It used to bother me when I encountered conflict between the Linux and FreeBSD camps, but I've learned accept it as an unavoidable and sometimes entertaining result of human nature. Hey, they are both great operating systems... use the one you like the best and be happy you have choices.
I've been a FreeBSD user from the very beginning (back when it was 386bsd). It kicks ass as a high-end Internet/Intranet server. I run my business on it and have no regrets. I've started using Linux in recent years. As a desktop workstation, it rocks. I've had no problems getting the two OS's to play together. I'm glad they both exist.
The way I see it, a little conflict and competition between the camps will only spur us on... It is not like defeating Windows offers much of a *technical* challange.
It is most cool that Brian can now work on Mesa as part of his job. This is a Good Thing for the community as well as him. I went to college with Brian, and he was cranking out kick-ass graphics code even way back then (over a decade ago)... he will do amazing things at PI, I am certain.
Thad
Re:What's the uptime of WordPerfect and Afterstep?
on
911 Calls Linux
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· Score: 2
When an app crashes in Windows, it can take down the entire OS. When an app crashes in Linux, only that app is effected. Case in point: I've had IE and Netscape crashes take down my entire Windows session. I've NEVER had a Netscape crash take out my Linux session.
I can't speak for WordPerfect (I use StarOffice), but AfterStep has never crashed on me.
Linux is more stable and reliable than Windows, plain and simple. If you've worked much with both platforms, you should know that.
Go to comp.sys.amiga.marketplace, find someone selling a Video Toaster/Flyer, and be done with it..
Good advice I am sure. I've been a fan of the video toaster for years. And yes, I am probably reinventing the wheel by using linux to do something that has already been done on other systems... but that is kind of my point. I would like to make a killer video editing setup on Linux exactly because it appears to be unexplored territory. Linux has been successful at the number crunching side of some amazing movie affects... why not the visual side? It seems the only thing lacking is a specialized video card, and I would be very suprised if something suitable has not been created. I just have not yet discovered it. My only hope is that the hardware is accessible via an open API of some sort. It is very important to me that I can *lift the hood* on my editing system and customize the software.
... which brings up an interesting question. I have taken up video production as a hobby, and would like to build a non-linear video editing system around a Linux system. I need pointers toward a linux compatible video capture card, decent digital video camera, etc. I've submitted this question as an Ask SlashDot, but it was rejected.:-( I'm even willing to write software and release it as open-source if thats what it takes to build my studio around Linux, but I need some pointers to get started. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Even adding together the viewing time of all three people in my household, we would still fall far short of 10 hours in a WEEK. There is way too much fun stuff to do that does not involve a TV set, particularly in the summer.
I have to admit I am totally clueless about this kind of thing. I don't listen to music and usually stay away from Mpegs. So, I have to ask: is Mpeg and open format?
If you want commercial space travel, go to Disneyland.
Personally, I can't wait for Orbital Disneyland. The zero G gymnasium would be a blast! As for the risks of space travel? Strap me in baby! Life is short anyway, may as well take some risks and keep it interesting. Besides, I fully expect space travel to eventually become as complace and safe as air travel.
Thad
We are living in a sci-fi future world, and all I have to say about it is... I wan't my flying car!;-)
Does that mean there's finally a chance for a big screen version of "Magnus-Robot Fighter"?
I'd pay to see that on the big screen! I loved those comic books when I was young.
Thad
Perhaps a trade organization...
on
GEEK Unions?
·
· Score: 2
Unions, in the traditional sense, exist to provide collective bargaining and negotiating leverage for workers that are in danger of being treated like a disposable widget by their employer. This is usually people in low skill or low demand job catagories (i.e. the company can easily replace any employee that leaves or is fired). Computer jobs do not fit this description. The LAST thing we need is collective bargaining. I DEMAND the right to bargain exactly the pay and work conditions that *I* want.
Perhaps what we really need is a trade organisation. Something that will lobby to protect the rights of freelance consultants, open source software developers, etc. Something that can provide portable retirement savings and health plans that we can take from employer to employer.
If you are not getting what you want out of your current job, then LEAVE! It is a seller's market right now for computer professionals. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. I am working as a freelance consultant. I only take contracts that meet specific requirements. Sometimes that means I go without work for a few weeks while I sift through available contracts, but I just treat that as vacation time. I make more than enough as a freelancer to make up for those periods.
I have to agree with Cybele on this. A few children here have stated, "so what... the site sucks anyway." The issue is not wether her site *sucks* or not. The issue is whether AOL and NSI will be allowed to act in an illegal and immoral manner and get away with it. If we allow big corporations to trample the rights of smaller companies and individuals, then soon only the megacorps will have any rights. I own several domains, and I would prefer that NSI and/or some big faceless company DO NOT have the power to scoop them on a whim. I will personally help Cybele as much as I can, even if her web site contains content I disagree with. Yes, there are principles at stake here.
I like the idea of SlashDot being mirrored on both coasts. I would suggest one in Chicago as well... major midwest backbone hub. I've actually been thinking about this issue for a while and would love to see some kind of dynamic mirror selection. Something like this:
1) You connect to the primary/. server and it checks your IP address against a DB of known subnets and prefered mirrors.
2) If a match is found, you are sent there. Otherwise, the primary site serves the page and your address is added to a queue of subnets to add to the database.
3) Periodically, the mirror sites do some pings or traceroutes of the addresses in the queue to determine the *best* mirror for that address. The entire subnet for that address is then plunncked into the database.
4) The database entries should eventually age out, but it could be a loooong expire. How often do you move you a portable net block across the country?
For all I know, public software for this may already exist. If not, I think it would be a fun project to implement this for SlashDot.
If there were a unionization of tech people there wouldn't be this problem.
Uhg what a repulsive thought! Unions are great if you are in a low skill job where the employer can treat you like a replaceable cog in the corporate machine, but if you are in a high skill / high demand field. Do you really want a union dictating wage scale based on seniority? Or making it near impossible to can the code monkey who is dragging down your project?
Personally, I LIKE the fact that I can work as a free agent, define my own work conditions and pay scale, and basically make out like a bandit for doing something I love to do.
Here is a major clue alert. It is a seller's market right now for programmers. YOU are calling the shots. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.
I few months ago I did a phone interview for a senior programming position. Unfortunately, the interview was with a recruiter that knew nothing about programming. She asked a few technical questions off of note cards... what is inheritance, describe polymorphism, etc. Without delay I answered in the way I am most comfortable, with practical examples of each. Unfortunately, this didn't exactly mach the textbook answer that the recruiter had on her card, so she was only confused, and concluded I was not right for the job.
I have been programming for 15 years. Perhaps that was my downfall. Had I been fresh out of school, I might have remembered the textbook definitions rather than what the terms *really* mean. The story has a happy ending though. I eventually landed an even better freelance consulting position.:-)
-- there are no secret ways to make something half as cheap and twice as fast
But isn't that exactly what the computer industry has been doing for may years now? I am not saying that the iToaster is some quantum leap in computer technology. It is only another step in the continuing trend toward faster and cheaper hardware.
And keep in mind that because it is running Linux, the iToaster should still perform well on lower end hardware. I've removed Windows from old 486 systems and replaced it with Linux. The effect on web surfing and general system response time was dramatic. That, combined with the *no license fee* thing, make Linux a perfect fit for the Internet Appliance market. I've been predicting that something like the iToaster would come along, and in exactly this price range. I expect this and similar devices to make a serious gouge into MS's desktop market share.
What makes you loosers think you deserve to go into a library to get your dose of porn? What's to stop you from getting your OWN PC and ISP? Can afford it? Well then, get a JOB!! Maybe then you can enter the real world and not have so much time to complain about my taxes not paying for your habits.
-- SARCASM ON -- Yep, that's right, every person who is unable to afford Internet is just a slacker suckling off of the welfare teet. And Internet filters only block porn. Of course, silly of me to think otherwise. You are right, censorship has a bad rap. It completely trust the government to determine what information I have access to -- SARCASM OFF --
Listen: Not everyone out there has the skills to land a decent job in this thriving economy of ours, and raising a family on $8/hour with no benefits is not easy. These people do NOT need more roadblocks denying them access to the free information that can improve their lives. How do you expect someone to get an ISP connection when they can't even afford a phone line?
You can claim that these filter block only porn, but that is bullshit. The filters block real, useful content. There is no way current filtering technology can effectively deal with the constantly churning ocean of data that is the Internet. I've used them. Filters suck, at least on systems that will have a wide number of users with unpredictable information needs. They may work fine to filter your home PC that only has one or two users, but not on a library PC that needs to meet the needs of hundreds.
I really hope that some day you are forced to walk a mile in the shoes of those you look down on. I am a well paid computer professional now, but it was a long hard road getting there. Public libraries were a critical part of that journey. I take it very personal when someone tries break the library system by imposing censorship.
If a child is too young to sit in front of an uncensored Internet connection, than they are probably too young to let wander unattended in the library.
The way I read it, they are not really *requiring* the filters. The government will simply withhold specific net related funding for libraries and schools that do not implement it. It amounts to about the same thing really, considering how cash strapped these institutions are.
Hopefully it will still be found unconstitutional. Some filtering in grade schools I can understand, but it should be left up to individual schools to determine their policy. Censorship in libraries, however, is absolutely abhorant. Censorship at the highschool level is also a Bad Idea. Even at the grade school level, the best filter is teacher involvement in the web surfing experience. Making the computer an unattended *replacement* for adult supervision is almost as bad using the television for that (at least with small children).
And what about this possible ban on Internet gambling? The way I read it, it is really the casino industry trying to protect their business. I don't gamble, but I am annoyed that the government feels they need to *protect* me in this way. Just more errosion of our freedoms.
whereas I have one of those 'computer-science-understanding / physics-hating brains' that I would assume are somewhat more common here...:)
I don't know about that. I am comp sci geek, but a physics groupie. Aall that sexy math... just gets me all... quivery.;-) I have several friends who work down at Argonne National Labs. Visiting the lab has always been a fun time. Makes me wish I had my own research reactor to play with.
I've actually been itching to upgrade my primary workstation to kernel 2.2 so I can play with fbdev. I haven't been willing to do it while I'm in the middle of a book project; I can't afford the downtime. The project is almost finished, though, so I should be on 2.2 before the month is out. Then I will start playing with 2d acceleration under fbdev.
I don't understand what this 'waste of resources' is, running X to access 3D acceleration for full-screen games. Certainly it's true that the full power of X is not going to be used in this situation, but the DRI that Precision Insight (thanks!) has released will impose almost zero (or maybe exactly zero) overhead on the application once it is running.
My experience has been that X does impose a small performance hit on 3d rendering. This may just be the specific driver implementations and not something inherent in X, I don't know for certain. I do suspect that the network transparent nature of X, while adding wonderful flexibility, sacrifices some of the speed you can get by having an API that talks directly to the metal. I'll need to learn more about PI's DRI before I form an oppinion.
My main gripe, however, is with the memory that X soaks up, especially when you are running a decent window manager and/or desktop environment. Not a big deal if you are running latest and greates hardware, but I would like to write games that scale down to older hardware.
From a philosophical standpoint, I think graphics acceleration should be handled with an abstraction layer / API that sits right on top the hardware and then the windowing system sits on top of that. Graphics can then be accessed by both X and non-X apps.
GGI does this, and in fact goes a step farther. X itself can be used as a visual target by GGI apps. GGI can sit both under and on top of X, and apps transparently figure out what enviroment they are running in. When I run my game engine, for example, GGI automatically figures out if I am in X windows or on the console and loads the correct visual target automatically. I did not have to write code for this, it is a built in part of GGI's functionality.
I guess what I am saying here is that, from an architectural standpoint, GGI rocks. It is designed to be very portable and flexible. Writing GGI apps is a breeze (much easier than DirectX in my oppinion). I encourage anyone writing highly graphical apps (such as games) to check it out.
But I have a question about 2D graphics on X. Is their any good (open) API for doing 2D graphics (and imaging) on X ? X iteself is rather basic in it's functionalities, and is painfully slooooooowwwwww.
This might not be the answer you are looking for, but I've been working with accelerated 2d graphics under GGI, and I have been very impressed with the speed of the X target. I am getting about 12 frames per second with my diablo-style game engine. Each frame draws about 400+ transparent blit operations with an average image size of about 50x30 with a 16 bit color depth. Note that this is without using any true hardware acceleration, just direct video memory writes and some page flipping to keep the animation smooth. The trick is to hold your images in non-visible video memory and transfer it directly from there to the screen (much faster than hitting the bus). Add hardware accelerating blit to the equation, and the animation should be scorchingly fast (I predict in the 60-80 frames per second range).
The side benefit to using GGI is that apps will run both in an X window as well as in fullscreen mode. Interestingly, running unaccelerated fullscreen is only a little faster than running under X (13 frames per second). That should improve as the 2d blit code comes along.
Good question. I would like to see 3d accel for full screen / non X targets. Being forced to run X to access 3d acceleration seems like a waste of resources when all you want to do is play kickass fullscreen video games. The ggi3d project seems to be making progress (thankyou Jon) and hopefully these open source drivers will help. After I finish my ggi2d accel contributions, I might rejoin the ggi3d effort.
The recent contributions from video hardware vendors really has me stoked. Linux now has the potential to be a killer gaming platform... and I will be able to totally dump windows.:-)
Bill them for the time you spend cleaning up the fallout. Make it just within the limits of small claims in your state, and then file a claim against them when they don't pay. The filing fee is generally rather small and you don't need an attorney.
You've got a less than tiny chance that the idiots will blow off the court date (you would be supprised how many people do) and the court will almost certainly find in your favor as a result. You could win a lien against their bank account(s) or even physical assets.
At least that is how it works here in Wisconsin. YMMV. Of course if the SPAM originates from outside of the US, this won't work.
Weird. I was just predicting in an earlier/. discussion that something like this would crop up. Now I wonder how long it will take for the second part of my prediction to come true. It is only a matter of time before someone writes a worm that bounces from server to server exploiting this bug.
Think about it. These systems are *web servers*. They are Internet connected and already configured to deliver files to remote systems. The worm need only deliver a small piece of seed code that uses an HTTP request to pull the entire package down from the attacking system. The cracked system then sets up its own downloadable worm package and then starts probing for other IIS servers to deliver it to. This could sweep through the Internet like wildfire.
Scary. I am VERY glad my business is running on Apache.
I thought they were running NT with IIS. Or is Sun/Oracle just running on the backend? Nevertheless, Microsoft trying to attack Sun on fault tolerance and scalability issues is rather funny.
Slashdot Mirror
I've been a FreeBSD user from the very beginning (back when it was 386bsd). It kicks ass as a high-end Internet/Intranet server. I run my business on it and have no regrets. I've started using Linux in recent years. As a desktop workstation, it rocks. I've had no problems getting the two OS's to play together. I'm glad they both exist.
The way I see it, a little conflict and competition between the camps will only spur us on... It is not like defeating Windows offers much of a *technical* challange.
Thad
Thad
I can't speak for WordPerfect (I use StarOffice), but AfterStep has never crashed on me.
Linux is more stable and reliable than Windows, plain and simple. If you've worked much with both platforms, you should know that.
Thad
Good advice I am sure. I've been a fan of the video toaster for years. And yes, I am probably reinventing the wheel by using linux to do something that has already been done on other systems... but that is kind of my point. I would like to make a killer video editing setup on Linux exactly because it appears to be unexplored territory. Linux has been successful at the number crunching side of some amazing movie affects... why not the visual side? It seems the only thing lacking is a specialized video card, and I would be very suprised if something suitable has not been created. I just have not yet discovered it. My only hope is that the hardware is accessible via an open API of some sort. It is very important to me that I can *lift the hood* on my editing system and customize the software.
Still hoping for some more hardware pointers...
Thad
Thad
Thad
You don't listen to music!? Have you no soul!?!?!
Thad
Personally, I can't wait for Orbital Disneyland. The zero G gymnasium would be a blast! As for the risks of space travel? Strap me in baby! Life is short anyway, may as well take some risks and keep it interesting. Besides, I fully expect space travel to eventually become as complace and safe as air travel.
Thad
We are living in a sci-fi future world, and all I have to say about it is... I wan't my flying car! ;-)
I'd pay to see that on the big screen! I loved those comic books when I was young.
Thad
Perhaps what we really need is a trade organisation. Something that will lobby to protect the rights of freelance consultants, open source software developers, etc. Something that can provide portable retirement savings and health plans that we can take from employer to employer.
If you are not getting what you want out of your current job, then LEAVE! It is a seller's market right now for computer professionals. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. I am working as a freelance consultant. I only take contracts that meet specific requirements. Sometimes that means I go without work for a few weeks while I sift through available contracts, but I just treat that as vacation time. I make more than enough as a freelancer to make up for those periods.
Join a union? I don't think so.
Thad
Count me in on that grass roots movement.
Thad
1) You connect to the primary /. server and it checks your IP address against a DB of known subnets and prefered mirrors.
2) If a match is found, you are sent there. Otherwise, the primary site serves the page and your address is added to a queue of subnets to add to the database.
3) Periodically, the mirror sites do some pings or traceroutes of the addresses in the queue to determine the *best* mirror for that address. The entire subnet for that address is then plunncked into the database.
4) The database entries should eventually age out, but it could be a loooong expire. How often do you move you a portable net block across the country?
For all I know, public software for this may already exist. If not, I think it would be a fun project to implement this for SlashDot.
Who is with me?
Thad
Uhg what a repulsive thought! Unions are great if you are in a low skill job where the employer can treat you like a replaceable cog in the corporate machine, but if you are in a high skill / high demand field. Do you really want a union dictating wage scale based on seniority? Or making it near impossible to can the code monkey who is dragging down your project?
Personally, I LIKE the fact that I can work as a free agent, define my own work conditions and pay scale, and basically make out like a bandit for doing something I love to do.
Here is a major clue alert. It is a seller's market right now for programmers. YOU are calling the shots. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.
Thad
I have been programming for 15 years. Perhaps that was my downfall. Had I been fresh out of school, I might have remembered the textbook definitions rather than what the terms *really* mean. The story has a happy ending though. I eventually landed an even better freelance consulting position. :-)
Thad
But isn't that exactly what the computer industry has been doing for may years now? I am not saying that the iToaster is some quantum leap in computer technology. It is only another step in the continuing trend toward faster and cheaper hardware.
And keep in mind that because it is running Linux, the iToaster should still perform well on lower end hardware. I've removed Windows from old 486 systems and replaced it with Linux. The effect on web surfing and general system response time was dramatic. That, combined with the *no license fee* thing, make Linux a perfect fit for the Internet Appliance market. I've been predicting that something like the iToaster would come along, and in exactly this price range. I expect this and similar devices to make a serious gouge into MS's desktop market share.
Thad
-- SARCASM ON --
Yep, that's right, every person who is unable to afford Internet is just a slacker suckling off of the welfare teet. And Internet filters only block porn. Of course, silly of me to think otherwise. You are right, censorship has a bad rap. It completely trust the government to determine what information I have access to
-- SARCASM OFF --
Listen: Not everyone out there has the skills to land a decent job in this thriving economy of ours, and raising a family on $8/hour with no benefits is not easy. These people do NOT need more roadblocks denying them access to the free information that can improve their lives. How do you expect someone to get an ISP connection when they can't even afford a phone line?
You can claim that these filter block only porn, but that is bullshit. The filters block real, useful content. There is no way current filtering technology can effectively deal with the constantly churning ocean of data that is the Internet. I've used them. Filters suck, at least on systems that will have a wide number of users with unpredictable information needs. They may work fine to filter your home PC that only has one or two users, but not on a library PC that needs to meet the needs of hundreds.
I really hope that some day you are forced to walk a mile in the shoes of those you look down on. I am a well paid computer professional now, but it was a long hard road getting there. Public libraries were a critical part of that journey. I take it very personal when someone tries break the library system by imposing censorship.
If a child is too young to sit in front of an uncensored Internet connection, than they are probably too young to let wander unattended in the library.
Thad
Hopefully it will still be found unconstitutional. Some filtering in grade schools I can understand, but it should be left up to individual schools to determine their policy. Censorship in libraries, however, is absolutely abhorant. Censorship at the highschool level is also a Bad Idea. Even at the grade school level, the best filter is teacher involvement in the web surfing experience. Making the computer an unattended *replacement* for adult supervision is almost as bad using the television for that (at least with small children).
And what about this possible ban on Internet gambling? The way I read it, it is really the casino industry trying to protect their business. I don't gamble, but I am annoyed that the government feels they need to *protect* me in this way. Just more errosion of our freedoms.
Thad
I don't know about that. I am comp sci geek, but a physics groupie. Aall that sexy math... just gets me all... quivery. ;-) I have several friends who work down at Argonne National Labs. Visiting the lab has always been a fun time. Makes me wish I had my own research reactor to play with.
Thad
Ah, the joys of hacking on linux code! :-)
Thad
My experience has been that X does impose a small performance hit on 3d rendering. This may just be the specific driver implementations and not something inherent in X, I don't know for certain. I do suspect that the network transparent nature of X, while adding wonderful flexibility, sacrifices some of the speed you can get by having an API that talks directly to the metal. I'll need to learn more about PI's DRI before I form an oppinion.
My main gripe, however, is with the memory that X soaks up, especially when you are running a decent window manager and/or desktop environment. Not a big deal if you are running latest and greates hardware, but I would like to write games that scale down to older hardware.
From a philosophical standpoint, I think graphics acceleration should be handled with an abstraction layer / API that sits right on top the hardware and then the windowing system sits on top of that. Graphics can then be accessed by both X and non-X apps.
GGI does this, and in fact goes a step farther. X itself can be used as a visual target by GGI apps. GGI can sit both under and on top of X, and apps transparently figure out what enviroment they are running in. When I run my game engine, for example, GGI automatically figures out if I am in X windows or on the console and loads the correct visual target automatically. I did not have to write code for this, it is a built in part of GGI's functionality.
I guess what I am saying here is that, from an architectural standpoint, GGI rocks. It is designed to be very portable and flexible. Writing GGI apps is a breeze (much easier than DirectX in my oppinion). I encourage anyone writing highly graphical apps (such as games) to check it out.
Thad
This might not be the answer you are looking for, but I've been working with accelerated 2d graphics under GGI, and I have been very impressed with the speed of the X target. I am getting about 12 frames per second with my diablo-style game engine. Each frame draws about 400+ transparent blit operations with an average image size of about 50x30 with a 16 bit color depth. Note that this is without using any true hardware acceleration, just direct video memory writes and some page flipping to keep the animation smooth. The trick is to hold your images in non-visible video memory and transfer it directly from there to the screen (much faster than hitting the bus). Add hardware accelerating blit to the equation, and the animation should be scorchingly fast (I predict in the 60-80 frames per second range).
The side benefit to using GGI is that apps will run both in an X window as well as in fullscreen mode. Interestingly, running unaccelerated fullscreen is only a little faster than running under X (13 frames per second). That should improve as the 2d blit code comes along.
Thad
The recent contributions from video hardware vendors really has me stoked. Linux now has the potential to be a killer gaming platform... and I will be able to totally dump windows. :-)
Thad
You've got a less than tiny chance that the idiots will blow off the court date (you would be supprised how many people do) and the court will almost certainly find in your favor as a result. You could win a lien against their bank account(s) or even physical assets.
At least that is how it works here in Wisconsin. YMMV. Of course if the SPAM originates from outside of the US, this won't work.
Thad
Think about it. These systems are *web servers*. They are Internet connected and already configured to deliver files to remote systems. The worm need only deliver a small piece of seed code that uses an HTTP request to pull the entire package down from the attacking system. The cracked system then sets up its own downloadable worm package and then starts probing for other IIS servers to deliver it to. This could sweep through the Internet like wildfire.
Scary. I am VERY glad my business is running on Apache.
Thad
Thad