I love the way it does most of the exact same things as the Windows 2000 machine I spend my days at work using.
Funny how it's a toy when a Mac does something but an Application when a Microsoft machine does the exact same thing in a less efficient and more cumbersome manner.
Most Mac users are required to use the damned things. Want to play nice in a world full of people using Office 97? You better plan on getting Office to be able to open those documents. Want to go browse the web? Well it's written for Internet Explorer so you better have it.
There is a difference between infatuation and coercion.
I mean, youare talking to people in a community who think it's cool to serve web pages on a Mac Plus.
You start talking about how long a computer stays useful and decide to get in a pissing contest with the Mac and you're goin down hard. Part for part upgradability I'll take a clone PC built on my kitchen table any day but for getting the most life out of the parts you bought when it was new nothing touches an Apple.
A 3 year old PC (RUNNING WINDOWS - pick your current version, this works in any era) is damned near useless. Of course take that same box and remove the OS and you got some life left in it but then that's not where the comparison lies really is it?
And one I am concerned with as well. Someone who knows what they are talking about please chime in on this one. I bought a 2x1Gig PowerMac 2 months ago and I am certainly wanting to see it running 10.2 but lets be reasonable here. I just gave this company thousands of dollars. Can't wait to go home and see if this is something that will help fend off that $129 update, or at least bring it down to a manageable size.
And so damned funny. My wife is going to love that because ever since I went over to the Aqua side of the fence she's been dogging me about becoming this guy.
Every single day that passes and I continue to draw breath I see more evidence proving that it will soon be impossible to underestimate the intelligence of the average American.
The people who created or thought it a good idea to sign this ridiculous public display of stupidity are beyond my comprehension.
The answer to your question is no, I would not use an automatic weapon (if by this you are making reference to the Thompson.45 caliber machine gun as the original poster stated) because it's poorly suited to the task though not completely for the reasons you mentioned.
To go off on one of those "way more information than necessary" tangents that I so enjoy let me state that the Thompson wasn't all that terrific a submachine gun. It was heavy as hell, was not particularly consistent in the pattern of lead it spat out, and was expensive to manufacture.
In it's defense it fired a great round in the.45 ACP which was big and slow relative to say, the 9MM which was preferred notably by Nazi germany in their smg's. The 9MM relies heavily on hydrostatic shock to cause damage but the.45 produces a lot less of this. Instead it simply moves slowly enough to not pass through you (not necessarily every time mind you) but fast enough to penetrate and transfer it's energy in the process. The short version is the 9MM goes through you and the.45 knocks you on your ass. Move up to something like a.44 Magnum and you get the best of both worlds to go with your painful wrist from the recoil. Your neihbors might not appreciate the excellent penetration characteristics of the.44 magnum bullet though.
I would never choose a Thompson for "home defense" but not because I would be worried that I might kill a member of my family or someone living next door. I wouldn't buy it because there are much better choices for home defense and one of them doesn't even involve having to fire the gun in question. Want to know what they are? I knew you did...
First I want to say that depending on your situation there are a number of correct answers to the question "What gun do I buy for home defense?" and one of them is certainly "None of them."
If you aren't going to take the time to practice and get familiar with your gun then don't buy one. If you aren't able to find a location to put your gun where it is both accessible to you in an emergency and secure from your children (if you have any) then don't buy one. If niether of these is a problem or an issue for you then I recommend one of two choices.
12 gauge pump action shotgun. Preferrably stored inside your master bedroom closet, above the door on pegs in the wall. Don't put it in there leaning against the wall in the corner or on the shelf above your clothes. Also this might not work for you if you are not tall enough to reach it there. Putting it over your head above the door makes it less likely to be visible to thieves when you aren't there though and if you can do it that's what you want to do.
Keep in mind though that if someone really good gets into your house without being seen and has enough time to do so then they are going to be very meticulous in looking for your valuables. They'll probably find your shotgun. This over the door thing works well against the nervous guy trying to get in and out quickly so he can get his next rock after he visits the pawn shop.
the old reliable 12 gauge pump is tough to beat. It's not a big wall penetrator (depending on what kind of shells you put in it) so your next doors are safe. It's not expensive relative to some of the other options out there either. Best of all, and this is the part that makes it perfect, EVERYONE IN THE WORLD knows what a 12 gauge getting loaded sounds like. It's loud and distinctive and cannot be mistaken for anything else. It's louder at night and in the dark...trust me. Most of us learned that sound from thousands of hours of television. We know what happens when you get shot with one of those too. You explode in a million pieces and maybe even catch on fire. Granted that's bullshit but we learned it on TV so for many of us that's what appears in our imaginations when we hear that sound. You'd be surprised how many people are terrified of shotguns. Or maybe you wouldn't be.
Odds are good that outside of practice you will never have to fire this weapon.
If that's too much gun for you or you simply want an alternative then I recommend a Smith & Wesson stainless steel.38 caliber revolver. This is also an excellent way to proceed for women who want a gun due to the fact that it requires less upper body strength to use this and recoil is more manageable for lighter weight people.
You should NOT put this revolver in your nightstand where you can reach it in the split second before the maniac jumps on top of you. That's not realistic and if they have gotten into your home and into your bedroom without you being aware of it then your goose is cooked. This plan, and the one that preceeded it are based on the idea that you actually HEAR the intruder entering your home. This plan also requires the purchase of a cordless phone if you don't already have one.
You place the gun in your master bathroom. Put it between the bottom two towels in your cabinets there. It's stainless steel so it won't mind (but you are going to need to keep it clean, oiled, and from time to time change the ammunition in it) and no one breaks into your home while you are gone to steal towels. When you hear someone (again - assuming you hear someone, if you don't hear them then the gun in your nightstand wouldn't help either) then you simply get up out of bed, pick up your cordless phone, walk to your bathroom and lock the door. You can now take your gun out, call 911, and tell anyone that tries to get in that the police are on the way and you are armed.
Both those beat a Thompson hands down.
One other important point to make. If you do decide to buy a gun for your own protection you need to practice with it. You need to be familiar with it. You need to know what it feels like and sounds like (at least once without any hearing protection) when it goes off. The last person you want to be surprised at the sound/feeling of your weapon firing is you.
but his analogy remains sound. Your visible "horror" at the thought of a Thompson machine gun is coming through in your writing and I would assert that this makes you completely unqualified to judge the accuracy of the point he was trying to make. You are negatively biased in this situation.
I think I must have picked up the other DK2 series then because in mine the only thing worse than the art is the story line. I want that version you are reading. badly.
My big beef with the story is that while it's working some of the angles correctly (Luthor taking over the world with Brainiac without anyone ever really noticing and keeping Clark as his puppy) it's getting stupider by the issue. The "Superchicks" was the dumbest turn that thing could have taken and I've spent too much time trying to imagine it getting worse to be persuaded otherwise.
We're going to overthrow the big bad with three Spice Girls dressed as classic superhero women? I don't think so.
Dark Knight Returns should have been left alone and been left to serve as what it was intended before Miller decided he needed a hit. It should have been the end of the myth.
But it's nature is not to be blue. It's "normally" for the sake of argument a different color and so unless a certain number of circumstances were met then it would be disallowed by the judges.
If it was rendered cold and thus turned blue naturally then you are still in the game however if it had to become so cold that it was rendered un-eatable in order to get the color than it would be hard to consider it food. Artifically making it cold enough to turn blue would put it the same catagory as a multitude of man-made blue foods that are all better tasting and more palatable than cold raw chicken.
It could be chicken-sickle on a stick I guess.
Sure things didn't work out that time....
on
Open-Source Biology
·
· Score: 1
But didn't we all really hate Nedrey anyway? Besides when we have control...
But it did make me think of one thing. All of the following are true:
Research is hard
Experiments aren't cheap
Many excellent biologists will hoard their work out of enlightened self interest. There will of course be individuals who see farther than that.
Some of those embracing the open source idea in this area (and anywhere an approach like that is used) will be riding coat tails and merely opportunistic. There will of course be a greater number of these men and women who are genuine in their desire to collaborate regardless of their abilities.
The real opportunity for something exceptional to come of this is when someone who IS better than his peers at what he does shares what he has with those other biologists.
Then you have a chance for one or more of those people to see that information from a different perspective and that's when the benefits are going to be obvious. It's a more optimistic take but I think in this case it's also more realistic as well.
When are they going to make Dinosaurs?
on
Open-Source Biology
·
· Score: 3, Funny
Seriously folks, I don't want to read about sharing and caring groups of biology folks working together for a the betterment of mankind. I mean, it's nice and all but against companies with bottomless pockets they are hopelessly out gunned.
What I really want is for greedy out the ass corporations to start cloning dinosaurs and creating new kinds of pets like squirrels with four asses.
That and some kind of new food that's blue. Ever notice there isn't any naturally occurring blue food? Don't say Blueberries cause the darned things are really just purple.
"Mr. Joe Average" does not want to install their OS. From that point forward he's dead on accurate but they want that OS pre-installed and they want it to hold their hand while they fire it up for the first time.
deals to preinstall Windows on personal computers helped put OS/2 in the ground and Windows in the hearts and minds of millions.
Tried to post that in caps and got the obligatory "Don't use so many caps. It's Like YELLING." filter.
You know what? That's something in this world that's got to go. They are BIGGER letters, not yelling. Get over it world. This:) doesn't mean I'm happy either. It just means I've spent too much time in chatrooms and should get outside more often.
Reading and digesting the article is advised prior to commenting I believe. Then one would see that they are clearly talking about an iMac of the Flat Panel variety.
You know what, I think that's slightly backwards. If Apple is giving it's grassroots supporters a hard time and banishing them from the expo then I think it would be better for all the big news sites to show their solidarity by running their own stories speculating on what will be unveiled.
Everyone should jump into the same boat in this instance and toss down the gauntlet effectively saying "Go ahead, banish all of us".
Like you I own an Apple and I personally don't think there is a machine out there that can touch it but I sometimes think that their approach to things does them more damage than anyone else ever could. It's frustrating watching them do things like this because the last thing in the world they need to be doing is alienating more people.
I do think that many of these Mac rumor sites go a little farther than necessary and probably contribute to the slight let down a lot of us feel following most big Apple events like this. It goes with the territory though and Apple should have learned by now that it's unavoidable. People have a right and an inclination to speculate wildly.
Ok, I get that. I don't think it's the same thing here in that we are talking about (at least to some extent) the "value" in dollars and cents that the artist (or in this case the evil butt monkeys from mars at the record companies) might have/could have/should have made from the creation of the music.
I see it like this.
1. If I download the song and it's crap IMO then I am glad I didn't buy it and it appears to me that the artist lost nothing in my hearing the song and disliking it.
2. If I do the same thing and enjoy it, keep playing it, and don't buy the CD then the artist lost their tiny share and the record companies lost a few bucks. It's then stealing (again IMO).
However if you look at it like the record companies and some artists do then in the first example where I downloaded the song and hated it, was sorry my consciousness was ever touched by it's terrible sound, and didn't buy the record then I have still stolen it because they missed a chance to stick me with a lousy CD at a premium price and niether one gives a damn that I got the shitty end of the stick in the deal.
I've been on the wrong end of a number of bad CD's in my time and I refuse to give up the right to check out what I am getting in advance of purchasing the material. I further insist on the right to do it in my house on my time and think this is non-negotiable.
It's only a matter of time before record labels go the way of that old dinosaur and we find ourselves in a completely changed musical landscape. I don't imagine my children will have a clue what it was like to get a CD with one good single and 11 songs that sound like monkeys fucking grizzly bears in the rain. Lucky them.
I think your comments are well meant and agree with them for the most part but the world is filled with examples where someone built it and then no one showed up or cared. I don't mean to be overly negative but I don't really see a place for this OS in the so called "grand scheme of things".
I thought Be was neat stuff but ill timed and poorly managed as a company. Right now the playing field is even tougher with great alternatives to Windows already out there and getting better by the day. Up until XP showed up even Windows was improving. Go figure?
The good thing though is that everything in your second line is true and there isn't a doubt that this will be a great experience for the guys involved. It won't be the resurrection of BeOS possibly but something good will come of this.
And I could be wrong. 7-8 years from now we could all be using OBEOS and trying to get tickets to the BeExpo to see special guest speaker Jean-Lois Gassee. Stranger things have happened.
I don't think getting that market share away from Microsoft is really their focus. They're doing what they want to and that's completely cool. No one is going to work on the "sanctioned" project for stopping "MS World Domination" (copyright Microsoft Corp. all rights reserved)who doesn't want to.
It's just not how this system works. The point though is that it does work.
It would be nice to see the guys at OpenBeOS succeed and I am certain that to one degree or another they will. That seems to be the thing with OSS projects. So long as there is one guy still popping away at it the thing isn't dead and there always seems to be a chance that it might ignite.
BeOS had some real neat things going for it and it was sad to see it die like that. Not unexpected, just sad. I don't think I've ever seen a better example of an OS being the right thing at the wrong time. At every turn BeOS was just a little bit off but really impressive while doing it.
Still I wonder if it won't continue, albeit in it's new OSS life, being a tad late every step of the way. OSX is UNIX in a desktop package that kicks butt and Linux is getting it's act together on the desktop at a much faster pace than ever before. Even if they get it where they want to be where will OSX, Linux, and even Windows be by then? And who outside of some interested people involved in the project and us reading about it on slashdot will care?
Worked for me. Course my wife is "nerd-girl" and at my house when someone gets a new "latest & greatest" CPU it's not a lock that I'm the one doing the upgrading but yeah, last time I bought a new CPU I got laid.
And yet today we pretty much visualize a moron running into a market with a bomb strapped to his chest or an idiot firing an AK-47 into the air. Go figure.
Slashdot Mirror
I like the way my Mac looks.
I love the way it does most of the exact same things as the Windows 2000 machine I spend my days at work using.
Funny how it's a toy when a Mac does something but an Application when a Microsoft machine does the exact same thing in a less efficient and more cumbersome manner.
Most Mac users are required to use the damned things. Want to play nice in a world full of people using Office 97? You better plan on getting Office to be able to open those documents. Want to go browse the web? Well it's written for Internet Explorer so you better have it.
There is a difference between infatuation and coercion.
I mean, youare talking to people in a community who think it's cool to serve web pages on a Mac Plus.
You start talking about how long a computer stays useful and decide to get in a pissing contest with the Mac and you're goin down hard. Part for part upgradability I'll take a clone PC built on my kitchen table any day but for getting the most life out of the parts you bought when it was new nothing touches an Apple.
A 3 year old PC (RUNNING WINDOWS - pick your current version, this works in any era) is damned near useless. Of course take that same box and remove the OS and you got some life left in it but then that's not where the comparison lies really is it?
And one I am concerned with as well. Someone who knows what they are talking about please chime in on this one. I bought a 2x1Gig PowerMac 2 months ago and I am certainly wanting to see it running 10.2 but lets be reasonable here. I just gave this company thousands of dollars. Can't wait to go home and see if this is something that will help fend off that $129 update, or at least bring it down to a manageable size.
And so damned funny. My wife is going to love that because ever since I went over to the Aqua side of the fence she's been dogging me about becoming this guy.
Every single day that passes and I continue to draw breath I see more evidence proving that it will soon be impossible to underestimate the intelligence of the average American.
The people who created or thought it a good idea to sign this ridiculous public display of stupidity are beyond my comprehension.
I hardly think the term NRA nuts is fair.
.45 caliber machine gun as the original poster stated) because it's poorly suited to the task though not completely for the reasons you mentioned.
.45 ACP which was big and slow relative to say, the 9MM which was preferred notably by Nazi germany in their smg's. The 9MM relies heavily on hydrostatic shock to cause damage but the .45 produces a lot less of this. Instead it simply moves slowly enough to not pass through you (not necessarily every time mind you) but fast enough to penetrate and transfer it's energy in the process. The short version is the 9MM goes through you and the .45 knocks you on your ass. Move up to something like a .44 Magnum and you get the best of both worlds to go with your painful wrist from the recoil. Your neihbors might not appreciate the excellent penetration characteristics of the .44 magnum bullet though.
.38 caliber revolver. This is also an excellent way to proceed for women who want a gun due to the fact that it requires less upper body strength to use this and recoil is more manageable for lighter weight people.
The answer to your question is no, I would not use an automatic weapon (if by this you are making reference to the Thompson
To go off on one of those "way more information than necessary" tangents that I so enjoy let me state that the Thompson wasn't all that terrific a submachine gun. It was heavy as hell, was not particularly consistent in the pattern of lead it spat out, and was expensive to manufacture.
In it's defense it fired a great round in the
I would never choose a Thompson for "home defense" but not because I would be worried that I might kill a member of my family or someone living next door. I wouldn't buy it because there are much better choices for home defense and one of them doesn't even involve having to fire the gun in question. Want to know what they are? I knew you did...
First I want to say that depending on your situation there are a number of correct answers to the question "What gun do I buy for home defense?" and one of them is certainly "None of them."
If you aren't going to take the time to practice and get familiar with your gun then don't buy one. If you aren't able to find a location to put your gun where it is both accessible to you in an emergency and secure from your children (if you have any) then don't buy one. If niether of these is a problem or an issue for you then I recommend one of two choices.
12 gauge pump action shotgun. Preferrably stored inside your master bedroom closet, above the door on pegs in the wall. Don't put it in there leaning against the wall in the corner or on the shelf above your clothes. Also this might not work for you if you are not tall enough to reach it there. Putting it over your head above the door makes it less likely to be visible to thieves when you aren't there though and if you can do it that's what you want to do.
Keep in mind though that if someone really good gets into your house without being seen and has enough time to do so then they are going to be very meticulous in looking for your valuables. They'll probably find your shotgun. This over the door thing works well against the nervous guy trying to get in and out quickly so he can get his next rock after he visits the pawn shop.
the old reliable 12 gauge pump is tough to beat. It's not a big wall penetrator (depending on what kind of shells you put in it) so your next doors are safe. It's not expensive relative to some of the other options out there either. Best of all, and this is the part that makes it perfect, EVERYONE IN THE WORLD knows what a 12 gauge getting loaded sounds like. It's loud and distinctive and cannot be mistaken for anything else. It's louder at night and in the dark...trust me. Most of us learned that sound from thousands of hours of television. We know what happens when you get shot with one of those too. You explode in a million pieces and maybe even catch on fire. Granted that's bullshit but we learned it on TV so for many of us that's what appears in our imaginations when we hear that sound. You'd be surprised how many people are terrified of shotguns. Or maybe you wouldn't be.
Odds are good that outside of practice you will never have to fire this weapon.
If that's too much gun for you or you simply want an alternative then I recommend a Smith & Wesson stainless steel
You should NOT put this revolver in your nightstand where you can reach it in the split second before the maniac jumps on top of you. That's not realistic and if they have gotten into your home and into your bedroom without you being aware of it then your goose is cooked. This plan, and the one that preceeded it are based on the idea that you actually HEAR the intruder entering your home. This plan also requires the purchase of a cordless phone if you don't already have one.
You place the gun in your master bathroom. Put it between the bottom two towels in your cabinets there. It's stainless steel so it won't mind (but you are going to need to keep it clean, oiled, and from time to time change the ammunition in it) and no one breaks into your home while you are gone to steal towels. When you hear someone (again - assuming you hear someone, if you don't hear them then the gun in your nightstand wouldn't help either) then you simply get up out of bed, pick up your cordless phone, walk to your bathroom and lock the door. You can now take your gun out, call 911, and tell anyone that tries to get in that the police are on the way and you are armed.
Both those beat a Thompson hands down.
One other important point to make. If you do decide to buy a gun for your own protection you need to practice with it. You need to be familiar with it. You need to know what it feels like and sounds like (at least once without any hearing protection) when it goes off. The last person you want to be surprised at the sound/feeling of your weapon firing is you.
but his analogy remains sound. Your visible "horror" at the thought of a Thompson machine gun is coming through in your writing and I would assert that this makes you completely unqualified to judge the accuracy of the point he was trying to make. You are negatively biased in this situation.
I think I must have picked up the other DK2 series then because in mine the only thing worse than the art is the story line. I want that version you are reading. badly.
My big beef with the story is that while it's working some of the angles correctly (Luthor taking over the world with Brainiac without anyone ever really noticing and keeping Clark as his puppy) it's getting stupider by the issue. The "Superchicks" was the dumbest turn that thing could have taken and I've spent too much time trying to imagine it getting worse to be persuaded otherwise.
We're going to overthrow the big bad with three Spice Girls dressed as classic superhero women? I don't think so.
Dark Knight Returns should have been left alone and been left to serve as what it was intended before Miller decided he needed a hit. It should have been the end of the myth.
But it's nature is not to be blue. It's "normally" for the sake of argument a different color and so unless a certain number of circumstances were met then it would be disallowed by the judges.
If it was rendered cold and thus turned blue naturally then you are still in the game however if it had to become so cold that it was rendered un-eatable in order to get the color than it would be hard to consider it food. Artifically making it cold enough to turn blue would put it the same catagory as a multitude of man-made blue foods that are all better tasting and more palatable than cold raw chicken.
It could be chicken-sickle on a stick I guess.
But didn't we all really hate Nedrey anyway? Besides when we have control...
But it did make me think of one thing. All of the following are true:
Research is hard
Experiments aren't cheap
Many excellent biologists will hoard their work out of enlightened self interest. There will of course be individuals who see farther than that.
Some of those embracing the open source idea in this area (and anywhere an approach like that is used) will be riding coat tails and merely opportunistic. There will of course be a greater number of these men and women who are genuine in their desire to collaborate regardless of their abilities.
The real opportunity for something exceptional to come of this is when someone who IS better than his peers at what he does shares what he has with those other biologists.
Then you have a chance for one or more of those people to see that information from a different perspective and that's when the benefits are going to be obvious. It's a more optimistic take but I think in this case it's also more realistic as well.
Seriously folks, I don't want to read about sharing and caring groups of biology folks working together for a the betterment of mankind. I mean, it's nice and all but against companies with bottomless pockets they are hopelessly out gunned.
What I really want is for greedy out the ass corporations to start cloning dinosaurs and creating new kinds of pets like squirrels with four asses.
That and some kind of new food that's blue. Ever notice there isn't any naturally occurring blue food? Don't say Blueberries cause the darned things are really just purple.
"Mr. Joe Average" does not want to install their OS. From that point forward he's dead on accurate but they want that OS pre-installed and they want it to hold their hand while they fire it up for the first time.
deals to preinstall Windows on personal computers helped put OS/2 in the ground and Windows in the hearts and minds of millions.
Advertising on my desktop would be a nightmare punishment and I think is already reserved for my trip to hell shortly after death.
Seriously advertisement must be stopped. I have reached a point where I can't get away from it and I hate the world for it.
Enough already.
Please.
I'm begging.
Nobody expects the "Italian" Inquisition?
:) doesn't mean I'm happy either. It just means I've spent too much time in chatrooms and should get outside more often.
Tried to post that in caps and got the obligatory "Don't use so many caps. It's Like YELLING." filter.
You know what? That's something in this world that's got to go. They are BIGGER letters, not yelling. Get over it world. This
And besides, I wanted to yell just then.
Reading and digesting the article is advised prior to commenting I believe. Then one would see that they are clearly talking about an iMac of the Flat Panel variety.
You know what, I think that's slightly backwards. If Apple is giving it's grassroots supporters a hard time and banishing them from the expo then I think it would be better for all the big news sites to show their solidarity by running their own stories speculating on what will be unveiled.
Everyone should jump into the same boat in this instance and toss down the gauntlet effectively saying "Go ahead, banish all of us".
Like you I own an Apple and I personally don't think there is a machine out there that can touch it but I sometimes think that their approach to things does them more damage than anyone else ever could. It's frustrating watching them do things like this because the last thing in the world they need to be doing is alienating more people.
I do think that many of these Mac rumor sites go a little farther than necessary and probably contribute to the slight let down a lot of us feel following most big Apple events like this. It goes with the territory though and Apple should have learned by now that it's unavoidable. People have a right and an inclination to speculate wildly.
Just in case you come back to see if I replied I got to leave a quick "Yep you said, nail on the head"
I completely overlooked the fact that you had already covered that. It happens. Excellent point.
Ok, I get that. I don't think it's the same thing here in that we are talking about (at least to some extent) the "value" in dollars and cents that the artist (or in this case the evil butt monkeys from mars at the record companies) might have/could have/should have made from the creation of the music.
I see it like this.
1. If I download the song and it's crap IMO then I am glad I didn't buy it and it appears to me that the artist lost nothing in my hearing the song and disliking it.
2. If I do the same thing and enjoy it, keep playing it, and don't buy the CD then the artist lost their tiny share and the record companies lost a few bucks. It's then stealing (again IMO).
However if you look at it like the record companies and some artists do then in the first example where I downloaded the song and hated it, was sorry my consciousness was ever touched by it's terrible sound, and didn't buy the record then I have still stolen it because they missed a chance to stick me with a lousy CD at a premium price and niether one gives a damn that I got the shitty end of the stick in the deal.
I've been on the wrong end of a number of bad CD's in my time and I refuse to give up the right to check out what I am getting in advance of purchasing the material. I further insist on the right to do it in my house on my time and think this is non-negotiable.
It's only a matter of time before record labels go the way of that old dinosaur and we find ourselves in a completely changed musical landscape. I don't imagine my children will have a clue what it was like to get a CD with one good single and 11 songs that sound like monkeys fucking grizzly bears in the rain. Lucky them.
I think your comments are well meant and agree with them for the most part but the world is filled with examples where someone built it and then no one showed up or cared. I don't mean to be overly negative but I don't really see a place for this OS in the so called "grand scheme of things".
I thought Be was neat stuff but ill timed and poorly managed as a company. Right now the playing field is even tougher with great alternatives to Windows already out there and getting better by the day. Up until XP showed up even Windows was improving. Go figure?
The good thing though is that everything in your second line is true and there isn't a doubt that this will be a great experience for the guys involved. It won't be the resurrection of BeOS possibly but something good will come of this.
And I could be wrong. 7-8 years from now we could all be using OBEOS and trying to get tickets to the BeExpo to see special guest speaker Jean-Lois Gassee. Stranger things have happened.
I don't think getting that market share away from Microsoft is really their focus. They're doing what they want to and that's completely cool. No one is going to work on the "sanctioned" project for stopping "MS World Domination" (copyright Microsoft Corp. all rights reserved)who doesn't want to.
It's just not how this system works. The point though is that it does work.
It would be nice to see the guys at OpenBeOS succeed and I am certain that to one degree or another they will. That seems to be the thing with OSS projects. So long as there is one guy still popping away at it the thing isn't dead and there always seems to be a chance that it might ignite.
BeOS had some real neat things going for it and it was sad to see it die like that. Not unexpected, just sad. I don't think I've ever seen a better example of an OS being the right thing at the wrong time. At every turn BeOS was just a little bit off but really impressive while doing it.
Still I wonder if it won't continue, albeit in it's new OSS life, being a tad late every step of the way. OSX is UNIX in a desktop package that kicks butt and Linux is getting it's act together on the desktop at a much faster pace than ever before. Even if they get it where they want to be where will OSX, Linux, and even Windows be by then? And who outside of some interested people involved in the project and us reading about it on slashdot will care?
Worked for me. Course my wife is "nerd-girl" and at my house when someone gets a new "latest & greatest" CPU it's not a lock that I'm the one doing the upgrading but yeah, last time I bought a new CPU I got laid.
And yet today we pretty much visualize a moron running into a market with a bomb strapped to his chest or an idiot firing an AK-47 into the air. Go figure.