Your argument assumes that people who detest forking are in favour of forcibly preventing forking. Forking involves duplication of effort, but there are circumstances where it's The Right Thing to do. E.g. where a maintainer is not responsive to developer/user needs or is not responsive to a minority's needs.
Let's use an analogy here: "Funny how people detest piracy, yet will complain out loud about the Digital Milennium Copyright Act"
Does it seem so cut-and-dried now?
Finally, it is true that some people detest forking of code, and it is true that some people complain out loud if a licese prevents forking. But how do you know that some of the people who destest forking of code complain out loud if a license prevents forking?
How does one design an electric motor? Would you attach a bathtub to it, simply because one was available? Would a bouquet of flowers help? A heap of rocks? No, you would use just those elements necessary to its purpose and make it no larger than needed-- and you would incorporate safety factors. Function controls design.
Using NS, right-click on the story and choose "View frame in new window" You'll notice the URL is kinda suspicious: http://www.publius.net/hoax/home.html
On a side note, this is one of the problems with frames.
I'd like everything to be ready today too, but. . . so it goes. I was pretty surprised when I learned that 2.2 didn't have USB. I think that's a more significant improvement for the average Linux user than any journalling filesystem would have been.
What's new about ext3? Well, its a jfs-from-scratch that's compatible with the most common linux fs.
The XFS approach is necessarily different from ext3 and reiser, because they're porting existing code.
Everyone has different ideas about the Right Way, which is why you get different versions of things. How many text editors came with your linux?
It looks like the three filesystems correspond to three different mindsets.
1. Get it done (ReiserFS) 2. Do it the way we've always done it (XFS) 3. Come up with our own new & good thing (ext3).
I haven't looked at ext3 or reiserfs as closely as XFS, but XFS has some killer features, including guaranteed bandwidth for multimedia files. Plus, it's stood the test of time. If I had to pick one, I know which one.
That's like asking why Microsoft has the Windows source code.
The real question is why the data wasn't removed, or why the agent was allowed to carry his/her laptop out of headquarters. Or here's another one:
Why didn't the laptop have an autodestruct?
Re:I agree with this on one principle
on
Linux And Hip Hop
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· Score: 1
This is the bit where people start saying "intranet" and "email server". Netcraft's cool, but it doesn't go through firewalls and it's not about email. (And foo.com can be a completely different machine from foo.com's email server. Ask your friendly neighbourhood admin about DNS MX records.)
People like us need a REAL computer in the living room, not some Linux-based console. Can you tolerate 500 lines of resolution for Quake? For the Internet? I can't. I've got a computer with a TV tuner in MY living room.
Agree there ain't enough Linux games. Disagree that installing Quake 3 will never be a one-step process. If you know exactly what the hardware is, you ought to be able to script the installation.
It's a pretty fearsome tradeoff right now. Only worth it if you truly fear technology. Certainly I wouldn't trade my 17" Trinitron for a TV. In fact, I think even TV looks better on my computer monitor.
Things certainly will get interesting when HDTV goes mainstream.
Boot time: what about having the thing go into "hibernate" instead of actually booting fresh each time?
(Is "hibernate" the one where it swaps the whole contents of memory to the hard disk and swaps it back on startup?)
Price: You won't save much by swapping DVD for CD. The fewer features you have, the more each feature costs. Since there aren't enough games for Linux, I'm just trying to come up with a justification for the damn thing's existence.
It's possibile that people will buy 1 feature-rich TV/entertainment box instead of 3 or 4 different boxes. We do buy boom boxes instead of tape machine+radio+CD player. If that's not true, I think they're screwed.
You've got a good point about games for Linux. I think that's a real weakness if they're marketing this as a game machine.
Web browsing software? No. Email clients? No. KDE? No.
I imagined the OS would be behind the scenes. Rather than "It's Linux a computer for your living room", the marketing should be "It's a console that plays Linux games." I don't agree that no one will want Internet access. There are lots of people who don't want to learn computers just to surf and send email. There are more people using WebTV to surf than Linux.
Who cares if the underlying OS is Windows, Linux, or any other operating system. You should turn the machine on, insert CD, pick up controller, and press start.
The reason I gave that example of "The Sims" was to show how you could turn it on, insert the CD, and start playing. If it's going to succeed, it needs to "just work".
I'm not so sure it's really a new contender. It's just an extension of the Linux game platform. Since Linux has games already, it doesn't live or die on the developer-friendliness of its manufacturer, which is different from every other console out there. Plus, it's a lot easier to pirate computer games than console games. Could that be an attraction?
One way to avoid the classic console/pc problems is to take advantage of the flexibility of the PC. to add value. Picture this:
Customer: Does it play games? Vendor: Yes. Any game for Linux will work on it. Customer: Does it play CDs? Vendor: Yes. Customer: What about MP3s? Vendor: Them too. Customer: DVD? Vendor: Yeah. They have a license from the DVD Forum. Faster/easier DVD playback than any other linux system. Customer: What ReplayTV and Tivo? Vendor: It does that, too. Customer: What about the Internet? Vendor: You bet. Have a look at Mozilla. . .
That's a lot of features.
The way I see it, a high-speed internet connection and a unified platform are a potent combination. Say Loki ports The Sims to Linux. Your box doesn't know how to install it. So when you insert the CD, it reaches out and asks a central server. The central server's directions will be correct, because all these boxes are the same.
Dunno if it will succeed, but these ARE the days of the sub-$500 PC.
Err. You're right. It would prevent B&N from "stealing" Amazon's one-click "innovation". But only because you can't steal what's already free.
". ..statutory patents are only used when the patentee wants to guarantee that no third party will ever be able to claim patent protection for an innovation".
What Amazon wants is different. They want to prevent B&N from copying their practices, and this patent is one of the sticks they choose to wield.
One of the biggest differences between the SW universe and your standard fantasy universes is there's a war on.
Players will probably get to choose Alliance, Empire or Rogue instead of Good/Evil/Neutral. How long will the war last? Will Alliance/Empire players have to deal with a military hierarchy? And what does it feel like to be an ace pilot on the losing side?
Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be different to have some high drama. Probably the Generals will be NPCs, though.
1. Microsoft patents obvious idea 2. Microsoft uses obvious idea in killer app 3. Enthusiasts create open-source clone of killer app for Linux. 4. Microsoft sues enthusiasts into smoking crater 5. More enthusiasts create open-source version of killer app that does not use patented idea and is, therefore, not interoperable with Microsoft version. 6. Only enthusiats use it, and it withers on the vine.
Only a sadist would push TV-based internet on anyone. TV's are fuzzy, interlaced, and have crappy resolution because they weren't designed for this. People need webpads, with crisp LCD screens. They don't need another WebTV.
Moore's law was never a natural law. It was an observation that turned into a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Used to be when people wondered how long Moore's Law would last, they meant "how long till increases slow down". Now it looks like competition between Intel and AMD will break Moore's law in the other direction. . .
Slashdot Mirror
Your argument assumes that people who detest forking are in favour of forcibly preventing forking. Forking involves duplication of effort, but there are circumstances where it's The Right Thing to do. E.g. where a maintainer is not responsive to developer/user needs or is not responsive to a minority's needs.
Let's use an analogy here:
"Funny how people detest piracy, yet will complain out loud about the Digital Milennium Copyright Act"
Does it seem so cut-and-dried now?
Finally, it is true that some people detest forking of code, and it is true that some people complain out loud if a licese prevents forking. But how do you know that some of the people who destest forking of code complain out loud if a license prevents forking?
Actually, I'd like to see Mozilla and IE hanging out. Embedded Mozilla: finally something useful from ActiveX.
How does one design an electric motor? Would you attach a bathtub to it, simply because one was available? Would a bouquet of flowers help? A heap of rocks? No, you would use just those elements necessary to its purpose and make it no larger than needed-- and you would incorporate safety factors. Function controls design.
--Robert A. Heinlein
You've been hoaxed.
Using NS, right-click on the story and choose "View frame in new window" You'll notice the URL is kinda suspicious:
http://www.publius.net/hoax/home.html
On a side note, this is one of the problems with frames.
I'd like everything to be ready today too, but. . . so it goes. I was pretty surprised when I learned that 2.2 didn't have USB. I think that's a more significant improvement for the average Linux user than any journalling filesystem would have been.
What's new about ext3? Well, its a jfs-from-scratch that's compatible with the most common linux fs.
The XFS approach is necessarily different from ext3 and reiser, because they're porting existing code.
Everyone has different ideas about the Right Way, which is why you get different versions of things. How many text editors came with your linux?
This pain will fade too.
It looks like the three filesystems correspond to three different mindsets.
1. Get it done (ReiserFS)
2. Do it the way we've always done it (XFS)
3. Come up with our own new & good thing (ext3).
I haven't looked at ext3 or reiserfs as closely as XFS, but XFS has some killer features, including guaranteed bandwidth for multimedia files. Plus, it's stood the test of time. If I had to pick one, I know which one.
No, but it would be worth watching. Especially if they started doing closed-source projects.
That's like asking why Microsoft has the Windows source code.
The real question is why the data wasn't removed, or why the agent was allowed to carry his/her laptop out of headquarters. Or here's another one:
Why didn't the laptop have an autodestruct?
This is the bit where people start saying "intranet" and "email server". Netcraft's cool, but it doesn't go through firewalls and it's not about email. (And foo.com can be a completely different machine from foo.com's email server. Ask your friendly neighbourhood admin about DNS MX records.)
There's no point in owning a laptop if you can't put work stuff on it!
I gotta go 180 on ya.
People like us need a REAL computer in the living room, not some Linux-based console. Can you tolerate 500 lines of resolution for Quake? For the Internet? I can't. I've got a computer with a TV tuner in MY living room.
Agree there ain't enough Linux games. Disagree that installing Quake 3 will never be a one-step process. If you know exactly what the hardware is, you ought to be able to script the installation.
It's a pretty fearsome tradeoff right now. Only worth it if you truly fear technology. Certainly I wouldn't trade my 17" Trinitron for a TV. In fact, I think even TV looks better on my computer monitor.
Things certainly will get interesting when HDTV goes mainstream.
Boot time: what about having the thing go into "hibernate" instead of actually booting fresh each time?
(Is "hibernate" the one where it swaps the whole contents of memory to the hard disk and swaps it back on startup?)
Price: You won't save much by swapping DVD for CD. The fewer features you have, the more each feature costs. Since there aren't enough games for Linux, I'm just trying to come up with a justification for the damn thing's existence.
It's possibile that people will buy 1 feature-rich TV/entertainment box instead of 3 or 4 different boxes. We do buy boom boxes instead of tape machine+radio+CD player. If that's not true, I think they're screwed.
You've got a good point about games for Linux. I think that's a real weakness if they're marketing this as a game machine.
I imagined the OS would be behind the scenes. Rather than "It's Linux a computer for your living room", the marketing should be "It's a console that plays Linux games." I don't agree that no one will want Internet access. There are lots of people who don't want to learn computers just to surf and send email. There are more people using WebTV to surf than Linux.
The reason I gave that example of "The Sims" was to show how you could turn it on, insert the CD, and start playing. If it's going to succeed, it needs to "just work".
I'm not so sure it's really a new contender. It's just an extension of the Linux game platform.
Since Linux has games already, it doesn't live or die on the developer-friendliness of its manufacturer, which is different from every other console out there.
Plus, it's a lot easier to pirate computer games than console games. Could that be an attraction?
Somehow, I don't think these things are really targeted at ardent PC users.
One way to avoid the classic console/pc problems is to take advantage of the flexibility of the PC. to add value. Picture this:
Customer: Does it play games?
Vendor: Yes. Any game for Linux will work on it.
Customer: Does it play CDs?
Vendor: Yes.
Customer: What about MP3s?
Vendor: Them too.
Customer: DVD?
Vendor: Yeah. They have a license from the DVD Forum. Faster/easier DVD playback than any other linux system.
Customer: What ReplayTV and Tivo?
Vendor: It does that, too.
Customer: What about the Internet?
Vendor: You bet. Have a look at Mozilla. . .
That's a lot of features.
The way I see it, a high-speed internet connection and a unified platform are a potent combination. Say Loki ports The Sims to Linux. Your box doesn't know how to install it. So when you insert the CD, it reaches out and asks a central server. The central server's directions will be correct, because all these boxes are the same.
Dunno if it will succeed, but these ARE the days of the sub-$500 PC.
Err.
.statutory patents are only used when the patentee wants to guarantee that no third party will ever be able to claim patent protection for an innovation".
You're right. It would prevent B&N from "stealing" Amazon's one-click "innovation". But only because you can't steal what's already free.
". .
What Amazon wants is different. They want to prevent B&N from copying their practices, and this patent is one of the sticks they choose to wield.
I loved X-wing and TIE fighter. I still replay them from time to time, even though they won't run under DOSEMU.
But other Star Wars games weren't so great. Here's an article on Star Wars games, good and bad.
One of the biggest differences between the SW universe and your standard fantasy universes is there's a war on.
Players will probably get to choose Alliance, Empire or Rogue instead of Good/Evil/Neutral. How long will the war last? Will Alliance/Empire players have to deal with a military hierarchy? And what does it feel like to be an ace pilot on the losing side?
Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be different to have some high drama. Probably the Generals will be NPCs, though.
You're in luck. I just happen to have a Star Wars CD and a copy of Infocom's Leather Goddess of Phobos.
1. Microsoft patents obvious idea
2. Microsoft uses obvious idea in killer app
3. Enthusiasts create open-source clone of killer app for Linux.
4. Microsoft sues enthusiasts into smoking crater
5. More enthusiasts create open-source version of killer app that does not use patented idea and is, therefore, not interoperable with Microsoft version.
6. Only enthusiats use it, and it withers on the vine.
I'm sorry, but I don't see any argument that says super-species we build will think kindly of us.
They may treat us like we treat "lower" species, (dogs and cats if we're lucky, cows and mice if we're not), or they may simply not notice us.
I've gotten used to being a member of the dominant species on Earth. I'd rather not change that, thanks.
Only a sadist would push TV-based internet on anyone. TV's are fuzzy, interlaced, and have crappy resolution because they weren't designed for this. People need webpads, with crisp LCD screens. They don't need another WebTV.
Moore's law was never a natural law. It was an observation that turned into a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Used to be when people wondered how long Moore's Law would last, they meant "how long till increases slow down". Now it looks like competition between Intel and AMD will break Moore's law in the other direction. . .