamples.Sintel is a shining example of an open source animation project with AAA production values. The tool chain is open source, the movie itself is under the creative commons license and significant parts of the production assets (the "source code" created by artists) are also available under creative commons. Why would an artist do this? To launch their career, to have fun, because its there, all the same reasons coders do it. And it can pay well too, look at the Humble Bundle. Definitely a growing trend. The amazing thing is, it progressed so far, so fast just with a few Blender movies. Now there is a whole subculture of expert Blender subdivision modelers.
You're going to see Blender having a big influence of game development soon too. Who wants to license Maya for thousands of dollars a seat when Blender does the same job for free? Obviously compelling for indie groups, which are proliferating.
The trend wasn't so clear a couple of years ago, but now it's obvious: the free IP movement is established and growing in media now, just as in software. It's growing rapidly in engineering too, for that matter. Just never say never, especially when you're already wrong.
Copyright is a powerful tool in the hands of free software authors, and a force for the public good. Obviously is used for evil as well, and current copyright duration is just offensive.
Consumer Reports has Ford quality way down again, mostly because of this software.
And if you buy a Ford and blame Microsoft for its problems I guarantee that you will be in the vast minority. Anyone with half a brain will be blaming Ford.
It's Microsoft, it locks up and it takes too long to reboot. What's unclear about that?
Obviously, taking too long to reboot is a made in Microsoft problem. As is locking up, for that matter. No way should the whole thing lock up. It's Microsoft, what can I say?
What are you smoking, cause I'd like some! Smartphones and netpads? yeah for angry birds maybe, you sure as hell ain't gonna get 1080p HD3D on one of those devices.
First, you're already wrong and second, nobody cares. There's a sea change in the game market. It's away from the likes of Halo and towards easy feel good games played by people with money.
Consumer Reports has Ford quality way down again, mostly because of this software.
And if you buy a Ford and blame Microsoft for its problems I guarantee that you will be in the vast minority. Anyone with half a brain will be blaming Ford.
It's Microsoft, it locks up and it takes too long to reboot. What's unclear about that?
Holding out hope is always nice, however MSFT's media lunch will be eaten by smartphones and netpads. It's game over for big console. Who cares about another solder melting desktop GPU chip crammed into an inadequately cooled cheapo enclosure sounding like a vacuum cleaner in your living room?
Apropo of nothing in particular, I see the gap between Google and Microsoft market cap has narrowed from about 20% to 10% over the last few months. Looks to me like Microsoft is just another few months away from sliding down another notch in the big n powerful sweepstakes, after first being passed with much fanfare by Apple then quietly by IBM. Who's next, Oracle?
Microsoft fell from being the place every hot new grad wanted to go to the place people are embarrassed to admit they work, from a place where engineers were pampered and valued to a place where silence and backstabbing are the most important survival skills. From a place that looks good on your resume to a place that doesn't.
Windows phone will not increase in popularity even if it is good because nobody trusts Microsoft. But Windows phone is not "good", it is "me too" at best.
Haven't there been some pretty fat dividends on occasion?
Yes, and when they do the stock immediately falls by the proportionate amount. But IBM pays higher dividends plus goes, up, up, up. Anybody who has held Microsoft instead is just plain gullible.
Aren't these people the same ones whose uncritical acceptance has allowed Microsoft to continue its recidivist corporate criminal ways? Hard to get too worked up. Very hard.
Microsoft has tripled earning in the last decade, a long history of solid steady (though slowing) growth. The stock had lots of growth priced in and the stock has delivered growth. Growth is slowing. P/E of under 10, PEG.85, 3 P/S and P/B for a healthy growing company; 44% return on equity. The stock was priced for growth a decade ago and is now priced for value. And all this with a 3% dividend yield!
Slashdot Mirror
The 8 bit bus path of the 8088 was essential to get the system cost down into personal user range for the first generation of PCs. IBM started shipping the PC in 1981, Motorola started shipping the 68008 in 1982. So much for the original PC. Then when the PC bus grew up a couple of years later, even though the 68K handled big address spaces infinitely better than the 8086 or 286, Motorola could never catch up with Intel's instructions per second. Partly because of lagging slightly in the megahertz race, but mainly because of fatter machine instructions made the memory bottleneck of the day even worse. Most probably, there was also hardball going on behind the scenes as well, but Motorola lost on technical grounds and to a lesser extent, timing issues. If there had been a killer app early in the game that lived and died on big address space, Motorola would have had a fighting chance. I suppose the original Mac could have been that application, but by then network effects had seriously kicked in and that memory bottleneck never went away.
Not only is Atom slow, it runs hot. Worst of both worlds, no interest whatsoever in going that route again.
...there are a few kinds of software that will never be released as free software from day one. One is high-production-value video games, which tend to consist of more cultural works (meshes, textures, scripts, audio) than code...
Never say never. There are already counterexamples. Sintel is a shining example of an open source animation project with AAA production values. The tool chain is open source, the movie itself is under the creative commons license and significant parts of the production assets (the "source code" created by artists) are also available under creative commons. Why would an artist do this? To launch their career, to have fun, because its there, all the same reasons coders do it. And it can pay well too, look at the Humble Bundle. Definitely a growing trend. The amazing thing is, it progressed so far, so fast just with a few Blender movies. Now there is a whole subculture of expert Blender subdivision modelers.
You're going to see Blender having a big influence of game development soon too. Who wants to license Maya for thousands of dollars a seat when Blender does the same job for free? Obviously compelling for indie groups, which are proliferating.
The trend wasn't so clear a couple of years ago, but now it's obvious: the free IP movement is established and growing in media now, just as in software. It's growing rapidly in engineering too, for that matter. Just never say never, especially when you're already wrong.
Copyright doesn't protect the little guy, yes.
Copyright is a powerful tool in the hands of free software authors, and a force for the public good. Obviously is used for evil as well, and current copyright duration is just offensive.
She's the one who fined Microsoft billions to the point where Microsoft finally said "uncle" and gave the Samba team the specs they were looking for.
Consumer Reports has Ford quality way down again, mostly because of this software.
And if you buy a Ford and blame Microsoft for its problems I guarantee that you will be in the vast minority. Anyone with half a brain will be blaming Ford.
It's Microsoft, it locks up and it takes too long to reboot. What's unclear about that?
Obviously, taking too long to reboot is a made in Microsoft problem. As is locking up, for that matter. No way should the whole thing lock up. It's Microsoft, what can I say?
What are you smoking, cause I'd like some! Smartphones and netpads? yeah for angry birds maybe, you sure as hell ain't gonna get 1080p HD3D on one of those devices.
First, you're already wrong and second, nobody cares. There's a sea change in the game market. It's away from the likes of Halo and towards easy feel good games played by people with money.
Consumer Reports has Ford quality way down again, mostly because of this software.
And if you buy a Ford and blame Microsoft for its problems I guarantee that you will be in the vast minority. Anyone with half a brain will be blaming Ford.
It's Microsoft, it locks up and it takes too long to reboot. What's unclear about that?
Holding out hope is always nice, however MSFT's media lunch will be eaten by smartphones and netpads. It's game over for big console. Who cares about another solder melting desktop GPU chip crammed into an inadequately cooled cheapo enclosure sounding like a vacuum cleaner in your living room?
Apropo of nothing in particular, I see the gap between Google and Microsoft market cap has narrowed from about 20% to 10% over the last few months. Looks to me like Microsoft is just another few months away from sliding down another notch in the big n powerful sweepstakes, after first being passed with much fanfare by Apple then quietly by IBM. Who's next, Oracle?
I think Steve was so genuinely butthurt over the Android backstab by Schmidt that's it's personal; not professional.
I'm glad he was finally able to get over it.
Portable, luggable, wearable...ingestible?
...inhalable. (See Diamond Age.)
there is no way that they can design it to take over everything with a USB port on it
More like "anything that can boot from USB or alternatively, install the host side usb driver"
Today, Microsoft doesn't even make Glassdoor's top 50 list, check it out
Microsoft fell from being the place every hot new grad wanted to go to the place people are embarrassed to admit they work, from a place where engineers were pampered and valued to a place where silence and backstabbing are the most important survival skills. From a place that looks good on your resume to a place that doesn't.
Windows phone will not increase in popularity even if it is good because nobody trusts Microsoft. But Windows phone is not "good", it is "me too" at best.
Smart money is betting that Microsoft will further mismanage its affairs.
Drag that slider back a few more years and see how the answer changes.
You mean, to before Microsoft's decline and fall?
Haven't there been some pretty fat dividends on occasion?
Yes, and when they do the stock immediately falls by the proportionate amount. But IBM pays higher dividends plus goes, up, up, up. Anybody who has held Microsoft instead is just plain gullible.
I know what you're thinking, I'll say it. "A sight for sore eyes".
Aren't these people the same ones whose uncritical acceptance has allowed Microsoft to continue its recidivist corporate criminal ways? Hard to get too worked up. Very hard.
Microsoft has tripled earning in the last decade, a long history of solid steady (though slowing) growth. The stock had lots of growth priced in and the stock has delivered growth. Growth is slowing. P/E of under 10, PEG .85, 3 P/S and P/B for a healthy growing company; 44% return on equity. The stock was priced for growth a decade ago and is now priced for value. And all this with a 3% dividend yield!
That's a good stock.
You buy it then :-)
Microsoft exposed as a thuggish patent troll, who woulda thunkit?
So?
If you think a few shits on slashdot count as a big PR hit, you need to lay down the keyboard and pop the rather tiny bubble you've been living in.
Who do you think writes the code that makes Google rich?