He is defending *your* right 'to choose' and your right of 'freedom of speech'.
E.g:
Your right to choose what OS and software to run and not be 'forced' to use a particular system...
The freedom to express yourself via speech, through programming code and the right to create something without being slapt with patent infringement...
I do not agree with everything RMS says but I do understand and have *a great deal of respect* for someone who stands up for their rights and trys to do something rather that sitting on your arse and complaining!
You have to admit he has made a considerable contribution to the community (which without him may not have the political clout it has today).
He may have some 'questionable' beliefs but to dismiss him so easily is truly criminal.
Which is a bloody shame because I like (and use) them both...but...
If both sides would co-operate and make a *serious* attempt to enable both systems to work with each other - it would *unify* the community and hopefully further progress technological advantage.
Now that Qt will now be GPLed there is nothing to stop someone from forming a project whose sole purpose is to make this happen (which both sides are unwilling to do) now that the licensing restriction has ended.
Now that would be something worthwhile to contribute to the community!
I that things in life can't always be free.. but..
I pay about £15 for a cd - I decide I want to listen to it via MP3.com...
I then would have to pay for this service to listen to my 'cd' - I am paying the 'record label twice!
I'm not sure this is fair.... (then again MP3.com has to generate a profit as a business anyway - that's o.k. as long as all the 'service charge' goes to MP3.com and NOT the 'recording label')
I remember(fond) many years ago playing Doom and the 'sequels', downloading the huge amount of.wad files from the internet and enjoying every minute...
especially when the action becomes really frenetic (opening a door to a room and discovering it full of monsters - heart-stopping stuff!)
Since then, I hav not played any similar games that had the same atmosphere...
Quake(I, II, III, XXVVII!) had plenty of atmosphere but lacked the 'intensity' of the Doom games.
As long as the new Doom game does not become a 'high concept' (bugger all substance!) - like a certain other game that spring to mind...
The things that really annoyed me about the first film was the betrayal of the 'Mission Impossible' team...
In the tv series: - everybody worked together as a team to complete the mission - there was hardly any dialogue between the characters (this seem to sharpen the tension) - the 'wow' factor as the *story* unfolded when the mission had finished at the end of each episode
The first film was O.K. as an action/thriller film and licensing the 'Mission Impossible' name was obviously used to sell the film.
I doubt I will see MI:2 (even on video).
I hope one day an MI film will be made to justify and respect the original tv series (even use/re-work the story ideas from the series)
It is just a shame an opportunity like this was wasted (I was really looking forward to the sequal) - bitterly dissapointed !!
At the moment Micosoft is a huge single Entity(and growing!). At some point the size of a company will limit how quickly it can react to market forces an make decisions. To keep a company that size must surely involve 'bureaucratic red tape' to keep the company coordinated and run as smooth as possible.
Breaking up a company into smaller pieces will mean the new companies formed will be able to act quicker in the competitive field and in general each company will be in a 'healthier' state. If each company decided to work together then nothing really has changed! Maybe it was cheaper for Bill Gates to let the DoJ split the company rather than do it himself!
What I think should have been included is to 'open up' the Internet Explorer technology(i.e. source code, custom html tags..) because at the moment Microsoft seem to be enjoying the growth of a new monopoly.
Or maybe try and create an open source version of Internet Explorer!!??
Judging by the previous antics at Corel it appears that they have a major problem with inter-departmental communication and the 'over 18' clause seems like an obvious mistake.
With the dozens of Linux distributions available to anyone at any age this will severely limit it's acceptance.
I will be utterly amazed if this clause is intentional.
Thankfully if you do not like a particular distribution you can always go elsewhere.
So, if the clause is intentional (unlikely) - don't worry about it, use a different distribution!
This also raises issues of the future quality of products Corel will be releasing (as a result I am not really that enthusiastic about them anyway).
My concept of a programming language is that it is only a tool.
A simple example: If I had a choice of using C++ or Visual Basic to connect to a simple Oracle database application(under Windows!) I would use Visual Basic (especially for a tight deadline).
On larger/complex applications I may choose C++.
If I had to extract text from html documents I would use Perl not C (I could use C but it would take longer to write the same thing!)
The old saying rings true - "use the right tools for the right job!"
I have read a few posts here that seem to suggest that VB programmers are "softcore", "less skilled" than other programmers.
FYI I am versed in C, C++, Pascal, various machine code programming on a variety of platforms (e.g. z80 embedded systems, Windoze, Linux etc...) and have been for the last 10-15 years(Yes I am an old fart by today's standards!)
I am not by any means a wizard of all the languages I have used but I believe I understand the principles of programming.
I would like to make it clear that the programming language *Does not define how skilled a programmer is* it is the understanding of the concept and fundementals of programming, analysis/problem solving, logic, understanding of hardware..etc.. that make the difference.
To suggest that Visual Basic programmers are lesser skilled is an inaccurate generalisation and somewhat insulting when this is implied.
I personally do not use VB because I want to - I use it because it the standard developing platform in the companies that I work for.
I've just started programming in Perl and I tell you something - it beats the hell out of VB (not a hard thing to do I suppose!)
Microsoft have always tried to bend over backwards for it's development community - no developers - no software !
But as Linux becomes more popular - an increasing number of Windows programmers are turning to Linux.
Why ?
As a developer for Windows, I hate the way that with every new release of one of their developer packages a 'new' API or programming model is introduced. (Don't forget the increasing system requirements)
In Vb there are at least four different APIs to develop DB applications - can't they get it right first time (not to mention careless bugs in the components??
The MFC that was introduced is quite simply a mess - the learning curve for MFC is ghastly to say the least. When is a *sane* abstraction layer going to be introduced? (Then again the Windows api has always been a mess anyway!)
Their development products can only be used for the Windows platform.
The development products in the Open Source Community are cross-platform. For example I use the Windows port of Perl at work (won't allow Linx) and then at home I can continue on my linux hardware.
I suppose at the heart of the linux community are the developers who create the software.
This is the achilles heel of Microsoft.
If there is one way to tackle Microsoft - converting the developers is an answer.
I personally have nothing against Microsoft as a business - only their products are just not up to scratch - this is one of the many reasons why I use linux.
Oh well...back to programming in VB...(I wasted a day trying to get my databound flexgrid to refresh it's contents - then discovered in the MSDN dox that this is a bug and a suggested fix was to use the dbgrid or a 'third party control')
With the hype and popularity of the winCE 'palmtops'(especially with the manufacturers) Psion needed to do something.
Why?
Over the past couple of years Psion have been attacked by their shareholders and the press to launch an equivalent device.
O.K. The WinCE may look 'cool' but personally I find them a wee bit pointless(I know of a few people who bought them, did not like them because the GUI was fiddly to use, sent them back and bought a Psion 5 instead - and never looked back.)
Aspects of the Psion machines in general are: a) Physically better designed b) The OS is more suited to this class of device c) The applications have always been written for minimal screen space d) Usable battery life
They had to come up with something or risk losing marketshare(happening already) and a diminishing reputation.
As with most companies, Psion to had to listen to their customers or lose them to rivals.
I personally own a Psion 3C and must say that it is excellant product to use (if only Linux would run on this thing!)
What you have to do is to see how long you can run a competitor's product before you hit 'The wall of death'.
'The Wall of Death' is a blue screen which tells that the application is not responding and you have to keep pressing the keys on the keyboard(or fire button in this case) to try and get back to the game. You lose the game when you have to press 'alt+ctrl+del' or in this case all the fire buttons at the same time. . . . Oh! hang on, this game is already out for Windows95/98/2000/NT.
I know everybody likes to trash Microsoft but there is another monopolist - Intel.
Let's face it, Intel have been pushing a technology that is over 15 years old.
Now that the Alpha seems to have assured support, hopefuly there is potentially SERIOUS competition to Intel (AMD produce great chips but when it comes to competing on price Intel have too much financial muscle to lose).
Why? A) The Alpha has a superior design B) Linux(or BSD) runs on it C) Linux and associated applications port easily to other architectures D) Alpha and linux are ideally matched for server and heavyweight computing/network uses. E) The designs of both these products also result in stability.
There is a huge amount of potential with this combination and let's face it - makes computing interesting again!
But surely the days of installling 100s of Megabytes of software is becoming redundant.
Does it really matter if Star Office is Open Source or not - Open Source Developer's time would be better spent writing an alternative.
For example: Writing a component-based office suite that can be 'micro-installed' and/or installed on a server. That way all the rarely used 'features' of the suite can reside on a server or CD-ROM.
It will be easier to manage development of smaller components(I guess thats where Gnome comes into it) rather than a 'big-ass' source tree.
Awww..I dunno I'm rambling and I have the flu...maybe I'm just talking bulls***...
I recommend you bookmark the above site - it is one of the most well informed british papers you can buy. You have to register(free) with the site but you do have access to a weeks worth of news. The Times is published during the week and The Sunday-Times is published on Sunday(Obviously!)
Here is the article in it's entirety:
A life on hold
Christopher Reeve has shown interest in the new transplant research
Head transplants give paralysed new hope Jonathan Leake Science Editor
A LEADING brain surgeon has unveiled plans to perform the first human head transplant. The operation, already carried out successfully on dogs and monkeys, would initially cost £800,000. Among those who could benefit are quadriplegics with conditions similar to that of Christopher Reeve, the Superman actor paralysed after a fall from a horse. The operation may also appeal to rich people with terminal illnesses.
The technique for transplanting heads was proven in principle with small mammals in the early 1990s. However, it was abandoned when scientists realised that the extra time needed to reconnect larger human arteries and muscles would deprive the brain of oxygen and cause tissue damage.
Last week it was claimed that this obstacle has finally been overcome. Robert J White, an American neurosurgeon, said he had developed a blood-cooling system that meant a living head could be disconnected from its blood supply for up to an hour without ill-effect.
White and his team, based at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, claim they have already practised the techniques on corpses retained for medical research at the American hospital where he works.
The White machine cools the brain from 37C to 10C. "This slows the metabolism and allows plenty of time to reconnect a head to its new body. All we are waiting for now is the money and the patients," White said last week.
White has carried out more than 10,000 brain operations on humans. His work on monkeys, which started over 20 years ago, culminated in the full head transplants.
The animals survived for more than a week with no impairment of mental faculties before they were put down, for humane reasons.
Head or brain transplants have long been seen as the holy grail for neurosurgery. In theory, they offer the nearest anyone could get to immortality.
In reality, however, White's technique would initially have a more limited application. Despite many recent advances, surgeons still cannot reconnect or regrow severed spinal nerves. This means that, like the monkeys, anyone who underwent a head transplant would be paralysed from the neck down.
It also means that the first candidates for such surgery would probably be people, like Reeve, who had already been paralysed. Quadriplegics often die prematurely from multiple organ failure. Transplanting their head to a new body could, however, give them the chance of a normal lifespan.
White believes that, although the idea might shock the able-bodied, many quadriplegics would welcome it. "It would be hard to deny them that chance through squeamishness when we are already transplanting lungs, hearts and livers," he said.
Most of the subsequent demand for head transplants would, however, almost certainly come from a group presenting far greater ethical problems - elderly or dying millionaires with enough money to pay for the operation and the years of aftercare.
The operational procedure, described by White in a paper published last week, would involve two teams of surgeons. Deep incisions would be made around the necks to expose the six major blood vessels and the spine. The next step would be to cool the head by connecting it to White's new cerebral perfusion machine. Initially this would carry blood from the original body but, as the operation progressed, a second set of tubes from the machine would be hooked up to blood vessels of the recipient body.
Then, taps would switch off the head's blood supply from the original body and replace it with blood from the new body.
At this point the head would be detached, by severing the spinal cord, and then attached to the new body. Such procedures could mean halting the blood supply but the brain's low temperature would minimise the risk of damage. Then the blood vessels, muscles and skin could be sewn together using standard surgical techniques.
Reeve, who has set up a foundation to promote research into the causes of paralysis and potential cures, is understood to have taken a close interest in White's research.
White refused to reveal his future clients but was confident many would come forward. He said: "The Frankenstein legend, where a human being is constructed by sewing parts together, will become a reality early in the 21st century."
This is one of the best distributions of Linux I have used - it was also the one that introduced me to Linux back in '96.
I remember thinking - "Hey this is really cool...but not very useful!"
It's now 1999 and I now have a home network with a 486 server running RH5.2 - Samba, Apache etc.. I also use AbiWord, netscape, Lynx, Gimp and a s***load of other USEFUL apps - I guess one has to eat one's words! . . Anyway where was I? Oh yes..
I still think Slackware is one of the best distribs.
The thing I like about Slackware above the the other distribs is that; it is compact, very flexible installation and the authors prefer stability over 'new features'.
Hell, it is running on a 300Mb partition on my Compaq 486/25 Lite laptop and Xfree is installed!
Try doing that with Red Hat!
Re:New codename for Windows - "Lemmings"
on
Microsoft Janus
·
· Score: 1
Yeah this is the new "Lemmings" release of Windows...
When one system crashes, the others follow one-by-one!
On the other hand it could be a "feature" - an instant replay...you get to watch the "blue screen of death" again..and again..and again..
Slashdot Mirror
What is the problem ?
He is defending *your* right 'to choose' and your right of 'freedom of speech'.
E.g:
Your right to choose what OS and software to run and not be 'forced' to use a particular system...
The freedom to express yourself via speech, through programming code and the right to create something without being slapt with patent infringement...
I do not agree with everything RMS says but I do understand and have *a great deal of respect* for someone who stands up for their rights and trys to do something rather that sitting on your arse and complaining!
You have to admit he has made a considerable contribution to the community (which without him may not have the political clout it has today).
He may have some 'questionable' beliefs but to dismiss him so easily is truly criminal.
At the moment Gnome and KDE are 'rivals' !
...but...
Which is a bloody shame because I like (and use) them both
If both sides would co-operate and make a *serious* attempt to enable both systems to work with each other - it would *unify* the community and hopefully further progress technological advantage.
Now that Qt will now be GPLed there is nothing to stop someone from forming a project whose sole purpose is to make this happen (which both sides are unwilling to do) now that the licensing restriction has ended.
Now that would be something worthwhile to contribute to the community!
I that things in life can't always be free..
but..
I pay about £15 for a cd - I decide I want to listen to it via MP3.com...
I then would have to pay for this service to listen to my 'cd' - I am paying the 'record label twice!
I'm not sure this is fair....
(then again MP3.com has to generate a profit as a business anyway - that's o.k. as long as all the 'service charge' goes to MP3.com and NOT the 'recording label')
Hmmm....
I remember(fond) many years ago playing Doom and the 'sequels', downloading the huge amount of .wad files from the internet and enjoying every minute...
especially when the action becomes really frenetic (opening a door to a room and discovering it full of monsters - heart-stopping stuff!)
Since then, I hav not played any similar games that had the same atmosphere...
Quake(I, II, III, XXVVII!) had plenty of atmosphere but lacked the 'intensity' of the Doom games.
As long as the new Doom game does not become a 'high concept' (bugger all substance!) - like a certain other game that spring to mind...
I'll wait and see before I get too excited!
The things that really annoyed me about the first film was the betrayal of the 'Mission Impossible' team...
In the tv series:
- everybody worked together as a team to complete the mission
- there was hardly any dialogue between the characters (this seem to sharpen the tension)
- the 'wow' factor as the *story* unfolded when the mission had finished at the end of each episode
The first film was O.K. as an action/thriller film and licensing the 'Mission Impossible' name was obviously used to sell the film.
I doubt I will see MI:2 (even on video).
I hope one day an MI film will be made to justify and respect the original tv series (even use/re-work the story ideas from the series)
It is just a shame an opportunity like this was wasted (I was really looking forward to the sequal) - bitterly dissapointed !!
I bought an Advent laptop from PCWorld as well!
As far as I know - most displays upto 1024*768 seem to be defect free.
When the resolution is increased beyond this - the defects become more common (I hate to think how many components these things have!)
At the moment Micosoft is a huge single Entity(and growing!).
At some point the size of a company will limit how quickly it can react to market forces an make decisions.
To keep a company that size must surely involve 'bureaucratic red tape' to keep the company coordinated and run as smooth as possible.
Breaking up a company into smaller pieces will mean the new companies formed will be able to act quicker in the competitive field and in general each company will be in a 'healthier' state.
If each company decided to work together then nothing really has changed!
Maybe it was cheaper for Bill Gates to let the DoJ split the company rather than do it himself!
What I think should have been included is to 'open up' the Internet Explorer technology(i.e. source code, custom html tags..) because at the moment Microsoft seem to be enjoying the growth of a new monopoly.
Or maybe try and create an open source version of Internet Explorer!!??
This is just the start...
Next year is going to be another significant year for the Internet -
Consolidation and major buyouts of Internet companies is on the way (and will break a few records in the process)
Judging by the previous antics at Corel it appears that they have a major problem with inter-departmental communication and the 'over 18' clause seems like an obvious mistake.
With the dozens of Linux distributions available to anyone at any age this will severely limit it's acceptance.
I will be utterly amazed if this clause is intentional.
Thankfully if you do not like a particular distribution you can always go elsewhere.
So, if the clause is intentional (unlikely) - don't worry about it, use a different distribution!
This also raises issues of the future quality of products Corel will be releasing (as a result I am not really that enthusiastic about them anyway).
I agree..
My concept of a programming language is that it is only a tool.
A simple example: If I had a choice of using C++ or Visual Basic to connect to a simple Oracle database application(under Windows!) I would use Visual Basic (especially for a tight deadline).
On larger/complex applications I may choose C++.
If I had to extract text from html documents I would use Perl not C (I could use C but it would take longer to write the same thing!)
The old saying rings true - "use the right tools for the right job!"
I have read a few posts here that seem to suggest that VB programmers are "softcore", "less skilled" than other programmers.
FYI I am versed in C, C++, Pascal, various machine code programming on a variety of platforms (e.g. z80 embedded systems, Windoze, Linux etc...) and have been for the last 10-15 years(Yes I am an old fart by today's standards!)
I am not by any means a wizard of all the languages I have used but I believe I understand the principles of programming.
I would like to make it clear that the programming language *Does not define how skilled a programmer is* it is the understanding of the concept and fundementals of programming, analysis/problem solving, logic, understanding of hardware..etc.. that make the difference.
To suggest that Visual Basic programmers are lesser skilled is an inaccurate generalisation and somewhat insulting when this is implied.
I personally do not use VB because I want to - I use it because it the standard developing platform in the companies that I work for.
I've just started programming in Perl and I tell you something - it beats the hell out of VB (not a hard thing to do I suppose!)
Microsoft have always tried to bend over backwards for it's development community - no developers - no software !
But as Linux becomes more popular - an increasing number of Windows programmers are turning to Linux.
Why ?
As a developer for Windows, I hate the way that with every new release of one of their developer packages a 'new' API or programming model is introduced.
(Don't forget the increasing system requirements)
In Vb there are at least four different APIs to develop DB applications - can't they get it right first time (not to mention careless bugs in the components??
The MFC that was introduced is quite simply a mess - the learning curve for MFC is ghastly to say the least. When is a *sane* abstraction layer going to be introduced?
(Then again the Windows api has always been a mess anyway!)
Their development products can only be used for the Windows platform.
The development products in the Open Source Community are cross-platform. For example I use the Windows port of Perl at work (won't allow Linx) and then at home I can continue on my linux hardware.
I suppose at the heart of the linux community are the developers who create the software.
This is the achilles heel of Microsoft.
If there is one way to tackle Microsoft - converting the developers is an answer.
I personally have nothing against Microsoft as a business - only their products are just not up to scratch - this is one of the many reasons why I use linux.
Oh well...back to programming in VB...(I wasted a day trying to get my databound flexgrid to refresh it's contents - then discovered in the MSDN dox that this is a bug and a suggested fix was to use the dbgrid or a 'third party control')
With the hype and popularity of the winCE 'palmtops'(especially with the manufacturers) Psion needed to do something.
Why?
Over the past couple of years Psion have been attacked by their shareholders and the press to launch an equivalent device.
O.K. The WinCE may look 'cool' but personally I find them a wee bit pointless(I know of a few people who bought them, did not like them because the GUI was fiddly to use, sent them back and bought a Psion 5 instead - and never looked back.)
Aspects of the Psion machines in general are:
a) Physically better designed
b) The OS is more suited to this class of device
c) The applications have always been written for minimal screen space
d) Usable battery life
They had to come up with something or risk losing marketshare(happening already) and a diminishing reputation.
As with most companies, Psion to had to listen to their customers or lose them to rivals.
I personally own a Psion 3C and must say that it is excellant product to use (if only Linux would run on this thing!)
Considering how much detail is in the book I thought 2001 was magnificent.
I believe it was the first film to be shown in wide screen and Dolby stereo (in the UK at least).
Incidently, Arthur C. Clarkes sequels to 2001 reveal a lot more about the omnipotent monoliths.
What's the problem with the ending....it actually makes you think!!!
They were close friends and had great respect for each other actually.
Speilberg would often show previews of his films to Kubrick before the studio had a chence ro see them.
(We recently had a weekend of Kubrick programmes on the television here in Britain - very entertaining)
What you have to do is to see how long you can run a competitor's product before you hit 'The wall of death'.
'The Wall of Death' is a blue screen which tells that the application is not responding and you have to keep pressing the keys on the keyboard(or fire button in this case) to try and get back to the game.
You lose the game when you have to press 'alt+ctrl+del' or in this case all the fire buttons at the same time.
.
.
.
Oh! hang on, this game is already out for Windows95/98/2000/NT.
Ahh well back to the drawing board!!
That's an interesting idea..
If Compaq owns AMD they could be in a position to straddle both markets(AMD-low end PCs & Alpha-Server market).
It is only a matter of time when Linux will appear on the desktops of mainstream users, Compaq would be at an advantage to lead the PC market again.
As a side-note anyone remember their series of 'portables' - Compaq plus, Portable II etc...
That's a good point.
The way I see it is that the technology behind the x86 family is becoming a limiting factor.
Unix(and it's various flavours) although based on 'old' technology seems to benefit from it's design and history.
I know everybody likes to trash Microsoft but there is another monopolist - Intel.
Let's face it, Intel have been pushing a technology that is over 15 years old.
Now that the Alpha seems to have assured support, hopefuly there is potentially SERIOUS competition to Intel (AMD produce great chips but when it comes to competing on price Intel have too much financial muscle to lose).
Why?
A) The Alpha has a superior design
B) Linux(or BSD) runs on it
C) Linux and associated applications port easily to other architectures
D) Alpha and linux are ideally matched for server and heavyweight computing/network uses.
E) The designs of both these products also result in stability.
There is a huge amount of potential with this combination and let's face it - makes computing interesting again!
But surely the days of installling 100s of Megabytes of software is becoming redundant.
Does it really matter if Star Office is Open Source or not - Open Source Developer's time would be better spent writing an alternative.
For example: Writing a component-based office suite that can be 'micro-installed' and/or installed on a server. That way all the rarely used 'features' of the suite can reside on a server or CD-ROM.
It will be easier to manage development of smaller components(I guess thats where Gnome comes into it) rather than a 'big-ass' source tree.
Awww..I dunno I'm rambling and I have the flu...maybe I'm just talking bulls***...
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk
I recommend you bookmark the above site - it is one of the most well informed british papers you can buy.
You have to register(free) with the site but you do have access to a weeks worth of news.
The Times is published during the week and The Sunday-Times is published on Sunday(Obviously!)
Here is the article in it's entirety:
A life on hold
Christopher Reeve has shown interest in the new transplant research
Head transplants give paralysed new hope
Jonathan Leake
Science Editor
A LEADING brain surgeon has unveiled plans to perform the first human head transplant. The operation, already carried out successfully on dogs and monkeys, would initially cost £800,000.
Among those who could benefit are quadriplegics with conditions similar to that of Christopher Reeve, the Superman actor paralysed after a fall from a horse. The operation may also appeal to rich people with terminal illnesses.
The technique for transplanting heads was proven in principle with small mammals in the early 1990s. However, it was abandoned when scientists realised that the extra time needed to reconnect larger human arteries and muscles would deprive the brain of oxygen and cause tissue damage.
Last week it was claimed that this obstacle has finally been overcome. Robert J White, an American neurosurgeon, said he had developed a blood-cooling system that meant a living head could be disconnected from its blood supply for up to an hour without ill-effect.
White and his team, based at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, claim they have already practised the techniques on corpses retained for medical research at the American hospital where he works.
The White machine cools the brain from 37C to 10C. "This slows the metabolism and allows plenty of time to reconnect a head to its new body. All we are waiting for now is the money and the patients," White said last week.
White has carried out more than 10,000 brain operations on humans. His work on monkeys, which started over 20 years ago, culminated in the full head transplants.
The animals survived for more than a week with no impairment of mental faculties before they were put down, for humane reasons.
Head or brain transplants have long been seen as the holy grail for neurosurgery. In theory, they offer the nearest anyone could get to immortality.
In reality, however, White's technique would initially have a more limited application. Despite many recent advances, surgeons still cannot reconnect or regrow severed spinal nerves. This means that, like the monkeys, anyone who underwent a head transplant would be paralysed from the neck down.
It also means that the first candidates for such surgery would probably be people, like Reeve, who had already been paralysed. Quadriplegics often die prematurely from multiple organ failure. Transplanting their head to a new body could, however, give them the chance of a normal lifespan.
White believes that, although the idea might shock the able-bodied, many quadriplegics would welcome it. "It would be hard to deny them that chance through squeamishness when we are already transplanting lungs, hearts and livers," he said.
Most of the subsequent demand for head transplants would, however, almost certainly come from a group presenting far greater ethical problems - elderly or dying millionaires with enough money to pay for the operation and the years of aftercare.
The operational procedure, described by White in a paper published last week, would involve two teams of surgeons. Deep incisions would be made around the necks to expose the six major blood vessels and the spine. The next step would be to cool the head by connecting it to White's new cerebral perfusion machine. Initially this would carry blood from the original body but, as the operation progressed, a second set of tubes from the machine would be hooked up to blood vessels of the recipient body.
Then, taps would switch off the head's blood supply from the original body and replace it with blood from the new body.
At this point the head would be detached, by severing the spinal cord, and then attached to the new body. Such procedures could mean halting the blood supply but the brain's low temperature would minimise the risk of damage. Then the blood vessels, muscles and skin could be sewn together using standard surgical techniques.
Reeve, who has set up a foundation to promote research into the causes of paralysis and potential cures, is understood to have taken a close interest in White's research.
White refused to reveal his future clients but was confident many would come forward. He said: "The Frankenstein legend, where a human being is constructed by sewing parts together, will become a reality early in the 21st century."
Ahhh the wonders of Linux!
Here's a challenge - try doing that with Windows95/98/2000 !!!
Hey at last!
This is one of the best distributions of Linux I have used - it was also the one that introduced me to Linux back in '96.
I remember thinking - "Hey this is really cool...but not very useful!"
It's now 1999 and I now have a home network with a 486 server running RH5.2 - Samba, Apache etc..
I also use AbiWord, netscape, Lynx, Gimp and a s***load of other USEFUL apps -
I guess one has to eat one's words!
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Anyway where was I? Oh yes..
I still think Slackware is one of the best distribs.
The thing I like about Slackware above the the other distribs is that; it is compact, very flexible installation and the authors prefer stability over 'new features'.
Hell, it is running on a 300Mb partition on my Compaq 486/25 Lite laptop and Xfree is installed!
Try doing that with Red Hat!
Yeah this is the new "Lemmings" release of Windows...
When one system crashes, the others follow one-by-one!
On the other hand it could be a "feature" - an instant replay...you get to watch the "blue screen of death" again..and again..and again..
He has every right to be 'full of himself'.
Steve Jobs has always been perceived as 'the guy that made Apple computers' and obviously benefitted from it.
Microsoft and Intel dominate the industry with inferior technology.
Woz's role has been marginialised to the point of irrelevance.
If I was in a similar postition I would feel the same.