If they're going to kill the ability to boot into OS 9, they better find a way to:
(1) Give Mac OS X the ability to upgrade firmware, whether it be the computer itself or hardware components. Currently you can only flash firmware or ROM updates from Mac OS 9
(2) Get bootable Mac OS X rescue disks for things like Norton Utilities or Diskwarrior, because sometimes fsck -y doesn't solve everything
(3) Update all Mac OS X software components so that they are as complete as the OS 9 equivalents. For example, Apple System Profiler. So far the Jaguar version still doesn't tell you everything like the OS 9 one does, like the Uni-North CPU version, which tells you if an older Mac can accept a dual-cpu upgrade.
The great thing about having OS 9 bootable is that you could use it for troubleshooting.
irt.org has always gotten me out of tight jams when trying to implement fancy JavaScript. They have a HUGE section for almost any question/trick/hack you need for DHTML, JavaScript, and a few other languages.
I remember ACS back when it was on the Amiga, but you could only save files onto fragile floppy disks. That was my first stab at creating my own game, and I spent weeks toiling away at making sprites and maps. It may have been primitive but the interface was surprisingly intuitive. AFAIK copies of the software are almost impossible to find now, and I don't know what platforms are supported. Any clues?
Why get the full size version when you can just view the large version double-sized?
Usually "large" trailers from Apple are 480x260, 480x272, or 480x360. And since the compression is usually fine, you can just click on Movie > Double Size and you'll get at least 960x520.. is that big enough?
Plus you don't have to pay the Pro price. Heck, you can just take the large trailer and drag the resize handle til it fills the whole screen!
Re:When's the next hockey game?
on
Netrek
·
· Score: 1
I've tried to compile many different variations of the code but have failed during the make part of the build (under XDarwin). Remember this is an X11 game. Paradise doesn't have full sourcecode and I couldn't get the Java version running either. Most of the documentation is pretty cryptic so you're on your own in trying to set this up. At least Fink shows xscorch (Scorched Earth). Hopefully this Slashdot.org article will drum up some renewed developer interest.
Although I've been able to compile lots of UNIX apps to OSX like ircII, lynx, MySQL, Xfree86, etc.. I wasn't able to get GtkRadiant compiled for X.. anyone got this working? If so, it would be the first set of quality Quake3 map/skin editing tools accessible to Mac users (finally)... however I couldn't get past "make"-ing setupdb..
Take for example, Motorola! Do you think their employees are running on computers running Motorola CPUs? Nope, they're using Intel boxes! Now, isn't that something. No wonder they're having a hard time fabbing PowerPC chips faster than 500MHz.. the Intel math on their desktop machines are screwing up the calculations!:)
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
http://www.i-link.net -- uses your normal phone, just needs your browser to start the actual hookup. Look for the TalkFree button in the bottom left corner.. No banners; apparently they have excess bandwidth and they're letting people use it for free long-distance phone calls across the contiguous 48 US states. I know this isn't really "telephony" but it's a GoodThing(TM).. web-based solution that is compatible across different computers.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
It's getting old watching the same three manufacturers go at it (mostly in one round ring). The real beauty in racing (unlike the Nascar "monopoly") is Super Touring Championships, which feature multiple _international_ manufacturers like BMW, Honda, Ford, Porsche, Volkswagon.. and most of the time they use winding tracks.. screw that overused ring.. lets see some variety! You get to watch Accords battle 318is, and Skylines take on Integras all on the track. Imagine a web cam in these! Too bad Super Touring doesn't have the kind of publicity it had a few years back. More companies should look into it.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Basically if an app crashes, OS X will put up a window saying that "an application has unexpectedly quit. The system and other open applications are not affected" with an "Okay" button to dismiss the dialog. Much better than crashing through the roof like Macs of the old days...
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Fools.. read the content; not just the headline
on
Apple Delays Mac OS X
·
· Score: 2
Stop trippin' over the fact that the OS isn't going to be shipped pre-installed as 1.0 until 2001. In fact that was the original rollout schedule outlined in January. The only thing that has changed (as mentioned at the WWDC) is that the PUBLIC RELEASE is occuring late this summer (as previously scheduled) as a "public beta" rather than a 1.0, ala W2K. So basically nothing has been delayed; rather the naming convention has changed. All Macs will have OS X pre-installed by Jan 2001 (as version 1.0). Boy, you rabid anti-Apple trolls have to control your flame-reflexes and analyze the context of news, rather than jump wildly after reading one headline.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
RC5-64 client speeds can be compared at this URL, which is well hidden for some reason..: http://n0cgi.distributed.net/speed/ FYI the G4s are listed as "Power PC 7400 G4" so don't look all the way at the bottom because the G3's are at the bottom of the graph.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Geez. There's a lot of anti-Mac fud and humor here. Sorta like some giant smacktalk from a legion of Ford Escort owners toward a small group of guys who drive Lexus cars. Anyways, if the hardware and OS will support SMP, then we're talking about a VERY formidable machine, and noone really should be laughing about its performance. Take,for instance, the stats coming in from Distributed.Net. G4 Macs, in all their SlashDot-assumed-patheticness, are among the fastest single-cpu crunching boxes in the entire RC5-64 contest. Compare a 500 MHz G4's performance vs. a 1 GHz Athlon or a Xeon.. The "slower" G4 is almost 30% faster (approximately 4.8 Mkeys/sec) than the fastest PC. Imagine what kind of number cruncher a double/quad Altivec would be. As for ignorant people who assume that nerds would never use a Mac.. well, you people are just perfect for a Think Ignorant(TM) ad. People find the most suitable machine for the tasks they do. I happen to enjoy working on a Mac for web development, HTML programming, and multimedia design. It works fine for me and doesn't get in the way of my creative process. I can find a generous amount of Mac software/hardware at retailers, thank you very much. You may enjoy Windoze or Linux because its "behavior" suits your own creative process. Fine. So quit flaming other people's platform preferences as long as they don't end up stepping on your toes. Do your work and refrain from bothering others.. they're getting ready for their MP Macs =)
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
One of the things to think about is how much nicer it would be to run large multiple LCDs of your Mac/PC (and Linux too!).. consider the footprint and weight advantage. I have a 22" Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 200 which has a flat screen (CRT) and great sharpness/contrast. HOWEVER the damn thing ways 77 lbs!!!! I needed help lifting it and I had doubts about how to sit it my glass/metal desk. I usually run a dual monitor setup but I doubt the glass would hold over 144 lbs of equipment. Would you sit your 144 lb. pal on your glass desk? Hell no. In contrast, a 22" Apple Cinema Display LCD ways about 25 lbs. The problem is the cost. The heavy-ass Mitsubishi costs $899 while the slim and sleek Apple LCD costs $2999. Also I'm very doubtful that most LCD manufacturers can produce a flawless screen in big yields. It is very difficult to build a large LCD without any "stuck" pixels. And, unless this process is refined, prices will stay high and demand will never increase.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Is it? I mean, isn't it the same as hooking up a bunch of monitors to your computer? All you need is one video card per monitor. Let's say I have an Apple Cinema Display 22" LCD hooked up to my Power Mac G4's AGP DVI port. Then I can add another video card (say, an ATI Xclaim VR 128) in a PCI slot and hook up some LCD to that. Then add another video card (like a Voodoo3 3000) and hook up some odd LCD to that. Oh yeah, add one last video card (a Matrox dual-display card) to the last PCI slot and add TWO LCDs to that! that's five LCD monitors! Then just casually turn on the Mac and all five LCDs turn on simultaneously, with the primary LCD showing the Mac logon screen. When the desktop and icons appear, you'll see the default pattern appear on the other four monitors. Open the Monitors control panel and you'll see five monitors.. just lay them out in whatever way you want, pick a primary menu screen, set the resolutions/colors for each. Heck, pick a desktop picture for each one too while you're at it. Hint: try opening Photoshop and creating a desktop picture that spreads across five monitors! Easy, huh? No damn DLLs or other crap. The Mac will automatically detect the manufacturer hardware signature from each LCD and set its capabilities (no files needed). Like I mentioned, it's really not that difficult; just depends on what system you're running on and if you have the money to buy all these LCDs =)
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
This filtering crap is getting totally out of hand. These special interest groups and the like are looking in the wrong direction when it comes to protecting children/populace from "disagreeable content"..I find it hard to believe how fascist these guys are becoming and they don't even recognize it. They're not attacking the root of the problem and at the same time they're turning the Internet into a government controlled propoganda machine.
The real solution simply is.. Moms, dads: For once, watch your damn kids once in a while and bitchslap them if they do anything on the Net that you don't want them to do!! Stop blaming the Net for everything! Who bought the damn computer in the first place? If you don't want your kids looking at porno or Bill Gates pics from newsgroups or websites, introduce their asses to some genuine leather waistbelts dammit! Stop giving your spoiled brats a free ride through life and become responsible parents!
After all, if you buy them the computer and provide them the Internet, you basically have given your kids the keys to the Real World(TM). If they aren't ready to handle the crap that's out there, well they shouldn't be looking for it, right?
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Addendum to user manual: Feature set XAA001: Pocket BSOD Unlike the Palm, The Pocket PC has full parity with Windows(TM) and even features a slightly enhanced Blue Screen of Death! Instead of Ctrl-Alt-Del, you can mash the tiny buttons on the Pocket PC or you can press down firmly on the LCD until the unit reboots!
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Has anyone ever noticed that Intel's commercials about how super fast their machines are really show slow systems? I don't know about you guys but when I watch these commercials I don't really see anything especially dazzling about their system performance! Who hasn't seen a video running on their computer, regardless of CPU? Who hasn't seen 3D graphics? Hell, the 3D stuff they show looks pretty much like any other computer I've ever seen, and we're talking about low-end systems. If they want to showcase real-world speed (instead of wild panoramic camera angles in space or whatever Intel does which has nothing to do with actual desktop system performance), they need to shoot stuff like old Apple commercials. Apple used to swing the camera around to a PowerMac monitor where all kinds of windows/video/content/gfx were flying around like a cyberflick on steroids. Oh, and you guys notice the @Home cable modem commercials on TV? Yes, the Internet sure is quick but when they show a video on the monitor in the commercial it looks like 5fps crap! Why do marketing guys let this stuff get by? Did they want it slow to make it look "computerized?" Is their marketing hardware supposed to look slow on TV or is that how sluggish the stuff is? Sorry if I sound arrogant; I'm on a G4/500 =)
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Being a multimedia artist, I understand the fear of getting copied and ripped off. It would really piss me off if I worked my ass off night and day, having to support an industrial design team + R&D to design a unique computer enclosure, and find out that a small company just peeked at our product and copied it. They didn't spend all the time and money developing the ideas, defining the problems, explore visuals, evaluate, test, or refine ideas. Basically the other company just rode our back, lifting our ideas and stealing our development. Hell, they'd put me out of a job. Imagine if Micro$oft decided, "hey let's put out a package called Winux!" They would design the interface almost completely like common variations of Linux GUIs and package them almost exactly the same. They figure that most bonehead consumers have been interested in this "Linux craze" and rush to the stores wondering if they can put this miracle OS on their PC. Well, they find all these Winux boxes that look like the Red Hat distribution boxes with screenshots that look almost exactly like the Linux ones on the Internet. How about if Toyota designed a breakthrough design for its new Celica (for example, the 2000 one --heheh like it or not). Let's say it spent them three years doing the development, spending the money on research, evaluating materials, testing and refining comprehensive designs. What the heck would happen if Ford had a materials plant ready and just waited until this Celica hit the market and built an Escort that looked almost exactly the same? Ford spends zero time developing the design because they figure, "hell screw'em.. Toyota can waste all their cash on the innovative thinking work, we'll just copy the resulting work and make money off the fever generated by excited consumers who can't tell the difference!" In conclusion, I'd crack some heads if I found out people leeched off my designs to make money for themselves unless I explicitly meant for that to happen.
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I never said Windows was suprerior to OS/2...just more user friendly. On another note, let me ask you this- which of the two currently sits in your computer? Neither, actually. I use a Macintosh. And don't get me started about user-friendliness! =)
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Considering that smaller, faster CPUs are running circles around chips with more MHz tacked on to their name, we need a new standard in selling computers to consumers.. something similar to how Rambus is listed as PC600/PC800 and DDR RAM is PC2100 (because it's inherently faster even though its clockspeed is slower). If say, a PIII runs at 800MHz it would be sold as a "CPU800" -- and a 500MHz G4 would then be listed as a "CPU850" or so, taking into consideration the architecture performance. Such a naming convention may help even the gap between all competitors as long as they are all tested against the same benchmark. Notice the speed differences between these desktops with wildly different clock speeds (400MHz G4, 800MHz Athlon, dual-600MHz PIII): Real world speed test web page
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Well, the MHz vs. performance issue has finally been tested. Notice the speed differences between a 400MHz G4 vs. an 800MHz Athlon vs. a dual-600 PentiumIII system. Guess who comes out on top most of the time in real-world tests? Bare Feats speed comparison of three high speed desktop systems
----- Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Slashdot Mirror
If they're going to kill the ability to boot into OS 9, they better find a way to:
(1) Give Mac OS X the ability to upgrade firmware, whether it be the computer itself or hardware components. Currently you can only flash firmware or ROM updates from Mac OS 9
(2) Get bootable Mac OS X rescue disks for things like Norton Utilities or Diskwarrior, because sometimes fsck -y doesn't solve everything
(3) Update all Mac OS X software components so that they are as complete as the OS 9 equivalents. For example, Apple System Profiler. So far the Jaguar version still doesn't tell you everything like the OS 9 one does, like the Uni-North CPU version, which tells you if an older Mac can accept a dual-cpu upgrade.
The great thing about having OS 9 bootable is that you could use it for troubleshooting.
irt.org has always gotten me out of tight jams when trying to implement fancy JavaScript. They have a HUGE section for almost any question/trick/hack you need for DHTML, JavaScript, and a few other languages.
I remember ACS back when it was on the Amiga, but you could only save files onto fragile floppy disks. That was my first stab at creating my own game, and I spent weeks toiling away at making sprites and maps. It may have been primitive but the interface was surprisingly intuitive. AFAIK copies of the software are almost impossible to find now, and I don't know what platforms are supported. Any clues?
Why get the full size version when you can just view the large version double-sized?
.. is that big enough?
Usually "large" trailers from Apple are 480x260, 480x272, or 480x360. And since the compression is usually fine, you can just click on Movie > Double Size and you'll get at least 960x520
Plus you don't have to pay the Pro price. Heck, you can just take the large trailer and drag the resize handle til it fills the whole screen!
I've tried to compile many different variations of the code but have failed during the make part of the build (under XDarwin). Remember this is an X11 game. Paradise doesn't have full sourcecode and I couldn't get the Java version running either. Most of the documentation is pretty cryptic so you're on your own in trying to set this up. At least Fink shows xscorch (Scorched Earth). Hopefully this Slashdot.org article will drum up some renewed developer interest.
They've already got this thing running! .. even has an LCD output screen!
1 60/index.html
http://www.applefritter.com/compubrick/compubrick
Beautiful BSD in a glowing blue box! Yes, Mac OSX in a modified case...
http://www.kentsalas.com/blueiceG4/p5.asp
Although I've been able to compile lots of UNIX apps to OSX like ircII, lynx, MySQL, Xfree86, etc.. I wasn't able to get GtkRadiant compiled for X.. anyone got this working? If so, it would be the first set of quality Quake3 map/skin editing tools accessible to Mac users (finally) ... however I couldn't get past "make"-ing setupdb..
Take for example, Motorola! Do you think their employees are running on computers running Motorola CPUs? Nope, they're using Intel boxes! Now, isn't that something. No wonder they're having a hard time fabbing PowerPC chips faster than 500MHz.. the Intel math on their desktop machines are screwing up the calculations! :)
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
"....or at least pronounce it "OSIX"?"
Actually, OSIX could be interpreted as the current Mac OS system, 9!
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
http://www.i-link.net -- uses your normal phone, just needs your browser to start the actual hookup. Look for the TalkFree button in the bottom left corner.. No banners; apparently they have excess bandwidth and they're letting people use it for free long-distance phone calls across the contiguous 48 US states. I know this isn't really "telephony" but it's a GoodThing(TM).. web-based solution that is compatible across different computers.
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
It's getting old watching the same three manufacturers go at it (mostly in one round ring). The real beauty in racing (unlike the Nascar "monopoly") is Super Touring Championships, which feature multiple _international_ manufacturers like BMW, Honda, Ford, Porsche, Volkswagon.. and most of the time they use winding tracks.. screw that overused ring.. lets see some variety! You get to watch Accords battle 318is, and Skylines take on Integras all on the track. Imagine a web cam in these! Too bad Super Touring doesn't have the kind of publicity it had a few years back. More companies should look into it.
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Basically if an app crashes, OS X will put up a window saying that "an application has unexpectedly quit. The system and other open applications are not affected" with an "Okay" button to dismiss the dialog. Much better than crashing through the roof like Macs of the old days...
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Stop trippin' over the fact that the OS isn't going to be shipped pre-installed as 1.0 until 2001. In fact that was the original rollout schedule outlined in January. The only thing that has changed (as mentioned at the WWDC) is that the PUBLIC RELEASE is occuring late this summer (as previously scheduled) as a "public beta" rather than a 1.0, ala W2K. So basically nothing has been delayed; rather the naming convention has changed. All Macs will have OS X pre-installed by Jan 2001 (as version 1.0). Boy, you rabid anti-Apple trolls have to control your flame-reflexes and analyze the context of news, rather than jump wildly after reading one headline.
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
RC5-64 client speeds can be compared at this URL, which is well hidden for some reason..:
http://n0cgi.distributed.net/speed/
FYI the G4s are listed as "Power PC 7400 G4" so don't look all the way at the bottom because the G3's are at the bottom of the graph.
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Geez. There's a lot of anti-Mac fud and humor here. Sorta like some giant smacktalk from a legion of Ford Escort owners toward a small group of guys who drive Lexus cars. Anyways, if the hardware and OS will support SMP, then we're talking about a VERY formidable machine, and noone really should be laughing about its performance. Take,for instance, the stats coming in from Distributed.Net. G4 Macs, in all their SlashDot-assumed-patheticness, are among the fastest single-cpu crunching boxes in the entire RC5-64 contest. Compare a 500 MHz G4's performance vs. a 1 GHz Athlon or a Xeon.. The "slower" G4 is almost 30% faster (approximately 4.8 Mkeys/sec) than the fastest PC. Imagine what kind of number cruncher a double/quad Altivec would be. As for ignorant people who assume that nerds would never use a Mac.. well, you people are just perfect for a Think Ignorant(TM) ad. People find the most suitable machine for the tasks they do. I happen to enjoy working on a Mac for web development, HTML programming, and multimedia design. It works fine for me and doesn't get in the way of my creative process. I can find a generous amount of Mac software/hardware at retailers, thank you very much. You may enjoy Windoze or Linux because its "behavior" suits your own creative process. Fine. So quit flaming other people's platform preferences as long as they don't end up stepping on your toes. Do your work and refrain from bothering others.. they're getting ready for their MP Macs =)
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
One of the things to think about is how much nicer it would be to run large multiple LCDs of your Mac/PC (and Linux too!).. consider the footprint and weight advantage. I have a 22" Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 200 which has a flat screen (CRT) and great sharpness/contrast. HOWEVER the damn thing ways 77 lbs!!!! I needed help lifting it and I had doubts about how to sit it my glass/metal desk. I usually run a dual monitor setup but I doubt the glass would hold over 144 lbs of equipment. Would you sit your 144 lb. pal on your glass desk? Hell no. In contrast, a 22" Apple Cinema Display LCD ways about 25 lbs. The problem is the cost. The heavy-ass Mitsubishi costs $899 while the slim and sleek Apple LCD costs $2999. Also I'm very doubtful that most LCD manufacturers can produce a flawless screen in big yields. It is very difficult to build a large LCD without any "stuck" pixels. And, unless this process is refined, prices will stay high and demand will never increase.
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Is it? I mean, isn't it the same as hooking up a bunch of monitors to your computer? All you need is one video card per monitor. Let's say I have an Apple Cinema Display 22" LCD hooked up to my Power Mac G4's AGP DVI port. Then I can add another video card (say, an ATI Xclaim VR 128) in a PCI slot and hook up some LCD to that. Then add another video card (like a Voodoo3 3000) and hook up some odd LCD to that. Oh yeah, add one last video card (a Matrox dual-display card) to the last PCI slot and add TWO LCDs to that! that's five LCD monitors! Then just casually turn on the Mac and all five LCDs turn on simultaneously, with the primary LCD showing the Mac logon screen. When the desktop and icons appear, you'll see the default pattern appear on the other four monitors. Open the Monitors control panel and you'll see five monitors.. just lay them out in whatever way you want, pick a primary menu screen, set the resolutions/colors for each. Heck, pick a desktop picture for each one too while you're at it. Hint: try opening Photoshop and creating a desktop picture that spreads across five monitors! Easy, huh? No damn DLLs or other crap. The Mac will automatically detect the manufacturer hardware signature from each LCD and set its capabilities (no files needed). Like I mentioned, it's really not that difficult; just depends on what system you're running on and if you have the money to buy all these LCDs =)
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
The real solution simply is.. Moms, dads: For once, watch your damn kids once in a while and bitchslap them if they do anything on the Net that you don't want them to do!! Stop blaming the Net for everything! Who bought the damn computer in the first place? If you don't want your kids looking at porno or Bill Gates pics from newsgroups or websites, introduce their asses to some genuine leather waistbelts dammit! Stop giving your spoiled brats a free ride through life and become responsible parents!
After all, if you buy them the computer and provide them the Internet, you basically have given your kids the keys to the Real World(TM). If they aren't ready to handle the crap that's out there, well they shouldn't be looking for it, right?
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Addendum to user manual: Feature set XAA001: Pocket BSOD Unlike the Palm, The Pocket PC has full parity with Windows(TM) and even features a slightly enhanced Blue Screen of Death! Instead of Ctrl-Alt-Del, you can mash the tiny buttons on the Pocket PC or you can press down firmly on the LCD until the unit reboots!
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Has anyone ever noticed that Intel's commercials about how super fast their machines are really show slow systems? I don't know about you guys but when I watch these commercials I don't really see anything especially dazzling about their system performance! Who hasn't seen a video running on their computer, regardless of CPU? Who hasn't seen 3D graphics? Hell, the 3D stuff they show looks pretty much like any other computer I've ever seen, and we're talking about low-end systems. If they want to showcase real-world speed (instead of wild panoramic camera angles in space or whatever Intel does which has nothing to do with actual desktop system performance), they need to shoot stuff like old Apple commercials. Apple used to swing the camera around to a PowerMac monitor where all kinds of windows/video/content/gfx were flying around like a cyberflick on steroids. Oh, and you guys notice the @Home cable modem commercials on TV? Yes, the Internet sure is quick but when they show a video on the monitor in the commercial it looks like 5fps crap! Why do marketing guys let this stuff get by? Did they want it slow to make it look "computerized?" Is their marketing hardware supposed to look slow on TV or is that how sluggish the stuff is? Sorry if I sound arrogant; I'm on a G4/500 =)
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Being a multimedia artist, I understand the fear of getting copied and ripped off. It would really piss me off if I worked my ass off night and day, having to support an industrial design team + R&D to design a unique computer enclosure, and find out that a small company just peeked at our product and copied it. They didn't spend all the time and money developing the ideas, defining the problems, explore visuals, evaluate, test, or refine ideas. Basically the other company just rode our back, lifting our ideas and stealing our development. Hell, they'd put me out of a job. Imagine if Micro$oft decided, "hey let's put out a package called Winux!" They would design the interface almost completely like common variations of Linux GUIs and package them almost exactly the same. They figure that most bonehead consumers have been interested in this "Linux craze" and rush to the stores wondering if they can put this miracle OS on their PC. Well, they find all these Winux boxes that look like the Red Hat distribution boxes with screenshots that look almost exactly like the Linux ones on the Internet. How about if Toyota designed a breakthrough design for its new Celica (for example, the 2000 one --heheh like it or not). Let's say it spent them three years doing the development, spending the money on research, evaluating materials, testing and refining comprehensive designs. What the heck would happen if Ford had a materials plant ready and just waited until this Celica hit the market and built an Escort that looked almost exactly the same? Ford spends zero time developing the design because they figure, "hell screw'em.. Toyota can waste all their cash on the innovative thinking work, we'll just copy the resulting work and make money off the fever generated by excited consumers who can't tell the difference!" In conclusion, I'd crack some heads if I found out people leeched off my designs to make money for themselves unless I explicitly meant for that to happen.
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
I never said Windows was suprerior to OS/2...just more user friendly. On another note, let me ask you this- which of the two currently sits in your computer?
Neither, actually. I use a Macintosh. And don't get me started about user-friendliness! =)
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Considering that smaller, faster CPUs are running circles around chips with more MHz tacked on to their name, we need a new standard in selling computers to consumers.. something similar to how Rambus is listed as PC600/PC800 and DDR RAM is PC2100 (because it's inherently faster even though its clockspeed is slower). If say, a PIII runs at 800MHz it would be sold as a "CPU800" -- and a 500MHz G4 would then be listed as a "CPU850" or so, taking into consideration the architecture performance. Such a naming convention may help even the gap between all competitors as long as they are all tested against the same benchmark. Notice the speed differences between these desktops with wildly different clock speeds (400MHz G4, 800MHz Athlon, dual-600MHz PIII):
Real world speed test web page
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }
Well, the MHz vs. performance issue has finally been tested. Notice the speed differences between a 400MHz G4 vs. an 800MHz Athlon vs. a dual-600 PentiumIII system. Guess who comes out on top most of the time in real-world tests?
Bare Feats speed comparison of three high speed desktop systems
-----
Linux user: if (nt == unstable) { switchTo.linux() }