At least Intel is finally giving up on the USB 2.0 (an Intel-led creation) vs. FireWire (Apple) fight and just going with both. Apple was slightly less dogmatic about it, and let USB 2.0 onto their machines a year or so ago (USB 1.1 is a given as of 1998, but, for high-speed connections, they tried to force their FireWire hand.)
I've heard of a few distributed tracker projects, which I don't want to name here because this kind of suprnova thing will happen again. Suffice to say the P2P technology satisfies a huge need, and it will only get harder to stop, and easier to use. We all know that "information wants to be free", or whatever accurate, yet cliche phrase, you want to say.
WASTE was cool, though it's sad that Frankel had to go and get fired from his gig, and it is too complex to spread like Bit Torrent has.
On a side note, the MPAA is a lame duck dead organization, and so is the RIAA. Artists make a lot of their money from touring, and movie stars are beginning to leverage themselves across industries. Soon, we won't have to deal with this crap.
The internet could be the greatest tool ever, if the initial hurdle of copyright could be overcome. But I don't need to tell people here that.
He's not an idiot, but his reasoning is somewhat flawed. I will take DRM like Apple's, because the rights are lenient and sensible. However, Apple is free to change the DRM terms anytime they want. They could change the FairPlay terms tomorrow, and, presumably, lock people's music right where it is. Now, earlier this year, they altered the terms to allow for more (5 up from 3) computers to play music at once, while restricting the same-playlist burn limit to 7 (from 10.) They left the old, looser limit on the old files this time. Next time could be different. DRMed files are a whole new world in the legal sense (heck, just "the computer" seems to be a lot for the system to digest), so one is not "an idiot" for refusing DRM. They may be in the buggywhip business, but they aren't necessarily dumb.
Hi. I wanted to chime in and say that I know a few people in bioinformatics (I work as a research computing technician), and they are all singing the praises of the previously-top-end G5/2.0. The guys say it is blazing fast.
I don't want to get into an Opteron/G5 speed contest, but I can say that the G5/2.5 is going to be worth the wait, unless it gets you fired. The 2.5 is apparently a linear 25% increase in speed from the old machines, with greater improvements in many cases.
(I own a dual 2.0 for home use as well, and it is awesome. I am not in bioinformatics, though just computer-nerditry. The G5 is the first desktop I've had where I say "this is overkill." Typically, I max-out the top end of the PowerMac line every two years. It's been almost a year, and I can't honestly justify the power. It is turning me towards a G5/Powerbook, whenever they hit!)
I think the 2.5 model, with the whiz-bang cooling and new chips, is the first next-gen G5, whereas the lower models are designed to clear out old supplies. November will see the real "bump" to 2.5/2.7/3.0 all-liquid series.
Here's a theory: The 2.5 is slated to start shipping in July, so maybe Apple is getting around the new-model-launch-delays bear? Will they announce and ship the "missing" 2.7 and 3.0 portions of the range in September, when they would have shipped anyway, even if they were announced today? "Clearing out the old machines and releasing the typical low-end 'shipping today' portion of the new model range, and keeping mum on the parts we would normally delay two months."
That said, they are still impressive machines, save for the GPU. Also, to the first poster, the top end chips are 2.5Ghz, not 1.5...
I work for a hospital, so we have to satisfy HIPAA regulations when disposing of hard drives. When a PC is junked, we ship it to the warehouse, where it is stripped of RAM, if it is still useful, and the hard drive. The hard drives are then fdisked, formatted, and put in a cardboard box. Once we get over twenty hard drives, out come the hammers, and there go the drives. It is overwhelmingly satisfying to hit a "fragile!" sticker with a hammer. Once the platters are cracked through or shattered, the drives are reboxed, the box is taped, and it goes out with the rest of the computer trash (perhaps to recycling.) Though this isn't perfect, anyone who gets the data off of those platters is likely to get it no matter what we do.
Rogue Amoeba's software audio tools might help some of the people who need certain tweaks to allow AirTunes to work as they want it to.
Personally, I am going to get one at the end of the summer, so I can divorce my stereo from my Mac (I have a receiver, speakers, and a computer connected via minijack) and have a real living room audio system.
Was "wing commander." If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. There were microwaves masquerading as control panels and Minidiscs for "encrypted messages"
The fastest realistic processor today price/performance ratio is either the G3 (PPC 750) or G4. G3 is $25 each in quantities of 10000 for a 400Mhz chip, with 600Mhz on the way. The G4, if you want to do desktop work with one (two, three, four...9999) machine, is the fastest price to performance ratio. This chip, which I am writing this comment on now, doesn't play quake3 like a pentium 3 or AMD K-7 or 6, but 50 FPS in a new game is not important for the work you want to do. The G4 runs LinuxPPC wonderfully, cracks RC5 blocks at the fastest speed per Mhz, and also is excellent for embedded work (if you write the software) since it emits 34 less watts of heat than it's x86 cousins.
I don't feel like having to leave my G3, so I download the song. I would pay a couple buks per single if it meant I didn't have to go to a cold, impersonal store that I KNOW won't have what I want.
Slashdot Mirror
At least Intel is finally giving up on the USB 2.0 (an Intel-led creation) vs. FireWire (Apple) fight and just going with both. Apple was slightly less dogmatic about it, and let USB 2.0 onto their machines a year or so ago (USB 1.1 is a given as of 1998, but, for high-speed connections, they tried to force their FireWire hand.)
For me, it's a reflex (fellow low UID buddy.)
I've heard of a few distributed tracker projects, which I don't want to name here because this kind of suprnova thing will happen again. Suffice to say the P2P technology satisfies a huge need, and it will only get harder to stop, and easier to use. We all know that "information wants to be free", or whatever accurate, yet cliche phrase, you want to say.
WASTE was cool, though it's sad that Frankel had to go and get fired from his gig, and it is too complex to spread like Bit Torrent has.
On a side note, the MPAA is a lame duck dead organization, and so is the RIAA. Artists make a lot of their money from touring, and movie stars are beginning to leverage themselves across industries. Soon, we won't have to deal with this crap.
The internet could be the greatest tool ever, if the initial hurdle of copyright could be overcome. But I don't need to tell people here that.
It is one of the most poorly written, colloquial things purporting to be "articles" or "reviews" I have ever seen linked from Slashdot.
Sorry, but it is so biased and slangy it is hard to get into.
He's not an idiot, but his reasoning is somewhat flawed. I will take DRM like Apple's, because the rights are lenient and sensible. However, Apple is free to change the DRM terms anytime they want. They could change the FairPlay terms tomorrow, and, presumably, lock people's music right where it is. Now, earlier this year, they altered the terms to allow for more (5 up from 3) computers to play music at once, while restricting the same-playlist burn limit to 7 (from 10.) They left the old, looser limit on the old files this time. Next time could be different. DRMed files are a whole new world in the legal sense (heck, just "the computer" seems to be a lot for the system to digest), so one is not "an idiot" for refusing DRM. They may be in the buggywhip business, but they aren't necessarily dumb.
Hi. I wanted to chime in and say that I know a few people in bioinformatics (I work as a research computing technician), and they are all singing the praises of the previously-top-end G5/2.0. The guys say it is blazing fast.
I don't want to get into an Opteron/G5 speed contest, but I can say that the G5/2.5 is going to be worth the wait, unless it gets you fired. The 2.5 is apparently a linear 25% increase in speed from the old machines, with greater improvements in many cases.
(I own a dual 2.0 for home use as well, and it is awesome. I am not in bioinformatics, though just computer-nerditry. The G5 is the first desktop I've had where I say "this is overkill." Typically, I max-out the top end of the PowerMac line every two years. It's been almost a year, and I can't honestly justify the power. It is turning me towards a G5/Powerbook, whenever they hit!)
I think the 2.5 model, with the whiz-bang cooling and new chips, is the first next-gen G5, whereas the lower models are designed to clear out old supplies. November will see the real "bump" to 2.5/2.7/3.0 all-liquid series.
Here's a theory: The 2.5 is slated to start shipping in July, so maybe Apple is getting around the new-model-launch-delays bear? Will they announce and ship the "missing" 2.7 and 3.0 portions of the range in September, when they would have shipped anyway, even if they were announced today? "Clearing out the old machines and releasing the typical low-end 'shipping today' portion of the new model range, and keeping mum on the parts we would normally delay two months."
That said, they are still impressive machines, save for the GPU. Also, to the first poster, the top end chips are 2.5Ghz, not 1.5...
I work for a hospital, so we have to satisfy HIPAA regulations when disposing of hard drives. When a PC is junked, we ship it to the warehouse, where it is stripped of RAM, if it is still useful, and the hard drive. The hard drives are then fdisked, formatted, and put in a cardboard box. Once we get over twenty hard drives, out come the hammers, and there go the drives. It is overwhelmingly satisfying to hit a "fragile!" sticker with a hammer. Once the platters are cracked through or shattered, the drives are reboxed, the box is taped, and it goes out with the rest of the computer trash (perhaps to recycling.) Though this isn't perfect, anyone who gets the data off of those platters is likely to get it no matter what we do.
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/detour/
Rogue Amoeba's software audio tools might help some of the people who need certain tweaks to allow AirTunes to work as they want it to.
Personally, I am going to get one at the end of the summer, so I can divorce my stereo from my Mac (I have a receiver, speakers, and a computer connected via minijack) and have a real living room audio system.
"install linux, problem solved" is bannable over at SA now...
Those cables are cool. This tech seems a few more years off, though.
Is there any chance this could be appealed?
Was "wing commander." If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. There were microwaves masquerading as control panels and Minidiscs for "encrypted messages"
Abe J
The fastest realistic processor today price/performance ratio is either the G3 (PPC 750) or G4. G3 is $25 each in quantities of 10000 for a 400Mhz chip, with 600Mhz on the way. The G4, if you want to do desktop work with one (two, three, four...9999) machine, is the fastest price to performance ratio. This chip, which I am writing this comment on now, doesn't play quake3 like a pentium 3 or AMD K-7 or 6, but 50 FPS in a new game is not important for the work you want to do. The G4 runs LinuxPPC wonderfully, cracks RC5 blocks at the fastest speed per Mhz, and also is excellent for embedded work (if you write the software) since it emits 34 less watts of heat than it's x86 cousins.
I don't feel like having to leave my G3, so I download the song. I would pay a couple buks per single if it meant I didn't have to go to a cold, impersonal store that I KNOW won't have what I want.