That may be, but again, things they design rarely fail, especially for commonly built things (again the physical equivalent of a database-backed application). They also have some sense of civil liability if something were to go wrong (https://www.nspe.org/resources/professional-liability/liability-employed-engineers). This may drive them to be conservative, but I also believe Engineers understand something developers may not: their work can kill if done improperly. While a dev's work is unlikely to have a direct life-or-death consequence (save medical, aeronautical, automotive or other machinery), it can often have equally bad financial or other consequences (ahem... Equifax, OPM, etc... ahem).
Call it CYA if you want, but it works. It may not be 100% efficient or live on the ragged edge of "good-enough", but it saves lives. And I would argue that it's only a matter of time before the costs involved in SW-based disasters (again see Equifax, et al) begin to be unbearable by society as a whole. When that happens, we will see this make it fast/cheap and to hell with the consequences attitude change.
I've been thinking about this for a few years and have come to the conclusion that we will continue making the same mistakes until we can create a set of rules that everyone can follow. If you look at what civil engineers have done you will see that they have reduced much of what they do to equations and repeatable patterns (for lack of a better term). When someone sets out to build a bridge or a building, they start by designing it with an architect and then they pull out the equations and key tables to ensure that they have the load, weight, use, wind and all the other elements take into account. This is coupled with a very strong set of building codes that dictate minimum strengths, materials and designs to ensure safety. Setting aside the occasional corner cut in construction or neglect, when was the last time a building or bridge just collapsed? (Ok, we know the bridge in Minneapolis, but that wasn't design it was neglect)
It's this level of discipline and rigor that ensures what engineers and architects design and build will work as planned. Couple this rigor with government and professional group mandated licensing of practitioners (try getting a building built without a professional engineer stamp on the design certifying the design is sound) and you can ensure that those designing and building something has a minimum level of training and understanding of the basic physics and processes to ensure sound design.
Until software development can create those same sets of rules and patterns, we will be doomed to repeating the same errors over and over. What we're doing right now is the equivalent of showing someone geometry, basic physics and some sense of writing and then expecting them to design and build the Empire State Building, Burj Khalifa or an Airbus A380. If our physical counterparts did the same, then no one would even think of flying or sleeping in anything other than a tarp strung from trees.
Nope, just pointing out the double standard. Road projects can go over budget and no one ever calls for cancelling it or starting a new one, but if it's rail, suddenly it's a boondoggle, useless or a disaster.
I know people are gasping at the $68b possible price tag. I would like to point out that Boston's Big Dig, basically a tunnel an inner-city highway ended up costing $22b. So, a state-of-the-art high-speed rail line from LA to San Fransisco will only cost 3x what a 2 mile tunnel and urban highway cost. Oh and they highway did nothing to reduce congestion, all it did was induce demand for more drivers and push bottle necks outside the city.
I saw the same thing too, however it was actually a decent deal. If you looked closely, yes it was an EOL machine, but the price did include AppleCare. It's about $150 or so for a Mini, I think, so subtract that from the price and it's not as bad a deal as your laughter would indicate.
I can't speak to the legal issues, but I can speak to the format of the story. Writing for a newspaper (such as the LA Times) is different than writing for any other medium. Traditional newspaper writing style starts with the most important information first and then goes into more details. The thinking is that if the paper has to cut the story off before the end, the important information is at the top.
That's part of why it's written the way it is. The writer can't be sure where the end is. It's legacy print style. (At least it was in 96 when I was in school learning writing for mass communcations)
Not sure if this is true with other open-source DAAP sharing programs and servers, but at least with mt-daapd (not linking to avoid Slashdotting them, search Google for mt-daapd), iTunes 5.0 returns a "The shared music library 'name' is not compatible with this version of iTunes".
I assume there with be a workaround, but for the moment, don't upgrade if you rely on this functionality (like I do).
A large number of comments seem to point out that right now their video and audio are directed to different end points. I think these comments are missing the point (at least in the AV sense). I think what will eventually happen is either the TV will have multiple HDMI inputs or all HDMI signals will be routed through an AV switching receiver and then a single cable run to the projector / TV. In either of these situations, it negates the split a/v problem.
However, until these receivers are in place, this is a semi-valid point.
Since we're all in the wild speculation mode, what about this as another possiblity: IBM licensing Mac OS X and working with Apple to produce business-class OS X systems with IBM branding. (sort of like what HP did with the iPod)
As has been stated here often enough, Apple does not really have what businesses need in a machine: inexpensive (relatively) headless machines that can be dropped into an office cubicle. And there's a good reason for that. An Apple workstation for $800 or so would cut into their Power Mac/iMac sales.
However, if IBM were to release one only available to businesses it might satisfy this need while allowing Apple to protect their core business. IBM could then add their own software or add-ons to integrate with their server line. Maybe even ship the systems with Office pre-installed for businesses.
Whether corporate America would buy into it or not is another story, but it makes for an interesting thought.
Whether he has credentials or not, I personally think he might have a point. It is a well documented fact that distortion is hard on the human ear. When building audio systems for auditoriums, churches, etc it's important to elimiate distortion. MP3 and DRM can introduce distortion into the audio stream.
On a personal note, I have noticed that my ears hurt a little more listening to MP3s vs regular CDs. To be fair, it could be the hardware I'm using, but still...
I hate to come up as a me too, but what many of the posters have said is true. A good game is a good game, no matter whether it's considered "adult" or not. Still to this day, some of my favorite games are the original NES platform games like Super Mario Bros. and the Zelda series.
On a side note, I wonder what would happen to the GameCube sales numbers if Nintendo started rereleasing some of their back catalog for the GC? I know I'd gladly pay $5-$10 for some of the greats (Kung Fu, The Legend of Zelda, etc) if they were available for the GC.
I've long thought that too, however, current HP Pavilion systemes (such as the 750n) I purchased earlier this year shipped with demo versions of Corel Office. One only has to wonder if Sun were to offer a similar deal if HP might want to switch.
Slashdot Mirror
That may be, but again, things they design rarely fail, especially for commonly built things (again the physical equivalent of a database-backed application). They also have some sense of civil liability if something were to go wrong (https://www.nspe.org/resources/professional-liability/liability-employed-engineers). This may drive them to be conservative, but I also believe Engineers understand something developers may not: their work can kill if done improperly. While a dev's work is unlikely to have a direct life-or-death consequence (save medical, aeronautical, automotive or other machinery), it can often have equally bad financial or other consequences (ahem ... Equifax, OPM, etc ... ahem).
Call it CYA if you want, but it works. It may not be 100% efficient or live on the ragged edge of "good-enough", but it saves lives. And I would argue that it's only a matter of time before the costs involved in SW-based disasters (again see Equifax, et al) begin to be unbearable by society as a whole. When that happens, we will see this make it fast/cheap and to hell with the consequences attitude change.
I've been thinking about this for a few years and have come to the conclusion that we will continue making the same mistakes until we can create a set of rules that everyone can follow. If you look at what civil engineers have done you will see that they have reduced much of what they do to equations and repeatable patterns (for lack of a better term). When someone sets out to build a bridge or a building, they start by designing it with an architect and then they pull out the equations and key tables to ensure that they have the load, weight, use, wind and all the other elements take into account. This is coupled with a very strong set of building codes that dictate minimum strengths, materials and designs to ensure safety. Setting aside the occasional corner cut in construction or neglect, when was the last time a building or bridge just collapsed? (Ok, we know the bridge in Minneapolis, but that wasn't design it was neglect)
It's this level of discipline and rigor that ensures what engineers and architects design and build will work as planned. Couple this rigor with government and professional group mandated licensing of practitioners (try getting a building built without a professional engineer stamp on the design certifying the design is sound) and you can ensure that those designing and building something has a minimum level of training and understanding of the basic physics and processes to ensure sound design.
Until software development can create those same sets of rules and patterns, we will be doomed to repeating the same errors over and over. What we're doing right now is the equivalent of showing someone geometry, basic physics and some sense of writing and then expecting them to design and build the Empire State Building, Burj Khalifa or an Airbus A380. If our physical counterparts did the same, then no one would even think of flying or sleeping in anything other than a tarp strung from trees.
Nope, just pointing out the double standard. Road projects can go over budget and no one ever calls for cancelling it or starting a new one, but if it's rail, suddenly it's a boondoggle, useless or a disaster.
I know people are gasping at the $68b possible price tag. I would like to point out that Boston's Big Dig, basically a tunnel an inner-city highway ended up costing $22b. So, a state-of-the-art high-speed rail line from LA to San Fransisco will only cost 3x what a 2 mile tunnel and urban highway cost. Oh and they highway did nothing to reduce congestion, all it did was induce demand for more drivers and push bottle necks outside the city.
Put that way, this is a relative bargain.
I saw the same thing too, however it was actually a decent deal. If you looked closely, yes it was an EOL machine, but the price did include AppleCare. It's about $150 or so for a Mini, I think, so subtract that from the price and it's not as bad a deal as your laughter would indicate.
I can't speak to the legal issues, but I can speak to the format of the story. Writing for a newspaper (such as the LA Times) is different than writing for any other medium. Traditional newspaper writing style starts with the most important information first and then goes into more details. The thinking is that if the paper has to cut the story off before the end, the important information is at the top.
That's part of why it's written the way it is. The writer can't be sure where the end is. It's legacy print style. (At least it was in 96 when I was in school learning writing for mass communcations)
Just by way of update, the current mt-daapd nightly does work with iTunes 5.0. Guess it's time to update my old reliable server.
If I had to guess on Windows (but I haven't tried it yet), you should be able to uninstall both Quicktime and iTunes and then reinstall iTunes 4.9.
For Mac, it might just be a matter of reinstalling 4.9. I've kept the last few installers for iTunes, just in case.
Not sure if this is true with other open-source DAAP sharing programs and servers, but at least with mt-daapd (not linking to avoid Slashdotting them, search Google for mt-daapd), iTunes 5.0 returns a "The shared music library 'name' is not compatible with this version of iTunes".
I assume there with be a workaround, but for the moment, don't upgrade if you rely on this functionality (like I do).
A large number of comments seem to point out that right now their video and audio are directed to different end points. I think these comments are missing the point (at least in the AV sense). I think what will eventually happen is either the TV will have multiple HDMI inputs or all HDMI signals will be routed through an AV switching receiver and then a single cable run to the projector / TV. In either of these situations, it negates the split a/v problem.
However, until these receivers are in place, this is a semi-valid point.
Actually it's already been done in the form of the iBrator.
Since we're all in the wild speculation mode, what about this as another possiblity: IBM licensing Mac OS X and working with Apple to produce business-class OS X systems with IBM branding. (sort of like what HP did with the iPod)
/iMac sales.
As has been stated here often enough, Apple does not really have what businesses need in a machine: inexpensive (relatively) headless machines that can be dropped into an office cubicle. And there's a good reason for that. An Apple workstation for $800 or so would cut into their Power Mac
However, if IBM were to release one only available to businesses it might satisfy this need while allowing Apple to protect their core business. IBM could then add their own software or add-ons to integrate with their server line. Maybe even ship the systems with Office pre-installed for businesses.
Whether corporate America would buy into it or not is another story, but it makes for an interesting thought.
http://www.dessent.net/btfaq/#maketorrent
Whether he has credentials or not, I personally think he might have a point. It is a well documented fact that distortion is hard on the human ear. When building audio systems for auditoriums, churches, etc it's important to elimiate distortion. MP3 and DRM can introduce distortion into the audio stream.
...
On a personal note, I have noticed that my ears hurt a little more listening to MP3s vs regular CDs. To be fair, it could be the hardware I'm using, but still
I hate to come up as a me too, but what many of the posters have said is true. A good game is a good game, no matter whether it's considered "adult" or not. Still to this day, some of my favorite games are the original NES platform games like Super Mario Bros. and the Zelda series.
On a side note, I wonder what would happen to the GameCube sales numbers if Nintendo started rereleasing some of their back catalog for the GC? I know I'd gladly pay $5-$10 for some of the greats (Kung Fu, The Legend of Zelda, etc) if they were available for the GC.
I've long thought that too, however, current HP Pavilion systemes (such as the 750n) I purchased earlier this year shipped with demo versions of Corel Office. One only has to wonder if Sun were to offer a similar deal if HP might want to switch.