WTF did that even come from? Vista runs on any decently modern system, PERIOD.
If you want disk encryption, you need the TPM module.
If you want the fancy 3D effects, you will need a 64MB video card with DirectX 9 support.
If you want to play videos protected with Secure Video Path at high resolution, you need a "trusted" monitor. Fortunately, "trusted monitors" don't exist yet, so content won't be requiring them for a good long time.
- Explorer doesn't have a menubar - Windows Meida Player doesn't have a menubar (true already unless you show it) - Internet Explorer has de-emphasized the menubar - Office 12 won't have a menubar
There is one conclusion: Microsoft is eliminating the menubar. Will it work? Only time will tell.
The OASIS OpenDocument format is, was, and always will be centered around OpenOffice.org. It is as much OOo's format as Microsoft's XML formats are Microsoft's.
Microsoft *is* moving to an open format. That it is not as patent-free as you would like doesn't change that.
Well, after five security updates that patch numerous security holes (22 since 2004), I'm not sure that Firefox is the solution. It's certainly more secure than IE, but is it secure *enough*? No, it isn't.
I deployed Firefox on the corporate network to improve security. Five updates later, I'm explaining to my manager that Firefox, just like IE, is full of security holes that need to be patched.
Unlike IE, Firefox can't be updated through Windows Update and it doesn't have a patch release cycle. That makes it harder to plan for and harder to deploy Firefox patches.
Having "fewer" vulnerabilities than IE isn't good enough - particularly when your patching system sucks. Open source can do better.
"Oh, the other thing? Outlook feels integrated because everything automatically does the windows automatica launch active-x thing. Just highlight a message subjet, bingo! Embedded code launches! that's why viruses and worms."
Stop spreading FUD. Outlook hasn't executed scripting in messeges for years. While it's true that Outlook uses Trident ("IE") for displaying messeges, it runs it in a mode with Javascript and ActiveX disabled. Even Trident flaws are unlikely to cause a compromise.
All recent email worms have been of the "download this executable and run it" variety. And Outlook 2003, by default, won't even let you download executables.
As the owner of a Treo 650, let me say, when I purchased the device, I pretty much knew that Palm OS was dead:
- PalmSource has halted development on Garnet (the version of Palm OS that the Treo runs) - Palm's Treo 670 will probably run Windows Mobile
That said, I don't really care: - My previous device, the Danger Hiptop2 / T-Mobile Sidekick II, was far less expandable and far less usable than my Treo is *today*, even assuming that Palm development ceases tomorrow - I already have an SSH client, IRC client, web browser (two of them, actually), email client (with IMAP sync and IDLE support, even when the phone is off), MP3 player, Bejewled 2, and a lot more.
It does far more than the Sidekick ever could do or ever will do. As nice as the Sidekick is, it, like many smartphones, is a closed platform. I can't add features that aren't already there. With the Treo I can.
That said, Windows Mobile is a much better platform in many regards. The UI isn't as good, but it can multitask, has a real filesystem, has more web browser choices, and doesn't have stupid heap size limitations.
Actually, it wouldn't. Patents are 20 years from date of filing (1981 at the latest in the case of VisiCalc), so Visicalc wouldn't have had patent protection since 2001.
It has nothing to do with FS performance and everything to do with the fact that Apple's implementation of threading has considerably higher overhead than Linux.
After actually writing an engine to do find-as-you type, let me tell you, Apple's implementation leaves a lot to desire. Even though my searches were relatively fast (0.5seconds), it's pointless to do searches for "p" or even "pr" when you have such a huge dataset. A proper implementation does two things:
- Doesn't search for things under two letters unless you explicitly press return - Pauses for a split second as to not interfere with typing
As a network admin, you will appreciate these features of Vista:
- Users don't run as Administrator by default in Vista (and the OS handles installers / setting changes gracefully) - Active Directory now works with Fast User Switching. - Better error logging (fortified with XML!) - Integrated memory diagnostics & SMART monitoring - Fewer Images because hardware changes don't require a new image - Windows Imaging for system imaging - Firewall integrated with Group Policy - Publically available WinPE for recovery that boots from USB drives - Hybrid suspend/hibernate prevents data loss in suspend from power loss - More advanced managment console - Monad shell (better scripting) - More advanced task scheduler - Management web-services for remote management - Windows Resource Protection (like Windows File Protection but also protects the registry) - Windows Deployment Services
All of these are major useful features that help in a corporate environment. If don't think there's anything worthwhile in Vista, you need to look again.
"anyone intending to copy the file could do so easily"
Yes, and with books on CD, it's even easier. DRM changes nothing in this case - in fact, it makes it considerably more difficult to make a copy.
Oh, and before you call WMA-DRM "easy", you might want to look at it more closely. Like all DRM systems, it can be cracked, but it is certainly far less trivial than - for example - CSS or FairPlay.
To reasonably distribute content, you need to use a proprietary system of some kind.
Most libraries have had audio CDs since the early 90s. CDDA is, of course, patented. To listen to a CD, you need a player that licensed Sony/Philips technology.
Libraries need to keep up with technology. Few people want to (or can) listen to reel-to-reel tapes or LPs. That means using patented technology in many cases.
The fact that you need Microsoft patented technology to listen to WMA-DRM files is no different than the fact that you needed Philips licensed technology to listen to CDs.
This is not an "extremely dangerous trend", it's an established fact. The fact that the patent is held by Microsoft instead of Philips is unimportant.
The files already play on the top two platforms, Windows and Mac OS. Yes, it's a IP-encumbered format, but so is the audio CD.
With all of the cost overruns, the wierd artwork, and the abandoned baggage system, DIA is still the single most usable airport in the United States.
1: There is more room for security which leads to shorter lines. Additionally, connecting flights don't require going through security again, further decreasing the load.
2: The airport design is simple and easy to understand. There is only one terminal building to arrive at, and the concourses are arranged logically.
3: The terminal is very nice - well lit and refresingly open. There is a distinct "open air" feeling that doesn't exist in many airports. There is a wide range of services as well - plenty of food, bookstores, coffee, etc.
4: Unlike Stapleton, snow doesn't shut down DIA.
5: The train system is fast and effective.
6: There is room for expansion, which is particularly important as Frontier expands (DIA is a major United hub, and the only Frontier hub).
7: The large size of the airport and openness of the runways make it easier to land and eaiser to route traffic.
DIA is the world's 10th largest airport. Give it a bit of credit.
Average desktop is ~100W (Higher under load, lower at idle). That works out to 2.4KWh/day, it takes about 0.81 lbs of coal to generate a KWh of electricity (1), so a computer requires about 1.94lbs of coal to run for a day.
"Two Circus tents" is a complete bullshit metric, and, regardless, 1.94lbs of coal @ 1.55g/cm^3 (2) equals about 568cm^3 of coal.
In a whole year, a computer requires about 20 cubic meters of coal. That's a lot of coal, but it's still orders of magnitude less than "two circus tents".
Oh, and, by the way - optical mice are far from "useless", and at http://www.ncgreenpower.org/elements/pdfs/Calculat or%20Methodology.pdf
"There are two types of cheating. Cheating the house and cheating the other players. I have a problem with the former and not the latter. When you're playing against the house, the odds are severely stacked against you."
No, they aren't. Sure, if you play Keno, your odds suck. But if you play basic strategy (not hard to learn) and find a decent Blackjack game (NOT 5:6, etc.), the house edge is frequently below 0.5%.
And cheating is cheating. If you don't like the house edge, don't play. Stealing chips from a casino is exactly the same thing as stealing real money.
Remember, the cameras aren't just there to prevent you from cheating - they are also there to prevent the house from cheating. The NGC is, thankfully, a bunch of hard-asses who will pull licenses if the casinos don't play on the straight and level.
In Vegas, the games are fair. Sure, the house has the edge, but the deck isn't stacked and the slots really are random.
Playing BS Blackjack at $10 a hand, with a decent game (house edge 0.5%) costs only $.05 a hand. At 100 hands an hour, that works out to $5 an hour. It's every bit as cheap as a movie, and you get free drinks. Moreover, if you play for a few hours, you can probably get a comp for the buffet.
Know how much you're willing to lose (and stick to it), know which games to play (and what the house edge is), know the rules, know the basic strategy, and have fun.
"Right now, it doesn't matter where you live in the US. You can't get it. So until you can get these speeds in the highly populated areas you can't use the last mile arguement."
"Nobody should reasonably expect the coffee to be so hot as to cause third degree burns in a matter of seconds.
Sure we can. Even children understand that hot things burn, and that burns hurt; therefore it pays to be especially careful with hot things."
Bullshit. Liquids become exponentially more dangerous as the temperature increases. Coffee at a normal hot temperature causes minor first-degree burns when it is spilled. McDonalds was serving coffe that was considerably more dangerous.
It's like the difference between having a waxed floor (which can be slippery) and having a floor coated with a thin layer of soapy water (which is considerably more dangerous). McDonalds served a product that was considerably more dangerous than other coffee, they knew of the risk, and they refused to stop. When that product caused severe harm, McDonalds deserved to be liable for the damage that their excessively dangerous product caused.
Slashdot Mirror
WTF did that even come from? Vista runs on any decently modern system, PERIOD.
If you want disk encryption, you need the TPM module.
If you want the fancy 3D effects, you will need a 64MB video card with DirectX 9 support.
If you want to play videos protected with Secure Video Path at high resolution, you need a "trusted" monitor. Fortunately, "trusted monitors" don't exist yet, so content won't be requiring them for a good long time.
Stop spreading bullshit.
Here's what I've seen with Vista:
- Explorer doesn't have a menubar
- Windows Meida Player doesn't have a menubar (true already unless you show it)
- Internet Explorer has de-emphasized the menubar
- Office 12 won't have a menubar
There is one conclusion: Microsoft is eliminating the menubar. Will it work? Only time will tell.
Currently, there are 4 "main" editions of XP:
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Pro
Windows XP Media Center
Windows XP Tablet PC
There are also "region-specific" versions:
Windows XP Starter
Windows XP Home N
Windows XP Pro N
So, yes, by that metric, there are already 7 versions. But, also by that metric, there are over 10 Windows Vista variants.
BULLSHIT
The OASIS OpenDocument format is, was, and always will be centered around OpenOffice.org. It is as much OOo's format as Microsoft's XML formats are Microsoft's.
Microsoft *is* moving to an open format. That it is not as patent-free as you would like doesn't change that.
Well, after five security updates that patch numerous security holes (22 since 2004), I'm not sure that Firefox is the solution. It's certainly more secure than IE, but is it secure *enough*? No, it isn't.
I deployed Firefox on the corporate network to improve security. Five updates later, I'm explaining to my manager that Firefox, just like IE, is full of security holes that need to be patched.
Unlike IE, Firefox can't be updated through Windows Update and it doesn't have a patch release cycle. That makes it harder to plan for and harder to deploy Firefox patches.
Having "fewer" vulnerabilities than IE isn't good enough - particularly when your patching system sucks. Open source can do better.
"Oh, the other thing? Outlook feels integrated because everything automatically does the windows automatica launch active-x thing. Just highlight a message subjet, bingo! Embedded code launches! that's why viruses and worms."
Stop spreading FUD. Outlook hasn't executed scripting in messeges for years. While it's true that Outlook uses Trident ("IE") for displaying messeges, it runs it in a mode with Javascript and ActiveX disabled. Even Trident flaws are unlikely to cause a compromise.
All recent email worms have been of the "download this executable and run it" variety. And Outlook 2003, by default, won't even let you download executables.
As the owner of a Treo 650, let me say, when I purchased the device, I pretty much knew that Palm OS was dead:
- PalmSource has halted development on Garnet (the version of Palm OS that the Treo runs)
- Palm's Treo 670 will probably run Windows Mobile
That said, I don't really care:
- My previous device, the Danger Hiptop2 / T-Mobile Sidekick II, was far less expandable and far less usable than my Treo is *today*, even assuming that Palm development ceases tomorrow
- I already have an SSH client, IRC client, web browser (two of them, actually), email client (with IMAP sync and IDLE support, even when the phone is off), MP3 player, Bejewled 2, and a lot more.
It does far more than the Sidekick ever could do or ever will do. As nice as the Sidekick is, it, like many smartphones, is a closed platform. I can't add features that aren't already there. With the Treo I can.
That said, Windows Mobile is a much better platform in many regards. The UI isn't as good, but it can multitask, has a real filesystem, has more web browser choices, and doesn't have stupid heap size limitations.
Actually, it wouldn't. Patents are 20 years from date of filing (1981 at the latest in the case of VisiCalc), so Visicalc wouldn't have had patent protection since 2001.
"And as for the virus....it's a Windows virus. The problem isn't with creative, it's with an OS that's so easily corrupted."
That's stupid - it's like saying that murderers aren't the problem because "people are so easily killed."
It has nothing to do with FS performance and everything to do with the fact that Apple's implementation of threading has considerably higher overhead than Linux.
"Isn't circumventing access control a crime nowadays in the US ?"
Yes, and being caught with alcohol twice at the University of Colorado of Boulder twice causes immediate expulsion.
Or, at least it would, if the law were actually enforced.
That's the silver lining of the DMCA - 90% of the time, it's completely and utterly unenforcable. Few people know, and fewer people care.
No, actually, Office includes a utility that lets you generate (and import) a self-signed certificate.
You only need to spend $400 if you want to avoid having to deploy that cert to everyone in the organization.
After actually writing an engine to do find-as-you type, let me tell you, Apple's implementation leaves a lot to desire. Even though my searches were relatively fast (0.5seconds), it's pointless to do searches for "p" or even "pr" when you have such a huge dataset. A proper implementation does two things:
- Doesn't search for things under two letters unless you explicitly press return
- Pauses for a split second as to not interfere with typing
As a network admin, you will appreciate these features of Vista:
- Users don't run as Administrator by default in Vista (and the OS handles installers / setting changes gracefully)
- Active Directory now works with Fast User Switching.
- Better error logging (fortified with XML!)
- Integrated memory diagnostics & SMART monitoring
- Fewer Images because hardware changes don't require a new image
- Windows Imaging for system imaging
- Firewall integrated with Group Policy
- Publically available WinPE for recovery that boots from USB drives
- Hybrid suspend/hibernate prevents data loss in suspend from power loss
- More advanced managment console
- Monad shell (better scripting)
- More advanced task scheduler
- Management web-services for remote management
- Windows Resource Protection (like Windows File Protection but also protects the registry)
- Windows Deployment Services
All of these are major useful features that help in a corporate environment. If don't think there's anything worthwhile in Vista, you need to look again.
My only question is this: What the fuck is the developer doing with that space?
A dual-layer DVD is 8GB! What could you be doing that takes up more than 16GB of data?
WMV-HD (which the 360 can decode) can fit at least 2 hours of HD video in 8GB.
So, where is all the space going? 16GB is more than 6 times larger than KOTOR II.
"anyone intending to copy the file could do so easily"
Yes, and with books on CD, it's even easier. DRM changes nothing in this case - in fact, it makes it considerably more difficult to make a copy.
Oh, and before you call WMA-DRM "easy", you might want to look at it more closely. Like all DRM systems, it can be cracked, but it is certainly far less trivial than - for example - CSS or FairPlay.
You're an idiot.
To reasonably distribute content, you need to use a proprietary system of some kind.
Most libraries have had audio CDs since the early 90s. CDDA is, of course, patented. To listen to a CD, you need a player that licensed Sony/Philips technology.
Libraries need to keep up with technology. Few people want to (or can) listen to reel-to-reel tapes or LPs. That means using patented technology in many cases.
The fact that you need Microsoft patented technology to listen to WMA-DRM files is no different than the fact that you needed Philips licensed technology to listen to CDs.
This is not an "extremely dangerous trend", it's an established fact. The fact that the patent is held by Microsoft instead of Philips is unimportant.
The files already play on the top two platforms, Windows and Mac OS. Yes, it's a IP-encumbered format, but so is the audio CD.
WinFS stands for "Windows Future Storage", not "Windows File System".
With all of the cost overruns, the wierd artwork, and the abandoned baggage system, DIA is still the single most usable airport in the United States.
1: There is more room for security which leads to shorter lines. Additionally, connecting flights don't require going through security again, further decreasing the load.
2: The airport design is simple and easy to understand. There is only one terminal building to arrive at, and the concourses are arranged logically.
3: The terminal is very nice - well lit and refresingly open. There is a distinct "open air" feeling that doesn't exist in many airports. There is a wide range of services as well - plenty of food, bookstores, coffee, etc.
4: Unlike Stapleton, snow doesn't shut down DIA.
5: The train system is fast and effective.
6: There is room for expansion, which is particularly important as Frontier expands (DIA is a major United hub, and the only Frontier hub).
7: The large size of the airport and openness of the runways make it easier to land and eaiser to route traffic.
DIA is the world's 10th largest airport. Give it a bit of credit.
Average desktop is ~100W (Higher under load, lower at idle). That works out to 2.4KWh/day, it takes about 0.81 lbs of coal to generate a KWh of electricity (1), so a computer requires about 1.94lbs of coal to run for a day.
t or%20Methodology.pdf
m aterials.html
"Two Circus tents" is a complete bullshit metric, and, regardless, 1.94lbs of coal @ 1.55g/cm^3 (2) equals about 568cm^3 of coal.
In a whole year, a computer requires about 20 cubic meters of coal. That's a lot of coal, but it's still orders of magnitude less than "two circus tents".
Oh, and, by the way - optical mice are far from "useless", and at http://www.ncgreenpower.org/elements/pdfs/Calcula
2: http://www.mcelwee.net/html/densities_of_various_
"There are two types of cheating. Cheating the house and cheating the other players. I have a problem with the former and not the latter. When you're playing against the house, the odds are severely stacked against you."
No, they aren't. Sure, if you play Keno, your odds suck. But if you play basic strategy (not hard to learn) and find a decent Blackjack game (NOT 5:6, etc.), the house edge is frequently below 0.5%.
And cheating is cheating. If you don't like the house edge, don't play. Stealing chips from a casino is exactly the same thing as stealing real money.
Remember, the cameras aren't just there to prevent you from cheating - they are also there to prevent the house from cheating. The NGC is, thankfully, a bunch of hard-asses who will pull licenses if the casinos don't play on the straight and level.
In Vegas, the games are fair. Sure, the house has the edge, but the deck isn't stacked and the slots really are random.
Playing BS Blackjack at $10 a hand, with a decent game (house edge 0.5%) costs only $.05 a hand. At 100 hands an hour, that works out to $5 an hour. It's every bit as cheap as a movie, and you get free drinks. Moreover, if you play for a few hours, you can probably get a comp for the buffet.
Know how much you're willing to lose (and stick to it), know which games to play (and what the house edge is), know the rules, know the basic strategy, and have fun.
"Right now, it doesn't matter where you live in the US. You can't get it. So until you can get these speeds in the highly populated areas you can't use the last mile arguement."
s /HighSpeedInternetForHome.asp
Bullshit.
http://www22.verizon.com/FiosForHome/channels/Fio
"Nobody should reasonably expect the coffee to be so hot as to cause third degree burns in a matter of seconds.
Sure we can. Even children understand that hot things burn, and that burns hurt; therefore it pays to be especially careful with hot things."
Bullshit. Liquids become exponentially more dangerous as the temperature increases. Coffee at a normal hot temperature causes minor first-degree burns when it is spilled. McDonalds was serving coffe that was considerably more dangerous.
It's like the difference between having a waxed floor (which can be slippery) and having a floor coated with a thin layer of soapy water (which is considerably more dangerous). McDonalds served a product that was considerably more dangerous than other coffee, they knew of the risk, and they refused to stop. When that product caused severe harm, McDonalds deserved to be liable for the damage that their excessively dangerous product caused.
"So you have no graphics,"
Graphics run fine in VESA mode, but there's no 3D acceleration.
"sound"
Works fine on many Intel boards.
"networking"
Works fine with many NICs, including the Intel PRO/100 VE in my notebook.
"OK, good job Microsoft: Now if you could implement a "least privileges" model by default...."
Windows Vista. It's called "User Account Protection".