This is actually a pretty good idea. I have noticed that I haven't gotten any warnings when saving/opening between my versions of Office XP and Office 2000. This suggests that there are either no modifications or a small number of modifications in the file format between these two versione. Maybe there is some hope of stabilization in the bloat.
I should also point out that converting most people to a non-Word format is pretty hopeless. What good is PDF for example if I'm collaboratively editing a document. This seems like the wrong battle to fight.
I mostly agree with you. I wasn't too happy with the Sauron scene and I thought the Emperor in ROTJ was hokey.
However, I think it can go overboard the other way too (getting a little offtopic). For example, a lot of people talked about visceral evil being the big virtue of The Blair Witch Project. I found The Blair Witch to be totally ineffective because the evil has absolutely no persona.
That is why I liked the portrayals of Sauron's eye in LOTR. I think these scenes would have made Sauron just tangible enough - well, along with portrayals of Sauron's minions.
I know it's a little off-topic but I didn't find the post to be very well motivated. For example, how does the dependent clause relate to the rest of the sentence?
As more and more people migrate (or consider migrating) to Linux,
Does this really have anything to do with Linux games in 2001? I think this probably should have been its own sentence. Perhaps something like:
Many people are avoiding the switch to Linux because of the perceived shortage of Linux games.
Does this shortage of Linux games really still exist? I'd like to know what Slashdot readers would vote for as their top picks for Linux-friendly games (either native or commercially ported) for 2001
Yes its a nitpick but I think the underlying assumption was missing. In general, it would help out the Newbies if you make these assumptions more clear.
The real question is what task is it that the Desktop doesn't support. Is it finding files, managing files, starting applications, managing windows, etc... I guess if the article had talked more about the whole problem of "metaphors" then maybe I would agree that the Desktop as a metaphor is dead. The metaphor is useful insofar as it allows people to carry over skills from one domain to another. There are many aspects of the Desktop that do not have analogs in physical desktops - for example, menus (to use one from WIMP). This doesn't mean that menus aren't useful, just that people have to learn how they work rather than relying on skills they know from the physical desktop.
The argument in the article seems to be about managing files - the problem is that the Desktop is used for much more than that. That aside, I do think that current file systems usually force me to make up folders and filenames when that isn't really what I care about. I think I would often like to think about my files more in the way of LifeStreams.
I find it a bit absurd that the article implies that folders are an abstraction but stacked desktops are not.
Here is my letter - this should give you a little more filler prose to mix-and-match to make your letter unique:)
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to express my concern over the latest settlement proposed by the Department of Justice in the Microsoft Antitrust case. As introduction, I am a software developer who builds applications primarily for the Windows platform.
One of my primary concerns with the proposed settlement is that it ignores the damages done by Microsoft's anti-competitive behavior to rival technologies. While I am pleased that Microsoft's future actions are to be regulated by the settlement, I feel that much of the damage has already been done. Simply enforcing certain prohibitions on Microsoft's business practices will not repair many of the companies that have suffered because of Microsoft's predatory activities. Granted, it would be a difficult task to quantify all the damages done by Microsoft to every company, but the fact that so many companies have been affected suggests that the current settlement is not appropriate. While I will not propose specific alternative settlements, I do suggest measures that will impose damages on Microsoft tantamount to those it imposed on its competitors.
I take greatest exception to the idea that a quick settlement will be in the interest of the people. Its monopoly in the Operating System market has allowed Microsoft to expand to new areas such as Internet retailing, broadcasting, and entertainment. Given that the current settlement amounts to a slap on the wrist, Microsoft will have no impediment to extending its stranglehold to these new domains.
Just to add to that, the LinuxPlanet article recommends fax. Normally snail mail would probably be better but with the anthrax craze... fax is more reliable and definitely faster. The article also recommends actually putting your signature and contact info on the fax too.
BTW, this article is pretty witty and well written - I recommend it. It includes a challenge to demonstrate the Linux "community."
I disagree that nobody uses Java to write GUI apps. I think if you look in the right places you will find large niches of people using Java (including myself). Especially in one of the fastest growing areas in Computer Science - Human Computer Interaction.
The thing VB and Delphi can't give you is a customized GUI. They're great at making cookie cutter GUIs but they give you very little control over, say, rendering. VC++ gives you the control but introduces all kinds of other complexities.
So if you're saying WIMP is the way of the future, then by all means, VB and Delphi will fill the bill. If not, then I think Java (and maybe C#) have a place in GUI development.
Also, if Java is not being used to write GUI apps, I'm wondering why Sun would go to all the trouble of making Swing, their extensible GUI toolkit?
The problem is that "the pure windows programmers" are a pretty big slice. Your assessment of VB and VC++ might be slightly overgeneralized since I'm a pure Windoze hacker (for the moment) and I only use Java.
I don't know the exact numbers but I do know that Sun has sunk a truckload of time and money into JDK development on Windows. You could argue that this is just to support applets but how many JRE 1.2+ applets have you seen?
I'd love to see M$ fall flat but I don't see it happening. The main benefit of Java on Windows was a great language with good libraries. Well, M$ stole the language and they're guaranteed to have better access to the OS. Sadly, it looks like Java may be relegated to the niche you described.
You know, I'm a java developer and it's really sweet that Java is "write once, run anywhere." Seriously, it gives me warm fuzzies. To be honest though, the reason I use java has nothing to do with this line from marketing. I use java because I am infinitely more productive than when using C++. Sure, tell me its because I'm a pathetic programmer - but we all know where the programming time goes in C++.
Sadly, I do most of my programming for Windows. Unlike the other M$ slaves replying to this post, I would actually like to see M$ fail. Unfortunately, it seems like they were pretty smart here. Steal Java - clean it up - and add direct access to the operating system. It seems like it won't take long before I'm using C#.
I'd love to hear anyone's ideas on why the.Net machine won't make Java obsolete. I sure haven't heard many convincing arguments so far.
Clearly there can't be an across the board ruling here since what we're talking about is a just a stupid medium. The whole storing frames in memory BS cannot be a legitimate argument since I can easily construct a VCR that stores frames in memory. In fact I have a video board in my PC that already does this. I could also construct a DVD player (granted, a somewhat choppy one) that doesn't store frames in memory.
So what we're really talking about here, at the logical conclusion, is creating a new standards organization for anyone who wants to claim they are releasing mixed content. However, this might not be so bad since the delays involved in submitting to such an organization would probably discourage most of these claims.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't think laws are going to solve the problem. Insecurity always starts with issues from childhood.
This is actually a pretty good idea. I have noticed that I haven't gotten any warnings when saving/opening between my versions of Office XP and Office 2000. This suggests that there are either no modifications or a small number of modifications in the file format between these two versione. Maybe there is some hope of stabilization in the bloat.
I should also point out that converting most people to a non-Word format is pretty hopeless. What good is PDF for example if I'm collaboratively editing a document. This seems like the wrong battle to fight.
I mostly agree with you. I wasn't too happy with the Sauron scene and I thought the Emperor in ROTJ was hokey.
However, I think it can go overboard the other way too (getting a little offtopic). For example, a lot of people talked about visceral evil being the big virtue of The Blair Witch Project. I found The Blair Witch to be totally ineffective because the evil has absolutely no persona.
That is why I liked the portrayals of Sauron's eye in LOTR. I think these scenes would have made Sauron just tangible enough - well, along with portrayals of Sauron's minions.
I know it's a little off-topic but I didn't find the post to be very well motivated. For example, how does the dependent clause relate to the rest of the sentence?
As more and more people migrate (or consider migrating) to Linux,
Does this really have anything to do with Linux games in 2001? I think this probably should have been its own sentence. Perhaps something like:
Many people are avoiding the switch to Linux because of the perceived shortage of Linux games.
Does this shortage of Linux games really still exist? I'd like to know what Slashdot readers would vote for as their top picks for Linux-friendly games (either native or commercially ported) for 2001
Yes its a nitpick but I think the underlying assumption was missing. In general, it would help out the Newbies if you make these assumptions more clear.
If you want to see some of the work of the people cited in the article check out LifeStreams, Data Mountain, and The Task Gallery.
The real question is what task is it that the Desktop doesn't support. Is it finding files, managing files, starting applications, managing windows, etc... I guess if the article had talked more about the whole problem of "metaphors" then maybe I would agree that the Desktop as a metaphor is dead. The metaphor is useful insofar as it allows people to carry over skills from one domain to another. There are many aspects of the Desktop that do not have analogs in physical desktops - for example, menus (to use one from WIMP). This doesn't mean that menus aren't useful, just that people have to learn how they work rather than relying on skills they know from the physical desktop.
The argument in the article seems to be about managing files - the problem is that the Desktop is used for much more than that. That aside, I do think that current file systems usually force me to make up folders and filenames when that isn't really what I care about. I think I would often like to think about my files more in the way of LifeStreams.
I find it a bit absurd that the article implies that folders are an abstraction but stacked desktops are not.
Here is my letter - this should give you a little more filler prose to mix-and-match to make your letter unique :)
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to express my concern over the latest settlement proposed by the Department of Justice in the Microsoft Antitrust case. As introduction, I am a software developer who builds applications primarily for the Windows platform.
One of my primary concerns with the proposed settlement is that it ignores the damages done by Microsoft's anti-competitive behavior to rival technologies. While I am pleased that Microsoft's future actions are to be regulated by the settlement, I feel that much of the damage has already been done. Simply enforcing certain prohibitions on Microsoft's business practices will not repair many of the companies that have suffered because of Microsoft's predatory activities. Granted, it would be a difficult task to quantify all the damages done by Microsoft to every company, but the fact that so many companies have been affected suggests that the current settlement is not appropriate. While I will not propose specific alternative settlements, I do suggest measures that will impose damages on Microsoft tantamount to those it imposed on its competitors.
I take greatest exception to the idea that a quick settlement will be in the interest of the people. Its monopoly in the Operating System market has allowed Microsoft to expand to new areas such as Internet retailing, broadcasting, and entertainment. Given that the current settlement amounts to a slap on the wrist, Microsoft will have no impediment to extending its stranglehold to these new domains.
Thank you for your attention.
Just to add to that, the LinuxPlanet article recommends fax. Normally snail mail would probably be better but with the anthrax craze... fax is more reliable and definitely faster. The article also recommends actually putting your signature and contact info on the fax too.
BTW, this article is pretty witty and well written - I recommend it. It includes a challenge to demonstrate the Linux "community."
I've never seen so many posts labeled off topic. What exactly is the topic here? Surely not the redundant pictures of a gamecube.
Someday I hope to understand how this moderating works.
I disagree that nobody uses Java to write GUI apps. I think if you look in the right places you will find large niches of people using Java (including myself). Especially in one of the fastest growing areas in Computer Science - Human Computer Interaction.
The thing VB and Delphi can't give you is a customized GUI. They're great at making cookie cutter GUIs but they give you very little control over, say, rendering. VC++ gives you the control but introduces all kinds of other complexities.
So if you're saying WIMP is the way of the future, then by all means, VB and Delphi will fill the bill. If not, then I think Java (and maybe C#) have a place in GUI development.
Also, if Java is not being used to write GUI apps, I'm wondering why Sun would go to all the trouble of making Swing, their extensible GUI toolkit?
The problem is that "the pure windows programmers" are a pretty big slice. Your assessment of VB and VC++ might be slightly overgeneralized since I'm a pure Windoze hacker (for the moment) and I only use Java.
I don't know the exact numbers but I do know that Sun has sunk a truckload of time and money into JDK development on Windows. You could argue that this is just to support applets but how many JRE 1.2+ applets have you seen?
I'd love to see M$ fall flat but I don't see it happening. The main benefit of Java on Windows was a great language with good libraries. Well, M$ stole the language and they're guaranteed to have better access to the OS. Sadly, it looks like Java may be relegated to the niche you described.
You know, I'm a java developer and it's really sweet that Java is "write once, run anywhere." Seriously, it gives me warm fuzzies. To be honest though, the reason I use java has nothing to do with this line from marketing. I use java because I am infinitely more productive than when using C++. Sure, tell me its because I'm a pathetic programmer - but we all know where the programming time goes in C++.
.Net machine won't make Java obsolete. I sure haven't heard many convincing arguments so far.
Sadly, I do most of my programming for Windows. Unlike the other M$ slaves replying to this post, I would actually like to see M$ fail. Unfortunately, it seems like they were pretty smart here. Steal Java - clean it up - and add direct access to the operating system. It seems like it won't take long before I'm using C#.
I'd love to hear anyone's ideas on why the
Clearly there can't be an across the board ruling here since what we're talking about is a just a stupid medium. The whole storing frames in memory BS cannot be a legitimate argument since I can easily construct a VCR that stores frames in memory. In fact I have a video board in my PC that already does this. I could also construct a DVD player (granted, a somewhat choppy one) that doesn't store frames in memory.
So what we're really talking about here, at the logical conclusion, is creating a new standards organization for anyone who wants to claim they are releasing mixed content. However, this might not be so bad since the delays involved in submitting to such an organization would probably discourage most of these claims.