I Agree with the Original poster the X-Box hardware is wasted on the crappy PC architecture and the fact that its games are to a certain extent "generic" PC/Win32/DirectX Code.
I would have had a lot more respect for Microsoft's console if they had completely redesigned the machine from scratch instead of butchering the existing PC architecture. The PC, or more precisely Windows has suffered and become the heap of shit that it is today because Microsoft have never wiped the slate clean and started afresh. Apple have done this several times both in their operating system and in their hardware architecture. And the result is a cleaner system. OSX is the best thing Apple ever did!
We dont need the console market being saturated with X-Box clones with varying architectures, it'll result in an inconsistent gaming experience for everyone, and cause headaches for the game developers alike. The beauty of consoles is a fixed hardware spec to work with.
Go Ahead get an X-Box... buy a second hand one, mod it, and pirate all the software. Thats my advice. Help microsoft to lose even more money on the thing!
I use gentoo for my PC needs and a PS2 for games. I like it that way and Im not mad keen on FPS's
"It will be powered by a near-instant-on version of WinXP (embedded) with Windows Media Player.."
Basically its a bog standard "Via Eden" PC with DRM and a shit name "ApeXtreme PCG" how naff! It'll probably be about as successful as the ill fated Ndrema.
Might be fun to hack, but aside from that, its nothing special.
sad thing is that the guy that made the website did a better job of the one that hit the headlines.
The poster is getting credit for First stereogram pairs when someone else got their first.( I made the first one posted on slashdot) and the other guy made more images, a website and an article first but got rejected...
I hate Windows as much as the next person. However, Win98 is still a viable platform while people are still on their PII 333's (unless of course they are using an open source *nix) My mother for example is quite happy (well as happy as she can be given the windows annoyances) and it runs well on her AMD K6 400. You think she needs to buy a new machine? and fork out for a newer OS, to thrape the hardware a bit more ? I dont think so. Im the one who has to maintain the fucker!!! and I've got it running as well as I know how.
She simply doesnt need a new OS or computer. And I sure as hell aint going to encourage her to upgrade on the basis of this news.
Another friend of mine who is now taking his first steps on Linux, uses Win98 primarily due to cubase, he, like many other PC musicians, know all the intricacies of 98 and how to get the best performance out of it for music applications. He's running a PII 333, and its just fine for what we need my band can vouch for that. Aparently the newer M$ oses have poor support for his hardware (he has high end audio cards etc) upgrading the OS would mean a new learning curve and a loss in performance. So he'll be sticking with 98 for some time. Until (on my advice) he switches to MacOSX.
And thats just it... This news is going to make people change their operating systems.. but not neccesarily to another Microsoft one.
I have constructed a 3D stereoscopic image from a couple of the images I found. You'll have to wrangle with your eyes to get the effect but here it is in case you want to see. Interstingly enough the effect does sort-of increase the resolution, and gives you a better view of the rock in the background.
http://www.blackapology.com/downloads/3d_rear.gi f
have fun
(if anyone else makes another 3d pic please post it under parent)
nick...
Re:Some of the early plans are a bit out there
on
Dreams of the Moon
·
· Score: 1
Having read the paper, it doesnt seem like such an absurd idea.
I have constructed a 3D stereoscopic image from a couple of the images I found. You'll have to wrangle with your eyes to get the effect but here it is in case you want to see. Interstingly enough the effect does sort-of increase the resolution, and gives you a better view of the rock in the background.
http://www.blackapology.com/downloads/3d_rear.gi f
have fun
(if anyone else makes another 3d pic please post it under parent)
DVD drives/ and so forth are inherently cheaper to manufacture anyway, this is mainly due to the lack of need for mechanical parts. A Typical DVD/CD Drive only needs a two or three motors, one to move the lens up and down, one to rotate the disk and save toploading devices, one to open and close the tray. Older consumer electronics such as tape drives/video recorders and most Camcorders require a phenomenal amount of precision made mechanical parts. Anyone who has ever dismantled a VCR will be able to tell you that.
I am sure there are plenty of malpractaces in the manufacturing business and no-body I know ever gets paid enough!. Everyone is undercutting everyone else.
It is the very nature of the digital revolution that is also contributing to driving the reduction in costs of manufacturing these items down. Generally speaking, the less moving parts something has, the cheaper it is going to be to manufacture. It is also the case that, the less moving parts something has, the more reliable it becomes.
In the case of DVD drives, most of the manufacturing infrastructure has been around for years, (in the form of CD Drive Manufacture) DVD drives just need different logic boards and lasers, so its not surprising that it has taken such a short time for the prices to come down.
Dip Shit......every bit of interoperability and unification helps. Naysay as much as you want regarding Microsoft, but the reason why they have the market share is because of the unification present(at least in appearance...
What interoperability ? sure Windows has great interoperability... WITH ITSELF... Just like MacOS or Linux Or BSD, they interoperate perfectly with themselves. The difference is with the *nixes you have choice. Since when did Windows offer you a number of different Window managers? And guess what... OpenSource by definition provides better interoperability with other operating systems than your proprietary windows fluff. How may open source programs have been ported to other Operating systems? And how many windows programs have been ported to Open Source platforms? I suggest you reconsider your understanding of the word Interoperability, and as for Unification? it has no place on windows because you only have one window manager anyway.
Sure enough, but there are always exceptions to the rule. This little beauty is a bargain. Its based on uClinux, which must help in keeping costs down.
I used to go out with a girl who looked just like the one in that OSDN personals ad that keeps appearing on slashdot... I wish it would change....
On a more OnTopic note I have to admit that all the fuss about the current set of pictures from Spirit are a little dissappointing although one or two of them do seem to have some unusual white looking patches (like frost) but we'll have to wait for some better quality ones to filter through before anyone can make any real analysis
Id like to add to that , the more OSX programmers that discover the open source way of doing things the better. It strengthens OSX and it strengthens the other free *nixes such as Linux. Mac people tend to have a better eye for UI's and graphic design than tech-head linux dudes (like me) a bit of cross pollonation here would definitely be advantageous.
I personally use OpenOffice, although its a bit clunky at times, when you are applying for jobs and sending CV's of you need a good MSWord File export. While its been a while since i tested KOffice out Im still not if its MSWord export is up to scratch (tell me if i'm wrong here). I do keep an eye on KOffice and will continue to do so, and perhaps the widening of the user base will encourage development of the package.
Does anyone know if the file export parts of OpenOffice have a license compatible with KOffice? and if so why does KOffice not look to OpenOffice for, at the very least an API to work from?
Something else that just occurred to me, does the fact that the Mac widget set/OSX QT has now been opensourced now mean that we are likely to see an OSX theme as standard in later verions of KDE for linux?
Are Kiss really in violation, Looking at the code examples there is very little doubt that they lifted the code. However has anyone actually asked KISS to supply the code? Last time I checked im pretty sure that the GPL does not state that you must distribute the source code of whatever it is that you use, simply that should someone ask for the source code then you are required to make it available.
There are no notes on the MPlayer site stating that someone asked for the source code. Someone should ask for the source code before making accusations. Open source could do better by advertising the fact that manufacturers are using Open Source in a positive light, and manufacturers who have used code would be less likely to get shirty about supplying their source code when its due.
This is a great thing for sure, but I have to question the Nativeness of Native here. For one thing I would have least expected it to use the native OSX widget set instead of a themed QT... and does it run without the need to have an X server running atop of aqua?
As Linux and Other Open Source software get used more and more by less tech savvy users, eg non-programmer types, as a percentage of the community contributions will seem to decline.
I think most people, tech savvy,or not. appreciate the work that has gone into the free software that they use from day to day. When was the last time you took stock of just how incredible that linux box with its flashy gui you are using is when you consider that it has been bought to you by the hard work of the OS community.
I think people need to find their niche, as to what they can and can't do in order to contribute. Many people think because they are not a hard-core coder they cant do anything to help. I've only contributed to a couple of things since I've been using Open Source stuff.(the past 4yrs) But when I do fix a bug or create something a project might find useful I usually send any files or useful info over to the project maintainers. It is the least I can do when I owe my redmond-free world to so many dedicated geeks!
I wonder just how many regular Open Source users feel that if they could, they would help, but maybe dont know how.
I would say project maintainers should encourage people to help out in other ways, There are loads of things people can do. Artwork, Documentation, Website maintennance heck , even give free support to people if they are nice enough.
I've been helping a few newbies through their first forays into linux, as indeed friends helped me when I got started. If you plant the right seeds in those newbie minds, they most certainly will grow a giving and generous attitude.
There is one more way people can support Open Source.. Lets introduce a "Send your favorite project A Beer Day" send em some beer money!
"computer users could share small files containing information about music, video or other data,"
sounds a bit like bit torrent to me.
Embrace and extend it , slap on some DRM and voila redmond does it again and now has even more power than it did before.
Of course if I cant play the movies or mp3's on my new computer because I havent bought the latest DRM enabled motherboard and installed a non-pirated legal version of the redmond operating system. Im not interested! Microsoft's new Motto should be...
"Microsoft.. Who do you want us to control today?..."
This seems like a perfectly good idea, in fact im surprised its not illegal already. Id be even more surprised, if , legal or not, "Cammers" didnt attempt to conceal recording equipment anyway when sneaking into the theater.
The other bonus is that this should have a positive effect on the picture quality of movies downloaded on p2p systems. If we can weed out some of the amateur quality movie rips people can be more confident that the movie they just spent hours downloading isnt going to be wonky, distorted or have people standing up half-way through.(although it's been a long time since i had one like that!)
Lets face it the good quality rips are done from inside the industry (projectionist's, unscrupulous reveiewers, and even from the cutting room). I dont see this as being a major problem, in fact it will probably have a positive effect for people who download films.
Slashdot Mirror
I Agree with the Original poster the X-Box hardware is wasted on the crappy PC architecture and the fact that its games are to a certain extent "generic" PC/Win32/DirectX Code.
I would have had a lot more respect for Microsoft's console if they had completely redesigned the machine from scratch instead of butchering the existing PC architecture. The PC, or more precisely Windows has suffered and become the heap of shit that it is today because Microsoft have never wiped the slate clean and started afresh. Apple have done this several times both in their operating system and in their hardware architecture. And the result is a cleaner system. OSX is the best thing Apple ever did!
We dont need the console market being saturated with X-Box clones with varying architectures, it'll result in an inconsistent gaming experience for everyone, and cause headaches for the game developers alike. The beauty of consoles is a fixed hardware spec to work with.
Go Ahead get an X-Box... buy a second hand one, mod it, and pirate all the software. Thats my advice. Help microsoft to lose even more money on the thing!
I use gentoo for my PC needs and a PS2 for games. I like it that way and Im not mad keen on FPS's
... As soon as I got this far.
"It will be powered by a near-instant-on version of WinXP (embedded) with Windows Media Player.."
Basically its a bog standard "Via Eden" PC with DRM and a shit name "ApeXtreme PCG" how naff! It'll probably be about as successful as the ill fated Ndrema.
Might be fun to hack, but aside from that, its nothing special.
Wait , OMG... I must format my Gentoo build now, and install this superior Operating system.
Thats actually a good idea ... does it work with the larger kitchen roll tubes? I sit a little further away from the screen than you.
Mr Magoo
yeah .. I'll bet your annoyed about this ..
8 78 266
I pointed it out late last night!..
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=91527&cid=7
Not to be a party pooper or anything , but I made stereo images earlier on today.
Posted 1-28 gmt
as did someone else shortly after (who put together a website)
posted 4-46
sad thing is that the guy that made the website did a better job of the one that hit the headlines.
The poster is getting credit for First stereogram pairs when someone else got their first.( I made the first one posted on slashdot) and the other guy made more images, a website and an article first but got rejected...
nick....
I hate Windows as much as the next person. However, Win98 is still a viable platform while people are still on their PII 333's (unless of course they are using an open source *nix) My mother for example is quite happy (well as happy as she can be given the windows annoyances) and it runs well on her AMD K6 400. You think she needs to buy a new machine? and fork out for a newer OS, to thrape the hardware a bit more ? I dont think so. Im the one who has to maintain the fucker!!! and I've got it running as well as I know how.
She simply doesnt need a new OS or computer. And I sure as hell aint going to encourage her to upgrade on the basis of this news.
Another friend of mine who is now taking his first steps on Linux, uses Win98 primarily due to cubase, he, like many other PC musicians, know all the intricacies of 98 and how to get the best performance out of it for music applications. He's running a PII 333, and its just fine for what we need my band can vouch for that. Aparently the newer M$ oses have poor support for his hardware (he has high end audio cards etc) upgrading the OS would mean a new learning curve and a loss in performance. So he'll be sticking with 98 for some time. Until (on my advice) he switches to MacOSX.
And thats just it... This news is going to make people change their operating systems.. but not neccesarily to another Microsoft one.
Make way for DRM ... world, and watch the masses reconsider Microsoft.
good job packaging em up dude :)
have you got any higer res versions?
nick
Heres one I did using GIMP its even higher resolution and the aspect ratio is correct (sun is round!)
...
here
Incase you missed my 3d picture that is as follows (cross your eyes!) but it has a better resolution.
here
nick
I have constructed a 3D stereoscopic image from a couple of the images I found. You'll have to wrangle with your eyes to get the effect but here it is in case you want to see. Interstingly enough the effect does sort-of increase the resolution, and gives you a better view of the rock in the background.
i f
...
http://www.blackapology.com/downloads/3d_rear.g
have fun
(if anyone else makes another 3d pic please post it under parent)
nick
Having read the paper, it doesnt seem like such an absurd idea.
I have constructed a 3D stereoscopic image from a couple of the images I found. You'll have to wrangle with your eyes to get the effect but here it is in case you want to see. Interstingly enough the effect does sort-of increase the resolution, and gives you a better view of the rock in the background.
i f
...
http://www.blackapology.com/downloads/3d_rear.g
have fun
(if anyone else makes another 3d pic please post it under parent)
nick
DVD drives/ and so forth are inherently cheaper to manufacture anyway, this is mainly due to the lack of need for mechanical parts. A Typical DVD/CD Drive only needs a two or three motors, one to move the lens up and down, one to rotate the disk and save toploading devices, one to open and close the tray. Older consumer electronics such as tape drives/video recorders and most Camcorders require a phenomenal amount of precision made mechanical parts. Anyone who has ever dismantled a VCR will be able to tell you that.
I am sure there are plenty of malpractaces in the manufacturing business and no-body I know ever gets paid enough!. Everyone is undercutting everyone else.
It is the very nature of the digital revolution that is also contributing to driving the reduction in costs of manufacturing these items down. Generally speaking, the less moving parts something has, the cheaper it is going to be to manufacture. It is also the case that, the less moving parts something has, the more reliable it becomes.
In the case of DVD drives, most of the manufacturing infrastructure has been around for years, (in the form of CD Drive Manufacture) DVD drives just need different logic boards and lasers, so its not surprising that it has taken such a short time for the prices to come down.
Dip Shit ... ...every bit of interoperability and unification helps. Naysay as much as you want regarding Microsoft, but the reason why they have the market share is because of the unification present(at least in appearance. ..
... WITH ITSELF... Just like MacOS or Linux Or BSD, they interoperate perfectly with themselves. The difference is with the *nixes you have choice. Since when did Windows offer you a number of different Window managers? And guess what... OpenSource by definition provides better interoperability with other operating systems than your proprietary windows fluff. How may open source programs have been ported to other Operating systems? And how many windows programs have been ported to Open Source platforms? I suggest you reconsider your understanding of the word Interoperability, and as for Unification? it has no place on windows because you only have one window manager anyway.
What interoperability ? sure Windows has great interoperability
Sure enough, but there are always exceptions to the rule. This little beauty is a bargain. Its based on uClinux, which must help in keeping costs down.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000A
nick
I used to go out with a girl who looked just like the one in that OSDN personals ad that keeps appearing on slashdot... I wish it would change....
On a more OnTopic note I have to admit that all the fuss about the current set of pictures from Spirit are a little dissappointing although one or two of them do seem to have some unusual white looking patches (like frost) but we'll have to wait for some better quality ones to filter through before anyone can make any real analysis
nick
A few random thoughts...
Id like to add to that , the more OSX programmers that discover the open source way of doing things the better. It strengthens OSX and it strengthens the other free *nixes such as Linux. Mac people tend to have a better eye for UI's and graphic design than tech-head linux dudes (like me) a bit of cross pollonation here would definitely be advantageous.
I personally use OpenOffice, although its a bit clunky at times, when you are applying for jobs and sending CV's of you need a good MSWord File export. While its been a while since i tested KOffice out Im still not if its MSWord export is up to scratch (tell me if i'm wrong here). I do keep an eye on KOffice and will continue to do so, and perhaps the widening of the user base will encourage development of the package.
Does anyone know if the file export parts of OpenOffice have a license compatible with KOffice? and if so why does KOffice not look to OpenOffice for, at the very least an API to work from?
Something else that just occurred to me, does the fact that the Mac widget set/OSX QT has now been opensourced now mean that we are likely to see an OSX theme as standard in later verions of KDE for linux?
Are Kiss really in violation, Looking at the code examples there is very little doubt that they lifted the code. However has anyone actually asked KISS to supply the code? Last time I checked im pretty sure that the GPL does not state that you must distribute the source code of whatever it is that you use, simply that should someone ask for the source code then you are required to make it available.
There are no notes on the MPlayer site stating that someone asked for the source code. Someone should ask for the source code before making accusations. Open source could do better by advertising the fact that manufacturers are using Open Source in a positive light, and manufacturers who have used code would be less likely to get shirty about supplying their source code when its due.
This is a great thing for sure, but I have to question the Nativeness of Native here. For one thing I would have least expected it to use the native OSX widget set instead of a themed QT... and does it run without the need to have an X server running atop of aqua?
this do ya ?
...
http://www.blackapology.com/images/kdefile.gif
nick
As Linux and Other Open Source software get used more and more by less tech savvy users, eg non-programmer types, as a percentage of the community contributions will seem to decline.
,or not. appreciate the work that has gone into the free software that they use from day to day. When was the last time you took stock of just how incredible that linux box with its flashy gui you are using is when you consider that it has been bought to you by the hard work of the OS community.
I think most people, tech savvy
I think people need to find their niche, as to what they can and can't do in order to contribute. Many people think because they are not a hard-core coder they cant do anything to help. I've only contributed to a couple of things since I've been using Open Source stuff.(the past 4yrs) But when I do fix a bug or create something a project might find useful I usually send any files or useful info over to the project maintainers. It is the least I can do when I owe my redmond-free world to so many dedicated geeks!
I wonder just how many regular Open Source users feel that if they could, they would help, but maybe dont know how.
I would say project maintainers should encourage people to help out in other ways, There are loads of things people can do. Artwork, Documentation, Website maintennance heck , even give free support to people if they are nice enough.
I've been helping a few newbies through their first forays into linux, as indeed friends helped me when I got started. If you plant the right seeds in those newbie minds, they most certainly will grow a giving and generous attitude.
There is one more way people can support Open Source.. Lets introduce a "Send your favorite project A Beer Day" send em some beer money!
Nick !
"computer users could share small files containing information about music, video or other data,"
...
..."
sounds a bit like bit torrent to me.
Embrace and extend it , slap on some DRM and voila redmond does it again and now has even more power than it did before.
Of course if I cant play the movies or mp3's on my new computer because I havent bought the latest DRM enabled motherboard and installed a non-pirated legal version of the redmond operating system. Im not interested! Microsoft's new Motto should be
"Microsoft.. Who do you want us to control today?
This seems like a perfectly good idea, in fact im surprised its not illegal already. Id be even more surprised, if , legal or not, "Cammers" didnt attempt to conceal recording equipment anyway when sneaking into the theater.
The other bonus is that this should have a positive effect on the picture quality of movies downloaded on p2p systems. If we can weed out some of the amateur quality movie rips people can be more confident that the movie they just spent hours downloading isnt going to be wonky, distorted or have people standing up half-way through.(although it's been a long time since i had one like that!)
Lets face it the good quality rips are done from inside the industry (projectionist's, unscrupulous reveiewers, and even from the cutting room). I dont see this as being a major problem, in fact it will probably have a positive effect for people who download films.
emerge rsync
emerge --update world
peace of mind !