Xbox Live is doing better than expected, but the total numbers are pretty intimidating for MS. Last I checked (2 weeks ago), the score is:
- approximately 8 million GameCubes - approximately 10 million XBoxen - approximately 52 million PlayStation 2s
Substitute Internet Explorer, Mosaic and Netscape for GameCube, XBoxen and Playstation 2 respectively and you get the picture at the beginning of the Browser Wars. Now m$ have, what? 98.8% or something, depending how you count it.
Lets go back to basics and define terms. Which, conveniently, Stallman (or someone at FSF) has done for us.
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:
The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
When Stallman is talking about Freedom, this is what he means.
Look, I don't agree with your position, but I respect that you have your principles (or lack of them, perhaps...).
What I was getting at is your representation of Stallman deliberately trying to be difficult. That is not what he is about.
That people find his uncompromising attitude difficult I can well imagine, but that is a consequence of his principles, which he refuses to deviate from. And good on em. I think he is a legend, and one of the most influential people around, a true historic figure.
All that we have is a consequence of his vision. So he want's to call it GNU/Linux... big deal.
You totally misunderstand Stallman. He is *not* about accepting more people, concepts or things. He is about securing Freedom. He will not acccept people, concepts or things that jeopardize freedom.
In his opinion, allowing non-Free code into a (now suspect) Free kernel puts in serious jeopardy the freedoms that he holds dear.
Don't get me wrong, but you comparison is not fair. Exchange is an X.400 thingy with groupware etc etc.
It does a shitload more functions than qmail etc.
For what it does, it is pretty dang good (well, these days, when you can actually shut it down with out waiting half an hour and stuff like that). But it is still probably doomed, as is Micros~1.
It's arguable that things like the Star/Openoffice file format are 'standards'. That is, they are self describing documents, based on XML, that a variaty of tools can process.
In theory, it should be poss to do transforms between xml formats...
Is there a converter/plugin for Word (latest versions also) that goes the other way?? ie, Save em in the nice xml star/openoffice format, and when folks say they can't open em, post em the filter.
By and large, old operating systems never die. Well, Multics did, but I have seen DOS 1.0 and 2.0 still going in strange places. CNC machines and other things. Never throw old OS media out, you just never know when it might be useful
Does anyone else think that Sony et al are
shooting themselves in the feet here?
I mean, they are making a product that is LESS useful than what you can get on the net. So, if I want to hear artist X on my PC, I can't. I am forced to go to the net to download an 'unauthorised copy'.
This copy has greater utility than the Sony offering. I can copy it, burn it to CD that will play on my PC, or my CD player, play with it, share it etc etc
This is a form of madness. They are creating demand for P2P networks and filesharing with this policy.
An abbreviation of the full name Microsoft resembling the rather bogus way Windows 9x's VFAT filesystem truncates long file names to fit in the MS-DOS 8+3 scheme (the real filename is stored elsewhere). If other files start with the same prefix, they'll be called micros~2 and so on, causing lots of problems with backups and other routine system-administration problems. During the US Antitrust trial against Microsoft the names Micros~1 and Micros~2 were suggested for the two companies that would exist after a break-up.
Nice try troll, but who said anything about paying or not paying developers?
Many GPL developers get paid. Many do not. I spoke about keeping them happy. And, seemingly, there are a lot of happy GPL developers out there. Dare I say more than BSD developers?
But I do take your point re zealots. GPL does seem to inspire a fair bit of that. Still, there are probably quite a few BSD zealots out there, and we need not talk about Micros~1.
Despite the great beauty of FreeBSD, and the vastly developed environment (countless ports that work flawlessly, providing users with easy to install and run applications), FreeBSD is not doing as well as Linux.
Why? Buzzword Bingo.
Close but no cigar. Despite what Mad Mundie et al say about the BSD licence, is it the case that it just is NOT all that commercially attractive?
The GPL is just a better licence. It's fairer to developers, and in a bizarre way, that makes it more attractive to commerce. Keeping the developers happy keeps the software coming.
GPL is also more resitant to forks, as anyone who wants to distribute has to publish source. Forks are bad, mmmkay?
And anyway, the GPL is practically a religion these days. You don't want to cross God, do you?
Slashdot Mirror
From what I know of the PS1, it accounted for just about 50% of Sony's revenue/profit. I assume the PS2 will be of similar order.
Now, m$ are going after that, and Sony is pissed.
So, what do they do? Release a PDA running Linux, and bundle StarOffice.
Business as usual, it seems.
Anyone notice this co-incidence before?
/ zimmermann_telegram/zimmermann_telegram.html
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons
Xbox Live is doing better than expected, but the total numbers are pretty intimidating for MS. Last I checked (2 weeks ago), the score is:
- approximately 8 million GameCubes
- approximately 10 million XBoxen
- approximately 52 million PlayStation 2s
Substitute Internet Explorer, Mosaic and Netscape for GameCube, XBoxen and Playstation 2 respectively and you get the picture at the beginning of the Browser Wars. Now m$ have, what? 98.8% or something, depending how you count it.
No, this is not neccessarily correct. Stego systems such as drm watermarking are designed to to withstand image manipulation and re-compression.
Exactly how well is open to much dispute.
Checksums.
Keep lists of good cheksums. Set up checksum servers. Add moderation. Stir.
You funny, funny, funny guy.
Comic genius, I ha no laughed so hard is nary a while.
Once again, the shameless karmawhore posts his favourite site about ICANN. Just like last time, when it got me +5.
...
Anyway
http://www.paradigm.nu/icann/icannstage.html
Linus wrote the kernel. Period.
Linus wrote which kernel? 0.1?
I doubt if anyone knows exactly who wrote all the bits of the kernel these days.
Oh well, so much for informed comment.
Lets go back to basics and define terms. Which, conveniently, Stallman (or someone at FSF) has done for us.
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:
- The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
- The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
- The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
- The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
When Stallman is talking about Freedom, this is what he means.Look, I don't agree with your position, but I respect that you have your principles (or lack of them, perhaps ...).
... big deal.
What I was getting at is your representation of Stallman deliberately trying to be difficult. That is not what he is about.
That people find his uncompromising attitude difficult I can well imagine, but that is a consequence of his principles, which he refuses to deviate from. And good on em. I think he is a legend, and one of the most influential people around, a true historic figure.
All that we have is a consequence of his vision. So he want's to call it GNU/Linux
You totally misunderstand Stallman. He is *not* about accepting more people, concepts or things. He is about securing Freedom. He will not acccept people, concepts or things that jeopardize freedom.
In his opinion, allowing non-Free code into a (now suspect) Free kernel puts in serious jeopardy the freedoms that he holds dear.
You show your ignorance of the issue. It is *not* 'open source' in Stallman's mind. It is, and always has been, 'Free Software'.
...
You can have 'open source' software that is not Free.
As for 'something useful', one would presume that a set of standard utilities, a compiler and a text editor/IDE would do for a start.
Go away troll
Don't get me wrong, but you comparison is not fair. Exchange is an X.400 thingy with groupware etc etc.
It does a shitload more functions than qmail etc.
For what it does, it is pretty dang good (well, these days, when you can actually shut it down with out waiting half an hour and stuff like that). But it is still probably doomed, as is Micros~1.
But hey, I have been wrong before.
It's arguable that things like the Star/Openoffice file format are 'standards'. That is, they are self describing documents, based on XML, that a variaty of tools can process.
...
In theory, it should be poss to do transforms between xml formats
It's free, it's good, it has a quality spell checker, what more could I possibly want? :) (Actually an Access replacement would be nice...)
Bloody good point. What is the Access replacement of choice lately. And don't say SQL Server!
Here is a good question:
Is there a converter/plugin for Word (latest versions also) that goes the other way?? ie, Save em in the nice xml star/openoffice format, and when folks say they can't open em, post em the filter.
Subvert the dominant paradigm and all that guff.
By and large, old operating systems never die. Well, Multics did, but I have seen DOS 1.0 and 2.0 still going in strange places. CNC machines and other things. Never throw old OS media out, you just never know when it might be useful
I mean, they are making a product that is LESS useful than what you can get on the net. So, if I want to hear artist X on my PC, I can't. I am forced to go to the net to download an 'unauthorised copy'.
This copy has greater utility than the Sony offering. I can copy it, burn it to CD that will play on my PC, or my CD player, play with it, share it etc etc
This is a form of madness. They are creating demand for P2P networks and filesharing with this policy.
Is coldstore still going? Seems stalled.
Yes it does. It has X. Or Enlightenment. Or KDE. Or Gnome. Or Berlin.
"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from"
If you really wanna get pissed with esr, try this unforgivable thing:
http://tuxedo.org/jargon/html/entry/W2K-bug.html
But so what? "Micros~1" is in the Jargon file (of which esr is the co-editor), and used fairly widely, is fun, and makes a valid, true point.
It is wittier and more truthful that the other one myself and others use widely "m$". Tho I find m$ a more useful abbreviation when in a hurry.
You guys seem to be humour-impaired (and satire-impaired). Take a chill pill guys.
http://tuxedo.org/jargon/html/entry/micros1.html
micros~1
An abbreviation of the full name Microsoft resembling the rather bogus way Windows 9x's VFAT filesystem truncates long file names to fit in the MS-DOS 8+3 scheme (the real filename is stored elsewhere). If other files start with the same prefix, they'll be called micros~2 and so on, causing lots of problems with backups and other routine system-administration problems. During the US Antitrust trial against Microsoft the names Micros~1 and Micros~2 were suggested for the two companies that would exist after a break-up.
Get a clue.
Many GPL developers get paid. Many do not. I spoke about keeping them happy. And, seemingly, there are a lot of happy GPL developers out there. Dare I say more than BSD developers?
But I do take your point re zealots. GPL does seem to inspire a fair bit of that. Still, there are probably quite a few BSD zealots out there, and we need not talk about Micros~1.
Despite the great beauty of FreeBSD, and the vastly developed environment (countless ports that work flawlessly, providing users with easy to install and run applications), FreeBSD is not doing as well as Linux.
Why? Buzzword Bingo.
Close but no cigar. Despite what Mad Mundie et al say about the BSD licence, is it the case that it just is NOT all that commercially attractive?
The GPL is just a better licence. It's fairer to developers, and in a bizarre way, that makes it more attractive to commerce. Keeping the developers happy keeps the software coming.
GPL is also more resitant to forks, as anyone who wants to distribute has to publish source. Forks are bad, mmmkay?
And anyway, the GPL is practically a religion these days. You don't want to cross God, do you?