Technically, the guy says that he predicts the format is dying (i.e. bluray is currently in use but he forsees the day that his approach, downloads, will overtake physical media). He doesn't actually say that it's dead (past tense) like the headline states.
But "Xbox Head Proclaims Blu-ray Dying" doesn't rhyme...
Offtopic now, but just Google (or Archie) for 'John Poindexter' and 'TIA' or 'Total Information Awareness'. That should tell you what you need to know.
To me, power and performance are two different things. Performance is how well it does what it's supposed to do. Power (in a software sense, anyhow) is the number of features, configurability (which probably isn't a word, but you know what I mean), additional things that make the platform that much more 'powerful' to use.
Think about the number of integrated development environments that have been described as 'powerful'. That's how I define it.
Power in a *hardware* sense, though, has to me a different flavour entirely. But that's for another rant.
It's true that TS have just implemented a pair of servers running Linux at the moment. But if GNU/Linux is going to break into the desktop market *anywhere* other than in the homes of a few techies, then it's going to be here.
They've already shown a willingness to try FOSS solutions, and I think it very likely that the next call centre that gets set up (especially if it is outside the UK/US) will be running GNU/Linux on the desktop.
It's a blow for the Open Source boys that TS are still using Windows on the desktop, but that's probably simply because they've already paid for it. If you've just shelled out £200 per computer for an operating system, you don't turn around and say "Right! Let's ditch it and install a free version instead!". It's the same reason why any attempt on my part to get a few machines switched over to Linux (to give the kids experience of other operating systems) have been met with apathy and, from the beancounters, fear.
This is one of the places I can see FOSS (including GNU/Linux) really making a difference. Nothing The Samaritans does goes outside the organisation - they don't offer training, they don't do work for other people, they just use the computers to run their charity.
And that's just blown 99.9% of the arguments for keeping Windows on the desktop out of the water.
If the support is there, and it's done intelligently, then this is a brilliant move that all similar charities should seriously think about adopting - especially if they're just setting up and haven't paid any money out for Microsoft Open Licensing yet.
I'd have to say that Sun are doing pretty well here in the UK. They've just started a scheme where educational and non-profit research establishments can get a full site license for StarOffice 6.0 for £23 - that's in total, not per computer. As a technician for an educational establishment, this makes me rather happy.
NDAs are a fact of corporate life - is asking someone to sign one before you give away details on the technology it's taken you years and millions to develop *really* that evil?
Given that IBM dont care what OS you run as long as its there hardware
Not strictly true (or perhaps that should read not *historically* true).
Sure, these days an IBM boxen can run pretty much any OS you care to name. But not too long ago, IBM shipped all their machines with OS/2 WARP - their own attempt at a multi-tasking environment.
After OS/2 died like the lame dog it was (multitasking? It hardly even unitasked!), IBM were forced to give up on their abortive attempt to take over the software market and ship Microsoft Windows as the default OS.
Personally, if I want a BSD-based datacenter server, I'd run it on an Alpha system, not an UltraSparc. But that's just me.
...but it sounds similar to something we've already got here in the UK. When ITVDigital went bust, the old set-top boxes could still receive the 'free-to-air' digital channels, such as BBC4 and ITV2. To get more people to switch on (no pun intended) to digital television, the Government (who are talking about switching off the old analogue system sometime in 2004) told set-top manufacturers to make more of these old boxes.
The result is that you can buy FreeView boxes for £100 which pick up around thirty digital channels - without paying a subscription fee. And it's not just a BBC monopoly - any broadcaster who shoves out a free-to-air digital channel can be picked up on a FreeView box.
I dunno, I'm probably missing something incredibly clever that Sony have done to make this 'new'.
I have to agree with this. I've done quite a bit of work for the UK Government, and the Microsoft-centric homogeneous networks have to be seen to be believed.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel - I'm currently working as a Network Technician for a private school, and in order to save some cash I've been rolling out a number of FOSS solutions to common issues. We have a number of multi-boot sytems running XOSL, even more systems running StarOffice under the 'Site License for £23' deal Sun are doing at the moment, a webserver running Apache, and almost every workstation has the Win32 port of The GIMP installed for image editing work - a lot cheaper than installing Adobe Photoshop!
It's been met with great success, and if things continue to improve I might even see to switching a room into a BSD/Linux cluster.
FOSS is certainly a good thing, but never forget the cost in re-training individuals. The main reason we're still using Windows as our primary desktop OS is because when the kids leave and get jobs, nine times out of ten they'll be running Windows at work. If that changes, then perhaps educational establishments will look more kindly on BSD or GNU/Linux or what have you as a *real* desktop OS, rather than just a geeky toy.
Perhaps the Americans should worry more about getting a more open *Government* before worrying about getting more open *software*. Even the Penguin can't do much against a Total Information Awareness-empowered nanny state.
So, what you're saying is something along these lines:
"Although the source code for the freeware PGP version has been available for a number of years, and checked over by novices and industry experts alike in multiple countries around the world, it's not secure because NAI made a branded, commercial version."
Why not just use the PGPi Freeware version - we're all fairly sure that's secure? Or perhaps that wasn't a real message at all - perhaps that was your plans to blow up parliament!!!
Also, check out the CKT (Cyber Knights Templar) build of PGP - support for a ridiculous 40,096-bit key length (compared with 4,096 from NAI or PGPi.
-Blacklaw
Outlaw terrorism, and only criminals will... No, wait... Can I try this signature again?
Although the site is fairly slow to load, it has a 128-bit SSL connection from the word "go", never going into plaintext. You can send normal e-mails with it, or (unlike HushMail), you can send "Secure E-Mail".
The secure function takes the form of of sending the recipient a message saying "You have been sent a message by Anonymous12131243243@1243.4232.com (or some such). The recipient then clicks on the link, and is presented with a SSL-secured connection to ZipLip. They then enter the password you supplied them with (over the phone or whatever), or they can guess the password using the optional Hint. Then they can read the message. After they have read it, it's wiped from the server.
You can also tell the server to wipe messages 12-hours, 24-hours, 48-hours, one week etc. after sending - just in case the person never checks the e-mail.
Not a perfect solution to secure e-mail, but (IMHO) better than HushMail.
-Blacklaw
"Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Even stupid people"
Slashdot Mirror
Looks like the GMP doesn't have much of a sense of humour - it's threatening spoof account holders with the crime of impersonating a police officer. Shame, because some of 'em are very well done - such as the Super Mario Brothers version...
Technically, the guy says that he predicts the format is dying (i.e. bluray is currently in use but he forsees the day that his approach, downloads, will overtake physical media). He doesn't actually say that it's dead (past tense) like the headline states.
But "Xbox Head Proclaims Blu-ray Dying" doesn't rhyme...
Offtopic now, but just Google (or Archie) for 'John Poindexter' and 'TIA' or 'Total Information Awareness'. That should tell you what you need to know.
-Blacklaw
I'm amazed no-one asked about his singing career.
Although I guess that his cover of 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' is a crime against sound that we're all trying *very* hard to forget...
-Blacklaw
To me, power and performance are two different things. Performance is how well it does what it's supposed to do. Power (in a software sense, anyhow) is the number of features, configurability (which probably isn't a word, but you know what I mean), additional things that make the platform that much more 'powerful' to use.
Think about the number of integrated development environments that have been described as 'powerful'. That's how I define it.
Power in a *hardware* sense, though, has to me a different flavour entirely. But that's for another rant.
-Blacklaw
It's true that TS have just implemented a pair of servers running Linux at the moment. But if GNU/Linux is going to break into the desktop market *anywhere* other than in the homes of a few techies, then it's going to be here.
They've already shown a willingness to try FOSS solutions, and I think it very likely that the next call centre that gets set up (especially if it is outside the UK/US) will be running GNU/Linux on the desktop.
It's a blow for the Open Source boys that TS are still using Windows on the desktop, but that's probably simply because they've already paid for it. If you've just shelled out £200 per computer for an operating system, you don't turn around and say "Right! Let's ditch it and install a free version instead!". It's the same reason why any attempt on my part to get a few machines switched over to Linux (to give the kids experience of other operating systems) have been met with apathy and, from the beancounters, fear.
-Blacklaw
This is one of the places I can see FOSS (including GNU/Linux) really making a difference. Nothing The Samaritans does goes outside the organisation - they don't offer training, they don't do work for other people, they just use the computers to run their charity.
And that's just blown 99.9% of the arguments for keeping Windows on the desktop out of the water.
If the support is there, and it's done intelligently, then this is a brilliant move that all similar charities should seriously think about adopting - especially if they're just setting up and haven't paid any money out for Microsoft Open Licensing yet.
-Blacklaw
I'd have to say that Sun are doing pretty well here in the UK. They've just started a scheme where educational and non-profit research establishments can get a full site license for StarOffice 6.0 for £23 - that's in total, not per computer. As a technician for an educational establishment, this makes me rather happy.
NDAs are a fact of corporate life - is asking someone to sign one before you give away details on the technology it's taken you years and millions to develop *really* that evil?
-Blacklaw
Given that IBM dont care what OS you run as long as its there hardware
Not strictly true (or perhaps that should read not *historically* true).
Sure, these days an IBM boxen can run pretty much any OS you care to name. But not too long ago, IBM shipped all their machines with OS/2 WARP - their own attempt at a multi-tasking environment.
After OS/2 died like the lame dog it was (multitasking? It hardly even unitasked!), IBM were forced to give up on their abortive attempt to take over the software market and ship Microsoft Windows as the default OS.
Personally, if I want a BSD-based datacenter server, I'd run it on an Alpha system, not an UltraSparc. But that's just me.
-Blacklaw
...but it sounds similar to something we've already got here in the UK. When ITVDigital went bust, the old set-top boxes could still receive the 'free-to-air' digital channels, such as BBC4 and ITV2. To get more people to switch on (no pun intended) to digital television, the Government (who are talking about switching off the old analogue system sometime in 2004) told set-top manufacturers to make more of these old boxes.
The result is that you can buy FreeView boxes for £100 which pick up around thirty digital channels - without paying a subscription fee. And it's not just a BBC monopoly - any broadcaster who shoves out a free-to-air digital channel can be picked up on a FreeView box.
I dunno, I'm probably missing something incredibly clever that Sony have done to make this 'new'.
-Blacklaw
I have to agree with this. I've done quite a bit of work for the UK Government, and the Microsoft-centric homogeneous networks have to be seen to be believed.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel - I'm currently working as a Network Technician for a private school, and in order to save some cash I've been rolling out a number of FOSS solutions to common issues. We have a number of multi-boot sytems running XOSL, even more systems running StarOffice under the 'Site License for £23' deal Sun are doing at the moment, a webserver running Apache, and almost every workstation has the Win32 port of The GIMP installed for image editing work - a lot cheaper than installing Adobe Photoshop!
It's been met with great success, and if things continue to improve I might even see to switching a room into a BSD/Linux cluster.
FOSS is certainly a good thing, but never forget the cost in re-training individuals. The main reason we're still using Windows as our primary desktop OS is because when the kids leave and get jobs, nine times out of ten they'll be running Windows at work. If that changes, then perhaps educational establishments will look more kindly on BSD or GNU/Linux or what have you as a *real* desktop OS, rather than just a geeky toy.
-Blacklaw
Perhaps the Americans should worry more about getting a more open *Government* before worrying about getting more open *software*. Even the Penguin can't do much against a Total Information Awareness-empowered nanny state.
-Blacklaw
So, what you're saying is something along these lines:
"Although the source code for the freeware PGP version has been available for a number of years, and checked over by novices and industry experts alike in multiple countries around the world, it's not secure because NAI made a branded, commercial version."
Why not just use the PGPi Freeware version - we're all fairly sure that's secure? Or perhaps that wasn't a real message at all - perhaps that was your plans to blow up parliament!!!
Also, check out the CKT (Cyber Knights Templar) build of PGP - support for a ridiculous 40,096-bit key length (compared with 4,096 from NAI or PGPi.
-Blacklaw
Outlaw terrorism, and only criminals will... No, wait... Can I try this signature again?
For encrypted e-mail I use http://www.ziplip.com.
Although the site is fairly slow to load, it has a 128-bit SSL connection from the word "go", never going into plaintext. You can send normal e-mails with it, or (unlike HushMail), you can send "Secure E-Mail".
The secure function takes the form of of sending the recipient a message saying "You have been sent a message by Anonymous12131243243@1243.4232.com (or some such). The recipient then clicks on the link, and is presented with a SSL-secured connection to ZipLip. They then enter the password you supplied them with (over the phone or whatever), or they can guess the password using the optional Hint. Then they can read the message. After they have read it, it's wiped from the server.
You can also tell the server to wipe messages 12-hours, 24-hours, 48-hours, one week etc. after sending - just in case the person never checks the e-mail.
Not a perfect solution to secure e-mail, but (IMHO) better than HushMail.
-Blacklaw"Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Even stupid people"