TFA in question isn't Stallman's "The Java Trap". The article in question is about OOo using undocumented, Sun-VM-specific classes in Java.
The article is based on Stallman's "The Java Trap" and quotes it directly when making arguments against these 'undocumented, Sun-VM-specific features'. It's a little pointless to argue about a summary article without looking at the paper it summarizes.
Yes, this is exactly what Sun was criticizing MS for. MS was breaking compatibility by adding features to the standard library. If Sun programs are using parts of Java which are not officially part of the standard library, then they are doing so too.
The Sun v Microsoft lawsuits were not about API changes. They were about language changes. There's a big difference. Anyone who wants to, can extend the Java APIs. Go ahead, make a org.slashdot.MyList that extends ArrayList... it's fine with Sun. Apple has added all kinds of extentions (many of which fly directly in the face of Sun's philosophies)
(And BTW, GNU Classpath seems to be progressing quite well actually.)
I didn't say GNU Classpath is behind. RMS did: "We do have free implementations of Java, such as the GNU Compiler for Java (GCJ) and GNU Classpath, but they don't support all the features yet. We are still catching up."
Because it depends on undocumented "features" that are only available in the sun JRE, which is THE PROBLEM THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT. Wasn't this exactly what sun (quite rightly) criticised MS for doing with java?
Read RMS's The Java Trap. He isn't complaining about undocumented features, he was complaining about using features that haven't been implemented in a 'free' version of Java yet. In essence, he's complaining that GNU Classpath isn't developing fast enough (although he would never word it that way). Once GNU Classpath catches up to Sun (if it happens), then Open Office will work just fine with it.
And this wasn't what Sun was criticizing MS for. MS was adding very well documented (and thoughtful) features to Java. New features like delegates. Sun just didn't want to loose control of Java. They didn't say no one should advance Java past version 1.1. They said only Sun should make changes to the language.
Even without cheaters, a score weighted by time would be helpful. If I put the game down for a few weeks, my score should drop a level or two (I know my skill does).
Is the rumor true that Netflix sends movies out faster to new customers and gradually slows down the longer you've been with them?
No, it's more complicated than that. Presumably, Netflix has algorithms to calculate who should get which movies based on how fast they return them, where they live, and (if you believe the rumors) how long you've been a member. They alter these algorithms constantly, so the behavior people talk about now may have changed by the time you sign up.
I've used Netflix for years. I have spells where I've turned around movies overnight. During those periods, I was much more likely to get new releases (they need to buy less copies, if they get them back right away). If I sit on movies for a few weeks, the first few movies on my queue switch to "long wait". I keep a long enough queue that it really doesn't concern me.
But since all we really have to work with is anecdotal evidence, I'll offer mine... over the last few years, shipping times for me have dropped from 6 days to 2 (mostly due to distribution centers getting closer and closer to me). On occasion I won't get a movie for 4 days after sending one back. After the third day, I begin to wonder if it got lost in the mail.
I just downloaded Camino, and I'm using it right now. Wheeres the freggin speal cheecker?
I had heard that to use true native components in the browser window (rather than just painting native components to the browser), there would have to be hooks added to gecko. Of course this means as soon as Camino has real native widgets in the browser, so will firefox.
Of course, that may not be true... but still... where are my red squigglies?
First, isn't this EXACTLY what Sun did with Java? You can't alter it, you can just see the code for debugging purposes.
Second, although Mono programmers should stay away from this source just to be safe, realistically, seeing the source to windows forms wouldn't help them much anyway. Mono isn't using win32 hooks. It's cross platform. Their implementation would be completely different.
So what happens when "ThinkJedi" gets (from a secret NDA'd Lucas employee) a paragraph-for-paragraph, paraphrased (so not direct copy) copy of the StarWars script? Maybe they even cite the script at the bottom. Guess Lucas should just suck it up, eh?
He should sue them. Not with the expectation of winning, but with the hope that the process will reveal the leak. It's especially likely if ThinkJedi doesn't get a good lawyer. I never said apple did anything wrong by filing a lawsuit. I'm just saying they shouldn't win.
Insightful? Nothing you said was based in law. Just invalid comparisons.
If someone posted the contents of Harry Potter they would be guilty of copyright infringement (themselves, not by proxy). A more correct analogy would be reporting on the existence of a new Harry Potter book, or a new Star Wars movie... it happens all the time, and its perfectly legal.
Reporting on the existence of a 'secret' project is not 'profiting from stolen goods'. Variety does it on a daily basis, as does AP, CNN and the Wall Street Journal.
Distributing Classified documents is illegal in it's own right and has nothing to do with this. You might as well compare it to rape or murder.
Your interpretation of the first amendment certainly sounds like its from a high school government class. Thank god Mr. Gross didn't stop his education there!
How do you illegally solicit employees to break their confidentiality agreement? There's nothing illegal (AFAIK) about asking someone to break a contract. It's just an excuse to sue Think Secret so they can obtain the eployee's identities. They're just hoping it stays in court long enough to flush out the leaks.
But somehow I don't think spammers really care if a blog uses this system or not.
They will when all blogs use it. Companies that make blog software will have this enabled by default, most blogs will have this feature turned on when they upgrade (assuming they upgrade). Those companies that offer blog services can turn it on without even requiring user upgrades. Sure spammers may still spam blogs to catch the eyes of readers, but spamming for the sake of getting a higher page rank will be pointless. This is going to take a little time but eventually a very large portion of blog users could have this turned on.
Re:Need a Dual G% with thier software...
on
Mac mini Dissection
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· Score: 1
Brilliant! Some day I need to hear your explaination for why Java 2 Standard Edition 5.0 programs are developed in the JDK 1.5.
Firefox is the only mainstream application I can think of that actually removed features from an application in order to improve usability. Bravo.
This happens all the time in the commercial software world. Sometimes its more successful than others. Look at 'light' versions of professional apps: Photoshop Elements, Final Cut Express and even Windows PX Home edition (like I said, sometimes its successful, sometimes, not so much). In most cases the UI is also simplified in the consumer versions.
Try teaching your grandparents to use a computer sometime. I did. My grandmother kept picking the mouse up and moving it around in the air because she didn't understand dragging it on the pad. She was confused that such a sophisticated piece of machinery didn't let her do something that felt so natural to her.
Sure its easy to teach someone to memorize CLI commands. But if they really want to learn, they need an interface that utilizes patterns. Can you teach someone vi and expect them to understand sed? But if you teach them Word, they might figure out powerpoint.
CLI is very powerful for power users, and very easy to learn for those who memorize steps to reproduce a specific process. It is not good for conceptual learning.
My experiences with Charter were much better. They use Moxi boxes. Compared to my old Series 1 Tivo, the Moxi has a better looking interface (although a bit buggy still). The features are comparable to my Series 1 (and they have products rolling out this year to compete with the Series 2 Tivo). It also records HD content from Charter, and controls my Pay-per-view (they plan to have it control VOD by the end of the month).
Moxi also has one more huge advantage over Tivo: I rent the box for $6/mo (it would be $9 if I didn't have a HD package). If I decide I don't like it, or they roll out a new DVR, I can just send this one back. No hardware to buy.
1) Color Scheme No one likes 2) Move the menus from there top left location to the top right... 3) In fact let's just move completely away from the familiar IE look people are used to, and scare them off 3) Built in Toolbars most people don't want 4) Scrap it all and ship Firefox 1.0 5) Profit?
It seems like a lot of this marketing babble does more harm than good. Many times, I've been asked to do research on pre-existing 'solutions', and have passed on companies becuase I couldn't really tell what they were offering. The entire point of using a pre-existing solution is to save manpower. If I have to schedule a 3 hour teleconference just to find out if your product serves my industry, I just might not bother.
Hey guys, here's a clue...before including an ever so nifty new compression / performance feature into your proposals, how about actually quantifying the expected benefits? This includes both performance of parsing as well as generation. Yes we need a binary XML standard, but keep it simple PLEASE.
I can understand why we need a binary standard format, but why should it have anything to do with XML? The entire point of XML (AFAIK) was to have a human-readable data-interchange format with a known set of rules and restrictions (no guessing about how to parse it). If it's binary, it's no longer human-readable.
Surely we aren't using XML as a basis just because we like hierarchical data models?!?
raq even allowed the weapons inspectors in to prove they didn't have anything. Remember how the Bush administration mocked the U.N. weapons inspectors whose search turned up nothing? Remember the ultimatum that Bush gave Iraq -- disarm within 72 hours or else? And Fox News gleefully put a countdown clock on the screen? Remember the forged documents--not the ones from CBS; the ones supposedly from Nigeria saying that Iraq tried to acquire fissionable material? Remember the aluminum tubes?
Remember how reasonable, rational people said there was no proof Iraq had WMDs? Remember how millions of people all over the world protested this war before it started? Remember when scores of diplomats resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service because of these false claims of WMDs?
I think to most Americans, these things have just become clichés. Each mini-scandal leaked out with so little fanfare that by the time each was proven true, they had lost their bite. Had each of these things been released to the press and proven in a single day, we might have impeached Bush. But instead, half the country is exhausted with hate and the other half is wondering what big deal is.
Really Bush is using the same tactic Clinton used during the Lewinski crap: Deny, deny, deny until it's common knowledge that your wrong, and then admit it. By then, no one cares.
If Linux is ever going to conquer the desktop, it will take the effort of many dedicated people who not only have the time & the patience, but also obsess about the user experience of the aforementioned unwashed.
Not only would those people need to have time, patience and an obsession about the user experience, but they would also need to have 1) a great deal of knowledge about usability 2) the infrastructure (possibly funding) to perform usability tests 3) the leadership to organize these new findings
That last point is why linux will never be ready for the desktop. The programmers need to be required to add usability enhancements even if they don't understand and/or agree with those changes. This will never happen under a purely open source project. In open source, mob rules. That's an huge advantage for creating robust, multi-functional projects (well written applications with lots of features); but commercial companies have the advantage in enforcing usability requirements.
That's why BSD is for geeks, but Apple (Next) was able to create OSX from it. That's why Gimp will always have great features, long before those features have a great interface. That's why Eclipse will always have more features than IDEA, but will never be as user friendly. The GPL makes it unlikely that a corporation will ever put a serious effort into Linux's UI (although it's great that there are companies who put any effort at all into it - IBM, Novel, Sun).
Slashdot Mirror
TFA in question isn't Stallman's "The Java Trap". The article in question is about OOo using undocumented, Sun-VM-specific classes in Java.
The article is based on Stallman's "The Java Trap" and quotes it directly when making arguments against these 'undocumented, Sun-VM-specific features'. It's a little pointless to argue about a summary article without looking at the paper it summarizes.
Yes, this is exactly what Sun was criticizing MS for. MS was breaking compatibility by adding features to the standard library. If Sun programs are using parts of Java which are not officially part of the standard library, then they are doing so too.
The Sun v Microsoft lawsuits were not about API changes. They were about language changes. There's a big difference. Anyone who wants to, can extend the Java APIs. Go ahead, make a org.slashdot.MyList that extends ArrayList... it's fine with Sun. Apple has added all kinds of extentions (many of which fly directly in the face of Sun's philosophies)
(And BTW, GNU Classpath seems to be progressing quite well actually.)
I didn't say GNU Classpath is behind. RMS did: "We do have free implementations of Java, such as the GNU Compiler for Java (GCJ) and GNU Classpath, but they don't support all the features yet. We are still catching up."
Because it depends on undocumented "features" that are only available in the sun JRE, which is THE PROBLEM THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT. Wasn't this exactly what sun (quite rightly) criticised MS for doing with java?
Read RMS's The Java Trap. He isn't complaining about undocumented features, he was complaining about using features that haven't been implemented in a 'free' version of Java yet. In essence, he's complaining that GNU Classpath isn't developing fast enough (although he would never word it that way). Once GNU Classpath catches up to Sun (if it happens), then Open Office will work just fine with it.
And this wasn't what Sun was criticizing MS for. MS was adding very well documented (and thoughtful) features to Java. New features like delegates. Sun just didn't want to loose control of Java. They didn't say no one should advance Java past version 1.1. They said only Sun should make changes to the language.
... and all extremists should be shot!
Even without cheaters, a score weighted by time would be helpful. If I put the game down for a few weeks, my score should drop a level or two (I know my skill does).
Is the rumor true that Netflix sends movies out faster to new customers and gradually slows down the longer you've been with them?
No, it's more complicated than that. Presumably, Netflix has algorithms to calculate who should get which movies based on how fast they return them, where they live, and (if you believe the rumors) how long you've been a member. They alter these algorithms constantly, so the behavior people talk about now may have changed by the time you sign up.
I've used Netflix for years. I have spells where I've turned around movies overnight. During those periods, I was much more likely to get new releases (they need to buy less copies, if they get them back right away). If I sit on movies for a few weeks, the first few movies on my queue switch to "long wait". I keep a long enough queue that it really doesn't concern me.
But since all we really have to work with is anecdotal evidence, I'll offer mine... over the last few years, shipping times for me have dropped from 6 days to 2 (mostly due to distribution centers getting closer and closer to me). On occasion I won't get a movie for 4 days after sending one back. After the third day, I begin to wonder if it got lost in the mail.
I just downloaded Camino, and I'm using it right now. Wheeres the freggin speal cheecker?
I had heard that to use true native components in the browser window (rather than just painting native components to the browser), there would have to be hooks added to gecko. Of course this means as soon as Camino has real native widgets in the browser, so will firefox.
Of course, that may not be true... but still... where are my red squigglies?
I had assumed this work was complete when I posted. It looks like they are still working on removing Wine:
http://www.go-mono.com/winforms.html
First, isn't this EXACTLY what Sun did with Java? You can't alter it, you can just see the code for debugging purposes.
Second, although Mono programmers should stay away from this source just to be safe, realistically, seeing the source to windows forms wouldn't help them much anyway. Mono isn't using win32 hooks. It's cross platform. Their implementation would be completely different.
Does anyone *really* need a book telling them how to use a browser? Doesn't that suggest that the browser UI design is inadequate?
We have books that tell us how to make babies, yet I've always found that interface rather intuitive.
So what happens when "ThinkJedi" gets (from a secret NDA'd Lucas employee) a paragraph-for-paragraph, paraphrased (so not direct copy) copy of the StarWars script? Maybe they even cite the script at the bottom. Guess Lucas should just suck it up, eh?
He should sue them. Not with the expectation of winning, but with the hope that the process will reveal the leak. It's especially likely if ThinkJedi doesn't get a good lawyer. I never said apple did anything wrong by filing a lawsuit. I'm just saying they shouldn't win.
Insightful? Nothing you said was based in law. Just invalid comparisons.
If someone posted the contents of Harry Potter they would be guilty of copyright infringement (themselves, not by proxy). A more correct analogy would be reporting on the existence of a new Harry Potter book, or a new Star Wars movie... it happens all the time, and its perfectly legal.
Reporting on the existence of a 'secret' project is not 'profiting from stolen goods'. Variety does it on a daily basis, as does AP, CNN and the Wall Street Journal.
Distributing Classified documents is illegal in it's own right and has nothing to do with this. You might as well compare it to rape or murder.
Your interpretation of the first amendment certainly sounds like its from a high school government class. Thank god Mr. Gross didn't stop his education there!
How do you illegally solicit employees to break their confidentiality agreement? There's nothing illegal (AFAIK) about asking someone to break a contract. It's just an excuse to sue Think Secret so they can obtain the eployee's identities. They're just hoping it stays in court long enough to flush out the leaks.
But somehow I don't think spammers really care if a blog uses this system or not.
They will when all blogs use it. Companies that make blog software will have this enabled by default, most blogs will have this feature turned on when they upgrade (assuming they upgrade). Those companies that offer blog services can turn it on without even requiring user upgrades. Sure spammers may still spam blogs to catch the eyes of readers, but spamming for the sake of getting a higher page rank will be pointless. This is going to take a little time but eventually a very large portion of blog users could have this turned on.
Brilliant! Some day I need to hear your explaination for why Java 2 Standard Edition 5.0 programs are developed in the JDK 1.5.
Firefox is the only mainstream application I can think of that actually removed features from an application in order to improve usability. Bravo.
This happens all the time in the commercial software world. Sometimes its more successful than others. Look at 'light' versions of professional apps: Photoshop Elements, Final Cut Express and even Windows PX Home edition (like I said, sometimes its successful, sometimes, not so much). In most cases the UI is also simplified in the consumer versions.
Try teaching your grandparents to use a computer sometime. I did. My grandmother kept picking the mouse up and moving it around in the air because she didn't understand dragging it on the pad. She was confused that such a sophisticated piece of machinery didn't let her do something that felt so natural to her.
Sure its easy to teach someone to memorize CLI commands. But if they really want to learn, they need an interface that utilizes patterns. Can you teach someone vi and expect them to understand sed? But if you teach them Word, they might figure out powerpoint.
CLI is very powerful for power users, and very easy to learn for those who memorize steps to reproduce a specific process. It is not good for conceptual learning.
My experiences with Charter were much better. They use Moxi boxes. Compared to my old Series 1 Tivo, the Moxi has a better looking interface (although a bit buggy still). The features are comparable to my Series 1 (and they have products rolling out this year to compete with the Series 2 Tivo). It also records HD content from Charter, and controls my Pay-per-view (they plan to have it control VOD by the end of the month).
Moxi also has one more huge advantage over Tivo: I rent the box for $6/mo (it would be $9 if I didn't have a HD package). If I decide I don't like it, or they roll out a new DVR, I can just send this one back. No hardware to buy.
Let me finish:
1) Color Scheme No one likes
2) Move the menus from there top left location to the top right...
3) In fact let's just move completely away from the familiar IE look people are used to, and scare them off
3) Built in Toolbars most people don't want
4) Scrap it all and ship Firefox 1.0
5) Profit?
It seems like a lot of this marketing babble does more harm than good. Many times, I've been asked to do research on pre-existing 'solutions', and have passed on companies becuase I couldn't really tell what they were offering. The entire point of using a pre-existing solution is to save manpower. If I have to schedule a 3 hour teleconference just to find out if your product serves my industry, I just might not bother.
Hey guys, here's a clue...before including an ever so nifty new compression / performance feature into your proposals, how about actually quantifying the expected benefits? This includes both performance of parsing as well as generation. Yes we need a binary XML standard, but keep it simple PLEASE.
I can understand why we need a binary standard format, but why should it have anything to do with XML? The entire point of XML (AFAIK) was to have a human-readable data-interchange format with a known set of rules and restrictions (no guessing about how to parse it). If it's binary, it's no longer human-readable.
Surely we aren't using XML as a basis just because we like hierarchical data models?!?
I just bought a Powerbook G4, so you can expect the G5 announcement any day now.
I wasn't comparing the scandal, just how they dealt with the reaction.
raq even allowed the weapons inspectors in to prove they didn't have anything. Remember how the Bush administration mocked the U.N. weapons inspectors whose search turned up nothing? Remember the ultimatum that Bush gave Iraq -- disarm within 72 hours or else? And Fox News gleefully put a countdown clock on the screen? Remember the forged documents--not the ones from CBS; the ones supposedly from Nigeria saying that Iraq tried to acquire fissionable material? Remember the aluminum tubes?
Remember how reasonable, rational people said there was no proof Iraq had WMDs? Remember how millions of people all over the world protested this war before it started? Remember when scores of diplomats resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service because of these false claims of WMDs?
I think to most Americans, these things have just become clichés. Each mini-scandal leaked out with so little fanfare that by the time each was proven true, they had lost their bite. Had each of these things been released to the press and proven in a single day, we might have impeached Bush. But instead, half the country is exhausted with hate and the other half is wondering what big deal is.
Really Bush is using the same tactic Clinton used during the Lewinski crap: Deny, deny, deny until it's common knowledge that your wrong, and then admit it. By then, no one cares.
If Linux is ever going to conquer the desktop, it will take the effort of many dedicated people who not only have the time & the patience, but also obsess about the user experience of the aforementioned unwashed.
Not only would those people need to have time, patience and an obsession about the user experience, but they would also need to have
1) a great deal of knowledge about usability
2) the infrastructure (possibly funding) to perform usability tests
3) the leadership to organize these new findings
That last point is why linux will never be ready for the desktop. The programmers need to be required to add usability enhancements even if they don't understand and/or agree with those changes. This will never happen under a purely open source project. In open source, mob rules. That's an huge advantage for creating robust, multi-functional projects (well written applications with lots of features); but commercial companies have the advantage in enforcing usability requirements.
That's why BSD is for geeks, but Apple (Next) was able to create OSX from it. That's why Gimp will always have great features, long before those features have a great interface. That's why Eclipse will always have more features than IDEA, but will never be as user friendly. The GPL makes it unlikely that a corporation will ever put a serious effort into Linux's UI (although it's great that there are companies who put any effort at all into it - IBM, Novel, Sun).
Linksys is not so good as it gives away the manufacturer and allows an attacker to target the attacks.
It gives away a manufacturer; not the manufacturer. My 'Linksys' might be running on an Airport.