DVD+ apparently supports VBR (Variable Bit Rate) encoding when recording as video (obviously, computer media files with VBR in them will save just fine when using this as a data medium). DVD- apparently does not. This may be outdated information.
DVD+ is now faster. Plextor has their (I think 708A) drive out, which supports 8X recording on DVD+R _ON 4X MEDIA_. Nobody else is doing this, certainly not on -R.
DVD+ seems to be getting faster, faster than DVD- is.
The media price seems to be at parity, though I've not done extensive checking, just take a peek every now and then at a Best Buy or CompUSA.
If I was going to buy a drive now, I'd go for the Plextor 708A, and stick with the + media (it's compatible with both + & - media, both reading & writing).
DVD-RAM isn't dead, it just smells that way.:) Okay, admit it, it's dead. Don't touch it. (and put that stick down, Billy!)
You may want to hold off until the whole burning dual-layer thing comes to fruition - I'm not sure how soon that'll happen, though I think someone just recently demonstrated it (Philips?).
I'd definitely go for the Plextor drive right now, though - it's even cheaper than the very nice Sony dual format drive, in addition to the 8X burning thing, which the Sony doesn't do.
Ya think Ballmer will be flying to Israel in First Class, or Business Class? Or maybe they bought an old SR-71 to get out to these upstart countries _Real Soon Now_?:)
> But what about other browsers, like the browser on your Palm, or the browser hooked into a screen reader, or webTV? Does the layout scale? With CSS it does, both up and down.
If I know it's going to be something used with those, yeah, I can make them scale pretty well.
> I agree with you, in that if you don't update your site, it really doesn't matter what HTML version you code against. But what happens when you want to update your look, but keep the content?
That depends on how you manage your content, and how clean your code is. I've worked on sites with thousands of pages with HTML 4 that didn't rely on CSS to be updated quickly. If your content is coming out of a database, it's _really_ easy to just change your output template and be done with it, and avoid the CSS nightmares.
If your content isn't coming out of a database, then your code needs to be designed for easy cut and paste. No, it's not pleasant, but you can do a relatively straightforward template change within a day on sites that have hundreds of pages, if you've done your work correctly.
Now, I'm not advocating that all sites should be done this way, just that it's an option that is more realistic than going to extreme lengths with CSS-based templates. It seems to be an option that too many developers aren't even considering, when in many cases, it could be easily the best fit for their needs. I've been doing this stuff since '94, so I assure you, I know of whence I speak, and I've worked on sites that are frickin' HUGE, to sites that are amazingly small.
It's too bad that HTML 5 never showed up, but then again, considering the skills of the W3C HTML working group, I doubt it'd have done much good, anyway. *shrug*
> Does it make more sense to create an XHTML/CSS site that can > work on *every* browser, even if degraded, or a site that only > works on 1 browser, and breaks when you want to update it?
Those aren't the only choices available, though.
Depending on how often a site is updated, XHTML/CSS may not be necessary for ease of maintenance. When that is the case, I can often make something work pixel-perfect & identical on just about any browser by using plain ole HTML 4.01. If one has to make a bunch of CSS exceptions for every browser case out there, the the bandwidth savings may not occur, also.
The key phrases you used are "For the most part" and "well enough." Having done far more than my fair share of XHTML & CSS work, I know that IE6's CSS implementation is just funky enough to cause problems. Part of the problem may be that I'm overly picky. I want it to actually work as it _should_. *shrug*
> If Microsoft is still selling Windows XP in late 2005, while Apple is continually advertising newer-faster-better, Microsoft may lose a lot of the lock-in they have.
Not unless Jobs wakes up and smells the freakin' coffee! Yes, I think Mac OS X is the best desktop OS out there right now, BUT:
1) Apple needs to make a MUCH less expensive Mac - the most popular idea seems to be a 'headless' iMac. People already have monitors, generally - so make an iMac that doesn't have the built-in price of an LCD, already. Geez.
2) Reduce like MAD the price of the PowerMacs. They currently range from $2k to $3k. They should _start_ at $1k. They also need to bring down the prices of their CinemaDisplays even further, especially on the low & middle-end models.
3) Bring FileMaker Pro back in-house, beef up their word processor & spreadsheet & mail client, and make an 'Apple Office' suite. They're fairly close to this, I think, already.
If they do the above, and concentrate on software, they'd do pretty well against Microsoft. Hardware is a commodity market, and Apple's strengths have always been in ease-of-use, not hardware. The G5 is great stuff, but only brings about performance parity for most every-day tasks. Apple needs to concentrate on gaining marketshare to push their real strengths - software that's easy to use.
but any watercraft. And not just watercraft, but anything that would be more efficient with less friction. If they can get the cost down to that of, say, automotive paint, then they'll really have something with huge market impact in an incredible number of industries.
...if the game is not yet available for legal download. Then, pirate away, mateys!
I'm building a MAME machine just for using these legal ROMs - their collection is still quite small, but there _are_ some real classics in there. They just need to add to their collection, big-time. I can't _believe_ that Red Baron is on their list - too cool!
I'd have more respect for someone who learned Klingon than for one who learned Esperanto. At least there's _some_ kind of benefit to learning Klingon!:)
They may already have the service you want. Qwest (formerly U.S. West) has it - can't remember the name, but here's what it does.
You get the service, and anyone calling you gets a message saying press '1' to proceed as long as you're not a solicitor, etc.
The message only plays if the caller is calling during legally-approved telemarketing hours.
The message will not play for people you've programmed into the system to bypass it - so put your friends and family members phone numbers into the system, and they'll never get the message. And if they do, all they have to do is press 1 right away, anyway.
Very nice, very simple, about $7 per month if I remember correctly.
So, check with your phone company - they may already have the solution you're seeking (assuming we're not talking about a cellphone company - I haven't seen this solution from them, yet).
The secondary defense is Caller ID, of course. That way you can avoid those calls from Mom when you're just not in the goddamned mood to put up with nonsense.:)
Hey, you'll all be grateful once the Martians invade and all the little kids save your lives due to their advanced weapons & tactical training! (see also: documentary called 'Mars Attacks')
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DVD+ apparently supports VBR (Variable Bit Rate) encoding when recording as video (obviously, computer media files with VBR in them will save just fine when using this as a data medium). DVD- apparently does not. This may be outdated information.
:) Okay, admit it, it's dead. Don't touch it. (and put that stick down, Billy!)
DVD+ is now faster. Plextor has their (I think 708A) drive out, which supports 8X recording on DVD+R _ON 4X MEDIA_. Nobody else is doing this, certainly not on -R.
DVD+ seems to be getting faster, faster than DVD- is.
The media price seems to be at parity, though I've not done extensive checking, just take a peek every now and then at a Best Buy or CompUSA.
If I was going to buy a drive now, I'd go for the Plextor 708A, and stick with the + media (it's compatible with both + & - media, both reading & writing).
DVD-RAM isn't dead, it just smells that way.
You may want to hold off until the whole burning dual-layer thing comes to fruition - I'm not sure how soon that'll happen, though I think someone just recently demonstrated it (Philips?).
I'd definitely go for the Plextor drive right now, though - it's even cheaper than the very nice Sony dual format drive, in addition to the 8X burning thing, which the Sony doesn't do.
Ya think Ballmer will be flying to Israel in First Class, or Business Class? Or maybe they bought an old SR-71 to get out to these upstart countries _Real Soon Now_? :)
> But what about other browsers, like the browser on your Palm, or the browser hooked into a screen reader, or webTV? Does the layout scale? With CSS it does, both up and down.
If I know it's going to be something used with those, yeah, I can make them scale pretty well.
> I agree with you, in that if you don't update your site, it really doesn't matter what HTML version you code against. But what happens when you want to update your look, but keep the content?
That depends on how you manage your content, and how clean your code is. I've worked on sites with thousands of pages with HTML 4 that didn't rely on CSS to be updated quickly. If your content is coming out of a database, it's _really_ easy to just change your output template and be done with it, and avoid the CSS nightmares.
If your content isn't coming out of a database, then your code needs to be designed for easy cut and paste. No, it's not pleasant, but you can do a relatively straightforward template change within a day on sites that have hundreds of pages, if you've done your work correctly.
Now, I'm not advocating that all sites should be done this way, just that it's an option that is more realistic than going to extreme lengths with CSS-based templates. It seems to be an option that too many developers aren't even considering, when in many cases, it could be easily the best fit for their needs. I've been doing this stuff since '94, so I assure you, I know of whence I speak, and I've worked on sites that are frickin' HUGE, to sites that are amazingly small.
It's too bad that HTML 5 never showed up, but then again, considering the skills of the W3C HTML working group, I doubt it'd have done much good, anyway. *shrug*
> Does it make more sense to create an XHTML/CSS site that can
> work on *every* browser, even if degraded, or a site that only
> works on 1 browser, and breaks when you want to update it?
Those aren't the only choices available, though.
Depending on how often a site is updated, XHTML/CSS may not be necessary for ease of maintenance. When that is the case, I can often make something work pixel-perfect & identical on just about any browser by using plain ole HTML 4.01. If one has to make a bunch of CSS exceptions for every browser case out there, the the bandwidth savings may not occur, also.
The key phrases you used are "For the most part" and "well enough." Having done far more than my fair share of XHTML & CSS work, I know that IE6's CSS implementation is just funky enough to cause problems. Part of the problem may be that I'm overly picky. I want it to actually work as it _should_. *shrug*
Don't make the mistake of equating 'newest' with 'best.'
Yep, then all we need is for the most popular browser (by far) to correctly support CSS.
:)
I'll hold my breath, for I look good in blue.
Noone likes to talk about the first model, the Afisheon.
It smelled funny.
Trix are for kids.
Silly rabbit.
(go see "Kill Bill"!)
Quick, call someone in Australia and have them check their GameCube, and their neighbor's, too. Call collect.
"Oh, wow, this is one of those new pagers that clip onto your ear!"
hehehe
> If Microsoft is still selling Windows XP in late 2005, while Apple is continually advertising newer-faster-better, Microsoft may lose a lot of the lock-in they have.
Not unless Jobs wakes up and smells the freakin' coffee! Yes, I think Mac OS X is the best desktop OS out there right now, BUT:
1) Apple needs to make a MUCH less expensive Mac - the most popular idea seems to be a 'headless' iMac. People already have monitors, generally - so make an iMac that doesn't have the built-in price of an LCD, already. Geez.
2) Reduce like MAD the price of the PowerMacs. They currently range from $2k to $3k. They should _start_ at $1k. They also need to bring down the prices of their CinemaDisplays even further, especially on the low & middle-end models.
3) Bring FileMaker Pro back in-house, beef up their word processor & spreadsheet & mail client, and make an 'Apple Office' suite. They're fairly close to this, I think, already.
If they do the above, and concentrate on software, they'd do pretty well against Microsoft. Hardware is a commodity market, and Apple's strengths have always been in ease-of-use, not hardware. The G5 is great stuff, but only brings about performance parity for most every-day tasks. Apple needs to concentrate on gaining marketshare to push their real strengths - software that's easy to use.
but any watercraft. And not just watercraft, but anything that would be more efficient with less friction. If they can get the cost down to that of, say, automotive paint, then they'll really have something with huge market impact in an incredible number of industries.
BSP/IP - "Bitch Slap Protocol/Internet Protocol" support - for remotely Bitch Slapping stupid users. An idea whose time has come(tm).
:)
Oh yeah, and add more SCO(tm) code - adding Evil(tm) to MS Windows(tm) sure didn't hurt the bottomline at MS(tm)!
Disclaimer: (tm), (r), and (c) wherever appropriate...
Note: BSP/IP is defensively patented by FlyByNite Industries, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harkonnen Enterprises.
...if the game is not yet available for legal download. Then, pirate away, mateys!
I'm building a MAME machine just for using these legal ROMs - their collection is still quite small, but there _are_ some real classics in there. They just need to add to their collection, big-time. I can't _believe_ that Red Baron is on their list - too cool!
I'd have more respect for someone who learned Klingon than for one who learned Esperanto. At least there's _some_ kind of benefit to learning Klingon! :)
...space tourist onboard playing Doom X, "What the hell! I've got a frickin' LIGHTSPEED connection, and my ping times suck ass! I want my money back!"
They may already have the service you want. Qwest (formerly U.S. West) has it - can't remember the name, but here's what it does.
:)
You get the service, and anyone calling you gets a message saying press '1' to proceed as long as you're not a solicitor, etc.
The message only plays if the caller is calling during legally-approved telemarketing hours.
The message will not play for people you've programmed into the system to bypass it - so put your friends and family members phone numbers into the system, and they'll never get the message. And if they do, all they have to do is press 1 right away, anyway.
Very nice, very simple, about $7 per month if I remember correctly.
So, check with your phone company - they may already have the solution you're seeking (assuming we're not talking about a cellphone company - I haven't seen this solution from them, yet).
The secondary defense is Caller ID, of course. That way you can avoid those calls from Mom when you're just not in the goddamned mood to put up with nonsense.
Hey, you'll all be grateful once the Martians invade and all the little kids save your lives due to their advanced weapons & tactical training! (see also: documentary called 'Mars Attacks')
...that they didn't name it after the other Hedgehog, Ron Jeremy.
*ewwwww*
the new 40Gig iPod is nice and pricey, and totally cool.
Perhaps the new 1GHz 12" Apple PowerBook?
Certainly a Sony Aibo is expensive and unnecessary, but can be useful in harassing the interns.
Or a UX50 CLIE(TM) Handheld PEG-UX50 PDA. Very cool, and uber-sexy.
If you want impractical, get a Rubberband Machine gun (http://www.backyardartillery.com/machinegun/) Oh yeah. Great for hostile takeovers!
Also check out their remote control tanks that shoot BBs: http://www.backyardartillery.com/tanks/. Sweet. (don't forget the plastic Army men to go along with the tanks!)
Dan's Data (http://www.dansdata.com/) reviews a lot of fun toys like the above. LED flashlights, tanks, and what-not. Maybe a super-modded computer case? Maybe a Powerball (http://www.dansdata.com/gyrotwister.htm#pball would do.
You can always check out the Sharper Image catalog, too. Lots of expensive junk in there.
I think a better name for this one would've been "2003 HolyShit01".