MS windows retains compatibility with 20 year old DOS programs and they are considered behind the times, but XFree86 retains compatibility for 10 years and it is "impressive"?
Apples and oranges.. DOS is a 16-bit operating system for 16-bit processors, the argument against DOS compatibility was that to do this, Windows had to include a lot of 16-bit code, instead of being fully 32-bit.
This caused windows to be notoriously unstable, (WinNT on the other hand, is fully 32 bit, which is one of the reasons 2000/XP are more stable than the old 95,98,Me branch)
X never had any such problems.
Retained backward compatibility is impressive, because it is an indicator of a good original design. (in the X case) But backward compatibility that serves to retain a flawed design is bad. (the windows case)
Just a thought: Given that Russia does not have a DMCA-type law, how motivated would they be to extradite these guys to the USA? (Given, of course, that they figure out whodunnit)
It seems to me the russian police have a bit more important things to do..
Open source software keeps looking better and better all the time, as commercial software just gets dirtier and sneakier... I wonder where the EULA mania will stop?
TERMS AND CONDITIONS blablabla.. 3197 D) All your base belong to us for fifteen minutes..
How interesting.. this is called relativism (not the Einstein kind)
Now, I would like to ask you, does that statement apply to itself? If yes, then we can't be sure that everything is unsure - which renders the possibility that things indeed can be known for sure.
If no, then you are assuming that at least one thing -can- be known for sure, which means that other things may be as well.
In short: That is a self-contradictory statement.
Also, in stating that we don't know most things -for sure- , you seem to imply that everything is equally uncertain. This is not the case.
For example, for the last 500 years or so, we have known that the earth orbits the sun, and not vice-versa. Of course we can't be -absolutly certain- this is the case, but I'd say that it would be very unlikely for the opposite to be proved.
Science is not about solid truths, nor has it ever been: It's about knowing things with a known degree of certainty.
Studies have shown that only about 2% of the general population are vulnerable to cult recruitment & indoctrination
I doubt that statement. Perhaps it is true if you mean that 2% of the population at any given moment in time are vunerable to cult recruitment, but in reality: We all have moments when we are weak or depressed, our self-esteem is low and we are vunerable.
IMHO, realizing this vunerability is an important step in protecting yourself from the dangers of cults.
Also, realize that people don't join cults. They are invited to 'discussion groups' or 'councilling' or 'therapy' or some other cover.
Cult indoctrination is gradual, like the frog in boiling water. (Or, a bait-and-switch scam as it is known in con-man terms)
Homosexuality is a mutation, but it certainly doesn't mean that homosexuals have a better chance of having offspring.
Seriously, two points: 1) AFAIK it is yet to be determined if homosexuality is a genetic trait or not.
2) For a mutation to survive it does need to increase your chance of having offspring, the textbook example of this would be Sicle cell Anemia. A person with the disease will probably not have a better chance of having offspring. (It's a terrible disorder) However, those who only carry the genetic trait for the disease experience increased resistance to malaria.
This, on the other hand -does- give you a better chance at having live offspring.
If this is a mutation, then by simple rules of evolutionary biology, it must mean that people who play a lot of video games have a better chance of having offspring!
It's a little known fact that many ATM machines use OS/2... even the new ones. That means millions of people use OS/2 every day and don't even know it. The funny thing is that they WOULD know it if they used an M$ OS. How would you like the "blue screen of death" when you're in the middle of a transaction?
The ATM machines run by SparBanken in Sweden use Windows 95!!!!!!!!
And YES, I -have- seen the machines both crash (software) and blue-screened!
One can only hope they fired the SOBs who came up with -that- idea.
From the article: Look at it this way. I can send 1,000 copies to a distributor who will put it on store shelves around the world. People will walk in, pick it up and buy it. Now let's say that the software was free (as in cost) and I just sell services. Well, now I can't put it on a store shelf and for every customer; I have to go and hunt them down somehow and persuade them to use our free software and then pay us for support -- but they should only really need support if our software is hard to use or poorly designed, which isn't the case or our objective.
Now this is an argument, but he doesn't adress the most common case, namely: You package the thing with manuals and charge for it (with 30 days free support), but also provide a free download at your site. Now send it to the distributor.
This is how most distros work, and Redhat seems to be doing fine. Even I was surprised when I saw SuSE Linux on the shelf at the store Åhlens (~Walmart, but not cheap) here in Sweden last christmas, that's good market penetration!
But he does have a point: Consumer-oriented products shouldn't need support.
Didn't Microsoft aquire the rights to the english language back in like, 1995?
Re:But Einstein was a swiss patent clerk
on
Patent Nonsense
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Interesting point.. According to the article, Switzerland didn't have patent laws until 1907. According to A.E.s biography he worked at the patent office from 1902 to 1909.. Any swiss IP historians around who can elucidate?
2) Blatantly misinformed Adressing the second case:
I doubt this poster knows much about the world at all. (The use of the Bushesque term 'Netherlandian' says it all)
Switzerland is a major player (with respect to it's size, of course) in pharmaceuticals, banking, and engineering.
I'll give you an international high-tech firm that is from Switzerland: ABB - a major (second largest?) firm in robotics, power plants, power transmission etc.
Tech start ups? Well a lot of people (especially on./) seem to care about Kazaa.
Slashdot Mirror
I visited this thing back in '99 when it was held in Stockholm.
;-)
Cool stuff! (I liked the Sony Aibo compo, especially.. they're so cute.. )
Definetly more interesting than robotwars,
but a little more violence wouldn't hurt.
(Nasty tackles, anyone? )
Go Team Sweden!
C.R.P.'s routinely dump more effluents into the atmosphere and water table than most large industrial plants!
Maybe.. but the relevant comparison here is if they dump
more effulents into the atmosphere and water table than most large landfills.
MS windows retains compatibility with 20 year old DOS programs and they are considered behind the times,
but XFree86 retains compatibility for 10 years and it is "impressive"?
Apples and oranges..
DOS is a 16-bit operating system for 16-bit processors,
the argument against DOS compatibility was that
to do this, Windows had to include a lot of 16-bit
code, instead of being fully 32-bit.
This caused windows to be notoriously unstable,
(WinNT on the other hand, is fully 32 bit, which
is one of the reasons 2000/XP are more stable
than the old 95,98,Me branch)
X never had any such problems.
Retained backward compatibility is impressive, because it is an indicator of a good original design. (in the X case)
But backward compatibility that serves to retain a flawed design is bad. (the windows case)
Hey.. when it comes to $cientology the more light you can shed on the bastards, the better!
(Links added to boost Xenu.net's Google rating..)
..but back in the prime of the X-Files, these guys were as close a role model as I could find on television as a kid.
So you were a kid back in what, 1995? How old are you?
WAAIT one second here.. 1995 was 7 years ago?
Jeezus.. I'm getting old! Scary!
Just a thought: Given that Russia does not have a DMCA-type law,
how motivated would they be to extradite these guys to the USA?
(Given, of course, that they figure out whodunnit)
It seems to me the russian police have a bit more important things to do..
Any russians here who'd like to comment on this?
Oh, everything is porn, didn't you know?
.prn. Do not pass go.
Back in 1864 quite a few considered Manet's "Olympia" to be porn,
today it's a masterpiece.
We'll just work our way back..
A: Is that porn on your web site?!
B: Nope, it's art..
A: No it's not.. they've ripped the ladies' arms off, disgusting!
Dismemberment! Mutilation! Pornography! Obscenity! Necrophilia!
B: But it's the Venus de Milo...
A: Did you just say VENUS?!
B: Yes..
A: Well then you're going straigt to
As usual, one can change the www.nytimes to
archive.nytimes to acces the article without registration.
Don't forget the Cantina lightsabre scene, which
has an uncanny resemblance to the street scene in Yojinbo.
Watching Kurosawa is a must for any true SW fan,
and his best films (Yojinbo, 7 samurai) are better than SW, most of them are better than PM.
Open source software keeps looking better and better all the time,
as commercial software just gets dirtier and sneakier...
I wonder where the EULA mania will stop?
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
blablabla..
3197 D) All your base belong to us for fifteen minutes..
We can't know and won't know for *sure* anything.
How interesting.. this is called relativism (not the Einstein kind)
Now, I would like to ask you, does that statement apply to itself?
If yes, then we can't be sure that everything is unsure
- which renders the possibility that things indeed can be known for sure.
If no, then you are assuming that at least one thing -can- be known for sure,
which means that other things may be as well.
In short: That is a self-contradictory statement.
Also, in stating that we don't know most things
-for sure- , you seem to imply that everything is equally uncertain. This is not the case.
For example, for the last 500 years or so, we have known that the earth orbits the sun, and not vice-versa.
Of course we can't be -absolutly certain- this is the case, but I'd say that it would be very unlikely for the opposite to be proved.
Science is not about solid truths, nor has it ever been:
It's about knowing things with a known degree of certainty.
Studies have shown that only about 2% of the general population are vulnerable to cult recruitment & indoctrination
I doubt that statement.
Perhaps it is true if you mean that 2% of the
population at any given moment in time are vunerable to cult recruitment,
but in reality: We all have moments when we are weak or depressed, our self-esteem is low and we are vunerable.
IMHO, realizing this vunerability is an important step in protecting yourself from the dangers of cults.
Also, realize that people don't join cults.
They are invited to 'discussion groups' or 'councilling' or 'therapy' or some other cover.
Cult indoctrination is gradual, like the frog in boiling water. (Or, a bait-and-switch scam as it is known in con-man terms)
Homosexuality is a mutation, but it certainly doesn't mean that homosexuals have a better chance of having offspring.
Seriously, two points:
1) AFAIK it is yet to be determined if
homosexuality is a genetic trait or not.
2) For a mutation to survive it does need to
increase your chance of having offspring, the
textbook example of this would be Sicle cell Anemia.
A person with the disease will probably not have
a better chance of having offspring. (It's a terrible disorder)
However, those who only carry the genetic trait for the disease
experience increased resistance to malaria.
This, on the other hand -does- give you a better chance at having live offspring.
If this is a mutation, then by simple
rules of evolutionary biology, it must mean
that people who play a lot of video games have a better chance of having offspring!
This translates to a lot of geeks getting laid!
I just *knew* my PS2 would get me chicks!
They are considering having the US mail/FedEx/UPS/etc
cease to deliver mail, unless they stop distributing parcels from a certain list of adresses?
It's a little known fact that many ATM machines use OS/2... even the new ones. That means millions of people use OS/2 every day and don't even know it. The funny thing is that they WOULD know it if they used an M$ OS. How would you like the "blue screen of death" when you're in the middle of a transaction?
The ATM machines run by SparBanken in Sweden use Windows 95!!!!!!!!
And YES, I -have- seen the machines both crash (software) and blue-screened!
One can only hope they fired the SOBs who came up with -that- idea.
From the article:
Look at it this way. I can send 1,000 copies to a distributor who will put it on store shelves around the world. People will walk in, pick it up and buy it. Now let's say that the software was free (as in cost) and I just sell services. Well, now I can't put it on a store shelf and for every customer; I have to go and hunt them down somehow and persuade them to use our free software and then pay us for support -- but they should only really need support if our software is hard to use or poorly designed, which isn't the case or our objective.
Now this is an argument, but he doesn't adress the most common case, namely:
You package the thing with manuals and charge for it (with 30 days free support),
but also provide a free download at your site.
Now send it to the distributor.
This is how most distros work, and Redhat seems to be doing fine. Even I was surprised when I saw SuSE Linux on the shelf at the store Åhlens
(~Walmart, but not cheap) here in Sweden last christmas, that's good market penetration!
But he does have a point: Consumer-oriented products shouldn't need support.
Didn't Microsoft aquire the rights to the english
language back in like, 1995?
Interesting point..
According to the article, Switzerland didn't have patent laws until 1907.
According to A.E.s biography he worked at the patent office from 1902 to 1909..
Any swiss IP historians around who can elucidate?
I visited the European Patent Office (a.k.a Barad-dûr) in the Hauge,
and I must say that nowadays they certainly take patents seriously!
Actually, the Nobel Prize is from the other rather high-tech European country fitting the Sw* wildcard: Sweden.
Either you are:
./) seem to care about Kazaa.
1) Trolling
2) Blatantly misinformed
Adressing the second case:
I doubt this poster knows much about the world at all. (The use of the Bushesque term 'Netherlandian' says it all)
Switzerland is a major player (with respect to it's size, of course) in pharmaceuticals, banking, and engineering.
I'll give you an international high-tech firm that is from Switzerland: ABB - a major (second largest?) firm in robotics, power plants, power transmission etc.
Tech start ups? Well a lot of people (especially on
This SW/Resevoir Dogs parody..
Not Astatine: there is less than 1 milligram of the stuff on the entire planet at any given moment..
Hydrogen and helium make up 99% of the universe.
Living things are mostly H,C,N,O,S and P.
What did Astatine ever do for me??