> Microsoft and Real incorporate Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology in their file format [...] This, Jones thinks, could be a disadvantage for Apple.
It appears the assumption here is that not having DRM is a good thing. It may be a good thing for corporations, but it's NOT a good thing for consumers. I think consumers need to be more active in supporting non-DRM solutions so that corporations don't automatically assume DRM=good.
I wouldn't exactly call a PVR with a 250MHz PowerPC exactly a "bad boy". Okay, so it's a PowerPC which means it runs on less power and releases less heat, yada yada yada. But still.
On an unrelated note, I wonder if PPC Linux distros would run on these things out of the box...
I'd like to donate to FSF and EFF because of what they stand for. But the sad fact of it is, my own OpenSource project has only resulted in $10 in donations for over 2.5 years of work (despite the 10,000+ downloads and ~500 registered users in the 7 months since initial release...not to mention the estimated 15,000+ end uesrs).
As a college student who has a stomach to fill, rent to pay, and an education to complete, making monetary contributions really isn't an option. Hell, if I had money to spare, I wouldn't be trying to sell thongs (see sig).
I wonder if tying in of software with (potentially non-free) online services is a transition phase in changes in the software paradigm. It seems like M$ (and others) are starting to look at software as services, potentially bringing it all online at some point. By tying in stand alone software with online services, I wonder if vendors are trying to blur the line between stand alone software packages and online services.
>You just know not to be 'carrying' when you go through airport security.
Personally, that's a little bit more of my freedom that I prefer not to give away. I was once made to go through extra screening, and the guy told me that it was because I was carrying too many electronics and batteries in my bag. I don't like the fact that I can't carry on a Swiss Army knife like I used to, but I'll deal with that. But if they waste my time for carrying too many electronic gear, that's going too far.
Remember: when they start taking away freedom, they don't take it away all at once, they chip away at it. Next thing you know, they've chipped away so much of it that there's nothing you can do.
I'm as big a Mac zealot as the next, and I will readily agree that you can get faster PCs for the same price as a Mac (or less). But quite frankly, I couldn't give a rats ass how fast it is in brute performance.
I use Macs because I feel more productive and creative, and tends to be less of a hassle. As a programmer, it has everything I need without the unnecessary junk. With MacOS X, I can get under the hood if I want to, or ignore it if I don't want to deal with it.
If you ask me, it's more like comparing the nutritional value of your favorite food. A salad might be better for you than a slice of pizza, but if you like pizza, you like pizza. If you like PCs, you like PCs. I like Macs, and I don't care if they're slower, more expensive, etc.
I think people who are hung up in this whole OS war thing need to grow up and realize that people have different preferences and opinions. Even when it comes to computers.
I admit that I don't know much about graphics cards or GPUs, and it's obvious that the Trident got smoked. But was it a fair comparison? According to the review, the Trident goes for under $100, yet they benchmark it against what appears to be higher end (more expensive) graphics cards.
Wouldn't it be a more fair comparison if they benchmarked against cards of the same price range? If you were shopping for a cheap card, you obviously wouldn't expect it to perform as well as a more expensive card anyway, would you? What do others think?
I got some excellent end-user feedback for my project when a medium-sized ISP deployed it. My contact in their tech department summarized the kind of calls/requests their support department got, and I implemented (or ignored) some of them in the project.
Personally, I think the biggest problem is that OSS programmers rarely hear from non-technical users. Of course, the other problem is that ordinary non-technical users rarely hear about OpenSource software either...
I think this is further proof that PCs (hardware and software) are becoming commodity goods. Customers don't care about bells and whistles, they just want to browse the web and do email. The really scary thing is, people are starting to realize that you don't need expensive hardware and software to do the basic things most people do.
I think this is an excellent opportunity for small PC manufacturers, and maybe even OpenSource projects, to get their feet in customers' doors. And big vendors (cough Microsoft cough) should be afraid. Very afraid.
>Many computer people I have met have a lifelong fascination with language and literature
I agree...not that I've met very many people like that, but I'm like that in a way myself. I don't have a degree, but I've taken as many English/Lit classes as computer science classes, and have seriously considered switching to an English major (from CompSci). And I speak 4 languages (well, two fluently, one at a conversational level, and I'm learning a 4th).
Quite frankly, I'd love to be in a program like the one described in the article. The way computer sciences is taught right now seems so cold, detached, relentlesss, uninspiring and often irrelevant. Maybe this works for people who simply want to get a degree, get a job, and earn big bucks. But for someone who's in it for the love of programming (and has no ambitions of making money off of it), it's dull as all hell. That's why I like to take literature courses...at least those are interesting, thought provoking and inspiring.
Bridges have functional purposes, and some bridges are boring bridges that get you from point A to point B (or side A to side B, as the case may be). But many bridges also have an aesthetic (artistic) aspect, and I think that's what's being referred to.
Personally, I think it's the same with code. Given the same specs, anyone can write functional programs that do the same thing, but when you get down and look at the source, some will have a sense of beauty that go beyond pure functionality. Or it's like that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you see a really cool algorithm, solution, or design.
Or am I the only person who gets warm fuzzy feelings from code?
It seems like you're making the oft made mistake of assuming that because young kids know less, they learn less. This is not true. You can throw anything at a kid, and if presented the right way, they'll absorb it faster than any of older folks can.
>You shouldn't assume that they know how to install operating systems
No, but I'm willing to bet that given a week, they can learn to install Linux. Especially those with GUI-based installers.
>the one with the GUI will produce better results
They might be more familiar with the GUI, but they can probably learn to use the shell without much difficulty.
>The only reason they're doing it is because it's in California
I'm a Californian too, and take pride in living in one of the more (most?) liberal states. Having said that, your assessment seems somewhat naive...
I tend to give big businesses the benefit of the doubt, and considering how "e-waste" isn't a widely publicized issue (at least nobody's being "demonized" yet), I doubt HP decided to move on their own without ultarior motives (shutting out smaller manufacturer being one possible). Big businesses think about one thing, and one thing only: the bottom line. Even with environmental issues, unless they know for certainty that there are real economic benefits (or losses), they will not budge.
On a side note, I'm somewhat surprised/disappointed that Apple hasn't taken a more active/aggressive stance on the issue. I mean, Jobs is an ex-hippie health food nut...you'd think he'd think twice before using all those polycarbonates (and yes, I share some of the guilt since I own a icebook).
I've never clicked on any of their ads either (or any popup/banner ad for that matter), but I wonder if that means I can't join the class action suit...
So you want to spend days travelling to places and see interesting engineering projects? Sheesh. I'd be happy if I had the time and money to just go somewhere.
Out of curiosity, what's is the justification for using all this computing power to crack some code? Personally, it seems even more futile than Seti@Home, but I'd like to hear from participants what their reasons are.
I wonder who the target audience for this is. I mean, if you want a cheap Linux box, you can get a WalMartPC (or other generic brand) for half the price. If you want a Mac, well, it only says that these machine can run MacOS X in theory, and considering how you could get a used PowerMac G3 for about the same price (or an iBook for $200 more), it doesn't seem like it's really worth it.
I hope they sell some of the machines though. After all, choice is always a good thing.
Trust me. You can take my face if you want, but if you want to be me...well, no, you don't want to be me. Unlike other people, being me requires hell of a lot more than having my looks. You need to do stuff like code all night, run around in circles flapping your arms, eat all kinds of weird crap, not bathe very often, and also (perhaps as a result?) not get laid for months at a time.
When I lived in Japan, I loathed cell phones, and was proudly a member of the 0.1% of my age group to not own a cell phone.
Now that I'm in the US, I have a cell phone, but I got one only because I was in a long distance relationship at the time, and long distance calls were cheaper on a cell phone. Also, I don't have a phone line at home, so it's also my only phone...
Personally, what I don't understand is cell phones that try to be computers or PDAs. I've owned three PDAs (starting with a Pilot 5000) and found all of them useless (other than being good conversation starters and having geek appeal). Personally, I think a cell phone that tries to be more than a cell phone is equally useless. If I get a cell phone, I want a phone. I want a phone that's reliable (as in, doesn't crash or get disconnected in the middle of a conversation), and I don't give a damn if it takes crappy pictures or runs Quake on a puny screen.
At least in the US, I think they're trying to make up for the crappy infrastructure by packing useless features into the actual phones. "You'll get disconnected every 3 minutes, but look, you can play games while you're disconnected!"
Slashdot Mirror
>MorphOS boots in under 3 second
Now this is an OS I'll be keeping my eye on. I wish it ran on old Mac hardware though...
It appears the assumption here is that not having DRM is a good thing. It may be a good thing for corporations, but it's NOT a good thing for consumers. I think consumers need to be more active in supporting non-DRM solutions so that corporations don't automatically assume DRM=good.
I wouldn't exactly call a PVR with a 250MHz PowerPC exactly a "bad boy". Okay, so it's a PowerPC which means it runs on less power and releases less heat, yada yada yada. But still.
On an unrelated note, I wonder if PPC Linux distros would run on these things out of the box...
As a college student who has a stomach to fill, rent to pay, and an education to complete, making monetary contributions really isn't an option. Hell, if I had money to spare, I wouldn't be trying to sell thongs (see sig).
There's nothing silly about it. Mozilla is Open Source. Even on Windows.
This is New Zealand we're talking about. There's gotta be a LoTR related domain. Something like hobbiton.nz or shire.nz should do nicely.
Read more about the symptoms, stories, and the 12 steps of Bandwidth Junkies Anonymous on their website!
I wonder if tying in of software with (potentially non-free) online services is a transition phase in changes in the software paradigm. It seems like M$ (and others) are starting to look at software as services, potentially bringing it all online at some point. By tying in stand alone software with online services, I wonder if vendors are trying to blur the line between stand alone software packages and online services.
Personally, that's a little bit more of my freedom that I prefer not to give away. I was once made to go through extra screening, and the guy told me that it was because I was carrying too many electronics and batteries in my bag. I don't like the fact that I can't carry on a Swiss Army knife like I used to, but I'll deal with that. But if they waste my time for carrying too many electronic gear, that's going too far.
Remember: when they start taking away freedom, they don't take it away all at once, they chip away at it. Next thing you know, they've chipped away so much of it that there's nothing you can do.
I'm as big a Mac zealot as the next, and I will readily agree that you can get faster PCs for the same price as a Mac (or less). But quite frankly, I couldn't give a rats ass how fast it is in brute performance.
I use Macs because I feel more productive and creative, and tends to be less of a hassle. As a programmer, it has everything I need without the unnecessary junk. With MacOS X, I can get under the hood if I want to, or ignore it if I don't want to deal with it.
If you ask me, it's more like comparing the nutritional value of your favorite food. A salad might be better for you than a slice of pizza, but if you like pizza, you like pizza. If you like PCs, you like PCs. I like Macs, and I don't care if they're slower, more expensive, etc.
I think people who are hung up in this whole OS war thing need to grow up and realize that people have different preferences and opinions. Even when it comes to computers.
I admit that I don't know much about graphics cards or GPUs, and it's obvious that the Trident got smoked. But was it a fair comparison? According to the review, the Trident goes for under $100, yet they benchmark it against what appears to be higher end (more expensive) graphics cards.
Wouldn't it be a more fair comparison if they benchmarked against cards of the same price range? If you were shopping for a cheap card, you obviously wouldn't expect it to perform as well as a more expensive card anyway, would you? What do others think?
Or as I like to say: The people in power are inevitably the wrong ones to have power.
I got some excellent end-user feedback for my project when a medium-sized ISP deployed it. My contact in their tech department summarized the kind of calls/requests their support department got, and I implemented (or ignored) some of them in the project.
Personally, I think the biggest problem is that OSS programmers rarely hear from non-technical users. Of course, the other problem is that ordinary non-technical users rarely hear about OpenSource software either...
I think this is further proof that PCs (hardware and software) are becoming commodity goods. Customers don't care about bells and whistles, they just want to browse the web and do email. The really scary thing is, people are starting to realize that you don't need expensive hardware and software to do the basic things most people do.
I think this is an excellent opportunity for small PC manufacturers, and maybe even OpenSource projects, to get their feet in customers' doors. And big vendors (cough Microsoft cough) should be afraid. Very afraid.
I agree...not that I've met very many people like that, but I'm like that in a way myself. I don't have a degree, but I've taken as many English/Lit classes as computer science classes, and have seriously considered switching to an English major (from CompSci). And I speak 4 languages (well, two fluently, one at a conversational level, and I'm learning a 4th).
Quite frankly, I'd love to be in a program like the one described in the article. The way computer sciences is taught right now seems so cold, detached, relentlesss, uninspiring and often irrelevant. Maybe this works for people who simply want to get a degree, get a job, and earn big bucks. But for someone who's in it for the love of programming (and has no ambitions of making money off of it), it's dull as all hell. That's why I like to take literature courses...at least those are interesting, thought provoking and inspiring.
Bridges have functional purposes, and some bridges are boring bridges that get you from point A to point B (or side A to side B, as the case may be). But many bridges also have an aesthetic (artistic) aspect, and I think that's what's being referred to.
Personally, I think it's the same with code. Given the same specs, anyone can write functional programs that do the same thing, but when you get down and look at the source, some will have a sense of beauty that go beyond pure functionality. Or it's like that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you see a really cool algorithm, solution, or design.
Or am I the only person who gets warm fuzzy feelings from code?
Step 1: Sell your TV
Step 2: Cancel your cable/satellite/TiVo account
Step 3: Profit!
Oh...crap. I actually have a step 2.
>You shouldn't assume that they know how to install operating systems
No, but I'm willing to bet that given a week, they can learn to install Linux. Especially those with GUI-based installers.
>the one with the GUI will produce better results
They might be more familiar with the GUI, but they can probably learn to use the shell without much difficulty.
I'm a Californian too, and take pride in living in one of the more (most?) liberal states. Having said that, your assessment seems somewhat naive...
I tend to give big businesses the benefit of the doubt, and considering how "e-waste" isn't a widely publicized issue (at least nobody's being "demonized" yet), I doubt HP decided to move on their own without ultarior motives (shutting out smaller manufacturer being one possible). Big businesses think about one thing, and one thing only: the bottom line. Even with environmental issues, unless they know for certainty that there are real economic benefits (or losses), they will not budge.
On a side note, I'm somewhat surprised/disappointed that Apple hasn't taken a more active/aggressive stance on the issue. I mean, Jobs is an ex-hippie health food nut...you'd think he'd think twice before using all those polycarbonates (and yes, I share some of the guilt since I own a icebook).
I've never clicked on any of their ads either (or any popup/banner ad for that matter), but I wonder if that means I can't join the class action suit...
So you want to spend days travelling to places and see interesting engineering projects? Sheesh. I'd be happy if I had the time and money to just go somewhere.
Out of curiosity, what's is the justification for using all this computing power to crack some code? Personally, it seems even more futile than Seti@Home, but I'd like to hear from participants what their reasons are.
I hope they sell some of the machines though. After all, choice is always a good thing.
Trust me. You can take my face if you want, but if you want to be me...well, no, you don't want to be me. Unlike other people, being me requires hell of a lot more than having my looks. You need to do stuff like code all night, run around in circles flapping your arms, eat all kinds of weird crap, not bathe very often, and also (perhaps as a result?) not get laid for months at a time.
Being me ain't easy. You've been warned.
When I lived in Japan, I loathed cell phones, and was proudly a member of the 0.1% of my age group to not own a cell phone.
Now that I'm in the US, I have a cell phone, but I got one only because I was in a long distance relationship at the time, and long distance calls were cheaper on a cell phone. Also, I don't have a phone line at home, so it's also my only phone...
Personally, what I don't understand is cell phones that try to be computers or PDAs. I've owned three PDAs (starting with a Pilot 5000) and found all of them useless (other than being good conversation starters and having geek appeal). Personally, I think a cell phone that tries to be more than a cell phone is equally useless. If I get a cell phone, I want a phone. I want a phone that's reliable (as in, doesn't crash or get disconnected in the middle of a conversation), and I don't give a damn if it takes crappy pictures or runs Quake on a puny screen.
At least in the US, I think they're trying to make up for the crappy infrastructure by packing useless features into the actual phones. "You'll get disconnected every 3 minutes, but look, you can play games while you're disconnected!"