You're wrong - see sudosh
on
Sudo vs. Root
·
· Score: 1
We use sudo extensively for a large environment with many admins and many developers who think they need root equivalency on every server they log into.
There is a good tool that is a middle ground between forcing users to type sudo $COMMAND for every command and between just giving up a root shell and encouraging users to do 'sudo su'
It's sudosh - it provides the ability to get a root shell session where every command and its output is recorded.
So, what exactly is the reason for customer to upgrade to either HD-DVD or BluRay?
I only see one fundamental benefit between $NEW_DVD_FORMAT and DVD:
1) larger capacity - whether this mean more content or higher resolution.
I see many drawbacks between $NEW_DVD_FORMAT and DVD:
1) more expensive media and released product -- why is a consumer going to pay more for a BluRay movie than a DVD? I bet the movie studios will say "because that will be their only choice"... As to resolution, how many people are willing to pay more *PER MOVIE* for better than current DVD resolution. There has been such a long and successful marketing campaign for DVDs that convinced people that DVD resolution is *GREAT!*. Now someone's going to have to convince people that DVDs suck. Yeah, right...
2) DRM - nobody wants to *PAY EXTRA* for less control. If you want BluRay to succeed, give the players away for $25 - (meaning cheaper than a standalone DVD-ROM drive current cost).
3) format war uncertainties. Nobody wants to make the wrong choice and be stuck with worthless electronics junk.
4) lack of a problem - from a consumer standpoint, what exactly is wrong with DVDs? Seems like everyone loves them. What problem does BluRay solve? Oh, my freedom problem... yeah right
5) the next dvd jon - it's just a matter of time until any protection in these new formats is broken. Consumers will not stand for constant changes in fundamental technology formats as a primary strategy to enforce DRM.
Virtual machine images with no licensing restrictions that can do the following:
- VMs that distribute work that users can do at home and get paid for. It's the next generation of "get paid for working at home" - find work that requires human review like translation, document review, paralegal, coding bounty projects etc - have VM that feeds work into queues and credits users for work done.
- GPS Navigation system suitable for embedded use
- Turn old hardware into a full function dedicated "PDA" which supports multiple input methods. The goal would be a dedicated device that replaces the kitchen calendar for a family.
- Free MMORPEG VMs. - Make future MMORPEG environments rich and full of content and *FREE*
- Internet phone and PBX - a standalone videoconference image that just works out of the box
- A dedicated ebay rich client for realtime auction management that feels more like a real auction
- Gambling devices - real slot machines and card games that feel like being in a casino with real payouts, live stats, etc.
PT Barnum would be so proud of what has happened with HD. We've got the hardware producers *and* the government rolling over to the content producers with everyone intent on finding more ways to make the consumers pay more and more often. It's not about cheaper, newer, or better technology.
"See the egress!" of people *not* buying new TVs as they walk out of their electronics store frustrated by the HD cartel.
Why do I get the feeling that there will be an HD 2.0? I think I'll stick with my old TV and if it dies, I'll buy someone elses' old TV.
Thinking that Linux doesn't or can't make a viable desktop due to the sheer volume of opensource solutions to a variety of past problems is missing the point -- the problems have been solved in many ways and distributions have made choices, standardized and made things work so that users don't need to care or worry.
A non-Linux user who thinks Linux on the desktop isn't usable is about as misinformed as a Linux users who complains about the frequency of Windows bluescreens but hasn't used Windows since Windows ME.
Alsa is pretty much the standard, but I do want to see JACK become a standard that alsa plugs into - Linux really should have low latency audio and the ability to play multiple concurrent sounds - the lack of that is kind of embarrassing.
My point still stands, though - This and other issues will get resolved and sorted out by distro builders.
in other words, "ajax-based web spreadsheet that uses a databse for backend datastore"
Great idea - it effectively could kill excel for always-connected corporate environments where people are constantly fighting with different spreadsheet revisions and 2nd hand data.
Give users the interface they know and mostly seem to love. No stupid ODBC drivers necessary. Works in any modern browser. Give the company accurate data in a real database. Win-Win.
You mean MythTV. It's very good, and it keeps getting better.
The people who complain either expect commercial-like support for a turnkey product, try to use poorly supported hardware without the technical ability to make it work, or they are not comfortable with Linux or debugging their own install and setup.
There are certain tasks (i.e. anything that happens in the data centers) that I don't have the access to do. Even a simple task, like installing more memory in a non-production server, can take nine months and massive mountains of paperwork (no exaggeration)
So, let me get this straight... User is frustrated because request to make standard servers non-standard with a custom request in a datacenter requires paperwork and time. User is upset because IT has formal procedures for change control, service level agreements, and standard hardware configs. User doesn't get ram upgrade and posts rant to Slashdot.
User is technical, probably dual boots their desktop to non-supported OS, probably hacks computer stuff at home, probably very smart and capable of supporting five or six computers by him/herself.
IT department probably supports 1000+ machines, and that number has doubled in the last year or so while staffing has been cut.
IT department probably has 200 servers per admin and only maintans this ratio by with consistent server deployments that maintain standard configurations.
A good IT organization understands the company's business.
A good technology worker needs to learn to work with IT to get what they need. You would probably be able to request and justify 10 servers and get them in the time it takes to get a one-off upgrade
The lack of agility is maddening, because I know we are missing significant business opportunities.
Lack of planning on your part does not create an emergency on my part.
Learn how your IT organization works. Work with it.
we get no support from IT. Even senior management can't break through the barrier
Perhaps you don't see the big picture. Perhaps you don't see the corporate IT budget and where you/your team/your project is on the priority list for that budget.
I'm sure there are all sorts of IT departments, but the *good* ones understand the core business and know what's important to the company's bottom line. If your IT department doesn't understand that, then I'm afraid you're going to have to become the IT liason and teach them. Provide them with your requirements well in advance so that they can plan proper deployments. Work together so that you can understand the pain points of IT, and they can understand your hardware/support requirements and the *value* that this will provide to the company.
I for one, bought the Network adapter and find it somewhat of a disappointment since Sony has never really released any of the cool internet-based content that they *should* have delivered.
DEAR SONY:
- Please make the network adapter on the PS2 more useful.
- Please release a *FREE* or very low cost. Linux distribution. Your Linux kit was too expensive, impossible to buy separately, and quickly went obsolete.
- Please provide some sort of appliance-like web browser for the PS2
Set Linux on the PS2 free! With so many PS2s out there, I see a giant missed opportunity to turn the PS2 into so much more than it currently is and to give it a longer usable lifespan as a set top box or multipurpose computer. Just look at xbox and XBMC.
How sad is it that my tiny little router is a more usable computer than my PS2?
This is becoming a very big problem. Nobody wants to have a 10cm object hit them at 1000mph in space. Space tourism? Sign this release form...
So, let's look at the situation - Orbiting garbage. We need space janitors. Giant robots that pick up garbage, except the garbage is moving really fast.
All you need is the world's largest and strongest giant Net that is "pulled" around the earth at various altitudes and you could just sweep up the garbage.
Or... you need a really sticky giant substance that will collect the smaller objects. Maybe a few dozen giant balls of silly putty in orbit?
Or... turn it into a "starwars" weapons testing ground. Let the government track garbage in space and blow it up. Our tax dollars at work. Just make sure we don't blow up any of *our* satellites.
Let people volunteer for space cleanup duty. I bet a lot of people would volunteer to go to space, put on a giant catchers' mit and catch space garbage.
DRM is like border patrol or a lock on a box - effective, but ultimately circumventable.
The big companies are spending more and more time trying to figure out how to build a higher fence around their border and build stronger locks.
Aside from the issue that all DRM is ultimately circumventable, I believe most nerds are upset by content companies forcing software non-diversity and screwing up advancement of opensource software.
Example: there is still no legal solution for playing DVDs on Linux.
REPEAT: There is still no legal solution for playing DVDs on Linux.
Chew on that and think of what that means about how important opensource environments are to the RIAA/MPAA.
So... when will Linux users be able to use CableCard? My guess is that within 2 years some group of enterprising hackers will have a decent reverse engineernig of it so that with great pains and probably hardware that will be rendered "illegal" in the US, someone would be able to receive HD content directly on Linux. So, maybe the content companies are buying themselves a few years by making a mechanism that locks out Linux.
If enough people switch to Linux on desktops and set top boxes, market forces will drive alternate solutions.
Until that day, I'll stick with SDTV and non-HD tvs, thank you.
Looking at the hardware specs, it seems that it wouldn't be totally impossible for Maemo to support Palm hardware like the LifeDrive.
I would eagerly wipe PalmOS off my LifeDrive and install a linux-based distro. It couldn't possibly perform any worse than FrankenGarnet on the LifeDrive.
Seriously, while the lifedrive hardware specs are pretty good... the whole package as released by palm was a turd. Hear that, Palm? A Turd! And, no thank you Palm... I don't want to "upgrade" to a T|X or a Treo650. You should send the leftover inventory of LifeDrives to maemo and embedded linux developers and release a free "upgrade" to Linux.
It wouldn't be right if the day went by without a Sony Rootkit story on Slashdot. Seriously, I can't get enough of this story, it's what Slashdot was invented for.
Hear, hear!
Sony has singlehandedly done more to thwart DRM and encryption and all these B.S. "secure" and "trusted" content cartels than all of the EFF and other opensource advocates could ever have possibly hoped to do.
When I am finally able to pull a digital TV HDTV signal directly to mythtv without any BS encryption and cable card, I will not forget Sony's contribution in raising everyone's awareness of the issue of how DRM is anti-consumer to legislation toppling proportions
Hmmm.... Space herpes!
on
Space Lichens
·
· Score: 2, Funny
What the hell was that? Hmmm... space herpes!
... This ship has space herpes?
Ladies and gentlemen of the supposed jury, IBM's attorney would certainly want you to believe that his client wrote "The 2.7 Linux kernel" ten years ago. And they make a good case. Hell, I almost felt pity myself!
But ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider: Ladies and gentlemen, this [pointing to a picture of Chewbacca] is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk, but Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now, think about that. THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE! Why would a Wookiee--an eight foot tall Wookiee--want to live on Endor with a bunch of two foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense!
But more important, you have to ask yourself, what does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense.
Look at me, I'm a lawyer from SCO, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca. Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense. None of this makes sense!
And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberating and conjugating Linux source code... Does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense.
If Chewbacca lived on Endor, you must convict IBM! The prosecution rests.
The whole exercise seems like a lot of work to hook a PSP up to a TV with a device that's got to be ugly and unweildy. Why not just buy a PS2 if you want to play games on the TV?
'I thought I had been clear on this already when I said 'No'--we have no plans at this time to build Office on Linux,'
considering how many times this has come up over the years and how many stories on slashdot have been focused on this exact topic, this is obviously not 100% clear.
One must conjecture that there is something preventing this from being summarily dispelled...
[tinfoil hat]like an internal group that maintains a port of Office to Linux and other unix variants?[/tinfoil hat]
Let's recap our history:
The offline bit is really great - if you need to go to a client, and want to take the buglist along with you, you're pretty screwed. But if you have this, there's a local copy you carry around, and it seamlessly integrates...very nice. Very very nice.
... and very very scary if there is any sensitive customer data in your bugzilla.
Palm has been dying for a long time
on
The End of PalmOS?
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I maintain that Palm has never really done a good job at much of anything and that their pinnacle was the release of the Palm V.
Microsoft's inability to compete with a mobile OS that worked well on low-spec hardware, and the WinCE hardware vendors' inability to make good portable hardware really was the factor that kept Palm alive so long.
Palm's ability to release new versions with differerent amounts of ram or different case colors can hardly be considered as innovative.
Palm's inabliity to bundle wireless sooner is inexcusable.
Palm's purchase (back) of Handspring for the Treo 600 just proved they didn't have a good new product.... and then they found out that all Treos have a shielding problem that cause them to start buzzing!
The fact that Palm has never released a real successor to the Tungsten T|3 is painful to all longtime faithful Palm power users.
The PalmOS6 fiasco... It must have been even worse than I could imagine because even Palm didn't want it.
The LifeDrive. Never has a machine with a 416mhz cpu seemed so slow! Hey, let's make all I/O go through a hard drive and let's not include an effective disk cache! I'm sure people won't mind waiting 3 minutes to reset, and I'm sure our power users won't mind STARING AT A FRIGGING BLANK SCREEN FOR 40 SECONDS WHILE THEY TRY TO SWITCH APPS! It makes me feel like an idiot for having purchased your product every time I switch apps.
Palm, I was your best advocate, and I don't know how you could have disappointed me more.
Let's hope that someone else can succeed where you failed.
As long as the transition from analog to digital tv is done over a sufficiently long time period (say 20 years), I don't have a problem.
The moment that I need to buy new TVs because my old TVs no longer work, I'm going to be seriously ticked off.
When my current TVs stop working or have a problem, I'll probably buy the best TV I can get for about $500-700 to replace it with. So, somewhere between 8 and 20 years from now, I'll *personally* be ready for all digital TV.
The biggest problems I see in the move to digital TV are:
1) The move to digital TV has been hijacked as an opportunity to force DRM down the consumers' throats. This has turned into a "fight against HDTV" at the broadcaster and consumer level since the two things have been artifically linked together and kept HDTV adoption low. I *unfortunately* fully expect the broadcast flag to be snuck into every piece of legislation until it somehow manages to pass as a rider to some completely unrelated bill that gets passed at midnight on a sunday.
2) Analog broadcast quality doesn't suck enough to motivate people to go through an upgrade cycle. Sure, the "videophiles" out there can tell. Sure, videogames look better, but a very large portion of the market is happy enough with analog broadcast quality that they are not motivated to spend more money
Slashdot Mirror
We use sudo extensively for a large environment with many admins and many developers who think they need root equivalency on every server they log into.
There is a good tool that is a middle ground between forcing users to type sudo $COMMAND for every command and between just giving up a root shell and encouraging users to do 'sudo su'
It's sudosh - it provides the ability to get a root shell session where every command and its output is recorded.
http://sudosh.sourceforge.net/
I for one, welcome our new 2004 VD17 asteroid overlords.
So, what exactly is the reason for customer to upgrade to either HD-DVD or BluRay?
I only see one fundamental benefit between $NEW_DVD_FORMAT and DVD:
1) larger capacity - whether this mean more content or higher resolution.
I see many drawbacks between $NEW_DVD_FORMAT and DVD:
1) more expensive media and released product -- why is a consumer going to pay more for a BluRay movie than a DVD? I bet the movie studios will say "because that will be their only choice"... As to resolution, how many people are willing to pay more *PER MOVIE* for better than current DVD resolution. There has been such a long and successful marketing campaign for DVDs that convinced people that DVD resolution is *GREAT!*. Now someone's going to have to convince people that DVDs suck. Yeah, right...
2) DRM - nobody wants to *PAY EXTRA* for less control. If you want BluRay to succeed, give the players away for $25 - (meaning cheaper than a standalone DVD-ROM drive current cost).
3) format war uncertainties. Nobody wants to make the wrong choice and be stuck with worthless electronics junk.
4) lack of a problem - from a consumer standpoint, what exactly is wrong with DVDs? Seems like everyone loves them. What problem does BluRay solve? Oh, my freedom problem... yeah right
5) the next dvd jon - it's just a matter of time until any protection in these new formats is broken. Consumers will not stand for constant changes in fundamental technology formats as a primary strategy to enforce DRM.
Here's what I want to see:
Virtual machine images with no licensing restrictions that can do the following:
- VMs that distribute work that users can do at home and get paid for. It's the next generation of "get paid for working at home" - find work that requires human review like translation, document review, paralegal, coding bounty projects etc - have VM that feeds work into queues and credits users for work done.
- GPS Navigation system suitable for embedded use
- Turn old hardware into a full function dedicated "PDA" which supports multiple input methods. The goal would be a dedicated device that replaces the kitchen calendar for a family.
- Free MMORPEG VMs. - Make future MMORPEG environments rich and full of content and *FREE*
- Internet phone and PBX - a standalone videoconference image that just works out of the box
- A dedicated ebay rich client for realtime auction management that feels more like a real auction
- Gambling devices - real slot machines and card games that feel like being in a casino with real payouts, live stats, etc.
PT Barnum would be so proud of what has happened with HD. We've got the hardware producers *and* the government rolling over to the content producers with everyone intent on finding more ways to make the consumers pay more and more often. It's not about cheaper, newer, or better technology.
"See the egress!" of people *not* buying new TVs as they walk out of their electronics store frustrated by the HD cartel.
Why do I get the feeling that there will be an HD 2.0? I think I'll stick with my old TV and if it dies, I'll buy someone elses' old TV.
Betamax anyone?
Year 2006 Vaporware 1#
Linux on Desktop
I'll feed your troll...
Thinking that Linux doesn't or can't make a viable desktop due to the sheer volume of opensource solutions to a variety of past problems is missing the point -- the problems have been solved in many ways and distributions have made choices, standardized and made things work so that users don't need to care or worry.
A non-Linux user who thinks Linux on the desktop isn't usable is about as misinformed as a Linux users who complains about the frequency of Windows bluescreens but hasn't used Windows since Windows ME.
Alsa is pretty much the standard, but I do want to see JACK become a standard that alsa plugs into - Linux really should have low latency audio and the ability to play multiple concurrent sounds - the lack of that is kind of embarrassing.
My point still stands, though - This and other issues will get resolved and sorted out by distro builders.
Sounds a lot like the turbodbadmin demo to me... just with support for formulas.
http://turboajax.com/turbodbadmin.html
in other words, "ajax-based web spreadsheet that uses a databse for backend datastore"
Great idea - it effectively could kill excel for always-connected corporate environments where people are constantly fighting with different spreadsheet revisions and 2nd hand data.
Give users the interface they know and mostly seem to love. No stupid ODBC drivers necessary. Works in any modern browser. Give the company accurate data in a real database. Win-Win.
How good is MythPC?
You mean MythTV. It's very good, and it keeps getting better.
The people who complain either expect commercial-like support for a turnkey product, try to use poorly supported hardware without the technical ability to make it work, or they are not comfortable with Linux or debugging their own install and setup.
There are certain tasks (i.e. anything that happens in the data centers) that I don't have the access to do. Even a simple task, like installing more memory in a non-production server, can take nine months and massive mountains of paperwork (no exaggeration)
So, let me get this straight...
User is frustrated because request to make standard servers non-standard with a custom request in a datacenter requires paperwork and time. User is upset because IT has formal procedures for change control, service level agreements, and standard hardware configs. User doesn't get ram upgrade and posts rant to Slashdot.
User is technical, probably dual boots their desktop to non-supported OS, probably hacks computer stuff at home, probably very smart and capable of supporting five or six computers by him/herself.
IT department probably supports 1000+ machines, and that number has doubled in the last year or so while staffing has been cut.
IT department probably has 200 servers per admin and only maintans this ratio by with consistent server deployments that maintain standard configurations.
A good IT organization understands the company's business.
A good technology worker needs to learn to work with IT to get what they need. You would probably be able to request and justify 10 servers and get them in the time it takes to get a one-off upgrade
The lack of agility is maddening, because I know we are missing significant business opportunities.
Lack of planning on your part does not create an emergency on my part.
Learn how your IT organization works. Work with it.
we get no support from IT. Even senior management can't break through the barrier
Perhaps you don't see the big picture. Perhaps you don't see the corporate IT budget and where you/your team/your project is on the priority list for that budget.
I'm sure there are all sorts of IT departments, but the *good* ones understand the core business and know what's important to the company's bottom line. If your IT department doesn't understand that, then I'm afraid you're going to have to become the IT liason and teach them. Provide them with your requirements well in advance so that they can plan proper deployments. Work together so that you can understand the pain points of IT, and they can understand your hardware/support requirements and the *value* that this will provide to the company.
I for one, bought the Network adapter and find it somewhat of a disappointment since Sony has never really released any of the cool internet-based content that they *should* have delivered.
DEAR SONY:
- Please make the network adapter on the PS2 more useful.
- Please release a *FREE* or very low cost. Linux distribution. Your Linux kit was too expensive, impossible to buy separately, and quickly went obsolete.
- Please provide some sort of appliance-like web browser for the PS2
Set Linux on the PS2 free! With so many PS2s out there, I see a giant missed opportunity to turn the PS2 into so much more than it currently is and to give it a longer usable lifespan as a set top box or multipurpose computer. Just look at xbox and XBMC.
How sad is it that my tiny little router is a more usable computer than my PS2?
This is becoming a very big problem. Nobody wants to have a 10cm object hit them at 1000mph in space. Space tourism? Sign this release form...
So, let's look at the situation - Orbiting garbage. We need space janitors. Giant robots that pick up garbage, except the garbage is moving really fast.
All you need is the world's largest and strongest giant Net that is "pulled" around the earth at various altitudes and you could just sweep up the garbage.
Or... you need a really sticky giant substance that will collect the smaller objects. Maybe a few dozen giant balls of silly putty in orbit?
Or... turn it into a "starwars" weapons testing ground. Let the government track garbage in space and blow it up. Our tax dollars at work. Just make sure we don't blow up any of *our* satellites.
Let people volunteer for space cleanup duty. I bet a lot of people would volunteer to go to space, put on a giant catchers' mit and catch space garbage.
they run Solaris on the servers because they have found it to be more stable, reliable, and have a longer lifecycle.
Sorry to the Linux fanboys, but... true, true, and true.
Solaris 2.5.1 was stable, reliable and we're still using it.
Perhaps RHEL4 is *now* at that level that Solaris has been at for a decade.
DRM is like border patrol or a lock on a box - effective, but ultimately circumventable.
The big companies are spending more and more time trying to figure out how to build a higher fence around their border and build stronger locks.
Aside from the issue that all DRM is ultimately circumventable, I believe most nerds are upset by content companies forcing software non-diversity and screwing up advancement of opensource software.
Example: there is still no legal solution for playing DVDs on Linux.
REPEAT: There is still no legal solution for playing DVDs on Linux.
Chew on that and think of what that means about how important opensource environments are to the RIAA/MPAA.
So... when will Linux users be able to use CableCard? My guess is that within 2 years some group of enterprising hackers will have a decent reverse engineernig of it so that with great pains and probably hardware that will be rendered "illegal" in the US, someone would be able to receive HD content directly on Linux. So, maybe the content companies are buying themselves a few years by making a mechanism that locks out Linux.
If enough people switch to Linux on desktops and set top boxes, market forces will drive alternate solutions.
Until that day, I'll stick with SDTV and non-HD tvs, thank you.
Looking at the hardware specs, it seems that it wouldn't be totally impossible for Maemo to support Palm hardware like the LifeDrive.
... I don't want to "upgrade" to a T|X or a Treo650. You should send the leftover inventory of LifeDrives to maemo and embedded linux developers and release a free "upgrade" to Linux.
I would eagerly wipe PalmOS off my LifeDrive and install a linux-based distro. It couldn't possibly perform any worse than FrankenGarnet on the LifeDrive.
Seriously, while the lifedrive hardware specs are pretty good... the whole package as released by palm was a turd. Hear that, Palm? A Turd! And, no thank you Palm
It wouldn't be right if the day went by without a Sony Rootkit story on Slashdot. Seriously, I can't get enough of this story, it's what Slashdot was invented for.
Hear, hear!
Sony has singlehandedly done more to thwart DRM and encryption and all these B.S. "secure" and "trusted" content cartels than all of the EFF and other opensource advocates could ever have possibly hoped to do.
When I am finally able to pull a digital TV HDTV signal directly to mythtv without any BS encryption and cable card, I will not forget Sony's contribution in raising everyone's awareness of the issue of how DRM is anti-consumer to legislation toppling proportions
What the hell was that? Hmmm... space herpes!
... This ship has space herpes?
Ladies and gentlemen of the supposed jury, IBM's attorney would certainly want you to believe that his client wrote "The 2.7 Linux kernel" ten years ago. And they make a good case. Hell, I almost felt pity myself!
But ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider: Ladies and gentlemen, this [pointing to a picture of Chewbacca] is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk, but Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now, think about that. THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE! Why would a Wookiee--an eight foot tall Wookiee--want to live on Endor with a bunch of two foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense!
But more important, you have to ask yourself, what does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense.
Look at me, I'm a lawyer from SCO, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca. Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense. None of this makes sense!
And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberating and conjugating Linux source code... Does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense.
If Chewbacca lived on Endor, you must convict IBM! The prosecution rests.
The whole exercise seems like a lot of work to hook a PSP up to a TV with a device that's got to be ugly and unweildy. Why not just buy a PS2 if you want to play games on the TV?
considering how many times this has come up over the years and how many stories on slashdot have been focused on this exact topic, this is obviously not 100% clear.
One must conjecture that there is something preventing this from being summarily dispelled...
[tinfoil hat]like an internal group that maintains a port of Office to Linux and other unix variants?[/tinfoil hat]
Let's recap our history:
There is no OSX on Intel
There is no iTunes phone
There is no Palm running Windows
Amiga is making a comeback
The offline bit is really great - if you need to go to a client, and want to take the buglist along with you, you're pretty screwed. But if you have this, there's a local copy you carry around, and it seamlessly integrates...very nice. Very very nice.
... and very very scary if there is any sensitive customer data in your bugzilla.
I maintain that Palm has never really done a good job at much of anything and that their pinnacle was the release of the Palm V.
... and then they found out that all Treos have a shielding problem that cause them to start buzzing!
Microsoft's inability to compete with a mobile OS that worked well on low-spec hardware, and the WinCE hardware vendors' inability to make good portable hardware really was the factor that kept Palm alive so long.
Palm's ability to release new versions with differerent amounts of ram or different case colors can hardly be considered as innovative.
Palm's inabliity to bundle wireless sooner is inexcusable.
Palm's purchase (back) of Handspring for the Treo 600 just proved they didn't have a good new product.
The fact that Palm has never released a real successor to the Tungsten T|3 is painful to all longtime faithful Palm power users.
The PalmOS6 fiasco... It must have been even worse than I could imagine because even Palm didn't want it.
The LifeDrive. Never has a machine with a 416mhz cpu seemed so slow! Hey, let's make all I/O go through a hard drive and let's not include an effective disk cache! I'm sure people won't mind waiting 3 minutes to reset, and I'm sure our power users won't mind STARING AT A FRIGGING BLANK SCREEN FOR 40 SECONDS WHILE THEY TRY TO SWITCH APPS! It makes me feel like an idiot for having purchased your product every time I switch apps.
Palm, I was your best advocate, and I don't know how you could have disappointed me more.
Let's hope that someone else can succeed where you failed.
Yes! If you're going to trash the box anyway, toss a knoppix cd in it, see if it works and use it as a second computer at least.
Save landfill, and get some use out of the existing equipment.
Most old computers are still way more powerful that Linux needs to be happy.
PS - Request a free Ubuntu CD and install that if you want to have the OS on hard disk instead of on a bootable CD
Do you honestly think it will be possible to purchase and watch content on a linux machine?
Do you honestly think that a free market economy will not create products where there is an opportunity?
And... I think we'll see more video content approach the price of free and that advertising will just get more pervasive/creative.
As long as the transition from analog to digital tv is done over a sufficiently long time period (say 20 years), I don't have a problem.
The moment that I need to buy new TVs because my old TVs no longer work, I'm going to be seriously ticked off.
When my current TVs stop working or have a problem, I'll probably buy the best TV I can get for about $500-700 to replace it with. So, somewhere between 8 and 20 years from now, I'll *personally* be ready for all digital TV.
The biggest problems I see in the move to digital TV are:
1) The move to digital TV has been hijacked as an opportunity to force DRM down the consumers' throats. This has turned into a "fight against HDTV" at the broadcaster and consumer level since the two things have been artifically linked together and kept HDTV adoption low. I *unfortunately* fully expect the broadcast flag to be snuck into every piece of legislation until it somehow manages to pass as a rider to some completely unrelated bill that gets passed at midnight on a sunday.
2) Analog broadcast quality doesn't suck enough to motivate people to go through an upgrade cycle. Sure, the "videophiles" out there can tell. Sure, videogames look better, but a very large portion of the market is happy enough with analog broadcast quality that they are not motivated to spend more money
Learning to do things without pretty GUIs means that you have skills that are much in demand and you can get a job. That's why.