I'm not sure why Cringely is focusing so much on Microsoft in 2002. I don't see them having turned any corner just yet. They've got more products, but I don't see the momentum.
I know I read Slashdot, but still, here's my immediate future:
I haven't upgraded my Win2K to WinXP and probably won't. My next box may in fact be an Apple OSX machine. It's sexier and Unix.
My Mom and my brother (both newbies) haven't and won't upgrade to XP either because they don't have the cash or any real reason.
I'd choose a PS2 instead of XBox if only for the bigger library of games.
I still use my Palm Vx and when I upgrade in the next year, it'll probably be to a Symbian "Smartphone" or a Palm phone. No PocketPC here and no "Stinger."
I'm a consultant who uses Java mostly and have no use for.NET - and when I recommend solutions to clients, I stear them away from trapping themselves with a M$ solution.
I come from the fantastic state of California which hasn't given in to any settlement yet with Microsoft and hopefully won't until there's some real damage done.
What more can I say - it doesn't look rosy for Micosoft at all from my vantage point. Then again, this is only my experience, but it's the only real data I have to go by... Hey, Win2K is great to use, nice and stable and my Microsoft Wheel Mouse with the infred sensor on the bottom just plain rocks. But those were yesterday's purchases. In the coming year, I can see M$ playing much less a role in my life not more.
You're right, we don't need one system for everything (I was just whinging in that last part).
But my point is we have an abundance of OS's for every conceivable niche already. Why not strive to make these systems better instead of adding yet another OS to interop with? The magic of TCP/IP and maybe XML is all well and good, but every new OS expands the problems of interchange between systems exponentially. And Sony? I doubt words like "open" and "free" are in their vocabulary, let alone their new OS.
Someone has to say it, so it might as well be me. Does the world need ANOTHER OS? Especially one that won't launch for another 3 years and will obviously be tied down to specific platforms, technologies and underlying agendas (Sony). How many different OS's can you think of off the top of your head already? And isn't IBM hard-core Linux now?
According to the article, the OS will be able to run on PCs and be accessible from your TV (for the elderly the article says) and enable tasks impossible using current technology. Like WHAT? What can a whole new OS provide that 3 years of development on the Linix kernel or some other existing OS can't? Or is this $400,000,000 to recreate the wheel?
2005: I get to use Microsoft at work, Linux on my web server, Simbian on my phone and some other random Sony OS on my television... joy.
-Russ
Man - did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what...
I don't know much about C# (being a Java developer myself) but is this saying that any program or class compiled in C# becomes, in effect, a SOAP server? All of it's public methods can be called via XML requests?
If so, that's kinda cool. Java should have something like that. I should be able to compile a Java class and have it accessible via XML instantly without having to write a wrapper - even RMI is a bit tedious with the skeletons and stubs...
I agree it's over. Just from my own experience... as my 40+ domains are coming due (yes, I am an idiot) I'm looking at spending 40 x $8 per year (minimum) to keep them and thinking, I really don't need avdx.com (which I did register, believe it or not).
So now I'm trimming my domains down to my name (and a couple variations) and a "business idea" name that I'm keeping in hopes that somehow someone discovers my 3 year old BizPlanPro business plan I wrote and wants to send me some venture money...;-)
Just so I don't feel like a complete ass, I think everyone should volunteer their stupidest domain name they registered during the frenzy.
-Russ
P.S. Hmmmm, what's this "No Score +1 bonus thing...
Re:Different versions of the Euro...
on
The Euro
·
· Score: 2
About traveling, basically you're fucking nuts.
You LIKED getting ripped off at change booths as you entered and left each country? Getting nailed with both a fee and percentage? You liked getting stuck with spare coins from one country that no-one will change in any other country and thus is transformed instantly into stamped scrap metal? Or do you like going from the Drachma with it's low-numbered system to the Lira where a 1,000,000 liras is about $500? You'd be traveling through a country and just about get a hang of the money just as you're leaving - but not before getting ripped off by any and every small merchant and taxi driver who knows you don't know the local system. This appeals to you somehow? Or admit it, you just liked the pretty pictures. Ooooh, gee! Look! The Francs look like they're colored with crayons. Golly.
Fuck that. Travelling through Europe will be much better without this hassle. Get back to the real world, hey?
Unfortunately, the best place to see my GBA is in my bathroom. The lighting conditions are perfect for some reason (the white tile maybe?). So I spend a LOT more time in there than normal...
"Are you alright, honey? You've been in there for a loooong time... What's that tinny music sound?"
I just got my GBA for Christmas (yes, I'm 30 years old... what's your point?) and the first thing I started thinking about was how to start programming for it. Here's some of the stuff I found:
And of course a Google search will bring up a bunch more, but these are the nicest I've found so far. The last link is great because it has "demo" programs that include the code - which is key for learning how the insides of this thing work. There's an asteroids example that's really nice.
One thing that I just realized is that the GBA is based on a ARM/Thumb processor and includes a "Z80 like" processor also for when you insert GBC games. This is pretty wild. I think I'll submit an article to/. on how many companies are using ARM-based processors now. I just read that Simbian has just been ported to the ARM, PocketPCs use them exclusively, etc.
The key is that 95% of the people would be looking for this option to stop "pop-ups", so there's little to no reason not to use that word. Yes it's not perfect, but that's why useability people freak out when programmers make dialog boxes, we're geeks. We think technically, not like a user. Give the users what they want.
As for Jakob Nielson, every/. user reading this should email that whiny bitch and tell him to put his efforts where his mouth is and contribute to Mozilla. (Don't get me wrong, I like Jakob and his site/opinions, but he IS a beeeatch.)
I started a corporation back in 1998 to do the same thing you're talking about and it's biting me in ass now. Not only are there fees in addition to taxes, but there's quarterly filings, yearly meetings (with yourself which need to be recorded), corporate checking account and it's fees and all the other paperwork. Unless you're sure that you're going to be using the corporation for several years, it's a better option to stick with 1099 or W2.
Microsoft had struck deals with several chipmakers representing 90 percent of the market for the chips inside DVD players to support Windows Media technology, Fester said. That means someone could use their PC to record music or video on a CD or DVD, then play it back on a future DVD player.
``In effect, Windows Media is moving into the living room's hottest product,'' Fester said.
Just note that even though you might switch to Mozilla, it doesn't mean Microsoft doesn't make you pay a price.
Now that I'm using Mozilla, in Win2K I can't browse any photos in thumbnail mode using the explorer, which sucks for my digital photos. MS has got integration of IE in all parts so when you stop using it, it bites you in the ass in various small ways.
If you're reading this then you have NO excuse not to take 10 minutes and send your opinion. It's like voting, if you don't do it, you never have the right to bitch about Microsoft again.
If EVERY single person who reading Slashdot tonight actually did this, we might have a chance to sway this settlement. (Well, probably not, but it's worth a shot.)
It's called economic discrimination and it doesn't work. Just because you have cash to pay for a subscription, doesn't mean you have a brain in your head.
How the FUCK did I LOSE Karma on the above post!?! It was marked "interesting + 1", then "overrated -1" and then somehow the +1 disappeared (though the name stuck) and I lost a point.
What sort of uptight OS/2 user marks a "Score: 2" post "overrated"? Who ever you are, fuck you.
Ahh. Reminiscing. My first job out of college was working for IBM Personal Software Products writing OS/2 Success Stories. There weren't many, I think Traveller's insurance was like the only real one that we didn't have to massage.
Does anyone remember when OS/2 Warp was going to come out at around the same time as Windows 95 and there was a shortage of floppies because Windows needed like 40 and OS/2 needed 70 or so? Those were the good ol' days. When a re-install meant sitting in front of your computer for hours like a trained dog waiting for the beep so you could flip another disk in...
Someone mentioned the UI and how ugly it is... Man, remember the tabs for the options? They were on the side and hideous. And the folders? And the icons? God. The whole thing was horrible. Just thinking about the billions of dollars spent on OS/2 in it's lifetime makes me want to weep.
Okay - so I had slacked and wasn't sure if I was up to date with my patches. I read the Razor link above and if you're lazy like I am here's the meat (and this isn't fscking redundant, there's like 30 links above):
** Vulnerable:
SSH 1.2.24 - 1.2.31 (ssh.com) -- all versions to date of release of this advisory
F-SECURE SSH 1.3.x -- all recent releases
OpenSSH prior to 2.3.0 (unless SSH protocol 1 support is disabled)
OSSH 1.5.7 (by Bjoern Groenvall) and other ssh1/OpenSSH derived daemons
** Not vulnerable:
SSH2 (ssh.com): all 2.x releases NOTE: SSH2 installations with SSH1 fallback support are vulnerable
OpenSSH 2.3.0 (problem fixed)
SSH 1.2.32 (ssh.com, released 10/22/2001)
SSH1 releases prior to 1.2.24 (vulnerable to crc attacks)
if you get a seg fault like below, you need to upgrade:
Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
0x806cfbd in detect_attack (..., len=88016, IV=0x0) at deattack.c:138
136 for (i = HASH(c) & (n - 1); h[i] != HASH_UNUSED;
Now, happily for me, I didn't have this problem. This is good since I'm logging in remotely to my box in California from Spain, VIA SSH!! I'm an idiot as I've also shut off Telnet and if it DID segfault, I would've been completely screwed.
My mom doesn't have video-conferencing and probably neither does yours. That's the problem... I don't need (or really want) to see Joe in Purchasing in order to get my job done, but Sunday mornings it would be nice to see Mom. A nice video phone and we can chat and she can see her grandkids, etc.
-Russ
Just What Americans Need
on
This is IT?
·
· Score: 1
More ways to not get off our fat-asses and walk.
-Russ
P.S. That would be me with a nice set of extra tires around the midside too.
Slashdot Mirror
I know I read Slashdot, but still, here's my immediate future:
- I haven't upgraded my Win2K to WinXP and probably won't. My next box may in fact be an Apple OSX machine. It's sexier and Unix.
- My Mom and my brother (both newbies) haven't and won't upgrade to XP either because they don't have the cash or any real reason.
- I'd choose a PS2 instead of XBox if only for the bigger library of games.
- I still use my Palm Vx and when I upgrade in the next year, it'll probably be to a Symbian "Smartphone" or a Palm phone. No PocketPC here and no "Stinger."
- I'm a consultant who uses Java mostly and have no use for
.NET - and when I recommend solutions to clients, I stear them away from trapping themselves with a M$ solution.
- I come from the fantastic state of California which hasn't given in to any settlement yet with Microsoft and hopefully won't until there's some real damage done.
What more can I say - it doesn't look rosy for Micosoft at all from my vantage point. Then again, this is only my experience, but it's the only real data I have to go by... Hey, Win2K is great to use, nice and stable and my Microsoft Wheel Mouse with the infred sensor on the bottom just plain rocks. But those were yesterday's purchases. In the coming year, I can see M$ playing much less a role in my life not more.Just my thoughts,
-Russ
You're right, we don't need one system for everything (I was just whinging in that last part).
But my point is we have an abundance of OS's for every conceivable niche already. Why not strive to make these systems better instead of adding yet another OS to interop with? The magic of TCP/IP and maybe XML is all well and good, but every new OS expands the problems of interchange between systems exponentially. And Sony? I doubt words like "open" and "free" are in their vocabulary, let alone their new OS.
-R
Someone has to say it, so it might as well be me. Does the world need ANOTHER OS? Especially one that won't launch for another 3 years and will obviously be tied down to specific platforms, technologies and underlying agendas (Sony). How many different OS's can you think of off the top of your head already? And isn't IBM hard-core Linux now?
According to the article, the OS will be able to run on PCs and be accessible from your TV (for the elderly the article says) and enable tasks impossible using current technology. Like WHAT? What can a whole new OS provide that 3 years of development on the Linix kernel or some other existing OS can't? Or is this $400,000,000 to recreate the wheel?
2005: I get to use Microsoft at work, Linux on my web server, Simbian on my phone and some other random Sony OS on my television... joy.
-Russ
Man - did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what...
I don't know much about C# (being a Java developer myself) but is this saying that any program or class compiled in C# becomes, in effect, a SOAP server? All of it's public methods can be called via XML requests?
If so, that's kinda cool. Java should have something like that. I should be able to compile a Java class and have it accessible via XML instantly without having to write a wrapper - even RMI is a bit tedious with the skeletons and stubs...
-Russ
There's so many features in /. that need check boxes.
or maybe not...
-Russ
(I'm just joking... jeez.)
WOW! That's amazing... you REALLY need ADSL.
-Russ
I agree it's over. Just from my own experience... as my 40+ domains are coming due (yes, I am an idiot) I'm looking at spending 40 x $8 per year (minimum) to keep them and thinking, I really don't need avdx.com (which I did register, believe it or not).
;-)
So now I'm trimming my domains down to my name (and a couple variations) and a "business idea" name that I'm keeping in hopes that somehow someone discovers my 3 year old BizPlanPro business plan I wrote and wants to send me some venture money...
Just so I don't feel like a complete ass, I think everyone should volunteer their stupidest domain name they registered during the frenzy.
-Russ
P.S. Hmmmm, what's this "No Score +1 bonus thing...
About traveling, basically you're fucking nuts.
You LIKED getting ripped off at change booths as you entered and left each country? Getting nailed with both a fee and percentage? You liked getting stuck with spare coins from one country that no-one will change in any other country and thus is transformed instantly into stamped scrap metal? Or do you like going from the Drachma with it's low-numbered system to the Lira where a 1,000,000 liras is about $500? You'd be traveling through a country and just about get a hang of the money just as you're leaving - but not before getting ripped off by any and every small merchant and taxi driver who knows you don't know the local system. This appeals to you somehow? Or admit it, you just liked the pretty pictures. Ooooh, gee! Look! The Francs look like they're colored with crayons. Golly.
Fuck that. Travelling through Europe will be much better without this hassle. Get back to the real world, hey?
-Russ
Unfortunately, the best place to see my GBA is in my bathroom. The lighting conditions are perfect for some reason (the white tile maybe?). So I spend a LOT more time in there than normal...
"Are you alright, honey? You've been in there for a loooong time... What's that tinny music sound?"
-Russ
I just got my GBA for Christmas (yes, I'm 30 years old... what's your point?) and the first thing I started thinking about was how to start programming for it. Here's some of the stuff I found:
And of course a Google search will bring up a bunch more, but these are the nicest I've found so far. The last link is great because it has "demo" programs that include the code - which is key for learning how the insides of this thing work. There's an asteroids example that's really nice.
One thing that I just realized is that the GBA is based on a ARM/Thumb processor and includes a "Z80 like" processor also for when you insert GBC games. This is pretty wild. I think I'll submit an article to /. on how many companies are using ARM-based processors now. I just read that Simbian has just been ported to the ARM, PocketPCs use them exclusively, etc.
-Russ
Great... except that Psion is probably exiting the PDA biz.
-Russ
I'd like to see the number of Linux users browsing Slashdot. Just to see what a "utopian" Linux future looked like...
-Russ
Just an attempt:
/. user reading this should email that whiny bitch and tell him to put his efforts where his mouth is and contribute to Mozilla. (Don't get me wrong, I like Jakob and his site/opinions, but he IS a beeeatch.)
"Open windows by themselves"
could be
"Allow automatic pop-up windows"
26 characters Vs. 30... not bad.
The key is that 95% of the people would be looking for this option to stop "pop-ups", so there's little to no reason not to use that word. Yes it's not perfect, but that's why useability people freak out when programmers make dialog boxes, we're geeks. We think technically, not like a user. Give the users what they want.
As for Jakob Nielson, every
-Russ
Who the hell didn't see this one coming? If you didn't then you're a head-in-the-sand dreamer.
These guys might as well have named their company/product Microsauft. It's the same freakin' thing.
Shitty name anyways... it's an abomination.
-Russ
I started a corporation back in 1998 to do the same thing you're talking about and it's biting me in ass now. Not only are there fees in addition to taxes, but there's quarterly filings, yearly meetings (with yourself which need to be recorded), corporate checking account and it's fees and all the other paperwork. Unless you're sure that you're going to be using the corporation for several years, it's a better option to stick with 1099 or W2.
This is experience talking.
Microsoft had struck deals with several chipmakers representing 90 percent of the market for the chips inside DVD players to support Windows Media technology, Fester said. That means someone could use their PC to record music or video on a CD or DVD, then play it back on a future DVD player.
``In effect, Windows Media is moving into the living room's hottest product,'' Fester said.
-Russ
Just note that even though you might switch to Mozilla, it doesn't mean Microsoft doesn't make you pay a price.
Now that I'm using Mozilla, in Win2K I can't browse any photos in thumbnail mode using the explorer, which sucks for my digital photos. MS has got integration of IE in all parts so when you stop using it, it bites you in the ass in various small ways.
-Russ
Read the settlement: Settlement
And then Email your thoughts to the DOJ (Subject "Microsoft Settlement")
If EVERY single person who reading Slashdot tonight actually did this, we might have a chance to sway this settlement. (Well, probably not, but it's worth a shot.)
-Russ
It's called economic discrimination and it doesn't work. Just because you have cash to pay for a subscription, doesn't mean you have a brain in your head.
-Russ
Yeah, the popularity of Star Wars items is limited to
-Russ
How the FUCK did I LOSE Karma on the above post!?! It was marked "interesting + 1", then "overrated -1" and then somehow the +1 disappeared (though the name stuck) and I lost a point.
What sort of uptight OS/2 user marks a "Score: 2" post "overrated"? Who ever you are, fuck you.
-Russ
Ahh. Reminiscing. My first job out of college was working for IBM Personal Software Products writing OS/2 Success Stories. There weren't many, I think Traveller's insurance was like the only real one that we didn't have to massage.
Does anyone remember when OS/2 Warp was going to come out at around the same time as Windows 95 and there was a shortage of floppies because Windows needed like 40 and OS/2 needed 70 or so? Those were the good ol' days. When a re-install meant sitting in front of your computer for hours like a trained dog waiting for the beep so you could flip another disk in...
Someone mentioned the UI and how ugly it is... Man, remember the tabs for the options? They were on the side and hideous. And the folders? And the icons? God. The whole thing was horrible. Just thinking about the billions of dollars spent on OS/2 in it's lifetime makes me want to weep.
-Russ
Okay - so I had slacked and wasn't sure if I was up to date with my patches. I read the Razor link above and if you're lazy like I am here's the meat (and this isn't fscking redundant, there's like 30 links above):
..., len=88016, IV=0x0) at deattack.c:138
** Vulnerable:
SSH 1.2.24 - 1.2.31 (ssh.com) -- all versions to date of release of this advisory
F-SECURE SSH 1.3.x -- all recent releases
OpenSSH prior to 2.3.0 (unless SSH protocol 1 support is disabled)
OSSH 1.5.7 (by Bjoern Groenvall) and other ssh1/OpenSSH derived daemons
** Not vulnerable:
SSH2 (ssh.com): all 2.x releases NOTE: SSH2 installations with SSH1 fallback support are vulnerable
OpenSSH 2.3.0 (problem fixed)
SSH 1.2.32 (ssh.com, released 10/22/2001)
SSH1 releases prior to 1.2.24 (vulnerable to crc attacks)
Cisco SSH (own implementation)
LSH (SSH protocol 1 not supported)
** Other SSH daemons: not tested
To test your server, do this:
$ ssh -v -l `perl -e '{print "A"x88000}'` localhost
if you get a seg fault like below, you need to upgrade:
Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
0x806cfbd in detect_attack (
136 for (i = HASH(c) & (n - 1); h[i] != HASH_UNUSED;
Now, happily for me, I didn't have this problem. This is good since I'm logging in remotely to my box in California from Spain, VIA SSH!! I'm an idiot as I've also shut off Telnet and if it DID segfault, I would've been completely screwed.
-Russ
My mom doesn't have video-conferencing and probably neither does yours. That's the problem... I don't need (or really want) to see Joe in Purchasing in order to get my job done, but Sunday mornings it would be nice to see Mom. A nice video phone and we can chat and she can see her grandkids, etc.
-Russ
More ways to not get off our fat-asses and walk.
-Russ
P.S. That would be me with a nice set of extra tires around the midside too.