I'm not saying that EVERYTHING Apple does is the best god-given technology on the planet, but the day Apple decided on DVD-R sealed the fate of the the recordable DVD media future. It's not always but often Apple leads the way. DVD-R was easy to see.
For example, an easy prediction to make today is that within 2 years, nearly nobody will be producing stand-alone USB/USB2 web cams. Virtually all web cams will be 640x480 30fps firewire web cams.
What are you guys talking about? Remember this key to ecomonics: TARIFFS ARE ALWAYS BAD. Govertments cannot "make things fairer economically" or "level any playing field" . Tariffs will kill all jobs in the foreign countries and not save a single job in the country it hopes to help. If overseas software is artificially inflated to cost more in the US, it still cost the same in the foreign country to make it. The software engineers over there are not going to make any more money off it. And fewer copies of the software will be purchased by americans. And just because the foreign software costs as much as the US software, it makes no difference in the purchasing decision.
People are not going to say "Oh, this software from Japan now costs as much as this software from the US. But the Japan software does more that I want it to do. Therefore, I will be patriotic and economically fair and purchase the less useful US software to ensure that my fellow US employee has a job, just like the government wants."
The *ONLY* way to level the playing field is for the government to not interfere. What should happen is the US company to say "we are losing market share. Let's make a better product to distinguish ourselves from the international competition." Or--even better--"we are losing market share. Let's do something revolutionary and completely new--something that does not have cheap foreign competition."
It's called market advantage. You do what you do best at a price that is right for you and the market. Who cares if there are 1 million programmers in India making $1/hour. (not a reasonable amount--but it doesn't matter for this discussion). But charging $1/hour does not necessarily equate to the best programmers. But if the market for programmers really drops to $1/hour, then you must charge $1 for your programming. No one in the US will do it for $1/hour, so they will HAVE to change jobs to something else. If they are smart, they will do something revolutionary and new and make a LOT MORE MONEY. If they are dumb, they will lobby the government to make their life "fairer". Which we all know is impossible to do--especially for the government to do.
That is, until you find a job where you don't feel you have to look over your shoulder and wonder why management doesn't get it. When management doesn't get it, there's usually no way to fix it. It becomes entrenched in the fabric of the company.
There is only one way for such a company to change--promote from within. This brings up the people who already understand the business PLUS understand the real-world problems faced by the little employees. But such companies rarely do this. They usually hire outside people who have no clue as to what goes on day-to-day. And they keep crapping on their own employees.
I really recommend looking for another job. If jobs in your area are scarce, then think about moving. Being flexible always provides better opportunities. I know the job market is tough right now, and I would not like to be looking for a job. But I've been in that situation many times. And there is not much hope for this type of a company. Unless they promote from within and start investing in their current employees, rather than try to find the next replacement manager who is going to solve all problems, there really is no hope.
Also, all employers should have incentive programs that are based on performance. If your employer does not offer such incentives--even something as little as free movie tickets for the top-performing departments based on measurable results (like lines of checked code, or # of support issues resolved and verified)--then it is another sign of problems with management.
I must say, Jef Raskin is pretty puch the idiot of the 21st century. He hasn't stopped crying since Jobs got rid of his OS9 interface. A couple of things to note: THE software does *NOT* run in OSX. It only runs in OS9/Classic. Raskin hates OSX SOOOO MUCH that he wants to create this useless software to run in a dying OS just because he likes 9 better than X. And talk about user interface--it has 48-pixel icons. WOOO!
The entire site is about Jef, not THE software. It talks about what Jef thinks make some really cool esoteric software. And if the user interface is good enough, we should all spend WEEKS adjusting our computing habbits to how he wants us to use the computer. (this is all summarizing the main link in the article).
It's just amazing that Jef is the only one he thinks is qualified to determine EVERYONE's computer interface needs. Thanks Jef, no thanks. I saw the light the first time I used enlightenment. Any OS that can let the user decide every aspect of the interface--easily switching from enlightenment to KDE to gnome to anything--is FAR better than being told you know too much about computers and "you are in a worse position for learning it than a novice who has only to acquire new habits and has nothing to unlearn!" *I* decide.
Nothing would be worse than M$ buying borland. It would be the end of JBuilder--a fantastic java IDE. Not to mention delphi and KYLIX! This would be B*A*D.
From the Simputer FAQ, IML is basically an XML document type. It's a spec that the simputer people wrote to control the user interface of the computer. It doesn't use palm/wince/qtopia as the UI... it uses a graphical interface that is controlled using IML.
First: IML stands for "Information" ML, not "International" ML.
Second: The product is not shipping, it was just presented by the IT Minister of India. No shipping date has been set by any company. Aparently the people at simputer.org do not build the product, they licence the hardware to be built. There are no listed manufacturers of the simputer.
It is not shipping, it is not available. (But according to the FAQ, it should be shipping by March 2002!) All said, the hinduonnet article is simple marketing fluff (ala M$, RH, etc).
I hate to say this here, but I gave up linux about 2 years ago in favor of OSX Public Beta. I had slight problems until 10.0 came out--but since then it's been 100% OSX. Java rocks--BSD rocks. It's the best multimedia system out there (iTunes/iMovie rock for basic functionality).
I mean, 64MB cards have been around for a while. So definately more memory is better. But perhaps most importantly is the compatibility. Look at the software you want to run. If you're considering 128MB GC, then gaming is an issue. You must find a card that is as good as possible at the games you want to play. Consider games that are about to come out soon (Doom ]I[ ?).
If games aren't what you're looking for in a card, then any card will pretty much do, unless you're looking for something with specific OpenGL compatiblity.
Even without p2p attacks from idiots like the RIAA, there are always problems using p2p networks. Try to dl a 600MB cd image. There are lots of times you can get a nearly 600MB file, but it's not all there so you waste a cd burn. It can be very difficult to tell before you dl if it's a good file. You just move on and find the right file eventually.
Most of the stuff the RIAA will try to attack are the latest Brittany Spears/'NSYnc albums, which I don't want anyway. They aren't going to waste time ruining obscure bands/out-of-date music, so you can dl all you want.
The only people who it hurts are the people who don't know what to look for when they're dl-ing anyway, or the poeple who want ONLY the most popular stuff (instead of the good stuff out there). I think the smart people can easily stay 15 steps ahead of the RIA
Some had to start making the hard changes. Apple is STRENGTHENING itself in the long run. I think most people on/. are warming up to Linux. Most "classic" mac users I know finally find Jaguar usable. For every complaint I've heard about OSX, I can list 10 or more features and reasons why we should ALL be using it. Starting at Apple's not-so-crappy Open Source involvement (gcc3 work gets back to the gcc3 people), to it's stability and use of Unix.
Isn't this a little like combining X & NeXT? I'm probably off on my technology analogy, but even though DisplayPostScript is not based on X at all, wasn't the desing philosophy the same?
I hate to soap-box here, but it looks like the 10 things that would change the computing world may really do that. I always thought they'd be lucky if 7 of them held true.
Let's say the copyrighted product is a CD or DVD. Well, I can rip either one of those into another format. Let's say I convert it to MP3/DIVX. Then I could convert those formats to OGG/DV formats. By now, there is no way to track where it came from and what content is in the files, right? I mean, in the end all of these systems can be avoided. And if we know they're out there, we just don't buy any more sony computers EVER (or microsoft software or REAL software, etc, etc).
I do not think there is any software that could scan an Ogg Vorbis file and determine at all what song it is. Even if it did that, it could not determine what album it came from (original/CD single/live/greatest hits/various artists version). The whole idea of DRM just drives me crazy!
I couldn't care less for ZDNet. But I guess that this could be a sign that Microsoft's downfall may be close at hand, since ZDNet is completely controlled by M$.
Mandrake is simply the best distro out there. It doesn't get bogged down by "this package uses the wrong license" or "this is too cutting edge" or "this is too average user", either. They simply go out there and offer their users EVERYTHING in the linux world. I will always only install Mandrake.
And not becoming a part of United Linux is partly due to the above and partly due to their use of RPM. I think they're doing the right thing, and the United Linux people fill fall big time.
Using your logic, the pledge of allegience is constituation since if you don't believe in God, it simply translated to "...One nation, under no one, indivisible...". That solves EVERYTHING!
I'm filing a suit against all US currency! It's unconstitutional!!!
Doesn't it mean the opposite?
on
Stopping Light
·
· Score: 1
Couldn't this actually mean there would be a way to crack any quantum encryption scheme? Wouldn't this mean that you could examine light without the impact of the heisenberg uncertainty principle, therefore see the attributes of the light? Then you record the quantum attributes of each photon and recreate all possible messages that could be sent by the encryption. The presumption, of course, is that with sufficiently slow photons the uncertainty principle will no longer apply.
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I'm not saying that EVERYTHING Apple does is the best god-given technology on the planet, but the day Apple decided on DVD-R sealed the fate of the the recordable DVD media future. It's not always but often Apple leads the way. DVD-R was easy to see.
For example, an easy prediction to make today is that within 2 years, nearly nobody will be producing stand-alone USB/USB2 web cams. Virtually all web cams will be 640x480 30fps firewire web cams.
---gralem
Does he prefer to be called "Evil Genius" or "Idiot Scientist"?
---gralem
What are you guys talking about? Remember this key to ecomonics: TARIFFS ARE ALWAYS BAD. Govertments cannot "make things fairer economically" or "level any playing field" . Tariffs will kill all jobs in the foreign countries and not save a single job in the country it hopes to help. If overseas software is artificially inflated to cost more in the US, it still cost the same in the foreign country to make it. The software engineers over there are not going to make any more money off it. And fewer copies of the software will be purchased by americans. And just because the foreign software costs as much as the US software, it makes no difference in the purchasing decision.
People are not going to say "Oh, this software from Japan now costs as much as this software from the US. But the Japan software does more that I want it to do. Therefore, I will be patriotic and economically fair and purchase the less useful US software to ensure that my fellow US employee has a job, just like the government wants."
The *ONLY* way to level the playing field is for the government to not interfere. What should happen is the US company to say "we are losing market share. Let's make a better product to distinguish ourselves from the international competition." Or--even better--"we are losing market share. Let's do something revolutionary and completely new--something that does not have cheap foreign competition."
It's called market advantage. You do what you do best at a price that is right for you and the market. Who cares if there are 1 million programmers in India making $1/hour. (not a reasonable amount--but it doesn't matter for this discussion). But charging $1/hour does not necessarily equate to the best programmers. But if the market for programmers really drops to $1/hour, then you must charge $1 for your programming. No one in the US will do it for $1/hour, so they will HAVE to change jobs to something else. If they are smart, they will do something revolutionary and new and make a LOT MORE MONEY. If they are dumb, they will lobby the government to make their life "fairer". Which we all know is impossible to do--especially for the government to do.
---gralem
#1 *ALWAYS LOOK FOR A BETTER JOB*.
That is, until you find a job where you don't feel you have to look over your shoulder and wonder why management doesn't get it. When management doesn't get it, there's usually no way to fix it. It becomes entrenched in the fabric of the company.
There is only one way for such a company to change--promote from within. This brings up the people who already understand the business PLUS understand the real-world problems faced by the little employees. But such companies rarely do this. They usually hire outside people who have no clue as to what goes on day-to-day. And they keep crapping on their own employees.
I really recommend looking for another job. If jobs in your area are scarce, then think about moving. Being flexible always provides better opportunities. I know the job market is tough right now, and I would not like to be looking for a job. But I've been in that situation many times. And there is not much hope for this type of a company. Unless they promote from within and start investing in their current employees, rather than try to find the next replacement manager who is going to solve all problems, there really is no hope.
Also, all employers should have incentive programs that are based on performance. If your employer does not offer such incentives--even something as little as free movie tickets for the top-performing departments based on measurable results (like lines of checked code, or # of support issues resolved and verified)--then it is another sign of problems with management.
---gralem
Sorry, I meant 22nd century. I was the idiot of the 21st century.
I must say, Jef Raskin is pretty puch the idiot of the 21st century. He hasn't stopped crying since Jobs got rid of his OS9 interface. A couple of things to note: THE software does *NOT* run in OSX. It only runs in OS9/Classic. Raskin hates OSX SOOOO MUCH that he wants to create this useless software to run in a dying OS just because he likes 9 better than X. And talk about user interface--it has 48-pixel icons. WOOO!
The entire site is about Jef, not THE software. It talks about what Jef thinks make some really cool esoteric software. And if the user interface is good enough, we should all spend WEEKS adjusting our computing habbits to how he wants us to use the computer. (this is all summarizing the main link in the article).
It's just amazing that Jef is the only one he thinks is qualified to determine EVERYONE's computer interface needs. Thanks Jef, no thanks. I saw the light the first time I used enlightenment. Any OS that can let the user decide every aspect of the interface--easily switching from enlightenment to KDE to gnome to anything--is FAR better than being told you know too much about computers and "you are in a worse position for learning it than a novice who has only to acquire new habits and has nothing to unlearn!" *I* decide.
---gralem
Nothing would be worse than M$ buying borland. It would be the end of JBuilder--a fantastic java IDE. Not to mention delphi and KYLIX! This would be B*A*D.
---gralem
Chemotherapy is not radiation therapy!
From the Simputer FAQ, IML is basically an XML document type. It's a spec that the simputer people wrote to control the user interface of the computer. It doesn't use palm/wince/qtopia as the UI... it uses a graphical interface that is controlled using IML.
---gralem
First: IML stands for "Information" ML, not "International" ML.
Second: The product is not shipping, it was just presented by the IT Minister of India. No shipping date has been set by any company. Aparently the people at simputer.org do not build the product, they licence the hardware to be built. There are no listed manufacturers of the simputer.
It is not shipping, it is not available. (But according to the FAQ, it should be shipping by March 2002!) All said, the hinduonnet article is simple marketing fluff (ala M$, RH, etc).
---gralem
I hate to say this here, but I gave up linux about 2 years ago in favor of OSX Public Beta. I had slight problems until 10.0 came out--but since then it's been 100% OSX. Java rocks--BSD rocks. It's the best multimedia system out there (iTunes/iMovie rock for basic functionality).
Today, Jaguar is a no-brainer.
---gralem
I mean, 64MB cards have been around for a while. So definately more memory is better. But perhaps most importantly is the compatibility. Look at the software you want to run. If you're considering 128MB GC, then gaming is an issue. You must find a card that is as good as possible at the games you want to play. Consider games that are about to come out soon (Doom ]I[ ?).
If games aren't what you're looking for in a card, then any card will pretty much do, unless you're looking for something with specific OpenGL compatiblity.
---gralem
Even without p2p attacks from idiots like the RIAA, there are always problems using p2p networks. Try to dl a 600MB cd image. There are lots of times you can get a nearly 600MB file, but it's not all there so you waste a cd burn. It can be very difficult to tell before you dl if it's a good file. You just move on and find the right file eventually.
Most of the stuff the RIAA will try to attack are the latest Brittany Spears/'NSYnc albums, which I don't want anyway. They aren't going to waste time ruining obscure bands/out-of-date music, so you can dl all you want.
The only people who it hurts are the people who don't know what to look for when they're dl-ing anyway, or the poeple who want ONLY the most popular stuff (instead of the good stuff out there). I think the smart people can easily stay 15 steps ahead of the RIA
---gralem
Sorry...I meant "warming up to OSX from Linux".
---g
Some had to start making the hard changes. Apple is STRENGTHENING itself in the long run. I think most people on /. are warming up to Linux. Most "classic" mac users I know finally find Jaguar usable. For every complaint I've heard about OSX, I can list 10 or more features and reasons why we should ALL be using it. Starting at Apple's not-so-crappy Open Source involvement (gcc3 work gets back to the gcc3 people), to it's stability and use of Unix.
---gralem
Isn't this a little like combining X & NeXT? I'm probably off on my technology analogy, but even though DisplayPostScript is not based on X at all, wasn't the desing philosophy the same?
I hate to soap-box here, but it looks like the 10 things that would change the computing world may really do that. I always thought they'd be lucky if 7 of them held true.
---gralem
Let's say the copyrighted product is a CD or DVD. Well, I can rip either one of those into another format. Let's say I convert it to MP3/DIVX. Then I could convert those formats to OGG/DV formats. By now, there is no way to track where it came from and what content is in the files, right? I mean, in the end all of these systems can be avoided. And if we know they're out there, we just don't buy any more sony computers EVER (or microsoft software or REAL software, etc, etc).
I do not think there is any software that could scan an Ogg Vorbis file and determine at all what song it is. Even if it did that, it could not determine what album it came from (original/CD single/live/greatest hits/various artists version). The whole idea of DRM just drives me crazy!
---gralem
I couldn't care less for ZDNet. But I guess that this could be a sign that Microsoft's downfall may be close at hand, since ZDNet is completely controlled by M$.
---gralem
Mandrake is simply the best distro out there. It doesn't get bogged down by "this package uses the wrong license" or "this is too cutting edge" or "this is too average user", either. They simply go out there and offer their users EVERYTHING in the linux world. I will always only install Mandrake.
And not becoming a part of United Linux is partly due to the above and partly due to their use of RPM. I think they're doing the right thing, and the United Linux people fill fall big time.
---gralem
pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!
---gralem
I've been waiting for eclipse 2.0 to come out for months now!!!
---gralem
Using your logic, the pledge of allegience is constituation since if you don't believe in God, it simply translated to "...One nation, under no one, indivisible...". That solves EVERYTHING!
---gralem
I'm filing a suit against all US currency! It's unconstitutional!!!
Couldn't this actually mean there would be a way to crack any quantum encryption scheme? Wouldn't this mean that you could examine light without the impact of the heisenberg uncertainty principle, therefore see the attributes of the light? Then you record the quantum attributes of each photon and recreate all possible messages that could be sent by the encryption. The presumption, of course, is that with sufficiently slow photons the uncertainty principle will no longer apply.
That would be "Mac Oh Ess Ten"