Now that we are starting to see micro-gigabyte drives, will we also see a new bus-line so that we can string 70+ of these tiny drives together in a raid style array? Are they fast enough for such an idea? If so, once the price comes down on them, I can see app-servers that take up 4U rack spaces suddenly only using 1U and holding 5 times the ammount of data. Sounds like some good stuff comming from Big Blue, I just hope the price isn't so high that it turns back into vaporware.
Ok so it's not going to be out for Xmas, but at least Apple is starting to realize that they can't just make it on the normal consumer market. Could this be a streatch before a full blown launch into the server market? I think so. An I think it's long over due.
I'll state now that I'm not a hardcore fan of any particular processor market, I'm just a hardware fan. And while this still has the smell of vaporware it still has the possibility of coming to life. With the forthcoming of OS-X and now SMP Macs I hope to eventually see some interesting new hardware/software to take advantage of this.
While I personaly agree that most OSS projects are better then their closed source counterparts, I don't see the OSS model takin over the world in it's entirety. After all, it's a classic case of good Vs evil. Without the closed source projects where would some of the challange come from for the opern source projects?
Face it, while alliar may dole out buggy software, without projects like it, some of the community just wouldn't have the drive to say, "I think I want to try and make a better version of that." I am a firm beleiver of open source and wish that I could program in any lang so that I could contribute something. But without the closed source, there is no Open Source.
I think the idea of MP Macs is great. While I am not an avid mac users, I try to dabble in them as much as possible. With MacOSX hopefully on it way soon I can see where MP Macs could come into use very quickly.
Though I haven't gotten much info on OS-X I've heard is based partialy on Unix. So I wonder if the kernel will need to be rebuilt for an MP style system and has Apple given the ability to alter that in OS-X? Or will it be prebuilt with an added on/off software switch? Either way, I can see some very stable Mac servers on there way. I feel that this is an area that Apple has been very slow in approching. How often do you hear about the new high performance Mac webserver?
All I can say is that I think it's a great idea, since if nothing else, you can always slap a copy of yellow dog or ppc-Linux on it.
I have to agree that Katz has once again dished out a heavy load that he won't back up. Also from many other of the posts, I also have to agree that I think this situation is no longer something that/. should be concerned with. If they were looking to alter the napster src and shut napster down completly, then I might understand. However at this point, it's just another stupid lawsuit filed by once-cool rockers, now middle-aged turned-corporate investment bankers. It's a money issue and nothing more.
I personaly don't use napster, however, I think it's great way for alot of people to sample some music they may later deside to buy. Granted it isn't always used in that mannor, but what on this world is always used for it's intended purpose. Nothing.
I'd like to see the PayLars site turned into a fund not for him, but for the 300k odd users who's privacy the band intends to invade. This way those people can launch a counter suit. Sure, it would be another stupid lawsuit to stack on the fire, but at least katz would have something else to write about.
I must agree with the irresponsibility[sp?] of the choosen topic. They were definitly busted for much more then the possession of L0phtCrack. However the city now making the software illegal to own is about as much of a good idea as holding a fork and shoving the fork in the wall socket. In the first place Bell has to have the ability to get into the system in order to install L0phtCrack. Many of the posts seem to be making this point and I agree with that. But with actions like the city is taking maybe when some street performers monkey attacks a passer-by they will out-law those damn annoying organ grinder contraptions!
I wouldn't be too concerned about invasion of privacy in this case. I must agree with other statements I've seen on this topic that I think this is just a way of Ford helping itself by helping it's employee's get used to new technology. The end result my be self preservation, but the way I see it, this benifits all involved.
I've seen some of the robotics systems inside of Ford. Most of them are the latest Allen-Bradly PLC setups and basicly can be controled through a point/click mannor. Far cry from just a few years ago where you had to do all the ladder programming by hand then transfer it to the PLC via dat tape.
I've seen other companies provide PC's for their people and I think it's great. Though I think this is the first time it's ever been done on this grand of a scale. Basicly I think what will either make this great, or a disaster is the terms that Ford will put in place to the employee's that take them up on this offer.
So, as far as I can see, Ford is doing a great thing by helping to spread techonology to those that may afraid or unable to afford it. So long as the people of Ford are happy with this, who is to say anything against it.
First off, I'd suggest some research on your part. SCSI has many advantages over IDE, EIDE and any implementation of UDMA/** with the IDE form factor, depending on what your trying to use it for. Will you see a massive advantage on a small home user system, not really, unless maybe your a Quake3, Unreal, or other massive game player.
However, attempt running a server of any kind with roughly 200 users pulling about 5 apps a piece using IDE/UDMA drives. What you will get is really bad load times. SCSI has the ability to read/write at the same time, not to mention it can read/write to all the drives on the chain at the same time Vs IDE's ability to read or write on one drive per BUS. Hence why you get better performance from having Ur HD and CD-Rom on sperate IDE buses.
However, I think that WD is possibly pulling out of the SCSI HD market for reason like, high pricing causeing low volume sales, the explosion of home networking, or they are just tired of making SCSI drives for other venders. It's not often you find a WD labeled HD. But the recent explosion in home networks is what I'd bet some of my money on. Now with the average of 2/3 pc's per house, that 2/3 times the ammount of HD's being used and as we all know, most home systems containe IDE HD's.
Each of the two formats IDE - SCSi has it's advantages and dis-advantages. It just all depends on what you want to use it for, and how much you have in you wallet. Still though, it's sad to see a company give up on a product after so long.
Gates obviously isn't stupid. By maing this move he does stay with the most profitable portion of the company. It also means that maybe it will redirect some of the stress from Gates to Balmer letting Gates outta the crosshairs for a bit.
The Big reason I see Gates making this move, I think he belives that the DOJ will break up the company and if they do, then he also stay with the one part of the company that he truley started. Software is what MS was in the beginnings and if his magical kingdom is going to come crashing down, then he wants to be with the part of it that he truely feels his all his.
I could be wrong, he could be doing this for no other reason then to redirect the media attention from the AOL/Warner circle back to his own. Who really know but Bill and his little inner-circle. Then again, I could also be right *shrug*
You're right, AOL/Warner is not a threat - "Right Now". Give them time though. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not till a few years from now. They will become a threat however. As you stated, they are vertical, which as you also stated, means they don't need any/much outside help. That gives them allot of leverage.
Think about this. What if AOL/Warner doesn't just bumble along being happy with what it has? Like most companies, it's gonna want more. SO instead of buying more companies, they could just start selling contracts. What Internet/cable/TV service do you know of that isn't try to be #1 in areas like breaking the story first, having the most coverage or being able to supply all that information not only on a moments notice but in every media content available.
AOL/Warner has the ability to become a very powerful monopoly. AOL has already take many steps to ensure that you can't use their services any other way then the way they want you too. You can't just make a Dial-up for AOL can you? You have to use their software.
So what would be stopping AOL/Warner from going out to every service provider in Internet/TV offering them deals that they can't refuse. Locking them in on it, and then making it to where if you wan to access any of their services, you not only have to use special software that won't be supported on all platforms I'm sure and on top of that, making you pay for it.
Sure, you will have some people that will pirate it, but for the most part the company wins. Once AOL/Warner has reached a certain size, who's not going to be in bed with them? This really is one of those situations where it could be nothing, or it could really come back to bite us in the ass. I guess we'll see where it goes from here.
Not being a very big Law fanatic, especially not an Uruguayan law fanatic what I would like to know is what, if any impact this would have outside of Uruguay? Would this impact the Linux Community in such a way that at some point if these ppl are not stopped that it could hinder sales of or use of the Linux name internationally? I'm not saying lets just leave Uruguay hanging on it's own rope by any means. Personally I feel that there's not much to get all stirred up about. Now if this company started actually trying to oust the ULUG from their domains I'd expect to see full community support and also quite a large stir over the issue.
But are we really looking into this all too far. There is one other patent pending on the Linux name that I know of by a laundry detergent company, yet there wasn't a large outcry about this. I think maybe this hits closer to home since they are trying to patent it on the Computer Industry level rather then on a level that is completely non-related. Suse can let this company have the exclusive right if they want so long as they provide the src for any GPL'd software within their distro as far as I know. I could be wrong.
In the end I think they will either be denied or it just won't really matter. I'm sure this has been done in some other country by now. After all, now there are Win98 Cigarettes, but we didn't raise a stink about that. I know I got a good laugh about it.
How can you sue someone over their what they like? It seams to me that the courts have become somewhat of an over protective mother for companies to go tattle-tale on other companies.
Being that in most cases it can be a major undertaking to switch from one prodect to the other. With having to remove the current software, then install the new software, train all the people on the new software and then convert all the data over to the new software format. It can cost a company much more then the products worth if theres not a massive difference between the two softwares.
I'm not a large fan of MS by any means but I always go by the saying "If it's not broke, then don't fix it" and if the US Dept of Labor is comfortable with a product they already use, or the feel that MS has an advantage, then thats their right as a consumer.
As much as I have always been a supporter of Netscapes browser, I do realize that it's not the only choice we have. The people over at Opera are working on their linux version and though they ask for a little coin for their software, it is fastly becomming an alternative.
An this really pains me to say, but there is a version of IE for the *nix platform as well. Though I have never used it, or know anyone that has, I have seen that it does exist. I pray to the GOD's that I never have to see that on my desktop ( thats part of the reason I switched to linux ), it is still none the less an alternative as well.
And maybe with the fall of Netscape/Mozilla there in the aftermath may sprout a new browser that wont have the same problems. Who knows.
It's truely a sad day when of all things a phrase mentioned in a mailing list gets the compaines legeal dept. as excited as a group of 13 year old boys with a peep-hole into the womans shower room.
Personaly I think that companies are making sport of the whole law-suit threat in gerneral. Lets see who can sue over the dumbest damn thing this time, all bets are open. Worse yet is how far will it go? Will it get to the point where you can't even type the letters together of a registered trademark in a chat channel?
If so I say we attempt to remind them, that without alot of us, they wouldn't own that collection of letters they think they own in every way. So, company sues 6 year old for using thier registered name in the bibliography of his science project, do what ppl used to do back in the day. Protest their ass. Stop buying their products and then sue them for being stupid and greedy. Not the best idea, I know, but what the hell. It's just my opinion.
Slashdot Mirror
Now that we are starting to see micro-gigabyte drives, will we also see a new bus-line so that we can string 70+ of these tiny drives together in a raid style array? Are they fast enough for such an idea? If so, once the price comes down on them, I can see app-servers that take up 4U rack spaces suddenly only using 1U and holding 5 times the ammount of data. Sounds like some good stuff comming from Big Blue, I just hope the price isn't so high that it turns back into vaporware.
Ok so it's not going to be out for Xmas, but at least Apple is starting to realize that they can't just make it on the normal consumer market. Could this be a streatch before a full blown launch into the server market? I think so. An I think it's long over due.
I'll state now that I'm not a hardcore fan of any particular processor market, I'm just a hardware fan. And while this still has the smell of vaporware it still has the possibility of coming to life. With the forthcoming of OS-X and now SMP Macs I hope to eventually see some interesting new hardware/software to take advantage of this.
While I personaly agree that most OSS projects are better then their closed source counterparts, I don't see the OSS model takin over the world in it's entirety. After all, it's a classic case of good Vs evil. Without the closed source projects where would some of the challange come from for the opern source projects?
Face it, while alliar may dole out buggy software, without projects like it, some of the community just wouldn't have the drive to say, "I think I want to try and make a better version of that." I am a firm beleiver of open source and wish that I could program in any lang so that I could contribute something. But without the closed source, there is no Open Source.
I think the idea of MP Macs is great. While I am not an avid mac users, I try to dabble in them as much as possible. With MacOSX hopefully on it way soon I can see where MP Macs could come into use very quickly.
Though I haven't gotten much info on OS-X I've heard is based partialy on Unix. So I wonder if the kernel will need to be rebuilt for an MP style system and has Apple given the ability to alter that in OS-X? Or will it be prebuilt with an added on/off software switch? Either way, I can see some very stable Mac servers on there way. I feel that this is an area that Apple has been very slow in approching. How often do you hear about the new high performance Mac webserver?
All I can say is that I think it's a great idea, since if nothing else, you can always slap a copy of yellow dog or ppc-Linux on it.
I have to agree that Katz has once again dished out a heavy load that he won't back up. Also from many other of the posts, I also have to agree that I think this situation is no longer something that
I personaly don't use napster, however, I think it's great way for alot of people to sample some music they may later deside to buy. Granted it isn't always used in that mannor, but what on this world is always used for it's intended purpose. Nothing.
I'd like to see the PayLars site turned into a fund not for him, but for the 300k odd users who's privacy the band intends to invade. This way those people can launch a counter suit. Sure, it would be another stupid lawsuit to stack on the fire, but at least katz would have something else to write about.
I must agree with the irresponsibility[sp?] of the choosen topic. They were definitly busted for much more then the possession of L0phtCrack. However the city now making the software illegal to own is about as much of a good idea as holding a fork and shoving the fork in the wall socket.
In the first place Bell has to have the ability to get into the system in order to install L0phtCrack. Many of the posts seem to be making this point and I agree with that. But with actions like the city is taking maybe when some street performers monkey attacks a passer-by they will out-law those damn annoying organ grinder contraptions!
I wouldn't be too concerned about invasion of privacy in this case. I must agree with other statements I've seen on this topic that I think this is just a way of Ford helping itself by helping it's employee's get used to new technology. The end result my be self preservation, but the way I see it, this benifits all involved.
I've seen some of the robotics systems inside of Ford. Most of them are the latest Allen-Bradly PLC setups and basicly can be controled through a point/click mannor. Far cry from just a few years ago where you had to do all the ladder programming by hand then transfer it to the PLC via dat tape.
I've seen other companies provide PC's for their people and I think it's great. Though I think this is the first time it's ever been done on this grand of a scale. Basicly I think what will either make this great, or a disaster is the terms that Ford will put in place to the employee's that take them up on this offer.
So, as far as I can see, Ford is doing a great thing by helping to spread techonology to those that may afraid or unable to afford it. So long as the people of Ford are happy with this, who is to say anything against it.
First off, I'd suggest some research on your part. SCSI has many advantages over IDE, EIDE and any implementation of UDMA/** with the IDE form factor, depending on what your trying to use it for. Will you see a massive advantage on a small home user system, not really, unless maybe your a Quake3, Unreal, or other massive game player.
However, attempt running a server of any kind with roughly 200 users pulling about 5 apps a piece using IDE/UDMA drives. What you will get is really bad load times. SCSI has the ability to read/write at the same time, not to mention it can read/write to all the drives on the chain at the same time Vs IDE's ability to read or write on one drive per BUS. Hence why you get better performance from having Ur HD and CD-Rom on sperate IDE buses.
However, I think that WD is possibly pulling out of the SCSI HD market for reason like, high pricing causeing low volume sales, the explosion of home networking, or they are just tired of making SCSI drives for other venders. It's not often you find a WD labeled HD. But the recent explosion in home networks is what I'd bet some of my money on. Now with the average of 2/3 pc's per house, that 2/3 times the ammount of HD's being used and as we all know, most home systems containe IDE HD's.
Each of the two formats IDE - SCSi has it's advantages and dis-advantages. It just all depends on what you want to use it for, and how much you have in you wallet. Still though, it's sad to see a company give up on a product after so long.
Gates obviously isn't stupid. By maing this move he does stay with the most profitable portion of the company. It also means that maybe it will redirect some of the stress from Gates to Balmer letting Gates outta the crosshairs for a bit.
The Big reason I see Gates making this move, I think he belives that the DOJ will break up the company and if they do, then he also stay with the one part of the company that he truley started. Software is what MS was in the beginnings and if his magical kingdom is going to come crashing down, then he wants to be with the part of it that he truely feels his all his.
I could be wrong, he could be doing this for no other reason then to redirect the media attention from the AOL/Warner circle back to his own. Who really know but Bill and his little inner-circle. Then again, I could also be right *shrug*
You're right, AOL/Warner is not a threat - "Right Now". Give them time though. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not till a few years from now. They will become a threat however. As you stated, they are vertical, which as you also stated, means they don't need any/much outside help. That gives them allot of leverage.
Think about this. What if AOL/Warner doesn't just bumble along being happy with what it has? Like most companies, it's gonna want more. SO instead of buying more companies, they could just start selling contracts. What Internet/cable/TV service do you know of that isn't try to be #1 in areas like breaking the story first, having the most coverage or being able to supply all that information not only on a moments notice but in every media content available.
AOL/Warner has the ability to become a very powerful monopoly. AOL has already take many steps to ensure that you can't use their services any other way then the way they want you too. You can't just make a Dial-up for AOL can you? You have to use their software.
So what would be stopping AOL/Warner from going out to every service provider in Internet/TV offering them deals that they can't refuse. Locking them in on it, and then making it to where if you wan to access any of their services, you not only have to use special software that won't be supported on all platforms I'm sure and on top of that, making you pay for it.
Sure, you will have some people that will pirate it, but for the most part the company wins. Once AOL/Warner has reached a certain size, who's not going to be in bed with them? This really is one of those situations where it could be nothing, or it could really come back to bite us in the ass. I guess we'll see where it goes from here.
Not being a very big Law fanatic, especially not an Uruguayan law fanatic what I would like to know is what, if any impact this would have outside of Uruguay? Would this impact the Linux Community in such a way that at some point if these ppl are not stopped that it could hinder sales of or use of the Linux name internationally? I'm not saying lets just leave Uruguay hanging on it's own rope by any means. Personally I feel that there's not much to get all stirred up about. Now if this company started actually trying to oust the ULUG from their domains I'd expect to see full community support and also quite a large stir over the issue.
But are we really looking into this all too far. There is one other patent pending on the Linux name that I know of by a laundry detergent company, yet there wasn't a large outcry about this. I think maybe this hits closer to home since they are trying to patent it on the Computer Industry level rather then on a level that is completely non-related. Suse can let this company have the exclusive right if they want so long as they provide the src for any GPL'd software within their distro as far as I know. I could be wrong.
In the end I think they will either be denied or it just won't really matter. I'm sure this has been done in some other country by now. After all, now there are Win98 Cigarettes, but we didn't raise a stink about that. I know I got a good laugh about it.
How can you sue someone over their what they like? It seams to me that the courts have become somewhat of an over protective mother for companies to go tattle-tale on other companies.
Being that in most cases it can be a major undertaking to switch from one prodect to the other. With having to remove the current software, then install the new software, train all the people on the new software and then convert all the data over to the new software format. It can cost a company much more then the products worth if theres not a massive difference between the two softwares.
I'm not a large fan of MS by any means but I always go by the saying "If it's not broke, then don't fix it" and if the US Dept of Labor is comfortable with a product they already use, or the feel that MS has an advantage, then thats their right as a consumer.
Just my $0.02
As much as I have always been a supporter of Netscapes browser, I do realize that it's not the only choice we have. The people over at Opera are working on their linux version and though they ask for a little coin for their software, it is fastly becomming an alternative.
An this really pains me to say, but there is a version of IE for the *nix platform as well. Though I have never used it, or know anyone that has, I have seen that it does exist. I pray to the GOD's that I never have to see that on my desktop ( thats part of the reason I switched to linux ), it is still none the less an alternative as well.
And maybe with the fall of Netscape/Mozilla there in the aftermath may sprout a new browser that wont have the same problems. Who knows.
It's truely a sad day when of all things a phrase mentioned in a mailing list gets the compaines legeal dept. as excited as a group of 13 year old boys with a peep-hole into the womans shower room.
Personaly I think that companies are making sport of the whole law-suit threat in gerneral. Lets see who can sue over the dumbest damn thing this time, all bets are open. Worse yet is how far will it go? Will it get to the point where you can't even type the letters together of a registered trademark in a chat channel?
If so I say we attempt to remind them, that without alot of us, they wouldn't own that collection of letters they think they own in every way. So, company sues 6 year old for using thier registered name in the bibliography of his science project, do what ppl used to do back in the day. Protest their ass. Stop buying their products and then sue them for being stupid and greedy. Not the best idea, I know, but what the hell. It's just my opinion.