No, actually, iTunes is capable of renaming the files in the file system if you let it keep its file folders organized. It also correctly files them into directories named according to the ID3 tags. I've done it many times and it works exactly as you'd want it to.
The directory with the music files is actually accessible, just hidden: \iPod_Control\Music. In any case, you are correct in that you cannot copy files to the device, only because that doesn't build the metadata necessary for the iPod to browse music quickly. However, there are many 3rd-party options if you don't want to use iTunes: there's ephPod, Anapod Explorer, even a Winamp plugin on Windows. I haven't checked Linux lately, but I do know there are quite a few tools there as well.
For Linux sync, check out the SynCE project. It doesn't support WM5 (the latest Pocket PC OS) yet, but the experience you describe suggests you have an older version of the OS.
ActiveSync is supposed to sync-on-connect. There must be some configuration error. You definitely should not need to "export" any data; at worst, you'd just have to start syncing manually.
Older Pocket PCs, like older Palms, stored data in RAM. Newer (WM5) devices store data in ROM, and are therefore not susceptible to losing data upon battery failure.
A copy of Outlook is (and has been) included with every Pocket PC sold. Did you got the device secondhand?
There are certainly legitimate gripes about Pocket PCs, but these aren't.
The Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is the "latest" Microsoft Natural keyboard, and I have to say, it's actually better than the original Natural or the Natural Pro, which was my previous favorite. The wrist rest is a comfortable faux-leather surface, and they've eliminated dependency on the F-lock that plagued some of their most recent keyboards by having the F-lock toggled on by default (e.g., defaulting to the classic function key behavior).
So you're saying that Apple can't do what MS does?
Exactly. Apple is not going to score the OEM and volume license deals that serves as the biggest portion of Microsoft's Windows sales. Instead, they'll lose hardware sales. It happened the last time they opened the platform, and it would happen again.
Release the source as GPL, but sell the bundling, a la Red Hat & co. You can actually make pretty good money this way, since you can tie support to the purchase of a product.
Negotiate with the developer to get a commercial license which allows you to close-source all modifications and release it as a product. Many developers are willing to do such "dual-licensing" agreements, and in fact some (TrollTech for example) offer such an arrangement from the outset.
Blame your neighbors, who are probably lobbying in NIMBY campaigns to prevent more cell towers from being put up. As more users sign onto the cells, the coverage area of an individual cell shrinks, and wireless carriers need to add more towers. But it's extremely difficult to add more towers nowadays thanks to lawsuits and the like from people who fear what they don't understand.
No - it's rare, but it happens for me as well, using Firefox 0.9.3. Not enough to switch back to IE, but the problem hasn't gone away completely. And this is on several different machines with completely different hardware (and updated drivers, etc.) All Windows, though.
No, the retail version of XP Pro most definitely has product activation. You're thinking of the Volume License Edition of XP Professional, which does not. However, that's not readily available to consumers (at least, via legal channels;-)).
2. But will it do ogg? That would be nice for the bus trip downtown, but I usually jam Oggs on my notebook while playing a game or working on a personal project during my only free time (which happens to be on the bus).
Yes, there are Ogg players for Palm, Pocket PC, and Linux handheld devices. Not sure about Symbian yet. I use an Ogg playback program with my Pocket PC everyday.
BTW, you miss a couple of points when comparing a PDA to a phonebook. For example:
Try "backing up" or "upgrading" your notebook. With a PDA, you've got your desktop with all the data.
Try "looking up" a random piece of data in your notebook. Or your cell phone, for that matter.
If your body doesn't agree with electronic devices, by all means, don't feel compelled to get one:-) There are definitely real reasons to have a PDA, though, and I wouldn't go back.
OTOH, nobody ever seems to care when most of the employees leave their big hot CRTs turned 24x7. Each of these is wasting 50 to 100W of power. Look at most any office building at night; you can see all of the monitors that people are too lazy to flip off.
Fortunately, most modern OS's come with their environments preconfigured to do monitor powersaving after about 20 minutes or so. Now, we just have to wait for all the corporate environments to upgrade from Win95 or NT4...
I know this sounds zealous, but I encourage you to come up with a scenario where I can't secure the execution of a Java program. It's simply inherent in the nature of the language. I'll even go as far as to state that I will run any Java program that you write. You don't have to give me the source code.
You're kidding, right? Default Java command-line application policy allows me to read and write files anywhere on your hard drive. What prevents me from just grabbing your cookies, for example, and sending them all to me?
Unless, of course, you set restrictive policies. But then, I can just assert my program won't work under those policies. As for applets, I can sign them, and if you click "Accept", boom goes the default applet sandbox.
While Java solves things like buffer overflows, it doesn't mean that there won't be a backdoor in a distributed program for, say, auto-updating. What if I launch a man-in-the-middle attack when the program attempts to auto-update from the foo@home server? I can inject arbitrary bytecode. There's a lot you can do even without overflows. On production equipment you want to avoid running more network-aware code than you have to at all costs.
Sure you can. There's no SIM card to make it easy -- but if you can convince the carrier to accept a new phone, they can tell you over the phone what codes to type in to program a new number. If it's the same carrier there's never a problem.
I got a new phone a year ago, and gave my sister my old Verizon one. She chucked her ancient Verizon phone, called them up and in 5 minutes the number was transferred over.
Simple: the wired industry has a large lobby here that prevents calling-party-pays over cell phones. If that existed here, the wired industry's size would shrink 50% overnight.
Having said that, the generous minute packages you can get from most cell providers nowadays mitigates this factor somewhat.
Cingular has a patchwork of TDMA and GSM networks across the US. They're in the process of converting it. Rest assured, they're not GSM everywhere. In fact, their "New York GSM network" is actually just T-Mobile's - they're doing a spectrum swap so that T-Mobile has access to Cingular's network in California.
AT&T's GSM is actually alive, just in limited markets.
On the flip side, not having a touch screen makes it much sturdier. As such, it's designed to appeal to the teen generations, etc. that might treat it roughly.
Ahem... I was a ugrad CS major at Columbia too, and I claim the precise opposite. Yes, there is the occasional clueless professor, but the majority of professors do know what they're talking about, and I learned a ton there.
What I did notice, and especially as a teaching assistant, is that students almost never spend ("waste"?) the time to go seek help. Most professors have office hours where no one shows up.
--bdj
Re:Something that isn't pointed out enough
on
SuSE 7.3 vs XP
·
· Score: 1
This actually is unsurprising. It's because it keeps all her processes running and starts up a new batch for you.
You can turn off this feature, you know, which will save considerable amounts of RAM.
It is quite a bit harder. You don't demolish a building once it's built, or change the size of a room. Yet you do with software.
Since software is virtual, and not usually tangible, end-users/clients often ask the developer for unreasonable changes. If anything, maintenance is considered the most difficult thing in software.
Having said that all, it's not germane to this discussion. Buffer overflows are due to poor coding practices, not poor engineering of the system.
Slashdot Mirror
--bdj
The directory with the music files is actually accessible, just hidden: \iPod_Control\Music. In any case, you are correct in that you cannot copy files to the device, only because that doesn't build the metadata necessary for the iPod to browse music quickly. However, there are many 3rd-party options if you don't want to use iTunes: there's ephPod, Anapod Explorer, even a Winamp plugin on Windows. I haven't checked Linux lately, but I do know there are quite a few tools there as well.
--bdj
There are certainly legitimate gripes about Pocket PCs, but these aren't.
--bdj
--bdj
Exactly. Apple is not going to score the OEM and volume license deals that serves as the biggest portion of Microsoft's Windows sales. Instead, they'll lose hardware sales. It happened the last time they opened the platform, and it would happen again.
--bdj
- Release the source as GPL, but sell the bundling, a la Red Hat & co. You can actually make pretty good money this way, since you can tie support to the purchase of a product.
- Negotiate with the developer to get a commercial license which allows you to close-source all modifications and release it as a product. Many developers are willing to do such "dual-licensing" agreements, and in fact some (TrollTech for example) offer such an arrangement from the outset.
--bdj--bdj
--bdj
--bdj
--bdj
Yes, there are Ogg players for Palm, Pocket PC, and Linux handheld devices. Not sure about Symbian yet. I use an Ogg playback program with my Pocket PC everyday.
BTW, you miss a couple of points when comparing a PDA to a phonebook. For example:
If your body doesn't agree with electronic devices, by all means, don't feel compelled to get one :-) There are definitely real reasons to have a PDA, though, and I wouldn't go back.
--bdj
Fortunately, most modern OS's come with their environments preconfigured to do monitor powersaving after about 20 minutes or so. Now, we just have to wait for all the corporate environments to upgrade from Win95 or NT4...
--bdj
You're kidding, right? Default Java command-line application policy allows me to read and write files anywhere on your hard drive. What prevents me from just grabbing your cookies, for example, and sending them all to me?
Unless, of course, you set restrictive policies. But then, I can just assert my program won't work under those policies. As for applets, I can sign them, and if you click "Accept", boom goes the default applet sandbox.
While Java solves things like buffer overflows, it doesn't mean that there won't be a backdoor in a distributed program for, say, auto-updating. What if I launch a man-in-the-middle attack when the program attempts to auto-update from the foo@home server? I can inject arbitrary bytecode. There's a lot you can do even without overflows. On production equipment you want to avoid running more network-aware code than you have to at all costs.
--bdj
I got a new phone a year ago, and gave my sister my old Verizon one. She chucked her ancient Verizon phone, called them up and in 5 minutes the number was transferred over.
--bdj
--bdj
Having said that, the generous minute packages you can get from most cell providers nowadays mitigates this factor somewhat.
--bdj
AT&T's GSM is actually alive, just in limited markets.
--bdj
--bdj
--bdj
--bdj
--bdj, another CU ACM member
--bdj
What I did notice, and especially as a teaching assistant, is that students almost never spend ("waste"?) the time to go seek help. Most professors have office hours where no one shows up.
--bdj
You can turn off this feature, you know, which will save considerable amounts of RAM.
--bdj
It is quite a bit harder. You don't demolish a building once it's built, or change the size of a room. Yet you do with software.
Since software is virtual, and not usually tangible, end-users/clients often ask the developer for unreasonable changes. If anything, maintenance is considered the most difficult thing in software.
Having said that all, it's not germane to this discussion. Buffer overflows are due to poor coding practices, not poor engineering of the system.
--bdj