Consumer Reports has a "over packaged hall of fame" thing (can't remember what they call it) they run every month. Three months ago it was 6 cloth napkins from a dept store: Each napkin came in it's own box that was about the size of a desktop computer. It was a pretty funny picture--the napkins are in a tiny pile in the foreground and boxes are mounded up all over the room.
Why not submit Streets Plus (or something else even worse) to CR? It won't stem the tide but it might get people thinking. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"Maybe because the heading on every page says "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"..."
So what makes SO5.2 more "news for nerds" than Exchange 2000? Don't get me wrong, I don't want to E2k here--neither do I want to see SO5.2.
If your answer is "it runs on Linux" don't forget that there's a LOT of software that runs on Linux that for some reason we never hear about on Slashdot. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
I thought you were trying to teach them to PROGRAM. You know, where you have to first understand the problem in an algorithmic way? And then break it down into a series of tasks?
But if you just want them to take dictation--sure, I could get a newbie up to speed on that in an hour, easy.
Go find an actual newbie and try your method on them. Then come back here and tell us how it went. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Discussions on the merits of C++ are totally on-topic and I'm interested, too. I also prefer C to C++ for the reasons given but am willing to be persuaded. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"Give me an hour, a good library, and a reasonably intelligent person who has a fairly open mind and high school trig, and I'll have them writing simple games."
Even if by "simple games" you mean "guess the number", I don't think this is true. The biggest problem people new to programming have is creating an algorithm. I can't tell you the number of times I've had neophytes ask me "what do I do first" or "how did you know to divide by 4"?
The only way to get good at creating algorithms practice practice practice. And you can't get much practice in a single hour. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
He's written a bunch of other "Cartoon Guide to..." books as well. The best are his history books (two books each split into around 8 "volumes").
Book 1 is "big bang" to "the fall of Rome" (as I recall). Book 2 backs up a little bit and changes geography to look at the history of China. I'm expecting Book 3 any time now since it's been several years since the last book appeared.
Book 1 was mostly familiar to me--the same-old "first the tribes, then the Greeks, then the Romans" stuff (although told in a very entertaining way). Book 2, though, was totally new: We don't get much non-European history here in the US. No wonder we don't understand "those Chinese". -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Does any remember the Bloom County strip where Oliver puts on a band-aid--on his black skin and Milo says "convenient flesh tone"?
Which color(s) exactly does this software block? Human skins varies from near-white to near-black (esp in a photograph).
Are they going to add new skin tones based on "popularity"? And if so, does that mean when I view so-called "inter-racial" pics, I'm going to see a black man apparently humping a blank space?
And of course, workarounds spring immediately to mind: Use gimp or photoshop scripts to automatically transform skin to purple and distribute a viewer that transforms back.
And let's don't even get into the perfectly valid images this will block (like closeups of non-porn humans), medical sites (esp dermatology), etc. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Ask all of your bidders: "What can you give me that the others can't?" You are sure to get a bunch of crap like "a sense of well-being that your blah blah blah". Take all non-nonsensical (would that be "sensical"?) responses and redistribute to the vendors for response. Let them respond again.
At the very least, this will weed out the people who don't know what they're talking about. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"Look how far EVERY closed-source OS has come without the help of the open-source community.
I wish I could. Unfortunately the source is, as was mentined, closed. So how am I supposed to see "how far they've come" in fields like security and good design?
In any case, free software (unlike open source software) isn't about features. It's about freedom. The "good it would do me" to have BeOS open is that I could take some of their alleged rockin' code and put it into my own programs. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"...is that they know how to name their programs to make them attractive to the general public.
Why is this an advantage? There is a subset of people (call them "intelligent") that doesn't make snap judgements based on the name of something. So making a name change as you suggest will only increase marketshare among the non-intelligent. And who wants to support idiots when the fun part is creating code? -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Leaving aside for the moment the basic stupidity of what they are doing and also the fact that I misread "pre-WWW" as "pre-WWII"....
Why are they asking ISP's to license the technology? Well, I know why: money. Let me rephrase: How do they expect this to get by any court of law (even in the US)?
ISP's have nothing to do with hyperlinking. All they do is return a page based on a URL request. It's the BROWSERS that handle hyperlinking. Actually, that's not true either. All the browser does is highlight and underline a marked piece of text.
They really want to contact W3C. Hyperlinking is a feature of an "application" (the web) that is "supported" by them. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
...under the desk exercise regimens. Unfortunately there are largely prohibited by recent harassment legislation.
More seriously, try visiting The Hacker's Diet. It has done (and is continuing to do) wonders for me.
Remember, exercise, while good for you, doesn't cut the weight as well as eating less (or more accurately, eating BETTER). -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
How long has this revolution been around? 5 years? 10 at most? I'm not talking about the technology which is 30-40 years old--I'm talking about the widespread use of the technology.
So even if this were an automobile-style revolution I wouldn't expect to see many effects yet. The REAL revolutionary effects of the automobile weren't felt for *counting on fingers* 50 years or so. (1890's-1940's).
This revolution will be slow as well. The biggest factor is that it puts information into people's hands more thoroughly and more quickly than ever before. But people have to start using the information and spreading it around for other people to use before the effects are noticeable.
One of two things will happen: Information will be libre (and therefore gratis) OR information will be chained like never before. I hope it will be the first and I fear it will be the second.
But there is good reason to hope. Another defining characteristic of the e-volution (how's *that* for a lame term) is that it is "grass-roots". People sharing with each other, not being handed something from above. Having had a taste of that, I know I'm never going back. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"You can basically get the same thing from a library."
Maybe *you* can. But *I* can't. My library is in a small town consisting mostly of (apparently) little old ladies who like Maeve Binchy. Nary a book on, say, quantum computation.
"It's still very expensive to build a interactive web-site..."
It's also very expensive to create an entire operating system--but people do that for free. In any case, I don't particularly like "interactive" websites. Unless you count basic search and navigation as interactive.
"...as the web goes more towards a ASP style of network and less a brochure and eLibrary..."
This is a circular argument. If/When e-businesses start failing, the web will move back towards content.
"But right now it is a very expensive business."
But it doesn't have to be. If business people could get it through their pointy(-haired) heads that you don't need (or want) to put all your eggs in one server room, they could save a LOT of money and aggravation.
But that's beside the point. The point is that individual people have (and will, if allowed) provide much the same information on their own dime, for the love of it. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Every time I hear the name of this thing, I'm reminded of Deacon (?) Vorbis from Terry Pratchett's "Small Gods". Does anyone know if there is a connection? If not, where the heck did they both come up with that name? -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
I am definitely not the same person as Signal 11. I don't know who Patrick Bateman is (never seen his posts before), so I don't know if I'm the same person as him. -- Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Slashdot Mirror
Consumer Reports has a "over packaged hall of fame" thing (can't remember what they call it) they run every month. Three months ago it was 6 cloth napkins from a dept store: Each napkin came in it's own box that was about the size of a desktop computer. It was a pretty funny picture--the napkins are in a tiny pile in the foreground and boxes are mounded up all over the room.
Why not submit Streets Plus (or something else even worse) to CR? It won't stem the tide but it might get people thinking.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"Maybe because the heading on every page says "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"..."
So what makes SO5.2 more "news for nerds" than Exchange 2000? Don't get me wrong, I don't want to E2k here--neither do I want to see SO5.2.
If your answer is "it runs on Linux" don't forget that there's a LOT of software that runs on Linux that for some reason we never hear about on Slashdot.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Think how many babe phone numbers I can store on a 1 GB matchbook cover...
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
I thought you were trying to teach them to PROGRAM. You know, where you have to first understand the problem in an algorithmic way? And then break it down into a series of tasks?
But if you just want them to take dictation--sure, I could get a newbie up to speed on that in an hour, easy.
Go find an actual newbie and try your method on them. Then come back here and tell us how it went.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Discussions on the merits of C++ are totally on-topic and I'm interested, too. I also prefer C to C++ for the reasons given but am willing to be persuaded.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"Give me an hour, a good library, and a reasonably intelligent person who has a fairly open mind and high school trig, and I'll have them writing simple games."
Even if by "simple games" you mean "guess the number", I don't think this is true. The biggest problem people new to programming have is creating an algorithm. I can't tell you the number of times I've had neophytes ask me "what do I do first" or "how did you know to divide by 4"?
The only way to get good at creating algorithms practice practice practice. And you can't get much practice in a single hour.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
He's written a bunch of other "Cartoon Guide to..." books as well. The best are his history books (two books each split into around 8 "volumes").
Book 1 is "big bang" to "the fall of Rome" (as I recall). Book 2 backs up a little bit and changes geography to look at the history of China. I'm expecting Book 3 any time now since it's been several years since the last book appeared.
Book 1 was mostly familiar to me--the same-old "first the tribes, then the Greeks, then the Romans" stuff (although told in a very entertaining way). Book 2, though, was totally new: We don't get much non-European history here in the US. No wonder we don't understand "those Chinese".
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Does any remember the Bloom County strip where Oliver puts on a band-aid--on his black skin and Milo says "convenient flesh tone"?
Which color(s) exactly does this software block? Human skins varies from near-white to near-black (esp in a photograph).
Are they going to add new skin tones based on "popularity"? And if so, does that mean when I view so-called "inter-racial" pics, I'm going to see a black man apparently humping a blank space?
And of course, workarounds spring immediately to mind: Use gimp or photoshop scripts to automatically transform skin to purple and distribute a viewer that transforms back.
And let's don't even get into the perfectly valid images this will block (like closeups of non-porn humans), medical sites (esp dermatology), etc.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"Does your software compete head-to-head with widely used software from MicroSoft?"
As a matter of fact, yes it does. See sig for more info.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
...ask THEM.
Ask all of your bidders: "What can you give me that the others can't?" You are sure to get a bunch of crap like "a sense of well-being that your blah blah blah". Take all non-nonsensical (would that be "sensical"?) responses and redistribute to the vendors for response. Let them respond again.
At the very least, this will weed out the people who don't know what they're talking about.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"Look how far EVERY closed-source OS has come without the help of the open-source community.
I wish I could. Unfortunately the source is, as was mentined, closed. So how am I supposed to see "how far they've come" in fields like security and good design?
In any case, free software (unlike open source software) isn't about features. It's about freedom. The "good it would do me" to have BeOS open is that I could take some of their alleged rockin' code and put it into my own programs.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"...is that they know how to name their programs to make them attractive to the general public.
Why is this an advantage? There is a subset of people (call them "intelligent") that doesn't make snap judgements based on the name of something. So making a name change as you suggest will only increase marketshare among the non-intelligent. And who wants to support idiots when the fun part is creating code?
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"...in response to a keyboard entry signal. ...selected by the operation of a selected key of the keyboard."
Easy way out: ISP's include a clause requiring users to use their mouse to click on hyperlinks.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Leaving aside for the moment the basic stupidity of what they are doing and also the fact that I misread "pre-WWW" as "pre-WWII"....
Why are they asking ISP's to license the technology? Well, I know why: money. Let me rephrase: How do they expect this to get by any court of law (even in the US)?
ISP's have nothing to do with hyperlinking. All they do is return a page based on a URL request. It's the BROWSERS that handle hyperlinking. Actually, that's not true either. All the browser does is highlight and underline a marked piece of text.
They really want to contact W3C. Hyperlinking is a feature of an "application" (the web) that is "supported" by them.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Microsoft buys Bungie, both claim acquiree remains "autonomous". Many Slashdot commenters ask "how long will that last".
VA Linux buys Slashdot, both claim acquiree remains "autonomous". Many Slashdot commenters say "it'll last forever".
What's the difference?
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
PLUS, you get a free Hungry-Like-A-Wolf Cluster.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
I want to get a dual AMD system just so I can say it's a "Duron Duron".
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
...under the desk exercise regimens. Unfortunately there are largely prohibited by recent harassment legislation.
More seriously, try visiting The Hacker's Diet. It has done (and is continuing to do) wonders for me.
Remember, exercise, while good for you, doesn't cut the weight as well as eating less (or more accurately, eating BETTER).
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
How long has this revolution been around? 5 years? 10 at most? I'm not talking about the technology which is 30-40 years old--I'm talking about the widespread use of the technology.
So even if this were an automobile-style revolution I wouldn't expect to see many effects yet. The REAL revolutionary effects of the automobile weren't felt for *counting on fingers* 50 years or so. (1890's-1940's).
This revolution will be slow as well. The biggest factor is that it puts information into people's hands more thoroughly and more quickly than ever before. But people have to start using the information and spreading it around for other people to use before the effects are noticeable.
One of two things will happen: Information will be libre (and therefore gratis) OR information will be chained like never before. I hope it will be the first and I fear it will be the second.
But there is good reason to hope. Another defining characteristic of the e-volution (how's *that* for a lame term) is that it is "grass-roots". People sharing with each other, not being handed something from above. Having had a taste of that, I know I'm never going back.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"All you're doing is putting the information into a new form."
True, but maybe that new form is (more) legal.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
"You can basically get the same thing from a library."
Maybe *you* can. But *I* can't. My library is in a small town consisting mostly of (apparently) little old ladies who like Maeve Binchy. Nary a book on, say, quantum computation.
"It's still very expensive to build a interactive web-site..."
It's also very expensive to create an entire operating system--but people do that for free. In any case, I don't particularly like "interactive" websites. Unless you count basic search and navigation as interactive.
"...as the web goes more towards a ASP style of network and less a brochure and eLibrary..."
This is a circular argument. If/When e-businesses start failing, the web will move back towards content.
"But right now it is a very expensive business."
But it doesn't have to be. If business people could get it through their pointy(-haired) heads that you don't need (or want) to put all your eggs in one server room, they could save a LOT of money and aggravation.
But that's beside the point. The point is that individual people have (and will, if allowed) provide much the same information on their own dime, for the love of it.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Every time I hear the name of this thing, I'm reminded of Deacon (?) Vorbis from Terry Pratchett's "Small Gods". Does anyone know if there is a connection? If not, where the heck did they both come up with that name?
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
He's a troll, but he's funny and subtle. "hot breakfast foods", indeed!
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
I am definitely not the same person as Signal 11. I don't know who Patrick Bateman is (never seen his posts before), so I don't know if I'm the same person as him.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?
Define "nobody" and "uses".
By strict definitions, horse 'n' buggies, vacuum tubes, Windows 2.0, steam engines, and roman numerals aren't obsolete.
--
Compaq dropping MAILWorks?