What we need is a list of as many sites that dont work in all browsers (especially those that lock alternatives out completly) and then, for each of those sites, find any competitors that exist that do support alternatives.
For example, if doesnt work with alternative browsers, find that does, so people can switch.
The sooner M$ stops supportin Wincrap 95/98/ME, the better.
Windows 95/98/ME suck, have always sucked and will always suck due to the shared memory architecture that makes it easier for applications to step on other applications or worse still on the core OS itself.
The Windows NT series doesnt have this problem because it has a much better memory architecture.
I suspect that basicly its that right now 90% of the web is on IE. Therefore all that web-content (including the internal-to-AOL content) needs to be designed for is IE. If AOL switches to mozilla, all that content would need to be gone over with a fine tooth comb to find out if it needs to be fixed to work on "AOL x.0" (or whtever the version with mozilla would be called) and if so, fix it in some appropriate way.
That would cost $$$ and take up lots of time (and as we all know time = $$$ so that means even more $$$).
Personally, I am waiting for AOL to merge the AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ networks (they are basicly using the same protocol and such now last I heard)
We have a Vigor 2500WG that does: Wireless 802.11b access point 4-port ethernet (dont know if its a switch or just a hub) VPN DHCP server to allocate 192.168.x addresses for internal machines and to provide DNS info and such. NAT to handle mapping the machines on the internal LAN to the outside world. Port Forwarding to forward stuff correctly for those protocols that need it. Firewall so it can block crap you dont want. and some other bits and pieces. Plus DSL modem and such of course.
Make it so you have to input a customer number or something. (something that wouldnt normally be sent over the wire).
The amount of time it would take for the "owner" of the zombie to get the customer number is enough such that it should make it easier to just go find another machine to infect.
The problem with mozilla is that its impossible to test the site on every version of mozilla.
This leaves them with 3 options: 1.allow certain versions of mozilla in and block others (hard to do since something reporting as might be a nightly, might be a release build or might be some hacked up custom job with who knows what patches applied) 2.block mozilla completly 3.allow all mozilla builds in. Problem is if, because of a bug in mozilla or more likely wrong HTML for the site, something important doesnt show up or the site is rendered wrong, people will be unable to get the "full experience" from the site and therefore the site might be hit with lots of complaints (or depending on the site and the problem, lawsuits might happen if the missing item is e.g. a box that isnt showing up indicating the extra $50 for shipping the huge item to you) Plus, people look at the site in , see the rendering bugs and think the site is unprofessional and again, complain.
My bank lets me use mozilla but it does give me a warning.
What this is is a decision that a company that lets you call up people on any other phone companies network (Verizon etc) including calls to Emergency numbers shouldnt be granted an exemption from this particular piece of state legislation that regulates phone companies just because their phone connects to the Internet instead of to a regular phone network.
Programs (including voice chat progams and such), protocols and internet services that dont talk to the regulat PSTN network wont be affected by this decision. Also, even programs that are used for services that connect to the PSTN wont be affected. The only affect this will have is on companies offering a telephone service that lets you ring up someone on the regular PSTN (or on a mobile etc) and lets them ring you.
I have said it before and I will say it again. What we need is a replacement for paypal that is just as easy to use (e.g. for payments online etc) but which follows banking rules and doesnt do the crap paypal does.
As for paypal itself, if they were more open about account freezes and gave people a chance to sort things out, they wouldnt get anywhere near as much flak.
One of the biggest reasons for account closures is this: person a pays money into a paypal acct person a then pays person b person b either leaves the money in their paypal acct or takes it out and into their regular bank person a then (for whatever reasons) issues a chargeback or bank thingo and wants their money back. Paypal now freezes the account (and often the bank account and such as well) of person b while they sort out the whole mess.
What paypal should do is to tell person b that person a has done the chargeback and now wants their money back. That way, person b can give paypal such money as is necessary to resolve the chargeback with person a's bank and the whole issue would sort itself out.
Another good idea if you use paypal is to set up a seperate account just for dealing with paypal. At any given time it should only contain money about to be transfered into paypal or money thats just been transfered out of paypal. If you transfer money out of paypal to this account as soon as you get it then transfer it straight from this account to your regular account, paypal cant touch it.
Here in australia, we dont do that. Instead, all airplanes have trained 12-foot saltwater crocodiles ready to "take down" any "terrorists" who cause trouble:)
Although I do wonder about this new "Crocodile Tax" that has started showing up on all my air tickets:)
I remember going through Heathrow a few years back. They didnt confiscate batteries but they did insist on running the suitcase with them inside through an x-ray scanner.
One of the biggest problems is that people who want to offer better broadband (especially those whos plans dont require leasing any infrastructure from the Baby Bells) face opposition not just from the Baby Bells but also from various regulators at local, state and federal levels.
Make it easier for anyone to come in and lay cables or fiber (subject to some easy to follow rules about where and how it can be laid obviously). Get rid of all the red-tape. (in particular, if you get permission from the owners of all the pieces of land your cables will run through, you should be able to lay any cables or wires you want as long as they dont cause problems for power, water, phone, gas etc).
One sad example (that I cant seem to find any usefull links to right now) is the example of Anaheim california. They spent all this $$$ setting up a world-class fiber optics network, set up a nice NOC full of infrastructure then promptly abandoned it. (last I heard, all thats left is a bundle of fiber ends sticking out of the wall somewhere) I dont know why it was abandoned (and I cant find a link on google that explains why) but anyone with the money and the will to run their own infrastructure like this should not be prevented from doing so by unnecessary red-tape.
Course, another option is to go totally wireless and set up a bunch of wireless points all over town. It would be cheaper than running miles of fiber.
The reason broadband sucks in the US is because no-one is willing (or mabie its that no-one is able) to offer better broadband than the crap you have now. Here in australia, I am getting 512k/128k ADSL with NO download limits, traffic shaping, portblocking, restrictions on servers or whatever else (there are some restrictions on things like running a webserver and selling space on that server but they are perfectly reasonable). Plus, I can run unlimited LAN machines. All for AUS$80 per month (about $US55 at current conversion rates)
It may seem expensive but considering this is 512k/128k, and has no download limits (or, like some other ISPs have, traffic shaping where after a certain amount of downloads your speed gets cut back a bit untill the next month), its pretty good.
Here in australia, all the infrastructure is owned by Telstra. (used to be 100% government owned, now partially privatized, current government is still trying to sell off the rest) Other companies can come in and offer telephone service and DSL broadband over the lines. (and there are are plenty to choose from in both markets)
Unlike the US, we have a government and regulators with some teeth who are prepared to go after Telstra. (just recently, Telstra dropped their retail DSL prices below their wholesale prices and were hit very hard for it by the regulators)
Here in australia we get 375ml (cans), 390ml, 600ml, 1.25l and 2l (at least last time I looked, dont normally have much cause to notice the larger sizes
One of the biggest problems with transition would be all the things that would need to be translated.
For example: All the road signs marked in Miles and Miles Per Hour. All the car speedos and such marked in Miles (can you imagine what would happen if you had a speedo in miles per hour, saw a sign saying "speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour" and proceeded to go 80mph?
Or all the gas pumps and other things measured in Gallons.
Or all the thermometers and temprature measuring equipment thats in degrees Fareheight
Or (to be on topic) all the printers, printing presses, photocopiers, imagesetters, paper mills and other things that are measured in US paper sizes?
I believe that EA actually went after at least one person who tried to create/edit/create programs for editing/something like that the special Scripting language used by The Sims to actually make things do stuff in game.
WTL wont work with Visual C++ Compiler Toolkit because WTL requires the Active Template Library which is (unless something has changed) only available with full versions of Visual C++.
Therefore, the WTL is only useable with visual C++.
Now if they open sourced the Active Template Library as well...:)
The bad thing is that this library is visual C++ only (by virtue of the fact that ATL is required and that ATL is visual C++ only)
Also, this is the exact same code that was available from MS for WTL before, its just a change of licence to the CPL
Unless microsoft opens ATL to the world also, this doesnt help anyone developing on non-MS compilers
Personally, I think they could gain a LOT of PR by open-sourcing more stuff. Specificly, releasing (under the CPL for example) more code which is not important to M$ money making machine.
For example, open sourcing their C Runtime (the source code does come with Visual C++ but its missing some bits that only come in binary form) Or open source the Active Template Library or MFC. Or "open-source" the Platform SDK (i.e. all the headers and libraries)
Although I suspect that Open Sourcing things like CRT, ATL or MFC would probobly hurt MS since people would be able to use instead of to develop for those libaries.
On the other hand, there is no reason why someone cant come up with a free version of ATL or MFC or whatever that matches the published interface (there are already at least 2 free versions of the MSVCRT.DLL file, unsure exactly how complete they are, there are also free versions of the headers and libraries for talking to MSVCRT.DLL)
Slashdot Mirror
What we need is a list of as many sites that dont work in all browsers (especially those that lock alternatives out completly) and then, for each of those sites, find any competitors that exist that do support alternatives.
For example, if doesnt work with alternative browsers, find that does, so people can switch.
The sooner M$ stops supportin Wincrap 95/98/ME, the better.
Windows 95/98/ME suck, have always sucked and will always suck due to the shared memory architecture that makes it easier for applications to step on other applications or worse still on the core OS itself.
The Windows NT series doesnt have this problem because it has a much better memory architecture.
I suspect that basicly its that right now 90% of the web is on IE. Therefore all that web-content (including the internal-to-AOL content) needs to be designed for is IE.
If AOL switches to mozilla, all that content would need to be gone over with a fine tooth comb to find out if it needs to be fixed to work on "AOL x.0" (or whtever the version with mozilla would be called) and if so, fix it in some appropriate way.
That would cost $$$ and take up lots of time (and as we all know time = $$$ so that means even more $$$).
Personally, I am waiting for AOL to merge the AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ networks (they are basicly using the same protocol and such now last I heard)
Thats it.
Now I am mad.
Death be to ANY radio executive who bans ANY AC/DC for ANY reason.
We have a Vigor 2500WG that does:
Wireless 802.11b access point
4-port ethernet (dont know if its a switch or just a hub)
VPN
DHCP server to allocate 192.168.x addresses for internal machines and to provide DNS info and such.
NAT to handle mapping the machines on the internal LAN to the outside world.
Port Forwarding to forward stuff correctly for those protocols that need it.
Firewall so it can block crap you dont want.
and some other bits and pieces.
Plus DSL modem and such of course.
Make it so you have to input a customer number or something. (something that wouldnt normally be sent over the wire).
The amount of time it would take for the "owner" of the zombie to get the customer number is enough such that it should make it easier to just go find another machine to infect.
Not necessarily port 25 (as mentioned elsewhere) but certainly ports used by worms like Sasser, Blaster etc. Windows Filesharing ports also.
The problem with mozilla is that its impossible to test the site on every version of mozilla.
This leaves them with 3 options:
1.allow certain versions of mozilla in and block others (hard to do since something reporting as might be a nightly, might be a release build or might be some hacked up custom job with who knows what patches applied)
2.block mozilla completly
3.allow all mozilla builds in. Problem is if, because of a bug in mozilla or more likely wrong HTML for the site, something important doesnt show up or the site is rendered wrong, people will be unable to get the "full experience" from the site and therefore the site might be hit with lots of complaints (or depending on the site and the problem, lawsuits might happen if the missing item is e.g. a box that isnt showing up indicating the extra $50 for shipping the huge item to you)
Plus, people look at the site in , see the rendering bugs and think the site is unprofessional and again, complain.
My bank lets me use mozilla but it does give me a warning.
or any programs that run on it.
What this is is a decision that a company that lets you call up people on any other phone companies network (Verizon etc) including calls to Emergency numbers shouldnt be granted an exemption from this particular piece of state legislation that regulates phone companies just because their phone connects to the Internet instead of to a regular phone network.
Programs (including voice chat progams and such), protocols and internet services that dont talk to the regulat PSTN network wont be affected by this decision.
Also, even programs that are used for services that connect to the PSTN wont be affected. The only affect this will have is on companies offering a telephone service that lets you ring up someone on the regular PSTN (or on a mobile etc) and lets them ring you.
Anyone working on making option #1 (the open source option) able to handle the latest codecs?
I have said it before and I will say it again.
What we need is a replacement for paypal that is just as easy to use (e.g. for payments online etc) but which follows banking rules and doesnt do the crap paypal does.
As for paypal itself, if they were more open about account freezes and gave people a chance to sort things out, they wouldnt get anywhere near as much flak.
One of the biggest reasons for account closures is this:
person a pays money into a paypal acct
person a then pays person b
person b either leaves the money in their paypal acct or takes it out and into their regular bank
person a then (for whatever reasons) issues a chargeback or bank thingo and wants their money back. Paypal now freezes the account (and often the bank account and such as well) of person b while they sort out the whole mess.
What paypal should do is to tell person b that person a has done the chargeback and now wants their money back. That way, person b can give paypal such money as is necessary to resolve the chargeback with person a's bank and the whole issue would sort itself out.
Another good idea if you use paypal is to set up a seperate account just for dealing with paypal. At any given time it should only contain money about to be transfered into paypal or money thats just been transfered out of paypal. If you transfer money out of paypal to this account as soon as you get it then transfer it straight from this account to your regular account, paypal cant touch it.
Why hasnt intel or AMD added NX to IA-32?
Here in australia, we dont do that. :)
:)
Instead, all airplanes have trained 12-foot saltwater crocodiles ready to "take down" any "terrorists" who cause trouble
Although I do wonder about this new "Crocodile Tax" that has started showing up on all my air tickets
For more fun, go grab an old TV set or monitor and open it up. Those things are great places to find some near high-voltage capacitors and such.
I remember going through Heathrow a few years back.
They didnt confiscate batteries but they did insist on running the suitcase with them inside through an x-ray scanner.
One of the biggest problems is that people who want to offer better broadband (especially those whos plans dont require leasing any infrastructure from the Baby Bells) face opposition not just from the Baby Bells but also from various regulators at local, state and federal levels.
Make it easier for anyone to come in and lay cables or fiber (subject to some easy to follow rules about where and how it can be laid obviously). Get rid of all the red-tape. (in particular, if you get permission from the owners of all the pieces of land your cables will run through, you should be able to lay any cables or wires you want as long as they dont cause problems for power, water, phone, gas etc).
One sad example (that I cant seem to find any usefull links to right now) is the example of Anaheim california. They spent all this $$$ setting up a world-class fiber optics network, set up a nice NOC full of infrastructure then promptly abandoned it. (last I heard, all thats left is a bundle of fiber ends sticking out of the wall somewhere) I dont know why it was abandoned (and I cant find a link on google that explains why) but anyone with the money and the will to run their own infrastructure like this should not be prevented from doing so by unnecessary red-tape.
Course, another option is to go totally wireless and set up a bunch of wireless points all over town. It would be cheaper than running miles of fiber.
The reason broadband sucks in the US is because no-one is willing (or mabie its that no-one is able) to offer better broadband than the crap you have now. Here in australia, I am getting 512k/128k ADSL with NO download limits, traffic shaping, portblocking, restrictions on servers or whatever else (there are some restrictions on things like running a webserver and selling space on that server but they are perfectly reasonable). Plus, I can run unlimited LAN machines. All for AUS$80 per month (about $US55 at current conversion rates)
It may seem expensive but considering this is 512k/128k, and has no download limits (or, like some other ISPs have, traffic shaping where after a certain amount of downloads your speed gets cut back a bit untill the next month), its pretty good.
Here in australia, all the infrastructure is owned by Telstra. (used to be 100% government owned, now partially privatized, current government is still trying to sell off the rest) Other companies can come in and offer telephone service and DSL broadband over the lines. (and there are are plenty to choose from in both markets)
Unlike the US, we have a government and regulators with some teeth who are prepared to go after Telstra. (just recently, Telstra dropped their retail DSL prices below their wholesale prices and were hit very hard for it by the regulators)
I did a few years of programming at high-school.
Specificly, I did a bit of pascal then some VB later on.
I think the source code to Duke3D was released at some point, mabie there is an OSX port (or mabie someone can do one)
Here in australia we get 375ml (cans), 390ml, 600ml, 1.25l and 2l (at least last time I looked, dont normally have much cause to notice the larger sizes
One of the biggest problems with transition would be all the things that would need to be translated.
For example:
All the road signs marked in Miles and Miles Per Hour.
All the car speedos and such marked in Miles (can you imagine what would happen if you had a speedo in miles per hour, saw a sign saying "speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour" and proceeded to go 80mph?
Or all the gas pumps and other things measured in Gallons.
Or all the thermometers and temprature measuring equipment thats in degrees Fareheight
Or (to be on topic) all the printers, printing presses, photocopiers, imagesetters, paper mills and other things that are measured in US paper sizes?
I believe that EA actually went after at least one person who tried to create/edit/create programs for editing/something like that the special Scripting language used by The Sims to actually make things do stuff in game.
Call me when MS released anything noteworthy (such as their C Runtime or the MFC libraries or IE)
Wrong.
:)
WTL wont work with Visual C++ Compiler Toolkit because WTL requires the Active Template Library which is (unless something has changed) only available with full versions of Visual C++.
Therefore, the WTL is only useable with visual C++.
Now if they open sourced the Active Template Library as well...
The bad thing is that this library is visual C++ only (by virtue of the fact that ATL is required and that ATL is visual C++ only)
Also, this is the exact same code that was available from MS for WTL before, its just a change of licence to the CPL
Unless microsoft opens ATL to the world also, this doesnt help anyone developing on non-MS compilers
Personally, I think they could gain a LOT of PR by open-sourcing more stuff.
Specificly, releasing (under the CPL for example) more code which is not important to M$ money making machine.
For example, open sourcing their C Runtime (the source code does come with Visual C++ but its missing some bits that only come in binary form)
Or open source the Active Template Library or MFC.
Or "open-source" the Platform SDK (i.e. all the headers and libraries)
Although I suspect that Open Sourcing things like CRT, ATL or MFC would probobly hurt MS since people would be able to use instead of to develop for those libaries.
On the other hand, there is no reason why someone cant come up with a free version of ATL or MFC or whatever that matches the published interface (there are already at least 2 free versions of the MSVCRT.DLL file, unsure exactly how complete they are, there are also free versions of the headers and libraries for talking to MSVCRT.DLL)
Which is the most legally risky part of the WIN32 api to implement?