A big fan of Mozilla, but I do have to admit that I would prefer it if things remained a tad bit more stable.
For example, from the 1.2 to 1.3 release of Mozilla the "New Tab" popup menu item moved from the 0 (zero) position in the popup menu to the 2 position.
From a day to day useability standpoint it's annoying for the menu's and the like to change around but just try to write certain automated test programs with that sort of thing going on.
I know that Mozilla is usually advertised as "test platform" but that doesn't mean that it also should serve as a point of frustration for those who would like to be able to count on a feature existing from one dot release to another.
Other than those sorts of things I love the darn thing.
I noticed on another site today (I forgot which one) how MS is selling OS products for installation in cars.
How long will they support those operating systems. Will I be forced to upgrade buy a new Honda after only seven years because MS refuses to support my old one?
I've heard that car manufacturers must support their products with spare parts, etc. for seven years after selling it.
BMW 7 series owners are already sorta bumping up against this issue. They have a MS OS in the newest vehicles and it seems things are very whacky on those cars and the dealer cannot do squat about it.
I think all of this brings up some very serious issues...
Just in case anybody wants to send the judge a junk fax the info can be found at:
http://www.moed.uscourts.gov/Judge/chambers.asp? Ju dge=Stephen%20N.%20Limbaugh
Please note, the actual link does not have a space between the u and d in the second instance of the word judge. The space shows up in the preview window but definitely is not in the Mozilla dialog for posting. Anybody know how to get rid of it?
I evaluated MySQL and found it to be a very immature product.
Someone here on/. mentioned that Interbase had an open-source equivalent called Firebird. I've been using it for 6 months now and I would never ever consider MySQL again.
I don't get the feeling that Firebird is up to Oracle capabilities and MySQL certainly isn't up to Firebird standards. That should be a hint.
It's really a shame that MySQL gets so much air-time while being so weak compared to even it's free competition.
Know that there are export restrictions for crypto software and the like and I'm sure MS isn't sharing this type of material.
But, given the number of times MS software has been shown to be quite a good host for viruses etc. shouldn't there be someone at the Commerce Department reviewing MS's shared code policy.
Basically, I'm seeing MS sharing source code with probable enemies of the US and it makes me nervous.
What's China gonna do with this source code.
Well, they could certainly look for exploits, "No need to try to hack the darn binaries anymore, we got the source Bob."
After identifying the exploits they could EASILY turn around and use them against computers in the US.
For example, what about all those Navy ships out there that are being fitted with MS software? Do you really want the ships Phalenx (spelling?) system networked to and sharing network assets with MS OS's that could be compromised by a sneaky Chinese spy onboard with a floppy full of viruses?
What makes this even worse is that MS is handing over this material to the bad guys and I'll bet you that a majority of our military cannot get their hands on it. Nor can the majority of the FBI personel or the CIA or the NSA I would bet.
This is similar to handing over nuclear technology to the North Koreans so that they can build a power plant. See where that get us?
As much as I dislike saying it, if everybody on our side cannot see the source code, then nobody should be allowed to see it.
On a related note, couldn't the fact that Internet Explorer reports itself as being Mozilla 4.0 (etc.) in my website's log be construed as a misappropriation of intellectual property?
Just upgraded our HDTV ready TV to HD this last weekend via a dealer demo model HDTV reciever I bought off of ebay.
CSI does look really good in HD, but quite frankly, unless you are either really into being able to see the pimples on some guys face or you feel the need to impress your friends then high def just isn't worth spending a ton of money on.
Take the route I did, if possible, buy something cheap off of ebay.
Now if you truly want a digital tv experience then go out and buy yourself a TIVO. I would'd trade my TIVO for fifty HDTV sets.
I bought one anyway, since my SMC Barricade Router broke down the other day. I could have bought an A or a B, but since I try to hang onto my equipment as long as possible I decided to risk it by going with a G machine.
I don't have any wireless client machines yet, my house has plenty of cat 5 in it already, so I cannot attest to Tom's review.
BTW, I do not recommend SMC, their device was constantly overheating on me. It's just not acceptable to have to walk all the way to the other end of the house when I want to use the internet (i.e. to turn on/off the stupid Barricade router).
While we are pitching products, I have another great gadget to buy.
I bought a GREAT caller ID box that allows you to categorize incoming calls into something like 8 different categories. Some of the categories are: "Friend", "Family", "Work" (why would ever want this category?), a "Dog Barking", "It's for you in a male voice", and "It's for you in a female voice",
When a call comes in that has been previously categorized by you, the caller ID box audibly calls out the category name (or barks in the case of the dog barking category).
When a call comes in that you haven't categorized but a number exists, the box quickly audibly calls out each digit.
When a call comes in that has not been categorized and does not have a number then the box either audibly calls out "Number Blocked" or "Caller Unknown".
The url for this gadget is:
LifeWithEase
I've got this box and a telezapper and they are both fantastic products.
Home radar jamming?
on
DOD vs. 802.11b
·
· Score: 5, Informative
I've,
Done a lot of civilian radar track data analysis and I can tell you that radar data is already littered with LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of inaccuracy.
I've seen cases where the data loss was so bad that I can hardly imagine the situation where joe-schmoe-bin-ladin with his laptop and homemade radar jamming equipment could make it any worse.
It's one of those situations where if you knew what the ingrediants were you might not want to eat it.
I certainly don't have a problem with the DOD wanting to limit radio encroachments into vital wavelengths.
But, sometimes I get the feeling that the military is crying wolf when the wolf has been there the entire time and nobody in the know is brave enough to admit it.
I once worked at McDonnell Douglas with a dude from Ivory Coast who had the coolest pair of sunglasses I had ever seen.
The sunglasses were basically a frame that accepted lenses that attached via little screws on each end of the lens.
If my memory serves me correctly the glasses came with four sets of lens.
The first set mostly clear, slightly shaded, the second set a cool shade of blue, the third set was possibly your standard jet black.
But the fourth set was way cool. 24kt gold lenses with a gazillion tiny holes poked in them. Screw them onto the frames, put the glasses on and you could see perfectly fine through them.
But people looking at you saw what they thought was a sold gold surface.
So, see through aluminum might be possible.
Also, just think of the added strength all the holes would add. I.E. have you ever tried to rip toilet tissue at the perforations?
If you give anything out without legal guarantees to it's dissemination you can bet it will be distributed.
Even with legal guarantees they have to be on your terms otherwise they will just change the rules on you, i.e. Yahoo and your privacy settings...
Just give a retinal scan to your bank with their standard contract for a checking account and the next time you try to fly on a plane using a retinal scan you can bet with almost 100 percent certainty that you will be bombarded with offers especially tailored to how much cash (and or credit line available, etc.) you have in your checking.
The only way to get around this crap is for everyone to draw a line in the sand and refuse to give it.
Mankind has survived thousands of years without the need for this invasive type of "security" and I hope I never see this biometrics thing happen in my lifetime because I certainly feel as though my privacy has already been abused to no end.
I don't need another ad for another of ACME Inc.s crap.
Get yourself a decent lawyer. Per the complaint (and the specific patent information) you have posted on your website those guys don't stand a chance!
For example, in their Patent material they talk about customers dialing into the described system. Do all of your customers dial up to get to your website? Well, I looked at your website and I don't use a dialup system.
Also, all of the patent information is related to the travel industry. You are in the plumbing business. A good lawyer will find holes in their "argument(s)" big enough to drive an 18 wheeler through.
Per what I saw their patent is very specific in nature. They goofed up by not making it as general as possible. All you gotta do is review the patent for the business steps (logic) they propose and find where your business differs.
IANAL, but my understanding of patents are that they relatively easily gotton around. I believe you merely need to show how you have created the same thing but in a different manner.
Otherwise, for example, how could say Ford and GM compete with essentially the same "gadgets" in their automobiles. They do it by merely doing the same thing in a different manner.
Do a little research on the web on patents (www.findlaw.com is a good place to start) to prime yourself. And then go out and spend a couple of thousand on a lawyer. Stop wasting time, you're probably gonna have to do it regardless. It will be well worth your time.
BTW, I'm no fan of lawyers, but when you need one then it's best to just buckle up and get one rather than wasting time. It can save you a lot of pain and agony in the end.
A former co-worker of mine told me this story one day. I got a kick out of it.
Anyway, apparently my co-worker's fence to the rear of his house had deteriorated to a severe state so he decided to repair it.
Being the polite guy (and probably wanting a little help with the funding of such a project) he is, my co-worker decided to contact the neighbors, all of whom he indicated he didn't know at all.
So he set off around the opposite side of the block to knock on the neighbors door directly behind his house. A gentleman comes to the door and my co-worker introduces himself and the gentleman introduces himself as Larry Wall.
My co-worker doesn't recognize the name since he really doesn't program to any extreme degree, more of a planning/management type guy.
But since the company is a software development house he knows several people who use Perl and they describe what they do with it on an almost daily basis. Thus he is aware of Perl.
So apparently the chit-chat continues on and the topic eventually comes to what each person does for a living.
My co-worker describes his job and then Larry says that he is currently writing a book for O'Reilly.
My co-worker is definitely intrigued by this answer and asks what sort of book and Larry describes that it's a book detailing the (is his a more appropriate adjective here) latest version of Perl.
When my co-worker hears the word Perl he gets all excited. His reaction was basically that it's pretty cool to have a neighbor who has contributed so much to the programming community.
Anyway to make an already long story shorter my understanding is that Larry was really cool about the fence, basically letting my co-worker take care of the details (the way my co-worker wanted them) and I believe he helped with the cost as well.
So if you contribute to the Perl Development Grant be aware that you are helping support some really nice folks! And that is to be commended!
I hope I got the details correct, at least that's how I remember them....
Well, somewhere in the back of my head I remember someone saying that it takes about 9 gigs per hour for storage of HDTV (The technical specs on the D-VHS say 44 gigs for 4 hours of recording time). Don't know whether that 9 gigs includes sound or not, but I'll say no for arguments sake.
I just purchased 256megs of ram for my PC for $29.95 US recently, so I'm still of the belief it could easily be done and at a price that's within the average consumer's price range.
The box manufacturers could make a DVD system today that would store enough data to record a movie and all the associated goodies in HDTV.
All they gotta do is make a plastic shell (which represents one movie for instance) that holds two or three (ever how many it takes) DVDs that hold the data.
Then they build a DVD player that swallows that shell, reads the first DVD and plays it until it detects it is within lets say a minute of finishing the first half of the movie. The DVD player then buffers the last minute or so in RAM.
Then using the same technology that allows for CDROM switching in, lets say, car stereos the DVD player switches to the second DVD and buffers in the first minute of it as well.
With the last minute off the first disc buffered in and the first minute off the second disc buffered in there is no reason why a smooth transition couldn't be made and no glitches appear in the movie.
It's a fairly simple proposition, somebody just needs to sit down and do it.
I cannot remember the guy's name at Sony (I think it was the President, CEO, or whatever they got) who came up with the shirt pocket size diskette, the walkman, etc. but that's the kinda person who needs to get the ball really rolling.
Not some pinheads who cannot see past the end of their rich, conceited, lazy noses.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm,
A big fan of Mozilla, but I do have to admit that I would prefer it if things remained a tad bit more stable.
For example, from the 1.2 to 1.3 release of Mozilla the "New Tab" popup menu item moved from the 0 (zero) position in the popup menu to the 2 position.
From a day to day useability standpoint it's annoying for the menu's and the like to change around but just try to write certain automated test programs with that sort of thing going on.
I know that Mozilla is usually advertised as "test platform" but that doesn't mean that it also should serve as a point of frustration for those who would like to be able to count on a feature existing from one dot release to another.
Other than those sorts of things I love the darn thing.
Over...
I noticed on another site today (I forgot which one) how MS is selling OS products for installation in cars.
How long will they support those operating systems. Will I be forced to upgrade buy a new Honda after only seven years because MS refuses to support my old one?
I've heard that car manufacturers must support their products with spare parts, etc. for seven years after selling it.
BMW 7 series owners are already sorta bumping up against this issue. They have a MS OS in the newest vehicles and it seems things are very whacky on those cars and the dealer cannot do squat about it.
I think all of this brings up some very serious issues...
Judge's Info,
? Ju dge=Stephen%20N.%20Limbaugh
Just in case anybody wants to send the judge a junk fax the info can be found at:
http://www.moed.uscourts.gov/Judge/chambers.asp
Please note, the actual link does not have a space between the u and d in the second instance of the word judge. The space shows up in the preview window but definitely is not in the Mozilla dialog for posting. Anybody know how to get rid of it?
I evaluated MySQL and found it to be a very immature product.
/. mentioned that Interbase had an open-source equivalent called Firebird. I've been using it for 6 months now and I would never ever consider MySQL again.
Someone here on
I don't get the feeling that Firebird is up to Oracle capabilities and MySQL certainly isn't up to Firebird standards. That should be a hint.
It's really a shame that MySQL gets so much air-time while being so weak compared to even it's free competition.
But, in the meantime there is a small little utility you can use to do just this that has worked great for me.
It is called Startup Monitor and it basically just sits around watching for programs trying to add themselves to the startup folder.
When a program tries to drop itself in the Start Folder the Startup Monitor utility pops up a dialog that asks if you want to allow the action.
You can find it at:
http://www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml
I,
Know that there are export restrictions for crypto software and the like and I'm sure MS isn't sharing this type of material.
But, given the number of times MS software has been shown to be quite a good host for viruses etc. shouldn't there be someone at the Commerce Department reviewing MS's shared code policy.
Basically, I'm seeing MS sharing source code with probable enemies of the US and it makes me nervous.
What's China gonna do with this source code.
Well, they could certainly look for exploits, "No need to try to hack the darn binaries anymore, we got the source Bob."
After identifying the exploits they could EASILY turn around and use them against computers in the US.
For example, what about all those Navy ships out there that are being fitted with MS software? Do you really want the ships Phalenx (spelling?) system networked to and sharing network assets with MS OS's that could be compromised by a sneaky Chinese spy onboard with a floppy full of viruses?
What makes this even worse is that MS is handing over this material to the bad guys and I'll bet you that a majority of our military cannot get their hands on it. Nor can the majority of the FBI personel or the CIA or the NSA I would bet.
This is similar to handing over nuclear technology to the North Koreans so that they can build a power plant. See where that get us?
As much as I dislike saying it, if everybody on our side cannot see the source code, then nobody should be allowed to see it.
On a related note, couldn't the fact that Internet Explorer reports itself as being Mozilla 4.0 (etc.) in my website's log be construed as a misappropriation of intellectual property?
Sounds like it might be time for a BSA audit of Microsoft...
Instead of:
"...Microsoft is about to buy Connectix and enter the server consolidation market."
Doesn't the author mean to say:
"...Microsoft is about to buy Connectix and enter the server decimation market."
I,
Just upgraded our HDTV ready TV to HD this last weekend via a dealer demo model HDTV reciever I bought off of ebay.
CSI does look really good in HD, but quite frankly, unless you are either really into being able to see the pimples on some guys face or you feel the need to impress your friends then high def just isn't worth spending a ton of money on.
Take the route I did, if possible, buy something cheap off of ebay.
Now if you truly want a digital tv experience then go out and buy yourself a TIVO. I would'd trade my TIVO for fifty HDTV sets.
Over...
Instead of relying upon Palladium, content providers should just use a hardware dongle.
It's potentially cheap and it achieves the same effect. Plus, it's infinitely customizable for the particular circumstances.
I've used them as both a consumer and as a software writer, and I've been nothing but happy.
This article for a review of the Linksys G device:
Toms Hardware Review
Lot's of possible headaches listed.
I bought one anyway, since my SMC Barricade Router broke down the other day. I could have bought an A or a B, but since I try to hang onto my equipment as long as possible I decided to risk it by going with a G machine.
I don't have any wireless client machines yet, my house has plenty of cat 5 in it already, so I cannot attest to Tom's review.
BTW, I do not recommend SMC, their device was constantly overheating on me. It's just not acceptable to have to walk all the way to the other end of the house when I want to use the internet (i.e. to turn on/off the stupid Barricade router).
Ok,
While we are pitching products, I have another great gadget to buy.
I bought a GREAT caller ID box that allows you to categorize incoming calls into something like 8 different categories. Some of the categories are: "Friend", "Family", "Work" (why would ever want this category?), a "Dog Barking", "It's for you in a male voice", and "It's for you in a female voice",
When a call comes in that has been previously categorized by you, the caller ID box audibly calls out the category name (or barks in the case of the dog barking category).
When a call comes in that you haven't categorized but a number exists, the box quickly audibly calls out each digit.
When a call comes in that has not been categorized and does not have a number then the box either audibly calls out "Number Blocked" or "Caller Unknown".
The url for this gadget is:
LifeWithEase
I've got this box and a telezapper and they are both fantastic products.
I've,
Done a lot of civilian radar track data analysis and I can tell you that radar data is already littered with LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of inaccuracy.
I've seen cases where the data loss was so bad that I can hardly imagine the situation where joe-schmoe-bin-ladin with his laptop and homemade radar jamming equipment could make it any worse.
It's one of those situations where if you knew what the ingrediants were you might not want to eat it.
I certainly don't have a problem with the DOD wanting to limit radio encroachments into vital wavelengths.
But, sometimes I get the feeling that the military is crying wolf when the wolf has been there the entire time and nobody in the know is brave enough to admit it.
I'm using Mozilla and I'm not seeing any pop-ups on epicurious.com.
Actually,
Transparent aluminum might be possible.
I once worked at McDonnell Douglas with a dude from Ivory Coast who had the coolest pair of sunglasses I had ever seen.
The sunglasses were basically a frame that accepted lenses that attached via little screws on each end of the lens.
If my memory serves me correctly the glasses came with four sets of lens.
The first set mostly clear, slightly shaded, the second set a cool shade of blue, the third set was possibly your standard jet black.
But the fourth set was way cool. 24kt gold lenses with a gazillion tiny holes poked in them. Screw them onto the frames, put the glasses on and you could see perfectly fine through them.
But people looking at you saw what they thought was a sold gold surface.
So, see through aluminum might be possible.
Also, just think of the added strength all the holes would add. I.E. have you ever tried to rip toilet tissue at the perforations?
If you give anything out without legal guarantees to it's dissemination you can bet it will be distributed.
Even with legal guarantees they have to be on your terms otherwise they will just change the rules on you, i.e. Yahoo and your privacy settings...
Just give a retinal scan to your bank with their standard contract for a checking account and the next time you try to fly on a plane using a retinal scan you can bet with almost 100 percent certainty that you will be bombarded with offers especially tailored to how much cash (and or credit line available, etc.) you have in your checking.
The only way to get around this crap is for everyone to draw a line in the sand and refuse to give it.
Mankind has survived thousands of years without the need for this invasive type of "security" and I hope I never see this biometrics thing happen in my lifetime because I certainly feel as though my privacy has already been abused to no end.
I don't need another ad for another of ACME Inc.s crap.
Dude,
Don't walk, run down to your local TIVO dealer and get this lady one of these boxes.
If she can use VCRPlus! on 5 different VCRs she can certainly use TIVO.
You will be her hero.
On the upside, she's gonna supply you with massive amounts of baked goods for getting her a TIVO.
On the downside, too bad you're not doing this for the cute blond a couple of doors down.
I cannot believe that there isn't a better way to quantify this sort of thing.
I think something like number of lines of code per programmer might be more relevant.
Dude,
Get yourself a decent lawyer. Per the complaint (and the specific patent information) you have posted on your website those guys don't stand a chance!
For example, in their Patent material they talk about customers dialing into the described system. Do all of your customers dial up to get to your website? Well, I looked at your website and I don't use a dialup system.
Also, all of the patent information is related to the travel industry. You are in the plumbing business. A good lawyer will find holes in their "argument(s)" big enough to drive an 18 wheeler through.
Per what I saw their patent is very specific in nature. They goofed up by not making it as general as possible. All you gotta do is review the patent for the business steps (logic) they propose and find where your business differs.
IANAL, but my understanding of patents are that they relatively easily gotton around. I believe you merely need to show how you have created the same thing but in a different manner.
Otherwise, for example, how could say Ford and GM compete with essentially the same "gadgets" in their automobiles. They do it by merely doing the same thing in a different manner.
Do a little research on the web on patents (www.findlaw.com is a good place to start) to prime yourself. And then go out and spend a couple of thousand on a lawyer. Stop wasting time, you're probably gonna have to do it regardless. It will be well worth your time.
BTW, I'm no fan of lawyers, but when you need one then it's best to just buckle up and get one rather than wasting time. It can save you a lot of pain and agony in the end.
I'm seriously considering copyrighting my identity. And while I'm at it I think I'll encrypt it as well.
Thus, if anybody uses it without my explicit permission in any context I get to sue them using copyright laws.
And if they try to hack my identity I can use the DCMA on them..
Take that...
A former co-worker of mine told me this story one day. I got a kick out of it.
Anyway, apparently my co-worker's fence to the rear of his house had deteriorated to a severe state so he decided to repair it.
Being the polite guy (and probably wanting a little help with the funding of such a project) he is, my co-worker decided to contact the neighbors, all of whom he indicated he didn't know at all.
So he set off around the opposite side of the block to knock on the neighbors door directly behind his house. A gentleman comes to the door and my co-worker introduces himself and the gentleman introduces himself as Larry Wall.
My co-worker doesn't recognize the name since he really doesn't program to any extreme degree, more of a planning/management type guy.
But since the company is a software development house he knows several people who use Perl and they describe what they do with it on an almost daily basis. Thus he is aware of Perl.
So apparently the chit-chat continues on and the topic eventually comes to what each person does for a living.
My co-worker describes his job and then Larry says that he is currently writing a book for O'Reilly.
My co-worker is definitely intrigued by this answer and asks what sort of book and Larry describes that it's a book detailing the (is his a more appropriate adjective here) latest version of Perl.
When my co-worker hears the word Perl he gets all excited. His reaction was basically that it's pretty cool to have a neighbor who has contributed so much to the programming community.
Anyway to make an already long story shorter my understanding is that Larry was really cool about the fence, basically letting my co-worker take care of the details (the way my co-worker wanted them) and I believe he helped with the cost as well.
So if you contribute to the Perl Development Grant be aware that you are helping support some really nice folks! And that is to be commended!
I hope I got the details correct, at least that's how I remember them....
Well, somewhere in the back of my head I remember someone saying that it takes about 9 gigs per hour for storage of HDTV (The technical specs on the D-VHS say 44 gigs for 4 hours of recording time). Don't know whether that 9 gigs includes sound or not, but I'll say no for arguments sake.
Thus 9gigs / 60 minutes = roughly 150 megs per minute.
I just purchased 256megs of ram for my PC for $29.95 US recently, so I'm still of the belief it could easily be done and at a price that's within the average consumer's price range.
Forget D-VHS or whatever it is called...
The box manufacturers could make a DVD system today that would store enough data to record a movie and all the associated goodies in HDTV.
All they gotta do is make a plastic shell (which represents one movie for instance) that holds two or three (ever how many it takes) DVDs that hold the data.
Then they build a DVD player that swallows that shell, reads the first DVD and plays it until it detects it is within lets say a minute of finishing the first half of the movie. The DVD player then buffers the last minute or so in RAM.
Then using the same technology that allows for CDROM switching in, lets say, car stereos the DVD player switches to the second DVD and buffers in the first minute of it as well.
With the last minute off the first disc buffered in and the first minute off the second disc buffered in there is no reason why a smooth transition couldn't be made and no glitches appear in the movie.
It's a fairly simple proposition, somebody just needs to sit down and do it.
I cannot remember the guy's name at Sony (I think it was the President, CEO, or whatever they got) who came up with the shirt pocket size diskette, the walkman, etc. but that's the kinda person who needs to get the ball really rolling.
Not some pinheads who cannot see past the end of their rich, conceited, lazy noses.
Thanks for listening
This is perfect, now I have a 100 percent sure way of getting rid of crap that I don't want to receive. My new SPAM filter looks something like this:
/TRUSTE/ ){sub_delete( $email );}
if ( $email =~